Fires in the North: APXONTAS, KAINE OΛA TON KOSMO [EMPIRE!]

[Morph Bark]

Invitees/Starring:
TheWombatOfDoom as Liam Serendel
SamBurke as Inigo Montoya
zabbarot as Shvedrishti Pure-Eyes
HisHolyAngel as Glamora
ImperatorV as Mysterious Disembodied Voice
lt_murgen as Jonas Grants
QuintonBeck as monk honourable Orpa



[Summer of 400]

The rocky roads of Nounaó were littered with runes carved by pilgrims that went up the mountain, towards the Blazing Temple that stood two thirds of the way to the top. Some runes were ancient, and left beside the road as a wish for good luck, a charm, a prayer. Most were recent and bore darker messages, ones of cleansing and fire and salvation, inscribed in the common tongue around a rune of the Fiery Faith's ancient language. Those who couldn't write--the grand majority of those who had joined the militants in their march--simply drew a half-circle with three squiggly lines rising from it, a symbol of a bowl of fire.

Higher up the mountain, the air was alive with the thrum of drums and horns and shrill strings accompanied chanting and ululation. A thousand tents sat on the Guilderene side of the mountain, another thousand on the Lyradissian side, campfires strewn between, but with little cooking in their pots or being grilled over their flames.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Lord Liam Serendel rode purposefully up the mountain, with a personal guard. A caravan followed a half day behind, carrying food and water to alleviate Liam's men as well as the militant citizens of Guilder and Lyradis. One wagon, however, followed close behind the contingency, with a team of Requiem Horses pulling the load. This wagon contained a portion of the shipment of Heartwine that came in from Raaneka, to assist with treating with the peoples and the Fire Priests. Liam had sent soldiers into the crowd before hand to gather information. Each soldier was dressed plainly, and carried farmers tools as makeshift weapons, disguised as one of the militant citizens. One returned, the rest had stayed to play their part, so that when Liam addressed the crowd, he had people to speak to his side, should he need them. The one that returned had told him the general atmosphere of the groups, and what they were about, as well if they had attacked the temple. Looking around, it was good Liam had brought food. These people looked half starved. "Easy," he said to his guard, as they became alert when the militants noticed them. Liam raised a flag of peace, with his colors underneathe it - saying in basic show that he put peace before his title. His people came first.

[SamBurke]

"I cannot, my son... The people no longer listen to words of reason. So what is it that we can do, but give them a new face to cheer. I have already begun reaching the end of my usefulness to Guilder... But you, son. You will be perfect."

Inigo nods, sagely, but with just a hint of a smile on his face. "I will act to the greatest good, father. Let me ascend the mountain, and I assure you, greatness will come to our lands." "Or, at least, it'll come to me. Guilder afterwards."

Humperdink looks at him with concern. "Oddly phrased, my son... But go. I trust you." He looks him straight in the eye, and smiles. "Find the leaders, and ask their desires. Fulfill, and bring peace. Go!"

With those words, Inigo begins his ascent.

[Morph Bark]

The Blazing Temple was nearly completely surrounded by masses of people. A small group had even climbed up the road that went further up the mountain, leaving only the cliffside and a narrow path that went from the other side of the temple down the mountain into the Heartwaste.

When Liam rode up to the camps, only half the people were there. A broad-chested man of age rose up, his beard half grey and half black, stuck his thumbs between his belt and walked to the edge of the camp and waited for Liam. He spat on the ground, but didn't look hostile. "What be ye business, m'lord?"

Behind him, in front of the Temple in the distance, the mob erected a tall wooden pillar and began to construct a basic platform around it with piles of wood under it. More cheers came when it stood straight, and rows of monks stood on the walls of the Temple looking on with focused gaze. The gate of the Temple opened and a group of armoured men dragged out a monk who was bound at the wrists.



[The Duskenhearth Inn, the Heartwaste, at the foot of the Blazing Mountain]

Greta hadn't gotten off her horse since her arrival. She had a feeling the people she had asked for would come here today and hadn't bothered to go inside and reserve a room. A man with unruly sideburns who had noticed her outside had come to her and brought her a mug of ale shortly after. Greta looked up at the mountain. Nounaó, once a longer, older name that spoke of fiery mountains, but a fire less literal than that of volcanoes. She stared down the road. It was cloaked in shadows, as it always was until the late afternoon and evening, when it would be cloaked in gold and orange and later indigo and violet as the stars would come out--if they would still come out after this day.

[zabbarot]

[The Duskenhearth Inn, the Heartwaste, at the foot of the Blazing Mountain]

Shvedrishti had traveled as quickly as they could, but the roads were dangerous with militias roaming half the continent. Luckily the vauran could move where horses had trouble allowing them to avoid many common roads, and kept a low profile. The trip had been mostly uneventful, but there had been a couple of close calls. The militias had gotten much easier to dodge once they hit the open desert of the Heartwaste. Horses had a bit of trouble with deep sand, but the vauran did surprisingly well considering they were semi-aquatic lizards. Total they brought nine vauran, seven mounted, and two carrying additional supplies and osuro. It was late in the day when the inn came in sight.

"Jonas, stay here off the road. I'll go ahead alone." Shvedri dismounted and approached the inn alone on foot. It was hard to make out much in the deep shadows, but Greta was a bonfire atop that horse. "Sister, have you made up your mind then?"

[HisHolyAngel]

[The Duskenhearth Inn, the Heartwaste, at the foot of the Blazing Mountain]

Never before had Glamora left the country without her mother, now she did so with just a single priestess at her side. The land was odd, and the people odder, and Glamora felt more than a little uncomfortable, but she did what she must nonetheless. Following the directions she had been given along with some hearty warnings, she approached Shvedrishti and Greta in her permanent silence.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

The Blazing Temple was nearly completely surrounded by masses of people. A small group had even climbed up the road that went further up the mountain, leaving only the cliffside and a narrow path that went from the other side of the temple down the mountain into the Heartwaste.

When Liam rode up to the camps, only half the people were there. A broad-chested man of age rose up, his beard half grey and half black, stuck his thumbs between his belt and walked to the edge of the camp and waited for Liam. He spat on the ground, but didn't look hostile. "What be ye business, m'lord?"

Behind him, in front of the Temple in the distance, the mob erected a tall wooden pillar and began to construct a basic platform around it with piles of wood under it. More cheers came when it stood straight, and rows of monks stood on the walls of the Temple looking on with focused gaze. The gate of the Temple opened and a group of armoured men dragged out a monk who was bound at the wrists.

Liam gazed at the opening doors, and decided speed would be prudent. "I have come to discover the source of the unrest of my people. Being here now, it seems as the cause you have is something against the temple. As such, I have come to hear the voice of my people and give a fair trial for those that are charged. As Lord of Lyradis, it is my occupation to represent the people. Would you allow me to perhaps end this seige, even if it delays your own actions," Liam said, eyeing the burning post, "so that I may fill the bellies of those that are here, and fulfill the role I have been charged to fill?"

[Morph Bark]

[The Duskenhearth Inn, the Heartwaste, at the foot of the Blazing Mountain]

Shvedri dismounted and approached the inn alone on foot. It was hard to make out much in the deep shadows, but Greta was a bonfire atop that horse. "Sister, have you made up your mind then?"

[Glamora] approached Shvedrishti and Greta in her permanent silence.

Greta turned her horse when she heard someone approaching, and saw Shvedrishti and Glamora on the road. She looked further down the road, seeing a riding lizard slip off it. Her look was stern, but the familiarity she felt with the younger women made her sternness melt away for that moment, and smile kindly in their presence. "I would not say I have for sure, but a wise woman once told me it is better to act than not to, no matter the action." She was heavily paraphrasing, of course, but that had been the gist of what Anguri had told her. Greta looked at Glamora, ever the silent beauty. "You look well, little one." In truth, while Glamora did look good, she felt strange. Sycians always felt a little colder than most people, but there was something almost unnatural about Glamora that hadn't been there the last time she had seen her, some nine years ago.

"I intend to sneak into the Temple via the Narrow Road. It comes up practically behind it, and from there it's easy to get in. With the militants up there, I don't know what we can expect if we try to go in through the front gate. Did you bring the osuro?"


[The Blazing Temple]

Liam gazed at the opening doors, and decided speed would be prudent. "I have come to discover the source of the unrest of my people. Being here now, it seems as the cause you have is something against the temple. As such, I have come to hear the voice of my people and give a fair trial for those that are charged. As Lord of Lyradis, it is my occupation to represent the people. Would you allow me to perhaps end this seige, even if it delays your own actions," Liam said, eyeing the burning post, "so that I may fill the bellies of those that are here, and fulfill the role I have been charged to fill?"

The man eyed Liam suspiciously, as if he thought he was lying or simply didn't recognize him for who he was. "Siege? That's a funny word. If ye got food, ye can leave it with us. We'll share it proper."

[TheWombatOfDoom]

[The Duskenhearth Inn, the Heartwaste, at the foot of the Blazing Mountain]



Greta turned her horse when she heard someone approaching, and saw Shvedrishti and Glamora on the road. She looked further down the road, seeing a riding lizard slip off it. Her look was stern, but the familiarity she felt with the younger women made her sternness melt away for that moment, and smile kindly in their presence. "I would not say I have for sure, but a wise woman once told me it is better to act than not to, no matter the action." She was heavily paraphrasing, of course, but that had been the gist of what Anguri had told her. Greta looked at Glamora, ever the silent beauty. "You look well, little one." In truth, while Glamora did look good, she felt strange. Sycians always felt a little colder than most people, but there was something almost unnatural about Glamora that hadn't been there the last time she had seen her, some nine years ago.

"I intend to sneak into the Temple via the Narrow Road. It comes up practically behind it, and from there it's easy to get in. With the militants up there, I don't know what we can expect if we try to go in through the front gate. Did you bring the osuro?"


[The Blazing Temple]


The man eyed Liam suspiciously, as if he thought he was lying or simply didn't recognize him for who he was. "Siege? That's a funny word. If ye got food, ye can leave it with us. We'll share it proper."

