The Quint growls as he draws back his bow and fires at Marcusic. The arrow ricochets off his well-worn armor and disappears into the darkness. With a look of frustration, the archer reaches out a hand towards the group as if grabbing something.
The night echoes with a loud
The archer and the body of the dwarf disappear.
Even after the terrible things that the shape-changing dwarf had done, some small part of Thomas mourns him.
He wants to go to Gunther immediately, but the words of his mother resound in his ears, My son, the first duty of a commander is to those she leads. It is by their hands that her will is done. Do not neglect the hands.
The priest petitions the goddess for her grace and Marc is healed.
Once the worst of his wounds are washed away by the divine light, Thomas channels more. The wounds that had been suffered by Gunther and Maddok need care.
He then rushes to Gunther, cradles the unconscious wizard, and weeps in gratitude. Thank you, Mother. Thank you!
With the battle over following their remaining foe's flight, Marcusic stops his melody and slumps wearily against the stones making up the well's body. In the light of his ioun torch, he looks himself over, then casts his attention over to where Thomas is. "Did it work," he calls to the half-elf, softly to avoid drawing any attention that the sounds of combat might not have attracted already. "Did you find whatever it was you needed to get him back to normal?"
Marcusic feels revitalized in the flesh but weary from the battle. As he looks up, Thomas's form radiates with positive energy, and while the group feels the blessing of Teysura, Gunther screams and scrambles to his hands and knees. The acrid smell of burnt flesh lingers in the air as Thomas drops beside him and embraces the young wizard.
"NO!" Gunther shouts and pulls away. Throwing back is long, blonde hair matted with sweat and dirt, he raises his hands to protect himself from his assailant. But when his eyes fall upon Thomas' face, his body begins to shake and he weeps uncontrollably. "Thomas? How... where?" he stammers as a thousand questions flood him mind but cannot pass his lips. He reaches out to hold his friend and nearly collapses from the exhaustion.
Thomas holds his lover and strokes his filthy, matted hair. "I'm here, beloved. I am here. We can fix whatever they did to you with the Mother's grace."
A concerned look crosses Haessen's face as he looks about the small garden at the abandoned buildings. "There are dark forces in the city... something works against the Mother's healing..." He turns to Thomas and places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You have done well, Thomas. Perhaps, in time, he will heal... We should leave this place quickly."
Thomas nods and helps Gunther to his feet. "We must get you to the Bright Tower. There the diviners may know more. Rest will help to restore us all."
The priest does not let go of his lover's hand. No matter what curse he suffers, Thomas cannot bear to be separated from Gunther after so long apart. Just as there is no wound that the Sacred Mother cannot overcome, love has its own power.
He pulls out the small bronze coffer and hands it to Haessen as the cautiously make their way back to the Bright Tower. "Those men sought to defile the Mother's Grotto and seize what we have found within."
He hands the more senior priest the small bronze coffer he had found inside. "Do you know how to open this? Do you think we can drive the evil power from the axe we took from the gnoll? I cannot imagine that Talanor can prosper under the shade of these curses."
Maddok's form melts away and the bodyguard rapidly resumes his humanoid form.
"The archer is still out there. I doubt he'll attack again without the dwarf to back him up but we can't be too careful", he warns as the small party begins the return trip.
Haessen fumbles with the coffer a moment. "No, I cannot open it. But something seems to be within." He gently tucks it into his robe as he looks at the axe. "I can seek to consecrate it in the name of the Blessed Mother... yes, let us make haste to the Bright Tower," he agrees when Maddok speaks up.
With great care, the group make their way through Oldtown and the Points. Entering the bridge to the Bright Tower, Marcusic spots a pair of zombies feasting on the carcass of a oxen. However, the group is able to pass undetected. "Poor beast," the old priest says with saddened eyes. "If only he had been found earlier, he could have toiled in this dark world a while longer... bearing the burdens of the mortals that walk far and wide." Haessen turns and scrambles after the group.
I'm definitely down for playing, though what I play would depend on the rules.
The group of weary adventurers slowly made their way back to the Bright Tower, dispatching several former inhabitants of the vale that had arisen as undead. Maddok and Marcusic waded through the ghastly carnage as Thomas and Denenor helped the struggling Gunther hobble along.
At the tower, they find solace in the safety of the structure. Marcusic and Maddok worked daily to clear the bridge to the Points of the undead. Yet they continued to come, attracted by the last bastion of life in the vale. On several occasions refugees had arrived looking for help. Denenor's gift of warping the fabric of the material plane did not go unnoticed by the small enclave of diviners that remained at the tower. He saved countless lives upon the bridge, teleporting them to safety.
Thomas spent his days helping the young wizard regain strength with the help of Haessen. As the days pass, it became clear that the gift of life granted by Teysura in the Crystalline Cherry Tree had been corrupted as it entered the half-elf. While his life was saved, his affinity to the negative energy of the Ether could not be denied. Disagreements between the priests often devolved into frustration as Thomas's love for Gunther shined bright and would not be broken by older priest's words of caution. It was never more clear that Haessen desired to be rid of Gunther's presence than the moment he referred to the noble Aerten as an "Abomination!"
For several days following that argument, Haessen had withdrawn to the small, sanctuary he had built in the depths of the tower. Finally, he came and made peace with Thomas asking him to forgive an old bird, who longs for the old world to return.
A number of weeks later, the new inhabitants of the tower were buzzing with excitement. Refugees from Haemil had begun to arrive in the Grand Chamber.
"Reverend, you have my forgiveness. This is a trying time for us all. I too long for the return of the world as it was! I have faith that it will. With the grace of the goddess and the faith and efforts of the living, I believe that our world can be restored: better and more resilient for having undergone these trials."
The priest leaves the implication that Gunther too will come through this trial better and more resilient unspoken. I give thanks for the Mother's gifts even if I do not understand them. Even if they are not what I imagined I wanted. I begged her to save Gunther and she did.
The passing weeks do not find Thomas wasting time. When the Hazard of Necromancy arrives in the Bright Tower, Thomas will seek his aid and council concerning Gunther's negative energy affinity. He also spends much time in prayer seeking communion with the Sacred Mother, asking for further guidance in how best to heal Gunther and restore life to the Vale. Yet, he does not neglect Gunther. Though he is unable to share the light of the goddess with him, he is there for his lover. He listens to him, and does not tell Gunther how he should feel. What happened to the royal was traumatic and wounds of the spirit can fester as easily as the flesh. Thomas offers Gunther unflinching and loving support, and does not try to paper over any of the raw and ugly feelings that trauma inspired in Gunther.
When the refugees arrive, Thomas is eager to hear word of his mother, but first tries to ascertain the physical and spiritual needs of his people. Who leads them and how can he help?
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