Some things become clearer ... some even more hazey:
Death is a particular conundrum: where to go, what to do (or NOT do), and how to handle the implications. My major problem was binding my soul to the Rofirein temple in Fort Valensk. That certainly seemed the appropriate act for a paladin of the Gold One; however, I was very unclear of exactly WHERE this fort was ... and my map is badly blurred by wear & tear. Three times I attempted to return to Hlint, only to be destroyed by shades, spiders, and wraiths. I believe it was Rollie Underheel that kindly offered to lead me back (sorry to say that I was so distressed that I did not mark his name). Now, I have binded to the celtic altar (Rofirein disapproves of Ilsare's chaotic passions) in Hlint; expedient, however, I do intend to bind with a Rofirein chapel as soon as possible.
Some good adventures tonight: a dwarven monk and another comrade swept thru the sewers and then the crypts ... exhilarating! Then, a diverse quartet (Kesa, Cedric, Kyle, and Dervish) helped me obtain the goblin chieftain's head for Ronus!! Plenty of melee conflicts, and I saw how a party protects one's gravestone until that character returns to renew (even more reason to stay linked to Hlint, for now!)! Rofirein encourages such wisdom ... rather than rash obligatiions & decisions.
A bittersweet evening because of two very different females ... I am convinced that being raised in the depths of the High Forest by my druidess mother, Lyllyth, and having only my twin sister, Sylvia, to grow up with that I have a naive and too optimistic expectations of females. The "bitter" in this night was an encounter with the strikingly beautiful magician, Rhynn. Actually, it was started by a dark, muscular, forbidding creature with a TAIL who seemed to challenge my every word (possibly it was stirred by jealousy or an anti-paladin sentiment?), yet when I defied his evilly poisoned comments, he huffed off in a cloud of dust ... and up stepped Rhynn!!
I know not their relationship, but she obviously felt that I had offended her guard/mate/pet/thug(?) and raved on & on about flaming me into a cinder?!? My retorts to "the tail" had been about the vile, devious taints of evil, yet Rhynn seemed to interpret these obvious religious dogmas as some kind of personal attack against him/it ... and therefore, her. So, I was confused & conflicted by feminine beauty once again (I still have issues with Tegan to clarify for the sake of our friendship); this seems to be an on-going dilemma ... I wish Sylvia were here to help explain these mysterious, mystical, magical females to me - they tug at my heart and confuse my mind!!
Now for the "sweet" aspect of the evening: Jennara Creekskipper. This tiny package of power is a Knight of the Wyrm!! Holding our flag of Rofirein, accompanied by an enormous, good-natured soul, she is obviously focused on furthering our deity's domains. Her perceptive wisdom concerning Kesa's connection with Prunilla (another chaotic deity which the Gold One disdains) has allowed me to "relax" my obsession with following the dictates that I had been instructed during initiation lessons and accept individuals on their own character strengths, weaknesses, and actual conduct rather than be burdened by simplistic "categories". I anticipate helping Jennara spread the glory of our Gold Dragon while she is in our insignificant hamlet.
Also, I think that I will focus some efforts on armor & weapon crafting to help make me a more effective force in my melee encounters with evil.
"He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not is a slave." Sir William Drummond
