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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tormenet" data-source="post: 1641309" data-attributes="member: 15690">Touched and a murderAjax drove his weapon into the corpse.  Even with a xiphos pinning it to the ground, the creature tried to push itself up.  The hit was telling though and the creature again collapsed to the dust.Confusion reigned as the companions watched their butchered foes rise. The reanimated Tadu student’s holy symbol flashed blue and fell away from his neck. Of all the slain warriors, the vileness of this magic rested most plainly upon Avasara’s former servant.  Melting away into a thick, black ichor, his eyes streamed down his cheeks, their hollow sockets taking on a dim black glow.  Wiping his mouth, Cato rose.  Feeling both sick and elated he called forth the order inherent in Avasara’s creation.“Avasara cast Sin into the Chaotic Abyss. Return to its seething waters. Return to your torment.”At his final words, a palpable force hurled from his person.  Washing around the companions it seemed to slam into the undead. Obviously overwhelmed by it, the dead turned and began to flee.Again, the friends worked butchery on their foes, cutting down the fleeing abominations.  After lopping the head from the last of the creatures, Volgar turned to his companions. Happily, he saw the dawn pushing its way into the sky.  From the east came only silence.  For good or ill, the night’s fighting was complete. The new year was born.The group laid out the dead Tadus, giving special care to the defiled priest.“I’m coming up the trail,” came Ismail’s voice.  The man’s eyes were red from a sleepless night and his left arm bore a couple of minor gashes.“We beat them off,” he reported. His eyes surveyed the four Tadu corpses.  His face took on an aspect of concern as his gaze passed over Cato. “What has passed, Student?” he asked.“I was touched,” Cato reported. “A crushing weight fell upon me and I vomited a white foam.”   Cato was thinking of a passage in the Recitations of Arrousha, the holy scrolls of the Eternal Faith.  The scripture, a collection of the Prophet's words compiled by several people of impeccable memory and honesty who knew her, served as the primary guide for all of Avasara’s followers. Apparently thinking the same thing, Ismail spoke in the archaic dialect of the Median Empire, the language of Arrousha. “All the trusted inheritors agree: When having insights into the present reality Arrousha sometimes appeared as if a heavy rock was crushing her chest.  Other times she spoke of bells whose loud ringing deafened her for days. Most often, she would collapse to the ground and convulse, foam issuing from her mouth,” Ismail said. There was some awe in his voice.Then he continued, quoting another source: “In his commentaries, Nafuna the Ifriqiyan adds: ‘Once Arrousha was struck with insight into Avasara’s creation and her flesh crawled as if insects moved within her.  I was the only witness to this.’ ”Cato nodded, “I suddenly understood how to inspire fear in the walking dead.” He told the night’s tale.Switching back to the Duranni tongue Ismail said, “You must speak to Sanctist Naraka about this, his knowledge of such things is deeper than mine.” His businesslike tone reasserted itself.“Have the ferenghi bring the body of our deceased brother.  Naraka should see that as well.” Distracted, Ismail referred to Ajax using a derogatory word for outsiders.Cato and Ajax picked up the corpse of the Tadu cleric and the companions followed Ismail back to Shar Jehna.Approaching the town, they saw wisps of smoke rising from one of the fortified homesteads sitting outside Shar Jehna’s perimeter.  Realizing that this was the home of Zidane Nefrat, Corum arched an eyebrow.  The Nefrat leader had clearly announced his tribe’s neutrality in this vendetta.  The Tadu were fools for burning the building.  Zidane would be justified in joining the Afrid and Hazar tribes.  Not that he would, but now there would be pressure from his fellow tribesmen.Before Shar Jehna’s main gate, in the space that served as the marketplace, crowds of Duranni warriors celebrated and boasted of their accomplishments.  Snatches of “…how I hit that Tadu in the arse…” and “…so I carved ‘take that’ into my sling bullets just to really ram home my point…” drifted past the companions.  About twenty bodies lay in a line, blankets covering them.   Further along was a pile of Tadu corpses, about thirty in all.Looking around, Cato noted a small knot of Ionian warriors.  The set of their shoulders did not speak of joy over the town’s victory.  Asking Volgar to aid Ajax in taking the body to the Sanctum, Cato and Corum went to the Ionians.Smiling Cato patted one man on the shoulder.  “Congratulations,” he smiled.“Aye, sure,” the man replied. “A great win, and with Ixion slain it’s a victory to leave a foul taste in your mouth.”“What?” Cato said.  This was alarming news.  In the power struggle that was sure to follow, Epiphilates was most likely to assume the leadership of Shar Jehna’s Ionians.  Epiphilates was sure to seek a truce with the Tadu, probably offering blood-payment for any warriors slain by Ionians. “That’s right,” the Ionian warrior continued, “we found his remains with at least ten arrows sticking out.  His head was gone too and that we couldn’t find.”</blockquote>

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