GM Ladile's TL;DR: A Pathfinder Society Campaign

Game Master Lady Ladile

Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

Parison notices the strangeness of the symbol as well, but as his companions pepper Megari with questions, he grasps the hidden tact behind them and subtly shifts his own question toward the middle ground, but chooses his words carefully enough that a doorway to the obvious isn't shut completely.

"Within the hierarchy of a deity's pantheon, there are titles and symbols of ranking. Sarenrae's church is like that, as is Torag's," he states, looking in Rumble's direction. "Some are figurative, such as acolyte and adept, and some are physical, such as a badge or a pin. Megari's pin just means the Storm Prophet is a subordinate in Hei Feng's panthenon. If he wasn't, why would she be wearing it?"

Know Religion: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Really? I have so much things to learn.Every day with you is an adventure, and an education

"Oh yes, I can only imagine how Hei Feng's irreverence must rankle those of the Outer Planes," Megari smiles broadly. Rather than seem insulted or perturbed by the questions being put to her she seems pleased, instead. "To answer your question no, I was nothing more than a simple farmer and gardener before the Storm Prophet's arrival here."

"As for the day of his arrival, it had been a day much like any other. Things had been peaceful in Yiangma and the surrounding areas, or so we had thought," she explains. "We had not seen any of the shrine keepers come to the village recently but that alone wasn't a cause for worry. They seldom visited anyway, usually only when they needed supplies and foodstuffs. But they were pleasant enough when they did venture out of the shrine. Or so I had thought."

Megari shakes her head. "As I said, the day had been peaceful but all at once the sky began to cloud over and the winds began howling - where moments ago there hadn't been a cloud in the sky! Then, quick as a bolt of lightning, he stood there in the central square, the very storm itself raging in his eyes. I was afraid...oh yes, I was so very afraid, but I dared not run. None of us did."

"And that's when he spoke. He said, 'Flock of Hei Feng! I come to bring you warning - you have been betrayed. Dark clouds gather to the south! Lawless brigands even now turn their greedy eyes towards the north, towards Kwanlai! Your shrine-keepers have fled and abandoned you to your fate. But the Duke of Thunder has seen your plight and sent me to deliver you from it. You must stand up and prove yourselves worthy of Hei Feng's blessing, prove yourselves worthy of defending your homes. Those who answer the call will be blessed beyond measure, immortality will be yours!'"

"The rest...well, I am sure that Mayor Kanbayo explained it to you, did he not?" Megari concludes, her voice filled with awe and reverence, eyes glittering with an inner fire. "Some were too frightened to stand up, but I...I knew what I had to do. It felt as though this, this was what I was put on this realm to do. Who I was meant to be. And so I pledged myself. I endured the Choosing and became blessed as one of the Storm Prophet's first Chosen."
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Another post to follow, please stand by~

"...what role he plays in the Storm Duke's court."

"I am curious why your symbol neglects the Duke of Thunder's sovereignty over the sea and weather."

"Megari's pin just means the Storm Prophet is a subordinate in Hei Feng's panthenon. If he wasn't, why would she be wearing it?"

"Precisely," Megari nods at Parison. "It is specifically a symbol of Hei Feng's Chosen. You are right that the Duke of Thunder has dominion over the sea and the weather but we are his Chosen, selected to be a part of his divine war host. We will sweep across our enemies in a glorious whirlwind, a typhoon of chaos and destruction! While the sea and the weather...those may be agents of destruction, yes, but they are often agents of life and renewal as well. And have no place in this conflict."

"As to the Storm Prophet's place in Hei Feng's court?" Megari actually laughs, a genuine, amused laugh. "Ahahaha! What court, my inquisitive visitors? Hei Feng has little use for hierarchy or bureaucracy! The closest would be his four retainers, the Counts of Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning; they are rarely far from Hei Feng's side." The tengu shrugs. "As for further followers and allies...Hei Feng is most unpredictable, as I am sure you know. His moods change much like the tides. Perhaps it simply suited his purposes to grant a fellow believer the powers of the Storm Prophet."

"Interesting," Zithembe says when the Chosen finishes. "For whatever the opinion of an outsider matters, I believe Hei Feng has chosen well. You are a patient teacher."

He pauses and then asks, "I ask only out of ignorance. If not the Chosen, who then takes on the mantle of the renewal after your righteous typhoon? Even the winners of a conflict have casualties to tend: burnt crops, ruined home, orphans."

