An ancient dagger
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A meeting between Lilly, Elridith, Sara, Keira, Jeni and Jonni is held within a powerful Circle of protection. Anyone entering the tree during the meeting commented on the glow the Circle put off, but that they could not hear what was being spoken within.
(Lilly, since you had to leave, you and your child were within the Circle when the spell was cast. Elridith, please write up what you found out from Fadia.)
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_Having had a few strange conversations with various people Elridith is now extremely more reserved as to the topic of the blade even with the present company. She has been quieter recently. Spending time by herself, easily spooked by thinking like snapping twigs or even unexpected rain. This all seems to have started after having a conversation with Lilly in the cave in Jiyyd as to what actually was said might not be repeated by her in entirety.
Jeni, I need to know -everything- that you know. I don't want you holding back any information, i'm not saying you are, but i would emplore you to be fully honest with me, I was to help you figure all this out but someone told me I was in danger, i need to know… gives Jeni a concerned look_
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After overhearing Penny's story on one of his frequent trips to the campfires Adlanail draws her aside
Couldn't help overhearing your mention of the blade of darkness * he whispers* I penned some rumours on that blade and it's companions in the college library… now let's see where was the information.....
after some thought he provides her with a book reference
http://www.therealnarfell.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=17683&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=blade+darkness&start=80
About Page 5 or so , I believe…if memory serves.
Oh and about the white stag some say that Mielikki herself has been known to appear as a white stag while yet others say it is the favoured form of the Nentyarch. I have been blessed to see it on two occasions myself and although I can testify to its ethereal quality I could not say which is the true version of its origin. Certainly on both occasions I witnessed it, it defied and even reversed temporarily the defilers power in the woods.Hope that helps your quest... He whispers before making his way back out to the Pass
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Deep to the south. In Yuan-ti controlled territory. We haven't been able to get anyone in or out for years.
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Penny sits down at the fires with Elridith, Jeni, and anyone else who might be enjoying a meal or a bottle of fine Romani wine in the company of good friends:
So, I talked with Oreth for a bit 'bout these stag stories while we were killin' hobbers on Sam's Hill with some other folks. He ain't aware of the particular legend 'bout the White Stag bein' hidden someplace, though he guessed it might be in the ruins of Dun-Tharos if the Nentyarch 'as somethin' to do with it. Although, he did mention that years ago, when the Circle was dealin' with the threat from the Malarite Arturo, there was a dwarven assassin out ta kill all the white stags in the forest, with his eventual goal bein' the mated pair called the "Lord and Lady of the Forest". I ain't sure if that's related in any way, as they never caught the dwarf or figured out his employer, an' the killin's seemed to stop naturally. It is, however, a story with white stags in it, so it might be relevant.
What puzzled Oreth is why the Nentyarch would wear a ceremonial dagger adorned with a white stag rather than with a symbol of his god. Now, when I mentioned it was magical an' emitted pulses of darkness when ya handled it, his eyes got a lil wide an' he said that was similar to the blade of darkness, which was a companion blade to the demon-dagger that was possessin' Wolf recently. That may jus' be a coincidence since this ceremonial dagger was among Katya's belongings, an' Wolf's problem was quite recent, but it might be worth noting anyhow since we ain't got much to go on. Ya sure that dagger ain't got evil energy in it anyplace, El?
Lookin' 'round blindly in the Rawlins, 'specially with the Yuan-ti roamin' an' the drow causin' the weave disturbance, might be a bad idea. Though a directed search could be useful. Any a y'all know where this Dun-Tharos is, or used ta be?
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Jeni listens with great care, concern evident in her eyes as Elridith tells what she has found
Perhaps the druids may be able to tell something from it? I suggest you seek out their Elders, see if they may shed light on it.
And Elridith? Please be careful trying to use it. Magical items have a way of possessing, instead of being possessed.
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In private time Elridith gently tests the blades magical abilities, examining and re-examining it trying to see the full potential and abilities of the blades magical power. She does so very cautiously with all the appropriate precautions in place as to keep it a safe enviornment. She feels she is beginning to understand more about magic within the blade
Hey Penny… check this out.... activates the blade to do the similar discharge of magic as it has done many times before I think i got it down easy now, just wanted to make sure it was safe to do so first.
Only shares the next bit with Jeni and Penny
It's really strange, it almost makes the back of your mind tingle…. very bizarre. It has no trace of any evil energy otherwise I wouldn't be holding onto it, but it almost feels like it connects itself to it's user. I'll try to find out some more about that after i finish what research i started on the riddle.
