Back to Basics Chapter 1: Where are we ?

[steveflam]

Arnulf frowns. "Well maybe I'll go have a look inside. But first, I've got yellow eyes from holding it in so much I think I'll bust, sir. 'Scuse me a sec." The young lad moves around the shrine and finds a quiet spot to relieve himself. He drops his pantaloons and does his business. "A-a--a-a-a-a-aa a-a-a-a--a-a a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah. That sure hit the spot. Okay, gonna go inside the shrine now." Pulling up his pantaloons he turns back.


The youth returns and without further ado enters the shrine.

[Lord Skybolt]

On entering the hut it has the typical supplies that a fishing village would have . When Arnulf and anybody that follows him looks around in the hut, he finds in the back what he would assume is the shrine to Algor . It is a wood carving of Giant reaching out his hands and cupping them . In these hands is a boat with man in it looking up to Algor in awe . In the background is a raging storm . There is no place to put a offering to him though when looked for .

[kintire]

Alia glances with little interest at the tiny shrine aand wanders out again, looking around at the scene around her

[Lord Skybolt]

Outside the Hut

On Alia coming out of the hut she and anybody else outside the supply hut/shrine they see a man coming from the beach . He just nods to your group and goes into the Hut .

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Inside the Hut

Arnulf see the man come in who is dressed as any typical fishermen would be . He kneels at the shrine and bows his head as if in prayer . He does this for few minutes if not interrupted .

[ewancummins]

Dalorna enters the shrine, excutes a curtsey towards any image she may find within, and then just waits and watches.

[VAN]

Sara was inside the hut with Arniulf studying the shrine, if are any arcane symbols carved there. Then looks around to see if is anything else there. Once the man came in she waits him to finish his prayer and then asks:

"Excuse me Sir, we are foreigners and we have never been to this village before. Can you tell us if are any clerics of Algor around? We want to make an offer to your god."

[Lord Skybolt]

"Clerics ? We don't have those here . I just had dream of how this carving should look and I felt that it would look nice in here so I made it . Then put it here were everyone in the village that fishes can pay their respects to it if they want too . I do every time I go out and it seems to help . So I keep doing it . You have any more questions ? I got go to get cleaned up since I heard that the old man said he would putting on some kind of feast for some folks who saved our kids from some Goblins or some such ." After finishing his short prayer . He answers Sara's question and waits for a response .

[steveflam]

Arnulf listens to the man. Hey, we are the people he is talking about. And these people seem to take this Ping pretty seriously for some odd reason.


"Okay, fair enough, friend." Arnulf drops a few coppers on the makeshift altar. Puffing out his chest with pride, he says "We are the ones you are speaking of, friend. You seem to take a lot of creedence to what this old man says. What were you doing before he arrived? What has he done to make you listen to him? We are new here and aren't pushing our ideas on you, sir. I am just wondering why you trust him so much yet don't know much about him. I personally would be wary of a newcomer. But hey, that's just me, sir."

Arnulf stands back and let's anyone else chip in to the conversation, satisfied with his words.

[Lord Skybolt]

"Oh thanks for saving the kids then . Well actually he was here before the village was here . You see the village has only been here for about 10 years or so . It grew up around his house you see . Since he keeps the snotty people from up north from coming and taking over the town some how . So you could say that is the reason we take what says to heart . The only times that anything bad happens to us or our folks from the surrounding wilderness is when he is gone for some reason ." With those words he picks up the coppers that Arnulf put on the altar and gives them back to him . Saying to Arnulf "We don't use these here as we don't get that much traffic from hardly anywhere else . We just trade for what we need from each other or rare traveler that comes around this way like yourselves . The only kind of offerings that Algor accepts are what we get by the our hard work from the sea . Know if you could catch some fish for the upcoming feast that would be great . This is the only other dream that he send me and that is for any thing we wish to offer to him as tribute be prepared with special herbs and such that he told me about that I had never heard of before . But when I asked Old Man Ping about them he said could get them for me and did ."After that long explanation he pauses then seems to think about how long he has been speaking to Arnulf . I'll see you at the feast then ."With smile he leaves to apparently wash up for the feast .

[VAN]

Sara listens carefully the man's words and asks:

"Excuse me sir, please wait another minute. You said that the village grew up around Mister Ping's house right? Do you know who was the first family who build a house near Ping's? And do you know how he manage to keep the intruders away? He doesn't seem a fighting type and if he isn't a kind of powerful wizard I cannot see how a man alone can protect a village. What do you really know about him except that one day he appeared here and then your village was build around his house?"

[ewancummins]

While Sara talks with the old fisherman, Dalorna speaks to the others-


''So, the Professor mentioned that Ping had told him of a certain cave, a cave which is said to contain a portal to other worlds. That seems like something we ought to check out, and soon. My hope is that we can use the magic portal, if it actually exists, to get back home to Marsember. Of course, this prove to be a dead end, but wouldn't it behoove us to investigate? What do you think?''

[steveflam]

Arnulf tells the man before he leaves "I caught quite a few fish for the feast actually, so I guess I did give the right donation after all. Cool beans. Hey, Lorna I did good! Man, Ironheart would be proud of me right now. Heh heh heh!" The youth grins a little, proud of himself.

Once the man is gone and Lorna talks, the young man says "Uh I don't know what behoove is but we should check out this cave place for sure." Arnulf's stomach grumbles in protest. "I hope we eat soon cuz I am really hungry and could eat a horse right now."

[kintire]

"It is as you say, my lady, although we may wish to be cautious. We cannot be certain why the estimable Ping has not made use of this route himself. I find his disbelief in its existance... odd.

[Lord Skybolt]

"Well I don't really know who first built their house here . And to how he keeps things out from hurting us in the village . How he protects the village I don't really know how he does it since just usually just sits on the dock fishing or reading in his house . Maybe you could just ask him how he does it . As he usually just tells us to stay back or hide when something really dangerous comes into the village . All we know is usually there is nothing left after except for dust or some damage to the village, he tells us when it is safe to come back out or back into the village ." After replying with these words he leaves the supply hut/shrine to Algor to apparently to clean up .

[VAN]

"Yoy bet I'm gonna ask him!"

Says Sara in low voice when the man left. Then turning to others asks:

"So we will head to check this cave now or wait till tomorrow?"