Redemption: The Preludes (IC post)

[PixCO]

Yopine (Svirfette) Quietclock

---

"Makes perfect sense to me. And some of our burdens might be closer together than you think."

Yopine cast a glance towards Rillik. This was something she'd admitted to her friend already. Maybe in some ways her best friend now, despite having only just met. Was she free to now share it with everyone else?

She had to. There was no other path to take.

"I fell in with a crowd like yours. That Guild I've been hunting? Hating? That I keep Svifring about? It's where I started too." She swallowed hard, though the stew had little to do with that.

"They were slick when they recruited me, too. And just like you I found myself in farther than I wanted to be. Except, I didn't stop. Not even when it came time to kill. That was me, going farther than you were willing, and somehow convincing myself it's what I wanted. Not really sure how I managed to do that, but it took my own mother's throat being cut before I stopped. And even then, I'm not sure I could have without Dillworthy's help. So please, don't think you're some bad guy because you roughed up a couple of guards. Not all of us are that noble."

 

 

Edited April 25 by PixCO (see edit history)

[Civit]

Aly Treltor

---

Aly decided Rillik needed butchering lessons. She was quite adept at the skinning and dressing, but the amount of scraps left after the butchering... at least Allqu would avoid her distaste for offal.

Listening to the discussion between Torben and Rillik, "backing up what Ril said, I would add a name... Drizzt Do'urden. Like you he came from a race most fear. Yet, he is arguably the greatest hero the north has ever seen."

"I understand the prejudice. I am ashamed to admit if it hadn't been for Allqu and her friendly exuberance I might have caved into that prejudice. Of course your association with Illmater lends you credence. Trust doesn't come easy to me, but you, Ragz and Svirf have so far shown you deserve the chance at my trust. All three of you from races with bad histories, but all three of you have made a good impression on me so far."

[Basil_Bottletop]

Wyckmere Mirth

---

The gnome's admission of ignorance garnered some response from Wyck, but only unspoken ones. He nodded and tilted his head, his eyes dancing to distance points as he tried to think while also listen. Her confusion was his confusion even if he didn't mirror the same sentiments about what it might mean for her existence here.

The soldier's theory held some water, but it also felt silly to admit it. Wyck had known what true loneliness felt like and he didn't care to linger on it. It was easier to dismiss the whole notion as being something else than it was to try and compare his feelings today to how he felt back then. He wasn't sure he remembered it all correctly. He nodded along as Roland finished and was grateful when Yopine carried the conversation elsewhere, as it gave him a chance to empty his bowl.

Her confession held weight, but only in that Wyck knew she needed to say it aloud. If he was meant to condemn her for her actions, he didn't know how to tell her that he didn't have it in him. For a second he thought to feign rebuttal and offer her a poignant social sentencing, simply because apathy felt far harsher. But he couldn't. It wasn't his place to condemn. It wasn't his place to give her reprieve. In the end he simply offered her the best shrug he could build and something that resembled an engaging smile.

"I haven't pieced together what it is that is important about you guys yet either. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure you're all wonderfully interesting and should each feel some powerful urge to be better versions of you but whatever has brought D'Artegenon and I here, it rarely has anything to do with an individual or even a group of individuals, that I can promise you." His hand swept across the camp at the others, a peaceful inclusion to everyone around in his long-winded run-on sentence. "I just usually have a good guess on what it is by now. It's usually easier to see. Feel. Sometimes it's already happened and we're there to catch some small part of it's ending."

Something in his composure settled and he blinked away the cloudiness of his unintended mystique. "Sorry. It's just that we're here to witness something. And no, me telling you doesn't change the cosmos and keep it from happening. It doesn't work that way. But we don't really bother telling most people because usually there are no people, or it's such a short visit that we don't meet anyone worth telling."

He paused for a moment, but something in his body language suggested he wasn't looking for anyone to interrupt. "But we've with been with you all for soooo long, and nothing! It's weird. I think D'Artegenon can feel it too. Now we've got them with us, and I don't know if it's because of the something or because we're trying to hurry it up." He didn't need a gesture to tell them whom he referred to, "More people doesn't make it better or faster or easier to read. And if you're a part of it, you can't just leave either. If you can leave, you weren't a part of it anyways."

