Fantasy Is The Demon Lord A Myth [Arcanepunk High Fantasy]

[TanteRegenbogen]

Note: This is retrofuturistic in the sense that in a world that seems medieval in many aspects, it also has mana powered electronics and arcanepunk cybernetics.

Plot:
The holy nation of Veres located on an island continent has enjoyed peace for several hundred years already and has experienced technological leaps despite some pushbacks by the temple. Many homes experience the use of arcane technologies that make life easier such as mana powered stoves or even screens to view certain varieties programs. However the nation still has many medieval aspects that include clothing, society and weaponry. And despite technology existing that replaces lost limbs, the temple frowns upon the use of such technology, stating it as impure to use such tech. It has gone so far that clergy that use these technologies, are considered fallen and have certain rights stripped, such as free movement within the main temple or having certain jobs.

It has been several hundred years since the last invasion of the demon army and the demon lord is largely believed to be a myth nowadays. However due to some events recently, there are signs that a new demon army may be emerging, however not even the temple seems to be taking it too seriously. A lot of the civilian population doesn't seem to have the time or resources to think about it. The world seems to be more concerned with dealing with beast races and social class politics. In the capital, there are however foes lurking in the shadows, ready to cause chaos in the capital for the demon lord or other bad actors. Even if you are not a hero or a knight, things begin to become suspicious for you.

The players can be different roles. Some may be "heroes". Others may be ordinary folk. There is no requirement to be part of a group. However eventually certain events with players will influence the story of others.

Setting:

In "The Holy Nation of Veres". In a world where arcane devices have increase the life quality of most, even being able to replace limbs that have been lost, there exists a nation that is virtually a theocracy. A temple where the gods are worshipped holds pretty much the most power, despite a king supposedly holding the highest position of power. Many laws are dictated by the temple. While the temple has many gods and goddesses, there are still people marked as heretics, such as those who worship the demon god or certain people who have deviated from the official teachings. Clergy hold a lot of power here with those following the main goddess Aevith holding the most power.

Capital is named "Aevithia". About a couple hundred thousand people live here. The metropolis is full of temples, many domed. There is a subway system in the city. The city has a lot of pedestrian traffic. You often find the preaching priests along major roads. There are many narrow alleys lined by tall multistory residential buildings. Many buildings are pretty old. Towards the city walls are the slums. In the center of the city is the main temple, which is a massive building. The center piece of the main temple is the shrine of Aevith. In the preceding halls are the hall of the major gods and the hall of minor gods.

Near the main temple are government buildings, the traders guild, the arcane university and the adventurers guild.

Magic: Most people have a magic affinity and can only used magics outside of the affinity to a lesser extent. The magics are elemental magics (fire, water/ice, earth/plant and air), summoning, taming, illusion, combat magic, dark magic, death magic, abyssal magic and healing magic. Healing magic can be only used by those who have received the blessing of a deity.

Social class:
Veres has a social class system:

Elite class: Royalty, the high priestess, bishops, decorated heroes

Upper class: Nobility, priests/priestesses, new heroes, knights, wizards, guild leadership

Elevated class: Traders, high class adventurers, clergy apprentices, clergy of minor deities, bureaucrats

Middle class: Citizens, fallen clergy, adventurers, ogres (despite being beast race, they appear close enough to elves and humans to be considered similar to demi-elves) etc.

Lower class: Criminals, heretics, mercenaries, sex workers, slaves, beast races, people with "impure" chronic illnesses (fantasy version leprosy for example).

Species: Humans, elves, demi-humans/demi-elves, beast races (wolf people, cat people, orcs, ogres).


Deities:

Main deity: Aevith (goddess of creation and childbearing)

Major deities: Hars (war god), Ea (water goddess), Kora (goddess of harvest), Fira (fire god), Kirvath (forest god)

Minor deities (over 100)


Rules:

1. Please post within three days. With notifying the other players, you have up to a week to post.
2. No one-liners
3. No face claims of real people
4. No powerplaying or godmoding
5. Have fun

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

Ephelina of Rurraki

Eight years ago, Aldaros Wastes

In a private quarter in a large military tent, was a young man, just 21 years of age. He had white hair and golden colored pupils. His skin was white and smooth as porcelain and his appearance was androgynous to the point that he could be easily mistaken for a girl. The young man was adorned in the white and gold robes of a priest of Aevith. Felis Alemaster was his name.

He sat at a makeshift table, writing a letter to a dear friend:

"My dear friend Rosearia,

I hope you have been well and greet you from the Aldaros Wastes. Our journey here has been long and arduous. Despite being ambushed by highwaymen on our way, our ambushers were quickly dispatched of and we only suffered a few minor injuries. We have arrived at our current encampment after six days and finished setting up just a couple hours ago.

Tomorrow we set out for battle against the heathens of the Aldaros insurgency. While I am certain the hand of Aevith will guide the men and women of our detachment to victory, I am still afraid of the anticipated battle. Pray that everything goes well and that I come back to Aevithia safely.

I hope to meet you for cake and tea when I return.

Glory to Aevith,

Your friend Felis Alemaster"

Felis then folded the letter, stuck it in an envelope and sealed it with a wax stamp seal. He approached the encampment postmaster and give him the envelope. "Have a good journey tomorrow, brother." Felis said to the postmaster. The postmaster nodded in acknowledgement. Felis then returned to his tent to finish his tea and get some rest before the big day.

The next morning...

Felis woke up to the bustle of the military encampment. After cleaning and grabbing a sip of water, he exited the tent to see the hundreds of soldiers and the dozens of healers accompanying them preparing for the approaching onslaught. "Adept Alemaster. Report to your officer. We leave in thirty minutes." A lower officer of the paladin squadron commanded. Felis put his hand on his chest and bowed slightly. "As you command, lieutenant." He said before heading over to the tent the war bishop was in.

Reporting to the priest standing in front of the tent, Felis greeted the priest and reported in for duty. "Adept Alemaster reporting for duty, sir. I was told to report to the bishop." Felis said. The priest then replied: "You are on time, adept. You are to gather with the other healers at the assembly square in front of the encampment. We will leave soon." "As you command." Felis said.

