An accounting of what Elsbeth wants to buy over the next level or two. The first is the magic items that she doesn't own. This includes a Bastard Sword of the Planes @ 10000, an Iron Horn of Valhalla @ 10000, a set of Bracers of Defense AC 2 @ 10000, and a Girdle of Hill Giant Strength @ 5000. It's really about time that she owned these weapons instead of depending on the party's good favor. I don't think she's figured out that she'll have four magic Bastard Swords after this. This totals to 35000 gold pieces.

Another thing is the training to go up two levels. Just in case although I'm not too sure if she'll go up one level, much less two. Anyway, since Elsbeth is multi-classed, it'll cost 100 x 8 x 8 x 2 = 12800 to get to 8th level and 16200 to get to 9th level. Actually, with that Tome of Evil, she has a good chance of going up one level, although that second level will still be hard. Anyway, this totals to 29000 gold pieces.

Upkeep is also a big expense. Assuming another year of adventuring, with level eight being 4 months down the road, the total upkeep is 200 x 14 x 4 + 200 x 16 x 8 = 36800 gold pieces. Elsbeth likes living in luxury, and her Raccoon and two horses also deserve the best treatment. I don't think she's had to live at standard level in the last year of adventuring. We've gotten lots of money and she doesn't go up that fast.

The last thing Elsbeth wants is to raise her Intelligence. Let's face it, she's a bit of a dunce, and she knows it. Elsie sometimes stays up at night crying away the hurt after being teased mercilessly by the party. Someday they'll pay, she'll find a way to make them hurt for all the hurts done to her... Anyway, a Wish is 50000 gold pieces and she'll need a couple to raise her Intelligence to low average, so that's another 100000 gold pieces.

This makes Elsbeth's target for the next year 200800 gold pieces. Possible? Actually yes, although it would be at the high end of the party's earning ability. We go on bigger adventures with more danger and loot, but our expenses go up too, and the time we spend training goes up also. So our normal earning potential is, at a guess, some 100000 gold pieces a year each.

In terms of what she needs to learn over the next couple of levels, that's relative easy. She'll only get 12 character points, which limits what you can buy. Bastard Sword Mastery costs 8 points, I believe, leaving not enough to buy a minor sphere in anything other than one of the smaller spheres. Elsie was thinking that Remove Fear would be useful to have, but that would cost five points. I guess the other thing she can do is raise some of her skills like Animal Lore or Ride Moonhorse.

Which reminds me, now that the Moonhorses left she's stuck with that useless skill. Another bit of payback. Or maybe she can get another Moonhorse. Perhaps a powerful Charm Animal to bind it to her. La Diabla may get a bit jealous, but she's only a stupid horse.

Tolma asked Elsie what the deal was with the Temple of Cyric. Elsie is not a worshipper, but she does admire them. Cyric was just a normal guy who became a God, and that's cool. So I guess Elsie is more of a fan of the Temple than a member. She has her own random Nature Goddess to worship, and I don't think that her Goddess minds if Elsie helps Cyric occassionally. It's not like they are a bunch of tree-killers or animal-rapers, so evil is just as preferable as good in this case.