It was a few days before Graham led them from the cover of the forest and onto the open land winding its way through the Chionthar valley. They followed a rough track that ran alongside the river of the same name, crossing at a shallow ford and continuing their progress to the west along the northern bank. Soon they found themselves journeying through well-tended farmland, and on occasion they'd pass close enough to a farmhouse to be greeted by the local farmer, or more often his wife, who would openly wonder about the number of children in the procession. Graham would tell them of their escape from slavery, and the women would coo, the men cheer heartily, and the children would be offered something to snack on as the two caravans made their way slowly on to their destination.
A few times each day they'd pass several mounted warriors, who Graham referred to as Hellriders. He spoke of their tendency to ride across the lands covered by Lord Dhelt's rule and their dedication to protecting everyone within its bounds. Now that the riders were becoming such a common sight, he said, it was safe for them to assume that they could relax a little with regards to Iztah seeking revenge.
It was only a day or so later that they came over the brow of a small hillock to see the town of Elturel perched atop the cliff of the larger hill before them. Although they couldn't make out much of the town, it was clearly much larger than Nashkel had been, and the four companions began chatting excitedly about what they'd see there amongst themselves much to Graham's obvious amusement.
They reached it by nightfall, declaring their intention with the local guard who seemed very interested in the tale they had to tell. They were shown to a grassy area and ordered to camp there for the evening before so one of the city rulers could come and hear their story for themselves the next day. The party nodded wearily, glad to be within the secure walls of the town and to have a complete night of rest ahead of them. Several priests of Helm appeared from a nearby temple and took the children for the evening, providing beds and food for them while the adults were left to cater for themselves. Cotirso mumbled about it for hours.
"Had it been Lathander's own, we would all have been welcomed into the fold for our acts of charity regarding the children," he muttered darkly as he frowned over to the Temple of the All Seeing Eye. Aefer just gave him an uncomfortable look.
"Well, it's not so bad really," replied Embarl cheerfully. "We've got plenty of room with the empty wagon now and the three tents, and they did give us some provisions to cook with." The thief pointed over to the small campfire that Graham had kindled, and the four watched as the ranger expertly prepared their dinner.
"And you've managed to get rid of Alice," noted Nara observantly. Embarl found himself nodding before he realised what he was doing, and he tried to quickly disguise it by pretending to have an itchy neck.
"She's quite fond of you," agreed Aefer mischievously. "Can't seem to keep away from you and point out how wrong or stupid you're being."
"Can't blame her," interjected Nara teasingly. "Must be hard to keep such obvious facts to yourself."
The mage and the guard sniggered to themselves as Embarl tapped his foot impatiently. He threw a quick look to Cotirso, hoping to get some backing, but the priest was still muttering to himself about the inhospitality shown by the Helmites.
"Fine!" the former Shadow Thief exclaimed. "Make fun of me all you will! I'm going for a walk!"
He wandered off, determined to take in some of the sights before returning to the camp for food. He knew that meant he couldn't wander very far, but there seemed to be plenty to see, and he wasn't sure how long they planned to stay in the city anyway.
The first thing he noticed was that there was not only one temple to Helm nearby -- rather there were three of varying sizes, each with its own impressively erected building proudly displaying its purpose. Lots of eyes adorned the walls, making Embarl feel quite skittish -- the All Seeing Eye He may be, but as a thief, Embarl wasn't overly keen on that idea, and preferred to think the Eye stayed firmly on the faithful followers and not the average man wandering down the street. That was a belief he was rapidly finding it hard to keep a hold of.
Rows of houses lay beyond the temples, uniformly set out and neatly maintained. A few guards were leaving and entering various doors and the thief idly wondered if the regimented appearance of the homes was deliberate; if they'd been built to serve the warriors -- what had Graham called them? Hellriders? -- then maybe they'd grown to be as uniform as the soldiers living within them.
