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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 3147104" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #364] The Test of Loyalty[/PLAIN]"Excuse me?" Ayremac asked, incredulous."To pass through the far door you must sacrifice one of your own on this altar," the celestial said again, its tone of voice indifferent, apathetic. It gestured half-heartedly at the stained and pitted block of stone atop which it had previously reclined and for the first time The Order noticed the rusty shackles fixed to the block at its four corners. A plain knife with a curved blade was revealed as the pale figure stepped languidly to the side."But we need to get the Earth Key!" Morier argued. "It's vital to freeing Dridana's heart.""I know. And it is my duty to keep that key from the hands of the unworthy," it told him. "Only those who pass this test may face the guardian of the Earth Node.""I'll volunteer," Lela said at once. "I'm going to die from the Rot anyway. My death may as well do some good.""Let's not be so quick to throw your life away," Shamalin said and Morier nodded."I agree. This test is a strange one," the albino looked pointedly at the celestial and added, "What sort of angel would ask us to kill a friend?" The being regarded him blandly."The sort that I am, it would seem," it told him."Are you really an angel, though?" Huzair asked, gesturing at his own face to indicate the blood streaming down the celestial's. "That's what I'd like to know.""I am what I am," it told him. "My nature is immaterial to the test at hand. The door beyond is barred to you until one of you is sacrificed atop the altar."Karak stamped his axe haft on the ground to get the outsider's attention. "Does it matter who it is?" he asked and the celestial grinned sardonically."It must be one of you. My death will do you no good," it told him. "Neither will I wield the knife for you. This test demands that both victim and slayer come from within." They all looked at one another and the celestial added," I may choose for you if you do not wish to.""So there is a proper choice to be made?" Karak asked and the outsider shook its head slowly."No. Who it is does not matter," it corrected. "But often it is easier on the conscience to stand by while a friend is condemned to death than it is to be the one doing the condemning." Again there was a weighty silence as the group considered."Who would you choose?" Huzair asked suddenly and without hesitation, the celestial raised a hand and pointed at Ayremac."The holy warrior," it said solemnly. If the Officer of Umba was surprised it did not show on his face."Huh..." Ayremac said, standing, almost as a statue, watching the others banter back and forth. It was strange to see a celestial, that which Ayremac had always held as the 'advanced' race, point at him and request his death."And which of us would you have kill him?" Shamalin blurted afraid of what the celestial would say. But it didn't point at her. Instead it raised its other hand, pointing accusingly at Huzair."The wizard," it said. "The wizard should plunge the knife into the holy warrior's heart. Only then can you pass through the door beyond."Shamalin wasn't cold, but the celestial's pronouncement sent a shiver through her nonetheless. She stepped behind Ayremac and quickly cast Detect Thoughts; despite the fact that the spell went off as she'd planned, she received no information from the magic. Something was blocking Divination magic entirely... which made a good deal of sense now that she thought about it. It'd be awfully easy to pass all these tests if all you needed to do was cast Augury every time."Each one in this group willingly gives their life over to the very real possibility of destruction by evil every day, and they do so with the hopes of finding peace and bringing ruin to the evil that would destroy us all," Morier said defiantly. His eyes seemed to flash in the dim chamber, but the celestial reacted not at all. "We have been instructed by the water guardian in the Grove of Renewal to follow a force here to find keys which might be used to raise Dridana to fight the evil brought by Aphyx," the eldritch warrior explained. "Few men will make the sacrifice to give up all that they have to follow this fight for the betterment of all the Realms, and we will not sacrifice one of our number, for each is too precious a life to take away from this cause.""Then you have made your decision?" the angel asked. "You refuse to make the sacrifice and forfeit the opportunity to pass through the far door?""I think we should not tempt fate," Ayremac said solemnly, his tone as much as his words drawing all eyes to him. "Before you argue and make this any more difficult then it already is... I have decided," he explained, holding up a staying hand as he set down his shield and morningstar. Staring up at the celestial he announced, "I will take this challenge... and I will do it myself."Without hesitation, he began the slow process of removing his chest plate. Shamalin stepped forward and grabbed his arm. "Ayremac, don't do this," she cried. "It would be a mistake."He smiled at her reassuringly as he gently pried her fingers from his arm. "In just a few short days you all have led me to believe this is a cause worth dying for. I look forward to seeing you all in the presence of Umba.""Dibs on his stuff." Huzair said quickly, earning a flurry of stern looks from the others. He laughed and shook his head. "What? I'm only kidding!" They continued to stare at him and he rolled his eyes before turning directly to Ayremac and saying, "Wait and think.""I have thought about it, Huzair," Ayremac replied, still loosening straps on his armor as he spoke. "This is the best decision. For all of us.""I imagine that the followers of Aphyx would only be all too willing to sacrifice one of their own, Ayremac," Shamalin argued. "There has to be another way.""Aye," Karak said with a nod. "Your desire to die for the cause be admirable. laddie, but I been thinkin'. We