Liam tried to put the man at ease, and identify himself. "May I ask who you are, and who is leading these people against the Temple of Fire? I rule the Kingdom of Serendel, and Lyradis, and am here to see justice is done."

[HisHolyAngel]

[The Duskenhearth Inn, the Heartwaste, at the foot of the Blazing Mountain]



Greta turned her horse when she heard someone approaching, and saw Shvedrishti and Glamora on the road. She looked further down the road, seeing a riding lizard slip off it. Her look was stern, but the familiarity she felt with the younger women made her sternness melt away for that moment, and smile kindly in their presence. "I would not say I have for sure, but a wise woman once told me it is better to act than not to, no matter the action." She was heavily paraphrasing, of course, but that had been the gist of what Anguri had told her. Greta looked at Glamora, ever the silent beauty. "You look well, little one." In truth, while Glamora did look good, she felt strange. Sycians always felt a little colder than most people, but there was something almost unnatural about Glamora that hadn't been there the last time she had seen her, some nine years ago.

"I intend to sneak into the Temple via the Narrow Road. It comes up practically behind it, and from there it's easy to get in. With the militants up there, I don't know what we can expect if we try to go in through the front gate. Did you bring the osuro?"

Glamora makes some signals with her hands, and the priestess beside her speaks up.
"My lady Glamora thanks you. She apologizes that I must speak for her, but it has been this way since the night you became the Blazing Avatar. She has commanded me to remain here when you three depart. Communication may be difficult, but she feels her being here far outweighs that difficulty."
With that, she leaves the three to their own devices and departs.

Glamora remains, taking in Greta's words.

I still think our group should have a fun name. The Holy Trifecta? The Sorceress Trinity?:smalltongue:

[SamBurke]

The Blazing Temple was nearly completely surrounded by masses of people. A small group had even climbed up the road that went further up the mountain, leaving only the cliffside and a narrow path that went from the other side of the temple down the mountain into the Heartwaste.

When Liam rode up to the camps, only half the people were there. A broad-chested man of age rose up, his beard half grey and half black, stuck his thumbs between his belt and walked to the edge of the camp and waited for Liam. He spat on the ground, but didn't look hostile. "What be ye business, m'lord?"

While most of those making their way to the top walked, dragging their feet, Inigo's sense of style wouldn't hear it.

When he enters the camp, cresting its hill and standing for a moment silhouetted against the fire of the sun, he is not walking, nor riding a beast. He is standing upright on top one of the battle-decked Trihorns, foot braced on its broad back, and leaning forward against its bone-crest shield. "I am Prince Inigo of Guilder, and I demand an audience with those who lead this delegation!"

[zabbarot]

[The Duskenhearth Inn, the Heartwaste, at the foot of the Blazing Mountain]
"Is it safe to talk here then? I have Jonas, and five men off the road up there. We have two extra vauran with us, so we could just avoid the horse path all together if you would rather." Shvedri looked back to her men. "They also have the osuro. A single dose can last six hours or more with training. I have no idea what you're planning with so much.

[Morph Bark]

Liam tried to put the man at ease, and identify himself. "May I ask who you are, and who is leading these people against the Temple of Fire? I rule the Kingdom of Serendel, and Lyradis, and am here to see justice is done."

While most of those making their way to the top walked, dragging their feet, Inigo's sense of style wouldn't hear it.

When he enters the camp, cresting its hill and standing for a moment silhouetted against the fire of the sun, he is not walking, nor riding a beast. He is standing upright on top one of the battle-decked Trihorns, foot braced on its broad back, and leaning forward against its bone-crest shield. "I am Prince Inigo of Guilder, and I demand an audience with those who lead this delegation!"

The man puffs his chest, looks Liam up and down with a frown on his face, and licks his lips. "'pologies, m'lord, dinnae recognize ye. I'm Gerard. I'm from the Children of Dis. I was a farmer, once."

The commotion created by the arrival of a large, thick-legged horned reptilian behemoth made Gerard look up as well, seeing a man stand on its back as if in triumph. Some people instinctively grabbed for spears, axes and pitchforks, but the crowd outside the camp, near the Temple, wasn't looking. Cheers came from them as the monk was brought on the platform and tied to the pole, his sleeveless robes torn and cut off at the knees. His muscular arms were marred by recent scars and his thick moustache was caked with dirt and one eye swollen, black and blue. Paco had never looked worse for the living.

"People of the world!" A loud, authoritative voice cried out as the man it belonged to emerged from the gates and climbed the steps to the platform. "People of Guilder, of Lyradis! Servants of the Lord, you and I and us! Thank you for coming here today, to this grand event! Today, we begin the casting out of heretics, the punishment of those who consort with heathens, prove our loyalty to the Lord and bring about a new age of prosperity! No longer shall your fields be scorched by blistering heat, but be nourished by gentle light! No longer shall disease take your wives and daughters, and war your husbands and sons! Your incompetent leaders shall be taught the meaning of virtue, while your enemies shall be smitten with righteous fire! Today! Today we witness the birth of a new world! A world of the people!" The cheering that came in reply was thunderously deafening and came with the bashing of tools against madeshift shields, clapping of hands, and cries from the bound monk drowned out by the sounds of thousands in the face of the grinning man on the platform. Paco had never looked worse for the living, but Adam felt more alive than ever.



Glamora makes some signals with her hands, and the priestess beside her speaks up.
"My lady Glamora thanks you. She apologizes that I must speak for her, but it has been this way since the night you became the Blazing Avatar. She has commanded me to remain here when you three depart. Communication may be difficult, but she feels her being here far outweighs that difficulty."
With that, she leaves the three to their own devices and departs.

Glamora remains, taking in Greta's words.

I still think our group should have a fun name. The Holy Trifecta? The Sorceress Trinity?:smalltongue:

"Is it safe to talk here then? I have Jonas, and five men off the road up there. We have two extra vauran with us, so we could just avoid the horse path all together if you would rather." Shvedri looked back to her men. "They also have the osuro. A single dose can last six hours or more with training. I have no idea what you're planning with so much.

"It is safe, here, for now, but we must act quickly. If the brightness of the Temple is any indication, something big is about to happen. We'll need to go further up the path to get to the rocky Narrow Road. We'll leave the mounts there and continue by foot. With us, it shouldn't take more than half an hour." She extended a hand to Glamora to get her on her horse in front of her--making room for her first by sidling backwards--and motioned to Shvedrishti to get her mount and the vaurans with osuro as well. "You might each need one dose, but I'm going to eat only the seeds and several doses of them. I've felt something wicked, and knowing about Fabula's prophetic vision and what happened that night at the Grand Ball... I think--" she licked her lips nervously, "I think First Brother Adam is going to try and become another Blazing Avatar."


Just as long as it isn't the Triumfeminate. :smalltongue:

Also, if you're fine with it, we'll skip a little ahead. The journey wouldn't really be interesting to RP, I think, unless there'd be something pertinent either of you'd bring up.

[zabbarot]

"It is safe, here, for now, but we must act quickly. If the brightness of the Temple is any indication, something big is about to happen. We'll need to go further up the path to get to the rocky Narrow Road. We'll leave the mounts there and continue by foot. With us, it shouldn't take more than half an hour." She extended a hand to Glamora to get her on her horse in front of her--making room for her first by sidling backwards--and motioned to Shvedrishti to get her mount and the vaurans with osuro as well. "You might each need one dose, but I'm going to eat only the seeds and several doses of them. I've felt something wicked, and knowing about Fabula's prophetic vision and what happened that night at the Grand Ball... I think--" she licked her lips nervously, "I think First Brother Adam is going to try and become another Blazing Avatar."


Just as long as it isn't the Triumfeminate. :smalltongue:

Also, if you're fine with it, we'll skip a little ahead. The journey wouldn't really be interesting to RP, I think, unless there'd be something pertinent either of you'd bring up.

Shvedrishti was shocked. Such an act of hubris was beyond anything she had expected here. Misguided faith was one thing, but usurping the divine avatar of your own god was entirely another. "Brother Adam saw what happened last time someone forced the Lord of Fire's hand. Does he truly expect this to go better?" She retrieved the riding lizard quickly, and asked Jonas and the others to wait for here. They set the vauran to digging and did their best to hide the small encampment.

"If you really think such a concentrated dose will help you, there is a better way to go about it though..." Shvedrishti pulled a small crystal bottle out of her saddle bag. "The scholar Duryodhanaviryaj-Janamudra* has been working on this for me. It is an extract of osuro. It has a dry bitter heat, and almost none of the sweetness of the whole pepper. I would recommend mixing it with water."



Seriously, mix it with water or it'll be like doing the cinnamon challenge with hot paprika. On another note, as Adam even met the Lord of Fire?

*gotta love those gnomish names.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

The man puffs his chest, looks Liam up and down with a frown on his face, and licks his lips. "'pologies, m'lord, dinnae recognize ye. I'm Gerard. I'm from the Children of Dis. I was a farmer, once."

The commotion created by the arrival of a large, thick-legged horned reptilian behemoth made Gerard look up as well, seeing a man stand on its back as if in triumph. Some people instinctively grabbed for spears, axes and pitchforks, but the crowd outside the camp, near the Temple, wasn't looking. Cheers came from them as the monk was brought on the platform and tied to the pole, his sleeveless robes torn and cut off at the knees. His muscular arms were marred by recent scars and his thick moustache was caked with dirt and one eye swollen, black and blue. Paco had never looked worse for the living.

"People of the world!" A loud, authoritative voice cried out as the man it belonged to emerged from the gates and climbed the steps to the platform. "People of Guilder, of Lyradis! Servants of the Lord, you and I and us! Thank you for coming here today, to this grand event! Today, we begin the casting out of heretics, the punishment of those who consort with heathens, prove our loyalty to the Lord and bring about a new age of prosperity! No longer shall your fields be scorched by blistering heat, but be nourished by gentle light! No longer shall disease take your wives and daughters, and war your husbands and sons! Your incompetent leaders shall be taught the meaning of virtue, while your enemies shall be smitten with righteous fire! Today! Today we witness the birth of a new world! A world of the people!" The cheering that came in reply was thunderously deafening and came with the bashing of tools against madeshift shields, clapping of hands, and cries from the bound monk drowned out by the sounds of thousands in the face of the grinning man on the platform. Paco had never looked worse for the living, but Adam felt more alive than ever.