He paused again and gave them both direct looks that meant to suggest he was being serious, "Now you know why we don't bother telling people."

Edited April 26 by Basil_Bottletop (see edit history)

[Zelphas]

Torben

---

Torben stared as the gnome suggested standing in front of screaming villagers jumping at him with weapons and trying to calmly ask them how to help. It was... how could he explain it? He had walked into villages, carefully cloaked and gloved, and had calm, even pleasant conversations with the people there. He paid them for things he needed, simply asked for advice, even revealed his connection to Ilmater and tried to help. They had been suspicious, guarded, but eventually had been friendly enough... until the scarf slipped, or a glove came loose, or someone a little too perceptive looked at his eyes for too long. And then, everything he had done was meaningless, down to his holy symbol. The pitchforks came, and the screams, and the fire. Talking did nothing then, nor offers of help, nor anything else.

The human woman's bit of... advice? Commentary? Just confused Torben more. He had no idea who this "Drizzt" person was supposed to be, but that wasn't his real issue. It revealed a second problem: he didn't know what "bugbears" were. He had still never even seen another person that looked like him, let alone met one, learned their history, understood their struggles. How was he supposed to represent a race he didn't even know? How could he decide right and wrong when he had, at most, half the story?

All of it was too much. Torben didn't even know where to start. And so, he did what he had always done when asked a question or presented with a problem that he didn't understand; he let it pass over him. "I didn't think of it that way. Thank you for the advice." Usually, those two sentences were enough to slip away, and that was what Torben did a moment later, walking over to the pile of firewood for the night. He set about breaking down some of the larger pieces into more manageable sizes, using his hands to do so; the physical effort calmed him, and he didn't think anyone was in the mood to spar, with everything that was going on.

[PixCO]

Yopine (Svirfette) Quietclock

---

Yopine had listened to Wyck's apparent rambling with a neutral, patient expression. Her work with the socially disadvantaged had given her plenty of experience with aphasia, and she was hearing a lot of that in his jumble of words. Not everything needed to make immediate sense. What mattered was picking up on the important parts.

"Wyck? You keep saying we. We're here to witness. We've been with you..." She was slightly confused, not sure how much he really knew, how much he was really saying, and what his words really meant. "Whatever's going on? Whoever's watching us? You're being watched, too. You're part of this, Wyck. You need to help us figure it out."

 

 

[Rumrunner]

Rillik d'Sivis

---

The words per placating and made her jaw set as she finished her work. She wondered if he would have opened up more if Aly had not piled on. Resting her hands on the still warm gazelle flesh, she began cutting it from the bone. "Well maybe you should think about it then." The words were dismissive and it was a moment later she heard him cutting wood. There was a place in a unite for someone like him, generally she would regulate them to mule or scout, but her mind had trouble placing the massive monk as a scout despite his adeptness for the task. It was difficult to reign in her thoughts. He was a bugbear, so he bugbeared. From what she knew, these brutes were predisposed to be at the service of their weaker but no less violent kin, they are infamous for their stealth and ambush attacks, so it's probably in their nature to avoid a direct confrontation, especially from superior numbers and even if the confrontation was only verbal. It made sense for goblins to keep them in line like that. That thought made her even more frustrated... did he consider her a goblin? She hacked at a bone.

It was even more unclear to her now why they kept company with the monstrous duo, given the overall threat they brought to their mission it seemed somewhat insane, but their commanding officer had said that their goals align, so who was she to argue, she was support. Their mission was survival and intel gathering, usually you didn't pair those two, but this was their position. With only Aly hovering nearby, whose fingers were twitching in a way that made Rillik nervous, the gnome froze and looked up at her. "What? I've not seen someone so eager to take a tool from my hands, since my father caught me tattooing my little sister. Surely you have some experience to share or guidance to give" She added placatingly.

[Wizard of the Coat]

Ragz

---

When Aly left the campfire and the quartered hares, Ragz surreptitiously passed one of the quarters to the stray black dog. The dog made short work of the meat before returning to stare expectantly at the little kobold.

