Two Days Later...

Lady Ussi was still uneasy about being around so many elves, but they had treated her with cautious respect upon her return. A Lord Wavethunder had looked at her searchingly, but she had returned the favor without blinking. Now she was scanning the sky, wondering when Aris' friends were going to arrive from Alth. Two days wasn't enough time for them to arrive by sea, so they had to be arriving by air.

Aris was also waiting for Little Bird and Talae to arrive, but he wasn't bothering to watch the sky. Instead, he was trying to keep Aflia from collapsing in despair. "Come on, It can't be that bad. You can always simply abdicate and walk away you know."

Aflia shrugged, too tired to argue, "Can I? They hung the damn title on me anyway, Baroness of Hokfiin Fayol, and it will follow me wherever I go."

"Can you put it aside long enough to say hello to Talae and Little Bird? They should be arriving soon, and then I may have something to take you mind off of all of this mess."

"Is it a cask of Firewine? Because I just want to drink my thoughts away."

"None of that now. Title or not, You're still my friend, and I'm not going to let you drink yourself into an early grave." Noxxxy, do you think you can keep her busy for a moment while I check on Ussi?

As long as she doesn't blow me up! Nox pounced on Aflia's tail, batting at it like a toy.

"What? Argh! Aris, call off your familiar!"

"There's the spirit! Noxxy, play nice now. I'll be back in a moment."

"ARIS!!!"

Aris grinned and jogged over to lady Ussi's side. "I've been meaning to ask, do you need any wargear, or are you already equipped?"

Lady Ussi flicked her tongue, "wargear? Why, are you not going to protect me?"

Aris snorted, "I've no intention of losing you, and that means knowing if I have to watch your back as well as my own. So, do you need anything, or are you ready to go?"

Lady Ussi shook her head, "I'm all sset, and I can look after myself, or at leasst get out of the way quickly enough. I'll leaving any fighting to you. But why the wait for this Priestesss Little Bird and Acolyte Talae? Unlesss they can fly, they can't posssibly get here for another day and a half, if the weather cooperatess."

The dull thwump of displaced air and static crackle of chained magic announced the arrival of a party by teleportation.

Aris grinned, "who said anything about flying or sailing? Allow me to make the introductions, just in case though."

Lady Ussi flicked her tongue, "why?"

Aris snorted, "do you really want to play a round of 'taunt the Barbarian?' Or hack off the Cleric who will be responsible for healing you if any harm should befall you?"

Lady Ussi blinked, "oh."

Aris! I think Aflia has had enough playing! She's calling up little balls of fire...

"Noxxy, that's enough. We need to greet our guests."

Aflia trudged over to join Aris and lady Ussi. "Alright, you and your adorable black ball of... vexation got me. Let's go say hello before I decide between getting drunk and burning something down."

The three of them rounded the corner into what would eventually be a courtyard. The flagstones were marked in chalk. A temporary rune circle for safe and orderly teleportation dominated the center, along with other mason's marks for eventual statues and other features. In the middle of the circle Little Bird was flexing her wings experimentally while Talae was busy rubbing her eyes. They both wore practical clothing, which for Little Bird was a tunic cut to accommodate her wings and loose pants, while Talae had on a bear pelt wrap with the ears still attached.

"Stupid lightning flashes. Don't they know I've a headache?" Talae groused. "Why did we have to 'port today anyway? Why couldn't we take a boat to see Aris?"

Little Bird fluffed her wings in frustration, "we didn't leave earlier because of the ceremony, and your headache is because you insisted on celebrating in your usual manner with no regard to how early we had to get up the next day. Hello Aris, Aflia. This is lady Ussi I presume?"

Aris nodded, "indeed she is. May I assume Lord Wavethunder briefed you?"

Talae winced, "yes... but that was before I found the bottom of that mead cask. What's up?"

Aris looked at Aflia then back to Talae. "let's find a table inside so you can get a hangover cure down your throat and I can fill you all in."

A good thirty minutes of food and explanation later, everyone is almost ready to go. Aflia does butt in with one last question, "why not simply start making a new village from scratch? Why try to clear this Old Temple out at all?"

Aris shrugs, "it forms a natural place for lady Ussi's people to begin to build their new homes. It may even still have rooms and roofs for them to live in for a while. And if we can't clear it, or it's not in a habitable condition after we do, I can always fund the construction of a new village anyway. It seems like a good idea to at least try.

Five Hours of walking later…

Aris climbed over yet another log that had fallen across the trail. There was a ridge line ahead, and beyond that the little hidden corner of the forest where the Old Temple was located. Already he could just make out the lines of its tower though the swaying leaves. Suddenly lady Ussi Stopped dead, as though listening to something that only she could hear. "The witch iss nearby, we must be careful. Already I can hear her warningss."

Aris just shrugged, "I can't hear anything..." As he crested the ridge, he did start to hear something, like whispers at the far edge of comprehension. "Ok, now I'm hearing something."

The path continued down between a pair of boulders. a tent was pitched just to one side of the path, and a female figure in robes could be seen pacing back and forth between the boulders.

Away! Away! There is nothing but danger and despair for you here!

Aris rubbed his chin speculatively. "I know that voice... Shaman Mul? Is that you?"

Aw...? Aris? What in the nine hells and seven heavens?

"Can we come down and talk, Shaman Mul?"

Come down then, but carefully! The Guardians lurk just past the boulders, and they are deadly indeed. Moving armor and blades with only bones inside. Beyond that, I can 'hear' face-takers and the hungry dead.

Once again, time was spent making introductions and hearing explanations. Swapping stories of times gone by. With night approaching, the party elected to bed down for the night and resume in the morning. The Old Temple was clearly guarded well, if the guardians were anything to go by. But it would be silly to come this far and not try at least.

Status Report:

Treasury: 10045

Income: +5 gold per day (semi-retired Agent of Althiem)

Equipment: In good condition.

Estates:

Ikin: Village, Fishing Docks Trebor Convent: Under Construction Four Empty Holdings (may be improved later) One Old Temple (occupied by ???)

The Ring: obsidian band with one carbuncle gem and two empty settings.

Total Deaths: 1