Liam's carefully laid plans were laid to waste as the man spoke by the pyre. One part of Liam was relieved, as he had feared that it was Adam that they had brought to the pyre. As Liam approached the crowd on his horse (barely noticed by Gerard, who was watching the priest intently), he slowly realized that the former brother, Paco was the one tied. Liam wasn't sure how they had gotten Paco, and why he was in the Temple to begin with, but as Adam's words spoke of him as an incompitant leader, Liam had heard enough. He had come to the temple with concern for Adam. He had grown up with the teachings of him. Lyra had told him to seek counsel from him, and it was Adam who had saved the Kingdom from the Plague and the Famine. For as long as Liam had been alive, the Temple had always been close with the royal family. What had happened? Liam meant to find out.

Liam turned to his guards, and spoke orders. "I'm going in there. I must speak with Adam, hopefully at least to keep this from being an uprising against the crown. You must go back, and tell them - if things go bad for me, I choose Errick to rule in my stead. Do not come and get me. I will not have more lives lost, and if the Lord of Fire is kind, I will survive. After all, if there is a transgression I have caused, I must atone. Should things go well, bring the food."

The guards did not move.

Liam scowled. "GO. That is an order. I will not suffer any other Lyradissian's dead. Go." The second 'go' was quieter than the first, and more deadly. "Lord of Fire, hear my prayer. Use me to be the light in this dark time to show others the way. Light my own path, and let me see what must be done."

With that, Liam rode forward, to the crowd, and spoke out to Adam. His voice at first was drowned out by the cheers, but as he moved closer, the crowds grew quieter, and he was able to boom out a hail. Some of the crowd looked nervous. Others were unhappy to see him. Others were curious or friendly. Still others didn't register any emotion, likely not recognizing their ruler, or were from Guilder.

"BROTHER ADAM," Liam shouted. "I had come to ensure your safety, in case the heretics of Rajurda and the reformed church had frenzied people against you! What I have found is an entirely different scenario! I thank the Lord of Fire for protecting you, but with this I ask: Why do you profess me as a consorter of heathens? Why do you call me an incompetetant? Was it not you my family has confided in, these past decades? Was it not you that we have turned to in these dark times, to help shine the Lord's light in the south? Your priests have done good works, and you have always been a friend to Lyradis. Why now, do you profess me an enemy? What sin have I done, so that I may atone for it, and better rule the people of the Lord!" Liam dismounted, and climbed up to Adam. "I have not come to interfere. I have come to maintain that I am, as ever, a servant to the Lord of Fire, and his people." Liam dropped to his knees in front of the priest, and the crowd gasped. "What must I do?"

[HisHolyAngel]

"It is safe, here, for now, but we must act quickly. If the brightness of the Temple is any indication, something big is about to happen. We'll need to go further up the path to get to the rocky Narrow Road. We'll leave the mounts there and continue by foot. With us, it shouldn't take more than half an hour." She extended a hand to Glamora to get her on her horse in front of her--making room for her first by sidling backwards--and motioned to Shvedrishti to get her mount and the vaurans with osuro as well. "You might each need one dose, but I'm going to eat only the seeds and several doses of them. I've felt something wicked, and knowing about Fabula's prophetic vision and what happened that night at the Grand Ball... I think--" she licked her lips nervously, "I think First Brother Adam is going to try and become another Blazing Avatar."


Just as long as it isn't the Triumfeminate. :smalltongue:

Also, if you're fine with it, we'll skip a little ahead. The journey wouldn't really be interesting to RP, I think, unless there'd be something pertinent either of you'd bring up.

Glamora's eyes widen in shock. Her mother's dream had led her to expect much on this journey, but such hubris was unbelievable. The man was mad with his own promises of power. She accepted Greta's hand, and hopped on the horse in front of her. The journey would certainly be trying, but there was little other choice for the three women.

I'm totes cool with skipping ahead.

[Morph Bark]

"BROTHER ADAM," Liam shouted. "I had come to ensure your safety, in case the heretics of Rajurda and the reformed church had frenzied people against you! What I have found is an entirely different scenario! I thank the Lord of Fire for protecting you, but with this I ask: Why do you profess me as a consorter of heathens? Why do you call me an incompetetant? Was it not you my family has confided in, these past decades? Was it not you that we have turned to in these dark times, to help shine the Lord's light in the south? Your priests have done good works, and you have always been a friend to Lyradis. Why now, do you profess me an enemy? What sin have I done, so that I may atone for it, and better rule the people of the Lord!" Liam dismounted, and climbed up to Adam. "I have not come to interfere. I have come to maintain that I am, as ever, a servant to the Lord of Fire, and his people." Liam dropped to his knees in front of the priest, and the crowd gasped. "What must I do?"

Adam's eyes and those of the other monks, both on the walls and outside of them, shifted to the approaching Lord of Lyradis. "Ah, Liam! It is good to see you, though it saddens me that Lyra's nephew is more like his grandfather than he is like her. Gareth was a good man, but the people need more than just a good man." Adam's voice trembled a little, from contained emotion and old age. He had gone bald over a decade ago and his tattoos had faded. "The people are starving, but all Lyradis has had its eyes on has been expansion and establishing the Kingdom in far lands, where they pay tribute to enemies the fathers and sons of these people fought against! The Dawn League, founded to fuel trade and growth, has become little more than a veil to cover the lust for war of the Razdissi dwarves the House of Serendel has too easily fallen for! Even after I had warned the world of the dangers of it, I still had to go with Lyra to Aloren to try and convince the heathens in person of their folly and hubris! It was the only time I've known Lady Lyra to not act, and it was the time it was most needed!" Spit flew from Adam's mouth and his eyes stood in a stare of anger, his brow furrowed and his jaw hanging loose as if incredulous at the feelings of betrayal. "Well, not to worry," he spoke softly, "none of you will be needed soon. We are going to fix everything."

In the towers of the Temble and on the walls fires were being lit, and a bonfire erupted in the courtyard. Amidst the crowd of people, more long poles were erected, carved with runes, painted brightly like the coasts of Raaneka and studded with bronze and iron nails. The Blazing Temple did not hold to practices of idolatry, but the runes signified the names of spirits, of dead gods and past Blazing Avatars and great kings. The monks mingled with the crowd and began to chant. The soldiers among them drew their swords and jabbed them into the air as their voices joined in.

"Please," The bound monk on the platform piped up with a broken whisper. Paco sat on his knees, though the bindings were loose enough around the pole he could've stood up if his legs had the strength for it. "Adam, don't do this." But the older monk paid no attention to him, and the noise of the crowd drowned him out as they grew louder.

"Lord Liam! I invite you to join us and recommit yourself to the Lord of Fire. May his fire cleanse your sins and guide you to a better path, a new path."


Shvedrishti was shocked. Such an act of hubris was beyond anything she had expected here. Misguided faith was one thing, but usurping the divine avatar of your own god was entirely another. "Brother Adam saw what happened last time someone forced the Lord of Fire's hand. Does he truly expect this to go better?" She retrieved the riding lizard quickly, and asked Jonas and the others to wait for here. They set the vauran to digging and did their best to hide the small encampment.

"If you really think such a concentrated dose will help you, there is a better way to go about it though..." Shvedrishti pulled a small crystal bottle out of her saddle bag. "The scholar Duryodhanaviryaj-Janamudra* has been working on this for me. It is an extract of osuro. It has a dry bitter heat, and almost none of the sweetness of the whole pepper. I would recommend mixing it with water."

Seriously, mix it with water or it'll be like doing the cinnamon challenge with hot paprika. On another note, as Adam even met the Lord of Fire?

*gotta love those gnomish names.

Glamora's eyes widen in shock. Her mother's dream had led her to expect much on this journey, but such hubris was unbelievable. The man was mad with his own promises of power. She accepted Greta's hand, and hopped on the horse in front of her. The journey would certainly be trying, but there was little other choice for the three women.

I'm totes cool with skipping ahead.

"I know not what he expects. At this point, I think we may as well expect nothing good and everything bad." Greta affirmed. She took the crystal bottle from Shvedrishti and looked at it for a moment. She opened it and smelled it. Her ashen hair flared up like a drawn pipe. "This will do."

[later]

Greta headed the group on the Narrow Road, a rock pathway no more than a few feet wide with a rock wall on one side and an abyss on the other. Underbrush ensured at least that the Narrow Road wasn't incredibly avalanche-prone, but because it still happened at times--and because it was small and a larger road also led into the Heartwaste--most people avoided it. The Blazing Temple was coming up into their field of vision when they rounded a corner of the mountain and saw plumes of smoke rising from beyond the walls, hearing chanting coming from the other side of the Temple. "I hope we're not too late. Has anyone got any ideas beyond just storming in? That's my forte, but it's not wisdom."

[Zap Dynamic]

Duryodhanaviryaj-Janamudra*

Seriously, mix it with water or it'll be like doing the cinnamon challenge with hot paprika. On another note, as Adam even met the Lord of Fire?

*gotta love those gnomish names.

Did Duryodhana inspire a gnome? Little guy must be a real prick. :smalltongue:

[ImperatorV]

[later]

Greta headed the group on the Narrow Road, a rock pathway no more than a few feet wide with a rock wall on one side and an abyss on the other. Underbrush ensured at least that the Narrow Road wasn't incredibly avalanche-prone, but because it still happened at times--and because it was small and a larger road also led into the Heartwaste--most people avoided it. The Blazing Temple was coming up into their field of vision when they rounded a corner of the mountain and saw plumes of smoke rising from beyond the walls, hearing chanting coming from the other side of the Temple. "I hope we're not too late. Has anyone got any ideas beyond just storming in? That's my forte, but it's not wisdom."

