Soon the guards formed a line behind the heroes preventing the crowd from following them as they walked deeper into the city.
They arrived at a small opening that leads up into a cave. Upon entering the cave they saw an opening in the roof with a ladder fixed in place. As the heroes ascended up the ladder, they stepped into a serene environment. Butterflies made of white glowing lights fluttering around the entire place creating a very dreamy and magical feeling for the heroes. Divine magic can be felt emitting from a structure in the center of the ridge.
As the heroes came nearer, they could see it is a fountain with a bright golden emblem of the Nightfall Scion embedded on the ground. Right in the center of the emblem a small torrent of water is seen to be coming up from the ground.
You are standing on holy ground. Please take your position around the fountain
A voice spoke out as Thalessia walked out accompanied by a female. She has almond shaped sapphire blue eyes, Her luxurious, wavy, golden hair is long and is worn in a simple, dignified style. She has a busty build. Her skin is pale. She has a defined nose and high cheekbones. Her bright silver body armor is similar to the one Patriarch Thalessia is wearing.
Angrim sets his whip down at the edge of the ladder You've caused too much pain to be in a pretty place like this. He stares long and hard at Thak before taking his place. Wonder how his black heart will fare here. When will the day come that I feast upon his sins? He stands with his back straight and his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for the patriarch and woman to speak.
Following Angrim's lead, Jade reluctantly sets her scimitar aside. She walks toward the fountain with her back straight, head held high. When she comes to the fountain she stops, standing in the pose her teachers had called willow in the calm. It was a good beginning pose, standing ready to bend any way the wind might blow.
Stepping onto the stone platform, Thak's breath catches in his throat as he surveys the fountain. The feeling of peace washing over him, he leaves his quiver next to the ladder. Instinctively, he half-turns his head and notices Angrim staring at him. He cut that wolf open and ate its heart... Could be be another soul like me? Standing behind the rest, he also waits for someone to speak.
The gnome stands by the fountain, wondering what will happen next. It's sure to be interesting.
Terflynn doesn't notice everyone dropping their weapons, overcome by the natural beauty of his surroundings. He wanders in, seemingly unaware of those around him, surveying the scene with wonder.
Embrianna's glaive stays in her hand as she approaches the fountain. Her weapon is just such a part of her that it didn't even occur to her to set it aside for this occasion.
Grollus hangs his whip on his belt, and positions himself by the fountain.
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Thalessia nods approvingly as he took a moment to observe the heroes standing before him.
My sons and daughters, you have been chosen for a most holy task set upon our Father's Father Grand Inquisitor Lazarus Nightfall. I am glad to see the Founding Church is still strong.
Turning to Embrianna he spoke.
Embrianna my daughter, stout hear-ted and giver of peace. You have been called by the deity Shelyn to represent Love. The church of Shelyn is one of the founding churches and I welcome you into our fellowship.
Turning to Dignis.
Dignis my son, wild and robust. Inquisitive yet ingenious. You have been sent by Cayden Cailean to represent Luck. The church of Cayden Cailean is one of the founding churches and I welcome you into our fellowship.
Turning to Jade.
Jade my daughter, full of divine fury but yet delicate like the dawnflower that heals and soothe. You have been sent by Sarenrae to represent Redemption. The church of Sarenrae is one of the founding churches and I welcome you into our fellowship.
Turning to Grollus.
Grollus my son, the unquenchable fire that burns and seeks to sting You have been sent by Calistria to represent Divine Retribution. The church of Calistria is one of the member churches and I welcome you into our fellowship.
Turning to Terflynn.
Terflynn my son, the ocean's fury and the wind's wrath toil and rest within your soul. You have been sent by Gozreh to represent Nature's Fury. The church of Gozreh is small but nevertheless a crucial member church. I am glad they have responded after centuries. I welcome you into our fellowship.
Turning to Angrim.
Angrim my son...
Thalessia looks into Angrim's eyes clasping him by the shoulders smiling. After a long moment he spoke.
I sense pain and dust within your soul. You have not been sent by Zon-Kuthon to represent pain. You have chosen to forsake him so that you can relieve pain in this world. You represent Conscience, the guiding force of this universe that rules our actions. I welcome you into our fellowship.
Turning to Thak with a frowned look.
Thak...
Standing before Thak, Thalessia gave an imposing look.
