"Hope," Kharash said as he took a step forward. "It is hope that guided me here." He looked at the three similarly eclectic Roses. "That one success can echo forth, aiding in all other pursuits. Whether they be as Watcher - keeping the darkness at bay - or of a more personal nature."

"To be honest, I had my doubts about this contest. To be so close to meeting a living legend, seemed unreal almost. Yet I hoped it were true - and here we are," he smiled. "Not one, but three Roses! And a fourth we've yet to meet. All behind a scheme to lure the festival's champions into starting a Guild in the name of the Emperor. This is quickly becoming much bigger than I had anticipated." Kharash's expression became more serious. "Why don't you enlighten us with the true purpose of all of this. What is this Guild you intend to start? What is the goal?"

Sir Morten nodded thoughtfully at each answer, saying nothing. Whisper mirrored his motion before getting up to pace. Her next words seemed to be directed at the mage. "What say you, Sinofel? They are us, as we were four decades ago, near this very spot," she questioned intently.

The mage, Sinofel, nodded his assent. "If Sextus found them worthy, we are hardly better judges," he said slowly. Returning his focus, told only by the motion of his head, for when you look at his eyes, you see they are blue and opalescent throughout with no pupils to speak of. Taking a breath he exhaled slowly and spoke just as fast. You pick up that he pronounces each word carefully and distinctly.

"I will answer your questions the best I can. Firstly, the other contestants will live. The priests of Zeus and Odin are the best at their work. The twin will be scarred, but those scars and the scars of the others have earned them entry into the guild. I will say that you will have a chance to speak with them after this meeting. In truth, you all, and they, have reached the crux of the matter. Why?," he says and stands. Morten does the same and the trio form a chevron before you.

Sinofel gestures to the Roses. "Before you are three from strange beginnings. I started as a simple wanderer, stranded from home and gifted with magics I did not understand. I was shown the ways of the mage by an old man who decided to live a peaceful life than one of adventure. I journeyed here, to this festival, to look for medicine when he grew ill," he said.

When he finished, Whisper spoke, removing her mask to reveal the pale green skin of a half-orc. She obviously favored her human side and small red freckles accented her emerald eyes. Strands of red hair dropped around her face as the mask was removed. Her countenance was determined as she spoke. "Believe it or not, you can be too pretty to be a half-orc. I was an outcast among outsiders. Too much of a runt to be useful to my clan. But we lived in a city, a place where a hood can make you just another body in a crowd. So I followed the crowd, and their purses, to the festival," she finished somberly.

Morten made a sad smile at that point. He placed a massive hand on Whisper's shoulder in support. He spoke next, emotion clipping his words. "As you can see, I am not a man. When hill giants are born, we come into this world screaming for food. When we grow, little has changed. My kin suffer through life in blissful ignorance of the world at large. We raid caravans for food and treasure to horde. Just outside this festival after a raid, I found this," he said pointing to the circlet. "I put it on because it was shiny, but it raised my intelligence to a level uncommon even in the more civilized races. Like a blind man made to see, I stumbled towards this festival."

After a moment, Sinofel spoke again. "We were brought together by circumstance, but we bonded in friendship. Morten was a confused giant near a large festival. Many knights sought to end his life. I could not see a being who meant no harm come to it himself, so I stepped in," he said as Whisper picked up the sentence. "And no one should be judged on looks alone, so I answered the call as well. As Morten lay dying, punctured by so many arrows and lances, we defended him when no one else would. It was then another came to his aid."

Morten spoke then, almost interrupting the pace. "A young priestess of Eris saw the chaos and intervened, the goddess of discord pleased with how much of it I had sown. Garasa saved me from death but not the Emperor's Justice. We were told to atone for our crimes or face execution. We chose to atone by clearing the Greenwood of a feral goblin and orc tribe that had taken residence in the shadow of a ruined tower. A young hunter named Gammon guided us and told us stories of the ghostly knight that wanders the wood. We did as you did, stumbling upon Sextus and the tomb of the sword of Delius. The goblins and orcs had died trying to take the tomb, but the word of the tomb pleased our accusers enough to allow us to continue to live," he finished.

Sinofel spoke. "We three stand before you, those who have recreated how the Order of the Roses came to be. You have met the fourth, or at least her magics. Garasa has taken the name Kalaryl and set herself against us for reasons we do not know. For the better part of a decade we have struggled to end her machinations. But why do I tell you this? Why create such an elaborate guise for this contest?", he asked rhetorically.

"We have done these things and met with you to tell you this; we need help. Three cannot save the Empire as we have done in the past. We have recreated the conditions that gave birth to our group, to our ideals. We were not able to convince Sextus that we were worthy, likely due to the darkness he could see in the heart of Kalaryl. Where we failed, you shall succeed. You shall go forth, should you wish to, into the world to bring hope to it again. Where it takes you, I cannot say," Sinofel finished.

