Coraliss in Collinwood

[Coraliss Meara]

After last night's final ceremony I walked back to my room tired, but happy. It seems as though I was finally ready to start helping people. Tomorrow would be a new day, I thought as I fell asleep. The sun streaming in my window woke me the next morning. Normally, I would not have gotten up this early, but today I was finally going to be able to help people on my own.After praying for an hour I rushed to the kitchen to grab some breakfast to take with me. I grabbed an apple and some cheese, and headed on my way out of Glittergold's temple.

[Valor]

You run out into the bright city full of little people. Gnomes and halflings fill the street. Most of the people sit at small tables selling different types of foods. And using small simple tools to accomplish tasks. A couple carvans came into town last night and people take their best wares to trade with the newcomers. Everyone seems to be very nice and happy. One of the other gnome clerics of Glittergold call you over to them. "Coraliss I heard you finished your final ceremony last night! Well done!" He gets up to come and greet you. He is an older man with grey hair and noticeably shorter then most other gnomes. He motions for you to follow him and speaks to you again. "So I'm sure you're excited to start your cleric duties. So we have something for you to start. A few children run up and start running around your legs. "We need you take care of these children while they practice their illusion spells. That shouldn't be a problem should it." The kids start pulling on your clothes with bright smiling faces and their words mix together and they yell in excitement about the spells that they've been practising.

[Coraliss Meara]

(Spells that I had prepared: Cure minor wounds x3, Cure light wounds x2, Protection domain sanctuary)
"No, I don't think that it will be a problem at all." Coraliss turns to the kids and asks them where they want to go to practice their spells. "Where should we all go so that we can practice somewhere, where we are not likely to bother the caravans?"

[Valor]

All the kids jump up and down in excitement and ignore some of your words. They begin to yell out different words and shake their hands around in different motions. Some of the kids even look like their dancing. Suddenly you are surrounded by thousands of butterflys and the kids all scream and laugh in excitement. The old man you were talking to laughs and walks away. "Well good luck with that then." you hear him say from a distance.

[Coraliss Meara]

Coraliss laughs and dances along with the kids as she called back, "Thanks!" to the old man. After the butterflies dissipate, while the kids are all still laughing, Coraliss calls out to them. "Come on! First one to find a nice open spot gets my apple!" The kids laugh as Coraliss starts to skip away to find a good spot.

[Valor]

The children take after your impression and skip after you. Some of the younger kids take your challenge to win the apple and skip ahead as fast as they can trying to find a good spot. Then ideas begin to fill their heads, if they can't find a perfect spot they'll make one. Three children join together and begin to cast spells. Suddenly a open plane transforms to become slightly brighter with low cut grass filled with flowers and a small river flowing through it. They turn and call out to you. "Coraliss, Coraliss will this place work?"

[Coraliss Meara]

"Well, it's not what I had in mind, but it will work." She turned to the three kids that made the meadow and tossed the apple to them, " you guys earned it. Split it into three parts and each one of you take one." She turned and waited for the rest of the kids to catch up with them. " Okay, so show me what you are supposed to be practicing,"she said once they caught up.

[Valor]

For the next few minutes the children wave their hands around and scream out random words. Everything around you changes constantly as different animals appear and the landscape changes. Bystanders stop and watch what the children create before smiling and walking off. After 30 minutes or so of this continuing. Music begins to play from around a big tree in the middle of town where the carvan pulled in for the night. As is tradition when a halfling caravan comes to town now there would be a celebration. Several of the children hear the music and run off to join the festivities. Leaving you alone, one of the head priests from your temple walks over to you after all the kids leave and speaks to you. "So Coraliss how's the first day as a cleric going?"

[Coraliss Meara]

"Well, I can honestly say that they have more energy than I do," she said smiling."But they all behaved well and some of them are really getting good at casting their spells. It was fun to be with them. Did you have something else in mind for me to do? If not, then I was thinking of going and joining the festival."

[Valor]

The head priest thinks for a moment, the begins to speak slowly. "Well... It's not every day that a carvan pulls into town. You go have fun and we'll speak later." She turns and walks away with a smile on her face and begins to also head for the festivities.

[Coraliss Meara]

Coraliss turns towards the caravans, but decides to browse through the vendors selling their wares. While she does not have any money to spend, it is nice to just look at some of the nice things that the people of the town have made as well as what the caravan has brought out to sell. As she walked she would run into the children that she had just been watching and would smile and laugh with them as they showed her what they had found. After a couple of hours she realized that she was growing quite hungry. She decided to make her way back to the temple to grab some lunch.

[Valor]

Once you sit at the temple and begin eating the head priest from earlier approaches you. "Hello again coraliss, are you more free to talk now. Or are you planning to go out and join the festivities again after eating?" She sits still with a smile and waits for your response.