He went over to where he was to gather with the other healers. The healers weren't gathered in a strict line like the soldiers were, but they were still supposed to look orderly. A young woman in similar robes to Felis waved to him: "Hey Felis! Over here!" Felis recognized her voice. She was another apprentice of the main temple. Her name was Irali. Felis forgot her family name. He went over to her. They had become akin to friend during the trip here. "Felis!" She hugged him. "Let us walk together to the battlefield. With the blessing of Aevith, this will be a walk in the park. Just like with the highwaymen." Felis blushed a little when Irali hugged him. "H... hello Irali. It is pleasant to see you. I guess it would be soothing for the soul to be accompanied by an acquaintance to the battlefield. I wouldn't be too optimistic. The highwaymen were maybe thirty. Today, our detachment along with the forces of the royal army of Aldaros will be facing thousands of insurgents."

Irali pat his back and said: "Don't worry. We will be fine." Soon everyone had assembled and they marched out. Just slightly more than an hour later, they came over a hill and met with a terrifying sight. The royal forces were already engaged with the insurgents. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers were fighting and it looked like the royal army was outnumbered.

"Paladins! Ready for battle! Healers! Cast defensive magic!" The detachment commander shouted. Upon the command, Felis, Irali and the other healers cast the "Stoneskin" defensive magic upon the paladins and watched as they entered the fray.

Felis was scared. Despite his faith, this was his first battle. His heart was racing. Irali took his hand to try to calm him down. But suddenly, his shoulder and left arm went numb. Something had hit him in the shoulder. He looked to his side and a large red spot formed on his robe near the shoulder. "FELIS!" Irali screamed and tried her best to stop the bleeding. Felis pushed her away. "No. I got this. Just do your best to help the injured soldiers." Felis said. "I will be fine. Just keep your head down." Using his right hand, Felis caste a healing spell on his shoulder.

While healing, Felis caught a glimpse of the sniper in the distance. Looked like an officer with a gunblade. "Captain! Sniper to the north east!" Felis shouted to the nearby Paladin captain. Luckily, the captain was able to take out the sniper before they could take a second shot at Felis. However, Felis lost sight of Irali. Still healing his shoulder, he wandered the battlefield, trying to keep distance from the enemy and find a safe place to heal. But luck wasn't on his side, he barely caught a glimpse of Irali, before he noticed he was in the path of a powerful fireball spell. He knew this was the end and just smiled toward Irali, hoping she would survive. Then Felis was engulfed in flames and lost consciousness. The last thing he head was Irali screaming out to him.

In a white light, he wondered if he had died. He called out to Aevith, but received no answer. Had Aevith forsaken him? He devoted his life to her, but seemingly in death, she hadn't come to greet him. Instead, he was greeted by a different deity. "Rurra?" Felis pondered. The female horned deity smiled and replied: "You seem well versed in your deities, young one. If you came looking for Aevith, she may have a lot to do right now. Even deities can be busy. So I came in her stead." "Why did Aevith forsake me? I had barely lived and could even be of help on the battleground. Was my life for nought?" Felis asked, almost crying. The faces of Rosearia and Irali went through his mind.

Rurra approached him and hugged him, pressing his head to her chest. "Your life wasn't for nought. Rather, it hadn't really begun yet. Aevith cares about her followers, but she cannot devote undivided attention to every single person. If it soothes your soul, I have an offer for you. I will give you a second chance at life and in turn, you will become my follower. Of course, you will not be an elf anymore, as I can only revive you in my image. What do you say?"

Felis felt conflicted. He had considered his death to be Aevith's will, however Rurra made it sound like Aevith hadn't willed his death, but rather could not intervene. Additionally, he would be revived in Rurra's image? It would mean he would become an ogre. While they weren't as badly treated as beast folk or orcs, he would still be treated differently than if he was a human or elf. But he wanted to see his friends again, even if he had a different image. Surely, Aevith would still love him, if he became Rurra's follower. She was supposed to be everloving. Felis looked up to Rurra and said: "If Aevith will still love me, I will accept your offer."

Rurra smiled and Felis began to fall in a trance. "Then I give you a new life and you shall become my high priestess." Rurra said. Disappearing into the trance, Felis mumbled: "High priestess? Wait... what?... I..." He was gone before he could state that he wasn't female.


Back at the battlefield, Felis awoke in his severely injured body. It was night time and it was quiet. He couldn't move and his body was numb. He was only able to see out of one eye due to the severe burns. He tried to call for Irali, but he could only muster up a groan. There was no living soul around. Felis couldn't even tell who had won the battle. It was entirely possible that whoever survived would come for the corpses in the morning. With all his remaining strength, Felis was able to lift his arm. In the moonlight, it became apparent how badly Felis was injured. His arm and hand were severely burned and his robed was tattered and burnt.

However slowly, dark aura enveloped not only his lifted arm, but his body altogether. It first started out as a warm feeling, but soon turned into painful burning. A force lifted him off the ground and Felis saw as the dead skin receded and his bones turned into a dark metal like material. He wished he could scream but he wasn't capable as his body changed and new tissue grew over the skeleton. Soon, he was able to scream, but he stopped as he noticed that his voice was a higher pitch. It was feminine. Soon the pain also subsided. He felt new and fit. However, it seemed he was a she now.

She felt taller, much taller than before. Before she was even short for an elf at around 1.65m (5ft 5in), but now it felt more like an entire head taller. Aside from the change to a female body, the most significant addition were the large horns coming from her head. She stumbled around ignoring the countless bodies around her. Felis needed a puddle or something to see her reflection. She soon found the shield of a fallen paladin. Her reflection in it was blurry. She could only make out her white hair and the silouette of her black curled horns. Felis staggered onwards finally finding a larger puddle of water.

Her eyes widened as she saw a beautiful ogre woman with long white hair, golden eyes, tanned skin and large black curled horns. "I... I didn't expect to look this different!" She shouted. Soon Rurra appeared in the stead of Felis' reflection. "You agreed to this. I gave you new life and new abilities." Rurra replied. Felis argued: "With these big horns and white hair at that, people would confuse me for a demon! I have never seen ogres with horns this big!"