Whisper picked up the dialogue then, an eagerness to her voice. "The Guild will depend on you to succeed. Before, the Empire has relied upon her knightly orders and bounty hunters to quell dangers, but this world is far older than them or the Empire. You will need to inspire others to join our fight, to rise above the rest and prove that mortals can still make an impact in our time. We need legends and we hope that you are it. Where we go from here is your choice."

Sinofel nodded, his tone as he spoke indicating the lecture was coming to an end. "You have already done much to deserve a bard's tale in resurrecting the Order of Delius. He was the first true adventurer and we hope the Guild will follow in his footsteps. You have had an encounter of evil with Kalaryl and touched the strange with your interest in Farrissa. You are right to fear for her. She is a sin-eater, as the Inquisitors like to call it. She absorbs magic. We think she is why Kalaryl acted so rashly. A potent weapon if she can be taught to harness it. That collar subdues the effects, but at the cost of her voice. Speaking is how a sin-eater expels the magic, you see. I digress, however. We shall remain here tonight before seeing to business elsewhere. There is much to do and I am sure that you have many questions for us."

Morten nodded and sat back down. "You will spend a month here, as we will encourage the festival to continue in celebration. After that, you are free to do as you wish. Us Roses shall be here to guide you as required, serving as council to our guild members during that month. We have many tales and legends that have no answers. Rumors of things happening around the world and Empire both. The choice will be yours, as we have said many times, if you wish to continue. Should you five wish to remain together, we will do our best to ensure you have the best start on your first adventure. If not, may fortune favor you wherever you go."

At last it seemed their tale was done and each Roses sat, looking tired though nothing really had happened beside speaking. It was as if they were free of a massive weight and could finally breath easy.

OOC: Converse, ask questions, or do what you will. I will answer them as they come, rather than wait for everyone to post. You will have a month of downtime to come into your 3rd level abilities, train, research rumors and legends for potential quests, or do whatever you feel is right. When everyone is settled on downtime actions and any quests you may want to persue, we will continue! Congrats again! 

Kharash listened to the three intently. Only a few scales shifted in his face at the telling of Whisper and Morten's sad beginnings. "Nowhere more lonely than in a crowd," he softly said to himself, as his eyes drifted downwards for a second or two.

After their tale, Kharash spoke up. "It would be an honor to help you. The possibilities such a Guild could offer.. to extend the Eyes' vision.. there is great potential here for the betterment of the realm. Yet, you do have me wonder. What is it that you hope the Guild can achieve that you're own forces - the Emperor's knightly orders - or the Eyes of Yggdrasil cannot? What threat looms over us that you are so afraid of, and what role does this Kalaryl play in it?"

"You also mentioned the other competing groups. They will be entered into this Guild as well?" Kharash hesitated a moment before continuing. Questioning the authority made him nervous, yet he felt it needed to be clear. "And what will your, and the Emperor's, role be in the Guild after this first month. What will.. what I'm asking is.. who will be in command - will it be us, or you, or the Emperor? Whose words will have the final say?"

Whisper answered Kharash nodding. "A fair set of questions. Firstly, the different orders are all bound to the Emperor. They serve his will. The Watchers are beholden to Heimdal and the Norns. The Guild is beholden to none. The Emperor will be able to make requests and set tasks, but it will be up to the guild members to decide which they take. It removes much of the politics that have plagued the knightly orders and is agnostic to gods, so none may overtly influence the outcome. You may be a Watcher, but they cannot dictate guild business."

"As for other members, that is what our future role will be. We cannot go out and quest while trying to set up this guild. It is the reason that we have taken the role of mentors. Those who braved the trial and at least attempted the various difficult challenges will continue to train here, under our guidance if they wish. The Roses are going to establish Maypole as the Adventuring Guild headquarters. We will run the interference on politics, hiring craftsmen and tutors for various subjects, and personally training newcomers that show proper potential as you all have. All in all, each member of the guild will be able to decide how best to contribute and no man shall tell them otherwise. The guild will be beholden to no one."

Arizima listens to each of the Roses with some interest nodding along at the appropriate points.  When they finish she frowns for a long moment.  "A month?  That is... a rather long time to be sitting doing little.  I have my own affairs I have to attend to and only so much time to do so."  Her eyes seem to dart toward Kharash for a split second before focusing back on the Roses.  "This is all quite generous, but I have my misgivings about staying in a place that was meant to be a brief stop of no more than a few days with what time I have."

[Private to GM: I don't really intend to try to break away or anything.  Just to start establishing stakes.]

