Providence: Difference between revisions

One day, monsters, disguised as soldiers from the [[Rucker]] Empire come to attack Providence. The people of Providence have fended them off as much as possible, helped by the Goddess Statue. The townspeople believe that Rucker has come to take the Goddess Statue.

The party arrives at the island of Providence from the [[Shrine of Mysteries]]. They cross a bridge that separates the warp from the town of Providence. One of the townspeople near the bridge spots the party and wonders if they are soldiers from the Rucker Empire.

The party enters Providence. There, they are accosted by two members of the village, wondering if they are soldiers from Rucker. When the party expresses confusion, the duo let them enter the town, telling them that when they have finished their business to leave. The party explore the town, heading into the [[Mountaintop Tunnel]], which leads to a church at the mountain's summit. Inside the church, they see Abraham, the town's elder talking with his son, Caleb, and the priest. Abraham wants a peaceful negotiation with the emperor of Rucker. However, Caleb blames the Goddess statue for all of Providence's troubles. Impulsively, he goes to the shrine to take the Goddess statue and heads to the bridge near Providence. The party follow him.

When Caleb and the party reach the bridge, they see the Rucker forces lining up on the bridge. The captain tells Rucker to surrender. However, Caleb figures that the foreign army is after the Goddess statue. He throws the Goddess statue down on the ground and shatters it in half. The captain is shocked at the action but then is overjoyed. He tells Caleb that part of the reason he came to Providence was to destroy that statue but now that he did it for him, there is nothing protecting the town. The captain and his army reveal their true form as monsters. Under Captain [[Mandrake mercenary#Skraw|Skraw]]'s orders, the monsters attack Providence.

Caleb, realizing that his actions have endangered the town, runs back, the party right behind him. There they find the townspeople fighting the monsters. Caleb and the party head back to the mountain church. There Caleb explains what had just transpired to the priest. The priest sees smoke rising from the town and suddenly remembers his past. His previous village was attacked by monsters as well, but he fled by jumping into the sea. Eventually he washed up on the shores of Providence with no memories. The priest leads Caleb and the party into the church's cellar and locks the door. He believes that the monsters are actually after him and so he has decided to face the monsters alone. He is killed by the monsters.

The next morning, Caleb and the party open the cellar to see the church destroyed. As they head back to the town, they notice that the townspeople have had their souls stolen. As Caleb is overlooking the destruction caused by the monsters, he drops a chest that he picked up from the cellar. In it is a relief of a wounded goddess healing herself in the spring. They show the relief to Caleb, who remembers that the priest once purified the Goddess statue in the same manner in the spring. The party gets the idea to collect the pieces of the Goddess statue that Caleb broke.

They return to bridge near Providence where the pieces are scattered. Collecting them, they head towards the spring at the mountain's summit behind the church. Before they can restore the statue, Skraw appears. He commends the late priest for anticipating this event. However, he refuses to allow the party to restore the statue. He engages the party in a fight.

The party fight a losing battle. However, Caleb enters the spring and helps them restore the Goddess statue. When it is in the spring, the statue is restored to its original self. The power of the Goddess statue weakens Skraw to the point where he is no match for the party. The party is able to defeat him, but Skraw completely destroys the Goddess statue with the last of his strength.

Caleb thanks the party for defeating Skraw. As he bemoans the fate of the village, [[Sir Mervyn]] tells him to be quiet and listen. There is something going on outside the spring. Everyone goes to investigate and sees that all of the souls that were stolen are returning to their bodies. Caleb thanks the party and he returns to the village. Everyone is overjoyed that the monsters are gone but are saddened by the passing of the priest. They promise to remember the actions of the priest forever.

| 20 [[Gold]] Coins

==Nearby monsters==