A voice, clear but incredibly distant, whispers in Greta's ear.

Adam is nothing if not hubris. He will have called most or all of his followers outside or onto the walls to witness his triumph. There should be a way to pass through the ground floor of the temple and arrive right at his ritual site without drawing attention.

[SamBurke]

The man puffs his chest, looks Liam up and down with a frown on his face, and licks his lips. "'pologies, m'lord, dinnae recognize ye. I'm Gerard. I'm from the Children of Dis. I was a farmer, once."

The commotion created by the arrival of a large, thick-legged horned reptilian behemoth made Gerard look up as well, seeing a man stand on its back as if in triumph. Some people instinctively grabbed for spears, axes and pitchforks, but the crowd outside the camp, near the Temple, wasn't looking. Cheers came from them as the monk was brought on the platform and tied to the pole, his sleeveless robes torn and cut off at the knees. His muscular arms were marred by recent scars and his thick moustache was caked with dirt and one eye swollen, black and blue. Paco had never looked worse for the living.

"People of the world!" A loud, authoritative voice cried out as the man it belonged to emerged from the gates and climbed the steps to the platform. "People of Guilder, of Lyradis! Servants of the Lord, you and I and us! Thank you for coming here today, to this grand event! Today, we begin the casting out of heretics, the punishment of those who consort with heathens, prove our loyalty to the Lord and bring about a new age of prosperity! No longer shall your fields be scorched by blistering heat, but be nourished by gentle light! No longer shall disease take your wives and daughters, and war your husbands and sons! Your incompetent leaders shall be taught the meaning of virtue, while your enemies shall be smitten with righteous fire! Today! Today we witness the birth of a new world! A world of the people!" The cheering that came in reply was thunderously deafening and came with the bashing of tools against madeshift shields, clapping of hands, and cries from the bound monk drowned out by the sounds of thousands in the face of the grinning man on the platform. Paco had never looked worse for the living, but Adam felt more alive than ever.


Inigo stood, watching. The crowd of the angry didn't bother him much; they could be thrown aside or trampled easily, right? And, given that they were smart enough to gather here at a strategic location, they'd be smart enough to step aside anyway.

With these comforting thoughts on his mind, he goaded the creature forward, through the crowds, towards the podium. What was going on here, and how much did these common people know? There was heat, steam, a feeling of evil, and foreboding signs everywhere... He leaned farther forward to listen to what the speaker was shouting about.

[zabbarot]

[Later]
Looking at the smoke, Shvedri pulled out osuro for herself and Glamora. "Well, now or never. Glamora... this is all going to be a bit strange. After you eat the osuro you will sit down and meditate, like we used to with Monk Paco. You will find yourself in anga lingine, a dark world made of points of light. Once you're there reenter your body, and you will be in both worlds at once. Also your eyes might turn white, but that never seemed to happen to the last Blazing Avatar, so maybe not. I'll guide you through it, but you need to try to hurry. I'm sorry to make you do this here, usually the mashahidi train for months at least for this."

In the meantime Shvedrishti ate a pepper herself. She had them with every meal, to the point that she was likely saturated. She never left that higher meditative state. She could see into the temple through the dots of light that made up the walls. There was a bright mass far on the other side where the smoke was coming from, a congregation of people, but they were too many and too close together to really tell who was who from here. Wisps of light seemed to be gathering above them, pulsing in time with the runes that marked the temple. "Greta, how exactly could Brother Adam become an avatar? The Lord of Fire doesn't exactly seem like the type to give anything, and even if he gets it could he survive? If nothing else, this way looks clear for now."

[HisHolyAngel]

Glamora does as she is told. She is unafraid, but nervous nonetheless. She was lucky she had trained and learned with those of many different religions, her spirituality was strong, and that made her strong.

Going for it, she ate the osuro and centered herself, preparing.

[Morph Bark]

Greta did not pull out the crystal flask, but checked that she still had it with her. "I'll drink it when we're there. I'm not sure what effect the increased concentration will have, but it will surely invoke some awe in them and get them to listen." She waited until Shvedrishti had guided Glamora through the process. There was something inside the young woman that hadn't been there before, and she had gotten very curious about it. No doubt the three of them showing up like this would result in a flashy display of divine power! Greta just hopes it was the right kind of divine power that would display flashily.

She looked at the path in front of them, with the voice in her head. Before the others were entirely done, she was on the move. At the end of the Narrow Road, there was a door in the Temple wall. Strangely, it was open. She peeked inside. Nobody was around, no doubt all near what was happening outside to behold the grand event. Greta knew from Paco that there was a hatch in the building, near that door, and that it... Was open? Something was very strange, but she was not one to doubt her luck and entered. The tunnel below the Temple had another exit inside the gate, and one outside the Temple in the front, covered by a pile of rocks, one of which could easily be rolled out of the way. That was the one she would go for. She would still need to find it, with only Paco's old stories to guide her through the crawling space. Ah well, luck would aid her again, as it always came in threes. The others would know how to follow and find her--or so she assumed.


"Lord, we beseech you! Let your righteous fury be felt by those who bear pride in excess. Give your people the power to slay the unnatural, whose words are but wind, whose virtues slip away like water, and whose lives are lengthened to those of demons whose blood they take and become! Let a dozen plagues be let loose on the living, so all know who is mightiest! Who is worthy of worship!

"ARCHONTAS, KAINE OLA TON KOSMO!"

And then all the fires began to burn brighter. A feeling of elation filled the people present, but not without a sense of darkness, and certainly dread in Paco's case. "KAINE OLA TON KOSMO!" The people repeated, and the runes glowed. "ARCHONTAS!" They chanted, and the ground began to tremble ever so softly, while the air no longer seemed still wherever one looked, covered by an unnatural haze.

[SamBurke]

Inigo watches, growing more and more concerned. "Does he have any idea what on earth he's doing? He just called out for curses and disease and fire, on pretty much everybody. Much as I hate to interfere in the workings of someone trying to rule some other ones, I think..." He slides the bow from its proper scabbard behind the beast's shield, and fits an arrow.

"I think it's time we broke up the party." Sweeping back his family's characteristic leather coat, he kicks his feet into the Trihorn, goading it faster, and faster... Into a thundering run, a gallop!

He blasts his way to the center of the Temple, stopping about twenty feet short of Adam himself. "SO! I hear you've got plans tonight?"

[TheWombatOfDoom]

So I am more like Gareth, eh?

Liam saw the son of Guilder's rule hurrying forward, but it was too late. Too late. The runes were glowing. His people chanting. There was a fire burning in Adam's eyes. Too late. The air was thick, the ground trembled. What God would forsake his subjects in such a way, or allow plague and famine to be the carrier of his word? These people...were lost. And he knew that they would be his executioner, if his plan were to work. Still, he reached for the hilt of his Mithril Sword, and grasped the rhino leather of the hilt, tightly. It might be too late...but he would not abide this. If he would die, he would do it defending his nation. Adam was about to begin a war on the world, and even if it seemed too late...he had to try.

Liam rose, and everything slowed. The fires flickered sluggishly. Adams robes moved as if underwater, and his mouth nearly frozen in an insane grin. Adam's eyes were to the crowd, his attention caught up by the chant, and perhaps the thundering of the approaching beast and rider. Liam looked in his hand to find his sword already drawn, the glow of the runes reflecting off of the sword. His muscles coiled, and Liam struck, the slash aimed for his Brother Adam's head and neck. It arched true, Liam's full concentration in the action of killing the Mad Priest. One he had trust. One who had been a friend. A trusted confidant. That friend was no more, swallowed by the fires of madness. It was finished.

"NO INIGO! PACO! GET PACO!" Liam shouted as a war cry, hoping that as the Guilderian apporached, he would hear him over the chanting.

At this, Adam's head swiveled to Liam, his eyes losing some of the madness, and looked on with sudden fear.

Too. Late.

*SLASH*

[SamBurke]

Inigo shouts back "Coverin' ya!" He rides sideways, doing his best to trample on a few of the monks in the meantime. Drawing back his bow to the ear, he fires an arrow (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?331102-EMPIRE!-The-Community-Dice-Rolling-Thread/page15&p=17470723#post17470723) straight at the heart of the unarmored man with the torch.

"Paco, there better be an explanation!" Inigo shouts, leaping from the Trihorn with acrobatic flourish. Whipping out an arrow, he slashes at the prisoner's bonds. Meanwhile, the reptile stamps the ground impatiently, gouging its horns in the direction of anyone who gets too close. "Gosh... I'd've become a ruler earlier if I knew it was like this..."

[lt_murgen]

Jonas grew restless. It had been close to a half hour since Shvedrishti commanded him to stay along the roadside as she went on ahead. Watching as she left, he knew that Greta and that ice woman met with her, and they moved off.
He motioned for the guards to follow him. One began to protest that it was against instructions. He stared at the man, his eyes cold as the mountain air. ”You’re new arent’ you?” The man nodded eagerly. The small group tracked down where Shvedrishti had left her horse at the foot of a narrow pass. ”Stay here. No one follows that path without escort. No one comes down without being asked about the Shahidi.” He was accustomed to his orders being followed. He left his formal monk’s robes and his half mask behind.

It took him some time to acquire local clothing and blend in with the crowd. His ornate walking cane, a gift from Jarrland, he wrapped in tatters and rags to conceal its design. All the while, he argued within himself. It was the same argument he had whenever she went off into potentially hazardous situations. Part of him knew she was divinely appointed- the leader of their religion. The ancestors looked out for her. She did not need protecting. The other part spoke of the devotion to the woman beyond the throne. The optimist, the idealist, the introvert he loved.

”Better to ask forgiveness than permission” He muttered his personal mantra quietly. Better to be there and not be needed than for something to go wrong and him not to be there. Of course, it might be better if he knew what WAS going on.

He moved quietly through the crowd, another beaten down peasant rallying to Brother Adam’s cause. His exaggerated limp and ruined face caused people to shy away, allowing him to reach a good vantage point just as the leaders of Lyradis and Guilder began to stir up trouble.

[zabbarot]

Meanwhile, racing through the temple basement(?)...
Shvedri was guiding Glamora through the osuro ritual, but Greta was already taking off. "Sorry Glam, you're going to have to figure this out as we go." She took her by the hand and stepped through the anga lingine to catch up with the bonfire that was Greta. Hopefully Glamora would find her way out soon. Speaking low she looked to Greta, "There is so much energy here. The sky is thick with it. I'm almost scared to interrupt at this point. It could disperse harmlessly, but there are a lot of people there if it doesn't. Are we close to the door out? She reached out and touched Greta's shoulder, "This could go really, really badly. Worse than your awakening. I'm ready to back you up with whatever you choose to do, but there will be no time for hesitation."

So, Shvedri just sidestepped reality to catch up, then asked about a door. I'm not sure if she even realizes that she doesn't need to find it... I'm realizing that so far the only magic things Mosi/Shvedri has done reliably are short range teleportation and aura reading.

[Morph Bark]

Liam's blade struck through. Adam's wide eyes stared into Liam's and his jaw fell open, revealing few teeth--even though the monks' meditation and healthy and simple lifestyle often made them live longer, better lives than many, Adam had lived perhaps long even by their standards. It wasn't a widely known fact, as most monks weren't widely known at all, but tomorrow was Adam's eleventy-second birthday. It wasn't one he had meant to miss.

Liam's blade got stuck in Adam's spinal cord, as blood flowed out of the wound and stained the blade and robes with dark red. Paco's bonds came loose and he tried to remove the ropes from his painful wrists. The mustached monk looked at Inigo as he rubbed his wrists, a worried look on his face. "Has Humperdink--"

"Why, Liam?"

The chanting had diminished by the shock of the actions of King and Prince, but not ended. Soldiers bore down with spears upon the trihorn, while others stayed well away from it after it had trampled so many of them. A mother clutched her child, the girl's torso reduced to a behemoth's footprint. Men dragged away friends and children that had been wounded in the charge, but still lived. The monks in the crowd had dispersed, half of them aiding the people with their wounded, the others no longer clearly in sight. Those on the walls watched with horrified looks at what unfolded. The runes had almost blended together in long snaking chains of red on the poles, the ground and around the temple and the platform in the center. It was a sunny day, right at noon, but the circle of black clouds in the sky was new, as if they meant to surround the sun for a sinister purpose. And under that sky, lips moved. "I was going to save you from being stained with sin by working with the sinful. I would have brought you a greater Lyradis with a greater you, a great Lord under the greatest Lord. Why do you betray your ancestors?" He stared into Liam's eyes, but his own were dull, dead. He seemed to not pay attention to the soldiers that had already set fire to the pyre that had been erected right below the tall platform.

[SamBurke]

Liam's blade struck through. Adam's wide eyes stared into Liam's and his jaw fell open, revealing few teeth--even though the monks' meditation and healthy and simple lifestyle often made them live longer, better lives than many, Adam had lived perhaps long even by their standards. It wasn't a widely known fact, as most monks weren't widely known at all, but tomorrow was Adam's eleventy-second birthday. It wasn't one he had meant to miss.

Liam's blade got stuck in Adam's spinal cord, as blood flowed out of the wound and stained the blade and robes with dark red. Paco's bonds came loose and he tried to remove the ropes from his painful wrists. The mustached monk looked at Inigo as he rubbed his wrists, a worried look on his face. "Has Humperdink--"

"Why, Liam?"

The chanting had diminished by the shock of the actions of King and Prince, but not ended. Soldiers bore down with spears upon the trihorn, while others stayed well away from it after it had trampled so many of them. A mother clutched her child, the girl's torso reduced to a behemoth's footprint. Men dragged away friends and children that had been wounded in the charge, but still lived. The monks in the crowd had dispersed, half of them aiding the people with their wounded, the others no longer clearly in sight. Those on the walls watched with horrified looks at what unfolded. The runes had almost blended together in long snaking chains of red on the poles, the ground and around the temple and the platform in the center. It was a sunny day, right at noon, but the circle of black clouds in the sky was new, as if they meant to surround the sun for a sinister purpose. And under that sky, lips moved. "I was going to save you from being stained with sin by working with the sinful. I would have brought you a greater Lyradis with a greater you, a great Lord under the greatest Lord. Why do you betray your ancestors?" He stared into Liam's eyes, but his own were dull, dead. He seemed to not pay attention to the soldiers that had already set fire to the pyre that had been erected right below the tall platform.
"No, not dead. Just very unpopular... as it seems we might be, soon." Inigo glances around at the others. "You explain, I'll help us escape. It looks like things are about to..." He whips his arrow into his hands, readying for the leap to the steed. "HEAT UP!"

With a massive bound, he throws himself onto the back of the Trihorn, hooking a leg around one of the horns and bending dangerously close to the next. Quick as a whip, he's up, spinning over the shield, and standing on its back. "Come on! It's just jumping!" Inigo yells to Paco.

[Morph Bark]

Meanwhile, racing through the temple basement(?)...
Shvedri was guiding Glamora through the osuro ritual, but Greta was already taking off. "Sorry Glam, you're going to have to figure this out as we go." She took her by the hand and stepped through the anga lingine to catch up with the bonfire that was Greta. Hopefully Glamora would find her way out soon. Speaking low she looked to Greta, "There is so much energy here. The sky is thick with it. I'm almost scared to interrupt at this point. It could disperse harmlessly, but there are a lot of people there if it doesn't. Are we close to the door out? She reached out and touched Greta's shoulder, "This could go really, really badly. Worse than your awakening. I'm ready to back you up with whatever you choose to do, but there will be no time for hesitation."

So, Shvedri just sidestepped reality to catch up, then asked about a door. I'm not sure if she even realizes that she doesn't need to find it... I'm realizing that so far the only magic things Mosi/Shvedri has done reliably are short range teleportation and aura reading.

Greta looked behind her when she heard noise and found herself staring at Shvedrishti, holding on to a limp Glamora. She frowned, but didn't care to question it. "I'm not sure, I've never been here before." She bit her lip in thought. "Aye, there will be no hesitation this time." She held firm the crystal flask in her hand. "We need to be out there as fast as we can. Perhaps we should spread out to find the exit sooner." She suggestion, not stopping with the search while she spoke.

I guess for Inigo seeing a man talk with a sword through his throat is an everyday occurence?

[QuintonBeck]

Orpa had been moving among the commonfolk, distributing soup to the hungry people when the leaders of Lyradis and Guilder had arrived and the chanting had started. He recognized Lord Liam from his time in the Lyradissian territories aiding the sick, the Guilderene's identity was a mystery but his presence, or rather, the presence of his mount set Orpa on edge. The commotion quickly drew the attention of the gathered people, distracting them from their hunger, and Orpa too had joined in the staring up at the Temple from his vantage point.

His years at the Temple in the recent past had been strenuous, and now with this he wasn't sure what was happening. Adam had kept him away from the Temple, off in Grmanhil and Requiem aiding with the Psudeath outbreak and when he had finally returned much had changed at the Temple. The Blazing Avatar, awoken at the Second Grand Ball had never arrived at the Temple, Paco's name had remained uncleared, more and more monks had begun to arm themselves and less and less committed themselves to their meditations and counseling. Instead the vast majority of his brothers and sisters had been sent out to rally the people, and bring them to the Temple, raising blades against those who did not follow the Flame.

Orpa had worshiped at the Temple for half a century and adopted his mentor's belief in pacifist resistance and had refused to leave. He even had a small cabal of supporters, mostly older monks who remembered the last Blazing Avatar, only a few young joiners who hadn't been twisted to violence by Adam, but enough that he had retained hope that Adam's reign might not last.

Orpa had long taken consolation that his work would pay off when the new Avatar finally returned, her or Paco Guzman who might set things straight. It was during a moment of hope at the prospect of Paco's return that Paco was dragged out by the monks who swore allegiance to Adam. Orpa's stomach sank as he saw the man he had hoped to set things right bound prisoner to the man he feared was leading the Temple astray. He began to move forward in the crowd, slow due to his age, but not as slow as the average man over sixty five might move.

His eyes remained locked on the central action as Adam began to chant and the crowd joined in,

"No! Stop!" He yelled to the people but they were swept up in the fervor and refused to listen.

He kept moving, getting close enough that Adam's voice was clear in his ears even above the din of the crowd when suddenly Lord Liam of Lyradis rose from kneeling and swung his sword into the neck of Brother Adam. Orpa stopped short, shocked, his shock growing to horror as Adam continued to speak to the Lord of Lyradis. Suddenly the ground shook and he he noticed the great beast the Guilderene rode upon trampling through the crowd, maiming or killing the gathered commonfolk as it made its way towards Paco.

Orpa stumbled the direction the creature had gone, but the wounded people demanded his attention and he began to tend to them. The horrifying sky and acts of Adam temporarily pushed from his mind as he tried to prevent more people from dying than already had in this madness.

[zabbarot]

Greta looked behind her when she heard noise and found herself staring at Shvedrishti, holding on to a limp Glamora. She frowned, but didn't care to question it. "I'm not sure, I've never been here before." She bit her lip in thought. "Aye, there will be no hesitation this time." She held firm the crystal flask in her hand. "We need to be out there as fast as we can. Perhaps we should spread out to find the exit sooner." She suggestion, not stopping with the search while she spoke.

I guess for Inigo seeing a man talk with a sword through his throat is an everyday occurence?

Shvedrishti turned and looked towards where the ritual was taking place. They were close enough now that she could see Adam through the haze of energy gathering. She could not hear the chanting from here, but she could feel it's effect. It was like the whole world was buzzing. There was a flash of light as a figure she did not recognize attacked Adam. A beast of black fire ripped it's way out of his throat taking his place. A shudder ran down Shvedrishti's spine.

"Greta, there is no time to find the door. We're going. Now." She grasped Greta's shoulder and stepped directly in front of the beast that was Adam.