Ragz tended to the fire and kept a look out for insects or small predators that might be attracted to the raw meat. He was pleased to see Torben speaking with the gnome and Aly. The travelers had broken up into smaller groups, conversing, working. He did not see himself as one of them. And yet, their ability to cooperate and their interest in each other gave him some semblance of comfort. Perhaps he did not belong with such as they, but it felt right to be here, with them. It felt right to be on this path with them. And that was enough for the little kobold.

In that moment of understanding, his gaze fell upon the dog. Like a gentle caress, he felt and understood something he had known for some time--but had refused to acknowledge. The stray black dog belonged with him on this path. On their path. With that realization, many things fell into place. The dog was no longer a stray. And the dog was more than a work beast. Much more. The dog was a warrior, a scout, a comrade. A friend. The dog was part of the warren. And of age for a name.

Ragz looked to the stray black dog with new eyes.

Naturally, the stray black dog held his gaze with uncanny attention. She was, after all, waiting for the next quarter of hare.

"It is time a stray black dog had a name," he rumbled softly.

The black dog cocked her head and gave a wag of her tail.

"A fine name. A name suitable for such a fine black dog."

The black dog vocalized her eager anticipation with a low grumble of excitement, her tale swishing back and forth.

Ragz considered names for the dog. He felt strongly that she should have a name in the language of the Great Progenitor, for some day he would likely take her home to his clan. Settling on his choice he felt the rightness of it. Softly, he spoke the words of naming, in the language of his people.

"Kunan p’unchaymanta pacha, chawpipi Chirunkuna Hatun Nyawpaq Mach’aqway, chay allquta tarisqa Apu Chirunkuna Ragzech Chochik, Yantu hinam riqsisqa kanqa.In the Kobold dialecft of Draconic: "From this day forward, among the Children of the Great Progenitor Dragon, the dog that was found by Chieftain of the Children Ragzech Chochlik shall be known as Shadow""

Yantu offered a single bark of excited acceptance.

"Yantu," the kobold repeated, liking the sound of it.

The dog did a half jump, her two front paws coming off the ground, her tail swishing excitedly. She looked to the hares, again vocalizing anticipation with an excited grumble-whine.

"Yes, Yantu, this is cause for celebration!" Ragz replied, matching her tone and volume. He scooped up one of the remaining hare quarters and gave it to the dog. She ate ravenously, wagging her tail. He fed her another quarter and her enthusiasm did not wane. He continued until no quarters remained, patting the mastiff excitedly as she wolfed down the hare meat, repeating her name, "Allin, Yantu. Allin Yantu.In the Kobold dialect of Draconic: "Good Shadow. Good Shadow.""

Edited April 27 by Wizard of the Coat (see edit history)

[Basil_Bottletop]

Wyckmere Mirth

---

 

Wyck sighed, frustrated. He wasn't telling it right, but he also didn't really have the energy to keep at it. He wanted to blame the marching and the short nights in shared rooms and the sleeping on cold grounds and being spooked by a dragon, but deep down he knew it wasn't all that. At least not wholly because of those reasons, anyways.

"We", He stopped and took stock of the word, "As in D'Artegenon and I. We are meant to witness something. That's what we do. You, or Roland, or Aly, or even Myst...or maybe none of you, or maybe all of you...are significant enough that we were meant to be here to witness it. Sometimes it's not people and it's just a place. Like a little village behind an icewall that gets reduced to ash. Or a Brightswords festival where a little girl hides in a vault. " The words spilled out, but they did so with a heavy dose of fatigue that made them spastic and a bit jumbled. Like he had to physically see the places he was talking about and it wore him out just to envision them. "It may mean nothing to the world at large. Those there might not even know something happened. I'm positive that Lillithanne didn't then and probably doesn't now.

"I've been trying to figure it out. But this trip never felt like it was about a place, so I think I've ruled it out. But figuring it out makes it easier to prepare."

