2021-12-31

Previous: 2021-08-25

Kutaku's Enkindling

After the trial, Kutaku and the others left the temple, each with their own thoughts. Wandering through the Temple District, Kutaku spied the Knights of Viasaatari. He led Woofie over to them, saluting them. He told the knights of the plans he had in store for the Temple of Behamut, the workings he had wrought, and the machinations in place. They nodded as they listened, their gazes intent on the scout. They had heard it all before from Kutaku, but this time, they seemed willing to listen.

"We can have our fellow knights here in three-days' time," one of them finally stated.

"How? The Cyrintillian Islands are far, and there are preparations to be made!" Kutaku was concerned that his plans were unravelling, if only slightly on the edges.

"We have a portal that will bring the knights swiftly to the cause," answered the knights.

Kutaku, taken off guard, took a large step back and threw his hands in the air. "What?! I've never heard of this before! We could have been using this all along! Why hadn't anyone told me? Where can this portal reach to? How often can we use it? Can dragons fit through it?"

The knights laughed watching Kutaku and his imagination spinning out of control. His voice grew loud and his words came fast. Jax, standing next to him, tugged at Kutaku's gear. Kutaku jerked at the pull and steadied himself just in time. His head whipped around and down to the Gnome.

"That will do nicely," Jax continued where Kutaku left off. His easy tone and half smile turned the conversation back to a discussion of the facts. "We anticipate the Knights of Viasaatari will contribute much to this campaign and look forward to you joining us."

"Three days!" rang the strong voice of Kutaku next to Jax. "They need to be here in three days! We're going to start something here that..."

Jax tugged again once more, this time almost stumbling the animated sea elf. Jax peered around them and with a lowered voice, stated, "we are inciting violence between the Temple of Behamut and the King as we are fairly certain the King has a zombie hoard at his command. In three days' time, they will be weakened because of the battle between them. That, as my colleague here has stated, is when we shall strike!" Jax's eyes glowed with excitement.

One of the knights nodded. We will be ready.

Kutaku nodded. "Okay, we have more people to talk to, so we will leave you to your work." Woofie nuzzled Kutaku's back and Kutaku patted him.

Kutaku and Jax said their goodbyes and walked out into the city with Kutaku having a veritable list of people to visit.

Adarra's Excommunication

With the trial of Justice Lightbringer now concluded and Adarra's remediation set, Adarra stomped out of the Temple of Sowila, muttering and swearing. "After everything she gave to that pace, and then they would place a curse on me?!" She exited the gates of the temple and screamed at the heavens. The thought played itself over and over, like a bard screeching in her ear the same song every minute, with not a moment of silence. She knew she couldn't live like this. Not knowing what she knows now. Not with the temple judging her like this.

Decision made, she turned on her heel and sped straight back to the temple. She marched to the front where Bronywyn was still speaking to those of the temple, people who felt like strangers now. Adarra demanded from Bronywyn that she remove the curse at once. Bronywyn explained to her that this would mean she would no longer be a cleric of Sowila if she didn't take herself through this time of contemplation.

Adarra, growling the words, demanded, "remove this curse at once. I don't care anymore."

Bronywyn gestured and said some words as a light descended upon the ex-cleric. Adarra could feel a rumbling in her body, felt an emptiness that felt like hunger and grief all at once. At that moment, standing in that temple, she had never felt more alone in her life - not for many years since the temple took her in as a child. She glared at Bronywyn, tears running down her face, teeth clenched and bared. Bronywyn reached for her but Adarra once again turned on her heel and marched out of the temple, hands in fists, not seeing where she was going.

A memory came to her as she tore herself from the temple: a memory of things that she was taught to fear, things that she had locked away. The thought came unbidden from the depths of memory, and soon became a nagging thought the more she contemplated. The Ur priesthood - those abominations that, she learned, stole from the gods and stole from clerics, to cast spells of false gods or no gods at all. A priesthood without a deity.

An answer to the moaning emptiness in her heart and stomach.

Rose's Rousing

Rose and the others had returned to the safety of the tower, but after some time, Rose felt that her particular set of skills were going to waste. Looking out the window that pointed in the direction of the District of Behamut's wall, she climbed out and down, jumping down the last six feet and landing like a cat on the prowl. This was more like it - freedom to operate as she sees fit. These were the best times for her and her friends - when she innovated on their situation.