have chaos already doin' that for us. I say let us keep your sword arm in the fight."On Karak's shoulder, Lela nodded vigorously."Do the protectors o' these keys really want us to be one less in number to break free of chaos' hold? I think not!" the dwarf went on. "This test is one to make sure we be the rightful bearers o' these powerful instruments. So the test be about doin' the right thing not dyin'. I vote nae." He hammered his waraxe haft on the floor once for emphasis."I will submit to leaving the room, but what then?" Ayremac asked the dwarf. He managed to fully loosen his breastplate and he wriggled free of it with some effort. "What do we do if nothing happens?" Karak shrugged in response."Perhaps the gesture o' taking one's own life be enough for us to walk through the doors to get the key. Perhaps, in the thick o' things later you be alone facin' the minions of chaos and you have to die doin' so. Perhaps, horribly, one of us will be faced with aiding in that in some tragic way. I do nae know," he admitted with a wave of his hand. In mid-gesture that hand became a fist and he extended one accusatory finger at the celestial. "But I do know this, I'm not going to let some big fairy tell me how to be loyal. I be loyal to me chalak. I be loyal to Shaharizod, I be loyal to meself and me clan. An' I be loyal to you all. I say let the loyalty be true in our hearts and we tell this so-called angel so. That be what I say.""As Morier has always said: 'we need to stick together.' One of us cannot go off on the 100 day walk," Huzair said, addressing the celestial and Ayremac in equal parts. His voice dripped with sincerity as he stepped forward, putting an arm around Karak. "All of my valued comrades and friends would surely lay down their life for the cause, but we also have loyalty to each other. Our cause will be only further weakened if we were to lose a link of this chain." He stepped nearer the celestial and spread his arms to encompass the entirety of The Order as he went on."Laying down our lives for the test is far too easy. We do that every time we open a new door. Sticking together and being loyal to each other is the true test!" Huzair stepped back and embraced Morier tightly. Sniffing back a tear he whispered into the albino's ear, "You judged the healer test right and I just would not listen to you."Stunned, Morier drew away from the mage's arms. His first instinct was to draw his sword and demand the return of the REAL Huzair, but looking into the wizard's wet eyes, he couldn't help but believe that the man had had a change of heart. His jaw dropped open of its own accord, and he found himself at a loss for words."Aye, lad, that be the most touchin speech I do hear in a long time," Karak growled as he stepped up beside the wizard. "Why'n it reminds me of the time the clan elders all spoke to us about the incomin' gobbo raid and inspired us all to tears and bravery.""Every word I said was true," Huzair told him, smiling and batting his eyelids innocently. The dwarf nodded."I believe I do feel lighter in the heart. Come 'ere an let me give you a hug in the proper dwarven way," Karak spread his thick arms and crushed Huzair in and enormous rib squeezing hug that had the mage's eyes bugging out of their sockets. And without subtlety, he began to frisk Huzair. "Alright, what'd ye take, wizard? I know it must be somethin'.""I didn't take anything from you, dwarf!" the mage protested, batting away Karak's overzealous hands. It felt a bit like one of Huzair's dating experiences, although he was usually on the other end of the exchange. The clang of Ayremac's armor hitting the floor brought a stop to the bizarre development."I will not step away from the group in this decision," Ayremac announced once everyone's eyes had returned to him. "I am willing to leave my mortal life on that table, but for the group, not in opposition to it."He looked briefly at the pile of armor plates at his feet and then at each of the others in turn. "Let us cast our votes," he said. "Fists to leave the room, open hands to continue with the sacrifice." Without hesitation, he reached towards the group, hand outstretched.Shamalin's position was clear. She put forth her fist, muttering, "This is senseless." After a moment's pause, the others each extended their fists one after the other. When the last person had cast their vote, Ayremac closed his own fist and nodded."The decision is made," he said before turning to the blood-stained angel. "No one will die on your altar this day.""So be it," the celestial nodded. "The return you from whence you came. The door beyond is forever barred to you. Go." And saying thus, the diffuse light that had been illuminating the altar and the door marked with the symbol for earth some 30' further on began to dim. After but a heartbeat, even those with darkvision had trouble seeing the farther door. After three more it had been swallowed up by the darkness entirely.They gathered up Ayremac's armor and hustled back to the door through which they'd entered this test. Again, the black void greeted them and they stepped through expecting to find themselves back in the short corridor leading to the central chamber.Instead, after a disorienting moment, they found themselves standing at the bottom of a  rough, rocky cavern in the middle of a small crater filled with razor-sharp crystals. The rune for earth was repeated along the edge of the crater."We did it," Lela chirped excitedly."Good thing, too," Morier added, looking around. "I wasn't sure what we'd do if we fail a test and don't get one of these keys.""Look there!" Karak directed, pointing up. They could all see that the sheer cliff walls were riddled with deep niches and studded with crystals that cast a soft white light over the chamber. A wide stone bridge spanned the cavern 100 feet overhead, appearing from where they stood to be roughly 20 feet wide. A soft, pulsing white glow was coming from something on top of the bridge.</blockquote>

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