Rurra giggled and replied: "You are cute when you are that way. Don't worry. Only ogres get horns in that shape. Among ogres, big horns are a symbol of power. To other ogres, it tells them that you could easily overpower them and they will show you respect. And with the white hair, if it bugs you so much, you can change it with a spell. But no one would confuse you for a demon. Demons are very pale for the more elf like ones. Luckily, your skin isn't like that anymore. Just relax." Rurra then looked up and down. "How about you make use of your new affinity and get yourself some clothes? You don't want to walk back to Aevithia naked do you?"

Felis blushed in shame and let out an ashamed squeak. The sound she made just made her more ashamed as she couldn't believe that sound came from her. Then she realized something: "New affinity? Am I not able to use healing magic anymore?" "Nope. As my high priestess, your affinities are combat magic and abyssal magic. If you want to heal, you can use the spell undamage. Though it doesn't heal, it restores something to it's natural state. A wounded arm can that way be unwounded. How about you focus now on your mana and use the spell enrobe? First feel the abyssal magic flow through you. I will give you a little jolt." Rurra said.

Felis concentrated on her mana, soon feeling the abyssal affinity magic. She then threw her hand up and shouted "Enrobe!". A black mist then enveloped her and once it subsided, she wore purple dress rowed with buttons from the navel to the top of its standing collar. Over it, she wore a black hooded cloak with a purple trim. "This is your cloak as high priestess. It will tell others that you are the high priestess of Rurra." Rurra explained.

Though Felis had been a boy up until this morning, she felt comfortable in the dress and found it to be pretty nice. Though once she was dress did she come back to reality about the battlefield. Countless corpses littered the battlefield. She didn't spot many fallen paladins, so she assumed that many of them survived. Felis was hopeful that Irali had survived. "I need to get back to the encampment!" Felis said as she began to walk in the general direction of where she assumed the encampment was. She wandered for about an hour. It was a little walk, but the anticipation made it feel longer than it actually was.

Finally, she arrived at the encampment, only to find it abandoned. A couple tents remained, however it looked like they only took what they could carry with what remained of their forces. Due to not finding anyone though, Felis broke down in tears. "It hurts my heart to not know whether Irali survived. Can you tell me what happened, my mistress?" Felis cried. Rurra's voice echoed in Felis head: "That I cannot say. I may be knowledgeable on many things, but I don't keep track of every person out there. I guess just head back to Aevithia and you might find out there." Felis nodded and try to suck up the negative emotions.

Over the next few days, Felis wandered back towards Aevithia, learning a lot about survival on the way back such as accidentally eating poison berries, getting stomach cramps and then learning how to use "undamage" to fix the problem. During this time, Felis also learned how to use her new affinities on attacking beasts such as using combat magic to enhance speed and strength to fight a dire boar, of course with a lot of encouragement from Rurra. Having been a healer previously, Felis had no idea of melee combat and had to learn how to fight. The abyssal magic made it a little easier as with the "dark hands" spell, she could restrict the movement of opponents. However her movements were clumsy and inaccurate. Luckily, for the first two days, Felis only ran into smaller opponents.

On the third day of the trip back, Felis came through Abalithe, a small town within Veres, about a third of the way from the Aldaros border to Aevithia. Immediately at the town gate, Felis was stopped by the guards. "Turn back demon! You aren't welcome here. We don't want trouble." One of the guards said. Flustered, Felis replied: "Uhh, I am not a demon. I am an ogress." "An ogress, you say? Ogres don't usually have such big horns. And white hair is very unusual for ogres. You need to better to convince me." The guard replied. Felis took a moment to think and remembered what Rurra said: "You see, demons have pale skin and don't have curled horns like these. My horns are this big, because I am powerful for my kin. I haven't come for trouble. I am but a priestess of Rurra on her way back to Aevithia."

The guard was however still cautious. "If you are a priestess, you should be able to perform blessings, right?" He said. However before Felis could react, Rurra briefly took control of Felis. A creepy grin grew on her face and a dark aura appeared around her. The pressure in the air became suffocating for the guards. "Blessings? Why should I grant blessings to a guard who cannot even tell demons apart from ogres?" Rurra said while in control of Felis. The guards were terrified and one of them evening peed himself. The speaking guard tried to speak but couldn't get a word out. Felis plead with Rurra to ease off a little and eventually gained back control over her body.

"I am very sorry! She just came out! Plea..." Felis said before being interrupted by a cowtowing guard. "No. Please. We are sorry. We didn't mean to cause trouble. Please don't hurt us!" "Nooo! I don't mean any harm! I just want a place to rest and see if anyone needs a blessing here!" Felis responded back. The guards hastily made way for her to enter. Felis went through while bowing and motioning apologies. One of the guards began sobbing.

"Please, my lady. Don't scare people like that. If we want followers, we shouldn't scare people like that." Felis said internally. Rurra responded: "That guard was irritating me though. His ineptitude was very agitating." "Please, consider that many folk around Veres have rarely seen ogres before and possibly no demons at all. However speaking of followers, how many followers do you have? Last time I saw your shrine, it was in poor condition." Felis said. Rurra was quiet. Felis pressed Rurra: "My lady? Did you hear me?" Rurra then responded: "Well... I... It's only you as far as I know. The last high priestess was a hermit who fell off a cliff to her death like a week before I met you."

Felis was at a loss for words at first. But then she asked: "Your last high priestess was a hermit? How do you expect to gain followers with a hermit? You are basically telling me we are starting from zero? Oh lady..." "You can do this! I trust you!" Rurra responded. Felis sighed and left it uncommented.

She continued on to what seemed to be an inn while catching many gazes. Upon entering the inn, the dining hall went from loud chatter to dead silence. "Er, hello? I am Felis, just an ogress seeking a place to rest on her way to Aevithia. Don't mind me." Felis said. She bowed and quietly moved over to the the person who looked like she could be the proprietress. It was a busty elven woman with blonde hair and green eyes in an outfit that screamed "barmaid". "H... hello? I would like to book a room for the night. I don't have any coin, but I can offer some dire boar meat." Felis said before putting a heavy pouch with possibly half a man's weight worth of dire boar meat in pristine condition. She was quite nervous.

The elven woman looked inside the pouch and smiled at Felis: "Welcome to our inn. You get the suite." She then called out to the people in the room: "Esteemed guests! Today we are having prime cut dire boar for a discount price thanks to Lady Ogress here!" The room erupted in cheers. Felis blushed in embarrassment, not being used to so much attention at once.

