It looks like your search has been lucrative. the boy notes with interest. I can identify those if you like. Some of them are very powerful... Loden looks at him in surprise and asks how he is able to detect such things. Halek smiles mysteriously but doesn't answer him. At Raknesh's question he nods. Yes, we did. There are five parts of the talisman, we have just obtained the first part. If we can gather all of them from their respective temples we can bind them and call on the goddess Mirian to battle Shaelis. That is, if we hurry. She's already starting to overrun the world with her armies. If we don't hurry there won't be a world to save. But first, we must save the souls she has held captive here. He then bids all who will help him to join hands.

ooc: Was it Fin who grabbed the talisman? Just trying to keep track of the thing. Also, thought I'd give you a chance to finish up here before I move you through the ritual. Thought I'd make it simple on you as far as your loot. Halek is a lot more useful than he appears.

Fin Agrees to let Halek identify his treasures after they complete the task at hand. He then extends his hands to the others who offered to help.


OOC:

Prizzard sets his weapon in his bag and takes off the upper half of his robes, hanging from his waist by a rope sewn to the inside. Then he removes a well-made chain shirt and adds it to the bag as well, and then his very damaged, well-dyed, oversized robes are removed and added to the bag as well, leaving him looking like a peasant with a dingy old sack and the build of a soldier. He gives the sack to Raknesh with a short explanation: "In case I am left unconscious."

It's easy now to tell that he has many scars, a sign of lacking access to magical healing, and the oldest ones are all from animals. Around the newest damage to his faded old clothes there is a yellowish crust and no blood, and blood vessels that would usually look bluish instead glow a dim yellow, hinting at why every enemy that cuts him receives a shock for their effort.

Knowledge Arcana/Nature DC22 reveals the template: Arcane-Blood [Electricity].

And as a retry for those who failed before and a chance for the new member:
Knowledge Local/Geography/History DC11 reveals the nationality: Rashemi
OR
Knowledge Arcana DC18 gives a small background on the country of Rashamen, including the Hathran witches.

Raknesh was a bit surprise by Prizzard's action, but he put it aside, more interested in the particularities of their comrade in arms. He lacked knowledge of much of what was outside his far homeland (one of the reasons for his travels) and wondered where he came from, and if many of the people there had the same characteristics.

He put the sack behind him before holding hands with the rest of the group.

Tanzy also joined hands with the others watching Prizzard curiously. The man was a mystery. She found herself wondering where he'd come from and how he'd gotten the way he was. It couldn't have been a pleasant story. She glanced at the others as they joined hands and realized how little she knew about any of them. It was interesting that such a diverse group of people had been thrown together for a common cause. Even more interesting that none of them, herself included had left yet. It was certainly tempting to call it quits after they day they'd had.

As you all take hands, Halek directs you to close your eyes and empty your minds. The room seems to spin around you and the hair on the back of your neck and arms raise as though the room is full of some powerful energy. Prizzard, you can feel the strange power you sometimes are able to wield being accessed by the boy. You are overwhelmed with an intense surge of power, it is incredible and you feel almost invincible as it floods over you. The rest of you feel your energy expanding and it is easy to imagine an invisible aura flowing from you through the depths of the temple. Suddenly your minds are bombarded with images, feelings. You are a young child, a father, a mother,brother, soldier. A thousand lives lived and cut short all play out in your mind and they all end the same. A black bladed knife, gutted and sacrificed to a dark goddess while cold faced men look on blankly. You can feel the spirit's unrest and fear, trapped in death for so many centuries. You understand now why Halek has been pressing the issue so much. Their torture has twisted them into confusion and despair. You are free of this place. You've always been free of it. You need to leave. You feel their confusion and he repeats himself. Leave! Your own despair has held you prisoner! We release you! It takes a long moment for them to understand but you feel a tentative hope and suddenly their presence starts to disappear one timid soul at a time until at long last you can feel them all depart. By the end of it you are all shaking with exhaustion and it is an effort not to collapse. Halek has a tired smile on his face, though he looks pale from the ritual and he holds onto Raknesh's arm for support to keep from buckling. Thank you.

Shaking the weakness off Stefan looks to the boy with his strange powers. "So are we good to leave this damned place now?"

Prizzard releases his circle-mates hands to catch himself, falling to his hands and knees, silent, and more pale than usual. His breathing quickly calms before he stands carefully, accepting a hand if one is offered. He's only partially regained his composure before speaking a little shakily: "We should be able to find a secure room or few here. I doubt many of us are in traveling condition."

If you make a Sense Motive of 19 or Spot of 20, PM.

Tanzy rested her hands on her knees for a moment to regain her composure before straightening. "I don't want to stay here," she said honestly. She offered Prizzard a hand up and looked at the others. "But if some of us are not in a condition to ride..." she tilted her head towards Prizzard and Halek. "Then maybe we'd better sit tight."

Taking some deep breath to steady himself, Raknesh ruffled Halek's hair.
"Well done, lad.  This was much better than my previous attempt.

When we are done with our quest, we should go back to the place we were before meeting you. The cleric who sacrificed her life to save us said there were many lost souls in that place..."


Looking at the others to check their state, his eyes lingered a bit on Prizzard.
"You are right, with the cleansing done, I think this place should be safe enough for us to get some sleep.  We might need it for the next days."

