💾 Archived View for breadpunk.club › ~bakersdozen › calarath › 2020-12-23-branwyn-temple.gmi captured on 2021-12-03 at 14:04:38. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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What a development!
I decide to start by making an offering at the temple. I spend one gold piece for proper herbs and sacrifice, and spend the day preparing, and waiting in line to get to the altar.
When I get there, stars of my sky! Moon of my night! The altar priestess is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen! If anything in the world could distract me from my quest even for a moment, it is her.
Our eyes meet, and my heart is no longer my own. It is hers. Birgit, priestess of Branwyn.
I distractedly make the sacrifice, and she motions for me to follow her into an alcove off the altar room.
I confess my love for her, and--rejoice!--she hers for me. I tell her of my quest and she promises to help me raise the army I need to reclaim my throne and my kingdom. The priesthood won't allow her to leave, so we must escape.
Birgit steals several temple treasures, and we sneak out and hide out in the woods to the south of the temple.
I think from here we are best sneaking through the woods and then crossing the river and trying to make it to Huldra Castle. With our wealth from the temple treasures, surely we can raise some support at the castle.
Spent the day traveling in the thick woods. With the temple treasures, we have less space in our packs for food. And now that there are two of us, we are eating double. We'll have to hope that hunting remains plentiful.
More trekking through the woods. Found plenty of food tonight though.
Starting to have flashbacks to my time in the Barrier Peaks wood. What is it with these cursed forests! At least this time my dear Birgit is here with me. In her arms I am comforted.
I was able to follow the sound of the river toward the edge of the forest. If we can just make it to the river bank, we can cross and then meet up with the road to Huldra.
Finally made it to the edge of the forest. Camped for the night on the banks. We cross in the morning.
We find a suitable place to cross the river, and no sooner are we on the opposite shore when we are confronted by a huge stone-skinned Troll!
It was a gruesome battle and it nearly ended me. But in the end, thanks to Birgit's bravery, I was just barely able to defeat the foe.
We camp for the night on the shore, and I skin the troll. I'm sure its stone skin will fetch some coin at Huldra.
Slow trekking through the countryside. I am weak from the fight. The road to Huldra is ahead.
We make it to the road and are set upon by three bandits! The currs surprise us and one manages to strike me in my weakened state. I see an exit and can flee the fight, but I cannot leave my Birgit behind.
They strike me again, and I still can't find a way to extract both of us from this fight.
They close in around me as the light begins to fade.
And that is how I, Prince Cal Arath, son of the North and heir to the throne, weak from fighting and slaying a stone troll, outnumbered and ambushed by bandits, at the side of Birgit my love, lost my life and my kingdom before the walls of Castle Huldra.
The End