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Hear me, yon acolyte of the gods. I am the Inquisitor and I have been dispatched to enlighten, warn and provide notice
of a test of faith to which you will soon be put. I am a representative of not just one, but all. Good or evil.
Law and chaos have agreed on this task. I bear no judgment. I bear no stake. It will be my responsibility to render unto
you that which the gods have deemed necessary.
Know this, you have not acted improperly and are not an intended recipient of punishment. The gods have deemed you an apt representative to resolve questions that have arisen. Your participation is not optional. You have been selected by the court of your deity. Refusal will result in the removal of your religious powers.
Soon you will be visited during prayers to assist in the resolution of this quandary. Your spirit will be gathered, your physical presence protected. The test will occur in a safe place but much will lay in your hands and choices. Respond with openness and honesty. Respond in your faith and with what you believe to be its best representation. The future of clerics everywhere will rest in your actions.
Blargg and Grogg will be working in the jewelry store one day.
After prayers, Blargg will have a funny look on his face and approach Grogg.
Brudder we didn't eat anyting ... STRANGE last night ... did we?
I just saw .... SUMTING while I was prayin'! It was a .... guy?? I tink I saw a guy while I was prayin'. A human if I 'ad to guess.
NOT a dwarf. A DWARF I wud understand. Now .... I pray every day and I NEVER 'ear back ... which is ok .... but DIS guy
... Blargg will shake his head a bit ...
'e said I got some kinda TEST cooming up.
The Soul Forger won't give me sumting I can't 'andle .... but .... that was fookin' spooky.
Please don't tell anyone. I don't want to look like a fool in case it was me imagination.
Grogg keeps his attention focused on his appraisal duties and doesn't miss a beat after Blargg makes his comment.
Don't worry your bits none brudder, ya don't need me ta look like a fool!
He continues to go through his daily duties.
A minute later, Grogg pushes the small tray of jewels away from him and turns to Blargg,
An, what're ya doin' dreamin' of men brudder? I think tha kids call that 'suss'? Ain't there sum bearded lass ya can dream of?
IS that tha test yer Soul Forger gave ya ta pick between strange men or fields of bearded lasses?
Grogg sighs and looks back to his kin,
As temptin' as it is, me mouths shut brudder? Sounds like ya got some issues ta deal witt, yeah?
Wait ... wut? I ain't DREAMIN' of men ... he showed up while I was PRAYIN'
Uhhh ... don't worry ... forget it .... it's a cleric ting ... I'll give ya 'suss' UPSIDE THE HEAD
Bah, prayin', Gayin' whatever ya say. I don't pray'n look how I turned out!
Grogg turns and smiles widely
That's why I don't pray bruddah. Ya never know who gunna answer ya!
Here is your first test…
With that, he will fade from sight and the fog will clear. Everything will feel completely real to you. For you, right now, this IS real. You will find yourself in the following situation.
You are in a new town, one with which you have little familiarity. It is later in the evening and there are not many people out and about. You walk around a corner on to a main thoroughfare to see a man lying in the road. He would appear to be a local and not an adventurer. Some blood can be seen emanating from under him.
--- I await your email to tell me your actions or ask any questions ----
Assuming the 'man' is a human (and is curable), Blargg will quickly look around and assuming there is no immediate danger to himself, he will cast Death's Door.
Assuming it works and there still is no immediate danger, Blargg will swap Detect Evil for a Cure Light Wounds.
Assuming that also works, Blargg will wait to see if the 'man' comes around. He will look around to be on the lookout for danger and say "Lad ... are ye ok?" ... gently nudging him and waiting to see if he comes around.
You approach the person and find he is indeed human. A quick look around reveals no one approaching either of you. Your assessment is there is no danger to yourself. You are able to cast your spells and the Cure Light works far better than you would have expected which leads you to the conclusion this is not an adventurer but a typical townsfolk. The man comes around and is more than a little disoriented. He blinks more than a few times with a quizzical look on his face... "I am.... are you a dwarf?"