He chuckled to himself at the thought of such a notion and wandered on. They were close to the southern edge of the city, and he was able to climb a flight of stairs up to the tall walls that bordered the edge of the cliff. From there he received a magnificent view of the lands to the south, beyond the River Chionthar. Far to his left he was sure he could make out the lands around Scornubel, past several low lying hills and acres of green farmland. The river ran past directly to the south, very close to the base of the hill the town was situated upon, and beyond it was part of the forest they'd travelled through while seeking to escape any pursuit by Iztah. The thought of the merchant was enough to make Embarl feel annoyed, and he quickly put the memory of the Calishite trader from his thoughts, and concentrated instead on the peace and quiet that surrounded him.
With Nara, Cotirso, Aefer and Alice, it was something he'd sorely been missing for the past few days.
----------
Cotirso turned around to finish his rant about the Helmites to discover that Embarl was no longer there. The priest could only just make out his form in the distance, sauntering along the dusty road towards a row of quaint little houses with neat gardens and tall chimneys. The cleric frowned in annoyance and stood up, dusting off his robes and adjusting his holy symbol so it hung down straight from his belt. Then he purposefully marched towards the nearest Temple of Helm and strode through the open door.
"Helm sees all!" declared the armoured man inside, looking Cotirso over. "Do you seek service from the followers of the All Seeing Eye?"
The Lathanderian sniffed slightly. "No, thank you," Cotirso replied piously. "I wished merely to check in on the status of the children."
The Helmite frowned slightly, a puzzled expression adorning his face. "Children?" he asked with confusion.
Cotirso sighed heavily. "From the caravans that recently arrived? The former slaves?"
A vague look of recognition lit up the armoured man's face. "Ah, those," he said thoughtfully. "They're in the Mid-Temple."
"The Mid-Temple?"
The man nodded. "This is the Larger Temple -- the Smaller Temple is at the other side of the field you're camped in, and the Mid-Temple is between it and us."
"Three temples next to each other?" asked the aghast Cotirso, turning away slowly before the man could reply. "What madness!"
The priest stalked outside and wandered over to a slightly smaller building that also had several large eyes painted onto its smooth, brick walls. He passed through the open doors and bowed respectfully, if stiffly, to the guard at the entrance before moving on towards the altar at the far side. He was midway across the room when a woman emerged from one of the archways leading off to the side, and regarded him curiously.
"Good evening to you," she said pleasantly enough, her eyes resting on the symbol of Lathander hanging at his side, "Brother Dawnlord." Cotirso puffed himself out and didn't bother to correct her -- after all, he'd been involved in such a good act that Lathander was unlikely to insist he remained a mere Dawngreeter for long.
"Well met, Sister Watcher," he replied formally. She bowed her head to him. "I am... Cotirso, the priest in the group who saw to the children safely arriving here earlier."
A warm smile spread across her face and she reached out to take his hand in both of hers. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Dawnlord Cotirso," she said, her voice tinged with slight awe. "I am Watcher Annice, Junior Priest of the Southern Elturel Triad of Temples." She frowned slightly and paused before continuing. "It is strange... I was sure one of the girls said your name was Dawnbringer Roger..."
Cotirso coughed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, too," he said, realising he meant it. The girl's green eyes were almost bewitching him, and the way her soft brown hair curled around her face, framing it perfectly, was distracting to him. He tried desperately not to notice the way her ceremonial cloak clung to her almost-plump figure, or the deep cut style of the tunic she wore underneath, which left a large part of her neck and chest bare, except for...
... another of Helm's eyes, which was giving him a disapproving look. He was sure of it.
Cotirso shook his head slightly and smiled to her, having failed to hear anything that she'd just said.
"So... would you like to?" she asked, frowning slightly sat him. He stared blankly at her.
"Hmm?" he asked, then realised she was giving him a strange look. "I'm terribly sorry," he said apologetically. "I was caught up in the... sights."
She nodded enthusiastically to him and looked around at the temple he imagined she was all too familiar with. "It is an amazing sight, I can imagine," she agreed. "Of course, I see it every day, so I suppose a lot of the majesty is gone to me. But I am thankful to Helm whenever I pray that we are able to devote such magnificence to Him."
"Quite," murmured Cotirso dreamily.
"So, shall we go and see the children? They have settled in well, though most were tired and hungry. I think a few are still awake if you would like to check in on them, however?"
"Ah, yes, that would be... fantastic," he nodded, allowing her to lead him through the nearest archway as she spoke to him about something he paid very little concentration to, being that his whole attention was focussed on the rhythmical swaying of her hips as she walked.
