Life has a few unadulterated pleasures.  Waking up and realizing that you don’t need to do anything and can back to sleep.  Realizing that a horrifying dream is in fact a dream.  And of course, not being hung over when everyone else is.  I’m no sadist by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s something very satisfying about torturing the people the day after they’ve over imbibed.  I suppose it’s because they did it to themselves.  I don’t want to analyze it, I just want to enjoy it.

I’ve been known to enjoy a drink or two, but dwarfen ale isn’t really my bag – I prefer liquor that you can sip rather than chew – so I was up at the break of dawn, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, getting everyone up and ready to move.  I stopped short of banging two pots together, but just barely.  The dwarfs showed up for another long-winded attempt at getting me to take their goods to Carmin but there’s no way I was going to go for that – I’ve been piddling around out there long enough, time to get back where the action is.

With a collective lurch we set off for the confluence of the Needle and Compass rivers – is that the right word?  Or is that for then two rivers come together rather than split?  Is there a difference?  Regardless that’s where we’re heading.  I’m still interested to know why a priest was out ministering to bandits so I had Damrow with me on a wagon.

“So which god is okay with banditry?”

“Several of them I would imagine, some of them are pretty violent and scary.”

“You know what I was asking.”

“I am a servant of Cycnus.”

“Sickness, like the plague?”

“No, spelled differently.”

“That doesn’t seem like very good marketing.  No wonder I’ve never heard of him.  So what does he do, aside from supporting banditry?”

“You’re really on this bandit thing aren’t you?”

“It’s not something you see every day – a holy man in the company of brigands.  So what’s the deal is he some sort of god of thieves and miscreants?”

“No, his charge is to look after the forgotten and the downtrodden.”

“I thought that was Adariel’s thing, Lady of Mercy and Salvation and all that.”

“Well there’s a lot of people that need help, there’s plenty to go around.”

“Sure but she’s a god, I would have figured she could cover a lot of ground.  Regardless neither of them seem to be doing much of a job, the forgotten and downtrodden aren’t doing so great.”

“As you say there’s a lot of ground to cover.  And while there are definitely some good priests of Adariel out there I fear that many of them have lost sight of their divine charge.”

“I used to think about that some time when I passed the Cathedral of Saint Celestine – it’s spectacular, don’t get me wrong, but somehow I don’t think a jewel-encrusted edifice does much to help the beggars on the street.”

“Precisely, that’s why I and my sisters and brothers try to pick up the slack.”

“And that includes banditry?”

“At times.  If you want to get into a conversation about the redistribution of wealth we can but somehow I doubt that’s of much interest to you.”

“Aren’t you supposed to believe that the true wealth is spiritual or something?”

“It is, but you still need to put bread on the table.  When were you thinking about letting me go?”

“I get it, being a hostage is not as fun as it might seem.  Once we hit the river I suppose.  There’s not much threat really is there, most of the bandits are dead.  Not much chance of a daring rescue mission right?”

“I shouldn’t think so.”

____________________________________________________________

Funds: 39,858 gold

XP: 80,428

Inventory: Ring of Many Garments, Bag of Tricks (tan), Cap of Disguise, Secure Pocket, Resplendent Diplomat’s Palette, Secure Paypack, Skeleton Key, Brooch of Shielding, Pouch of Magic Stones, Masterful Grey Gloves, Black Marketers’ Bag, Biting Bracelet (Endless Ammunition), Boots of Escape, Bracers of the Glib Entertainer, Ring of Animal Friendship, +2 Commanding Light Crossbow, Headband of Alluring Charisma +2, Handy Haversack, Animal Totem Tattoo (Lion)

Signet ring, noble’s outfit, candlerod (9), masterwork dagger, succubi carving, Domiel family ring, walking stick, masterwork playing cards, spinel and peridot holy symbol of Kralten, antitoxin (9),  smelling salts (3), sunrods (3), thieves’ tools, tindertwigs (6), various and sundry inebriants and intoxicants

Silver ring, gold bracelet, gold and pearl pendant, gold ring, platinum necklace (2), mithril hair clasps (3)

Revenge List: Duke Eaglevane, Piltis Swine, Rince Electrum, watchman Gridley, White-Muzzle the worg, Percy Ringle the butler , Alice Kinsey , “Patch”, Heroes of the Lost Sword, Claire Conrad, Erist priest of Strider, Riselda owner of the Sage Mirror, Eedraxis,  Skin-Taker tribe, Kartak, Królewna & Bonifacja Trading Company, Hurmont Family, Androni Titus, Greasy dreadlocks woman, Lodestone Security, Kellgale Nickoslander, Beltian Kruin the Splithog Pauper, The King of Spiders, Auraluna Domiel, mother Hurk, Mazzmus Parmalee,  Helgan van Tankerstrum, Lightdancer, Bonder Greysmith, Pegwhistle Proudfoot, Lumbfoot Sheepskin