This Storm Prophet is convincing, that's for sure. Still suspicious, but I don't think there is much more we can learn without seeing him for ourselves. Content to poke at the clumps of grass at his feet, Rumble waits patiently while his allies continue their conversation with Megari. I wonder if this choosing will put my devotion to Torag in question?

"I...I admit that we have not been informed of what will happen once the bandits and their dark consorts are defeated," Megari admits. "But just because parts of the path are still shrouded does not mean that I should lose my conviction. I am certain that all will be made clear, in time."

"No, you should not lose your conviction," the shabti agrees. "But it is important to remember that there are still noble tasks that need to be performed after the fighting is finished. Who knows. Perhaps in Hei Feng's mysterious and mercurial ways, he has sent us outsiders to tend to these tasks, but I would hope that he had the seeds of renewal planted in his people of Kwanlai already."

He bows to the Chosen. "Do you know where we could find Laiping? The mayor recommended us to him as well."

"You are very wise, Jade One. I will think on your words," Megari responds, stroking her beak thoughtfully. "Hmm...oh, Laiping? A true believer, that one - he will bring glory to Hei Feng one day, I am sure of it!"

She narrows her eyes, scanning the crowd, until she finds the one she seeks. "Ah, there he is, over by the well. See?" Following her gaze and a feathered finger, your attention is drawn to a male tengu with brown feathers serving himself some water from the local well.

Could you introduce us to Laiping, maybe?

Maria continues to make notes, shrugging as her hypothesis about the storm king being an impostor is not yet supported by facts. She keeps her calm as they move over to Laiping, the best cons are the ones based mostly in truth.

"No need," Zithembe says, bowing to Megari. "I am certain the Chosen has more important tasks."

With the tengu being identified, he makes his way over to the well.

"Greetings, Laiping," he says with a bow. "The mayor sent us to learn of the bandit threat and the Storm Prophet's arrival."

Parison follows suit and gives an identical bow to Megari before departing with his friends.

When Zithembe introduces himself and begins to speak with Laiping, he listens to see if the latter responds in his native language or in Common.

"Sarenrae's blessing smiles upon Zithembe with his ability to fluently communicate with the townsfolk," he adds to Rumble.

The brown-feathered tengu nearly jumps out of his skin as Zithembe hails him; he spins around to face the group with wide, frightened eyes, hands up as though to defend himself...but then when he sees that it's only the group of you he breathes a sigh of relief and slowly lowers his arms.

He cocks his head to one side and shakes his head as Zithembe speaks, as though struggling to understand his words. "Talk slow, understand better," he insists, his Common nearly as poor as the boy Rumble spoke to earlier.

And now I'll assume Zithembe makes use of that Comprehend Languages wand again if he hasn't already done so...

Once Zithembe has produced a solution to the language-barrier issue and repeated his greeting, Laiping's eyes light up with understanding.

"Ồ, điều này tốt hơn nhiều, Common hoặc Taldane của tôi hoặc bất cứ điều gì bạn gọi là khủng khiếp," he remarks. "Bạn muốn biết về nhà tiên tri Storm? Aw, tôi không thực sự biết nhiều về anh ấy. Megari sẽ là người bạn muốn nói chuyện ...với..."

His voice trails off and then he lightly smacks his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Không, chờ đã, bạn đã làm rồi. Bạn là người nói chuyện với cô ấy ở đó bây giờ. Tôi xin lỗi, tôi ... thật là căng thẳng khi biết những tên cướp khủng khiếp đó đang ở ngoài đó, chỉ chờ để tràn vào đây và nhổ hết lông của chúng tôi rồi cắt ngón chân của chúng tôi và...và..."

The tengu wrings his hands, clearly distraught.

"What did he say? He acts like he just remembered something important. Was it about the Storm Prophet or the bandit threat?" Parison asks.

Will expend the charge.

"Have you seen any signs of these bandits?" Zithembe asks slowly.

The shabti shakes his head to Parison.

"Can you tell us about the Choosing?" he asks later.

"K-không...nhưng họ ở ngoài đó! Chỉ cần chờ đợi thời gian của họ cho đến khi họ tấn công!" Laiping glances over at the steps where Megari had been preaching earlier.

