Random hooks thread

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Re: Random hooks thread

Post by Zettaijin »

T is for... ???

"Ah yes, I remember it well. The men and I had been hunting, you see. Five days was it not? Yes, five awful days of wading through sand dunes to find some now forgotten tomb where our quarry supposedly found refuge.

Traveling by day was inadvisable as the sun would drain even the stoutest man of his vigor - better to rest, said our guides.

Not that I ever trusted those people, thieves and traitors all of them, but I will say this they do know their way about the sandy wasteland. How they navigate that endless pale brown sea is perhaps the only commendable skill they possess.

In any case, we did find the tomb and I for one wasted no time in bringing down its gates. A task which I found surprisingly simple and I assure you it was not due to any lack in the estimations of my formidable physical prowess. Clearly we were expected.

The story had it that the villain had a rather unique interest in rare beasts and held a particularly impressive collection of creatures. None alive, of course. She was a taxidermist of considerable ability as well. It appears that she also had rather intimate knowledge of our plans.

Our search was rather tedious. Besides some rather horrible creations where this deranged taxidermist had somehow pieced together fearsome chimeras the likes of which one expects from children's fairy tales, the entire tomb was devoid of interest.

Then Marcus found it - a large, open area where laid an enormous pile of bones. Odd that a taxidermist would collect bones, I thought, but then one of our guides approached the pile and gently touched them with a slender finger.

As if pulled by invisible strings, the bones flew in the air and assembled a gigantic skeletal monstrosity which to this day I find both hard to believe and even harder to describe.

More importantly, this was no trap set off by the curiosity of a stupid guide. Rather, our guide was the quarry all along! The bloodsucking fiend we were hunting was right in our midst this whole time!

She straddled the beast and giggled as if a child riding a pony, caressing the sides of the massive skull and its exposed teeth. Unhinged woman to be sure, and in dire need of my backhand I thought at the time.

Ah, the beast, yes... Its proportions seemed to make little sense and I suspect the witch engaged in unholy experiments that went beyond the mere art of taxidermy. If the bizarre creatures I had seen earlier were any indication, then clearly this beast also had no natural origins and rather was created from various others.

It had a skull that seemed as big as the vampire herself with rows of sharp teeth dedicated to ripping flesh. Its hind legs were likely meant to be enormous once covered in tissue with its feet ending in dangerous looking claws yet its forelegs or arms or whatever appendage one chooses to call them were ridiculously small. Yes, they too had claws, but one wonders at the thought process of the undead woman. Who would find such a lopsided design to be in any way advantageous or aesthetically pleasing?

It stayed low to the ground perhaps lacking the power to stand upright and seemed to rely on a long tail to achieve better balance. However, given the way the beast came to be animated, magic could also be invoked as a means by which this improbable creature could even be mobile.

It took no time in chopping off the arm of one of the guides and covering itself in crimson and at that moment I understood that perhaps it would be best to flee... to a more advantageous position.

I escaped with a single guide, my so-called brave companions having already abandoned the quarry to save their cowardly hides. Courage is a rare thing these days, you know. However, in doing so, they set fire to the workshop! Whether magical or not, the undead taxidermist had amassed a sizeable array of concoctions and I assume some of these were quite volatile and not meant to be mixed. The blaze was alarming and I could barely breathe through the foul chemical-laced smoke. Meanwhile the vampire had left her mount to try and protect her collection.

As the flames engulfed her robes, I could see the skeletal beast looking on with empty sockets and I wondered, perhaps in one of my more humble moments, if perhaps - and this is just conjecture - if such creatures may have at one point roamed the land.

Certainly undeath had taken its toll on the wretched woman's mind, but what if she had merely found creatures from before time itself?

Such musings are not uncommon for cultivated minds. Of course, it's all very improbable and the more likely explanation is that the woman's understanding of nature had been warped by her passage into undeath. Certainly such a voyage is likely to turn even the most brilliant mind and push them to toy with nature in ways the heavens never intended."
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Re: Random hooks thread

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U is for Ustilagator

Discord, fear, mistrust, violence... why, any number of culprits could be singled out by the more knowledgeable individuals of the Demiplane. It's not as if the place suffers from a shortage of individuals and creatures who either feast or simply enjoy spreading such negative emotions among mortals.

