Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 7068735" data-attributes="member: 9546">10 Abadius, 4718 - Ghost MartyrsA search of the quarters of the Emissary in White by Katarina turned up several exquisite gowns of gossamer and silk, along with jewelry wrought from fey amber. Hidden beneath the clothing, Kat also found a hand-written missive from someone named Brigit of the Brijindine addressed to Taranea. It was short and to the point, expressing concerns about Asmodeus' agents in Talingarde."You don't know the half of it," Kat chuckled to herselfAnother door off the foyer had a truly amazing lock on it, but to Kat's surprise, it hung open, almost as if the occupant had left in too much of a hurry to latch it back. The room itself appeared to be the bedchamber of an important member of the church hierarchy thought it was unoccupied. The only thing of interest that Kat came upon was a family bible sitting on a writing desk. She flipped through it, trying to see if contained any hidden coins, but what actually fell out was a small journal. She took it to Kelvin, as she knew he always wanted to read any little scrap they came across. Kat always thought how stupid it was for their enemies to keep journals or diaries. It was almost like they actually wanted their plots and schemings to be discovered. Kelvin perused the diary for several minutes, and then he smiled broadly."With the death of the Phoenix," he read aloud, "the blessed Ara Mathra has retreated to the Holiest of Holies and has called forth a conflagration no mortal nor devil nor even an angel can cross. I know some of the men believe that this reveals him a coward. But I know the truth. He must survive or all is lost. If even one of the three sacred flames survives, then all can be rekindled. The Order of St. Macarius will weather this storm and emerge all the stronger for it. No one suffers more than he. I see this. He agonizes that he must remain here and guard the Undying Flame. Cowardice? Hah! Who amongst us is strong enough to do what he does now? It would be base anger that drives him to slay the evil-doers that assault us. Instead he has taken the victory from them. They cannot win. The slaughter of Saintsbridge has earned them nothing but damnation. Only a saint could pierce the flame! I've tarried here too long. I must return to my prayers. Soon the ghost-martyrs will rise and I will take back Valtaerna. Beware you sons and daughters of darkness! I, Earnan MacCathlain, come for you!"Kat just shrugged when Kelvin finished reading. Stupid do-gooders. Always the architects of their own destruction._____________________________________________________________Just off the foyer, Katarina found two small shrines, one devoted to Iomedae's aspect of the comforter and healer, and the other to her aspect of the great warrior and leader of Talingarde. Both of these were quickly and utterly defiled by her friends. A flickering light could be seen emanating from the far end of the main hall that led from the foyer. The companions made their way towards it cautiously, and found the source to be a wall of flames that burned furiously and blocked the way forward. The heat from it was so intense that none of them could approach within twenty feet without being scorched. There was no way past, through or around it. "This must be the conflagration that the abbott referred to in his diary," Dorian remarked. " 'Only a saint could pierce the flame,' " Kelvin mused. "Now what could that mean?"With no way forward, Kat ducked into the last two rooms they could access off the hall. One appeared to be nothing more than a preparatory chamber for processions and ceremonies, but the other proved to be quite interesting. It was another shrine, but not one dedicated to Iomedae. Instead, it honored Saint Macarius, before whom the worship of Iomedae was unknown in Talingarde. It was he who spread the light to every corner of the isle. It was also he who converted Darius to the worship of Iomedae, and thus changed the island's destiny. But there was more to the shrine than just a biography. The reliquary also contained artifacts from the life of the saint, including his walking stick, his sash, his phylactery and his holy book. Kat scooped all of these into a sack, and then paused to spit on the shrine before taking her leave. ______________________________________________________________With the great wall of flames barring their way forward, the Knot had no option but to take one of the spiral staircases from the foyer down into the bowels of the cathedral. They found themselves in an empty room adorned with murals showing a procession of priests carrying the blessed dead to be interred in ossuaries. There was an inscription hidden amongst the engravings, written in Celestial. "In our darkest hour, the martyrs shall