In the morning, after a large breakfast, you exit the tower and walk down the hill to St Asaph. It is a small thorp serving the local farming community in the valley. You see several small temples, devoted to Odin and Dagda, respectively, an inn called the Mountain Place, a tavern (The Dog), a small barracks and a few businesses. The populace seem to be friendly enough, and nod to you in a civil fashion as you pass.
"So who is it you worship, anyway, Lo?" Robert asks, as you look around.
"Worship?" Lo asks, "why no one!" he replies. "I was not particular devout at home and after all the shit I have seen that has gone down here, I don't know what to believe. Is god worship essential here?"
"I thought it was for a monk."
"No gods have come to me yet," he replies with a shrug.
Robert shrugs.
"Never had much to do with monks. They tend to die before they need training."
"On my world, I have seen men like Hercules and Thor battle in the streets of Manhattan, but no one worshipped them per se," he comments.
Robert glances at Orlon.
"And who do you worship?" he asks.
"No one, really," he replies.
"Alright," he says with a nod. "I am ready to train," he says with a smile after the tour.
Jesse approaches Occa.
"Is anyone interested in heading back to Sandas for a bit before we begin our exploration? Do we even know the extent of the ability, or inability to teleport around this area?"
Occa says, "That would be fine with me. We can go this evening if there is no one to train Lo."
"If it is cheaper to train there, then I would be interested!" Lo says with a nod to Jesse.
You spend the rest of the day exploring St Asaph, soon realising that there is not much more to the place. There are no monks about who could train Lo.
You have lunch at the inn, and then head back up to the tower late in the afternoon. You meet up with Godfrey, who is outside splitting wood with an axe.
After another dinner with the warrior, you explain to him that you are returning to Sandas to train, and Occa teleports you home.
His spell works fine.
It is a pleasant spring afternoon in Sandas when you appear outside of Occa's house, albeit somewhat gusty. The temperature is around 60F.
Igor the doorman greets you, followed soon thereafter by Salaam.
Jesse speaks.
"I will be staying here. It is time for me to retire and prepare for my next job, that of motherhood," she says, smiling at her husband.
Occa smiles. "Congratulations."
"Well met all," Salaam says with a smile. "It is good you will stay back, I am in the middle of designing and building a temple to my lord Thoth, perhaps a woman's touch would be helpful. Also, to have a childbirth in a new temple with bestow great blessings upon the child!" he says with a smile, seemingly genuinely happy for her and Darian.
"It is my hope that you rescue Zanax and Occa, and stick it to Raz," the woman says. "and I think I know someone who might be willing to accompany you."
"Who?"
"A dwarf, a fighter," the woman says. "He's been to Hell before, and from what I recall, he has a score to settle down there too. He is a follower of Thor."
"Oh, I met with Ray Jay, he has Zanax's body in stasis at his place. I tangled with Ryshara and she escaped and she tried to trick Ray Jay, but his defenses stunned her, so go to him to recover his body," Salaam suggests.
People scatter.
Jesse heads off to find a room in the mansion fit for conversion into a nursery. Occa heads off to his lab. Salaam resumes his spell research. Emm retreats to his room to study his book.