Sarshel - To Wake and to Sleep

For out-of-game events, wrapping up in-game adventures and rumours.
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Copper Dragon
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Sarshel - To Wake and to Sleep

Postby Copper Dragon » Mon Jan 16, 2017 7:34 pm

Word would spread soon enough, surely. The Triadic Temple has been woken from its dark sleep; the grey, dead silence that was forced upon it by the crashing arrival of a Daemon many months ago has been rebuked. The evil shadow was now lifted and the stone walls could breathe again, and who knows: perhaps they could even welcome acolytes and visitors soon enough to fill the halls with prayer and life.

There would still be much work to be done, of course, but the ritual that Sister Kelda Adler of Ilmater led has been successful.

Successful, if not without cost.

The Solemn Brother, High Priest of Tyr Cammor Deshmrik was carried out the Triadic Temple with a weighted silence; lifeless... dead. He may have stricken a strong, war-trained man's figure before; a priest that knew hardship and the stern burdens of the Even-Handed - yet was now limp, if treated with respect doubtlessly by those that carried him and those that looked upon him.

The High Dawnlord Artemis D'Assanthe of Lathander was revealed much the same; motionless; carried in the arms of the stoic Anton, robes of gold and rose hanging down, wavy hair dangling unrestrained, skin a pallid pale more befitting the moon than the sun's priestess. But unlike Tyr's priest, she wore a relieved smile - and unlike Tyr's priest, she was still alive.

The ritual was strenuous on all of the divine spokesmen, but only the priestess of He Who Endures stood until the last of the three.

An unconscious Dawnbringer was brought to her known dwelling at 5 Angel's Court, under assurances to others that she would live and would yet wake... sometime. But not now. Not today. Today, she slept: sunken into a Celestial Sleep, distant, taxed in spirit and body, and perhaps very nearly also killed.

But if she worried of never waking, her face would not show it. She smiled.
Plays:
Artemis D'Assanthe, Dawnmaster
Udhana, the Kinless
Dhovainithil, Silver Elf
Jhasira of the Bai Kabor, Dawnbringer (deceased)

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Obsidian Sea
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Re: Sarshel - To Wake and to Sleep

Postby Obsidian Sea » Tue Jan 17, 2017 7:48 pm

Dawngreeter Kaleb Meadowspoke serves as a house guardian for High Dawnlord Artemis D'Assanthe in the days that follow the uncertain happenings that marked the beginning of the new year. In earliest hours of morning, on 6th Hammer; Deepwinter, of what seers say shall be known as The Year of the Wave, the Priestess of Lathander had been carried from the temple in a deep and otherworldly sleep. Despite the victory that had been seized that day by the church of Ilmater, and by extension the forces of Good, it was not yet known by the general populace if The Morninglord's favoured servant was to join Cammor Deshmrik in death as a consequence of victory.

Citizens from Sarshel and beyond come to visit 5 Angel Court, wherein lies Artemis D'Assanthe. But the Dawngreeter is not an enterprising man, and respects his superior with privacy. Only close friends and known allies of the Priestess are permitted to attend her bedside. Among them are many esteemed and niche market merchants local to Sarshel; two members of The Velvet Chantry are likewise permitted entrance. By contrast, the Priestess also attracts friendship from a rough, quiet figure who wears the trappings of a Ranger. He, too, is permitted entry to sit at Artemis' bedside by the Dawngreeter. Several villagers from Outentown make the trek to stand outside 5 Angel Court also, but to the Dawngreeter the only one known worthy in close friendship to sit by Artemis' bedside is the one who has opened her own door so many times before to the Priestess: Alvira Legre.

Those that emerge from 5 Angel Court might speak to their friends of the peaceful, smiling countenance of Artemis D'Assanthe. Some say that this is her promise to awake again: others rumour that she has been taken as Lathander's bride, nevermore to walk Faerûn in mortal guise. Above all, what is evident from the gathered is not only that the High Dawnlord is well-loved by the populace, but that the scope of the friendships she has forged is vast. It is not just the wealthy that come to hear of her condition; nor only the attractive; not the pious, alone, are worthy of her time; nor has her appetite for kindness shown distinction between the young, the old, or any race known to peacefully inhabit the kingdom.

But still her sleep continues.

//OOC: Doing my duty as a DM, but also opening the door (rather literally) for other players to feel welcome to this thread as a means of portraying their own visitations to 5 Angel Court to see the sleeping Priestess. Those known to have a friendly history with the character can presume their entry is permitted, if they wish it.
It is worth noting, also, that as per the event to which this is an off-shoot storyline, the posts made here can be explained by players as having happened any time within the last tenday, as the event which triggered this one would have chronologically concluded on the 6th January, 2017 (6th Hammer; Deepwinter, 1364 DR).
Heomar Bloodstone

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OldBear
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Re: Sarshel - To Wake and to Sleep

Postby OldBear » Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:33 pm

While the Brother Kaleb tends to the Lady Artemis, Westin would stay at the shrine, provide the medicine the temple had sent to the locals and generally keep an eye on the place. He also has been spending a fair amount of time in the shrine on his knees praying for her speedy recovery.

