Service Interlude

After Ilk fell the party decided to return to Oskerlyn and the Lorekeeper Temple. The journey back to Oskerlyn is uneventful and when they get there they meet with the head Lorekeeper.

He agrees that the Guild will help and take care of Ilk’s body. He asks the party to return in two days with $1000 in gold to defray expenses. Hokusai has nothing to offer to help cover the cost and turns his attention instead to what service he can perform to do some “good”.

AEolric suggest helping out at a local Lorekeeper Orphanage, “Even if they don't have any work, just to play with the children and ease their suffering for a day”. Hokusai agrees this is a good idea but he can't help but wonder if AEolric is just trying to keep Hokusai out of trouble. AEolric gives him 10 gp to donate while he is there. Aeolric asks that his gift remain anonymous. Aeolric mentions that he would like to help Hokusai in this, “but he'd probably end up teaching the children their 'letters' or something boring. While that's important, he'd like to ease their suffering for a day and not add to it."Hokusai is happy to help out in the orphanage (knowing the Lorekeeper Guild's good work in this area he assumed they must have an operation of this type in such a big city like Oskrelyn - so this was his first thought for possible activities as well). Hokusai asks the others to join him and some of them take him up on the offer and spend some of their time over the next two days helping out in any way they can.

Hokusai, however, spends the whole two days at the orphanage. Hokusai decides to end his penance before he goes to help the children in the orphanage. He does not want to scare them or make them uncomfortable in any way. He will pack the straps with the other party possessions just in case he feels a need to continue the penance at a later date.

Hokusai starts by doing the "necessary" jobs: cleaning chamber pots, cleaning children (including changing diapers many that seem to be a couple of days old), general cleaning of rooms. No matter what the task he is doing at the time he always has a smile on his face. When Hokusai is in view of children he often tried to do something silly to make them smile. Balancing a chamber pot on his head or tumbling across the floor.

It is a joyous two days filled with laughter, service and friendship. Many children enjoyed watching Hoikusai perform his martial arts practices that included high kicks, tumbling and meditation doing his Sumie paintings. He is not a great painter, but he was good enough to impress the small children and some of the older ones joined in and created their own works.After doing some good for others Hokusai returned to the Lorekeepers, looking forward to seeing his friend Ilk alive and well. He wonders if that is even possible. But even if it is not he looks forward to getting back on track with the “mission”.When Hokusai sees Aeolric he will be noticeably pleased with him. He had a great suggestion about doing service at the orphanage and has been helping Hokusai find a place in the group lately starting when AEolric asked Hokusai to pack the horses a few days ago (a task he will happily do again before the party sets out to leave this time).

Perhaps these Lorekeepers do "good" after all, maybe not directly - but through others. Hokusai will need to meditate on that.