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["No, Fred. We desire what you can give now. Instead... Tell us a story... A story about where you came from. Or about yourself. Or even those humans you brought along. It matters not. And afterwards... you shall take us to see others."]

"No, Fred. We desire what you can give now. Instead... Tell us a story... A story about where you came from. Or about yourself. Or even those humans you brought along. It matters not. And afterwards... you shall take us to see others."

"Fine." Fred says defeatedly. "But I want to discuss this more later. As I said, keeping a single being as entertainment is not a solution for your concerns and fears."

"So, a story, is it? I don't know much of this world, as I've only been here for a week or two. What kind of tale would you like to hear about my old world? I have a lot to tell, as I spent years observing it. I could tell of the environment, the communities, the way of life...what do you find interesting?"

"Hmm... very well. We shall train you. Perhaps that will be entertaining in itself. As for contacting thy friends, they are still under our enchantment, tis would be a simple matter to tell them that you're fine here just the way you are."

Fred sighs with some relief, having finally gotten through to her in some way. "Thank you, Moonarianasoletteagem. My greatest concern is that I won't grow strong enough, fast enough, to protect those I want to protect. Any skills you can share would be appreciated."

Fred smiles, though a little nervously, as he thinks to himself. I'm concerned with the way she said that my friends are still enchanted, and that she'll tell them I'm fine here...there's no time limit to that. I would argue, but I don't believe she's in the mood for debating that. Hopefully I can convince her later.

Requested rolls for missed diplomacy prompts.
Help me get stronger

Diplomacy:  1d20+8 : 18 + 8, total 26

Let me talk with my friends

Diplomacy:  1d20+8 : 7 + 8, total 15

Requested Diplomacy Checks

Change Attitude:  1d20+8 : 5 + 8, total 13

Make Request:  1d20+8 : 8 + 8, total 16

["That's such a shame, that they all ended up in that state. But this place is pretty close to the cavern entrance, so I believe those that got away fropm the ruined city made it back to the surface. For all I know, some of my friends might be descendants. But why are you unable to leave this place? Is there something here that's so important to guard that you can't leave it for even a moment?"]

Fred looked sad hearing about the ruined city, and sadder still with the story of the refugees and Moongem's loneliness. "That's such a shame, that they all ended up in that state. But this place is pretty close to the cavern entrance, so I believe those that got away fropm the ruined city made it back to the surface. For all I know, some of my friends might be descendants. But why are you unable to leave this place? Is there something here that's so important to guard that you can't leave it for even a moment?"



"...Huh." Fred continues to stare at the door in disbelief, the large crystalline formations that'd formed making him realize exactly the kind of ability the little sprite before him had. He could only think one thing.

If I'm not careful with this woman, those could be around me...

Fred was on the verge of a cold sweat as he turned around to face his new friend once more. Perhaps he could stay a bit longer, and attempt helping sate this being's loneliness. He could certainly understand the thought behind it, having met the Ravens. Companionship was essential for certain kinds of joy. But as he was thinking about his companions in understanding, he also realized that by keeping him from the ravens, Moongem was forcing her own suffering on Fred instead of completely solving it. And the cold, almost manic desperation in her eyes seemed to confirm that. No, if I cave into her desire here, nothing will ever truly be solved.

Fred steeled himself for what he was about to do, knowing the consequences of failure. "Moonarianasoletteagem." He said sternly. "Even if I do live long compared to others, it wouldn't be forever. This isn't a solution. Wouldn't it be better to look for a more permanent way to gain companionship? Otherwise, going back to being alone is inevitable." He paused for emphasis on this point. "You don't want to be alone. Believe me, I understand this well. But your desperation caused you to overlook another option. Bringing other people here. As often as you like, and by their own will instead of being forced."

"Like me, no one seemed to know that this temple existed down here. And when someone did happen to come near, you sent them away like my friends. If you don't want to be alone, then let people come and go. I guarantee they'll be happy to visit if they don't feel threatened. And I have many among my group that would likely wish to speak with you. Just from talking for a short while with you, I've heard about events that I guarantee no one else outside of this temple knows, and they'd wish for nothing more than to hear about it. And likewise you can learn about the world through them. Also, people gathering at a temple is the purpose of a temple, isn't it?"

