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Sat 22nd Jun 2019 03:52

Crisis of Faith

by Nepheri

I might have made a terrible mistake. But I'll get to that.
 
After waking up near the dryad's tree, we headed for Cragmaw Castle. The places proved, unsurprisingly, to be completely infested with goblins and other goblinoids. And one nasty snake with a beak and grappling tentacles. And there was a chained up owlbear that must have been a prized capture before it died. The castle itself is nothing but an overgrown ruin and it must have taken some effort to make it habitable, even for goblinoids.
 
Our little group is fast becoming quite skilled in the art of combat. But in light of recent events, I must question to what extent this is a good thing.
 
At long last, we found Gunnel Rockseeker– held captive by a bugbear and what turned out not to be a drow, but a shapeshifter. But there turned out to be an even greater threat to her as Declan seemingly switched sides and struck the dwarf down in the middle of combat. This led to a situation where our two clear enemies were dead, as was Gunnel – our employer and lead to unravelling the rest of this mystery. Hurgh and Declan were both unconscious and in risk of death. We had just found a Scroll of Revivify, which meant I could bring someone back from the dead as long as I did it within a minute of their death. Not counting the two enemies that had tried to kill all of us, that left three people I could choose to save or let die. One of which had just betrayed us and one whose soul was already headed for somewhere else.
 
With only a fraction of a second to guess what my goddess would want, I stabilized Declan so that he wouldn't slip away, I healed Hurgh so that he could stay by our side, and I used the scroll to bring back Gunnel. Because ending her life to correct that mistake will be a lot easier than bringing her back if the mistake was to let her die. And she doesn't actually seem to have arrived at the Fuge Plane to be judged yet, so it might be that her soul was only held until I retrieved it.
 
Declan, when he came to, explained that he had been hired by a (likely dwarven) group from Mirabar to kill Gunnel so that they could retrieve the treasures in the Wave Echo Cave. He is obviously convinced that the choice was between Gunnel dying and both she and himself dying. Personally, I have a hard time believing in this dichotomy.
 
The fact that we found the scroll when we did and that the Raven Queen didn't intervene, are signs I interpret to mean that my choice might have been the right one. But I need to spend more time in prayer. And I need to talk to Declan to understand his reasoning and see if he can understand mine. There are two sides to the Raven Queen – life and death. Both options need to be considered.
 
It's with a heavy heart I approach this from a sense of duty. I was hoping these people could eventually call me friend. Right now, I fear I will seem a monster in at least someone's eyes, no matter what I do.

Continue reading...

  1. Business...
    11th of Uktar, 1489
  2. I'm ready for you, Raven Queen
    2nd Uktar, 1489
  3. You killed my father, now prepare to die
    2nd Uktar, 1489
  4. Dust to Dust
    1st of Uktar, 1489 DR
  5. Redbrands I
  6. Arrival at Phandalin
  7. Daddy Dearest
    1st of Uktar
  8. Day after
    30 Marpenoth, 1489 DR
  9. Lawful Stupid
    29 Marpenoth, 1489 DR
  10. Saving private Rupert
    29 Marpenoth, 1489 DR
  11. Dead to me
    29 Marpenoth, 1489 DR
  12. Close to Harvest
    28 Marpenoth, 1489 DR
  13. Recovery
  14. Insane Plans
  15. By the Book
  16. Dead feelings
  17. Disposed
  18. Dead Necromancers are the Best Necromancers
  19. Catching up
  20. Shipping
  21. Friendly or Not
  22. Unexpected Meetings
  23. Worlds Collide
  24. A very different city
  25. Festive Thornhold
  26. Thank you, my Queen
  27. Friends. Right.
  28. This is awkward....
  29. Landslide
  30. Dangerous Gnoll-age (sorry... the puns are spreading...)
  31. Cenceptions
  32. Seduction
  33. Wave Echo Cave II
  34. Wave Echo Cave
  35. Return to Phandalin
  36. Rest in peace, Declan...
  37. Crisis of Faith
  38. Thundertree II
  39. Thundertree I
  40. Path to Thundertree
  41. Orc hunting
  42. Redbrands III
  43. Redbrands II
  44. Far From Home
    ?? ?? ???
  45. Cold
    Tal'dorei, day 2
  46. Life, interrupted
  47. Hot and Cold
  48. The Dragon's Lair
  49. In the afternoon, we plan!
  50. A Song of Ice and Fire
  51. Celebration
  52. Relief is one hell of a drug
  53. Flight and Flutter
  54. Freedom of Movement
  55. At dusk we... do something?
  56. Pray for a quick end to our deception
  57. Catching up
  58. Fall
  59. Lizards in a hole
  60. Not Today
  61. Released
  62. A broken soul
  63. Skyfall
  64. Acid Falls
  65. Roped in
  66. Faith in Friends
  67. Insight into Emon
  68. A Calling
  69. Hypothetical 1: Healer (Ginny Di video)
  70. Hypothetical 3: Matchmaker (Ginny Di video)
  71. Hypothetical 2: Villain (Ginny Di video)
  72. For my Beating Heart
  73. Hypothetical 4: Prison guard (Ginny Di video)
  74. Hypothetical 5: Bard (Ginny Di video)
  75. Plagued Possibilities
  76. Visits in the Cloudtops

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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.042 © 2017-2024 [en] | Anvil Time: 16:13, Nov 7 2024