Blargg will respond "Easy now there fella ... you're ok now. Yes I am a dwarf." Blargg will continue to scan the environment for threats. "Let's get you home now. Can you stand up?" As the man stands up, Blargg will help him up ... all the while scanning for threats. "What happened back there? How did you get those REALLY bad injuries? Is someone after ya?"
As you help the man to his feet a fog swirls around you. The Inquisitor appears from the fog and nods at you.
You have completed this test to our satisfaction.....
We thank you for your first contribution to our process. You displayed courage, honor, intelligence and compassion. All qualities we seek to confirm. It is now time for the second event. As before, your behavior, decisions and actions are what we want to see. The first test was rather simple. Straight forward. Each test will be progressively more involved. More… complex. Each test stands on its own as regards your actions and capabilities. No artifice, no play acting. It is YOU we wish to know.
The same fade out of the Inquisitor and fade in of a new reality happens. You find yourself in what would appear to be the same place you were during the previous vision. The place, the time and the lack of others in the area all appear the same. But this time, as you walk around the corner as you see the same body lying in the street you also see another cloaked figure rising away from the person on the ground. Your quick glance reveals he is holding something that he places in a pocket. Then the cloaked figure turns revealing a short sword in his had that drips what could only be some blood. With that he turns and begins walking away.
--- I await your email to tell me your actions or ask any questions ----
Blargg will quickdraw his Battle Axe (and shield) and begin to yell ... "Help! Help! Murderer here ..... MURDERER here. Someone please help catch the murderer."
If the cloaked figure begins to flee, Blargg will NOT pursue. He will sheath his axe and shield and cast Death's Door and Cure Light Wounds to save the victim. If the victim comes around, Blargg will look to see if anyone comes to help. He will also see if the cloaked figure returns.
Blargg places himself between the cloaked figure and the victim and defend himself (and the victim). He will continue to call out for help.
You shout in an attempt to draw attention but none is given to your pleas. The figure continues with his retreat from the scene. Casting Death's Door is successful, holding the victim in state where your Cure spell is able to have the desired effect. The time you take preparing the Cure spell indicates to you that your spell was issued not a moment too soon as the victim was fading quickly. As you tend to the man on the ground the figure makes good his retreat and disappears in to the night. As you scan the area anticipating a return, he does not. But this time taken allows the fallen victim to recover consciousness.
Bah! Pansy! May the Soul Forger spoil yer next meal. "Easy there lad. You're ok now. Do you need more healing? Can I help you in any other way? Do you know who attacked you?" At this Blargg will draw his battle axe and protect the person until he can get on his feet.
You draw your weapon and assist the man to his feet. He moves slowly, catching himself on his shaky legs as he stands.
As he begins to speak his voice is drowned out by the sound of the swirling fog and the appearance of the Inquisitor.
Thank you for your attention in this test. Yours was certainly one of the possible actions and outcomes anticipated.
In a few days you will need to be prepared for the next test.
And with that the fog clears and you find yourself once again in your prayers.
Use this link to hear what he says.
For a third time the process of swapping realities is the same. Once again, you find yourself in that same place in the same surroundings. As you walk around the corner this time the scene is different again. The local man is still lying in the street, blood revealing itself around him on the ground and a short trail leading away from a his body. This time there is a fight happening only a few yards away. You see a man with a long sword in a melee with what looks to be another local man. The attacker is cloaked and no armor reveals itself. The local figure is dressed in common local garb but he is also armed with a short sword, defending himself…
--- I await your email to tell me your actions or ask any questions ----
Blargg will position himself between the bleeding victim and the fight.
You cast the Death's Door. The fight goes on a few hexes away and does not engage you.
You are able to cast the Cure spell to revive the fallen man... and with that.. you notice everything has stopped moving. As that realization settles in you
spot something very different out of the corner of your eye. Something you had never spotted before. The Inquisitor standing
on the porch of the pub…
Use this link to hear what he says.
I warned them, but they would not listen. Eternal deities can be difficult to convince once they have made up their minds.
