It was a glorious morning as we started our journey towards Topholme on the outskirts of Citadel. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Throrn… well he was being very Throrn like today. He guided my footsteps along the pathway and led me towards another opportunity to show my worth…to prove to him that I am a cleric to be honored and praised.
This opportunity didn’t start out as pleasant as one would hope but when dealing with evil the situations never start out pleasant. On our journey to the side of the road was a disassembled wagon with dwarven warrior shards of armor and weapons lying around. We all gathered from the footprints around the scene that perhaps some very large bears had come into their camp and taken them as a meal. From my journeys in Citadel I hadn’t heard of any such behavior out of bears but alas they are just dumb creatures…even though some of my companions would think of them as much more.
Either way we all agreed that we shouldn’t leave the bears to attack Topholme or wreak havoc on any other traveling party so we ventured into the woods. It wasn’t long after we found a slight drop into a clearing that revealed an opening to a decent sized cave. Most of the group had been traveling silent and was not letting the rest of us, who couldn’t hide, know ANYTHING of which was going on. Now, while this was happening I felt a strong urge to yell out for the group to find out what they had learned or perhaps to see if I should stop. They must have known that without me they would surely perish and I as well knew that with me they would have blown their position. So, for the moment I stayed quiet and allowed the group to play… even though their lack of concern for me was quite disconcerting.
I finally, found my brother who was about to enter the cave and again realized that even though he told me nothing of what he was doing that I should stay quiet. Granted if every moron in the group knows what’s going on but me perhaps they’re not the real morons. Suddenly, like the big dumb fool that he is, Hunter yelled out to my brother who was now in the middle of the cave. Now, I see Hunter’s reasoning for yelling because the group was not talking enough to plan out a decent strategy but on the other hand my brother doesn’t talk much to begin with so expecting a full plan from him is expecting a bit much. Either way we did not work well at all together which was the reason two large bears started to follow my brother outside to the mouth of the cave.
Once they peaked their heads outside we truly got a feel for how massive this beast was and from the looks of the scars on its body how vicious it could be. While myself and Tenedos were ready to unleash or magic prowess on them Gim wanted to try and talk down the bears before we started our attack. I wanted to kill the bears no matter what even if they were friendly since they now had a taste for dwarf but I’d listen to Gim for the moment since he was the expert here. He and Derrinar both used their Druidic powers to calm down the bears mood, and even though they didn’t charge us I still cast some defensive spells. Also, as a side note, most of the group started passing notes and talking in languages that were foreign to me. I’m not sure what this change was brought on by but while the Druids talked… I had no idea what was going on. Gim and Derrinar even disappeared into the cave but I really wasn’t paying much attention to them but rather the bears that blocked their way out.
Eventually, the two walked out of the cave with a backpack and told me to take it down the path. On the road down I sensed the evil presence inside and knew if there’s one thing I should not do with this artifact its take it out of the pack. Tenedos who was now bothering me constantly to open the pack was wearing my patience thin and that’s not to mention all the secrecy he’s been having with Shimada. If it wasn’t for him being an elf I’d say they were passing notes of admiration. Perhaps, they were at sea too long and were still embarrassed to bring out their true feelings to the rest of the group, again though I will never know nor do I care to.
The rest of the group then made its way down to where we were greeted quite warmly by the Topholme guardsmen. I quickly whipped out the arm that I had found earlier of a dwarven male and explained in great detail the extent at how it had been ripped and mauled. I figured that perhaps my in-depth analysis would disgust the dwarfs to the point of not wanting to ask too many questions and indeed my plan worked. While leaving I told them I’d be reporting to the church of Throrn if they needed to ask any further questions.
Again the Druids were fearful of the guardsmen going after the giant bears but personally I thought killing a dwarf was NOT a natural act and should not be treated as such. Because Gim is a friend of mine I tried to put it aside that perhaps he knew more about the situation than I but with his new cocky attitude I’m not sure he deserved the help. Either way I couldn’t let any of this get a hold of my attention because for now I Groehl, Cleric of Citadel am returning to my homeland to be greeted as an accomplished fighter and well rounded clergyman.
As we entered the gates of Topholme I quickly surveyed that most were not interested much in finding out about the item we had in our possession so a few of us traveled over to the church of Throrn to further research it while the rest journeyed to a local tavern to celebrate our triumphant return. Shortly after entering the large, stone doors of the Cathedral I was warmly greeted by the head Cleric of the church named Durn. He was an older gentleman which was the norm for this town but as I knew from my teachings with age comes great wisdom and knowledge which are key for an accomplished fighter.
Tenedos again was persistent about NOT showing the item we had found to the people of my church but no matter how much I’ve gone through with him my loyalties are tied to Throrn and as much as Tenedos was against it I showed Durn the orb we had found. He knew little of the item but was able to explain to some extent what he knew. In fact, it wasn’t until myself, Tenedos, and Derrinar researched that we realized it might be from an ancient evil part of Citadel that was long forgotten about. It was a part of the mines that had not been traveled through in years.
With this new information in hand we all convened for the night except for I who stayed to chat it up a bit with Durn. Now, my plan was not to brag about the many adventures that I had recently been through but as it turned out that’s exactly what happened. Not that I was bashful when explaining the many battles with giant spiders, undead, Aboleths, and evil druids but that it wasn’t my intent. Either way the stories flowed back and forth between myself and Durn until he decided that they needed to show the glories I’ve had in battle for all to see in Topholme. I must say it was an honor to be acknowledged for all the hard work that I had done… but ultimately it was Throrn who deserved all the credit for without his power I would be a mere dwarf swinging away in combat without a purpose or a plan.
The morning came and some of my friends even showed up… perhaps they were looking for glory as well but for today they would have to settle for hearing of my many triumphs in combat. Granted I did receive much help from them along the way but at the same time I can’t remember how many times I’ve brought the group back from the breaches of hell with my powerful healing…again it’s Throrn’s power but through my hands I’ve saved the group numerous times and I felt it was fine for me to solely get the credit…today. Perhaps some other time we’ll fill a tavern and brag about the giant bear that Gim barked at or the time Tenedos hid until the coast was clear and finally fired off a spell or the time Hunter shot an arrow at a bartender before saying a word or the many times my brother tried hitting me while my back was turned because of his weak will or perhaps about the many triumphs of Derrinar and Shimada… which will have to be re-told to me of course because I can’t remember them at all. But yes some day we will recall their many stories as well, but for today I, Groehl the Master Cleric of The Shield Of Citadel, claim my Glory in the name of THRORN!
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