"Nếu đó không phải là Tiên tri Bão và Người được chọn của anh ta, như Megari, thì tôi không biết chúng ta sẽ làm gì. Bạn thật thông minh khi nói chuyện với cô ấy và để cô ấy chia sẻ sự khôn ngoan của mình với bạn, những người xa lạ!"

In response to Zithembe's inquiries about the Choosing, Laiping frowns and quickly shakes his head, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Ồ không, tôi không biết gì về cách thức hoạt động của Lựa chọn. Tôi không nghĩ có ai ở đây làm gì ngoài Megari và cô ấy đã tuyên thệ giữ bí mật cho đến tận bây giờ."

He again glances around, eyes drifting back toward Megari's proselytizing spot, before directing his attention back to you.

"Nhưng thật tốt khi bạn tò mò! Tối nay, họ sẽ tổ chức Lựa chọn đầu tiên mà công chúng đã được phép xem. Bạn có đi xem không? Nếu không, bạn nên!"

As an aside, anyone may read my language spoilers unless I specifically note otherwise. My general rule is that as long as someone in the party can translate I assume that they do so, in order to save time. I just prefer to keep to doing said language spoilers for the sake of consistency and flavor :)

Maria listens to the translations and tries to match them up with the body language of the Tengu, is he hiding something? Hmm...

Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 15

She points out the odd behavior, "It's okay, we are here to help. Tell us more please. Why are you acting so oddly?"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

"Yes," Parison said, speaking slowly while looking straight at Laiping. "If something is wrong, you can tell us. Please don't be scared."

Between translations, Rumble stares off a little into space. Would I want to retire in a small rural place like this? I'll build my career in a city, for sure, but this would be a peaceful place. On the other hand, maybe I could become a Forge Master at one of the Citadels. Now THAT would be cool. Could even have a hand in the city's defenses...

Scared? Acting oddly? Did I miss something? They all act funny here! "What's going on?" Rumble tries to nonchalantly ask.
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Sense Motive, DC 15: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 13

What's wrong with him? I wonder..

When Zithembe translates

Oh, I'd be glad to see the Choosing. Will there be fireworks after? Drinks and music? Or maybe it's more solemn?

"I would expect drinking, as befits Hei Feng," Zithembe comments.

Yes, you can assume some sort of functional summary translation.

Laiping nervously looks around yet again and then leans in close, very close, to all of you.

"Sau những gì tôi thấy, tôi không chắc là mình thậm chí muốn biết," he whispers, vehemently shaking his head as he looks at Hepsubia.

"Nó ... đó là một vài tuần trước. Tôi đã đi đến đền thờ, một mình. Bạn thấy đấy, tôi chỉ...chỉ muốn nhìn thoáng qua sức mạnh và vinh quang của nhà tiên tri Storm," Laiping continues, swallowing hard. "Nhưng khi tôi đến đó, tôi nghe thấy một tiếng ồn ào. Tiếng nói...Nhà tiên tri Bão và Chosen Grixa. Grixa là...anh ta đang hét lên...hét lên vì thương xót..."

Now Laiping begins to tremble, clearly distraught. "Tôi không muốn nhà tiên tri Storm nhìn thấy tôi nên tôi trốn trong một số bụi rậm. Sau đó tôi thấy anh ta ra khỏi đền, kéo cổ áo Grixa. Nhà tiên tri Bão, anh ta đưa Grixa xuống giếng và giữ anh ta cho đến khi anh ta...anh ta ngừng chiến đấu..."

"Anh giết anh! Trời ơi, anh ta đã giết Grixa và tất cả những gì tôi có thể làm là xem!" the tengu exclaims, tears running down his face as his body is wracked with sobs.

Zithembe frowns sadly as he relays this information to the others. "I am sorry to hear this," he tells the nervous tengu. "I hate to ask you, but do you know where Grixa's body was put?"

As the words are quietly translated, Maria's stony face cracks in frustration, her hands slowly closing into fists and then opening again. She whispers sternly to the group, "Still think this prophet is a good person? While I may not know the laws of this land, I expect that what was described is still considered murder. I will hold my tongue and my hand until we know more, but I will not allow that act to be ignored. When the time comes, I will speak and if speaking does nothing, I will act."

She turns to the Tengu, hoping he understands enough common to be able to answer. She keeps her voice down, "Laiping, tell us about Grixa. Who was he?"