Sinofel nodded. “We understand. We shall not force any to stay or join the guild that do not want to. We merely offer the opportunity and a starting place that few could equal, if we are allowed to brag. I am shaped of fortunes, a skilled divination mage. Whisper is a master of skills in both espionage and assassination. We prefer the former to the latter. Sir Morten is a master tactician and highly skilled warrior. We will offer what we can however long you decide to stay. We are also prepared to offer fifty gold each in credit for starting your training and preparations. We do not want you to become completely reliant on us, however. It is why we’re encouraging you to use the resources at the festival.”

"So while the Emperor may request tasks, it is up to the individual members whether they actually set out to fulfill it." Kharash repeated in his own words after Whisper's answers, and thought for a moment. He realized she had answered yet avoided some of his questions still. "And who else will be able to make requests?" He looked up at her again. "There still must be some kind of leadership within the Guild - will you three assume that role? Even though these requests and tasks can be freely accepted or denied, there must still be a filter on them. Or we may end up running errands for whomever offers the most, playing into the personal or political agenda of lords. We don't want to become some mercenary organisation, or a legal version of the Black Network," Kharash frowned.

"We need a clear goal - a focus." He looked at the three Roses. With faked naivety he asked: "What did you say Kalaryl's role played in all of this?"

"Once the Guild is established, I would like to help establish connections with the other groups in Krieghold. I understand the Guild wishes to remain beholden to none, yet being able to at least offer tasks to other organisations can drastically increase our reach - if the task aligns with that organisations beliefs and values of course. I can only speak for the Watchers, but I think the Guild and the Eyes of Yggdrasil could benefit greatly from each other." He held his amulet for a second. "Watchers are free to roam the lands, ever watchful, ever vigilant. Yet, and I speak from my own experience, this watch can be without any meaningful action for extended periods of time. And without purpose, aimlessly wandering can be... disheartening. I believe that during these periods, having the option to assist the Guild - by own choice of task - can keep the Watchers sharp, in mind and in steel."

He looked at Griswold and the three Roses. "Perhaps similar benefits could be reaped from connections with the other knightly orders. And," he turned to Sul "perhaps there is also place for a strong connection with the resurrected Order of Delius. Which, if I understand correctly, has no allegiance to anyone - very similar to the Guild in that regard." He smiled faintly at Sul, with a twinkle in his golden eyes.

Lastly, he turned to Arizima. "There may be great benefits having access to a Guild such as this: a network, resources, information. Though it does require time to set up." He softly whispered to her: "It's to do with that malady of yours isn't it?" His eyes glanced at the ground behind her. "Do you want to tell us what it is? Is there a way for us to help you?"

Griswold nudged Arizima with his elbow, "And it might even be fun!"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:56, Fri 12 Jan 2018.

Arizima winces almost as if in pain before her eyes dart between Kharash, Griswold, and the rest.  "Alright!  I understand.  I'll go along for the moment."  It's difficult to tell exactly who she's talking to.

Her eyes settle on Kharash, Sul, Griswold suddenly.  "If I am going to work alongside the rest of you with this guild there is a bit of possible unpleasantness that needs to be addressed."  She pauses for a moment before finally giving a shrug.  "I understand we're far from my home. That the help and people provided to this organization will by and large be Kriegan.  That is of course completely fine.  However what I don't want to see is this organization's autonomy eroded by it's connections to other martial orders throughout this land.  Quite frankly I don't want to be remembered for helping create yet another group of soldiers that will be used to kill my people.  We've had quite enough of that with the knightly orders."

Finally she gives a sigh.  "Assuming that's acceptable and we're going to be spending a lot of time with one another I... suppose it would be only fair to discuss my malady.    I might need to be bribed with a vintage of variable quality first however.  It's not a pleasant topic of conversation."

When Ari spoke about the Kreigans killing her kind, Wrenn stared hard "I told you so's" up at Griswold. He moved over and stood beside the woman, an unspoken gesture of support.

Morten sighed and addressed Kharash's question directly. "The style of leadership has not been decided upon. We were hoping that you could decide. Our preference would be to see each guild outpost have a guildhouse master in charge. Should something require the involvement of the full guild, they will for a council to discuss it. But that is only our suggestion," he says.

Sinofel purses his lips for a moment and continues. "As for Kalaryl, we have not the resources to hunt her across the world. The guild can act as a hub for would-be adventurers and thus act as eyes and ears for us to rout her evil. We will do everything in our power to ensure that no organization outside the guild gives marching orders to adventurers."

After some discussion, Griswold stands up, clapping and rubbing his hands together.  "Well, guild matters aside, it has been suggested that we...vacate Maypole for a while.  We've heard of plenty to be done outside the village and we seem to agree that the missing children are a good place to start.  Let's show the people that this guild is not going to be some failed experiment, doomed to be forgotten by the roadside, but that we can actually help!