Perhaps a seductive fiend? Some manner of ghost? Perhaps some long forgotten aberration; something out of a nightmare or a feverish dream! The possibilities are endless.

It would take careful observation and a a slightly twisted imagination to see a pattern emerge from the recent outbursts of violence and infighting among the political classes all over the Demiplane. In fact, the local mayor's brutal assault on his progeny for disobeying his paternal authority drove the townspeople to reject him in turn. An act which allowed the local Church of Ezra's popular appeal to increase significantly. Their campaign to strip the mayor of his power was well received by the townspeople and the fiery (if not incendiary) comments from its clergy only fueled the blaze of righteous indignation.

A rather mundane event, one might think. Compared to some deranged cabal of mad scientists trying to recreate life through superficially scientific means or some needlessly complex plot for revenge by some vain, vampiric noble lord, a near-riot in a small, sleepy town is nothing.

That's the beauty of this and all the other stories no one is talking about. They are of no particular interest to anyone. They do not bear the mark or outside tampering due to clear political interests and neither do they have the stench of fiendish, alien plots.

These are people reacting as people do in situations that, although not common, are not unheard of. Yet all of these were not the result of "people being people" but of careful manipulation.

Who are the puppet masters? Well, that I would like to know.

But the means by which they achieved these results is quite ingenious. A simple, ugly little thing barely able to crawl; its slimy, disgusting body more fungus than anything from the animal kingdom. Almost like a brain, almost, but amusingly enough it is nearly mindless. It simply acts with no malice or intent. It just is.

Oh, the Demiplane is rife with plants and creatures which induce negative emotions, but these little ones do so in an imperceptible way. A mindless fungus which somehow manages to manipulate emotions through mental means - how impossible! No pheromones or residues - truly a clean method fit for the most delicate of plans.

What is the desired outcome? Come now, if I knew I would have already decided to either aid or derail their little game.

How do I know all this? Well, who do you think found these... things in the first place?
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Re: Random hooks thread

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V is for... Veiled Palm, The

Eleanor Petri - currently believes herself to be a the long suffering wife of one Abel Kohl née Jean Malabout, a now long dead miser and opportunist who sold information about his adoptive Falkovnia to Dementlieu and infamously framed his spouse for his crimes. Every night she weeps endlessly, begging what appears to be either residual memories or some invisible phantom for clemency. Apparently, she was tricked into manipulating an object bearing minor psychic properties which had supposedly come into the possession of a notorious charlatan. Sadly, it was a trap as the object was far more powerful and somehow overwrote her mind.

Albero Infantini - his body was found by a night patrol in Paridon, strangled to death by a woman of loose morals in what she described as an accident. His proclivities were not a secret to his closer associates and most agree that there is some plausibility to the story, yet further investigations showed that the woman was offered a somewhat valuable-looking necklace by Infantini as payment for her services. Said necklace was linked to the brutal murder of a local jeweler at the hands of petty robbers. No one seems to know anything about the man or his past beyond his death.

Joas Arahim - Currently in catatonic shock and was somehow struck blind. Periodically vomits a blackish ethereal substance which rapidly dissipates and leaves no physical evidence of it ever existing. Notorious for his love all thing written - especially obscure grimoires and forbidden lore - Arahim was possibly afflicted with some arcane curse as punishment for his curiosity. His mind is nigh-impenetrable by either psychic or arcane means and his attending physician fears that his body may be slowly dying from the aforementioned fits of vomiting. Arahim was an experienced individual who should not have been so easily afflicted. A letter from his brother, a traveling trader in Vallachan with whom he shared frequent correspondences, was the last thing he read according to our findings.

That's three members in one month. While this may be a simple coincidence, members of the Veiled Palm are starting to wonder if someone is trying to exterminate their society. None of the victims' unfortunate accidents have been found to have anything in common save for the members in question having been neutralized while engaging in their passion.

Arahim truly enjoyed reading about his brother's travels and daily life on the road.

Petri had an unmatched zeal when chasing down charlatan and seemed to derive particular joy from tearing down hoaxes.