I sense death and disease in your soul. You are sent by Urgathoa, you represent all that we hate and come against. For the first time in 800 years, we have received a person from the Church of Urgathoa. I do not understand but do not be mistaken if there is any chance, we will sacrifice you to achieve justice. Therefore you represent Sacrifice, the one whom we will abandon.
With much effort from Thalessia he spoke the words:
I welcome you into our fellowship...
With that he turned around and walk back to his position.
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Stretched out your hand!
Thalessia gave the command. As the heroes stretched out their hands, Alferd took a golden chalice adorned with red rubies and walked towards the fountain.
Muttering a prayer in celestial, he scoops up the clear water from the fountain before walking towards the closest hero. He slip out a thin razor blade and slit their thumbs as blood dropped into the chalice. He repeated this for all 7 heroes before going to Thalessia who did the same.
Thalessia took the golden chalice from Alferd as he prays in Celestial softly. The fountain began to give a soft glow as it soothes the heroes soul.
Repeat this after me my children.
Thalessia paused before speaking.
"I, _____, now in the presence of the Heavens, do declare from my heart, without reservation, that Patriarch is the true and only Head of the Church throughout the earth, and that by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing he has power to dispose evil in all forms and they may safely be destroyed. Therefore, to the uttermost of my power, I will defend the Nightfall Scion.
"All of which I, _____, do swear which I am about to receive, to perform on my part, all of Heavens witness my real intentions to keep this my oath.
"I, Dignis Burrows, now in the presence of the Heavens, do declare from my heart, without reservation, that Patriarch is the true and only Head of the Church throughout the earth, and that by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing he has power to dispose evil in all forms and they may safely be destroyed. Therefore, to the uttermost of my power, I will defend the Nightfall Scion.
"All of which I, Dignis Burrows, do swear which I am about to receive, to perform on my part, all of Heavens witness my real intentions to keep this my oath.
The Church of Fight Evil Now. I can dig it. We are all inquisitors... Sorta.
Terflynn mutters the oath to the best of his ability, but stammers through it due to having a poor memory for words.
I hope that passes for Gozreh and these men...
Jade stands following the ceremony. She stares for a moment at the mention of the names Zon-Kuthon and Urgathoa, but she recovers in time to repeat the words of the ritual, I, Jade Parsenol, now in the presence of the Heavens, do declare from my heart, without reservation, that Patriarch is the true and only Head of the Church throughout the earth, and that by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing he has power to dispose evil in all forms and they may safely be destroyed. Therefore to the uttermost of my power, I will defend the Nightfall Scion.
All of which I, Jade, do swear which I am about to receive, to perform on my part, all of heavens witness my real intention to keep this my oath.
As he hears the Church's open desire to fling him aside like a used cloth should it prove advantageous to them, Thak trembles slightly with rage. Mastering his anger, an idea occurs to him, a way to unnerve these pompous fools.
His entire posture reflecting nothing but calm and tranquillity, Thak gives a pleasant smile and bows deeply to the two leaders. "Thank you for calling me here to your group, great Lady and Lord. I am certain that with your aid I will indeed be able to make an impact on the world. If my presence here is distasteful or unusual, then I do encourage you to trust in the will and wisdom of the great Urgathoa, the most Pallid of Princesses. It is by her command that I am here today and without doubt this will be for the benefit of all. Trust in the greatness of her designs and plans, as do I, for without a doubt I know that she will someday lead us to a great utopia."
As his thumb is slit, the corpulent dwarf reaches into his robes and withdraws a foul black talisman of his god, pressing it against his forehead as he speaks the oath.
"I, Thak Val Zsing, now in the presence of the Heavens, do declare from my heart, without reservation, that Patriarch is the true and only Head of the Church throughout the earth, and that by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing he has power to dispose evil in all forms and they may safely be destroyed. Therefore, to the uttermost of my power, I will defend the Nightfall Scion."
"All of which I, Thak Val Zsing, do swear which I am about to receive, to perform on my part, all of Heavens witness my real intentions to keep this my oath."
"And what if I choose not to swear this oath? Why must I pledge allegiance to any authority other than the Lady herself?"
Embrianna stands tall and proud as she recites her oath:
I,Embrianna, now in the presence of the Heavens, do declare from my heart, without reservation, that Patriarch is the true and only Head of the Church throughout the earth, and that by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing he has power to dispose evil in all forms and they may safely be destroyed. Therefore, to the uttermost of my power, I will defend the Nightfall Scion.
