Dark Hope - Chapter 1 - Pan Town

[Renard]

Holding Tanya ins his arms, Renard quickly determines her condition, and upon realizing she is alive, merely overcome with effort, breathes a heavy sigh of relief.
"Esta, poikaer," whispers Renard to her.

A nervous chuckle escapes through his worry, as he shakes his head in disbelief and wonder.

"Unfortunately my new friends, I can't say where the pale man went... I was unconscious and upon reawakening I was concentrating on gathering together the pieces of my body... I was unable to perceive anything more of my surroundings."

Then, upon hearing Yaaraer's words, "The gift Solarus has given you through Tanya will have meaning. We will find the Holy Root.
"Ahkash, Atrus, Thonunian, can you all search the other chambers for other possible hidden ways from here?"

Then looking to Balpur, "Is there anything we can do to releive her of this stress? Do you hink rst is enough or would a minor healing spell benefit her?..."

[Mephiston]

"ehm... ops... it seems that the power of the goddess is still too much for her... hihihihi"
Balpur laughs

"do not think even for a moment that you had used the very substance of the earth ..."
Balpur now seems really serious.

"The temple is empty i'm sorry my friends. Completly empty since the last druid left this word. You can of course search around but you won't find anything. And there are no secret doors... the pale man probably left the chamber with the portal someone else opened for him"

[Thonunian]

Do you think rest is enough or would a minor healing spell benefit her?..."

"I may not know much of healing, but I have seen those who have been knocked out without being put in danger.

A spell of healing would help, but all it would do is make her heal faster. Even so, it would be for the best if we were able to both heal her and conserve our limited spells. I know that bards can heal, but whether or not you have enough power to waste a spell on someone who is not in danger...

I would suggest putting her on her horse and taking her back to the temple."

He glances around, and then continues, "I have not only searched for secret doors already, but was looking for magic while doing so."

He looks at the weapons in his hands with a slight look of surprise, then hands the staff to Renard, "She will probably feel better if you are the one to give this back to her when she wakes up..."

"The temple is empty i'm sorry my friends. Completly empty since the last druid left this word. You can of course search around but you won't find anything. And there are no secret doors... the pale man probably left the chamber with the portal someone else opened for him"

"... I would not be so sure of it being empty, if I were you, oh ancient one. We have already fought several creatures and uncovered some items afterwards."

[Ahkash]

Ahkash, having listened carefully from his position against the wall, shrugged.

"I doubt we'll find anything, but I'll search just in case."

Ignoring the rooms they've passed through and searched already, the half-elf sets off to carefully search the remaining areas of the temple, not expecting anything, but checking thoroughly anyway.

[Renard]

TH:

He looks at the weapons in his hands with a slight look of surprise, then hands the staff to Renard, "She will probably feel better if you are the one to give this back to her when she wakes up..."

AK:

"I doubt we'll find anything, but I'll search just in case."

With his attention still upon Tanya, Renard absently accepts White Blossom and thanks both his companions. As he still cradles her in his arms, he slowly and gently folds the staff within her own arms in an embrace. Although the toll she took by channeling the positive energies from White Blossom did not affect her physically, Renard could see the damage she took from the skeletons.
Quietly at first, and with little regard of what he was actually doing, Renard starts to sing. It is a quiet song that slowly rises in strength, then passes. The warmth that gathers in his hands he wills to pass on to Tanya's injured body. <cure light wounds> And he watches in wonder as the bruises and abrasions that marked her slowly disappear, surprised at his own ability and song he pulled from memory (did his mother sing that to him one time?....)

[Ahkash]

From behind the throne, the half-elf called out...

"Some kind of puzzle here..."

[Tänya]

As relief from pain gently flows through the unknowing druid, her body unclenches and her eyes close into a more natural sleep. She remains non-aware of her surroundings, but an over all pervasiveness of protection, concern, and love cocoons her senses, and she hugs her quarterstaff closer to her as she snuggles deeper into the softness enveloping her.

"Diola lle ten' aman tel' Seldarine, Atara. Amin naa lle nai, belegarwen Solaris," she mumbles to herself as she rolls over in her healing sleep.

("My thanks for your blessings, Mother. I am yours to command, mighty Lady Solaris.")

[Thonunian]

From behind the throne, the half-elf called out...

"Some kind of puzzle here..."

Thonunian looked over in surprise.

"You sure it's a puzzle? I thought it was just a picture..."

He heads over to join the half-elf.

[Mephiston]

Thonunian and Ahkash can see the following:

they seems to be low relief of a strange language. You can't understand it. Each word is on a roll... and that rool seems able to rotate on its axis.


The elemental looks around the chamber, then he says
"the old fresco is under the dust... i want to see the marvelous pictures of the wall paint once more"
He rises a leg and he stumps it hardly on the ground. The entire chamber shakes under his powerful blow and the dust on the walls drops to the ground.

What you can see now is a wonderfu fresco on the walls of the chamber.
All around you there is the story of Graveris. The birth among the trees with her sister, Solaris that bless both.
The animals and the plants that worship the goddess.
In another paint you can see a skeletal hand that grasp a shoulder of the goddess and her eyes become evil.
The biggest picture is on the norther wall of the chamber...
the great battle between the twin goddess.
Graveris to the left, with a skeleton in a black robe before her, and in the other side Matheris with a shining light spreading from her staff.
Near the feet of the goddess countless animals and plants fight each others.
Following to the right the evil goddess lies on the ground and Matheris rise his staff high! You can see the skeleton with the black robe flee in a fissure in the ground.