"Know this; nothing I'm telling you right now is changing it. Our piece in all of this is so small that even when we figure it out ahead of time, we can't change things. I think he tried before I was around but it would be too little, too late, or too insignificant. Something would keep him from being able to do it. That's the trade. I had to learn it too, the hard way even sometimes. It can be tough. We're meant to witness others. You. I could tell you the sky will fall and if you were meant to live you could dance in the raining stardust. If you weren't, then you wouldn't. I jus-" He interrupted himself and seemed to finally remember Roland was sitting there with them. The glimmer of light had all but faded in his eyes, until he turned to Roland and his expression was one of a sailor throwing a rope overboard to the flailing swimmers below. "I told you a few days ago that people don't die around D'Artegenon unless he means for them to be dead. It's true. Honestly, most of the time, if someone is meant to die, they're already dead when we get there or well on their way. I've witnessed more people live on long odds than ever die on short ones. When we first met, there was a moment when I thought hearing your story of escape was all there was to this one. It would have been strange, since we'd not been told the witness before, but it was possible. D'Artegenon didn't think so, and we kept the company. In came the two ladies on the word of one of D'Artegenon's old connections and..."

Wyck shrugged, exhausted but with less weight on his shoulders. "A dragon. Assassins. A mountaintop shrine. Maybe a trip to the Underdark? It's all so...noisy. There's been noisy ones -I guess- but not that noisy. That's why we witness them. Because no one else will." Finished, Wyck fell silent. Defeated, but relieved.

Edited April 29 by Basil_Bottletop (see edit history)

[PixCO]

Yopine (Svirfette) Quietclock

---

Svirfette gave her own sign of frustration, though she waited for the nonsense to end first. Maybe she wasn't saying it right. She tossed a shrug towards Roland asking for help on this one. She could work through the crazy in time. Did they have much to spare, though?

"So it was just the two of you watching us? No one else? That part was a lie?"

That was hard to believe. Dillworthy alone had spies everywhere. If not for D'Artegenon's insistence on absolute secrecy, the old Hare would have had her on constant surveillance for her first mission. Who was that for if nobody else was even trying to watch them?

"And whatever it is you're supposed to witness, you haven't seen it from any of us..." She paused in her words. No group of ancient wizards gazing into crystal balls in smoke-filled rooms? Or cackling old hags inhaling whatever bubbled out of those cauldrons? Not even so much as a trained squirrel following them? It was inconceivable.

"Just the two of you. And whatever it was you're supposed to witness, it's not the people you brought together. But it's the people he brought together, right? The people at this campsite. All of the people at this campsite. And I hate to remind you, but you're a person at this campsite."

She considered her next words carefully. Svirfette had been watching the pair for some time now, trying to learn why they were all here. She'd managed to guess well on a few things and Wyck had just confirmed some others. The important thing happened, however. The boy was finally talking to them rather than around them.

"You know, sometimes when you can't find the missing piece to the puzzle it's because you're sitting on it. How do you know for certain that whatever's meant to be witnessed this time around isn't going to be you?"

Edited April 29 by PixCO (see edit history)

[Harding]

Roland Weisley

---

As Wyck described their role as witnesses, Roland couldn't help but feel a sense of unease settle in the pit of his stomach. The idea that their destinies were intertwined with events beyond their comprehension weighed heavily on him. He glanced around the campsite, taking in the faces of his companions, each carrying their own burdens and uncertainties.

When Svirfette interjected, her questions echoed his own doubts, stirring a feeling of anxiety within him. Roland couldn't shake the feeling that they were on the cusp of something significant, something that would test them in ways they couldn't yet imagine. As Yopine spoke, Roland's gaze shifted to Wyck, a silent plea for answers lingering in his eyes. He needed to understand their purpose, their role in this grand design that seemed to elude their grasp.

But as Svirfette's words sank in, Roland felt a flicker of hope ignite within him. Maybe, just maybe, their purpose wasn't something external, but something within themselves. Maybe they held the key to unlocking the mysteries that surrounded them, to shaping their own destinies in the face of the unknown.