Soon, she was surrounded by men of various species, mostly humans, elves and demi-humans though. "You seem to be an interesting one! I have never seen an ogre with such big horns. Have you travelled far?" Said a burly male human. Then a brown haired elf interjected: "Give her some breathing room!" But then immediately went on to try to flirt with Felis: "Say, I didn't know that ogres can be so beautiful. Do you have a boyfriend?" Felis kept blushing more before a human woman with dark brown hair, pushed the elf away. "Can you stop? Can't you see you are distressing her?" The woman pulled Felis aside and said: "How about you go up to your room first and when you feel more relaxed, you can come down and I will make sure that the others aren't overbearing."

"Th-thank you, Miss..." Felis replied. The woman then answered: "Just call me Kalina. I work as a carpenter in town with my husband." "Thank you, Kalina. I am Felis... Well so I was called." Felis said. The human woman looked confused first before just smiling. The proprietress then guided Felis to her room. The room was big and cozy with a double bed and a view of the town. Felis relaxed rather quickly and decided to go back down and try to be a bit more open to the people. When she was still the elf boy Felis, she never got to be in such a social setting. Rather she was rather sheltered, never having had alcohol or fairyherb before.

As she came back down, a number of men cheered and shouted: "Lady Ogre is back!" Immediately, Kalina stood up and offered Felis to join her table to which Felis accepted. The table was a round one that featured aside from Kalina five others. "This are Roick, who is my husband, Aevel, Kaden, Orvo and Pheena." Kalina said as she introduced the others at the table. Felis hesistated at first but then introduced herself: "Well.. I am Felis. I am a priestess of Rurra or rather, the high priestess of Rurra. Please be fair to me." "A high priestess? Wooow. I am guessing Rurra is one of the minor gods. Are you on your way to Aevithia to tend to the shrine? I am guessing you may be from further out in the country." Roick inquired. Felis answered: "Well sort of. It has been a long trip, but yes, my destination is Aevithia. Rurra is counted as one of the minor gods. She is known as the goddess of forbidden knowledge and one of the three deities counted towards the ogres. However many ogres don't really follow her anymore. So it is sort of an uphill battle at the moment."

"Well, priestess or not, you are welcome here in Abalithe." Kalina said. At that moment, one of the guards walked in. Upon spotting Felis, he immediately froze. As he tried to duck out, one of the guests spotted him and called over "Daven! Come on in. The Lady Ogre brought us some dire boar meat!". The guard hesitantly went over to his buddy, to which the buddy asked: "What is wrong? You look like you have seen a ghost." to which the guard replied: "I am not worthy. I may have angered her or whatever that was earlier." The buddy looked confused and worried: "Are you okay? The ogress seems rather timid. I can't imagine her being angry." The guard looked over to Felis, to which Felis motioned again that she was sorry about before.

Then someone offered Felis some alcohol. "Sorry, I don't drink. But thank you for the offer." She said. However after being pushed a little, she gave in. But soon, the alcohol made her black out.

The next morning, Felis awoke in her bed. "Wha... what happened?" Felis said as she sat up. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her head. "Ouch. I feel awful. I guess I wont drink alcohol ever again." Felis then went over to the mirror so she could do her hair. She then noticed that her hair had changed color to brown. "Huh? What? How did this happen?" She said in shock and then ran down the stairs. The proprietress greeted her with a smile. But the kind of smile that basically said "yesterday was wild and you were the center of it".

"Well, did you sleep well? You really did a number yesterday. It was like you were a completely different person. When someone suggested that another hair color would suit you better than white, you did some sort of spell that turned your hair brown." The proprietress explained. Felis began to look irritated. "Rurra! What did you do?" She said. The proprietress look kind of confused: "Excuse me?" "Sorry. I don't really remember anything from last night. Do you maybe have something that could help me with my headache?" Felis asked. The proprietress took out a smoking pipe and said: "Try this. Your hangover will be gone in an instant." Felis was willing to try it an picked up the pipe. The proprietress lit it and Felis took a puff. Suddenly, Felis felt energized and the headache really was gone in an instant. "Wow. What is this stuff?" She asked. The proprietress answered: "Fairyherb. I guess you'd like it since you are a magic user. Magic users are usually energized by fairyherb, whereas everyone else becomes rather relaxed and entranced by it." "Where can I get this?" Felis asked.

The proprietress answered: "Well pretty much at any alchemist or smoke shop. Here, you can keep this pipe. See it as a token of my gratitude. And here is a little point of fairyherb for you." Felis gladly accepted the gift. She however had to bid farewell as it was nearly noon. Felis left the inn. In town, many people greeted her and it felt like she had become quite popular in Abalithe. As she passed through the gate towards Aevithia, the guards wished her to visit again soon. While Felis was kind of angry at Rurra for possessing her body and changing her hair color, she had already forgiven her because not all was bad.

Five days later...

Aevithia

Felis had finally made it to Aevithia. However the mood in the city was opposite to Abalithe. It felt as if many were mourning. She still got many stares but the brown hair at least made people sure that she was an ogre. However, ogres were still pretty rare in the city and the horns just made Felis stand out more. As she tried to inquire what was going on, people turned away and tried to ignore her.

Not before long, Felis found a paladin and tried to ask the paladin what was going on: "Excuse me. Sir paladin. What is with the mood in the city?" The answer of the paladin was snappy: "Of course an ogress possibly from a backwater wouldn't know! The Aldaros royal army retreated during battle in the wastes and left our people to die! Only by miracle, did a third of the detachment make it back alive! Among the dead were multiple healers and the war bishop!" Felis heart sank. Panicked, Felis asked: "Did a female human healer with dark brown hair make it back alive?! She may be an apprentice." "Why are you so interested? I did see someone who fit that description, however she looked like she had lost all hope. Her eyes were filled with sorrow."

Felis was happy that Irali may have made it back alive. As tearly began to form in her eyes, Felis thanked the paladin: "Thank you sir paladin! I cannot thank you enough." The paladin looked the other way and said: "Don't mention it. Now you are the wiser."

