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[howandwhy99]

Then Lord Radcliffe gestured Ben to come forward. He was not sure what he was supposed to do, so he gave a sermon on the need for protecting the Keep, to protect all the buildings within, and every body and soul inside as well. Afterwards he led a prayer to bless the new leaders and the audience in the square. Instead of a calling on the divine power to bless however, he called on the power to see within people’s hearts. Auras emanated out of every man, woman, and child in the Keep, shining brightly in Ben’s eyes. His eyes scanned over everyone. Darius shined a bright white. Kayla shined white as well, which surprised him a little. Darius, Rufus, Burné, and nearly all their soldiers shined with white light. Some had different tints of color in their auras. Dalin’s had a tinge of green, for instance. Besides the white auras several shined blue as well. Father Ben was not shocked to see both Dram and his father were blue in spirit. He searched the crowd for any unusual colors spotting one young man whose aura was a deep purple.

After Ben had stood silently staring wide-eyed into the audience for a minute, Lord Ratcliffe tapped him on the shoulder. Father Ben quickly finished and gave a bow. The other young cleric stepped forward and was handed a scroll by Lord Radcliffe. Not quite sure of what to do, as there was no special ceremony for his exchange of position, Ben solemnly crowned the new priest with his large blue hat. It seemed a fitting tribute to Ben as the clothes he wore would soon belong to the new priest anyways. The other cleric unrolled the parchment and began to speak. “The church gives its blessing to this ceremony today. And… We accept the responsibilities to that we have each been charged. These trials will be difficult, but I’m sure we can overcome… And… We will end in prayer.” Raising his arms above his head, the priest sung in a high pitched voice a prayer Ben had never heard before.

When everyone had finished, Lord Radcliffe called out. “I declare this ceremony complete!” Everyone in the audience cheered. Father Ben, his friends, and the traveling dignitaries mingled while the audience slowly dispersed. Ben learned his replacement was named Father John. Kayla opened the parchment Berné had given her. It was the scroll she had requested during her visit to his tower. She made a mental note to give Berné his own pinch of dust before leaving. Darius inspected his new rod. It looked rather long for a rod. He considered it too ornamental compared to dwarven-made ones.

Rose approached the newly appointed Captain Rufus. Father John and Lord Radcliffe were conversing by his side. Rose kneeled down on one knee in front of them. “Sir, I come from the Front. I was ordered to return here and report to all who would listen. The news is bad. The war is going poorly and our forces are greatly hampered in the battle. There is a great need for more supplies. Foremost of these are weapons, so our soldiers might all join the combat. But anything you could send to aid in the fight would be prized. I have been commanded by my cousin Elves in alliance with Lord Margrave’s forces to search for weapons of any kind. I beseech thee to aid the Front in all manner you are able.”

Rufus extended his hand and helped Rose to her feet. All three men were intrigued by her exotic nature and began asking questions. Rose begged off saying her heritage was not nearly as important as aiding the forces at the Front. “Our smithy is already forging weapons within the Keep for the war effort” said Lord Ratcliffe. “Come. Let me introduce you to some heroes who are fighting the battle at home. They might be able to help you in your quest.” Radcliff began naming off Rose’s newfound companions. “Darius, Dalin, Dram, Ka…”
“We bring important news” said Darius cutting of the introductions. He explained the team’s intent to travel south and leave Margrave, possibly forever. Radcliffe looked deeply saddened. He promised to relay the news to Lady Margrave. “I accept the invitation!” Rose called out with a cheer. As she began hugging Kayla, Dram, Ormand, and anyone else standing nearby, it was apparent to Ben the little Fey was coming along.