As for Infantini, well...

Whomever is attacking the members has done some background work and has proven to be quite elusive. The sheer cleanness of these acts show a dedication and skill possibly beyond that of mere mortals... Furthermore, reputable senior members feel there is a riddle hidden in these cases and that the culprit(s) may be "playing" a very dangerous game.

Current suspects include:

The Beggar's Eye - a crafty fiend who engaged in previous games of cat and mouse with the Veiled Palm. The entity often takes the mortal form of derelicts and broken men with the one constant being their missing left eye. His modus operandi involves inciting violence, both physical and psychological, in mortals through rumours, lies and blackmail.

Alejandro - Known under a myriad of aliases, the man generally addressed as Alejandro is a mysterious individual of considerable psychic ability who has been known to act as a hired thug for rich and powerful individuals. Few know of his abilities and simply assume him to be a resourceful and effective enforcer with clearly superior intellectual faculties. His last known whereabouts are unknown and while he isn't a killer per se, he has a long standing grudge with the Veiled Palm. The conflict in question appears to have been between a past client and the society which cost him not only financially but in reputation.

Mila the Witch - Claims to be the reincarnated soul of a powerful witch who has been transferring her mind into the body of her daughter right before death for generations now. She has also claimed to have hag blood, Vistani blood and even fey blood. Whatever the case may be, she is a well known facilitator and aide to various charlatans and once tried to outfit a band of well-traveled snake oil salesmen with the means to approximate psychic abilities at the cost of a portion of their earnings. She had hoped to create a multi-domain mini empire of fraud which was taken down by the Veiled Palm. She is actually capable of violence and openly stated that she is vengeful and "never forgets".

Madame Solovoz - A slippery con-woman who pretends to be of vistani ancestry and offers communion with the dead to the rich and bored. Well known for adopting other names and knowing when to move on. Not particularly dangerous in of herself but has come close to unleashing far greater threats through her ignorance.

The Cult of Vecna - Veiled Palm members almost all categorically reject the existence of this fabled cult however they also believe in leaving no stones unturned...
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Re: Random hooks thread

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W is for... Weasel

The "fur" wars are raging in the core following a sudden surge in popularity of weasel fur garments among the richer individuals of Dementlieu and Borca. Trappers, hunters and traders are engaged in a vicious war over the market for weasel fur, and especially the pelts of the indigenous species found in Verbrek.

Dominating the market has become a priority for various nouveaux riches who found themselves holding a particularly valuable commodity. However, these individuals are also not familiar with the usual etiquette of the merchant class which leads to various confrontations and altercations.

Further complicating matters are those who wish to introduce the native Verbrek species into their own territory along with the usual dangers which accompany any expedition into Verbrek. In fact, some enterprising individuals have been negotiating with Timothy's Moon cult as well as the somewhat isolated human villages in hopes of securing some manner of monopoly over weasel trapping rights.

The chaos caused by this current fashion trend has not been welcomed by the rulers of the affected domains and has also attracted the attention of certain parties looking to undermine and overthrow the current political order.
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Re: Random hooks thread

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W is for... Waintower Scourge, The

(mentioned in passing in Gazateer II under the entry for Falkovnia)

"Yes mmm the Waintower incident. Without a doubt a terrible tragedy. A beast was slain and all is well again... That's the story isn't it? As a man with his own mind, I know better.

This hamlet, Waintower, it was never more than an afterthought in their mind. Lekar, Morfrenzi, now those are places you want to keep an eye on. Truth is, they don't care about the outer regions - those small, out of the way places where maybe no more than ten families live. They're all over, but no one bothered putting them on any map.

But that hole... that gaping hole on the border breathing foul air every day and giving birth to monsters... that's something worth monitoring. A few lowly farmers aren't going to do much harm, but some flying monstrosity like the scourge... yes, that is a much different story.

But it's not just the beasts that get warped by the powers of that foul abyss - minds begin to twist as well. People... when death and illness is their daily lot, they grow restless. When such individuals gaze into the rift... well... things begin to happen.

