Today I have learned that there are times to speak your mind and times to be silent. From what I have been shown through nature and through visions my path has been laid out before me. There is no question in my mind that through the combined elemental might of our earth we will be able to defeat the festering evil within the mountain, but then there are other factors to consider.
My dwarven companions have hurt me quite a bit today, but at least I know where I stand with them. While trying to explain myself Rorrin showed me nothing but contempt; rolling his eyes, sighing in exacerbation at my desire to continue to seek the elemental powers. All the while he has been holding a hidden agenda from the party to claim the hammer for the church, an agenda so secret it apparently had not been expressed to his brother the cleric. As I stated to the party there has never been a "holy" relic made that has not divided man against man, friend against friend, brother against brother.
Groehl too made known his disdain for me and my beliefs when he called into question my desire to seek out the teachings of Al Kazir but then did not follow his gods desire to find a hammer. Though I care not for formal worship of the gods I am intrigued by their devoted following. Through the oral and written traditions of the races we are able to see basic concepts of natural events transpiring. Since I have received such criticism for my interest in Al Kazir, I will explain my curiosity. Dwarven tradition states that the god Al Kazir used his shield (the mountain of citadel) to protect his people from a great onslaught from an evil god. Do I believe a giant dwarf laid a mountain on top of his people to protect them? No not at all, I do suspect that before the mountain city the dwarfs could have been plain dwelling people who took safety from a cataclysmic natural event (such as a meteor crashing to the earth)under the great mountain. These reflections have little to do though with our current plight and so I shall leave them for another time.
I have no interest in coming to the dwarven people to put down a heretical paladin who wishes to claim an ancient dwarven hammer for himself to become a great hero. Does the hammer have some sort of power to aid us in our quest? Perhaps it does, perhaps any magical weapon can do the job as long as it has the support of the elemental powers. But the best argument I have heard for seeking the hammer is "the church wants it". I wont waste valuable time seeking after a lost toy that the church wants back. If the hammer is needed to destroy this great festering evil in the earth then those with that knowledge need to come forth with it.
The priests of endings have been seeking the elemental powers to destroy the evil presence in the mountain, the druids in the grove have told us to seek out the elemental powers, visions confirmed by myself, Derrinar, and the Hirophant have told us to seek out the elemental powers, and the only argument to get this hammer is that "the church wants it". I even offered to go alone to seek out the meaning of the vision so that we would waste no time in recovering the powers needed to bring this all to an end, but again I was only met with disdain.
I am through speaking my mind regarding the elemental powers, I have been insulted and talked down too and I will have no more of it. We have been charged with a task and have had it confirmed over and over again. If Rorrin and Groehl want to seek out this hammer then I will go and get the precious toy, and without a word to the contrary. The sooner it is found the sooner they can collect on all of its "glory", since glory in combat is greater than all things...right?
I have found there is no glory in combat, only suffering. Glory is found in the peace brought about when good men fight for what is noble. |
