Lorminstra Badge

Lorminstra badge †

You see a colorful badge with a miniature solid gold staff attached to it.
It looks exactly like the staff reforged for Lorminstra on the quest, only smaller.

You sing:

"Lorminstra badge, I must now ask you, here in River's Rest
About yourself, and Lorminstra and of that long-past quest..."

The harmony of your song redoubles and soon a chorus of voices fills your head with words and song. Almost ethereal in harmony a story is told in verse.

A staff of gold Lorminstra raised,
For this great gift, her name be praised.
The staff protects the souls of all,
From final loss, when bodies fall.

But in the ranks of Lady's Chosen,
A single worm had worked its nose in.
By Kazarackti was he known,
The seeds of chaos he had sown.

Kazarackti's charm was blindly trusted,
For Lorminstra's staff he deeply lusted.
A mask of faith he daily donned,
Then with the staff he did abscond.

The traitor ran to distant quarters,
Crossing o'er familiar borders.
When at last to darkness given,
By forces foul the staff was riven.

The staff itself is broken and shattered,
Into six dull shards, the pieces scattered.
It no longer aids those deep in need,
This cry for help a few must heed!

You sing:

"Lorminstra badge, I must now ask you, here in River's Rest
About yourself, and Lorminstra and of that long-past quest
A talkative badge indeed are you, but is the story done?..."

Brought forth by your own talents, the ethereal singing continues to fill your mind with the tale.

Arimantis to the challenge rises,
Prepared to ward off dire surprises.
Others like him congregate,
A group to turn the hand of fate.

Into a land most wondrous strange,
This hearty band begins to range.
Set upon by fearsome foes,
Engaged in fights the pace ne'er slows.

The only place where they can rest,
Is a filthy tavern, filled with pests.
Run by a man who lacks in morals,
Worships coin, and looks for quarrels.

A dwarven corpse, all dried and bound,
Twists in the wind without a sound.
Encased in silk by some great spider,
On a giant web whose strands do hide her.

But facing fears, the group does enter,
The massive web, and seeks the center.
Hoping there to find some clue,
Of where to go, and what to do.

You sing:

"Lorminstra badge, I must now ask you, here in River's Rest
About yourself, and Lorminstra and of that long-past quest
A talkative badge in deed are , but is the story done?
Continue, badge, and tell to me what the questers lost and won..."

Verse after verse fills your soul first with dread and then with an ever increasing hope for the future.

A Druid town gives some respite,
Although it too is touched with blight.
An old man begs the group to hurry,
And save them from Kazarackti's fury.

In the town the party finds,
Folks of many different kinds.
A sly conniving merchant banker,
A pawnshop dandy even swankier.

Gathered close, they enter bravely,
A cemetery - walking gravely.
Past the headstones, they are met,
By ghostly form, in silhouette.

By slashing scythe, the first is felled,
Into a grave the corpse does meld.
A stone to mark the sad demise,
One less to fight Kazarackti's lies.

While lost upon an endless sea,
A shrieking gull for scraps does plea.
The rowers falter at the oars,
Uncertainty building more and more.

'Til one speaks up, reminding all,
They must prevent Lorminstra's fall!
The party rallies, rows much harder,
The boat soon slices through the water.

You sing:

"Lorminstra badge, I must now ask you, here in River's Rest
About yourself, and Lorminstra and of that long-past quest
A talkative badge in deed are , but is the story done?
Continue, badge, and tell to me what the questers lost and won.
A valiant crew of adventurers who battled death and danger,
They won the day because to them faith and hope were not strangers."

Your song brings the tempo to a crescendo of voices. Your mind rings with the music and the tale that it tells.

Rising up before their eyes,
A vast volcano scrapes the skies.
Although they'd rather let it be,
They understand they cannot flee.

And so they work their way within,
The fiery mountain's steaming grin.
Searching every nook and rock,
For the shards they've pledged to save the flock.

The weary band, now tired and tattered,
At last all parts of staff has gathered.
Arimantis stands proud, a smile on her face,
Alight as though by touch of grace.

Each head held high, a test to face,
Into a ring of stones they pace.
Lorminstra's staff will be repaired,
By those who risked and those who dared.

You sense the song and rhyme are now finished. You are left with only the silence of your own thoughts. A feeling of utter peace and hope for the future remains as well.

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Originally posted: http://web.archive.org/web/20150429042412/http://www.angelfire.com/rpg/beaconhall/lorminstra_badge.htm
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