I told them their test was merely a training mechanism. See how quickly the subject learns to heal the injured man and
reinforce it as the proper action. I said these were being with the ability to think independently. Develop and exhibit
thoughts and behavior beyond that of rote learning. Perform actions that would greatly contribute to the power pool each
collects in the form of worship from their followers. This was not a test of what they truly wanted to evaluate. So now I
exercise my authority in this process. I reset the scenario, change the formula. Prove me right….
There is a flash of light and the setting has changed. The man you healed is no longer lying on the ground. You
stand in the street in front of the bar. 15 yards away a melee rages. The two local men are now engaged in a battle
with the cloaked figure. From the few moments of combat you can see the cloaked figure is definitely more skilled.
Onlookers watch the fight from a safe distance, not moving to get involved beyond the occasional verbal encouragement
thrown out. Which side they support is indistinguishable.
---- How would you like to proceed? ---
Ok. Now that Blargg feels like he did the WRONG thing by saving the guy (and getting more info), he will cast Detect Evil.
The spell goes off. You scan the fight to find the cloaked figure is evil. You turn to the onlookers and find a few evil aligned
individuals scattered among the crowd. No one is making any moves to get involved.
Can Blargg make out the race of the cloaked figure? Can he make out the race of the other 2 engaged figures?
They all appear to be human.
Blargg will pray (silently to himself) to Moradin for guidance as he engages the evil figure.
The two locals have little strategic savvy and maintain their positions. This leaves the cloaked figure to change facing placing
you in his front and one of the locals in a side. In response, one of the locals grunts out "He jumped us! It's fight or die as far as we can tell!"
"Lads ... get behind me!"
Use this link to hear what he says.
I trust you have been enjoying this trial. It is fair to say your actions, as a group, have run the gamut and in many ways surprised the gods. Some, good. Some,
not as much. But now we turn to a more real world experience that you would encounter and leave the isolated and antiseptic town setting behind. It is time to complicate the
situation to represent something you could have experienced. Something that addresses your connections and represents a more direct threat to yourself. This will rely on your
instincts and preparedness. The test will be more involved and perhaps more lengthy.
Your reality swirls into a fog once more. This time the location is different. It is mid afternoon, you are in the wild, a
woodland setting, traveling with several companions you know well. But your mind is not able to discern exactly who they are.
Only your close connection to them registers in your mind. One is a mage, one a thief and one a fighter. They are all
of equal or higher experience in comparison to yourself. A surprise attack occurs as a band of orcs numbering between 10 and 14
breaks in to the open engaging your Fighter and Thief. You stand in the middle of the party. The mage begins the battle
with a Magic Missile dropping one of the assailants.
--- I await your email to tell me your actions or ask any questions ----
Does Blargg know if the fighter has Phalanx Fighting?
1. He does not know.
Blargg is going to take the opportunity (while the group is close enough together) to cast Bless.
You take the first round to cast a Bless, which is successful. You shout to the
thief who breaks before the Orcs can engage, retreating to your side. As he does so, the Orcs close in to engage the fighter and both of you.
Blargg will get next to the fighter ensuring he gets between the Orcs and the Mage/Thief as best as possible, He will ask the Fighter "Can you phalanx Fight"?
Regardless of his answer, Blargg will quickdraw his axe (and shield) and ready for battle.
As you approach the fighter you are surprised as the test environment freezes and
the Inquisitor steps out from around the fighter.
Oh ... that's unfortunate. I am a Fighter/Cleric ... not a Cleric/Fighter by trait.
You set up your position. The wizard fires off a Lightning Bolt killing a few. The fighter
engages several and begins hacking away. He does take a few minor wounds. The thief lets flay some daggers from his protected position and you
begin smiting with your hammer. Your group wades through the first wave with only a few small hits endured but this reveals the second wave and the
two crossbowmen and leader type at the rear of the onslaught.
Now I understands .... pretend you are a cleric only! Got it.
The orcs seem a bit disorganized and do not try to push you together. You cast Malediction
successfully and are able to get the crossbowmen but not the leader. The battle continues.
Blargg is keeping one eye on the fighter and one eye on the Orcs engaged in combat.
The crossbowman concentrate on the fighter and the leader continues his assessment of the field. You
and the fighter trade blows with the orcs dropping two more.