"D-xuống giếng...anh ta đặt cơ thể mình xuống giếng..." Laiping answers miserably, wiping at his eyes. "Dù vậy, tôi không biết Storm Prophet đã làm gì sau đó. Tôi đã thấy đủ, vì vậy tôi đã trốn trở lại đây để đến thị trấn nhanh như tôi dám."

He blinks up at Maria as she puts a question to him in Common. Still sniffling a little, his brow furrows as he tries to recall the right words to answer.

"Friend," he finally manages. "Next-house friend for long time. We grow together. Grixa one of first Chosen in Yiangma."

"Not know why...why Grixa killed..." Laiping manages before finally switching back to Tengu to complete his thought. "Grixa không có ai quan trọng trước khi nhà tiên tri Storm đến. Vậy tại sao? Grixa đã làm gì sai? Tôi chỉ không biết!"

"How long does it take to reach the shrine," the shabti asks.

Parison's face is one of shock as Zithembe translates Laiping's story, but his shock quickly clouds into anger. Understanding this, he takes a step back and turns away. Leiping was just starting to calm down a little and the adept didn't want his own emotions to upset the poor tengu any further.

He turned back to the group to voice his own thoughts, but his words died in his throat as he saw a look on Maria's face that easily mirrored his own outrage at this tale of murder. Attempting to quell his feelings, he gave Rumble a pat on the shoulder and motioned for him to move out of earshot of the rest of the group.

"Whoever this Storm Prophet is, what know so far is that he's subverting the doctrine of Hei Feng and that problems with the missing shrine keepers and the blight all occurred after his arrival. But all we have to go on is heresay and Leiping's story. I fear it won't be enough proof in the mayor's eyes. Neither will marching to the shrine to get answers without the mayor's blessing. I pose that we attend the Choosing tonight and if this Storm Prophet is a fraud, we find a way to expose him to everyone. That way, when we take action," he mentions as he pats the scabbard that holds his scimitar, "we're justified in doing so."

Could he be linked to the bandits? Or is it too far fetched?

"I believe we have doubts that the bandits truly exist," he says quietly to Hepsubia, although loud enough for Laiping to hear.

Once Laiping has answered the question about the distance to the shrine, he adds, "Your next-house friend? Could you take us to his house? And does anyone else know he is dead, even if they do not know how he died?"

Rumble pulls Sledge out and plants the head firmly on the ground. "Why 're we gonna keep investigatin'?" he asks loudly. "Ih soun's like ah murder an' we should be taken tha fight tah that Prophet now! Though, aye suppose ah quick look 'roun' that house migh' be useful..." he concedes.

"Có lẽ là một hoặc hai giờ đi bộ từ đây," Laiping answers, finally seeming to calm down somewhat as more and more of the nearby crowd gradually disperses, including Chosen Megari. The time of the Choosing draws nearer and you suspect that many of Yiangma's citizens are seeing to their evening meals and other business before the appointed time.

To Zithembe's pointed statement about the unlikely existence of these 'mystery bandits', Laiping utters a low moan of fear. "Không...bạn nghĩ nhà tiên tri Storm là sai? Nhưng ... nếu đó là sự thật thì tại sao anh ta lại đến Yiangma? Chúng ta chỉ là một làng nông nghiệp nhỏ, quá ít để trở nên quan trọng!"

"Nhưng...vẫn vậy, tôi biết những gì tôi đã thấy. Nếu bạn thề bạn ở đây để giúp đỡ thì tôi...tôi đoán tôi có thể đưa bạn đến nhà của Grixa. Nó ở ngay bên cạnh tôi," Laiping adds, clearly still fearful but now determined.

But before he manages to take two steps, a second tengu hurries up, this one dressed in vermillion robes and her beak painted to match.

"Um, excuse me?" she calls out, speaking in perfect Common. "I couldn't help but overhear, um, some of your thoughts about the Storm Prophet and the situation here in Yiangma. Would you...would you tell me more, please? My name is Mitoko."

"Hello, Mitoko," Parison says as he and Rumble rejoin the group. "My name is Parison and these are my friends."

"I will admit," he says, a slight flush of color appearing in his cheeks, "I do not know how to speak in your native language, but you seem to speak Common very fluently."

How much has she heard?

"We are concerned with the Storm Prophet as it relates to the teachings of Hei Feng and the protecters of the nearby shrine. Personally, I wish to bring Sarenrae's light upon this mystery that seems shrouded in darkness and determine if the work he does is in accordance with the teachings of the Dawnflower and Hei Feng. How much have you heard already?" he asks.

