conversations: human
conversations:  Spring has begin to turn to summer in the peaceful land of Auk.  The lands have been planted and the trade caravans are coming across the mountains.  The king has left the Royal city to military training at the forest fortress of Duval.  The land remains as quiet as it has for the past 120 years.
  But rumors of trouble are whispered in back alleys and in shops though not officially acknowledged by the state.  The rumors say that villages on the western frontier are seeing dead loved ones walking about at night.  Most who have seen this have been too afraid to investigate, but supposedly the only person that followed the dead never returned.  As troubling as this is, the state is covering up an even worse secret.  Two days after arriving at the fortress, the king vanished in the middle of the night without anyone seeing him go.
  
  To deal with this problem, the five temples of the Royal city have put out a call for skilled warriors and investigators to defend the kingdom and save the king.  Responding to this call, you have come together in the office of the head cleric of Pelor.  A white haired cleric arrayed in white and gold sits behind a sturdy desk and looks over each of you with meticulous care.
  
   "And that is why you have been called here.  Your reward for completing this task will be far greater than a nations gratitude, I assure you.  How you solve this issue is up to you, but I must stress the need for subtlety.  As a cleric I must also encourage you to do no evil in your task if you wish the good will of the gods, but we are in no position to be picky I'm afraid.  You will all receive papers marking you as agents of the crown, but do not assume everyone that acknowledges such titles will be trying to help you.  Ah, listen to me ramble when time is already short.  Do you have any questions of me?" 
conversations: CaeruliusVentus:
conversations: human
conversations:  Markus waited patiently as the man explained the situation, cross referencing with what he already knew. It seemed rumours were some distance from the truth if this cleric was to be believed.
  
   "Sir, if I may ask, since we can assume you and your churches have already investigated into the matter; even if as evidenced by this call for aid. In essence, what I ask is what have you discovered so far. Treading ground already overturned brings us no closer to the the king, so to pool our knowledges is the most advantageous yes?" 
  
  His voice is fast and flowing, with a slight lyrical tinge, even if he is clearly prone to using five words where would might suffice.
conversations: Luca:
conversations: human
conversations:  The cleric shifts some papers and begins reading after a short pause to read silently.
   "The inner fortress was guarded by the palace guards and the king's personal guard.  All of them are accounted for and the record shows all of the posts were filled through out the night.  Uh...an inspection of the walls and windows around the revealed no evidence of forced entry or of anyone moving about on the ledges.  The dimensional anchor ward in the bedroom was tested and found to still be working.  The guards questioned related that the night was uneventful and nothing out of the ordinary...except of course the disappearance.  The conclusion of the investigators is that magic must have been used extensively by one or more persons to accomplish this, but the exact spells used is still unknown."   The expression of the man as he looks up is "this is why I have a headache".
   "The other incidents have not been investigated as thoroughly.  The witness accounts speak of figures in the appearance of ancestors walking near the edge of town shortly after the sun begins to set.  When the last ray is gone, they retreat away from town.  They are unresponsive to calls from the villagers.  So far they have not moved closer to the towns or attacked anyone.  The nearest town to the Royal city that has reported these sightings is Cantor, about 9 miles west." 
  Saying this, he sets the last of the papers aside and sits back.  Whether he is waiting for more questions or trying to let some pain pass is hard to tell.
conversations: CaeruliusVentus:
conversations: human
conversations:  "Then it appears we must begin at once." 
  
  I pore over the details the cleric has given us in my head. It isn't much to go on.  My first instinct is to go to the scene of the disappearance, but I quickly realise there would be little chance of our finding anything there that the clerics had not uncovered already. We would have a far greater chance of finding whatever was behind the mysterious happenings in the fringes of the kingdom, regions I'd visited previously in various quests against the kingdom's foes. I try to think of reasons we should head to the fortress of Duval instead, but come up blank.
  
   "Thank you Galder, I'm sure you've combed the fortress most thoroughly."  I say this to reassure my friend. I can tell by the way he's raised his face to the heavens that he's silently beseeching mighty Pelor to grant him strength. I know he is not an ambitious man, and to be burdened with the scheming and manoeuvring that must surely be erupting between the great temples in the absence of the king would be a great strain to anyone; I'm sure there's more grey in his hair than the last time we met.
  
   "We should investigate the rumours of the walking ancestors; I feel, as I'm sure do you or you would not have mentioned it, that these mysteries cannot be unrelated, and that we'll have a better chance of picking up the trail somewhere events are ongoing rather than where they are quickly growing cold. I will arrange a carriage to Cantor so that we may leave as soon as we are ready. Unless anyone has any better ideas?" 
  
  This last I direct to my new colleagues. Kayle I already know well and trust after several quests together in the name of Pelor, and I always value her advice. My other companion, Markus, the young man who'd spoken up before me, I know only by reputation as the Royal city's most renowned evoker. I look forward to working with them.
conversations: RCgothic:
conversations: human
conversations:  Securing a carriage and a driver is accomplished easily enough with the help of the temple.  The ride, on the other hand, is two hours of bumpy dirt roads.  Sore and a little stiff, you arrive in the main street of Cantor about 3 hours after the sun's peak.  By now, the mud in the streets has turned to cracked clay and dust.  The sight of a carriage occupied by three well arrayed warriors draws a fair bit of attention from those passing by.  Stepping out, you are greeted by a weathered looking man with a leather hat.
   "Did the church send you?"  His voice is a mixture of the strength of a leader, the hope of someone waiting for a miracle, and the fear that things will get worse.
conversations: CaeruliusVentus: