Barley's Trials

As you watch the flickering light you notice there is a pattern periodically but then it changes up. Studying it longer you get the feeling you are not quite reading it correctly. Thinking back you ponder puzzles, riddles, match, geometry, and then thinking of the pipes your mind goes to music. This yo uralize is the key. This appears to be a type of magical sheet music. As you tap the crystals telekinetically each emits a note. Following the pattern you soon lean the short bit that is repeated and even "play" the lights by tapping them after they twinkle. the song is quite lively and soon you find yourself humming along for the chorus. And to this the door opens.

Beyond the door is a comfortable parlor with a refined, aged, elven lady. She sits strumming a lute. Come sit, join me. and gestures to a comfortable looking chair. I am glad some one has found our little games once again. Now tell me dear what prompted you to choose my pipes?.

The lady seems pleases with your answer and you spend the remainder of the day talking as she recounts some of her and her companions tales. Some she shared in idle chatter, some in formal prose, some in song, and some with illusions to create grand spectacles as she recounts the story. As some point in time a table appeared with food and drink allowing you to eat and drink in turn as the other shares their stories.

Get some rest in the morning I will send you forth to find a story or two of your own. Should you prove worthey I will send you to another story. Should you prove unworthy I will simply return you to the entry chamber. But be warned these trials are of the world and as such the danger is real. Your task will be to find a story worth telling and "helping" it to a satisfactory ending.

She leads you down a short hall to a private bedchamber where you rest well for the night. In the morning you have another chat before she sends you out to find a great tale in need of a witness and helping hand. The cavern tunnel ascends to what looks like a sewer. The first grate you pass lets you overhear several people chatting about the conditions of the town and the hardship they must suffer due to their new lord. One voice seems oddly out of place. The voice is male and sounds younge though much more refined than the others he talks with. You pause to listen but soon the discussion is disrupted by the arrival of a patrol and to speakers all scatter. You soon find a way up from the sewers and use a nearby pump to clean you unfortunate boots a bit. Luckily the passage was spacious enough that they were the only thing to truly suffer the indignities of you subterranean path.

The pair of you quickly make it to the temple where Akannathi is quickly admitted as are you, after Akannathi snaps at the guards about harassing his guest. He guides you to a small but lavish side you after sending a minor priest to inform his uncle of the earlier assault. A few minutes later a minor attendant returns with a tray of food and drink and is followed by a priestess who quickly heals Akannathi. The priestess seems a bit nervous though very polite and seems relived when after the healing she is dismissed. You chat idly as you eat and drink with Akannathi continuing on his monologue of his, and his families, great importance to the temple. He makes the temple sound like the true rulers of the city and surrounding lands.

The door swings open to admit a sten man dressed in white. Though the robes have marking of a priesthood his armor and weapons denote him more as a man of action. Akannathi instantly rises to his feet and gives a bow of submission to the man he addresses as Bjornhild Solvigsdottir, whom he had previously informed you was his uncle and is a lead inquisitor for the temple. So Akannathi I hear you almost embarrassed the temple again. the inquisitor coldly states staring hard at you. Tell me who it was so that I might erase this blemish on our might lest it stain the glory of our lord.

Akannathi quickly recounts the entire thing, telling no lies though his words put him in a better light than other might have. Durring the entire description the inquisitor stares at you coldly. After the story is recounted Akannathi mentions you offer of a possible business deal.

As the younger priest finishes talking Bjornhild addresses you I thank you in the name of our god and his high priest for assisting us in this. How is it that you happened to be so conveniently placed as to see this unfold and why is it you choose to intervene?

Give me a test on you ability to act cool under the scrutiny and to tell your story convincingly. You can roll with focus as you have planned this in advance.

Barley leaves the temple not quite sure about the mission though several talismen were placed and a couple were very unlikely to be noticed even if searched for. The priest were definitely interested in teh book but the longer Barley interacted with the inquisitor the more he was sure that something was off or suspected. But that is the inquisitors job, to susect everything and every one.

After getting some distance Barley begins to try and dodge any trailing sneaks. Though none was seen he feels sure the temple, Bjornhild to be specific, likely sent one or more. After some time apasserby bumps you as you both round a corner and between a curse and appology you catch a suggestion that the Rose suggests a specific tavern. You make your way toward the place, you had seen it in your earlier city wandering, an dtake a table in one of the dark corners.

Several minuts pass and a few patrons enter and leave then a figure joins you. As the figure approatches a few other get up to leave. As they pass a table there is a brief scuffle before it former occupant dissapears into the midst of the three leaving but none of the other patrons react and in a hearbeat the four are gone.

With disheveled hair and common though clean clothing the noble blends a bit better with the crownd than you would have suspected. So, how did it go? Were there any problems either with the book or talismen?

Barley stays next to Rodney, as he was instructed who in turn stays close to Lord Rose. This lets Barley stay in the thick of things. As the assembled armsmen reach the valley floor most stay in the trees to watch and act as the rearguard while the lords and their bodyguards, which now includes Barley, advance into the open to confront the priest.