The ogress made her way over to the main temple, hoping to get to talk to Irali and maybe even Rosearia. The guards around the main temple were however in special garb representing a state of mourning for the dead. She was stopped by the guards. "State your reason of visit, ogress." A guard said. Felis replied: "I need to talk to a healer named Irali. I cannot remember her surname. She might be an apprentice though. Felis Alemaster wants to see her." The guard raised his voice: "Is this some kind of joke. Have respect for the dead! Do you intend to torment her further with the death of adept Alemaster!" Felis was shocked. They truly thought she was dead. Realizing that they wouldn't recognize her as Felis, she corrected herself. "Pardon, I misspoke. I meant, I am an acquaintance of adept Felis Alemaster and seek to share mourning with adept Irali." "I see. Next time, you should take more consideration before you speak. Adept Irali Levendaire is however not available at the moment. I recommend you return in a couple weeks in hopes that she has overcome her grief." The guard responded.

As much as Felis wanted to see Irali, it may be best to leave her be for the time being. However, Felis still need to tend to her lady's shrine. "May I tend to the shrine of Ruura though?" She asked. The guard pondered: "That deity has followers? I have never seen anyone go to that shrine before or tend to it. Are you a worshipper or clergy of Rurra?" "I am... I am her high priestess. I have travelled far to tend to her shrine. I am..." Feris replied, she however had to quickly come up with an alternative name to Felis Alemaster since she probably couldn't go by that name anymore. "...I go by the name of Ephelina of Rurraki."

"Please wait here for a moment. I will speak to a bishop and see if you will have permission." The guard said. He left and went straight to the next bishop. In the bishop's office, the guard bowed and requested: "Your lordship, an ogress seeks to tend to the shrine of Rurra and claims to be her high priestess. She goes by the name of Ephelina of Rurraki." "Of course an ogre would become the high clergy of Rurra. Allow her to tend to her shrine, but have a supervising priest and a paladin keep an eye on her. If that thing can do a ritual of purification on the shrine, then we will recognize her as the next high priestess of Rurra." The bishop made it obvious that he didn't think much of ogres, however he couldn't outright deny possible clergy entry, because otherwise if they did turn out to be real, then there may be troublesome consequences for the bishop.

The guard returned and allowed Ephelina in. However things seemed a little awkwards as Ephelina found herself being trailed by a priest and a paladin. She turned around: "Pardon me. But what is your purpose?" The priest then spoke up: "We are here to witness whether you can perform a ritual of purification to conform that you are a high priestess." "I see." Ephelina replied. She continued to walk down the hall of minor deities and stopped in front of the shrine of Rurra. "Oh dear. It looks like it hadn't been tended to in a century." She said as she saw a dirtied statue of Rurra. The donation box and the shrine enclosed were collapsed rotten wood.

"Rurra help me." Ephelina said with Rurra soon taking over. A dark aura appeared around Ephelina and the creepy grin of Rurra grew on Ephelina's face. She looked back towards the priest and the paladin. "Be witness to my power." She said as the suffocating pressure began. The priest fell to his knees. The paladin did his best to remain standing but began to sweat. A black mist covered the statue, but once it subsided, the statue was back to pristine condition. Ephelina then returned back to normal. "I guess all I have to do now is commission someone to rebuild the donation box and the building around the statue.

"Goddess..." The priest said. He looked to the paladin. "Have you ever experienced a purification ritual like that? What was that pressure?" Then paladin responded: "There was one I have attended that was similar, if not more powerful and that was the purification of the shrine of Fira. I suggest we report the details to the bishop." The priest nodded and said: "I will go make the report. You should stay here and keep an eye on her."

Ephelina turned to the paladin just as the priest left. "Where did he go?" She asked. The paladin with a straight voice said: "He went to confirm your status with the bishop. Please stay within the hall of minor deities until he returns." Behind the paladin, in the distance, Ephelina spotted Rosearia and Irali talking with then Irali hugging Rosearia, clearly being sorrowful. "Rosea..." Ephelina said aloud raising her arm towards them but immediately going quieter to the point of being even barely audible for the paladin in front of her and turning away: "...ria and Irali, my dear friends." It seemed that they may not have heared her or at least so she thought.

Meanwhile at the bishop's office, the priest reported in: "The ogress managed to do a purification ritual. However the power we experienced. I hadn't experienced something like that before. The paladin however compared it to the purification ritual of the shrine of Fira, albeit less intense." The bishop bit his lip and then replied: "Alright, she may enter the premises of the main temple, however she must be assigned a paladin of higher ability or rank. Paladins such as The White Rose. We cant trust this high priestess just yet, especially since she is an ogress." "As you command, sir." The priest replied.


Eight years later...

There was a bustle in the narrow alleys of a part of Aevithia nicknamed "The Gorge". The alleys were lined with tall residential buildings appearing like ten floor houses. Their height blocked out the sun, making the alleys always appear as if it was in the evening or night. In one of the buildings was the home of Ephelina. Out of all the high clergy, she probably had the least luxurious home. Her home was a simple wood and brick maisonette nestled in a dark courtyard between these high buildings. Next to it, was a small shrine of Rurra along with a garden of plants that grew even in the dark, some of which glowed with luminescent light.

In the past eight years, Ephelina had managed to gather a decent following consisting mostly of ogres living in Aevithia and adventurers she met in the adventurer's guild. Even mingling in the slums has earned Rurra a few followers from there too. In that time, Ephelina had undergone a rather significant change in personality due to the influence of Rurra. Once timid, she had become more outgoing and had more courage. Ephelina regularly mingled with the common folk and adventurers. Even more, she creeps some priests of Aevith out. But every time she sees Rosearia or Irali, she becomes all happy and sweet, even though Rosearia may not understand why.

Anyways, Ephelina had been sweeping in front of the courtyard shrine in the morning. She wore a knee-length purple and white dress with a criss cross halter neck. She wore two black chokers and a necklace with a purple crystal pendant. As always she wore her black hooded high priestess cloak with the purple trim. And as always, she was barefoot.

As she finished sweeping, she went inside her home and grabbed a stack of posters. In the evening, the main shrine would be having it's main festival with a ceremony held in the main temple and the actual festival being held within one of the larger training grounds of the adventurer's guild. Her followers mostly knew already a month ahead of time, but there would often be some people who would come just because they are interested or because they want to enjoy themselves.

