Raz seems unsure of what to do with his hands now that he doesn't have an instrument to play. As he looks around he considers the group and jerks a thumb towards the gate.

"Only one way to find out. Let us depart at first light and see what the Stolen Lands has to offer in terms of adventure and excitement."

Later that same night after Doody comes in and plays his banjo; and after Imira is fast asleep curled up in Svetlana’s kitchen.

A late night traveler arrives ”I am Jhod Kavken, priest of Erastil.”
The warriors seem to welcome the notion of having a priest in residence.
But Oleg is not so certain.

Kesten directs his men set their small tents up just south of the stable, in the shadow of the palisade….that activity is completed in short order and one man is assigned to walk and lookout from the four corners of the fort.


Jhod: ”It is well that so many of the faithful have gathered, I do hope you can help me seek out a lost temple of Erastil somewhere to the south. A large bear is near the site and in my dreams the bear is not just any bear, it is a curse.”
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:36, Thu 29 Mar 2018.

Tatyana looks at Jhod and sizes him up. She bristled at his comment, however.

"Faithful? Faithful to whom? Perhaps you should tell us of your god and its domains before you assume our loyalty?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and arched a single slender eyebrow at the newcomer.

The cleric nods...
“I am sorry I meant those who gather around community and have faith in their fellows; not specifically those devoted to the teachings of Erastil.”

Oleg pipes in
”This lot is chartered to explore, map and wipe out bandits; a first step along the way I imagine.”

The cleric Johod
“I failed to research any going one before I left.  The message in my dreams was to go now.  And most opportuned timed.”
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:08, Fri 30 Mar 2018.

Raz had been accompanying Doody with a set of drums he played in time to the music. When the priest came he once again tossed his instrument over his shoulder where it once again dispersed into magical motes blown on the wind.

By this time he was quite deep into whatever ale Oleg had available and his swayed to and fro as he wobbled on over.

"Oh we'll find this temple for you and reclaim it for the gods. And we'll beat up a bunch of bandits in the process. And we'll secure this whooooole region to boot. But first, we drink!"

He tips his head back and downs a bit more of the ale before thrusting a mug towards the priest.

Jhod : "Indeed though stranger things have happened, I thought to perhaps seek the temple directly, but your group has the charter for exploration and I wished to respect that."

Jhod....in a booming voice that all can hear
"Much terror hast befallen this land, with families, tha very fabric o tha land rent asunder!....This plight is unacceptable we shall endeavor our might to fix it."

Kesten: ”Not to worry the fort is now manned!”
Sense motive DC 12

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
You are certain the man meant no slight, just plain spoken

---

Oleg: "Well keep looking I hope the ring turns up."

Jhod: "I am a priest and the visions come to me and I follow the lead to this place.  Should you see such a place in your exploration let me know and you will be rewarded."

Tauron turns to the priest.
I have few questions.  First you serve the god of the hunt right?

Jhod the priest answers:

” There are many names; Old Deadeye, Stag God, Estig the Hunter, a both Lawful and good deity
primarily concerned with Family,  Farming, Hunting and Trade.  Though one might list tenets or read from sacred texts; ‘‘tis mostly about caring for and organizing ones community.”

The elf smiles.

Then you are on a hunt for the temple?

The priest had been drawing up a paper to post on Oleg’s bulletin board....

”Indeed one might say that, if one were so inclined.”

Temple of the Elk

Source: Father Jhod Kavken, at Oleg's Trading Post

Task: Seek out a lost temple of Erastil believed to be somewhere to the south of Oleg's Trading post.  According to Jhod, the site may be guarded by a large bear, and apparently something isn't quite "right" about the bear.

Completion: Locate the ruined temple, deal with the guardian, and guide Father Kavken there so that he may reconsecrate the site as an active temple of Erastil.

Reward: Jhod has promised to provide spellcasting services free to the party for life (with the exception of expensive material components, which the group must still supply).
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:05, Mon 02 Apr 2018.

Raz groans at Tauron's pun.

"Begone foul devil, lest you besmirch the sacred tongue even more!"

Tauron turns to Razmatin Vulcovila.

Do you speak Celestial.  I never could get the hang of it.  I found it to white and black for my liking.  It lacked colour.  Everything seem to be either good or evil.
A gray rain-cloud is just that a gray rain-cloud.  It not either good or evil.  Or you could think of it as both.  As far as I see it just cloud that may rain on you or not.

He then turns back to Jhod.

I am little confused.  Are you hunting down the temple or are you getting other to do it for you like our group or both?

Jhod the cleric
”I believe there is much I can do here.  If you find and clear the temple, bring me to it and I then will consecrate it once more to a proper place.  I wish to honor your charter of exploration and mapping the locale.”

Do you know anything about the bear.
Unlike most people I not overly keen to kill the bear.
It been cures it seems unfair to just kill it.
Also how long has the temple been lost.
Bear do not live more than 25 winters I believe.