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Danuvis
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Re: Sarshel - To Wake and to Sleep

Postby Danuvis » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:17 pm

It may not have been a surprise to any that when the word began to spread of the elven-blooded priestesses' fate, Merney Valroc was amongst the first to hurry to the ever so familiar abode, and there he stayed for days to come, refusing to leave her side, and if any had the gall to demand otherwise, it would have been a stubborn, fiery and angered side of him that they had to deal with.

With his ordinary responsibilities and impulses for challenge and danger cast wholly aside, the Damaran seemed a different man altogether; unrelenting worry etched in the lines of his gaunt face and rendered largely taciturn by the comatose woman's side, often seen clutching her hands in his own as well as brushing calloused knuckles against her features.

When he did speak, it was in gentle murmurs that ranged from intimate to pleading in tone, and though they were meant only for the ears of the woman that was now in deep slumber, sometimes he found himself speaking a touch too audibly. At times he begged for her to wake up, and other times he told her of those who had come to visit, of all that took place in the house that he had the presence of mind to notice. Later on he would have been heard reminding the priestess of jovial moments between the two of them, of memories in days long past and recent ones alike; as well as sometimes reading aloud books for her - some taken from her home, some brought over from his own during the rare few times he had in fact ended up leaving Artemis' side and the abode itself.

As the days passed without progress or signs of Artemis awakening, the worry and condition of the hedge knight worsened in equal measure; for sleep found him seldom and in measly amounts, and often not at all. As though afraid of the woman vanishing if he succumbed to its whims, the Damaran now refused to pry his eyes away from the comatose priestess at all times, barely even feeding himself; utterly reluctant to be elsewhere. It was evident to those that visited often enough that not only did worry gnaw at him, but also guilt - guilt for not having been present, for not having been able to turn the tides of whatever it was that saw her comatose, even if it was never within his grasp to do so.

It was several long days after the incident that the Damaran vanished abruptly and without word from Artemis' side, not to be seen again within the city or even its outskirts for the next tenday, and perhaps even longer, for his absence stretched and stretched. Some claimed he was seen departing from the city clad in armour, his destination unknown, whereas travellers and merchants alike that would eventually reach Sarshel talked of a man matching his description having arrived in Vlasta.

Cause for concern, or perhaps simply the man's belated way of coping with his helplessness, some might have mused, but the truth of the matter remained to be seen.

Toros
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Re: Sarshel - To Wake and to Sleep

Postby Toros » Tue Jan 17, 2017 10:32 pm

Jerek would visit the sleeping priestess, with a simple poem spoken quietly and left by her bedside:
Spoiler:
"In cold winter sun rising,
I saw a woman seeking, striving.

Hair and heart and dress of gold,
She is kind and gentle, brave and bold.

Through shadow and demon's flame,
Her voice of hope struck chord and sang.

When friends came, asking her aid,
She risked her life, heavy price paid.

She loves this city as is right,
Shining like a star in night.

Artemis D'Assanthe,
Please wake soon from holy trance.

Your courage like the summer sun,
We'll need it soon, much to be done.

But while you need, take your rest,
You are loved by those who know you best."
He would kiss her forehead, smile, and depart.
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Also, I play Galondel.

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Kerstman
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Re: Sarshel - To Wake and to Sleep

Postby Kerstman » Tue Jan 17, 2017 11:50 pm

Fenneken learns at a much later stage of the situation of the Temple of the Triad and the status of Artemis. The reason being that the sorceress is staying far away from Sarshel for now, in the Vlasta and Midrikaul region where she has no permanent address. About a tenday after the High Dawnlord entered her comatose state a letter finds its way to 5 Angel Court. The envelope which it carries is sealed with a single letter F in black tallow and it comes accompanied with a loose note. Lori, Anton or Jerek. I trust you to read the following out loud to Artemis on my behalf and in my absence. No others. I shall not mind if she hears it more than once from one or several of you.

(( Which means that for any other players of other PC's it is up to them whether they wish to read the spoiler ))
Spoiler:
Dearest Artemis,

It pained me to read of what happened to you and the state you are in. I hope with all the hope I can give that the situation may be better if you read this, for it shall take more than a few days before this letter will be transported from Midrikaul to your home. Jerek informed me by script of what happened in the southern regions of Impiltur and for that I am grateful, even if the news is serious and grave.

I do not pray often and do not follow a specific routine like you and many other faithful Impilturans do, but for you I have prayed like never before. Lathander, the Triad, the deities concerning themselves with death and the mists of the inbetween as well as the spirits themselves. While I know you shall leave in peace and with a smile I'd rather have you stay a while longer in the realm of the living and I am sure several other mutual friends will agree with me on this. If you must go I hope these words reach you before it has to happen, for I believe you will hear them. When it may not be so it shall be my quest to find your smiling and peaceful spirit, even if it is a neverending search.