"We can continue to scout for new recruits whilst we travel."

Eri nods in agreement, still unsure how she ended up with these strange folk. Helping people was enticing enough to make her stay, however. Especially when it came to children. She'd probably never have any herself, but her instinct to protect them was still very much intact.

Arizima gives a small nod of agreement.  "So long as I have a chance to investigate a set of ruins on my own time after I've no objections to a journey in that direction."

Wrenn nodded his agreement as well, "There's nothing else for us here for the time being. We may as well keep ourselves busy in the meantime."

The time between the group leaving the scene of the trial and embarking on their next adventure seemed to pass in a blur. While in reality it was the better part of a day, Wrenn, Griswold, Eri, and Arizima find themselves walking along the path out of Maypole seemingly a few minutes after deciding to leave. The air still bears the crisp breeze of spring and the sun plays hide and seek behind billowy white clouds. The road is well trod and easy to walk. Even Jacoby seems less dour than usual. Absent from the group is the stern face of Brother Sul, busy with order business, and Kharash, headed out on the lead about his kin in the port town Arizima left behind.

Verlaine lies well to the south and west of Maypole. Three weeks of walking lay ahead, cutting around Leffrun and crossing the Krieg before continuing into the fertile hill country of the south. Halfway into their journey, just after crossing the Krieg, the party encounters a still smoking homestead near the road. What should be a farmer and help tending a field is instead a burned house and overturned cart. No other souls seem to be around as the last curls of of smoke rise from the charred bones of the farmhouse.

Eri immediately rushes forward to investigate. It was unlikely anyone was left alive, if there even were victims, but one didn't stroll to such a scene as this. She grips her spear tightly, moving faster than most are capable of, face set like stone in grim expectation.

Griswold's face darkens for the first time on this journey for a moment upon seeing the sight, but Eri's heedless run forward - disregarding any potential danger for the need to help - immediately lightened it again.  "Now that's my kind of woman!" He laughed as he grabbed his buckler and took off after her.

Wrenn jogged after the others, not bothering to try to keep up with the long legged folk, but trying not to get left too far behind.

Portent rolls: 17, 9
09:26, Today: Wrenn Muernig rolled 17,9 using 1d20,1d20.  Portent.

Arizima approaches a bit more slowly keeping pace with Wrenn.  With the smouldering ruin long past the point of being fresh she seems to see little need to rush instead letting her eyes sweep across the scene looking for any sign that anyone might still be lingering nearby.

06:35, Today: Arizima rolled 20 using 1d20+3.  Perception.

There is not much to discover at the farmhouse. Around the burned husk is strew a few household items; cooking pot, farm tools, and even a bit and bridle can be found. The remains of three beds are there as well as a table and four chairs. Too little is left of what remains to determine anything else. The fields looks ready for working and a horse drawn plow sits in the middle of one. [Secret to Arizima: In the dirt, you see the tracks of footprints that lead away from the house. You can make out about seven sets, two larger ones and the rest small.]

Charred detritus crunches beneath Griswold's feet as he slowly trudges through the devastation.  His buckler sways listlessly on an arm lifeless from melancholy. He comes to a stop in front of the others, pauses for a moment then sighs and shakes his head.  "This wasn't an accident, right?"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:15, Wed 11 Apr 2018.

ooc: Flaming heckish poo!!!!!!!!! I hate when I accidentally delete my post! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Eri is both relieved and suspicious not to find any bodies. She frowns at Gris's question, light brown slanted eyes searching the area as she answers. I suppose it's always possible it's an accident but my experience with the world has made me more...cynical. I didn't see any bodies though so perhaps they were taken alive, assuming this was nefarious work. Hm. I say we finish searching and then see if we can't find a neighbor or someone who saw something. She makes good on her own advice, looking around more thoroughly.

[Private to GM: 14:19, Today: Secret Roll: Eri Sato rolled 14 using 1d20 perception check]

Arizima nods toward the set of several tracks leaving the charred home.  "It seems unlikely that this was merely an accident.  Without any bodies it seems likely that two to four of those footprints belong to our missing farmers.  The rest most likely belong to their captors.  Whatever the case the truth of the matter likely likes that way."

It is about this time you notice the approach of a wagon on the road. Two figures can be seen riding the seat, but you cannot tell who or what they are. The wagon appears to be slowing down but not stopping. One of the figures raises an hand in greeting. "Hail, strangers!" It sounds like a man, upon closer inspection, it is an middle aged man with an equally aged woman beside him.

[Private to Eri Sato: You find nothing that has not already been discovered.]