conversations: human
conversations:  The sullen looks on the peasantry as you travel through Koth is worse than you had heard, the serfs of this country truly are little better than slaves. As you approach the town gate you can see two guardsman, the golden sashes across their chests proclaim them as dabblers in the arcane arts, and their basket hilted swords by their waist proclaim them trained swordsmen. They look at you and one sneers, “A wee little halfling, what business do you have in the Hallowed Forest of the Greatest God?”
  Before you can respond you hear a voice come from behind the man, “Do not provoke him, Sir Jerol, he could cut you down by the time you drew your sword.” The speaker moves forward and you can see that he is no lean man, about 42 years old, his hair already graying and his beard only covering the space between his mustache and an oiled point that extends from his chin. He casually strokes his beard with one mailed hand, while the other with a deliberate casualness reveals the holy symbol of the Elder God of Power that hangs from his belt. Despite his words to the guard, this man does not seem in the least afraid of you as he approaches, whether that is because he trusts that his god will protect him, his armor, or his magic, you cannot be sure. Suddenly a smile spreads across his face like a plague, as he looks down at you with a predatory gaze. “The runes said to seek the aid of the knife of a child who is a man, were they speaking of you?” He asks.
conversations: Zaydos:
conversations: human
conversations:  Probably not, but I am willing to try if you are willing to pay. Though you should probably explain more as we go somewhere more private.  Pyrom said smiling. The man seemed weird and almost threatening but it was probably just the goatee. Those things were always hard to get used to. Of course the fellow was probably perfectly normal with poor choice in facial hair.
conversations: Hamste:
conversations: human
conversations:  The man grins,  "Speaking in private would be preferable. Guards, let him through."  The guards step away allowing you entrance into the village. It is a fairly large village, at least compared to Mirrith to the north and for being within such a thick forest; you've heard it's because of the step-pyramid temples of the kingdom which call rain and focus the lifeblood of Gaia into the soil making the forest bloom.
  
  The people, though, look far from happy, and seem to hold this man in fearful reverence, some going as far as to prostrate themselves at his passage; such is the status of one of the priest-lords of Koth. In the center of the town you can see a large structure, a relatively tiny pyramid no more than 50-ft in height, but instead he leads you to what seems to be a private grove in the village, and a small building within it. Muttering a small prayer of power, he lights a fire already prepared, a metal grill sitting above the flames, and places a pot of tea on the heat.
  
   "I am Lorence, a priest of Koth. I am of a man of some small import, though I lack standing among the great names of the kingdom, for now. I believe we can help each other. I seek a blessing from the God Whose Name is Death*, a blessing that is coming to this land. To obtain it I will need help. The runes have told me of one who may be able to help, the child-man's knife. I think they spoke of you, a halfling is a man whose stature is like a human child's, and you hold yourself as one with some skill. I have no doubt you could have killed those guards before they could have even readied their arms if you had needed. So I make you an offer, help me and I will be most grateful, and the gratitude of one blessed by He Who Is Might* is of some great value. You will perform tasks to ease my ascent, and you will rise with me as my ally, my vassal. What say you?" 
  
  Notes:
  *This is one of the many, many titles of the Elder God of Power (also called the God of Koth). His true name is a secret and it is said that only a select few among his priests know it and that Power Word spells function by forcing the target's mind to hear a portion of his true name.
  
  Realized I never gave you the definition of Elder Gods in the setting. Gods in it come in multiple tiers the main ones being:
   
   Spoiler 
  Elder God: An Elder God is. Where a god has power over their aspect an Elder God is their aspect (or so it is believed). Legends tell that in a great war the Elder God of Magic was injured and arcane magic was lost across the Three Worlds, others say that time is the blood of Kronos the Elder God of Time and each of his arteries is another time stream, and Gaia the Elder Goddess of the World is thought to physically be the Three Worlds. Even theologians do not agree on what this means concerning the Elder God of Power.
  
  The Four Great War Gods: Exemplifying the 4 extreme alignments, the 4 Great War Gods are the most powerful non-Elder gods. They are each a god of war and usually act as leaders to other similarly aligned gods.
  
  Gods: Regular deities. Usually the children of other gods or Elder Gods, sometimes ascended mortals.
   
conversations: Zaydos:
conversations: human
conversations:  If I may ask, what type of blessing will he give to this land? I will agree anyways as long as I get rewarded for it.  Pyrom said smiling. This guy seemed a bit suspicious but as long as he didn't try anything funny it would probably be fine. The real question though was whether he was insane or if he was totally sane in going after a prophecy particularly when there were probably hundreds of halflings that could fit that description.
  
   
   Spoiler 
  Rolling sense motive  (1d20-1)[ 14 ] 
   
conversations: Hamste:
conversations: human
conversations:  "It is not this land that will receive the blessing,"  the man smiles,  "It is a blessing for one man, chosen by the God of Koth himself. The messenger did not say what this blessing was in detail but it assured us that whoever obtains it will be granted power beyond any within the kingdom. Perhaps he plans to make his chosen the lord of a realm in the Outer Planes, or the King of a new Empire of Koth. I cannot say with certainty/ But know that when I have obtained this power I will remember those who helped me and I will reward them in turn." 
  
  He seems no more crazy than you've heard to expect from the priesthood of Koth; wealthy, powerful, and somewhat megalomaniac. Even so something has got the priests stirred up, and for the first time in centuries there are stories of open in-fighting amidst the clergy; something that they have avoided since civil wars reduced the Empire of Koth which stretched to the Badlands in the North all the way to the southern shore over 800 miles distant to little more than 100 miles in its longest direction. The one which led him to you was probably a simple  Divination  spell which would usually (but not always) be talking about the first halfling he met, if it's talking about a halfling at all.
  
   
   Spoiler 
  He's probably 50-60% crazy, but that's normal for the clerics here.
   
conversations: Zaydos: