Wondering at what kind of world Storm grew up in, Hewney just shook his head.

"Pathwyn, I think our task here is done. Let us leave these men to the tender gentle mercies of Storm, we have other things to be doing."

"That sounds like a good idea," Dak said, agreeing with Hewney.  "It won't take all of us to finish this up and we have another job to get to."

He was more than happy to let the other group do the babysitting.  They can keep whatever reward would come with it.

Alvador offes some free advice. If you maim a man, expect an enemy for life, meet somebody who thinks if funny to maim you. Unless they've killed, a time of servitude will do.

He turns to Pathwyn. If we're gong about our business, let's do.

The eldest of the farmers, who used a walking stick and the Forhorns had first met in the church, said to Lenelle, "I can take you up to our church.  Poor though it be."  He indicated that they should proceed up the hill to the church with its bell tower.

As the men who had been Eliphas' employees were untied, one of them said, "Any chance you might be able to spare the coin we should be paid for the week?  Be a help on our way to hunting Penrhyn."

"There be no other right authority here," said Bradan.  "We can deal with 'em here.  And those what we know done killing, they been killed, as is right and just."

Pathwyn's search of the vicinity of Cannibal--as the shrunken form of the beast did not fit the clothing, nor were the paws capable of holding the sword--yielded a total of six asil and the sword that the human-form Cannibal had carried.  Her arrows were easily retrieved intact.

Before heading off to the shrine, Lenelle told Pathwyn: "I'm from the Calandian church; its main temple in fact. And my superiors are its priests and higher ranking clergy."   

So said, she left the group, and went to investigate this shrine.

Once there, she spent time doing a thorough investigation;  checking to see if it was set-up in the prescribed and authentic manner.  Looking for any signs of blasphemy; the worship of false idols, or of pagan or foreign gods.  Or worse, diabolism or demon worship.

As well as for any clues of what sort of person this false or fallen priest was, and where he had come from.

Lenelle rolled 13 using 1d20.  religion proficiency (success)
This message was last edited by the player at 20:22, Sun 11 July 2021.

The main door opened into a spacious hall filled with benches.  At the far end of the hall were a lectern and a small altar.  Two doors exited the hall on the wall opposite this entrance.  As Lenelle looked about, what was most striking was the absence of art and other usual items for devotion, though there were a few discolored spots which suggested that something had been there in the past and was now gone.

Other than the missing decor, it did appear to have been properly set up for the church of a simple village such as Farnworth.

"Our old priest, he took ill shortly after Damon come," said the elder villager who was guiding Lenelle.  "Died not much after that, then Damon says how fortunate it be that we don't need send for another since he be here already.  Then things start go missing, but ye'd best not short the tithe or he'd send guard around to get it.  Funny, never knew no other priests needing guards.  "That be the priest office," he added, pointing to the right-hand door, "and I hear it be living quarters in the other one."

Lenelle listened in silence; drawing her own conclusion that the previous priest had likely been murdered, poisoned, by this Damon.

"Atuan priests do not keep guards," she finally assured the elder.  "Nor collect tithes by implied threat."    So said, she walked first to the priest's office, and tried the door, to see what was inside.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:52, Sun 11 July 2021.

Pathwyn had more questions for Lenelle, but figured she could ask them after her tour of the church.  She tried to think if they'd left any corpses lying around, and nodded to herself.  Yeah, they had.  THAT would be disturbing.



"Boy, you have got some balls," she said, standing up from her search of the wolf carcass.  "You're gonna ask strangers, who just minutes ago you were rushing out to attack while they fought to save your town from a werewolf and his loyal pack of thugs, for a week's pay they don't have anything to do with paying you?"

She tossed the 6 asil she'd just found in the direction of the brash mercenary.

"Just exactly how much are these week's wages you're asking for?"

“How do you propose to deal with them?” Storm asks Bradan

The office in the church was a fairly large room--twenty feet by twenty feet, featuring a large desk and three other chairs set around a table.  Clearly, this was a space where the priest might have counseled those who sought counsel, prepared homilies, and other such duties.  On the table was a crystal decanter and a dozen pewter glasses.  Also, there was a bookshelf beside the desk.  On this shelf were a number of familiar texts--writings of saints and other devotionals--which were coated with a thick layer of dust.

On the desk itself were a few more books--one being a ledger accounting for the money or other goods provided by villagers as their tithes.  It looked like the more recent hand denoted only coins, while the previous hand had a few notations of coins, but just as frequently a notation of "one dozen eggs" or "new wool blanket" and the like.  Another book was a ribald and illustrated work--almost certainly fiction.  Another was a book which was entitled Beginner's Guide to Pious Practices, which, from a quick glance, appeared to be an instruction on how to appear devout, with little attention for the interior disposition that would lead one to true devotion.