----------
Aefer watched Cotirso also get up and leave the group and sighed heavily. Nara was sitting, staring at Graham, as she had been doing since they made up their camp for the night, and the former guardsman was not too keen on dealing with a moony mage.
"I'm off to the tavern," he announced, being completely ignored by the wizard as he strode off in a random direction, hoping that it'd lead to a halfway decent inn with plenty of ale. He strode past a variety of buildings, most of them appearing to be homes, but a few having signs hanging outside proclaiming them to be general stores, apothecaries and candlemakers. Much to his annoyance, there did not seem to be a pub on every corner; a tale he'd been assured was true of every city in Faerun by his former comrades in Athkatla.
Eventually he did find a suitable establishment, however, and he was delighted to see a variety of customers within; from locals to guards, and travellers to farmers from just outside the city bounds -- the place was huge, and it was so crowded that Aefer almost believed the whole of Elturel had crowded into this one building for a pint of ale and a plate of pork scratchings.
It was many hours later, and after several mugs of various products, that Aefer discovered that he probably wasn't far off the mark. He was too drunk to understand what they were calling the place, but apparently it was the only tavern here in the upper reaches of the city, meaning it pretty much had a rousing trade every night of the week.
"Thatsh amazshing," he hiccuped, swaying slightly and leaning on his pike for support. His drinking companion, an alchemist known only as Conifer, nodded sagely.
"Thatsh a fine lookin' weapon you gotsh there," declared Conifer loudly. "It musht take shome shkill to ushe it though?"
Aefer nodded solemnly. "Took me yearsh to be trained by the besht there wash back in Athkatla," he said somewhat wistfully. "But in the end I mashtered it!"
"Would you give me a demonshtration?"
Aefer blinked slightly, seeming to sober up marginally. Then he nodded. "Shure. Come over here, where it'sh clearer." The guard moved into a space and clenched his weapon tightly in both of his hands. As Conifer approached he held the pike horizontally and thrust outwards with it, pushing the alchemist back slightly.
"Wow, that'sh impreshive," cooed Conifer. "What elshe can you do with it?"
Aefer looked confused. "Well, you can shwing it about a bit, but that'sh a bit unshkilled," he said knowingly. "That move there... that'sh all you really need. That'sh what our training wash for."
Conifer stared at him. "Why doesh it have a sharp, pointy bit at the end, then?"
Aefer shrugged helplessly. "Decoration, I think."
----------
"They've all gone and left you here on your own?" Graham didn't bother looking up, and Nara started; realising she'd been sitting staring sat him, her chin resting comfortably in her hand.
"Oh, er, yes," she said quickly, trying to control the colour seeping into her cheeks. "I'm used to it though, being the only girl." She tried to say it airily, but flinched when she thought back over her words, realising she was doing nothing but pointing out the obvious.
Graham nodded politely, still concentrating on the vegetables he was peeling. "So how old are you?" he asked suddenly.
Nara blinked. "It's impolite to ask a lady her age!" she exclaimed, a slight scowl adorning her face.
The ranger chuckled slightly. "Well, give me a range, then, and not a specific number. I'm guessing between eighteen and twenty two."
Nara bit her lip and nodded as he looked up. He smiled back at her.
"You're a very pretty young girl," he said, sounding completely serious. She looked at him with a puzzled expression for a few moments.
"Thank you," she mumbled, remembering her manners. "How... how old are you?"
"Me? I'm twenty six," he replied casually.
"Oh. I thought you looked ol-" Nara paused. "Wiser."
Graham laughed heartily. "I'll take that as a compliment," he grinned, tossing the last of the prepared vegetables into the pot and adding some seasoning. He then busied himself with sorting out two plates and some spoons, handing one to the mage.
"Looks like it'll just be us for dinner," he noted, looking around for any signs of the others. "Hope that's all right with you?"
Her eyes widened and she bit her lip harder. "It'll be... fine," she said.
The ranger nodded. "Here," he said, holding out a biscuit to her. "If you need something to bite on, use this -- can't let you go damaging a lip on a face so pretty."
----------
"Hey, mister Dawnlord!"