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I think you've done an ample bit of the research we need Penny. I have been looking through several libraries on my own but found it difficuly to find anything on the riddle iself at this point. Im not giving up yet however. I think we should make a trip out in the rawlins in the various caves the stag could be hidden in. What do you think Penny?
Also a meeting with the druid circle would be very insightful I imagine. I'd like to go along with you when you go if you dont mind. gives penny a smile and a wink when she says this
Spent a little time washing the blade trying to see if there would be anything else written on it. There were a few more occurances of it emitting magic, but nothing serious or dangerous. Seems the riddle is still all we have however.
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//ahh, I may not have read as closely as I should have, and just assumed it was a standard conversation by the fires. My bad.
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Jeni quietly welcomes Oreth to the Camp fires with a smile, fading back to let those who've been looking into the mystery tell what they've found
OOC on
Oreth, since you were not at the beginning, I ask that you talk to Elridith or Penny to ask for the back story, IG.
Druids are most certainly welcome
OOC off
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Oreth looks up at Penny's last words
We know nothing of any trapped stags. If it is within the rawlinswood, it is somewhere we cannot see it, or else it is in the region of Dun Theros, where the Yuan-ti have perverted the concealment spells, and it's damn near impossible to find anything.
Also, if the this dagger you lot found is a symbol of the Nentyarch, I imagine the Circle at Dun Theros will want it back, once they're out from under the Yuan.
Now, what is all this business about a riddle?
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Looking a bit more frazzled than usual, as if she hasn't rested well in days, Penny gathers together everyone who heard Jeni's tale by the fire that night, including Jeni herself:
Now before any a y'all say anythin', I know I look like hell. If ya ever been inside the College libraries, ya'd know it's easier ta catch a fairie in a thimble than ta find anythin' quick in there, 'specially when ya don't really know what you're lookin' for in the first place.
Anyway, after hearin' Jeni's tale, I went up to the College an' pulled out any books an' records I could find on the Defiler, Vinessa, the Drow Wars, an' the stag. I made notes on any interestin' stories from the histories written about those times.
Penny begins to fumble through a large stack of papers, dropping a few and cursing as she does so.
Sorry y'all. I ain't slept much lately. Ok, here we are. Now keep in mind, all these points came from different sources, so I can't promise ya that they're related in any way, but it all seemed ta follow a similar theme. First off, the Stag glyph on that dagger is the mark of the Old Druid Circle.
Penny fumbles through some more papers before continuing.
Where the fark did I put - oh, 'ere it is. The dagger - well, a couple books made mention of it bein' worn by the Nentyarch as a symbol of his bein' speaker for the Circle. Of course, I looked for any reference to the riddle, an' couldn't find any. As far as the histories seem ta indicate, the only thing on the dagger oughta be the Stag glyph, so I can't account for when that riddle is from or who put it on the dagger.
In other news, I dug up some isolated tales of a White Stag appearin' in the Rawlins and rescuin' unwise or waylaid travelers. All accounts seem ta indicate it appeared outta nowhere, saved the day, an' disappeared right away in a glow a light.
Oddly enough, I also found the White Stag mentioned again in a Defiler reference. Supposedly, the White Stag is still hidden deep within the Rawlins. Unable to be destroyed by the Defiler durin' his reign of terror, the Stag was trapped in some manner or another.
I realize as I tell y'all this that it seems like a haphazard mess of tales an' stories with as much organization as one a Grag's search-an'-rescue missions… she chuckles as she says this So I figure we got a couple unanswered questions ta focus on. When an' why was the riddle added? Is there truth to the legend of the imprisoned White Stag? Where is the stag held in the Rawlins, and is it the thing mentioned in the riddle that needs ta be freed?
I figure the best approach to at least the last question is to consult Fadia, who is now the Archdruid of the Circle. What do y'all think?
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A few days following the discovery of the dagger, Penny heads off to the Bard College and cannot be found for several days. In that time, she pulls books related to Vinessa, the Defiler, the Drow Wars, and Mielikki and the white stag, looking for absolutely any commonalities across more than one book.
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Elridith spends significant time in the spellweaver and red libraries doing research on the symbol of the stag, as well as trying to figure out the riddle, she seels she is just beginning to break the surface of the topic and is thinking to ask others for some temprorary acess to the colleges library