As you advance upon the temple priest and acolytes lord Alaric loudly proclaims their presence and demands the priests either allow the assembled lords to watch and learn or halt the ritual.The priests, all dressed in dark hooded robes continue their chanting in unison. They encircle a central stone altar where ritual lines have been drawn by some means that glow in the dark.

The dark priests intensify their chanting. None of the clergy act but several of their guard step from the shadows to block the mounted nobles parties advance. Meanwhile the ritual continues causing the skies to darken further as a menacing energies bather in the center of the valley. The ground trembles, and an eerie wind stirs. Alaric and Rose try to push past the guards but several of the other nobles are hesitant to draw sword against the temple. Though the ritual had a sinister feel many mutter that is is known that the Dark Temple employs great dark power, but it has always been for the people.

Barley watches all of this from the back keeping an eye and ear on what transpires. Suddenly Barley sees that as Alaric loose his temper and try to push past the guard one of the guards in back raises a crossbow to fire on him. As the guard readies his bow Barley crushes the bow, causing it to explode in his face and draw everyone's attention to the figure. Several of the lords become enrages at this and move to support Alaric but a couple still hold back.

Suddenly the Inquisitor Bjornhild, now dressed all in black steps out from the ritual, blocking Alaric's path. How dare you come and interfere with out devotions. We have only worked to serve the people. And this is how you repay us?!? May our dark lord strike you down. And the inquisitor points his staff at Alaric casting a sickly green energy over the young lord. At this all sides spring into action.

Barely casts a psychic blast at Bjornhild, disrupting his spell and freeing Alaric to lead the charge. Chaos ensues. Barley and Rodney move with Lord Rose to try and close the gap to Alaric to support him. Rodney moves to keep any from engaging Barley in combat, freeing Barley to support the fight in general. Barley conjures illusions of additional men, uses his telekinesis to give the lord's men openings, heating enemy armor and weapons, but mostly he focuses on the ritual to find the high priest to disrupt the ritual.

Barley and Alaric both seem to spot the priest at the same time. At this point the rituals energies are gathering around a single individual whos form starts to twist and bulge oddly. With a shout Alaric spurs his horse to charge the priest as Barley sends an attack to separate the priests mind from his body. The body continues mutating oddly but ceases talking and moving. The brief pause gives Alaric time to close on the former priest and strike it with his sword. Just as Alaric does Barley feels a dark presence knock his power back. As the sword strikes the figure it burst into a blaze of light causing the figure to be revealed as no longer human but a shadowy form that seems to blot out all light near it. Alaric begins chanting as his sword blazes even brighter as he engages the Mostrous priest in combat.

Barley is close enough to cast spells on the transformed priest and watch the fight but there it too much interference to get closer at this time. You can either summarize as you just did or enter and use combat rules till the end of the conflict... whatever that may be

Barley lands another blast on the transmogrified priest as Alaric raises is sword and slams it down on the wounded creature. As the blazing blade descends the light moves from the blade and into and around the creature. Alaric stumbled back exhausted only to have to fend of several lesser priest of the dark temple that moved to assist their master only to have the eye searing inferno behind him explode into a massive conflagration of fire. The now flaming pillar stayed centered on the abomination within that shrieked and howled and the flames consumed it's dark essence like a candle wick till nothing remained. Lord Rose and a few choice men, with Barley and Rodney tagging along, rushed to aid the fallen Alaric.

The fighting had stilled at the flaming eruption and as he staggered to his feet Alaric called out.
Hold men!

Priests of the temple lay down your arms and your lives will be spared. Only to hear a priest retort that they would surely be slain should they do so. Alaric proclaimed that any dark pries who surrendered would be under his protection and any who harmed on under his protection would answer in kind. A speech followed in which Alaric proclaimed himself to be a paladin for a god of light, only choosing to reveal himself when the dark gods overstepped themselves and sought to take dominion over these lands of the Mortal Realm. He proposed to the assembled lords that the law be changed so that the gods of light be allowed temples in the land as well. The dark temple was to remain as it was the savior of the land during the Shattering but that without the balance of the gods of light they would fall to twisted paths that would only lead to the nations downfall. Just as love, peace, and prosperity in excess lead to idleness, sloth, and weakness so to does anger, greed, and envy in excess lead to internal strife, discention, and collapse. It would only be through the balance of the two forces, and perhaps a grey god or two, that the constant pull of forces would drive the nation to greatness.

What followed was mostly politics with a bit of theology. While the armsmen set about securing prisoners the lords took lead representatives of the dark temple along with Alaric to go see the city administrator. Barley knew the following weeks would be important to the future, but not to the story. Thanking Rodney and telling him to relay his thanks to lord Rose, Barley quietly slipped away, retracing his steps and soon found his way back to the Bards abode.

---

Welcome back my friend. Come sit. Tell me the story you saw, the story you were, and the story you will share. You sit and chat for a while with bits of eating, drinking, music, song, and oration mixxed in.