Cotirso snapped himself away from the rather sweet memories of recent events coursing around his head and noticed Alice had come running up to him. The girl had said hello politely to him when Annice had showed him around the quarters that the children were sharing, then he'd gone with the young Watcher to dine in her company, listening intently to her tales and life story. He'd only agreed to leave when she wished him a goodnight, informing him of her duties in the morning and her requirement to get some rest.
He'd been very close to offering to keep her company all night, if she wished it, but his sense had managed to reclaim his tongue from his loins at that point, and he'd stuttered a wish of pleasant dreams to her, then fled.
And now Alice was looking at him sceptically.
"Yes, child?" he asked with an impatient sigh.
"Why'd ye come over te see us?" she asked bluntly.
Cotirso blinked. "I wanted to make sure you were all okay," he said, which wasn't technically an untruth. In reality, he'd intended to dress down the Helmites for their lack of charity to the adventurers themselves, but he'd found Annice's company to be too intoxicating for him to clearly formulate his complaint into words. So he just hadn't bothered.
Alice gave him a disbelieving look. "Really?" she asked.
Cotirso glared down at her. "Yes, really," he said, sharper than he intended. Alice pouted slightly.
"There's no need te shout," she sulked, turning away from him and making her way back to her chamber. "But it's okay, Mister Dawnlord. I think she's pretty too."
Cotirso nodded his agreement, then realised what Alice had said and opened his mouth to protest -- but it was too late. The girl closed the door behind her and the cleric was left standing alone in the foyer of the Temple of Helm, wondering what had happened that evening.
----------
Aefer frowned as he slowly made his way back to the camp -- at least, he hoped he was making his way back. His sense of direction was never incredibly strong, and a lot of the buildings he was passing didn't look familiar in the slightest, but he didn't care. He had other things on his mind.
Conifer had been a fairly wild man to drink with. An expert on potions and explosives especially, the conversations they'd shared had been entertaining and informative. The man was highly intelligent, of that there was no doubt. Which is why Aefer became bothered when he started questioning the guard's beloved pike.
Aefer had been trained how to use it, and he used it as well as any of the guardsmen in Athkatla. It was simple really, without the intricacies people suspected such a cumbersome weapon should have. All you had to do was use it to push people away from you, and if you really wanted to hurt them, you punched them. It was simple.
But Conifer had went on and one about the sharp bit at the end. Aefer's old pike, the one he'd had as a guard, also had a sharp and pointy bit at the end. No one ever used it, though -- it was almost sacrilegious to get it dirty. The only time Aefer had wounded anyone with that bit was when he'd been on horseback, and his usual method for employing the pike wasn't workable.
But what if the alchemist was right? What if his training had been wrong -- if he'd been using his beloved weapon badly all these years? It was enough to almost make him cry. He couldn't bear the thought of failing his pike, and he knew he had to discover the truth behind the wielding of such a weapon to satisfy himself. If Conifer was right, Aefer swore to himself that he'd put the polearm aside for all eternity, and go back to using the old longswords he'd practiced with as a boy. It would be hard, but there was no point in holding onto such a majestic weapon if all he believed in about it proved to be untrue.
He nodded sternly to himself. In the morning, when he was a bit clearer in the head, he'd find one of the warrior's of the town and ask them. They'd know; he was sure of it.
----------
Embarl returned to the camp much later than he meant to, and was unsurprised to learn that Nara and Graham had already eaten. The ranger informed him that the mage had retired to the bed in the wagon shortly before he got back, and the priest had dined with the Helmites before he too had returned, and disappeared into one of the tents. Embarl nodded and wished Graham good night as he went off to share with the snoring priest, spying the form of Aefer staggering along the dusty road in the vague direction of the camp. Embarl briefly pondered going to offer him some aid, but decided against it. The town was filled with priests and religious do-gooders, as well as those bloody eyes that followed his every step. Even if Aefer managed to miss the camp and pass out on the grass, he wouldn't come to any harm.
The thief took one last look around and checked the second wagon to ensure the merchandise was still safely inside. When he was satisfied that all was well, he chose the largest of the three tents to serve as his bedroom for the evening, and retired for some long needed rest.