Fred then exhaled and plopped to the floor, sitting where he'd once stood. "But if you prefer keeping me here, I don't think there's much I can do. I just think it's the wrong choice, and I don't think remaining here for so long is what the goddess wanted when she bought me to this world. I've been told by everyone around me that I'm supposed to help people all across this land, despite my lack of strength. So if you want to keep me here, my only request beyond basic needs is that you teach me and help me get stronger. And I'd like to be able to at least let my friends know that I'm ok, too. Is that possible with magic?"

Requested Int check

Intelligence:  1d20+2 : 2 + 2, total 4

Rolling Sense Motive for Fred to possibly understand more deeply why she'd try to lock a Hero away from the world as a goddess' guardian/messenger. Is it pure selfishness, or is there a deeper desire that they could compromise over?

Sense Motive:  1d20+10 : 13 + 10, total 23

Requested diplomacy checks

Diplomacy 1:  1d20+8 : 7 + 8, total 15

Diplomacy 2:  1d20+8 : 3 + 8, total 11

["Agreed. I'll be back soon."]

All Fred could do was chuckle at the reactions, smiling as he brushed.



"Agreed. I'll be back soon." Fred said as he waved to the spirit while walking away.

Done with both if you are.

["Moon...ariana...solettea...gem. Moonarianasoletteagem. Right, I think I got it. It's an interesting name."]

Fred took a moment to focus on the name, trying to tap into his past mimicry skills as a raven to hopefully make the name stick. "Moon...ariana...solettea...gem. Moonarianasoletteagem. Right, I think I got it. It's an interesting name." He grinned back at her, happy with his progress.

Fred's ears perked up with the mention of the underground human city. "There's a city somewhere down here? I would have never guessed. There's actually one above these caverns, too. My friends and I came from there, seeking refuge while we grow our strength and gain stability again. Do you happen to know where this city is? I'd like to visit at some point."

"Oh! So you can see a persons...strength? Potential? Divine connections? What is that sight, and how can you do it?"

"How long..." Fred thinks for a moment. "Probably not much longer. Once my friends wake from that spell of yours, they will likely panic that I'm not there with them. I should make sure they're doing well. However, I know where this is now, and I'll happily come visit again soon, and that time for much longer. All that matters for whether I can stay is that my friends know I'm safe."

["How about this, Ai. You can hold my hand while I brush Ju's hair. Deal?"]

After waiting a moment for the child to calm down, Fred softly asked, a slight glint in his eye as he maintained eye contact with Lai Ju, "How about this, Ai. You can hold my hand while I brush Ju's hair. Deal?"



Fred recalled the words of the other Ravens as Shuren offered his special training routine in the future. It caused him slight chills remembering the torturous words said. But still, he knew it would be an overall gain for him, so he steeled himself before giving a positive response. "Thank you, Shuren. We'll work on it in the near future. Fred then began turning to prepare for departure.

"One last question before I head out." Fred said, spinning around as he remembered something. "During our previous sparring sessions, you seemed to dodge in ways that wasn't just due to your reflexes. And it didn't seem like it was thanks to your spirit body, either. Is there a technique that allows you to dodge attacks...differently? I don't know if that makes sense, I just noticed that your movements were strange."

This question is trying to open up Monk class training, specifically their special AC modifier.

["Well this is all a new experience for me- and I mean all- so I've been getting excited easily."]

Fred chuckles sheepishly at the comment on his liveliness. "Well this is all a new experience for me- and I mean all- so I've been getting excited easily."

Hearing her talk about her name and origins, Fred became a bit more solemn. "It sounds like your circumstances haven't been good for you for a while. You're alone now? And as for your name...'suffice'. I don't like that, a name is important." Fred thinks back to the thought he put into his own name before snapping out of the momentary thought to focus back onto her. "How would you like me to address you? Even if I struggle at first, I'll learn it."