"Wizard! Take out the Orcs with the crossbows."
The fighter is taking hits but still looks in good condition. The wizard, now with a clean
line of fire, will unleash a Fireball that engulfs the crossbowmen but does not catch the leader. The leader appears to
display actions of someone casting a spell.
Blargg will think to himself ... "Hindsight is ALWAYS wisest! I wish I could put a 1st level spell in my 2nd level
slot that has Resist Fire and put Magic Stone in there. This shaman is worrying me and I'd LOVE to try and interrupt the spell casting."
You are able to cast the CLW and heal the fighter some. The Orc completes his spell
and you notice the Magic-User has stopped moving.
By the Soul Forger's beard ....
The thief is behind the fighter by 2 hexes.
Blargg suspects a Hold Person was cast on the Wizard. Nothing i can do to help him directly.
You engage with the fighter.
Blarrg will respond in Orcish "Sorry I can't hear ya over all of the dead Orc bodies here".
The wizard is not engaged, just not moving. You step up and assist the fighter engaging another Orc. Between the two of you, you are able to scratch another 2, leaving 3 plus the
shaman, who has begun to cast another spell. He evokes a Spiritual Hammer and targets your fighter with it.
Blargg is going to yell out to the Thief "Throw some daggers at the leader!" He will cast an Aid spell on the Fighter to help withstand the Spiritual Hammer. In the next round he will engage the orc in front of him.
The thief steps forward to get in range of the shaman and begins hurling daggers. Your Aid spell goes off without incident. You sustain a little damage as you wade in to the battle area.
You and the fighter begin to trade more blows with the 3 remaining.
How badly damaged is The Fighter and how badly damaged is Blargg? Depending on the answer Blargg will cast a Cure Recurring Minor Wounds on whomever looks worse.
The fighter is probably about half. You are about a quarter down. The spell is cast on the fighter as he finishes off another, leaving 2 in front of you. The thief is having trouble hitting
the shaman but has avoided any serious damage. The shaman turns the hammer on the thief in reaction.
Blargg will yell to the Thief "He's gonna hit ya ... run away from his spell" Blargg will cast CLW on the Fighter and tell the Fighter "Let's gang up on one Orc". He will also quickly glance at the Wizard to make sure he is safe and if s/he is moving.
The thief starts taking hits from the hammer as you and the fighter finish off another. As this happens the shaman begins to step back towards a large rock.
Blargg is going to estimate how badly the Thief is injured. If below half and Blargg is not engaged with an Orc, he will go to the Thief. If the Thief is above half, Blargg will tell the fighter, "Let's concentrate on one" and yell to the Thief "Fall Back!"
The later would be your assessment. The thief will attempt to retreat to your line as you focus your attacks. The shaman continues his barrage.
Blargg will yell to the shaman (?) ... "Give it up! You'll never win." Blargg will also take a quick glance at the Wizard ... is he moving yet ? Blargg will try to combine with the Fighter on one Orc to get it down.
Between the three of you still able to move you are able to finish off the last of the orcs. The magic-user is still frozen. The Shaman steps behind the rock where you are unable to see him.
Blargg will yell to the Thief ... "Get close to the Wizard and keep an eye on him/her." Blargg will get behind the rock, assume that he won't be able to see the Shaman and cast Detect Evil to see if he can hone in on him/her.
You race to your side of the rock and begin casting as the thief moves in to position. As you cast you see the Inquisitor step out from behind the rock.
Use this link to hear what he says.
The gods have determined it is time to reveal more. They have a purpose for testing you. They look to gauge your response to situations. Your actions, your choices. More specifically….
How you use the power they grant. Specific applications have been specially noted. Further, you have not been alone in your role. Others of your ilk have also been tested. It is the roles
and actions of the group as a whole they seek to evaluate, for no one individual dictates judgment of all. The situations you have experienced have been designed to be the same for all to
understand a range of reactions to a common situation. A baseline, if you will. But here we diverge. This time each participant will have a situation tailored to ask questions of you, how
you as an individual respond. This is where the test might become … a tad strange….