The last paint is strange... it seems that someone didn't finish it. The colors aren't present in all the characters of the picture, and the brushstrokes appear raw.
In the paint there is the chamber itself! some people are present...
One is dressed in red and brings a marvelous red glowing sword.
Another is smaller and agile and has in his hand a long dagger that seems to spread darkness.
Then a woman, she could be an elf and she has a staff.
Another one seems to be a warrior and a great sword with chains is in his hands.
Then near the woman another man stands with a well-worked walk stick.

The red dressed man and the warrior are facing a great daemon and they seems to be near the victory.

The man with the stick has in his hands a big white glowing root.

Balpur whistles loudly

[Thonunian]

Thonunian looks shocked. That seems to be the battle we just had! If it was made during the battle, then it was made by magic, but I should have sensed that!

...However, what concerns me more is...

He turns to face the bard, and says "Renard! Did you find anything while down here?!?

...That painting looks like our recent battle, and you seem to be holding the Holy root that this elemental is looking for!"

[Tänya]

The shaking of the ground, the billowing clouds of dust, and the piercing whistle from Balpur all combine to pierce the veil of exhaustion that has engulfed the journeyman druid. Slowly, ever so slowly, she mentally claws her way towards the light, and upon opening her eyes sees a most welcome vision hovering above her. She notices the look of awe on his countenance, and his eyes scanning the walls of the chamber. As she attempts to raise herself up, only to be crushed down again with exhaustion, a voice penetrates the approaching grayness...

"Renard! Did you find anything while down here?!?

...That painting looks like our recent battle, and you seem to be holding the Holy root that this elemental is looking for!"

Determined to see what was happening, Tänya grits her teeth and wills the gray fog back. Her body unwilling to cooperate with her efforts, it takes her at least twice as long to come to a seated upright position as usual, even with the support of White Blossom and the suspected caring arms assisting her as well.

Once upright, the colors and implied meanings of the fresco assault her exhausted mind, and her jaw drops as she also scans the various walls. When her glance falls upon the transformed Yaaraer, a small smile makes its way on to her face. Looking in to his glowing eyes, she takes witness of the glowing white energy that now fills him. "You are well then, Yaaraer?" is her first clear thought since her attempt to heal him, but whether she managed to say it aloud, she can not say...

[Mephiston]

"I'm fine, elf. And i have a debt with you... you asked me what was the name of the last druid that died in this temple.
It is a secret and i swore to keep the secret, but you did something no one else would dare to do... so i will break my oath for a good reason.
His name was Beliant"
The elemental says.

[Tänya]

"... you asked me what was the name of the last druid that died in this temple.
It is a secret and i swore to keep the secret, but you did something no one else would dare to do... so i will break my oath for a good reason.
His name was Beliant"

The world once again spins and tilts. Tänya shakes her head, certain she misheard. "...buh-buh-Beliant?" she gasps. "I heard you aright?"

[Mephiston]

"Yes, this was the name of the last druid. Why are you so shocked?"
the elemental asks

[Tänya]

Tänya looks towards the stone and wood being with confusion raging within, "Yaaraer, at the moment my mind is not fully functional, I don't think. The name is not unknown to me, yet I only know of one Beliant. Do you know if the name is a common one in this area? Or can you tell me in years as counted on Talamh, how long ago you were called before the last druid died?"

While listening desperately for an answer from the elemental which might make sense of her confusion, Tänya slowly gains her footing, and makes her way over to the throne on the raised dais to see the puzzle Ahkash had discovered. Looking at the tiles of words, she attempts to see if she could make any sense of them.

[Mephiston]

"I don't think it is a common name... nor it is a unique name!"
Balpur says.

"Beliant was the only man i knew with that name. This is all i know"
The elemental says.

[Tänya]

"I don't think it is a common name... nor it is a unique name!"

Turning towards the kind goblin with hope for clarity in her heart, Tänya asks, "You have heard the name before, in other circumstances?"

"Beliant was the only man i knew with that name. This is all i know"

"My thanks, Yaaraer," Tänya distractedly replies, having made her way to the back side of the throne with her eyes fastened upon the cylindrical puzzle.

Raising her voice so the others can hear, she calls out, "The words are Druidic, and I can read them. But I am forbidden to teach the language in any way to non-initiates. I am sure these tiles need to put in a particular order; the words are the same, in the same order, on each individual segment of the rolls. There are a total of six words, but again, my mind is in disarray at the moment. I ask none watch as I manipulate the tiles, so you do not inadvertently learn the meaning of each word, but any suggestions of word order to try is most welcome.

"The six words we need to arrange are "ray," "root," "branch," "drown," "rise," and "truth.""

In an undertone to herself, as she aligns the tiles in her first attempt, she says, "These are the same words as what was in the "pirate" riddle upstairs. The one that read...

"Tell me what is...
In the branch and in the root,
In a ray and in the truth,
In the rise and in the drown
and i will open for you"

"...so let me first try putting them in the order they were mentioned in the riddle..."

Scrolling each segment of tiles, she lined up the druidic words so they read, "branch," "root," "ray," "truth," "rise," and "drown,"

...and waited.

[Ahkash]

Having made his dicovery, the half-elf gladly stepped back to allow the others room to attempt the puzzle.

[Mephiston]

The array of rolls recedes slightly into the throne, then rises up to reveal a square hole.

Inside the hole there are six gems and a book.

[Tänya]

Tänya's mind swirls yet again. On the first try? she marvels to herself. Then, tempted to reach in and withdraw the items, she refrains, and beckons Ahkash over. "Opening such troves is something I am not in the habit of doing. I assume there is some sort of protocol that best be done, such as searching for hidden traps, before I reach my hand into there??