SaldenThe raven caws loudly, and seems to have a look a disapproval.
It pecks your hand hard.
Kaelan"
Sure, why not?"
A couple of the men accept, and the others get ready to leave.
"
Say... we'll pay you f100 when we get there. Sounds good?"
ThokiYou enter the temple. Inside is a spacious open space, with high, arching pillars and a huge state of a goddess. She has a blindfold, and is leaning on a cruciform sword that is embedded in the 'ground'. From one arm hangs a set of scales, and from the other hangs a chain. The statue is made from some pure-colored stone, and is white.
It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the newer, darker area. There are a pair of doors leading to either side, close to the doorway you just entered. The right side is marked,
Services. You guess that that is the way that you should go.
The wooden door hinges open soundlessly, light and well-balanced. On the other side is a bit rowdy scene, in stark contrast to the serene temple. A number of men are exchanging
f notes for coinage; others are doing the opposite. More people are gathered around the tables on the far side, and behind those tables is a bulletin board with long sheets of paper nailed to it.
You carefully head to the bulletin board and find the bounty you heard of. The paper says,
Totem hunt
The temple has received a request from one of its outside connections to post this note. The temple does not in any way endorse the content of this bulletin, except for the pay.
There are a number of totems in the forest around the nine villages. Each totem is said to be painted in a bright color, and is about as tall as one and one half men. The totems apparently are made of wood, but they may have other extraordinary properties. These totems are extremely dangerous, and should not be touched under the threat of death and/or court. One who finds such a totem should (a) remember where it is, (b) report to the left atrium of the temple, (c) find a man with a shield that has a red scale image on it, and (d) lead that man and/or his representative(s) to the totem. Should it be the totem we are looking for, the first reporter shall receive ten f100 notes.
Again, the totems are potentially dangerous and should not be touched.
MierYou deliberately lengthen your stride. Seeing the man also pick up his pace, you surmise that he is either inexperienced at trailing people, or doesn't care. You dip around the corner in the trail and silently slip into the thick brush you knew was there. Also, you attempt to drain light...
... you use
1 power but fail.
The man rounds the corner. He is a thinly-built man, wearing tight black robes and has a pair of crossbows and a rapier on his belt. He scratches his head, looking around.
AileYou peek outside. There is a tiny mouse hiding from a largish black cat. The cat has cornered the mouse, who has nowhere to go now. Except maybe the cat's mouth. The cat looks up at you.
NRDLYou catch a butterfly. You then shock it to death. It flutters to the ground.
JacquesYou pile snow on the namu, or try to, but none survived. You poor the cold water onto the namu and touch it again. It feels the same as it just did.