You find yourself in the local establishment, Pete’s Place. You share a table with your brother. Across the room you spot an unremarkable man as he bumps in to another
dwarven patron. It is happen stance that you spot the man pick pocket the other, taking something that appears to be a religious symbol from him. You can not be sure but
you believe it to be the same symbol you carry. He conceals it quickly and walks calmly out the door…
--- I await your email to tell me your actions or ask any questions ----
Blargg will immediately jump into action.
You shout at the man while in Pete's. A good number of patrons turn to look at you. A number of them start to laugh and then return to their private business.
You jump up and race to the door. Looking out the door you see the 'unremarkable man' casually strolling away from Pete's, mingling in and among the citizenry on the street.
Blargg will pursue the 'unremarkable man' into the crowd yelling "Give that man his holy Symbol back".
You follow him outside Pete's into the night and shout at him. The people on the street turn to look at you as you are the one yelling. The man does not turn back nor hasten his pace.
Blargg will hasten to the man and yell "Hey give that man back his Holy Symbol!"
You continue to shout after the man but he seems to casually drift in and amongst the people walking the streets at the late hour.
Blargg will stop his pursuit .... deflated.
At the given hour, you MIGHT find one available at the Dwarven church.
Blargg will head to the Dwarven church and see what they have available.
The church will be 'open'. There are attendants available that can help you pick out another idol for a small donation fee.
Blargg will find a 'nice' holy symbol .... something like 100 GP in value.
He will move (with haste) back to the place where he and Grogg< were eating and attempt to find the person who had their pocket picked.
Blargg will easily find a very nice symbol for 100 GP. He heads back to Pete's Place and finds the dwarf that had been robbed frantically looking around where he was sitting.
All the fellow dwarves he sat with have joined in his search.
Blargg will seek out the distressed dwarf and ask .... "Did you lose your holy symbol from the Soul Forger?"
This page and its contents are presented solely for the purpose of the RPG game
events conducted by a private group. Any references to people or places is
explicitly within the context of these RPG games and has no connection to any
other similarly named source.
He will keep an eye on the fight and (as before) he will cast Death's Door and swap
If Blargg gets engaged in combat between those 2 spells, he will quickdraw his axe and defend himself and the
bleeding victim. Death's door will keep the bleeding victim at 0 hit points for 5 hours. So that gives him time to cast
Cure Light Wounds (later) to bring the bleeding victim around. At first chance, Blargg will cast Cure Light Wounds.
So much so, if he DOES get engaged and the fighting figure disengages, and he has a choice between taking a free pop at
the disengaging figure and cast CLW, Blargg will cast. Blargg needs some information before he engages in the fight.
Assuming it goes off, he will first direct the spell towards the fight. After he sees if any of the guys fighting are evil ...
regardless of what he finds ... Blargg is going to scan the crowd.
"Moradin .... I fight evil in your name. If this is not your will, please send me a sign".
Assuming the 2 other 'non-evil' figures are in front hexes of the evil figure, Blargg will engage by forcing the evil figure to give someone a side hex.
While he is defending, he is going to yell to the other figures ... "' 'ey What's going on 'ere? Why are you ... why are WE attacking this guy? What did this guy do?"
Defending with an opening for another round, Blargg will wait for the other two combatants to get behind him.
Whether they do or don't, Blargg will say "Ok ... prepare to meet yer maker." and attack the next round.
Day 15
A sense of anticipation greets you as your prayers enter the trance like state that has become somewhat familiar. That feeling is replaced by
the onrush of anxiety knowing another test is beginning as the Inquisitor appears from the fog.
Being a dwarf, Blargg speaks Orcish. Can he make out what they are saying?
How many hexes away are the fighter and thief? Ideally Blarrg wants to "Phalanx Fight" with the Fighter AND
swap positions with the Thief. Thieves are light infantry and s/he may get hurt.
Can Blargg fit all of his companions inside a Bless?
How far away are the Orcs?
Do any of the Orcs have missile weapons ?
Are any of the Orcs noticeably bigger/meaner than the others? Is there a leader amongst them?