Ephelina set out to put up the posters around the city. While she walked around, she would occasionally call out: "Citizens of Aevithia! The shrine of Rurra and it's followers invite you to attend our main festival! In the afternoon, there will be a ceremony at the main shrine in the hall of minor dieties at the main temple. There you will receive a special blessing of Rurra. Afterwards in the evening, join us for festivities at training ground number three at the adventurer's guild! Lots of food stands, drinks and entertainment await!"

Eventually, she made it to the central quarter near the trader's guild. There two young priest apprentices, seemingly of Aevith pointed at Ephelina and said: "Check out the freak! She is walking barefoot in the streets. Go back to the slums, pov!" An elder priest behind them looked like he was about to have a heart attack after witnessing it. The elder priest smacked them both in the head. "Are you insane? Do you know who you just insulted?!" The elder priest shouted at the apprentices. One of the apprentices then backtalked: "What's gotten into you elder? It is just some weird ogre." "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You dumb apprentice! She isn't just some ogre. She is the high priestess of Rurra. If she wills it, she could report this as a grievance to the higher ups and it will get us sent to some backwater if we are lucky. Worst case, they will have our heads! Now apologize!" The elder priest shouted while pushing the heads of the apprentices forwards, forcing them to bow.

"They are just kids, elder. I am not some uppity priestess. Sure, they need some disciplining, but I don't think it is worth a grievance. Just have then sweep the hall of minor deities for a day or so. Or have them learn about the minor deities." Ephelina said. She then tilted her head and said with a grin: "Now if you were older and not priests, I could have executed and eaten you on the spot." The priests were terrified. Ephelina giggled: "Just kidding. I don't eat citizens of Veres. Now run along, I still need to hang up posters and advertise our festival."

Ephelina hoped she would have Rosearia assigned to supervise the ceremony in the temple. She hummed and danced at the thought of getting to have Rosearia nearby. She also hoped Irali would also just come by, but why would she though. Even though she eventually got over her sorrow, she didn't know that Ephelina was Felis. Ephelina tried to make hints to Rosearia though, but it didn't feel like she was accomplishing anything. Anyways, she still had a little to do before the afternoon.

 

[Vox Angelis]

"Open the gates! Make way!"

The large outer gates of the gatekeep to Aevithia creaked as they opened to lend passage to a group of soldiers, led by a tall elf woman in silver armor. White shoulder-length hair swaying in the wind as golden eyes reflecting the sun's rays, Rosearia stood out from the crowd, her own patrol squad even, as she led her troops towards the capital. Patrol had been a breeze today again. It was good, to see everything was peaceful in the surrounding countryside. Usually, the White Rose would be atop her trusted steed to survey the surroundings of the capital, but today she felt a little more energetic than usual. It would also be a good excuse to whip her troops into shape. The Paladin of Aevith felt like there were too many instances of the military being too lax in this time of peace.

As her patrol unit made their way into the streets, people passing by bowed their head to the lady knight. Rosearia returned their bows with a respectful nod. The people knew her, she wasn't one of the knights who remained inside Aevith's temple all day long. To better serve her goddess and her people, the White Rose knight thought it would be best to head out and see that the citizens of the kingdom were faring well, ensuring everyone was safe and well. And this was mainly the purpose of the patrol today. To make sure everything was alright, even to the far reaches of the farmlands.

The tall elven knight paused, her ears picking up the sound of sobbing nearby.

"My lady?" Her second-in-command asked, as he approached to inquire her halt.

"Stay near." She stated, heading off in the direction of the cries.

When Rosearia arrived at the scene, she saw a few kids surrounding a young girl, holding her knee in pain and sobbing. As the kids noticed the much taller warrior in quicksilver armor, a mixture of panic and excitement appeared on their face.

"O-oh, M-Miss knight!" they bowed nervously at Rosearia's presence.

"Easy, children. What happened here?" She inquired, but her tone was unusually soft compared to how she usually spoke to her soldiers.

"U-uh we were playing catch! B-but Robbie tripped on this rock there and hurt her knee and ankle!" one of the children responded quickly, feeling slightly intimidated by the knight.

"Hmm..." Rosearia knelt next to the little girl, Robbie. "Let me see your knee, Robbie."

With reluctance, the girl removed her hand from her knee, wiping away tears from her face. Her knee was indeed scraped heavily. It seemed like she did fell on her knee while she was running, unfortunately sliding across the surrounding pebble stones.

"Oh blessed Aevith, mother of creation, please soothe the pain of your children." The White Rose whispered a prayer to her goddess. Her right hand started glowing with a soft golden light, on which she gently placed upon the girl's knee. Robbie winced in pain at first, stiffling a cry between her teeth. Her pained grimace however soon eased, her eyes widening to witness a small miracle, at least to a children's mind. The kids all around were giggling excitedly, whispering amongst themselves of their amazement at the scene.

"I-it doesn't hurt anymore!" the young Robbie exclaimed, flexing her bloody but healed knee and rotating her ankle.

Rosearia simply smiled, wiping the girl's tears with her handkerchief. "Good, now you kids be careful when you play around here, yes?"

"Yes ma'am!" The children nodded. "T-thank you, Miss Rose!" Robbie added.

"Play safe, children." Rosearia warned before leaving the kids to their games, but their eyes were glued on the kind-hearted knight as she rejoined her squad.

Not only them, but the surrounding pedestrians who witnessed the scene looked with a smile at the White Rose leave with her soldiers. Even the soldiers seemed to be in high spirit as they marched behind their leader.

---------------------------------------------------------

"Nothing to report on the countryside, sir." Rosearia remarked to her senior, head bowed.

"I'm telling you, Rose. These rumors of the Demon Lord's return are simply fantasies. While we appreciate your fervor to maintain peace and ensure Aevithia's safety, surely a Paladin of your prestige would have duties befit of your standing. A member of your rank in our clergy would have more important tasks to fulfill than chasing ghosts."

"With all due respect, sir, any threat to the kingdom is a threat worth considering. Until I hear no more whisper of this supposed impending doom, I will not stop my patrols." Rosearia's voice rang slightly louder. "Furthermore, I have inspected the farmlands today. I sincerely think we could use more patrols in this region. The people are feeling insecure about bandit raids and wild beasts prowling in the area."