Raz piped up beside Tauron.

"Yes it would be a shame if we rode all this way and prepared ourselves for battle only to find the bear had died of old age. In fact I would say that would be...un-bear-able."

Jhod shakes his head ( at the parade of puns) then nods
”I know not if the bear hast been there the whole time or if it was recently taken to living there.  So the age of the bear is not definitive.”

Octavia had been silent as Jhod explains his quest for a missing temple. Now that battle was over her mood was souring quite a bit.

"If your god was not strong enough to keep the temple why should we reclaim it for him? If my blade clears whatever monsters or bandits have desecrated that space why shouldn't I claim it in Gorum's might?"

Octavia flexed her gauntlet into a fist and punched it into her other open palm with a loud clank of metal on metal. She was once again speaking loudly and boldly in an open challenge.

While the others were preoccupied with the priest and talks of his temple, Filarion takes the opportunity to talk with Kesten away from the others and his men. He fills him in on the situation with the two reformed bandits, "I'm not telling you how to do your job. I'm just stating you should keep an active eye on those two just in case, as a concerned citizen of this new endeavor."

There conversation then turns to their homelands where Filarion talks of his teacher and makes a point to say, "This is a land of new beginnings is it not? A place where one could get a second chance. Don't you agree?"

Jhod to Octavia
” I know, I know; but based upon the age of Oleg’s outpost I would say that the temple and Oleg’s are both approximately 40 years old in that time if Gorham had wanted to claim the lost temple I’m sure that he would have; or would have sent you such a vision.  I am offering a job to your g oil, if you rather someone else claim the prize, that’s up to you.  I am obviously not going to fight over a thing that neither of us knows where it is.  We are not beggars fighting over a copper coin that hast rolled into the dirt.”



Kesten to Filarion
”Aye, and what of the sleeping girl? We are ere told Oleg had no children.  I agree ‘‘tis likely that no one would give no mind of your past in such a place.”

"It is true that the girl is not theirs. She was in the hands of some bandits and had been abused by them. She does seem a bit off to me, so it wouldn't be a half bad idea if you were to check up on her from time to time. I'll speak to Svetlana as well. Maybe she can reach the girl and keep her occupied."

In reply to Octavia Cassiana (msg # 191):

He smiled at Octavia's gusto and said, "I would be the reason you wouldn't just claim it. We will be working on it together and you seem to have forgotten my patron deity is Erastil as well. I'd be very disappointed if you tried to steal the temple to my deity. Wouldn't be very communal of you now, would it?"

He then added, "Not that we couldn't find a place to add a temple to Gorum as well."

Tatyana had watched the conversations back and forth. She had chosen a fine palomino steed, gold-coated with a white mane and tail. When no one was watching, she gave the horse an apple from her pack, and then spent time brushing him and speaking to him in elven. She transferred some of her pack items to the saddlebags that the horse would later be wearing, but for now, she kept the animal free of encumbering things.

Later on, she had placed her old longbow in with the other items for sale at Oleg's store, and she cleaned and polished the darkwood bow that her friends had been kind enough to let her have from the loot. She tested its heft over and over, marveling at the craftsmanship and the strength of such a light material. She knew it would be more accurate and more deadly than her previous bow. She made a silent oath to Ketephys to protect her friends at all costs with this joyous new weapon.

For those who truly paid attention, they saw her add three small, almost imperceptible notches toward the base of the bow, and in fine elven runes, the name "Happs".

She then strung it over her shoulder and went straightaway to Svetlana. "Svetlana, my dear, do you have any wine or mead? I could sorely do with a cup or three," she smiled.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:25, Wed 04 Apr 2018.

Octavia raised an eyebrow as Silas joined in on Jhod's side. She scoffed and shrugged.

"Luckily for the both of you Gorum has little need for a pile of ruined stones. I shall pay him glory in battle reclaiming the site and then you can owe your thanks to Gorum as well for delivering strength to protect the weak and fallen."

With a curt nod she turned away, finished with the subject and preferring to get the last word in edgewise. Besides she had armor to clean and a giant sword to sharpen.

Svetlana was petting Imira’s head as she slept.
”Yes of course we have some mead and some better wine.”

Oleg grumbles as he notices the apparent stray wounded beast that his wife has taken in.
”She best be good at magic with one hand she won’t do no good with a hammer and nails.”

Looking thoughtful for a second
”what would it take to have portable alters that way when I rent a room I can also rent an alter?”


Svetlana
” what time will you be heading out I would like to prepare you a breakfast before you go ?”

Drezghl, a follower of Gorum, though not nearly as devout as Octavia; watched as she and Jhod went back and forth over who got to claim the lost temple.

He sighed and poured some whiskey from his wine skin into a tin cup.