answer the tears of the blessed," Dorian read. "Hmm. I wonder if this is some reference to the 'ghost-martyrs' mentioned in the abbott's diary. I, for one, am not anxious to see the results of whatever it is he is up to."Across a hallway from the landing was an open archway. Above it was a number 2. The room beyond it was filled with bones."An ossuary," Dorian explained. "The abbott's diary said something about needing the bones of a saint to pass the flames. I guess here is as good a place to start looking as any."As the companions set about sifting through the bones, looking for any signs that would mark one as saintly, none of them noticed as the temperature in the room began to drop. "Thou art forbidden in these catacombs," a hollow voice abruptly intoned from behind them. "Depart or face our wrath."The group turned and saw three ghostly knights hovering in the air above the bones, each wielding a great sword. "Is that a fact?" Tardaesha asked with a lovely smile on her face. "We don't take kindly to being ordered around by talking corpses.""You were warned," the ghost martyr replied.The knights drifted forward, reaching out towards Roger and Tardaesha, who moved to intercept them. The hands of the ghosts passed effortlessly through the armor of the warriors, their corrupting touch searing the vulnerable flesh beneath. Tardaesha and Roger fought back, but their own weapons passed through the incorporeal bodies of the knights. Still, the undead soldiers seemed to feel the effects of the blows, as they would reel away, their forms looking a bit more ragged. The tide quickly turned when Dakota and Timeon opened fire with their bows, using arrows dusted with ghost salt. The shafts pierced the spirits as if they were still made of flesh and blood, and the battle was over in moments. ___________________________________________________________________After their encounter with the ghost martyrs, the Knot decided to avoid searching any other ossuaries they came across in the catacombs. They did discover a large shrine, however, that commemorated all of those who had sacrificed themselves for the ideals of Saint Macarius, as well as the life of the order's founder and first martyr, Saint Macarius himself. The shrine contained a small marble statue of Saint Macarius, dressed in a traveller's robe with a plain wooden holy symbol. He was clearly a militant cleric, as he was depicted carrying a mace and there was evidence of chainmail beneath his robes. Every inch of the shrine was adorned by bas reliefs showing the deeds of the Saint and how he discovered the Vale of Valtaerna and became the first priest to solve the riddle of the sacred flames. Macarius came to the Vale drawn there by the whispered words of an angel of Iomedae. He found the Vale uninhabited by men but illuminated by a strange light atop a mountain. He climbed the Mountain of the Phoenix and faced the great fiery beast itself without fear. He pledged that he and his followers would forever guard the sacred vale. Thus did he appease the Guardian Flame. Macarius then found the way through the labyrinth and placed his hand in the Beneficent Flame whereupon he was restored from some unnamed affliction...a thorn of the flesh. Macarius pledged that he would share his gift of healing with all in need. Thus did he appease the Beneficent Flame. He found the undying flame in a cave beyond the labyrinth. There he communed with the angel Ara Mathra. The angel asked him the true test, and he answered it honestly and correctly. He pledged that his Order would bind its fate to the Flame Undying, and Ara Mathra became his teacher. Saint Macarius established the order and lived a life full of great deeds. He died a martyr and was interred in the cathedral, where he still awaited his chance to again serve. None of this drivel made an impression on the Knot. Roger smashed the statue to rubble before they continued their search. Beyond the shrine was a chamber stacked with old records and carefully catalogued books and scrolls. A great open tome sat upon a pedestal in the center of the room, which Dakota and Kat approached with interest. It appeared to be a list of all of those who had been interred over the years. All of those who received such an honor had to have cast at least three divine spells from Iomedae in their lifetime. "Hmph," Dakota snorted. "I cast that many spells before taking my morning piss!"She casually flipped over the pedestal, dumping the book on the floor. No sooner had it fallen, than three of the ghostly knights rose up from the floor."Ugh!" Dak groaned. "Can't you boys take a joke?"The ghosts, apparently, could not. They issued no warning this time. They charged silently into the trespassers and defilers, swinging their ephemeral blades and reaching out with their spectral hands. Still, their efforts ultimately amounted to naught. The 9th Knot quickly managed to overwhelm and destroy them...at least temporarily. Dakota lowered her bow and then glanced down at the book she'd tossed aside. "Just for that," she said, reaching for it, "I'm keeping this."