Time for your Boss Fight, Morph.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVshR3ehxmE

Also... If anyone is confused, yes Shvedrishti, Greta, and Glamora just appeared in front of Adam quite suddenly. Wizards :smalltongue:

[TheWombatOfDoom]

"Blazes..." Liam exclaimed, backing away from Adam's speaking corpse. "Greater me? Just like you are greater now? This is not what the Lord of Fire desires. You have turned away, and are trying to use him to make your own way true. You were mad, Adam, and I have tried to free you of this. I suppose even in death, your madness will burn. Father of the Sky, Lord of Fire, hear my prayer. Forgive him. Give Adam peace. And forgive me for my transgressions this day, and all days." Liam shouted above the noise a codeword, and the two dozen soldiers he had placed in the crowd began moving toward the platform to assist.

"CITIZENS OF LYRADIS, BROTHERS OF GUILDER, STOP. ADAM HAS LED YOU FROM THE LIGHT. HE WAS NOT SPEAKING FOR THE LORD. HOW LONG HAVE THE MONKS OF THE TEMPLE TAUGHT YOU THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT ADAM HAS PREACHED THIS DAY? YOU WOULD INVOKE FAMINE AND DEATH ON OTHERS? SPEAK SICKNESS AND PAIN? ADAM WANTED TO PUNISH THE WORLD, BY CREATING MORE OF WHAT SUFFERING HAS BROUGHT YOU HERE! THIS SPELL IS USING THE LORD, NOT THE LORD USING YOU.

YOU KNOW ME. I HAVE GROWN UP AMONGST YOU. I KNOW YOUR PAIN, AND WITH THE TEMPLE, I HAVE TRIED TO EASE YOUR SUFFERING. THE FAMINE HAS ENDED, AND THE PLAGUE HAS VANISHED, THANKS TO THE GRACE OF THE LORD. ADAM MEANS TO DOOM US ALL, JUST LOOK AT THE SKY ABOVE YOU! RUN! ESCAPE THE TRAP THAT ADAM HAS SET FOR YOU. HE HAS TAKEN YOUR WEAKNESSES AND TURNED IT AGAINST YOU" He turned toward Paco and Ingo, lingering at the platform, but was still shouting out for all to hear. "GO NOW. BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE."

[Morph Bark]

With a last look, Paco decided to not be told the same thing thrice and leapt onto the back of the trihorn. "Let's move!" He told Inigo as he held on to his savior, but the trihorn did not move.

Adam stared into Liam's eyes with the orange dancing around the edges of his own, still so dead and with the wide pupils of living madness. He grasped his arm and drew him closer, the sword moving further into his throat as if it was being sucked in and out the other way. "Greater and greater still." He grinned with bloody black-stained teeth as the flames began to lick closer to their feet. His fingers dug into Liam's arm with unholy strength, betraying the monk's old age. "It's good to see you care for your people, Liam. Let us satisfy their hunger."

Adam's other hand was shaped like a grasping claw in the direction of Inigo and Paco. It was this situation in which the Sisters Three arrived in a small flash. By Liam's words and the horror of Adam's state, most commonfolk had backed away and many had begun to flee. The monks and soldiers remained, but not many as steadfast as they had believed themselves to be. "ADAM!" Greta shouted. She wanted to ask what was going on, but explanations would be sparse and of little meaning now. Destruction of things that would otherwise destroy much more was the quickest, easiest path, and the path that had always come most natural to Greta.

"Too little." Adam remarked upon seeing the new arrivals. "Too late." His hand rose, and with it the trihorn upon which Inigo and Paco were seated. The beast cried out pitifully when it felt its feet no longer touching solid ground, confused over no longer having control of its direction. "A gift... OF LIFE!" Adam shouted, and brought down his hand. The trihorn crashed into the pyre, which burst apart in sickly greens and awful purples and blacks. The fire engulfed Adam as he let out a gurgling noise that seemed to be like the laughter of the dead.

Greta popped open the crystal flask and drank the spicy dew inside. Her eyes burned, her throat seemed to split apart and water broke out from nigh every pore. Her ashen hair burst into brightness and she became enveloped with an aura of orange gold, her skin traced with lines of silver-blue and her eyes and every orifice blazing but for the dots of blackness that were her pupils. Her grit teeth appeared ghastly with the orange glow behind them, and her fists were covered by claws of light of every known beast. "Shvedrishti," she spoke, "thanks." She smiled while facing Adam. "You two feel free to jump in whenever. Let's send him straight to the Vast Beyond."

[lt_murgen]

Jonas remained impassive throughout the King's speech, but when Shvedrishti appeared he sprinted to the platform. It was not his place to interfere; this magic was beyond anything he could comprehend. Still, there were plenty of monks loyal to Adam about. Any one of them could take up arms against the three woman. "His woman" a small voice in his head whispered.

Ripping the rags free, he spun his walking cane and dropped into a combat stance, close to the access points to the platform. The can glittered with the firelight dancing off the mithril and onyx head. He looked around, anxious to see if Paco and Inigo had managed to jump free of the beast before it was roasted.

[QuintonBeck]

The people Orpa had been tending to were quickly grabbed by their friends and family and pulled away as the Lord of Lyradis spoke and Adam twisted shape on the stand. Orpa looked around at the chaos of the fleeing people, the other monks standing enraptured by the scene on the pedestal and then to his hope of Paco over on the Guilderene beast. He saw it just in time to see it tossed into the air, watching it fly into the podium and erupt in a sick explosion. Orpa shielded his eyes and looked desperately to see the fate of Paco but his gaze was interrupted as a commoner ran past him, removing his clothes and turning to reveal a fighting man wielding an impressive cane.

He approached the man, his hands raised passively,

"Please, Paco must be saved!" He said, unsure whether he was asking for permission to pass and look or for assistance in searching for the man he pledged to follow despite never meeting him.

[lt_murgen]

Jonas eased into a more neutral pose. Paco had to be saved, if possible. He owed his grandpa and his beloved that much. "Go. Go find him. I did not see what happened after the beast was lifted into the air."

He turned and looked to the three women again. "I stay to guard the women from that... man's followers/"

[SamBurke]

Greta looked behind her when she heard noise and found herself staring at Shvedrishti, holding on to a limp Glamora. She frowned, but didn't care to question it. "I'm not sure, I've never been here before." She bit her lip in thought. "Aye, there will be no hesitation this time." She held firm the crystal flask in her hand. "We need to be out there as fast as we can. Perhaps we should spread out to find the exit sooner." She suggestion, not stopping with the search while she spoke.

I guess for Inigo seeing a man talk with a sword through his throat is an everyday occurence?

Well, Humperdink doesn't do it much, but I think Inigo's more of the down and dirty type... if you catch my drift. :smallwink:



With a last look, Paco decided to not be told the same thing thrice and leapt onto the back of the trihorn. "Let's move!" He told Inigo as he held on to his savior, but the trihorn did not move.

Adam stared into Liam's eyes with the orange dancing around the edges of his own, still so dead and with the wide pupils of living madness. He grasped his arm and drew him closer, the sword moving further into his throat as if it was being sucked in and out the other way. "Greater and greater still." He grinned with bloody black-stained teeth as the flames began to lick closer to their feet. His fingers dug into Liam's arm with unholy strength, betraying the monk's old age. "It's good to see you care for your people, Liam. Let us satisfy their hunger."

Adam's other hand was shaped like a grasping claw in the direction of Inigo and Paco. It was this situation in which the Sisters Three arrived in a small flash. By Liam's words and the horror of Adam's state, most commonfolk had backed away and many had begun to flee. The monks and soldiers remained, but not many as steadfast as they had believed themselves to be. "ADAM!" Greta shouted. She wanted to ask what was going on, but explanations would be sparse and of little meaning now. Destruction of things that would otherwise destroy much more was the quickest, easiest path, and the path that had always come most natural to Greta.

"Too little." Adam remarked upon seeing the new arrivals. "Too late." His hand rose, and with it the trihorn upon which Inigo and Paco were seated. The beast cried out pitifully when it felt its feet no longer touching solid ground, confused over no longer having control of its direction. "A gift... OF LIFE!" Adam shouted, and brought down his hand. The trihorn crashed into the pyre, which burst apart in sickly greens and awful purples and blacks. The fire engulfed Adam as he let out a gurgling noise that seemed to be like the laughter of the dead.

Greta popped open the crystal flask and drank the spicy dew inside. Her eyes burned, her throat seemed to split apart and water broke out from nigh every pore. Her ashen hair burst into brightness and she became enveloped with an aura of orange gold, her skin traced with lines of silver-blue and her eyes and every orifice blazing but for the dots of blackness that were her pupils. Her grit teeth appeared ghastly with the orange glow behind them, and her fists were covered by claws of light of every known beast. "Shvedrishti," she spoke, "thanks." She smiled while facing Adam. "You two feel free to jump in whenever. Let's send him straight to the Vast Beyond."

Inigo growned as the Sisters Three appeared. "If I'd known you were just summonin' a bunch of ladies, I wouldn't've stopped you... say, got any you can reserve for--" He stops in midsentence, as his beast is lifted into air. Hundreds, thousands of pounds, no, nearly 10 tons of musclemass and armor, wrenched from the earth.

"That's our cue, Paco! More jumping!" Inigo throws himself from the mount, tucking into a roll to protect his bow. He ends the motion with a slide, pulling back an arrow and leaning up to a standing position. "ANSWERS, ADAM! GIMME SOME!" He points the arrow directly at the monk's lifebloo-- well, his heart, whatever beat there now.

"This keeps happening! Everybody gets to yelling, gets to protesting, does whatever the guy with the loudest voice or the nearest speech says... I get so tired of it. Get tired of you guys with the religious fighting stuff, too." He motions with his arrow to all the monks, the Sisters. "So if you don't tell me what's going on, I'm gonna shoot your face. Yup. Face... which eye?" Inigo slides the tip of his bolt from Adam's heart to his eye level. "I'd let you pick!"

[zabbarot]

People were fleeing all around, but all Shvedri saw was fire. It bled from the runes dotting the stones of the temple, and formed a swirling vortex in the sky. The ritual was reaching its apex with or without the monks now. Adam, or rather the monster that had been Adam, seemed to feed on the vortex. He would only get stronger if the ritual completed.