---

"Didn't know there was a beast involved," said the man, taking up the six asil, "and we only come out after the one we thought done murder--and we know you's was all in the house, and that one--" and here he pointed at Dak, "he been all over the place.  We got paid two asil a day, each o' us.  A fair bit to help us get on our way, and hope we find Penrhyn, and maybe another boss as fair as Eliphas been."

Bradan considered Storm's question, and said, "Well, seems right enough to do as that smart fella," and he gestured toward Panatix, "suggested and take their thumbs to keep 'em from putting the hurt on anyone else after we's drive 'em from Farnworth.  That is the right and just handling o' such criminals."

Wick follows along to the church with the others, looking around and really just staving off boredom.  In his mind, they were after Eliphas, not policing up thugs or setting up good community relations or the rest, though he was happy to let the others focus on that as they wanted.

He was amused when the thug asked after the weeks' wages, his chuckle being cut off as Pathwyn tosses the asil at the ballsy thug.  Not that they couldn't afford a few asil, but there was a principle to it.  He'd have to find time to talk to the rest about it sometime.  But worse was the thought some had, that they should just take on any vermin they cross.

"Well, now that things are nice and settled here, maybe we can get back to the task at hand, hunting Eliphas?"

Naturally, the true works of the faith were dust coated, and unused.  "Charlatan," Lenelle said under her breath, with contempt.

While giving a cursory inspection of the illustrated work, her brows shot up, before her eyes narrowed in disgust.  "Ugh.  Pervert, too."

But her most intense reaction was reserved for the "Pious Practices" work:

"By the Spires of Heaven!  A tutorial of faux faith!"   She scowled, and looked for the author's name. Whether it was listed or no, she would take this work with her, to provide to her superiors, so that they'd be aware such information was being made available.

Concluding in the offices, she then made her way to the living quarters, and tried that door.   Perhaps, here she might find some clue as to where this scoundrel had come from.  Who he was, before he decided that being an impostor priest was a grand idea.

Perhaps it was unsurprising, but the Beginner's Guide to Pious Practices bore no author's name.  Upon reflection, one might suppose that even had a name been listed, it would have been more likely to have been a false name and not a guide to find whoever had created such a work.

Moving to the other room, Lenelle saw that her guide had taken a seat in the church proper, apparently working at gathering more energy rather than trying to keep up with the much younger woman--but then, he looked, by age, of her grandparents' generation.  The next room held several stuffed chairs, a fireplace which, at this time, did not hold a fire, and an open door in one corner.  In the back of this room, there were a pair of simple cots with footlockers at the end of each.  There was a faint odor of death and decay, which seemed to be coming most strongly from the open door in this chamber.

Pan trails after Wick, interested in the fake priest.  When Lenelle takes the book on faking piousness, Pan nods in support.  And quietly follows after her towards the office.  The rather ribald book however, vanishes into his pack.  One can't, after all, leave such around for children to find.

While in the church, Pan looks around for any lamp or torch oil, and anything that looks silver.

Dak hoped Pathwyn wouldn't make a necklace out of their thumbs.  Maybe it was best if they left before the townsfolk took their retribution.

"So, we're done here?" he prompted the Blood Priestess hopefully.

Naughty gnome!

Oblivious to Pan's predilections, with bigger fish to fry, Lenelle continued in her investigation.

The deathly stench made her grimace and wince, and hold her breath.  She truly didn't want to look; but she had a job to do, and so moved to peer beyond the open doorway...

"It's your lucky day.  I'm in a good mood, and I *do* want you to find Penrhyn, so I'll meet you half way out of sheer charity.  Here's 22 more asil to go with those 6," she said, scrounging a fist full of coins out of her pouch and handing them to the mercenary to split up amongst the four of them.  "I think Vendavel would be a fair boss for sure."




Pathwyn had to assume Wick had wandered off and not yet heard of Eliphas' demise.

"Wick, Eliphas is dead.  The green-cloaked assassin Penrhyn stabbed him in the back with a poisoned dagger just yesterday.  His body is still in his house over there unless these men have moved him for burial.  They might show you the body and let you and Vendavel search the house for the book Panatix needs."



Pathwyn nodded.  There was more she wanted to do, but the Forhorns were anxious to leave.  They had prompted her more than once to go.  Perhaps mounting up now and getting these overdue horses back to Shipton was for the best.  It was time to wrap things up in Farnworth and say their farewells.

She began by giving Myrick a hug.