"A 'temple'?" Fred asks, unfamiliar with the word at first before remembering the gathering places in his past life. "All I know is that people seemed to gather together in something like that, but I don't know the purpose. What is this temple used for? It's dedicated to the goddesses to what end? And...you've maintained this whole place by yourself for years?" Fred looked at her with a gaze of surprise and amazement. "That must have taken a lot of effort."

Fred was taken aback for a moment, "Why did I come here? Good question." Fred lets out a light snort as he realizes he really doesn't have any reason to be here. "My friends and I were coming back from the caverns with a special plant to help our comrades when one of them noticed this place and came to investigate. And now I'm here, fascinated. That's about it." As he wraps up his simple explanation, Fred comprehends her questions a bit more and notices a peculiar part of her statement. "'One blessed as me'? 'One of my kind'? Were you able to tell I'm one of those 'heroes' just by looking at me?" He says with a bit of shock.

["Men, too. I don't discriminate."]

Fred had seen this kind of behavior before in his past life, but had always thought it happened when the other party was yelling or generally being cruel. The current situation was baffling to him. But no doubt about it, this was human sadness. Luckily, Fred also knew a way to comfort it from watching people for so long. He carefully leaned forward, his head resting on top of the little girl's, and wrapped his arms around her gently. He didn't say anything, just continuing to hug as long as was needed. He looked with a side glance to Lai Ju, giving a 'am I doing this right?' kind of look.



Fred knowingly grinned back, "Men, too. I don't discriminate." He chuckled before his expression got more serious again, pondering how best to describe the abilities he had. "That power is called 'Destroy'. It seems to remove the outer layer of anything I choose. For people, that counts as clothing. For objects, it varies. Like this." Fred picks a stone on the ground to direct his energy toward and uses Destroy to show Shuren the effects. After the debris settles, he continues. "I haven't found too great a use for it yet outside of disarming people, but with how it deals with stone, I see potential."

Fred looks back from the stone to Shuren, "My second power is called Status. I can see the names and some basic information about a target I choose. From what I can tell, it only works on people. I can currently see their name, their current title, and their title history. It's helped me fish out a few spies in the Ravens, and understand people's past and abilities in general."

"And just recently, I developed a third power. Barrier. From what the magic users in the group have told me, it's a shield of raw mana that's extremely efficient. It's not elemental magic, just mana. I can choose its size, how sturdy it is, and what can enter and exit freely to some extent."

["Great!"]

Fred's first impression was that the girl before him was a child, but her actions and general bearing gave the impression that she was not only much older than she looked, but powerful as well. Though her words were almost song-like, the hair on the back of Fred's neck stood up with a chill. He was finally recognizing just who or what he'd signaled to. Still, that didn't shake his attitude, nor his curiosity. "Great!" Fred chirped as he walked toward the prepared seat. "It really is incredible that you can shape the crystal like this. So what is this place? And why is it so important to keep people away from it?" Fred questioned to start off the conversation, then remembered the the etiquette he'd been taught in his first week as a human. "Oh, right. My name is Fred!" He beamed cheerfully at the woman from his seat below.

Second requested diplomacy for Influence Attitude check. First check was for a Request to talk.

Diplomacy:  1d20+8 : 19 + 8, total 27

["Hello! Behind the tree!"]

Initiative:  1d20+9 : 18 + 9, total 27

Fred does not make any aggressive movements, as he doesn't feel threatened, and is instead curious.

Diplomacy:  1d20+8 : 7 + 8, total 15

"Hello! Behind the tree!" Fred called out and waved in a friendly manner. "I'll leave in a moment, since I can't leave my friends in that state, but can we talk first? If I understand more about this place, maybe I can help you keep others away easier, if that's what you want." He pauses for a moment to look at the mana flowing through the area before speaking once more, "Also, this magic is beautiful. Powerful, yet peaceful. If this mana says anything about the kind of being you are, then I can only say I like you."