"I think Svirfette might be onto something," Roland said finally, his voice steady despite the turmoil brewing within him. "Perhaps our purpose isn't just to witness events, but to shape them. To be the missing piece of the puzzle we've been searching for. And if that's the case, then maybe it's up to us to determine our own destinies, rather than waiting for them to unfold before us. And I believe that what is different right now, why D'Artagenon is avoiding telling even you what he know, is because you are not just a witness this time, but on the same stage as us like Yopine suggested.''

He crossed his arms arms, and sighed ''Anyway, there's nothing good on stressing on what is going to happen, because it will happen anyway as you said right? There is an old saying a young woman important to me told me once: The important thing is not the destination of the road, but the way you walked there. I made my own choice, and I'll try to walk a more righteous path, and protect those I can protect in the unfolding of these extraordinary events.''

[Basil_Bottletop]

Wyckmere Mirth

---

 

Yopine's continued misunderstanding of what he was trying to say beat down the young man like a sledgehammer. When he looked to Roland for help and he too was confused, Wyck's resolve was completely barren. He felt exposed in a way he'd not before. The explanation had never gone this upside-down before. Or if it had, D'Artegenon had been able to right the ship without it completely capsizing.

"You don't get it." He said, demoralized. "You aren't the witnesses. If you're anything, you're the one we're here to see. We, D'Artegenon and me, are always wrapped up in it a little but only because otherwise we can't witness what we need to. But if there was a painting about whatever is about to happen -which would completely defeat the purpose of us needing to be there- we would not be drawn." Without thinking, he picked up a clump of grass and threw it out of reach. Like it was insulting him for being in his presence. "I'm not explaining it right and I don't know how to explain it any other way." His eyes fell on the shadowy forest around them, seeking out assistance but deep down he knew he wasn't going to get any, which only made him sad. "D'Artegenon doesn't bother to tell people anymore about what we do because he doesn't see the use in it. I still do, so I do, and he doesn't stop me when I want to do it. But maybe I see now why he stopped. Why he doesn't bother." His voice lowered, a child admonished for an unspoken lesson learned.

"It's alright to be worried about what's about to happen. I would be too if I was in your boots. I'd scratch and crawl and fight to know my next move. No one is telling you not to. I'm just telling you that what you think D'Artegenon is hiding from you isn't important to your puzzle; to your lives. He's just trying to figure out when the two of us need to be ready. Then, when it's over, we'll leave you to your lives and be on our way. We've just never been with folks this long and I hope we didn't miss it."

[Varen Tai]

“Roland is correct, and Wyck is also correct in how things usually go.” D’Artegenon suddenly approached the fire from where he had been quietly standing as he listened to the conversation. “Everyone, gather around. I have finally got some additional insight I can share.” 

The large half-orc took a seat with his back to the fire and waited for everyone to listen. Aly continued her food prep and Torben returned from chopping wood. When he had everyone’s attention, he continued.

“To understand what comes next, you need to know that Wyck and I are priests of Jergal, one of the gods of Death. Kelemvor covers the title more formally and handles the Dead, but Jergal has his own responsibilities. There are only a few of us that Jergal has chosen, and I am his High Priest. I was found just like I found Wyck-” he nodded to his acolyte “- and we follow his will in the things he wishes us to do. He does not always tell us the whys of what we do, and I am sorry to say that, in this case, he has not told us much, only guides us to the next step.”

He paused for a moment as if thinking about what to say next, then gestured up to the sky. “The gods, of course, know more than they tell us, but Jergal has been more active of late, guiding me more directly without telling me much. Ragz and Torben, I mentioned to the others before we met you that there is a storm coming. Others that I know who are closely attuned to the gods or can feel events as they approach are already making preparations. None of us know exactly what is coming, but the gods are moving us to prepare. The dragon and the attack on the caravans feel like they are all part of this larger storm, but how, I am unsure.” He paused, looking both the kobold and the bugbear in the eyes. “This is why I invited you to join us as we travel with you to the Glacier. It feels... important.”

He paused again, thinking deeply. “Wyck is correct that we are usually called to witness a particular death. We rarely tell anyone this is what we are doing, and we almost never take a hand in the event itself. I have never known any of the priests of Jergal to take the life we are called to witness the death of, though we have our own defenses against those who would take our lives. However, what we are doing here feels different. Jergal is asking us to be more active in these preparations, more active than I have ever seen in all my time.”

