The Ingaran Adventures
Episode 66
“Resurrection and deaths.”
|
Lord Issic: Half
Human, Half Gold Dragon Warrior Cthaat Angartha: The first
Blood Owl |
Thunder rumbled overhead. Eerie music played from some dark corner of the black city nearby as rain started to pour down.
Zografos, Lord
Domnhall, Siishe’ohuasiosh, stood in the shadows of the entrance to the
Rain continued to fall and people rushed by, splashing through puddles, to get out of the rain.
Inside the temple,
Alexander had completed his miracle and the woman Phaidon brought inside sat up
and looked around, blinking her eyes.
She was a young woman, little more than a girl. As the young woman began to question where
she was, thunder crashed loudly over the once proud city of
Phaidon whispered to Alexander, “Her name is Leila. She had come here to be a seamstress at the temple.”
Phaidon spoke to Leila, “Are you alright?”
Leila nodded, “Where is the woman? She promised me food, shelter...”
Alexander spoke kindly to Leila, “Athena’s temples are always open to those who practice the arts of the loom. Welcome Leila may you always be blessed to do the work of the goddess of the loom.”
She nodded, a little confused. “Thank you.”
Phaidon spoke to her again, “Which woman do you speak of?”
“She looked like a huntress of some kind.”
Alexander turned his attention to the priests of Athena’s temple, “Acetes and Podaleirus, have some food prepared for Leila and anyone else who is hungry!”
The two priests rushed off to assemble a meal for everyone.
Phaidon suddenly realized how hungry he was. He continued to speak to Leila, “Ah, that one is a deceiver. You are safe now.” Phaidon pointed to Alexander, “This is Alexander, the Gauntlet of Athena.”
Leila looked frightened, “Tha-that’s who I thought it was. I am not deserving of attention from such as he.”
“Why, who better to get attention from, than Athena’s chosen? Do not be afraid, Alexander is the kindest man you will ever meet. I promise.”
Leila nodded, unsure of Phaidon’s reassurance.
“If you worship the glorious gods of Ingara, or if you are in need of protection, I am pledged to give you attention, my lady!”
Leila just nodded again, not used to all of the attention she was receiving.
“Leila, would you please come with me and pray before Athena?”
Nodding yet again, Leila rose from the altar she still sat upon and followed Alexander.
Lord Phaidon stepped back from the altar and stood with his love, the Lady India.
Alexander led Leila before Athena. They both kneeled and Alexander spoke aloud, “Glorious Goddess, you have led another into our protection and thus she will be protected. Your champion believes her to have great purpose but we do not yet know it. We, your champions, would be twice blessed if once again we were granted with knowledge of why we have been tasked with the protection of your seamstress!”
Thunder rolled again deep within the clouds over the massive city of Alisander, and Alexander heard the voice of Athena deep within his mind, “She is small and meek, but can help you find something you may later seek.”
Alexander continued, “Until that time, great Athena, what work do you task your seamstress with?”
Phaidon leaned
over and kissed
She smiled and said, “Hopefully I can get a more vigorous thank-you later.”
Phaidon smiled back and gave her a big hug, “Now, that can be arranged.”
Phaidon looked over at his panthers, “I hate seeing them like that.”
Athena said so that only Alexander could hear, “Task her to make a great robe of purple.”
Alexander nodded and spoke, “Your seamstress will weave a great kingly robe of the most fine lavender, mauve and plum, great goddess. Blessed are we who are your chosen!”
Phaidon walked over and looked out a window into the streets of Alisander. Rain was pouring down. Lightning lit up the near dusk sky. Soldiers tramped through the muddy street. A great wagon trailed behind them, pulled by a team of massive draft horses. They were headed in an easterly direction. Workers in grey cloaks walked alongside the grim wagon as it clacked along the cobbled, muddy road.
Phaidon pointed
out the window, “
A soldier veered
off his march and slammed his pole-axe into a beggar, killing him. Workers picked up the dying man and hurled
him into the heavy wagon.
“Wait.” Phaidon ran after her.
Zografos went over
to where
“Many questions I have Great Goddess but before we go about doing your work and bringing an end to the lizard man in the guise of a Lord, what wisdom do you have for us before the battle is joined for your glory?”
The words of his Goddess formed in Alexander’s mind, “Speed is the essence of war. Nothing good comes of a protracted war.”
Zografos asked
Phaidon and
Phaidon yelled
back as he rushed after
Phaidon followed
Zografos rushed the other direction, Faith hot on his heels, “Alright, give me thirty seconds to sneak around behind them and then attack.”
Phaidon nodded to Zografos, “Issic, Cthaat, you coming? You get behind them Zografos, and then we will attack them.”
Issic peered out the window to see who the soldiers served. They were wearing livery displaying a red war-spear.
Phaidon was right behind her, “What is the meaning of this?”
Alexander heard the commotion from the front of the temple, “Blessed is Athena’s work” He told Leila to stay in the temple and rushed out towards the street. Before he reached the exterior of the temple, Alexander vanished from view in a flash of golden light-sparkles.
Just as
Zografos’ rapier ripped through a soldier’s armour, piercing his heart. The man barely had time to scream before he died. Faith slipped in behind one of the soldiers and, with a handful of hair, jerked his head back and slit his throat in one swift movement with her golden blade. So savage was the cut that Faith severed the man’s head from his body. She smiled and threw the detached head onto the grim wagon.
Phaidon zipped into the fray at blinding speed and zipped back out some thirty feet away from the men who were now in a state of panic as their comrades fell around them. Phaidon was completely at rest before the guard he had stabbed with the Pilum of Thelebius Gul collapsed to the ground, his innards splashing across the muddy street.
Issic, the mighty
golden Half-Dragon flew from the
The soldier said, “Killing the scum polluting the world!”
“Who has charged you with this task?”
“Ordiss Ool himself! Now, let me be, in the name of Ares, you foul demon, or risk the wrath of all that is good in the universe!”
“As you wish,” Issic let go of the man and he plummeted to the ground. Upon impact his head splattered like a cantaloupe and the streets ran even redder.
Zografos and Faith took the lives of the remaining men before any of them could even react. The workers around the wagon all fled in various directions. Alexander Maximus, The Gauntlet of Athena, unseen by anyone, summoned Athena’s power to him and removed from the minds of the fleeing workers what had happened in the street. Those workers believed that they were horrified by the killing of innocent citizens and ran away.
Zografos set to searching the bodies for anything of value.
Alexander appeared back in the temple and ordered the priests to help bring in the bodies of the soldiers.
Phaidon zipped to the back of the wagon where they had thrown the man who was just stabbed. He hoped he was not too late. Phaidon could not work the miracles that his friend Alexander could, but he still commanded a small amount of Athena’s power. Phaidon was especially blessed when he could use his gifts to help others. He placed his hand on the man and wondered as Athena’s power closed up the wound, restoring vitality to the man.
The man stood up and screamed as he realized he was lying on a pile of seventeen dead people. Phaidon calmed him and helped him off the wagon. Everyone dragged the bodies of the dead soldiers into the temple and moved the wagon around behind the temple.
Zografos spoke to Alexander, “If you want an easy way into the palace, here it is.”
Real Date – March 28, 2004
Experience Awarded – none (We whooped up on some 1st level warriors for cryin’ out loud.)