They're out there. Not many, but they're there. They think they're doing the work of some greater power and purging the land of its impurity. Not just the Talons - everyone. They brought the beast there. They brought that monster to Waintower.

They didn't finish the job and I'm sure the creature didn't discriminate when it was ripping the locals to shreds. Members probably died wondering what they had done to displease whatever powers they think inhabits that rift. Now they are liking their wounds and planning another attack. They'll find another scourge - a better one, a sane one.

I'm quite sure they'll burn down that pub first. Make sure to erase traces of their past mistake. But no one will listen to an old coot such as myself....

The beast was slain, all is well again... Everyone go back to work..."
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Re: Random hooks thread

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Zettaijin wrote:V is for... Veiled Palm, The
Hey, bonus members of the Veiled Palm! You should stat them up for the QtR, I'd love to read about them. I'll consider these for a possible Veiled Palm redux in my campaign.
The Avariel has borrowed wings,
The Puppeteer must cut the strings
The Orphan Queen must take the throne
The Queen of Orphans calls them home
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Re: Random hooks thread

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DeepShadow of FoS wrote:
Zettaijin wrote:V is for... Veiled Palm, The
Hey, bonus members of the Veiled Palm! You should stat them up for the QtR, I'd love to read about them. I'll consider these for a possible Veiled Palm redux in my campaign.
Well, one is dead and the other two are incapacitated...

I might consider working more on their foes, though.
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Re: Random hooks thread

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Also, I just realized that I wrote two W entries by accident. Given that I feel my first was a bit weak, I figure a second will make up for it.

And with this said...

X is for... Xeg-yi/Xag-ya

"Nothing... nothing... nothing..."

"Decay, rot, wane, dissipate, dilute, dissolve., disperse, disintegrate... Conjugate anti-life and you expose life as a fraud."

"Anti-life - the negation of life. Before me stands the paradoxical embodiment of non-life. It exists yet does not. It refutes existence and so existence recoils in horror, shocked that anything could dare refuse it."

"The only logical conclusion of Anti-Life is its own end and the End of All. Swallow life and allow us to fall into emptiness."

All they saw was nothingness - as if a gaping, empty hole ripped through the air, through the very fabric of reality with slithering tendrils feeling and flailing.

All about it, rot, decay and desolation. All returned to dust, but even dust itself seemed to disappear when touching it. One man tried to engage it only to find his arm quickly aging to the point of uselessness even as his body remained intact.

It floated away peacefully but even within a reasonable distance the ripples of its presence could be felt through all their senses. It was alien but no one really knew if it was a creature or some manifestation of reality unraveling.

Memories of the events would themselves quickly disappear - some say rotted away or decayed into frayed images of something that may never have been.

She can feel it though. Its great anti-thesis is lurking about as well and upon meeting, existence will be torn asunder as it ought to be. It is merely the way of nature - nothing is ever permanent. Wherever they may be, all will end once the two meet.

She is patient and will gently guide the embodiment of Anti-Life into its fated encounter with Life-Triumphant.
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Re: Random hooks thread

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Y is for... Yahasha Mountains, the

"In its mouth I lose my Self. Soul refracting light and sour, bitter tastes on my tongue reminding me of the openness I feel. Ah-Om. Sound of the One. Sound of ancient wisdom imparted upon the first men. Now I go, floating, levitating, escaping into the cosmos. Yahasha... Yahasha... Ah-On, Yahasha! My eyes burn so that I can see with my one true eye. All converges to Yahasha! Conjugate the Holy Verb so they may see... Yahasha!" - last words apparently spoken by the still missing explorer Adan Treeburroughs as reported by his assistant upon his return from an expedition to the Yamasha mountains in Sri Raji.

According to the assistant, the duo had come across a reclusive group of monks dwelling in a remote village/temple on an as of yet unnamed peak in the Yahasha mountain range (well, unnamed by the "enlightened" folks of the core).

There, Treeburroughs was initiated into their mystical practices and subsequently became a member of their order. He was apparently last seen embarking on a Holy journey of purification and enlightenment, urging his assistant to depart for his homeland and return once his mind had cleared.

The assistant tried in vain to dissuade the man, but to no avail.