"All of which I,Embrianna, do swear which I am about to receive, to perform on my part, all of Heavens witness my real intentions to keep this my oath.
Angrim says the oath, changing the wording slightly, "I, Angrim Darkson, now in the presence of the Heavens, do declare from my heart, without reservation, that Patriarch Nightfall is the only true Head of his Church throughout the earth, and that by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing he has power to dispose of evil in all its forms that it may safely be destroyed. Therefore, to the uttermost of my power, I will defend the Nightfall Scion. All of which I, Angrim, do swear which I am about to receive, to perform on my part, all of Heavens witness my real intentions to keep this my oath." He hopes his alterations won't raise to many eyebrows, but is unwilling to swear the oath exactly as it was given.
"I, Grollus Ardensmith, now in the presence of the Heavens, do declare from my heart, without reservation, that Patriarch is the true and only Head of the Church throughout the earth, and that by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing he has power to dispose evil in all forms and they may safely be destroyed. Therefore, to the uttermost of my power, I will defend the Nightfall Scion.
"All of which I, Grollus Ardensmith, do swear which I am about to receive, to perform on my part, all of Heavens witness my real intentions to keep this my oath.
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Thalessia nods and then blessed the chalice he is holding and passed it to Alferd.
He started singing in Celestial while he passed each hero gesturing them to drink from the chalice. As the heroes sip the contents of the chalice, they felt a certain glow and refreshing within their soul.
You are strangers to each other before you drank form the chalice, but from today onwards you are all Brothers and Sisters and my Sons and Daughters. We are family now...
By the powers vested in me, I Thalessia Nightfall Patriarch of the Nightfall Scion, divine sword of the church, protector of the weak and judgement of sin, I hereby pronounce you the 7 Peers!
As Thalessia made the declaration the fountain glowed and a torrent of light blasted and projected from the fountain as it shot into the heavens. The entire ground that they are standing on started trembling as pebbles and small rocks started levitating around them. The butterflies that were fluttering around landed on each Peer's weapon; Angrim's and Grollus's whips, Embrianna's Glaive, Thak and Terflynn's bow, Jade's scimitar and Dignis's rapier.
My first gift I give thee the 7 Peers, the power over all principalities of evil and divine bane against a most hated foe. Speak that foe's name!!
"Constructs! May they return to the dust where they belong!"
The image of the pouncing werewolves prominent in his mind, Thak quietly speaks-
"Humans. None have appetites so insatiable and varied, none so easily misled and deceived."
"Undead. There is little more foul than a corpse which refuses to die, and makes food of the living."
"Evil Outsiders. May they be banished back to the planes they hail from."
Magical beasts. They are legion and they are way too big!
He draws his rapier, which is a rare event in itself, and holds it high.
Diggy looks about as threatening as Puss in Boots, but he's not turning down a blessing from the gods, whatever form it takes. He's glad to be a member of this "family."
Being a chaotic sort, the details aren't all that important to him. Fighting evil sounds like just the thing to do, right now.
Jade stares at the beauty of the butterflies flouting near her scimitar. She moves towards her weapon to get a closer look. Monstrous humanoids, she says distantly, her eyes still focused on the butterflies.
As the heroes spoke their bane's name the butterflies began to meld into their weapons as it glowed brightly for a brief moment before resuming to it's original state.
Well done my children. It has been a long night. Alferd will escort you to your Quarters. Food will be served and rest well for the night. You will brief you with more details tomorrow morning.
The heroes descended the path and traveled to a building located at the foot of the valley.
Angrim grabs whatever bed is closest, preferably at floor level if they are bunk beds. He takes off his armor and shield, setting them in a neat pile next to his bed. After cleaning his whip and gear he pulls a small leather pouch from his bag and thumbs some kind of herb into a small bone pipe. Lighting a match he begins to puff it contentedly filling the room with a sour-sweet smell as he lays back on his bed. "Nothing like fighting a horde of werebeasts to tire you one out, eh?" he says to no one in particular. Now that all he's wearing is a long linen shirt and loincloth it can be seen that the vast majority of his hairy well-muscled body is covered in layers of ugly scars.
Angrim grabs whatever bed is closest, preferably at floor level if they are bunk beds. He takes off his armor and shield, setting them in a neat pile next to his bed. After cleaning his whip and gear he pulls a small leather pouch from his bag and thumbs some kind of herb into a small bone pipe. Lighting a match he begins to puff it contentedly filling the room with a sour-sweet smell as he lays back on his bed. "Nothing like fighting a horde of werebeasts to tire you one out, eh?" he says to no one in particular. Now that all he's wearing is a long linen shirt and loincloth it can be seen that the vast majority of his hairy well-muscled body is covered in layers of ugly scars.