"Glamora, try to protect the monks. Encase us and Adam in ice if you need to." Shvedrishti meanwhile focused on the trails of energy she could see. The pieces of the ritual were laid out in her mind. A whole mountain channeling the Lord of Fire, so that Adam might extract his blessing, but the Lord of Fire might grant it willingly. Too capricious a god for Shvedrishti's tastes, and too dangerous. She reached out through the anga lingine, grasping at runes half way down the mountain. A symbol here, a slash there, she altered them one by one.

Soon the vortex reached it's full strength, but it's attention was drawn away from Adam. It hovered noncommittally above the battlefield. Another rune on the temple altered, one on a rock face. The vortex began to unravel. Long strands of energy reached towards Greta as though she were a being of intense gravity.


Asili Mkuu, boundless and ageless,
You from whom all things flow,
You to whom all things return,
Allow me to fathom the infinite depths of reality,
Grant me safe passage through your will,
This I ask as but a humble drop in your vast ocean.

Shvedrishti stood with arms outstretched. To those who could truly see it was as if she had a thousand arms reaching into the mountain, manipulating reality.


I call out the Glaring Sun.
He has failed in his duty.
He has burned his charges.
He has ignored their pleas.
He has allowed hate to guide his hand.

Within anga lingine the mountain was torn asunder as the eye of the Lord of Fire appeared from below.


I would judge him in your stead.
I would find him wanting.
I would see him relinquish his throne.
I would appoint an heir.
Through me may your will be done.

The vortex was rapidly collapsing into Greta, and long tongues of flame were rising from the Lord of Fire to meet her.


Artist's interpretation
http://i.imgur.com/Vufb028.gif
roll (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17474448&postcount=443) in case it's needed, but hopefully isn't because I rolled a 4 on 2d6 :smallsigh:

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Liam screamed in pain. It took everything within him to not passout. Adam's unholy fingers dug into Liam's sword arm, drawing blood. As Adam pulled him closer, he heard a snap, and more pain. Worse, where he was wounded, his blood began to blacken and smoke, the wound began to sizzle. He watched in horror as the blackness began to spead through the veins around the wound, and work their way slowly up his arm. Horror was plain on Liam's face.

That horror deepened as he watched the horned beast slowly be lifted into the air by the dark, grasping claw of the Demon Adam. A desperate feeling began to well up inside the Lord of Lyradis. An intense feeling that filled him. His breath began to quicken. His eyes began to dart. He began pulling painfully, strongly, tearing at the arm that held him, to no avail. His eyes fell on one of his soldiers, who was just arriving at the podium, and trying to find a way up, away from the flames. "YOUR SWORD. I need it NOW."

The soldier looked up at him, and slid the sword quickly. Liam tried to reach down, crying out as he pulled again on his broken arm. Grabbing the sword by the hilt, Liam took the sword in his off hand, wishing he had listened to Inigo in their duels of his youth, and learned both left and right handed sword use. Still, with a firm grasp, and a lot of panic, he gritted his teeth, and struck, pulling at his arm as he did so.

*SLASH*

At first, Liam wasn't sure what had happened. He was falling. Falling and screaming. Or was that someone else. He hit the ground and didn't feel it. The soldier was next to him, but his words were distant. Liam shook his head, clearing it some, but he was still...heavy. How did he get here? He looked at his right arm, and found a stump midway from his sholder to where his elbow had been. And then the pain came. The soldier was pressing some cloth to the wound now, covering it, but then from behind, an explosion of heat and light came from behind, and threw them tumbling.

As things came into focus, Liam saw Inigo pointing an arrow at Adam, and asking for explaination. Liam was half numb, shock taking him over.

"Iniiiiiiigo, I don't think he's going to..to give you a graaaaand speech telling you what's going on right now," Liam said semideleriously. "What's an arrooow going ta do?"

*SWOOSH*

From the darkening skies came a rally cry. A shout. A flourish of beating wings. The smoke twisted and swirled where from the darkening clouds, a Lyradissian unit of Griffon riders emmerged, bearing the blue, brown and white of Lyradis on their gear.

"Errick, you old bastard. You never listen to me..." Liam murmured, though he seemed glad to see them just the same. The group did a tight circle and Liam's soldier waved at them, and a Griffon decended, landing next to them to get the king. Others were swooping at the cackling, flaming demon on the podium, attacking it in earnest. Liam was helped onto the flying beast by its rider and the soldier next to him.

"My people. Save my people...and Paco...get Paco..."

They launched into the air, his soldier, the one that saved him, motioning for the Griffons to start grabbing people, and getting out. The griffons dove, and snatched up as many as they could (1 per griffon) in their claws (Paco and Inigo if they're so willing). As they rose higher and higher, and away from the Temple, Liam began to black out...his last thoughts of the soldier that saved him, and how he didn't even know his name...

[HisHolyAngel]

Shvedrishti had already begun her ritual, and common men believed they could still believed there was something they could do in this situation. Somehow, Shvedri had known something about her that she most certainly should not. It was less than surprising however, with her ability to do many amazing things. She nodded at the other woman's command, she held her hands up above her head, and the moisture in the air began to freeze, forming a barrier of solid ice. She finished the barrier as Liam and the soldier were knocked out of the vicinity in an attempt to keep everyone apart from Adam and the three girls. The barrier, of course, was not up in time to stop her from witnessing the plight of Paco as he fell into the fire. All she could do now is pray.

The cat was out of the bag, the word she had these powers would spread, but this situation needed her.

[Morph Bark]

"Wisecracks won't help, Guilderene," Greta said over the noise. She heeded no attention to the griffons when they came to pick up Lord Liam. Paco, whom had fallen off the trihorn when it rose and Inigo leapt off it with the glee of a madman adventurer, rolled over the ground as he was thrown away from the blast of heat from the fire, bumping his head against a rock and he lay there with a headwound, his vision spinning. He rose clumsily, stumbling as if confused and falling to his knees. When the griffons came, he thought he could hear the sounds of dwarven armies storming the mountain. He weakly crossed his arms when a rider came near to get him. "Not without the girls."

As Shvedrishti worked her miracle, the very leylines of the mountain began to shift ever so slightly. As Glamora weaved walls of ice that melted in face of the heat, but were weaved faster than the heat could hold them down, magic fought against magic. While it was generally a force of little power, it was known to feed itself when multiple sources clashed. Even without miracles being wrought, the power would rise to greater heights, but Adam and Shvedrishti both had worked something great, and they threatened to consume one another and grow to something greater and more terrible. Greta still felt her connection to Shvedrishti and Glamora through not only their bonds of family--not by blood, but family nonetheless--but even moreso through the spiritual plane from which their powers drew. The Lord of Fire, to which she of all people had greatest bond with, saturated this place with power. If there was ever a time at which she would be at her most powerful--regardless of the fact that she had never been much of a spiritual person, regardless of the fact that she sucked at meditation no matter all the tips she'd had from Paco and her aunt Vilindrae--this would be it.

And then the mountain below her shook as she felt the Eye of the Lord upon her. The very mountain seemed to crack under the pressure, as if it were about to rise up into the sky, where the torrent of clouds and light blazed in a circle. A column of light from the sun to the pyre and into the earth radiated as the wicked flames around Adam coalesced and shot up in a narrow spire into the blazing eye of the sky, connecting the Fire Above to the Fire Below, Eye with Eye and Earth with Sky. Adam's mad laughter reverberated across the field, no louder than the fire, but yet more audible, and no longer human in sound. Greta walked towards him and felt the draw of power as it moved to her, away from Below and Above, away from Adam. The black fires that twisted around her became like thin strings as they were drowned out by her own flames. So often did people forget about the Fire Within. Too little was it ever shown to bring forth it's might. "Adam," she addressed him calmly, drawing attention from the dead-eyed madman. "It's over."

She reached out with one hand at the sky and another at the ground. The mountain trembled again and the sky churned, drew in to a point, and then almost seemed to be sucked downwards towards the Temple and to them. The clouds, the sun and the fiery spire drew into her hand and Greta seized the reigns of Earth and Sky and whipped them together, as if she meant to ride the world. Adam stumbled backwards as he if he was struck by lashes. "It's not over. It's not the end. It's the beginning!" He grabbed the sword still stuck through his throat by the blade and pulled it out of him. He grabbed the rhino leather of the hilt in his death grip and pointed it at Greta. The roar of fire cried like thunder and the green, purple and black shot at Greta like lightning. The blazing aura surrounding her opening up like the maw of a beast and ate them up like they were nothing.

"It's over, but not for you." She whipped the reigns again and Adam fell backwards as he tripped over the blackened logs of the pyre, falling against the corpse of the trihorn that had been impaled on the pole and grilled by the flames. "I came here wondering if I should let you live. You've already shown you are incapable of living, so that has removed my one obstacle. Instead, our judgement will be thus:"

Greta took a moment to look at Shvedrishti, at Glamora, at the distant griffons carrying Liam away, at Inigo with his eager arrows, at the gathered monks and soldiers, and at Paco, who looked back with confused gaze, but a hint of pride at what she had become--even if she had become it late.

The reigns whipped again, all the way around Greta, as if she meant to overturn the mount she was riding, but she instead intended it to be like the opening of something that required such a long draw. A tear opened up overhead, between a pair of tall poles that still stood, their runes changed by Shvedrishti to newer meaning. A from it was launched something with the force of a meteor that landed just about on top of Adam--a ship that came from the tear, its hull and sail made not from wood and cloth, but something not of this world. It blazed a trail as it issued forth from another realm and came down crashing, but without physical effect on the land or the people. The hull disappeared into the ground to the point that one could step onto the deck with a single step from the ground over the railing, and the ship stuck out from the mountain at an angle as its captain did just that. The silent spirit remained there standing, and gave a nod with a smile at the young women and tipped his tricorn at Jonas Grants. Adam's face could not be more incredulous, and the sword dropped from his hand in defeat.