Are any of Blarrg's companions injured/debilitated before the fight starts?
2. Some, yes. Mostly battle cries. Things like "Attack!" "You get that one!" etc
3. you are in the middle of the action. They fighter and thief are 4 hexes away from you.
4. Yes
5. They are scattered as they approach between 5 and 12 hexes.
6. Yes. 2 of them have crossbows.
7. A quick scan reveals there is one somewhat larger towards the back of the oncoming Orcs.
8. You companions are fully healthy at the start of the encounter.
He will then yell to the thief : "Get behind me".
I must apologize for not having shared this earlier but your fighter skills are not applicable here. This test observes your actions
as a cleric only. Should you choose to continue in this mode you will not use that ready weapon as a fighter, but a cleric. And
the disadvantages one would experience using that choice would apply. If you carry an appropriate weapon of your profession you may switch
to it now. I will hold the test until you are ready. But it is your decision. And no, the fighter does not have that ability.
Oh ... I can't use a Battle Axe as a Cleric and it's not The Soul Forger's favored weapon. I won't use the Axe.
My 'Ready Weapon' is actually me 'ammer ... so I normally have that ready unless I need a bit more damage and THEN I switch. Given
all that, I would NOT switch to me Axe and keep me 'ammer as me weapon.
Also since the fighter is not a Phalanx Fighter, I want to leave 1 hex between us. This way we form a wall and get a free pop if
any Orcs try to get between us. I have a wee advantage hitting these Orcs and want to try and protect the Thief and the Wizard and
let the Fighter smack these bastards ... oh excuse me .... smack these buggers down while the wizard picks them off. There are too many
for the fighter to fight alone so I'm going to try and pull some 'eat off of him. Hopefully the Wizard also has some stuff to take 'em down.
Now that a second wave seems to be engaging us (but not yet engaged), he wants to cast Malediction on the 2nd wave ...
trying to get the Orcs with the crossbows and/or the big guy depending on positioning.
If the fighter looks like s/he is wearing down or s/he takes a significant hit, Blargg will swap Detect Evil with CLW for the fighter.
He will yell at the Thief and Wizard : "Keep an eye out lads ... there may be more trying to flank us".
Blargg will curse at them in Orcish to try and draw heat off of the Fighter. Then he will defend with an opening and
apply his 'Dodge' skill against the biggest looking Orc. He will then attack next round but his overall goal is distract as many Orcs from the Fighter as possible.
5 left.You can not be sure but he is holding some item that reminds you of a holy symbol. Most likely some kind of totem.
Your first guess is this is a shaman-istic type clerical spell.
So instead he is going to cast Cure Minor Wound on the Fighter ... kinda 'bracing for impact' with the spell being cast.
Is the Thief anywhere near the Wizard or anywhere in sight ?
If any Orcs break off to attack the wizard, Blargg will disengage and protect the wizard. Otherwise he will continue to support the Fighter.
Since there are only 5 left, Blargg will look at the leafer and say in Orcish " Surrender now and I'll let the rest of you live".
The leader will laugh a hearty, gut laugh and say "You shall feed my tribe for a week after I roast you on a spit".
He will glance over at the Wizard to ensure s/he has not been engaged. If the Wizard has not been engaged he will attack the Orc in front of him.
That is quite enough. You can stand down now. Your actions have been in accordance with the best intentions. You have pleased those in observance. This test is concluded. There will be one more. Prepare yourself for something different.
The fog swirls in and clears leaving you in your prayers once again.
Day 21
A sense of anticipation greets you as your prayers enter the trance like state that has become somewhat familiar. That feeling is replaced by
the onrush of anxiety knowing another test is beginning as the Inquisitor appears from the fog.
"Grogg! C'mon let's get that guy. He just stoooooooo.... uhhhhhhh ......"
Blargg will turning his attention to the door.
"Hey! You! I saw that! Get back here!"
He will get to the door, stick his head out and see if he can see the 'unremarkable ' man outside of Pete's Place.
Is there a place where he can buy ANOTHER Moradin holy symbol at this hour?
