Ragnarr: The Trouble with Leaf

If there's one thing I can't complain about, it's boredom. The gods have certainly made certain I'm not that.

They've sent us a new one, it seems. A mousy sort with a temper better suited to wolverines.

Did I mention she's a druid? She seems to spend half her time as a mouse, and likes to summon wolverines. Useful, certainly, and she seems quite good at what she does, but she has a shortage of patience with some of the others, Tupper in particular, that I worry about. I mean, I'll be the first to agree that Tupper's a wee bit of an idiot sometimes, and certainly she's angry with him for good reasons, but he's a good lad. I'd hate to see him eaten.

Though it may be a kinder fate than what we're in for, I imagine.

We also met a girl by the name of Leaf. A little girl, though she might be older than we imagine. And innocent. I mean truly innocent, to the point of not really understanding what this whole "death" thing is or why anyone wouldn't want to go there. We found her, we thought, kidnapped by the Drow, though it seems she asked them to take her instead.

Frankly, she terrifies me. She has power to rival damned impressive wizards, but with none of the morality, none of the experience that might tell her not to blast the frog into a million pieces, so to speak.

To make matters worse, I had a vision given to me by part of that staff we found a piece of, earlier. A vision of it's power, of what it could do. And a whisper, from it. "All this could be yours."

I've heard one too many stories about magic items that want to be used. Sure, you could argue that they're just stories, but there's some things that would seem too damn silly to pass on if you didn't sugarcoat it. And pretty much any story you like says the same things: stay away from those items. They'll be the death of you every time.

Particularly given that, if I understand the vision right, it works by channeling Leaf's powers. We'd have to turn the poor girl into a weapon, to make her a killer on a scale she'd never dream of.

And for what? We'd win the war, aye. Perhaps even save the world. But what a bunch of bastards we'd have saved the world for, if this is what we're willing to do to save ourselves.

But what other choice is there? The staff exists, and our enemies are looking for it. I frankly don't even know if we could destroy this damn thing.

And Leaf? What are we to do with her? Our enemies would love to get our hands on such a girl, and who knows what they would teach her. We can't turn her over to an orphanage, or even a foster family. She makes the family dog disappear, obliterates the family house, and then what? At best, she's not welcome with that family any more, and at worst, she's burned at the stake as a witch.

Gods, I'd hate to see what was left of the village that tried that.

One way or another, perhaps we need to care for this girl, to try and instill her with a sense of morality, to perhaps bring her to a point where she can make the choice, to be a weapon or not. If that's a choice she'll ever be able to make.

But it's a dangerous road we travel, and I'd hate it if something should happen to her, or is she fell into the hands of our enemies. I could never forgive myself for that.

And the staff? Do we use it's power and perhaps risk our souls?

Aye, that's a matter I'll have to discuss with the paladins. That and the matter of Leaf, and whether it would be better for one of us to take her, try and teach her, vanish into the mountains and hide until she's ready.

Ready for... whatever it is she needs to do. Damned if I know.

Pelor, if you're listening: I know you like to let me find my own way, but if you've got any advice here, I wouldn't say no.