Bow in hand, she walked out into the city. Guards from the Temple of Behamut were thick in the Temple District. City guards lurked nearby, watching. Waiting. The military might of the other temples in the district could be seen, standing, pacing, watching. She thought for a moment that it would be fun to make a show of pulling out her sword and cutting the tension to the laughs and applause of the temple guards around her but realized it only worked like that in her imagination.

She moved on. This was not the place to incite violence. She meandered through the city, gauging the atmosphere as she went. Soon, she found where she wanted to be. It just looked right. A gate between two districts. Temple of Behamut on one side, city guard on the other. She stole herself away, out of sight. She soon found a building she could scale. From there, running along rooftops, she leaped from building to building. Finding a tree in the perfect position, she eyed they guards and the priests on either side of the gate.

"There's a nice, plump one," she muttered to herself as she drew her bow to her cheek and let loose the arrow. Whiz, pop! Through the armor! She danced a jig on the inside.

Below, the man with newly sprouted arrow shrieked as some came to his aid and others approached the priests, pikes lowering. As she melded back into the shadows and onto the rooftops once more, Rose could hear the shouts of commands, ringing of metal on metal, and the screams of the wounded. She laughed to herself as she ran. Mission accomplished!

Haleli's Hideaway

Kutaku and Haleli went to her country to get this transforming armor and shadow walked into the treasury and stole a bunch of diamonds. There was a dragon there and she bluffed, saying the reason she was there was to rescue the dragon from the treasury. The dragon said he wanted to be there to sit on a huge hoard. She made a deal that after the war she will steal the rest of the treaasury and put it somewhere where he can sit on the hoard. She got enough diamonds plus some for the armor that he wanted. Leather armor for Woofie. It turns into Orca armor. will be done before the 3 days period.

Jax's Judgement

Jax stood in the middle of the Temple District, surveying. Many eyes were on him because there were many eyes everywhere. He knew that fighting would be starting soon and if they weren't going to be killed before the actual mission, they needed to take shelter. Justice offered them the tower - apparently the habitat of the Commander of the Forces of Sowila in Ra'azum and Cleric Exemplar. They had been in the tower the evening before, recuperating as well as they could.

The next day, Rose had disappeared. Kutaku and Haleli were gone, off on some mission of their own. For a wizard, the silence the tower brought him, high above the din of the city, was comforting and provided him the time to work on spells and memorizing the incantations. He thought of the arsenal his spellbook held and considered how he could best bring it to bear when the fighting started.

These thoughts swam around in his head as he stood in the street when a tap on the shoulder interrupted him. He turned to see Rose. "I did a thing!"

Jax groaned inwardly as he could only imagine what his drinking partner could have been up to. "Okay, great! What?"

Rose stuck out her chest and jutted her chin. "I started a battle." She radiated defiance.

"Okay, you and I need to go to the tower, right now!" She jerked her arm away when he pulled her toward the tower but followed him. "This thing is about to explode and we need to be gone before it does. This whole place is just a fireball waiting to happen. And we need Kutaku and Haleli to get themselves back to the tower, too!"

Seemed like the next three days were starting. As Jax and Rose approached the tower, by some miracle, Haleli and Kutaku appeared. The five of them started as commands were shouted into the twilight. They turned as the Behamut temple guards and the city guards leveled their spears, drew their swords, and charged at one another. Bodies drove into shields as the two sides clashed. Spears flashed out from behind walls of shields.

More shouted commands. From the gates to the Temple of Behamut, troops marched forth out into the Temple District as the five disappeared into the Commander's Tower at the Temple of Sowila.

Aftermath

They could see from their towers the fires in the Entertainment District. Zombies roamed from that direction into the Temple District where they were immediately destroyed by any number of clerics. At one point, a large number of zombies rushed into the district and took down several clerics, priests, and troops before they were pushed back.

As the sun sat on the first day of the beginning of hell, Justice Lightbringer could be seen below in front of a large assembly of temple clerics and priests ready for battle. Torchlight reflected on his unmistakable figure as they set out into the city to save those they could.