The captain groaned, knowing with all these years dealing with the White Rose was a battle in vain. He didn't want to admit it, but she was right to an extent, and he knew he couldn't keep her in the temple as much as he wished. "We will see what we can do about this. For now, please stay put at the temple. We have been informed the High Priestess of Rurra will be holding a ceremony this afternoon, and we would like you to remain around to make sure everything is in order during the ceremony."

"At once, sir."

--------------------------------------------------------

Rosearia sighed. She looked at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her hair, making sure her appearance was prim and proper for a knight of her standing. Temple duties sure were quite different from being out in the field. She couldn't care less how grimy and messy she would look outside. If anything, her soldiers witnessing she was willing to get as much dirty as them out there was inspiring them as a good leader. Here, however, she knew the eyes of the nobility and the high members of society were watching, and these people love it when everything was tidy.

After making sure she was clean, the Paladin spent some time to clean her armor and sword, making sure they were at their shiniest. There should be pride to a warrior's equipment, and its condition should be reflected in the amount of care she was giving to the very things that could save her life on the battlefield.

So today she was to attend Rurra's celebration? She couldn't say she was still at ease whenever they crossed path. She felt a sense of misplaced familiarity with the High Priestess. As if the Ogress was talking to a friend, despite having barely met. Rosearia knew better than to judge Ogres or even followers of Rurra for who they are, but maybe there was something to the girl.

The White Rose glanced to a locked box on one of her room's shelves. Her thoughts drifted to an old friend she lost in battle, years ago. His last letter stored away, his last words to her. They never got to have that cake and tea in the end...

She wiped a stray tear from her eye. Why was she thinking about her dear friend all of a sudden. She couldn't really tell, dense as she was. However, she knew she had a duty to fulfill this afternoon, and was keen on being on time.

After making sure she was ready for the rest of the day, Rosearia turned to a statue of Aevith. She knelt in front of the sizeable marble figure, clasping her hands together.

"Glory to your holy name, my blessed Lady. May the people we lost too early find peace and comfort at your side in your holy kingdom."

The Paladin left the room solemnly, donning her serious façade once more.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

While walking down a larger street, Ephelina saw the news on a screen on a building. She knew that other nations had these things everywhere in cities since she saw pictures where the screens hung on basically every building. Speaking of other countries, the newscaster a woman in a long gown reminiscent of traditional clothing of Veres reported on a northern country making controversial remarks about Veres. "These religious fanatics in the theocracy threaten the stability of the peace in the world. They won't stop until every country in the world follows their deity!" The screen switches back to the newscaster. "A parliamentarian of the Republic of Akheart slandered the good people of Veres as violent fanatics to which Bishop Einbara declared the parliamentarian a person non grata to Veres and it's allies.

One guy on the street called out: "When I we going to save these heretics?" Ephelina just shook her head and continued on to her business. She wished she had a private one of those screens or was able to make her own show on the screen. Usually the news would just show international and domestic events. They had made a brief mention of the festival to Rurra the other day but for the minor gods they would rarely report on what their followings were doing. Ephelina continued to hand out fliers and call out for the event.

Down one road, someone asked: "This Rurra, I have barely heard of her. Is she one of the minor deities?" To which Ephelina answered: "Yes, she is the goddess of forbidden knowledge. It is not as forbidden as the name states, but you can say it is rather hidden knowledge. The highest tenet of Rurra is to uncover hidden knowledge. To research and to advance the arts is what can be done. Everyone puts their input in, no matter how insignificant it may feel." "Interesting. I heard that your high priestess is sort of an oddball." The man said. Ephelina seemed a little irritated: "Is that so? Who said this about me?" The man gulped realizing that he was speaking to the high priestess. "I apologize. I didn't mean to insult you. I just heard it on the streets." The man said slowly getting nervous as Ephelina kept getting closer.

"Fine. I guess I will let you off the hook." Ephelina said. "How about you come to our festival at the adventurers guild this evening?" She pushed a flyer into the hand of the man. "I hope to see you there."

Next point of business was to coordinate with the bishop's office for the ceremony later. Ephelina eventually arrived at the main temple. The guard asked also being aware of Ephelina's identity: "Excellency high priestess of Rurra, Ephelina, can you please state your purpose of visit today?" "Well, I need to head to the bishop's office to coordinate for our ceremony this afternoon. I need to know who my security attaché will be today." Ephelina answered. The guard nodded and replied: "We will organize an escort immediately."

In less than a minute, two junior paladins arrived to escort Ephelina. As they walked towards the bishop's office, Ephelina spoke up: "I still question the reason why I need escorts. It is not like I can't protect myself. Or is it rather that the clergy of Aevith think I am some sort of security threat?" One of the young paladins replied: "Maybe it is a formality? I know that the bishop doesn't think highly of ogres, but..." The other paladin nudged him: "Shh. Don't run your mouth about the bishop. It could get us in trouble again." Ephelina then told them: "I wont tell the bishop. I am quite aware that he doesn't like me for being an ogre, but he can only do so much and can only slightly inconvenience me. If he violates the rules, his higher ups will get to him long before I do anything. It would be nice to talk with the high priestess of Aevith though. Maybe I will have the chance during the council of high clergy soon." The young paladins seemed to relax a little.

Soon they arrived at the bishop's office. The bishop was already waiting at the door. "Your excellency. Please take a seat." The bishop grinned. Ephelina hated the bishop's fake grin. A lot about the bishop was off. He was one of the tubbiest people in the main temple, his fingers were adorned with expensive rings and he is said to even physically abuse underlings behind closed doors. "Bishop Iphindros, I have come for the coordination of the ceremony this afternoon. I hope you have set aside some guards for the ceremony. A couple hundred people are expected. And I am guessing you will assign a high paladin again to be my security attaché, right?" "Of course, your excellency. Aside from your usual contributions to the finances of the main temple, will you give us another donation this year too?" The bishop said. Tch. Only thinks about money, does he? Ephelina thought. She put a coin purse on the table. "I hope that the paladins will receive this well." Ephelina said. Before the bishop could take the coin purse, Ephelina grabbed his hand and stared him dead in the eyes. "The full amount will be received by the paladins. I am certain we agree, bishop." Ephelina said with a stern voice. A shiver ran down the bishop's spine. "Y... yes. It is our agreement." He said.