Thak chooses a bed and lays down his bow and quiver before hopping up to lie atop it- "Blasted human-obsessed furniture architectures"- before kicking off his boots and spreading out, grateful for the rare comfort of a bed. He doesn't follow Angrim's disrobing, and the rest of the group is probably glad for that given his corpulent bulk. "Tiring perhaps, but still fun. Standing in front of our 'Father', however, and listening to that sanctimonious twaddle... 'if there is any chance, we will sacrifice you to achieve justice'? My glorious round arse you'll be sacrificing me, beg pardon for my profanity!" Despite his fatigue and irritation, Thak is evidently in good spirits. "Did you see all those people out there? Waiting for us, watching us? Utterly incredible..."
"A bit disturbing to me. I don't want to be put on a pedestal." Angrim replies to Thak. He holds up the pipe and inquires, "Smoke?"
Don't mind if I do, says the gnome. He takes the bed next to Angrim's, tossing his gear on it and making himself at home.
Those lycans had me a bit nervous, there. Glad we got past them. As for pedestals, I wouldn't worry too much about that. They're just relieved to have their 7 peers, which begs the question, what happened to the last set? Did they retire, or did they leave less willingly?
I'm happy to help, but I do worry that we may find ourselves a bit overmatched, some time. We may not have a magic carriage next time around.
He'll share the pipe with the dwarves, if they don't mind, glad to have some mountainfolk to chat with.
Angrim takes a mighty rip before passing him the pipe, "Indeed feyson Burrows, what did happen to the last set? I believe the Patriarch or Alfred mentioned that there haven't been any peers for over 50 years. Perhaps they can tell us more in the morning." He stares off into space for a few moments pondering various things. "That elephant sure was something, hardly a more beautiful sight to be had than nature crushing evil under tusk and heel. Though we ought to see about replacing that crossbow with a gnome sized steel box fit with a 360 degree arrow slit. You could stay up there slinging spells while being protected from harm. I felt bad leaving you up there earlier, but it seemed the only way out was forward. Sorry Dignis." Angrim looks overly ashamed from something that Dignis had not even indicated he took as a slight. He sighs heavily into his brittle looking straw-colored beard, and leans his head to the side cracking his neck, his eyes downcast.
The gnome chuckles at the thought of a turret.
There's nothing to feel bad about, stout friend. We all did what we had to do. They never got close to me. You did the right thing. I'd say everyone did. That was a tricky pickle.
Terflynn grumbles something about sleeping indoors, and goes for the room that hasn't been populated with cannibals and pint-sized inquisitors.
Embrianna makes sure to take whichever room the rotund dwarf doesn't. Though he may have been accepted into the seven along with her, she still knows evil when she sees it and would never be able to sleep comfortably in the same room.
Plopping down on a bed with a beautiful blue bedspread, Embrianna first removes her boots and then her full plate. Eventually clad only in her linen undershirt and trousers, she sits cross-legged on her bed with her chestplate in her lap as she polishes the embossed symbol of Shelyn.
Grollus takes the bed next to Embrianna, hanging his coiled whip on the bedpost. "The Nightfall Scion certainly moves quickly. It's been years since I made a habit of entering someone's bed so so soon after meeting."
Embrianna pushes aside a lock of hair that had fallen across her face as she looks over to Grollus. She gives a little laugh as she comments: "Do old habits die hard?"
Before settling in to sleep, Thak jumps off his bed and goes off to investigate the room tantalizingly marked 'Armory'.
Jade stares around at this new place. She wanders around for a little while everyone finds their beds. By the time she realizes it, she is down to one choice. She walks in and looks around. Her face reddens slightly when she sees Angrim's state of undress, but she strides in without hesitating and plops down on her bed. Well then, we get to share a room. Who's got the first story?
There'll be time for exploration in the morning. Angrim thinks, watching Thak wordlessly leave the room. The pipe being finished he turns to Dignis and says, "Thanks for being understanding. I'm quite tired, I'll be going to sleep now." With that he tucks away the pipe, and rolls over onto his side. Within a few minutes he's breathing deeply and evenly, asleep.
Thak returns to bed, turns over and attempts to sleep.