________________________________________________________________The companions bypassed several more ossuaries before pausing before one in particular. It wasn't the ossuary itself that drew their attention, but rather an archway on the far side that was filled with white mist, obscuring whatever lay beyond. Dorian raised his hands to his mouth and puffed out his cheeks to blow out his breath while uttering a prayer. A strong gust of wind flowed across the room and parted the mists, revealing a spartan room. Seated in the center of it was what appeared to be a little girl. She turned her head to stare at the intruders, revealing her eyes to be white orbs without pupils. As she rose to her feet, a trio of ghost martyrs appeared around her. At a gesture from her, they flew towards the companions.Two of the spectral knights closed on Dorian, reaching their hands through his chest, causing his heart to momentarily seize. The young girl strode into the ossuary, opened her mouth, and spoke one word. As she uttered it, her form morphed and changed into that of a brazen-skinned, six-winged angel wielding a flaming sword. This was She-Forever-Silent, consort of Ara Mathra. In better times, she would have been in his company, but since the calamity of Saintsbridge and invasion of the Vale, he had sequestered himself in the Holy of Holies. He waited for something, though she was not sure what. Even the jovial Earnan MacCathlain, whose endless stories she used to sit and listen to, had fled into the hidden part of the lower level, trying desperately to call up the dead. She was now alone and, as she had ever been, silent. She had considered leaving, but something kept her from it. So she remained, waiting for something to occur. With every passing day, however, and every defeat she began to suspect that nothing could be done. She felt the phoenix die and the two sacred flames extinguish. She knew what tragedies had been inflicted upon the Vale and its people, and she as resolved to avenge it. The power of her spoken word rippled across the ossuary and struck blind her enemies . The time for vengeance had arrived.Roger and Tardaesha still fought, despite their blindness. Their intensive martial training had taught them not to rely overly on any single one of their senses. They listened to the sounds around them, felt subtle shifts in the air nearby, and even smelled the sickeningly sweet cloy that emanated from the angel. As the ghost martyrs engaged them, the anti-paladins struck in coordinated unison, obliterating one of the knights in and instant. Dakota, too, had trained blindfolded on many occasions, and could easily shoot a dove on the wing from fifty yards away. She turned and fired towards where she'd last seen the angel, and was satisfied to hear a grunt of pain in that direction. Dorian fled blindly from the chamber, his injuries weakening him. Grumblejack saw his friend's retreat, the ogre's fiendish heritage having rendered him resistant to the angel's assault. He turned to follow Dorian, seeing one of the ghosts pursuing the priest. He caught the specter just before it reached out to siphon Dorian's life, perhaps for the last time. With a roar of rage, Grumblejack slashed his huge blade completely down the center of the ghost, and it dissipated with a low groan. Gradually the vision of the other companions of the Knot began to clear...just in time for She-Forever-Silent to engulf them all in a column of holy fire. Tardaesha gritted her teeth agains the pain and struck out as another of the ghost's rushed towards her. The martyr dissolved as her sword passed through it. Next to her, Dakota kept firing at the angel, trying to keep the celestial bitch distracted and off-balance. It worked. Too late, the angel saw Grumblejack rushing towards her. Before she could react, the big ogre seized her in a rib-crushing bear hug. Though she grimaced in pain, no sound came from her throat. Instead she lifted one hand and slammed her fist into the side of Grumblejack's head. He grunted, but held his grip. "This way, boy!" Lemmy called out.Grumblejack looked and saw the dwarf pointing his direction. Nodding, he spun, putting the angel between himself and Lemmy. Lemmy opened his palm and sent a blast of rock and metal into her back, ripping the golden flesh in a dozen places. She writhed in agony, but she couldn't free herself from the ogre's crushing grip. Roger and Kat charged her simultaneously and buried their blades into her again and again until she finally slumped, unmoving, forever silent. </blockquote>

Verification