"Thanks for you bravery and assistance, Myrick.  I can't very well give mercenaries a fist full of silver and not spare some for a friend like you."

Pathwyn gave Myrick 20 asil before oddly taking out a knife and cutting off a piece of her hair.  Then she turned to Telemachus.

"Thank you and your crew for aiding us and the town of Farnworth in its time of most dire need.  You are heroes all!  I wish you good sailing, and I hope you find the Ars Mathematica.  If you ever need to contact us for assistance or information you can use this lock of hair in conjunction with scrying or divine magic to locate me or send me an animal messenger," she said, handing the hair to the captain.  "Or you can use the more conventional method of leaving a message with the priests of St Vallon in Shipton.  Please tell Lenelle that I am going to ask them to send a priest here to Farnworth, and that if she has other ideas about summoning one of her own priests from Calandia, please run the idea past St Vallon's church so we don't have two priests of Atu here doing the job of one."

"Lastly, is anyone here trained in the use of short swords?" she asked, offering the sword to Telemachus.  "I strongly suspect it to be magical.  You or Lenelle or Storm could no doubt verify this after praying for the proper blessings."

If Telemachus does not take the short sword, she will keep it and check it for magic herself in the morning.

"There's bound to be more loot at the inn and Cannibal's house," she added.  "Some of it will help the townspeople of Farnworth get back on their feet and some will be more useful to you adventurers."

With that she looked at the Forhorns to see if they were all ready to leave, and cocked her head stableward.

Taking her lead, Hewney heads for the horses. He is more than ready to leave.

The mercenary who had asked for the pay took the coins from Pathwyn, and then the quartet headed back toward the house they had emerged from.

"We'll get our things and start our search," he said.

Vendavel followed after them to this house.

Myrick thanked Pathwyn for the coins, far more than he would have expected for the work he had done in caring for the horses.

Within the church, Lenelle braved the smell, peering into a small room--perhaps 10 feet by 10 feet, featuring a third bed and footlocker, and a spiral stair which went up--presumably into the bell tower--and down.  There were bloodstains on the floor of this room, and the scent of death seemed to be stronger here, though the only plausible place for bodies would be downstairs.

"Watch out for the dogs," Dak admonished Telemachus as he followed after the elf.  "Cannibal had some big dogs in his house."

Dak was looking forward to a quiet ride to Shipton.  The town was freed and most of the culprits were well in hand.  He was unhappy that Penryn had slipped away, but he'd remember that face, even if he did get a new cloak.

Wick looks over at Pathwyn as she reminds him of the body that looked to be Eliphas, "The hunt for Eliphas isn't over yet, won't be until we get paid for it.  When we've closed the circle on that one, then then the hunt for Eliphas is over."

Lenelle understood now.  It was those corpses of the thugs who'd been slain by their allies when they'd ascended the tower.   She uttered a short but sincere prayer for their souls, and then went back to speak with the elder:

"I'm sorry for what you had to endure when the impostor took the place of your rightful priest.  But perhaps it may stand as a worthwhile lesson; an authentic Atuan priest does not bully or take advantage.  If your folk ever encounter the like again, send word to the next nearest church.  I promise you, it will be treated seriously, and dealt with.  And soon as I am able, I'll get a letter written and sent to the main temple, requesting a replacement for you."   

With that, she took her leave, and went to join the others outside.

Storm suggests flogging the men and branding them as criminals instead of removing their body parts.

Telemachus' eyes widen, at Pathwyn's generosity.

"I am sure that Wick or Panatix can make good use of this. You have my sincere thanks for your generosity." Looking toward Dak, he adds, "I hope that you remain safe and surrounded by true friends."


"We will return to the people of Farnworth, what is theirs. And we will claim Cannibal's ill-gotten goods as bounty. Again, Pathwyn na' Silviis, you have my since thanks, and my best wishes."


"Thank you for the warning, Dak. Stay well." The druid's farewell to his former companion is noticeably more formal, and less warm than to the elven priestess, whom he only just met.

Telemachus smiles at Wick's fixation with the reward.

He looks around at his companions, "Based on what Pathwyn said, we should be searching the inn, Eliphas' house, and Cannibal's house. I suggest we do it in that order.

The first two should offer no battles, while Cannibal has the dogs for which we brought the nets.

Wick, Panatix. Pathwyn gave us this sword, she believes it may be magical in nature. Are either of you able to use a shortsword?"

The druid will hand the sword to whoever can use it, as he watches the other group gather their horses and ride on.

---

I have to say, I don't even remember if there was a reward offered for Eliphas!
This message was last edited by the player at 05:05, Wed 14 July 2021.