"Yes," the shabti agrees with Parison. "I think a reference with which to gauge 'more' would be helpful."

Sense Motive (Hunch): 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (6) + 0 = 6

Mitoko shakes her head, waving away Parison's linguistic concerns. "Oh no, please don't worry anything about that. I know that most of the good tengu here aren't very familiar with your Common tongue but I've always had a bit of a gift for language," she says with a quick but reassuring smile.

"So...you too feel that things are not what they seem here in Yiangma," she continues. "I'm glad that it isn't just me or Laiping."

She turns to her fellow tengu and places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Không sao, Laiping, tôi cũng tin bạn. Đừng sợ. Chúng ta sẽ đi đến tận cùng của điều này."

"Đ-được rồi, Mitoko. Nếu bạn không sợ thì tôi cũng sẽ không sợ," he replies, swallowing hard and nodding.

"I'm sure you're wondering what my interest in all this is," Mitoko remarks as she easily switches back to Common. "Before the Storm Prophet came I had been training to be a priestess at the shrine. But once he arrived, my training immediately halted. He said that the shrine keepers had abandoned their posts and fled but I found - and still find - that very hard to believe."

She frowns, clearly troubled and conflicted. "They are good people, devoted to the service of others. The shrine welcomed priests of good heart from many faiths. Anyone who was willing to maintain the shrine, live a pure life, and keep watch over the area was welcome to train there. Since Hei Feng is the patron of the tengu people, his faith was more common than most."

"Do...do you think I am off-base? When I attempted to dig further the Storm Prophet was quick to offer harsh admonishment," Mitoko asks, clasping and unclasping her hands anxiously. "He even implied that if I were to continue to doubt Hei Feng's will that I would be struck down with vengeance. And now, with what Laiping said about poor Grixa..."

"We are naturally suspicious," Zithembe replies to Mitoko. "Pathfinders expect to encounter many puzzles, traps, and tricks in the course of their duties, so we are always trying to look for the hidden seam. As a result, we immediately found the story of the Storm Prophet's arrival to be quite a coincidence. However, with both Laiping and your testimony, I fear that you are not off-base."

He pauses a moment. "I am not certain how to proceed, yet. The shrine protects this region from the qlippoth, so it needs to return to its proper function. However, its efficient functioning requires the cooperation of Yiangma, so I am not certain that we can simply march on the shrine, oust the Storm Prophet, and then expect the town to be content with our explanation. I feel as though we need more direct evidence of his wrong doing, if possible."

"Direct evidence? Does that mean that you've learned something more about the strange events of late?" Mitoko replies, clearly curious. "If so, would you be willing to share them with me?"

The shabti simply stares blankly at Mitoko for a moment. "No. Only the very disturbing testimony you and Laiping just gave us," he answers.

Since it seems we have a couple Tengu on our side, Maria shares the oddity of the timing of the storm profit and the 'corruption' they learned about from butcher. This is the first dang Tengu here that has been questioning anything, maybe she hasn't been corrupted yet!

"The corruption Yakuri found was after the Storm Prophet had begun his rituals, not before, which is suspicious. We are also investigating a missing child who snuck off to join the Temple but then disappeared, but Rumble knows more about that." She shrugs, "But direct evidence? No we do not know any more."

"But that doesn't mean we're not going look for it. We know that the shrine keepers have gone missing. But since we've been here, we've discovered that a child is also missing and that the Storm Prophet is not who or what he appears to be," Parison adds. "As Pathfinders, we have an obligation to get to the bottom of these disappearances and activities of the Storm Prophet to find out what's going on, and more importanly, why it's going on."

As Mitoko listens to Maria and Parison - with a little help from Rumble - relate the other bits of circumstantial evidence that have been accumulated, her expression grows more and more pained but also more determined.

"I venerate Hei Feng, but I’ve never focused my faith on the ways of destruction," she finally says after a moment of silence. "To me, he has always been the bringer of winds and rain, which give life to the land. I know there are many others who follow his more destructive aspects, but that has never appealed to me. Still, who am I to question Hei Feng’s blessing in our town’s hour of greatest need? At least...that is what I thought."

Mitoko shakes her head. "Hard evidence or no, I'm now convinced that the Storm Prophet, if he even is a prophet, isn't here for the benefit of Yiangma or anyone else except maybe his own. But if direct evidence is what is needed then direct evidence is what we'll get."