Authorities are not unfamiliar with delusional men and their tall tales, but then again they also know of men who "lost their way" and found themselves living among savages after spending too much time among them. As such, they are giving the assistant the benefit of the doubt for now.

The woman who financed this expedition, a certain Madame de Millleuils, was far less accepting of this turn of events and has requested that the assistant fulfill his contract alongside a new explorer. Whatever it is that she commissioned him to find, the strange circumstances of Treeburroughs' life altering decision did not dissuade her from once again sending bold individuals to the mysterious peaks.

The assistant has been rather tight lipped about the various details surrounding the events he witnessed. It isn't impossible that he fears being labelled mad or worse yet investigated for foul play.

There is something in those mountains. Something obviously important enough that de Milleuils is willing to expend considerable financial resources to acquire.
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Re: Random hooks thread

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It has come to this...

Z is for... Zombie Blood

Mademoiselle Dupont has come to a number of "agreements" with clients in her career. She's no witch, nor is she some odd, uncivilized hermit living in some straw hut selling love potions. She sees herself as the natural evolution of a long family tradition of herbalists. She is an entrepreneur and a savvy one at that; one who will not easily be duped or bullied. Her products have a reputation as do her skills with clients spanning various cities and her name often whispered among the powerful.

Zombie Blood is a foul concoction brewed by wizards and alchemists in secret laboratories for a very obvious use. Mademoiselle Dupont noted the various side effects and mishaps stemming from these amateurs fumbling the delicate process of crafting such a powerful substance and took it upon herself to improve not only the process but the actual "zombie blood"; to make it reliably effective and free from the typical instabilities caused by using "magical" means of production.

Dupont is smart, but her refusal to engage in bartering enraged her latest Nosos clients who have since hired "professional negotiators" to ensure a "fair deal". Fearing for her life, Dupont reached an "agreement" of sorts with the Falkovnian army. The idea of a non-magical means of making the already formidable forces of Falkovnia even more threatening was very much welcome and they in turn promised to protect Dupont and her work from these decidedly "persuasive" negotiators.

However, Falkovnia has no intentions of letting Dupont work for other clients either and news of her current location has her regular customers quite upset.

Zombie Blood, or resilience tonic as Dupont calls it, if manufactured in sufficient quantities, has the potential to change the landscape of labor in the various cities and kingdoms of the land... for better or for worse... Not everyone agrees with the direction of Dupont's work fearing that it may lead to even more cruel and abusive practices from those who rule.
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Re: Random hooks thread

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With this last post, my ABCs of (Canon-based) Random Hooks is complete.

Thank you for reading this series, but I am in need of further ideas for the future.

I've rehabilitated ideas that were deemed slightly unconventional or simply too alien for Ravenloft and I even managed to get at least one idea for every (canon) domain.

What should I do next?
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Re: Random hooks thread

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The nail that sticks out

"'There's a nail sticking out.' is what she said, then after we had turned around to look at the nail, she disappeared. There were no traces of her anywhere and I could feel my memories of her slowly fading. I'm no stranger to thoughts being erased, so I took it upon myself to write down whatever I could remember before I lost everything."

"'There's a hole in the wall.', he said, then he vanished. I can't say I know how he did it... magic? He just... poof... disappeared... like he was never there. Sometimes I wonder if I was ever really there. It's all foggy up there in my brain."

"Yeah, his lover said she saw him again, but it wosn't exactly him... ya know... like when ya see someone who looks like someone ya know... Argh... I can't wrap me head 'round that one. She said he was funny lookin'... like ya see a fellow after a while and can't be sure it really is 'im or not. But it was like a phantom, really. He was there for a second or so."

"T'was her voice... I canna deny t'was shifted... but t'was her voice! Fadin' in n' out, like whisperin' then t'was screaming... Strangest thing, I swear!"

--------------

The recent unearthing of an ancient mausoleum which somehow sank deep into the ground during the Great Upheaval has caused odd occurrences of individuals vanishing after people around them stop paying attention. So far, the only commonality is that the victim noticed a minor imperfection in a wooden wall and alerted those around him or her of said imperfection before disappearing.

