The Priest of Eliador

The suns sits high and unhindered by clouds in the late morning sky. Moira can tell that the chill of winter is fast approaching, as where only a couple of weeks earlier, the air would have been; while not warm, certainly pleasant. Father Killian McAnders looks Moira over as though appraising her soul. He then puts on a warn smile and extends his ancient hand to Moira to emphasis that he means her to take it up and turns to slowly walk back down the cobble and dirt path to the tiny temple to Belenos.

"The bells of Tercus will soon ring out and I must attend to my prayers, walk an old man back to his home will you my dear?"

"I fear.....that time has nearly caught up to me it seems.....I was born in Eliador you know.....for certain you cannot tell this from my speech, but tis true, all the same. When I was young, I left home in a vain attempt to find fortune and glory in the Freeholds. Even managed to make it as far as Illad in my travels. There I met a woman, Alana, who turned my life upside down. We had a grand life, adventuring into the ruins of Old Illad and slaying monsters of all sorts. A short and merry life she called it. But alas, that life was not to last. Eventually, that life came to an end as most lives lived thus do, in violence. The one true love of my life was taken from me and my world was shattered.”

“I wandered, time and time again, back into the ruins that had claimed her, and I would have been happy to join her. It was thereafter a life that was empty and without purpose. Eventually, I came to know Belenos, the god of our people, and my heart would slowly begin to mend. It took many years to be sure, but eventually, I came to understand that my life would still have purpose. There was a reason for why things turn out as they do. This is a fact of life that one cannot simply be told, but must come to understand themselves over time and with the guidance of the hearth fires of Belenos.”

“I look into your soul now and I see where I was all those years ago, lost with grief and anger. But I also see where our lives differ as well. For I had no children of my own to look after. Your husband has been taken from you, your eldest child is lost to you. I pray Belenos that he finds his way home, whether he be alive yet or no. But I pray more so that you find your way out of the darkness that I see begin to envelope your soul. You have lost much in these last few days and I pray with all my heart that Belenos too will find you along your long dark path and lead you once more into the light of the hearth fire.”

“I will not dissuade you from continuing your search for your missing child, Belenos knows that I cannot hope to convince you otherwise. So if you must imperil yourself further, then I will give you what aid I can. Follow me to the temple and I will give you some items blessed by Belenos to protect you on your road.”

Father Killian leads Moira to the shrine of Belenos and you can hear the chanting of the monks begin to ring out their on the crisp late morning air, letting you know that the hour of Tercus is upon you. Father Killian invites Moira to wait in the courtyard of the small shrine and within minutes retrieves a small polished dark wood box. He hands the box to Moira and informs her that within are several potions of healing and vials of holy water, to protect both her and her companions on the dark road they now travel. The local monks of Belenos have been praying night and day for a week preparing these items for the heroes of Eliador, and as it seems Moira is now among their ranks, she has as much claim to these items as any of her new companions.

(In the box is 5 potions of healing and 10 vials of holy water.)