She opens her hands, palms upward, to the group. "Meet with me tonight, after the Choosing. I believe I can get you up to the shrine without being seen. If there is any hard evidence to find against this 'Storm Prophet' then it'll surely be somewhere inside the shrine. While I don't know the layout of the shrine's interior parts I can at least draw you a map of the outside, if it'll help."

"That sounds like a sound plan," the shabti says, nodding in agreement.

Finally, something I'm not too bad at, moving unseen...I like this plan

"Should we investigate Grixa's home in the meantime?" he asks his fellow Pathfinders. "To see if there's a clue why the Storm Prophet killed him?"

Maria nods, "Sure, might be something Grixa hid there and we have time before the Ceremony, which I do not wish to miss. And at least we have a plan now too, I'm feeling a bit better about the whole deal."

As they move along she thinks to herself. Note to self, install lightning rod on hat if we have to challenge the storm king prophet.

"This sounds like a wise course of action," Parison agrees. "I'd like to get a look at the Storm Prophet himself at the Choosing tonight. Afterwards, we can travel to the shrine if Mitoko can get us there covertly."

"I hope for the sake of everyone in town," he continues, looking at Leiping and Mitoko with obvious concern, "that the Storm Prophet does nothing at the Choosing tonight that will endanger anyone. Should it happen, I'd wager we'd have the mayor's blessing to go to the shrine in order to make things right."

"Will we be able to look around Grixa's home? I want to find evidence, but unless he lived alone, we'll have to ask for permission to search it."

Mitoko shakes her head. "As far as I know, Grixa does...did...live alone," she replies. "Laiping can probably help you get inside without it being too obvious."

"But you'll want to hurry," she adds, gesturing up at the late afternoon sky. "It's almost time..."
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After making plans to meet up with Mitoko later on the edge of town, Laiping quickly takes you to Grixa's small home. The dwelling has been immaculately kept aside from a small layer of dust that's collected since he left for what would have been the last time.

Working together with Laiping and Hepsubia on lookout you're able to search the small home but you don't turn up anything that seems out of place or that would link Grixa specifically to the Storm Prophet. And with this particular lead exhausted, it's time to make your way to the ceremony...
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Another post to follow, please stand by~

A few dozen townsfolk gather on the western edge of town for the Choosing ritual. These appear to be the most devout followers of the Storm Prophet as the crowd buzzes with fervent words of praise for Hei Feng and the three adherents who hope to be Chosen tonight. As you look around, you note that Laiping is in attendance as is Mitoko, who silently watches from a distance.

A reverent hush falls over the crowd as Chosen Megari arrives with a group of hooded figures, two wearing blue robes with flanged maces dangling at their sides, and three in simple white robes. The armed figures take up posts between the townsfolk and the altar as the people settle into orderly rows to begin the ceremony.

The air smells sharply of incense and wood smoke as the three white-robed tengus, two male and one female, ascend a wooden stage and drop to their knees in front of the small altar, their eyes cast down as they chant a strange incantation. Megari presides over the ceremony, walking around the pledged while waving a censer over each. The hooded and armed figures keep silent watch over the gathered faithful. As Megari leads them, the villagers begin to chant in a strange language in unison, at first low and quiet, but slowly rising in a crescendo. The Chosen then calls out in a clear voice:

"We are gathered once more to mark the ascension of our Chosen brothers and sisters. The Storm Lord has called us to prepare worthy vessels for his host, and we have done so! Witness your brothers and sister at the hour of their ascension into immortality and glory!"

With this proclamation, the three adherents cast off the top of their robes, revealing torsos covered in ghastly scars and a bone structure twisted from what appears to be multiple fractures that healed improperly. Caught up in a frenzy of faith, the worshipers hardly seem to notice the scars. The chanting builds up to a fever pitch as the sound of thunder rolls down the mountain from the south. Flashes of lighting cut through the darkened sky, and swirling thunderclouds coalesce around the mountain’s summit...

You know, I was sure something like that would happen. I wish I could be so wrong, sometimes.

Maria wishes she could understand the words they are chanting so she turns to Zith and whispers, "do you know what they are saying?"

As the grotesque injuries are revealed she sighs, "Well great, that's just wonderful. Some sort of mutilation cult probably." She looks at her allies, "So does this still fit with the Storm Lord? I don't know that much about all these odd religions apparently and don't want to step out of line if this is normal."