He glanced across the entire group. “I know that Jergal does not have the best reputation in many circles, but I can say for certain that what he is doing is to benefit all. As I have spoken with other High Priests, including those that worship Mystra, Kelemvor, Oghma, Savras, Illmater, and others, they all have felt it, too, and have given their blessing to Jergal’s efforts, as it feels as though Jergal is central to whatever is coming.”

Gesturing at Yopine, he said, “The deep gnome is correct. Wyck and I, while usually passive observers on the sidelines, are now part of the picture. Time will tell how, but her instincts here are accurate. This may be one of the reasons Basil sent her and not someone else. It feels to me that each of you will play a critical role in what is coming.

“I will try to answer any questions you may have.”

[Zelphas]

Torben

---

Listening to the odd conversation between the humans and the deep gnome, Torben was struck by the burned human's words. More specifically, he was struck by the way the words sounded... familiar, at least in comparison to some of the words he'd heard some of the older monks and the occasional priests talk about Ilmater and his will.

And so, when D'Artegenon gathered them together and explained that he and Wyck were priests, Torben relaxed, smiling contentedly. "I thought that explanation sounded like priest things," he said simply, happy that his assumptions were proven correct this time. "Well, that makes things simpler. The gods know more than we do, so we may as well follow along with them."

Torben knew that some people had trouble believing in the gods, or trusting in them, but that had never made much sense to him. In all the stories about the gods, trying to second-guess them only caused trouble for the mortal who tried, so he never saw why it was worth the effort. He felt like he should know the name Jergal, and "death gods" in general were some of the more worrying ones... but Wyck and D'Artegenon seemed nice enough, so any worries were fleeting in Torben's mind.

[PixCO]

Yopine (Svirfette) Quietclock

---

The deep gnome girl jumped at the half-orc's return. She really hadn't expected his interference again this early. But at least he was bringing some much needed answers to a very confusing situation.

One hand went to her own neck, and where the symbol of Gelf Darkhearth lay hidden beneath her armor. She'd claimed allegiance with the traitor God before learning what he'd really done to earn the name. That was not a position from which she could criticize anyone's choices.

Svirfette finally relaxed after hearing the explanation. A quick extension of her delicate tongue in Wyck's general direction was the only gloating she required.

As for the rest, there would be questions. She wasn't ready to start asking any of her own, but they would come.

Yopine looked to her 'twin', inviting her to the conversation as well. Pinky had a way of drawing sense from the world that escaped the over-thinking rogue. She could use a little more of that help now.

[Harding]

Roland Weisley

---

Roland listened intently as D'Artegenon approached the fire and began to speak, his words carrying a weight that seemed to settle over the group like a heavy blanket. The revelation of their roles as priests of Jergal added another layer of complexity to their already mysterious journey, and Roland couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding creeping in.

As D'Artegenon explained their connection to Jergal and the sense of urgency surrounding their preparations, Roland's mind raced with questions. He glanced around at his companions, seeing the mix of concern and curiosity mirrored in their expressions. This was far beyond anything he had anticipated when they first set out on their journey, and the gravity of their situation was beginning to sink in.

When D'Artegenon mentioned that each of them would play a critical role in what was to come, Roland felt a shiver run down his spine. The idea that their fates were intertwined with forces beyond their control was soul crushing. He exchanged a glance with Aly, silently acknowledging the gravity of their situation.

As D'Artegenon opened the floor to questions, Roland hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "How... do we prepare for events like these?" he asked, his voice steady despite the unease that gnawed at him. "We don't even know what is really going on, and I have the impression that even the Gods have barely more clues than us."

He paused, a hint of self-doubt creeping into his tone. "This is beyond someone like me. I'm not special here, just a washed-up crook with passable combat skills, and apparantly a oaf on top of it. I couldn't even cook a proper meal nor know where is the north before meeting Aly. How do I fit in this great divine scheme like this? I'm no one..."