Thank you for your understanding, patience and kindness. To me and to many others. You serve a God without firmly sticking to the old ways, but you welcome the new in all its obscure and sometimes ugly ways. You always see the person and the character behind the act rather than simply judging the latter regardless of personality or personal motivatoin. To you this may seem obvious, but for me it means a lot as it is not a common trait in a humanoid being. I wish you peace and joy in both life and after-life. Focus on yourself and your own happiness. and do not
[Here several words have been crossed out. Before the 'and' a dot was put down in an overly clear way but the 'and do not' was not fully crossed out and still possible to read]

Due to circumstances I cannot be in Sarshel right now. In time I will and we shall see eachother. In the one or the other world.

- Fenneken
Mains
Fenneken : Obscure arcanist
Leopold Thunersdai : Damaran Tempurian
Aleks : Rashemi barbie


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Silver Snow
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Re: Sarshel - To Wake and to Sleep

Postby Silver Snow » Wed Jan 18, 2017 12:08 am

Among the curious visitors to the home of the priestess was an elf. He was dark of hair and well dressed, and cut a rare figure in this stone city of humans. His visit was a brief one, having taken little more than a long look at the contented and still form..and leaving only one thing on his way out. It was set at the bedside table, a silver leaf, a brooch of elven make. The detail on it was in gold, a small display of some jeweler's mastery. What it had meant to the elf, and what it might mean to the priestess, would have to be between them.

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Poisonous
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Re: Sarshel - To Wake and to Sleep

Postby Poisonous » Wed Jan 18, 2017 1:25 am

In the aftermath of the Temple's restoration, Kelda spends much of her own recovery time visiting on Artemis. She leaves no gifts, words, or tears: rather, the Adorned seems confident in her friend's eventual wake, and spends her visiting time quietly praying for the priestess' endurance.

She does, however, confer each time with Kaleb to learn of the priestess' progress of lack thereof, and channels some of her own god's endurance and health into Artemis.
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Mother Kelda Adler, priestess of The Crying God, wife, sister, mother. [Retired: old posts here and here]
Manishie, wanderer and songbird. Not a fan of sausage. Typically in Songhall, Sayildi's, or wandering...
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Holy_Rage
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Re: Sarshel - To Wake and to Sleep

Postby Holy_Rage » Wed Jan 18, 2017 9:22 am

Amidst the steady stream of visitors, it is on a rainy evening that a curbed and ancient Dwarf, his hands skittishly able to cling to his crude wooden staff, makes his way to the house of the most renowned Lathanderite in town. Barely stepping inside the residence with a mere two steps of his, he looks about dourly, his wrinkled face showing no emotion as he scans the interior of 5 Angel Court. Abruptly, the Dwarf rasps with a pronounced, throaty wheeze:
Astî mulah lu sabbathiê ibshêg'ukhzar, Baknulkhud.
Spoiler:
You shall not deny me my due through fleeing, Mistress of the Dawn.
Turning away, the Dwarf limps away in a cripple's uneven gait, not looking back, a dark scowl on his age-ravaged face.
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Kilaana
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Re: Sarshel - To Wake and to Sleep

Postby Kilaana » Wed Jan 18, 2017 3:43 pm

When she heard the call of the City again, she left her perch in the mountains where perpetual snow lay as pale dust on the tops of scattered, wretched old hobgoblyn camps. Accompanied by a lone eagle, together they descended the slopes of the Earthspurs past the boiling waters that fed Lake Vlasta and joined the trail that the trade wagons took into town.

It is a full day's journey before the gates of Sarshel come into view. Without the swiftness of foot of elvenkind, it would have taken another twoday and more; bolstered by the quick-blooded nature of humans it had become an instinct honed deep that drove her eagerness to see if those whispers brought by the winds of Aerdrie were true.

When finally ushered into the Dawnlord's home at 5 Angel's Court, she waited until every other guest had said their farewells before she presented her concerns to Dawngreeter Meadowspoke, and asked if she might see the lady's face. Upstairs, her senses tingled at the scent of familiar incense burned low on a brazier, evoking distant memories of a land and a culture, in a time and a place both she and the Dawnlord once knew.

The small neat figure clad in darkened leather stood by the bedside and looked down impassively upon the feminine face of the slumbering priestess. On the windowsill, the amber-eyed eagle watched. Kallian reached up to unwind the shawl that obscured her countenance with its brilliant mauve hue, its pattern of embroidered roses the hallmark design of an Athkatlan weaver - a gift from a priestess to a stranger. Laying the fabric over the unmoving hands, the Elf leaned down to whisper in the low, undulating Alzhedo dialect of an old lullaby:

"E'hahzeem, nehzur, teh a' suum en maa'hai.
E'hahzeem, nehzur, yuteem rah i nahye.
E'hahzeem, nehzur, teh hera korazeem ouenos t' sol'ehaai."

Spoiler:
"Sleep, princess, for the moon is high.
Sleep, princess, utter not a sigh.
Sleep, princess, for your kingdom awaits at sunrise."
“Violence is the mark of the amateur.” ― Garrett, Thief: The Dark Project

Kallian | Delorwyn Lle'quellas | Wilhemina Alencar | Zalika Maszim Zartusht
Cedric Lesàre



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