With the ritual complete, Fin lets his arms drop to his sides as he wanders over to a quiet corner and flops to the ground. "I wish not to tarry around this place any longer than truly needed, but even I think we should at least wait and rest."

Halek nods emphatically at Raknesh's suggestion. Any soul we can save we have to at least try. Perhaps we can save them all when this is all over. His blue eyes are fervent but he looks incredibly tired. Loden and the Priest end up finding a likely place to stay the night. One of the upper chambers appears to be a small chapel and the pews are wide enough they could make decent beds if your bed rolls are laid on top. It is also easily secured and Jett and Loden offer to take first watch. We leave in the morning. There should be a village not far we can re-supply and figure out the best route to the next temple. The watchman suggests.

ooc: Let me know if you have any plans that night before you depart.

Waking with a start, Fin looks around a little worried. Noticing that it's still the first watch offers little comfort. Gathering his stuff back into his pack, Fin walks quietly over to Loden. "This place makes me very uneasy, if you don't mind I will stay up for a bit and help you keep watch." Shaking his head and wiping the sweat from his brow, "I think I need to speak with the boy about a few things, but I fear that gem may have not been entirely worth it." He gives Loden a weak smile.

Prizzard offers to take the last guard shift, and adjusts on the pew far more this night than he would any other night spent in a tree.

Tanzy offered to take the second watch doubting she would get much sleep anyway. Then she made herself a bed out of one of the pews and settled in. She watched Prizzard for a moment as she had noticed something a little off about their companion but in the end decided it was best left alone. The mention of another temple brought a frown to her face. She'd forgotten they had more temples to visit and hoped the second would be more welcoming.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:36, Tue 14 Oct 2014.

Raknesh had some trouble finding sleep, which was unusual by itself.
The strange feeling of being observed still lingered and only the fact Rocky didn't need any sleep and swore to stand a very careful watch finally allowed him to slumber.


On the morning, he woke with a worried expression and looked at Stefan for confirmation.
Something very unusual had happened and he needed to speak with the druid, who shared his little trip to the other world.

Stefan's eyes were wide open when Raknesh looked but he was staring at nothing.  Feeling the other mans stare the druid said quietly "You too?"

Fin: Loden looks at Fin with concern. Are you feeling affects? Do you feel unwell? No doubt he is remembering the boy's warning when you first found the gem, though there is sympathy in his eyes as well. I can get him for you, if you like. He would likely wish to hear of your concerns. What happened?

Prizzard: Halek smiles weakly back but there is also a knowing in his eyes. Nothing gets past that boy. The dreams will get better. He says quietly. For both of us. It will take some time though and we have more souls to save before we're done. he sighs. I will need your help especially when that time comes.

Tanzy: pm

ooc: I'm going to wrap up a few things here but I think there's a couple of conversations that need to finish first and I don't want to rush them so please do so but also give me your plans for the next five days as well. Thanks!

"Master Loden, I had a strange dream and was hoping the lad can explain it." Fin sighs and regretfully continues "yeah, as much I wish to let him sleep... this is something I feel cannot wait."

Fin will wait for Loden to return with Halek, contemplating how to inform the young man of his dream. He settles on being straight forward and will tell him exactly what he remembers from the dream.

"Yes" said raknesh.
"I can tell you it was not a dream :my mind is shielded from dreams because of my training.
So it was indeed a way to communicate with us. I'm not used to things troubling my sleep. It's a bit unsettling...

It appears our friend there is warning us about possible attempts on our lives. Darkness just got enven more dangerous." He told the others

"Then the darkness will have to learn to fear us." He looks to be in much better health, but prefers to sit anyway. He smiles slightly at his comment as he idly studies the amulet piece they had recovered. In fact, he looks more alert than ever despite the fact that he shared in everyones rough sleep.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:00, Fri 17 Oct 2014.

PM

Fin: Halek pales when you tell him the story. This is bad. Apparently your close proximity was enough to transfer some of his essence. he informs you gravely. If he is only manifesting in dreams though, perhaps we can still cleanse you. It will help when we are away from this place. This is the temple where he sacrificed his soul for his wife. The very bricks are full of his hatred. It is...complicated. As Halek speaks you can clearly tell there is much more the child knows but he is keeping it to himself for the moment.

Everyone: Halek turns to the others at that point, his voice firm. Alright, things have taken some turns that I do not like. We may as well leave now since we've all had as much sleep as we are likely to get. We will head towards the nearest town northward and regroup. We will keep some form of illumination at all times and Fin, you will keep me abreast of anymore dreams. We take watch in pairs. One to watch over the sleepers and one to look out for anything else. We need to go to through the temples as quickly as possible. Shae will know that we've started our quest. She will know where to set traps for us now.

ooc: Ok, post thoughts and plans for next five days including what you do when you arrive at the town. You can buy things with your new found wealth, go get an ale, rest up, all that jazz.

Each morning when he wakes, Fin pulls Halek aside and chats with the boy. Despite the boisterous nature that accompanied Fin to his encounter with the rest of the party, he appears lost in thought during their travels.

Stefan looked more and more haggard as the days progressed looking like the sleep he was getting contained no restorative powers.  As they days passed the druid became surly and quiet jumping at nothing anyone but Raknesh might see and muttering to himself in strange tongues.