In some cases, individuals begin losing their memories of the victim at various rates. Some claim that their memories of the vanished person began waning right after while others claim a more gradual erosion.

Moreover, a few individuals have claimed to have seen what could be considered a ghost-like apparition resembling the departed person albeit with minor yet visible inconsistencies. Given the memory loss afflicting those present when the individual disappeared, it is possible that this is a result of the brain having forgotten these details or recalling them imperfectly.

Some of the apparitions are silent, while others speak in distorted ways. In all cases the apparition does not stay for very long.

Potential links between the disappearances and the unearthed mausoleum:

-Creatures from the Shadow rift once trapped in the mausoleum may be kidnapping these people

-The family ghosts are free to roam the land taking with them those they feel add an imperfection to the land

-Reality is being corrupted by a planar creature trapped within the walls of the mausoleum

-A grisly and bloody keep is being built with the flesh of the vanished individuals

-False memories and individuals borne of the mists are the ones targeted
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Re: Random hooks thread

Post by Zilfer »

Not sure if it's been suggested in the past or you've already done this but I see that your last post before this asks for what to do next. I think now that your done with ABC's you might be able to maybe do a hook per Ravenloft Character (NPC that is.) That large list should keep you busy for awhile.... :)
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Re: Random hooks thread

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Zilfer wrote:Not sure if it's been suggested in the past or you've already done this but I see that your last post before this asks for what to do next. I think now that your done with ABC's you might be able to maybe do a hook per Ravenloft Character (NPC that is.) That large list should keep you busy for awhile.... :)
I've certainly tackled my fair share of obscure, minor NPCs before (the Janvier for example), but I'd have to settle on certain rules before going forward with this plan. Do I include NPC that are stat-less and merely there as window dressing? Do I include those individuals cited by Van Richten and others but who never saw an actual entry in any published material? Only living NPC or do I also include dead ones?
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Re: Random hooks thread

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Fine then, have it your way...

And so it begins...

Abane

The Holy Choir

(Abane first appeared in the old Books of Crypts adventure anthology's "Rite of Terror" mini-module)

Abane has long believed that the best way to approach those visitors who follow strange, and perhaps somewhat foreign and exotic faiths is to offer them sanctuary. He ardently believes that the voice of the heavens resonates through his and his parishioners' actions. Each faithful is a voice in a holy choir devoted to singing of the splendors of the heavens. All voices are different and each contributes in its own way regardless of skill or experience. Through this unusually welcoming communal process, he feels that even those who may not initially appreciate the singular beauty of the choir may in time experience a divine epiphany.

The great war with the followers of the Beast God made for a rousing hymn to the power of the heavenly choir and it seemed that Abane's church was experiencing a new golden age! Bards and minstrels joined the church in hopes of weaving the tale into a potent and persuasive parable wherein notes and tempo shifts spoke to the souls of all who would listen.

Then there came three young individuals from a far away land, each resplendent in their youthful vigor and exquisitely exotic appearance. The dominant voice was a soft, rich baritone accented with confidence and that understated feeling of mutual understanding. He would not be the tragic hero, nor a triumphant one, but rather a man who understood and simply wished to guide.

The sweet, gentle voice of the youngest member felt far more secure in her abilities than one would expect. Here was a voice who whispered breezily of honey and fruits while hinting at much bolder things. Words flowed through her lips with great ease, yet her role seemed perpetually secondary and supportive of the other two.

The last voice's jagged edges and distinct intonations felt oblique and foreign yet familiar. As if the words of the ancient songs had informed her own and the resulting amalgam was shaped and honed into a commanding dramatic mezzo. She was the nurturing mother, the mysterious mystic, and the oracle.

The three came to Aferdale as most do, one day appearing on the edges of town seemingly having lost their way in the mist.

Abane was the first to welcome them and invited the clearly disoriented individuals to his choir. Little did he know that the threesome would prove to be capable singers whose voices soon became the object of the town's attention.

While they are indeed beloved by the followers of the church, it remains that Abane has his doubts as to the nature of the individuals and their true purpose. Could they truly be envoys from the heavens as so many have purported?

---------

No prize to whomever figures the rather obscure reference to an 80's cartoon.
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