[Coraliss Meara]

Coraliss swallows down what she had been munching on. "I'm free to talk, as long as you don't mind me eating. I might join the caravan latter tonight if they decide to tell stories, but I'm free now. what do you have on your mind?"

[Valor]

She lets out a small chuckle. "Of course not." She takes a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking. "Me and the other head priests have been watching you for some time now. And we think that you could become a great cleric of glittergold. Your heart is in the right place. You just need more training. So I would like you to leave with the caravan tomorrow and travel the world. We are sending other clerics too so you won't be alone. Of course the choice is yours just let us know." She stands up bows to you and walks off.

[Coraliss Meara]

Coraliss sat in stunned silence after she had left. She had never thought about leaving Collinwood. This is where her family lived, where she grew up, where she thought she would live out her life. Now that she was thinking about it, traveling sounded fun. Of course there were things that needed ironed out, like what she was supposed to do with the caravan, what she would do for food, what she would need to bring. She decided that the first thing to do was to go talk to her parents. With that in mind she set out to her parents house.

[Valor]

You arrive at your parents house. As you open the door your mom instantly comes to greet you. "Oh hello Coraliss how was it, your first day as a cleric I mean, come, come, come. Tell me all about it I want every detail." your father sits in a chair eating a piece of fried meat that the caravans were giving out during the festival. "mmm this meat is good, oh hello Coraliss. How are you sweety? Mmmm so good!"

[Coraliss Meara]

"Hi, mom, dad. Well I watched a bunh of the kids from town where were practicing their illusion spells. It was a lot of fun, but I don't remember having that much energy. So it was pretty good. I do have some news to tell you." Coraliss hesitated and her parents leaned in closer. " One of the head priests approached me today. She said that her and some of the others think that i would make a good cleric. And so they want me to leave with the caravan tomorrow to travel and learn more." She paused to let them take it in. " I guess my question for you guys is if you think it is a good idea? I have considered it and think it might be nice to travel around. And it seems as though collinwood has gotten smaller with each year. I know everyone here, I could use some new friends. She finished waiting to hear their reply, wondering if her mom would bring up the issue of wanting to see her daughter get married off.

[Valor]

(hint received)

After a few moments of awkward silence your dad begins to say a few words but is instantly cut off by your mother before he can even say one. "Travel? As in travelling? What about getting married, when would you do that if you're travelling? What about that nice man that works down at the market selling leather. I hear he makes good money. Why don't you get a nice boy like that. I don't think this travelling thing is a good idea if you arn't going to find someone suitable. And those caravans are almost always full of just halflings. Are you planning on marrying a halfling. Now I'm not raciest but I don't think I could stand to have halfling grandchildren running around my house. Your father closes his mouth of the words he was about to speak and decides to instead take another bite of his meat and see how this plays out a little longer.

[Elliott the Undying]

(Two catfights in one day? Oh boy!)

[Coraliss Meara]

Mom, seriously the guy who sells leather? First off absolutely not. Second I think that the traveling might be good for me. I'll come back, it's not like I won't be able to find my way home. Who know maybe I'll find someone when I'm traveling. Coraliss stops and gives her dad a pitying look. "You were about to say something dad?

[Valor]

Your dad smiles at you. "I think it's a wonderful idea. You should have a chance to see the world." Your mom stands in silence for a moment before giving a sigh. "Fine, if that's what you want to do I won't stop you. But I still expect grandchildren, do you understand me?!" She points her finger at you before walking into the kitchen and starts preparing some food.

[Coraliss Meara]

And that is the way mom was. Coraliss knew that her mom loved her, but mom had always wanted a simple life of a marriage and kids. That's not exactly what Coraliss wanted out of life. Traveling sounded good, especially meeting new people. Chances are if she found someone to fall in love with, her mom would eventually get the grandchildren she wanted, maybe just a little later than she expected. "Thanks dad. I wanted to come talk to you guys first before I gave her my answer. Do you mind if I stay for dinner since I will be leaving tomorrow?"

[Valor]

Your dad finishes his meat before speaking. "Of course we got a bunch of good food from the caravan. Stay for diner and tomorrow you start your new adventure. Ow to be young again, and not so fat." He lets out a hearty laugh.

[Coraliss Meara]

(I like my dad...he's funny)
Coraliss went to the kitchen to help her mom set dinner up and finish off the food. After they ate Coraliss decided to go back to the temple to see if she could find the high priest and tell her, her decision. She hoped that she would get to hear some stories as well later, but packing and figuring out what she needed to do before tomorrow came first.

[Valor]

When you arrive at the temple dinner is just ending. And many of the clerics head to sleep. The high priest that you talked to earlier sits in entry way of the temple and she watches as the Paladins (Collinwood's guards) help people to their houses after getting to drunk at the celebration. She lets out a small chuckle. "Well Coraliss, you seemed to have fun at the celebration today. Have you decided if you want to travel with them or not?"

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