"Adam Detto, by the power vested in me not only by the Lord of Fire, but by the people of this world, I sentence you to exile in the farthest depths of the spirit realm. Captain Jonas Grumby, take the prisoner to his destination."

[lt_murgen]

When Jonas saw the Adam start to wrench the sword from his throat, he moved quickly to protect Greta. After a few steps, however, he realized how powerless he truly was in this awesome spectacle. He stood numbly, watching the tableau unfold.

The fire ship descending from the sky held him enraptured. Never had he seen a thing so terrible, so wonderful. Until the spirit stepped forth. Jonas recognized it, him, immediately. Jonas, grandpa, his namesake. He looked exactly the doughty old he remembered. But looking again, he saw the brash young pirate king in the prime of his life, his gaze gleefully on the uncertain future. Perhaps, in that instant, he was both at once.

Stepping on brother Adam's discarded blade, he prodded the crispy cleric with his cane. "Move. Pop Pop's got a schedule to keep."

[SamBurke]

Inigo growls inwardly at the duel of magic. "Gosh darned magic people and their magic magicks, magicking around..." He pulls the arrow out, though, twirls it into his quiver with one arm, and whips his bow onto his shoulder with the other arm. "I think it's time for the ladies."

He runs over to the sisters, commanding a few flights of Lyradis' griffons to follow. The moment he gets there, he bows with as much courtesy --and seduction-- as he can muster. "Sisters Three, I understand that you are busy, but at the earliest opportunity, I believe the word 'escape' has doubled in market value." Inigo looks sadly at his dead Trihorn, half of it burning, the other half frozen stiff. "Plus, it looks like we've got more important issues. Like, say, the massive army of rabble on the mountainside eager for some sort of 'good news.' I think it's time we delivered the good news they need, not what they want."

[Morph Bark]

Adam had little choice, and he set foot on the blazing ship as he got prodded by Jonas Sr.'s cane. The ship rumbled as it began to pull free from the mountain, and it could be seen that there were many more standing on the ship. An old but muscular Woodwind man in a pink dress was strangling an armoured Salterri with a long mustache under one arm, the other tucked in the arm of an old fire berapi in fancy clothes. Behind him, a man with similar features was sharpening a knife with a bat-shaped guard while stealing nasty looks at the Woodwind man, occasionally holding the knife to the Woodwind man's back, then shaking his head and continuing to sharpen it. A pair of dignified Ashenite men--one older than the other, but looking much alike--were playing chess, the pieces seemingly stuck to the board with some spiritual glue that they didn't fall off at this angle. A man in fine Bordeusi furs stood behind the younger, looking over his shoulder and providing advice on moves to consider. A threesome of dwarven men--one taller than the others, but all with fat bellies and muscular arms--were bickering about how to best carve a piece of rock that stood between them, the tall one attempting to drag an elven woman into the discussion as well. A goblin was emptying their pockets in the meantime and walked to a giantess dressed in furs to show off his loot, but she shook her head disapprovingly. In the ropes of the mast a rat swung about, leaving trails of vanishing reds behind him as he sang a garbled song in an old tongue. A pair of kingly men drank wine as they laughed with each other brotherly, their fingers scarred with marks of burning. They were poured more wine by a woman with colourful skin who sat in the lap of a third man at their table, whose skin was no less colourful. A man by the railing sat at another table and leaned over the railing to raise his goblet of wine at Inigo, his clothes marking him as a Doge of Guilder, his skin was golden and his face resembled the living Guilderene's own. At the steering wheel stood a dignified old man in priestly robes, who waved slowly at Greta. His action was joined by another man's, who was decked out in religious symbols and who carried an adamantine cannon below his arm. Adam and Jonas passed a man who went out of their way with haste, as he appeared to be on fire and his face was pained, yet pulled into a smile when he surveyed the living below.

The ship pulled free and turned to go back through the rift. Then the Woodwind man noticed Orpa, and recognized the features as one of his kind. "HEY, YOU!" He shouted at him. "TELL MY GRANDDAUGHTER SHE'S A WHOOOOORE!"*

And then the ship sailed into the next realm.

"And that's that." Greta turned to Shvedrishti and Glamora with a smile. "All's well that ends well."

But the mountain did not stop to tremble. The fiery displays did not stop to coalesce and charge into Greta. And as the power built up, her looks grew worried, she stared at her hands and looked at Shvedrishti. "Shedri, what have you do--"

And then she blinked out of the world.

Paco's mouth was wide open and his hands held up as he did not know what do anymore.



*Anyone who recognizes someone of theirs, feel free to throw something in. Quinton, it felt appropriate to him. :P

[SamBurke]

"Uh, check my eyesight ladies, but did she just DISAPPEAR?!" Inigo pokes the place where Greta was. "Magic... what in the name of... I don't even have a name to call on right now. Goodness." He screws his face up tight, and tries to take in stock of the situation. It looked under control...

Inigo waves to the flights of Lyradisians, and calls them back. "Pretty sure we're good here and now, but I do think we should..."

Then, the ship, the ghosts. Rank after rank of the dead standing on a ship. One in particular is admiring its make, running his hands along its sides, until he reaches the stern. "Are you...?" Inigo asks.

The man nods. "It is I, Tumberink. First of the Great Doges of Guilder, unifier, often called "The Sage." But, given your bearing... I would say that you are a son-of-my-son?" The Doge smiles, bowing a little, and taking in as much of the child as he could. Looking from top to bottom and back up again, he makes a note of approval.

"Yeah, yeah... Uh... I'm Inigo. The most dashing of your son's sons." A low, sweeping, courtier's bow proves this fact.

"And, by the sword at your side, I believe you are the one destined to inherit?"

Inigo nods, smirking a little and leaning on the ancient bronze blade. "I'm more of a bowman, myself."

Tumberink smiles, eyes calling up memories nearly real. "Being as I currently am, I have much time for thought, and so I can see that we have but little time." In fact, the ship was already moving out from underneath him, and Tumberink suppressed a feeling of... regret? Could he have that, here and now? Even after death, in as fine a death as he had gone, dying at the place of his greatest discovery, he had a regret? No! Only advice. "You are a ruler, ruler of Guilder! You are going to have unfathomable power and influence in every sphere of this world. I have seen the great channel to the south, I have been to the fair far isles. Everything you see is yours..."

Inigo interrupts. "Mine? Heh... I guess I can take the word of a ghost, can't I. Things are looking good for Guilder... and my Harem." Another slanted grin.

"No! No! Not YOURS in any sense of owning or taking. Yours... as a responsibility. The entire world is on the brink. I followed in the steps of Lyradis and gave us a few years of peace. Your father is, even now, begun preparations for his own Visitation and its grand finale!"

Inigo stepped back in shock. His father... preparing the Visitation? But he could not be near death, could he? The ship was nearly gone, about to plunge down the mountain in smoky glory, disappear. "Speak! Speak! Explain!" he shouts.

"Each of Guilder lives and dies with a purpose, Inigo! You can change this world, its whole known face, should you choose.

"HOW you choose." Tumberink reaches out one hand, then the other, hoping for a final, forlorn, goodbye. But no. His words are ended, and so too is his time.

The ship's prow dips, falling in a trail of void, stern thrown up. Then, it glides down, out of sight. Gone.

[HisHolyAngel]

Glamora collapsed to her knees, strained from all the magical power she had put out. Through the osuro induced spiritual thingimajig, she manages to say some words to Shvedrishti.
"What did you just do?"
So much had happened. She had lost her mother this morning, and now a girl she had spent a portion of her childhood growing up and learning with had just disappeared to Yphine knows where, a girl she had considered a sister.

[QuintonBeck]

Orpa stared with disbelief at the events unfolding before him. Much he saw he did not understand, some he did, the last words of the few men aboard he recognized shocked him from staring and he returned his attention to the ruin around him. His eyes fell to Greta, a smile of hope beginning to crease his worried face as she spoke and then, she vanished.

Orpa's head twisted towards Paco who stood as confused as any, Orpa could hear only the thumping of his own heart inside his ears and in an instant he was falling to the ground, his old body seeming to have been overridden by the sensations of the day he clutched at his chest as he fell, and his mind began to fade. The last thought he had was of a nice bowl of soup.

((OOC: It most definitely is IC of the Doomkhan. He would have been mad about her first marriage, infuriated at her second :smalltongue:

Also, I figure it's about time one of these old people we play with had a heartattack even if it isn't a ruler))

[zabbarot]

Shvedrishti watched almost impassively as Adam was taken away. Her focus was still else where. It wasn't until Greta finally turned back to them that she finished her work. She collapsed in a heap as Greta disappeared. "Farewell, my sister. You will be a greater god than he ever was." She exhaled a deep sigh of relief. Asili Mkuu had worked through her. The shahidi had only believed it possible to truly invoke the lesser deities, but she had done it. She had harnassed, briefly, the divine will of Asili Mkuu. Through her one god was struck down, and another put in his place.

She looked up at Glamora, and then over to Jonas. "I... I did what was necessary."

[HisHolyAngel]

Shvedrishti watched almost impassively as Adam was taken away. Her focus was still else where. It wasn't until Greta finally turned back to them that she finished her work. She collapsed in a heap as Greta disappeared. "Farewell, my sister. You will be a greater god than he ever was." She exhaled a deep sigh of relief. Asili Mkuu had worked through her. The shahidi had only believed it possible to truly invoke the lesser deities, but she had done it. She had harnassed, briefly, the divine will of Asili Mkuu. Through her one god was struck down, and another put in his place.

She looked up at Glamora, and then over to Jonas. "I... I did what was necessary."

A single tear rolled down Glamora's face, and the air around her got a little colder. Cue more magical spirit world voice communication.
"She's needed here! What gave you the right?! Do you people ever think before you mess with the gods?"

[lt_murgen]

Jonas was there for her in an instant, crouching beside her protectively. "You did what you must do" He told her comfortingly, his arm around her. "Greta did what she was destined to do. It is a matter of faith, isn't that so?'

"We all play our part." He said more distantly, watching the spot where the ship had disappeared.