Indranil: Moonday Night, Fireseek 3, 591 Common Year

Elsewhere, Ragnbjorn and Jankin come to the room where Indranil and Lorindel are staying. Ragnbjorn knocks saying, “Indranil, open up. It’s Ragnbjorn. Sir Jankin and I would like to have a word with you.”

Indranil opens the door and says, “Ah Ragnbjorn greetings. I was expecting you. Please come in.”

Ragnbjorn and Jankin enter. Ragnbjorn says, “I told the others, including Father Gar, to come here when they are finished with supper. They need to know what happened to us out in the marshes. But first we need to get some things straightened out.”

“Indranil, I am not even sure where to begin. I will concede to you that Gar made some comments that could certainly be taken as an insult, but he did apologize for at least one of them and you did threaten to attack him. I think you have some grave misunderstandings about the druids and Obad-Hai, but for better or worse, we have to work with him and so you need to understand him.

“Now, perhaps the first thing you need to know is that Prince Prospero, who was sitting within earshot of us at the High Table I must remind you, requested Father Gar, an emissary from the Great Druidess and not a soldier under anyone’s command, to help negotiate an agreement with the lizardfolk. Now I have known the Prince for some time, and he is a good judge of character. It is not your place to second-guess him in this. It is our place to provide security for this diplomatic mission. That means our job is not to presume to judge or criticize but simply to provide security for the negotiators: my son Fingol, gods help us all, Father Gar, may he keep his wit to himself, and the aldermen of the Westkeep fishermen, who frankly deserve to be spitted on lizardfolk spears for antagonizing them in the first place.

“Now, Father Gar’s wit may indeed have been inappropriate. I can only pray that he will curb it in actual negotiations. I suspect, however, that it is precisely Father Gar’s neutrality as an emissary of the Great Druidess that will give him credibility with the lizardfolk, whereas they may view our own people with more suspicion. If I know the druids and followers of Obad-Hai, they mean what they say about not siding with one race or faction over another. They serve the balance of nature whatever our own feelings may be about it. Prince Prospero believes that as a follower of Obad-Hai, Gar will be able to find the Balance and so preserve peace and find an agreement with the lizardfolk that will enable the fishermen and shrimpers and crabbers to do what they need to do. Remember the lizardfolk are not followers of Heironeous or St. Cuthbert or even Ehlonna. They are not evil, but neither are they generous. They simply do what they must to survive and maintain their place in the natural world. This is why a priest of Obad-Hai would make a good intermediary, he is not truly on our side or theirs, but serves the Balance that we must all respect if any of us are going to live here long. As rangers, we also know this necessity to respect the rhythms and harmony of nature.

“Now, you raise a legitimate concern about someone like Father Gar possibly giving aid to evildoers, but I think you misunderstood what he was saying. Perhaps I should let Sir Jankin here tell you what he has observed.”

Jankin bows and says, “Greetings again, Sir Indranil. I have had the chance to observe Father Gar over the last couple of days. It has been… very instructive. First of all, as a paladin I can assure you that there is no taint of evil in him. If there were, I or the other paladins here would have sensed it some time ago. We cannot throw someone in the dungeon simply for being selfish or mean, but we would certainly have kept a close watch on him and put a stop to any illegal or injurious actions. But that is not all. What I observed from my time with he and Fingol is that while his sense of humor can be nettlesome, he does seem to genuinely mean well and care about people. More than that, he seems willing to risk his life to provide healing, pure food and water, and other necessities even to those who he knows may not deserve it. If he is not aligned with the Good now, if he continues on such a course he soon will be, for he has demonstrated the kind of mercy that the Archpaladin Heironeous himself teaches. I think that to him elves, humans, lizardfolk, and even orcs are all to be judged solely by their actions and given a chance to find their place in the Balance.

“There is one final thing I can say of him. Actually, I don’t know if it is my place to speak of this, but no one forbade me so I will tell you both in the hope that it will give you more confidence. We followers of Heironeous have been working on ways in which to prevent a worse outbreak of Filth Fever and the Scarlet Ache when plague season begins again the late spring and summer. Paragon Muire enlisted the help of powerful guardians to help provide security for our projects. One of those is Lady Sauraa.”

“By the gods!” exclaims Ragnbjorn in utter amazement. “You don’t mean to say that she is here! In this palace!”

Jankin nods. “Yes, she came about a month ago.”

Ragnbjorn turns to Indranil, “Lady Sauraa is the daughter of King Sagara of the Guardian Nagas. She is very powerful and very wise.”

“Yes,” says Jankin, “And she met Sir Fingol and Father Gar earlier today. They passed her test. She found them trustworthy enough to see in more detail our project, for Paragon Muire had left it to her discretion as to whether or not they could be allowed to know more. Lady Sauraa herself vouched for them. She said that his goals were in line with ours, and Sir Fingol and Father Gar both bowed to their knees in reverence before her. I’ll admit that Father Gar takes some getting used to, one needs to be able to find a way to graciously put up with his teasing and jesting as Sir Fingol seems to have, but I would trust him to do what is right in the end. And if not, well, then the Daughter of the Naga King Sagara will have made a very grave error, Heironeous forbid.”

Indranil listens quietly to Ragnbjorn and Jankin while several emotions flash across his face from anger to embarrassment to humor to quiet understanding and then peace. Indranil draws a deep breath and then says, “Thank you for your detailed explanation and confidence. I sincerely appreciate it.”

Letting out a deep sigh Indranil continues, “I apologize for my rashness. Perhaps the stress of the last two days in the Hool and the attack of the ghouls have not yet left my spirit and I am still a bit unsettled. Sir Jankin, as a paladin you make me feel much better about Gar, and to hear his reverence to Lady Sauraa makes me rest easier.

“While I feel compelled to fight evil wherever I find it, I am responsible to control my own reaction to insults. Perhaps Gar likes to mask his noble deeds with being irritating in a self-deprecating manner?

“What you said about his belief that, ‘to him elves, humans, lizardfolk, and even orcs are all to be judged solely by their actions and given a chance to find their place in the balance,’ I find great wisdom in and I too share this belief. By our actions we are known not by what race we are, or what god we profess to believe in or what clothes we wear.

“I am sworn to defend this mission with my life and all those that are part of it are equally under my protection. Mind you I like him not. I find his jokes… distasteful and his taking pleasure in the angst of others unworthy. I will avoid him at the camp fires! But worry not that this will cause conflict during the mission. I have no axe to bear against Gar.”

Indranil looks at Ragnbjorn and says, “Master please forgive me. I hope I have not caused you trouble and grief.”

Ragnbjorn waves away any further concern, and says, “No harm was done, and I am glad to hear you bear no grudge against Father Gar. We just have to protect him and the other negotiators, we don’t have to like them.”

Someone knocks at the door. “Ah,” says Ragnbjorn. “It must be the others.”