Once she let go of him and the bishop counted the coins, the bishop stated: "Paladin Rosearia Alvira will be your security today." Ephelina cheered internally and was excited. Outwardly though, she just simply smiled and said: "I am delighted to hear that. I will receive her at the garden. Can you have someone bring me tea and some fairyherb?" She then got up and bowed before leaving towards the inner garden. The two young paladins followed.

Once Ephelina left the office, the bishop was in a rage: "How dare that thing touch me?! And who does she think she is? She is just a high priestess of some miniscule deity and a dirty ogre at that! Damn these rules!" He turned to his assistant in the front office. "Get The White Rose in here! Make it choppy! And have someone bring that ogre tea and fairyherb!" The bishop then slammed the door closed.

 

[Vox Angelis]

"Again."

Metal met wood with clumsy ferocity. A slender blade slicing and slipping against a training dummy. A sweating young Paladin twirling on the soles of her greaves, seemingly dancing around her target. The agile techniques looked flawless, until the blonde-haired woman missed a step, tripping over herself and fumbling her sword.

Unflinching, the senior Paladin walked over to her apprentice, handing her the lost sword as the human girl got to her feet. "Remember your footing. Even the slightest mistake can result in a catastrophe, especially in battle."

The rookie grunted, returning to her battle stance before throwing herself back to the training dummy.

Rosearia at how the apprentice fared for a moment before walking away, catching the glimpse of something else next to her.

"Jakobs, loosen that grip. You won't be able to switch stances if you remain this stiff."

"Yes ma'am !" the youth replied as she walked by, heading to another trainee. She stopped by the a dark-haired girl with glasses, looking like she was lost in thought, instead of concentrating. She jumped, startled, as the White Rose's hand fell on her shoulders. "L-lady Alvira! I'm sorry, I just spaced out there."

The apprentice mage was met with a long, disapproving silence. She gulped nervously, her gaze returning to the training dummy in front of her.

"The battlefield is a merciless place. You can't afford to lose focus for even a second. Leave your family problems at home when you take up the sword, or else the consequences will be dire."

Rosearia patted the girl before checking up on the other students. The sound of hurried footsteps coming towards the senior Paladin distracted her from the mistakes of one of her protégés. She caught the glimpse of a guard coming to her.

"Lady Rosearia ! Bishop Iphindros summoned you to his office. He seemed pretty insistent on having your presence at the earliest."

The White Rose sighed in response to the summon. Of course he did. The man was always impatient, whether to get his grubby hands on coins or the attention. Why such a man managed to rise himself to this position of authority in the clergy was beyond her, but she ought to respect the hierarchy. Surely there was good reason for the High Priestess and the higher-ups to appoint this kind of individual as Bishop.

The knight turned to her apprentices, who had stopped their training to see what the commotion was about. "That will be all for us today. Report to Sir Ethran for your history lessons. Aevith be with you, cadets."

The younglings saluted their training instructor before everyone left the room, each to their own tasks.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Wishing you luck, milady. The Bishop didn't seem to be in a very good mood." the guard mentioned as they walked through the hallways of the temple.

"Anything happened?" Rosearia inquired, her stern expression unchanging.

"The High Priestess of Rurra visited him earlier, concerning the upcoming celebration. Let's say he-"

"I know."

Rosearia was very aware of the racism issues running rampant in the high clergy. For people who worshipped the deity of Creation, they sure were quick to turn their hate towards other species. It was no secret some of the more influential members hated Ogres, Demi-Humans and some other races. The White Rose refused to believe this misguided hate was part of Aevith's will. Then again, why are these people go unpunished for their misbelief?

Soon enough, the pair reached the doors to the Bishop's office. The guard and the Paladin exchanged a nod of mutual respect and understanding before the White Rose opened the door and stepped inside the office.

"Bishop Iphindros. Rosearia Alvira, reporting for duty, sir." the knight stated calmly, offering her superior a respectful bow.

The Bishop had his back facing the Paladin, seemingly busy putting coins in a small chest on the shelves behind his office, by the sounds of small pieces of metal clinking together. "Knight Rosearia..." he wasn't finished, but he managed to greet her while not losing count. "You are tasked to oversee security for Rurra's high priestess during today's ceremony. I believe you have experience with these... people." his face couldn't be seen but Rosearia could ear the hint of disgust in his voice by the prospect of her being on good terms with Ogres and people of the lower social cast.

Her façade remained still, The White Rose only nodded "Yes, sir."

With a grunt, the bishop tossed the remaining coins in the chest, slammed it shut and turned to face the calm warrior. "You really ought to keep better company. As a Paladin of Aevith, you should not soil yourself being in the presence of such low-lives. I'd suggest you to take your title more seriously and stay among the clergy's most pure members."

"I will consider it, sir." Rosearia's jaw was clenched. "Will that be all?"

"Hmph. Yes, you may go. The Ogre priestess is waiting for you in the garden." he sat back into his seat, looking displeased.

With a curt bow, the knight promptly left the room to swiftly head towards the gardens.

Once she arrived, it wasn't long before she found the person she was tasked to. The Ogre with the longuest pair of horns she had ever seen. Rosearia made a last minute preparation, looking sure she was presentable and everything was in place. Straps all tightened up, cape just about the right tighteness and her blessed sword strapped tightly to her belt, she advanced.

"High Priestess." The White Rose called, offering Rurras's representative a bow with a closed hand to her chest "I will be overseeing your security this afternoon. Let me know if I can be help, anytime."

 

[Daylight Fantasy]

It was a quiet day in the government building as Mercher strolls along an empty hallway. It was just another day for him, administrating paperwork, attending meetings and finishing up tasks. It took up a majority of his daily schedule, but his daily schedule wouldn’t be his “daily schedule” if there wasn’t the tiny wind current god flying into his bedroom window every day after a long day of work. The tiny god would distract his wandering mind as they would blab on and on about quitting his “boring” current job and join the adventuring guild. Mercher didn’t protest these objections but nor did he agree, he would simply swipe them away from his mind, and get ready for bed. Last night was no different, the little wind god would fly into his room, trying to convince him to join the adventuring guild.

This morning, however, this morning ritual of Mercher’s has broken. The little wind god was still in his room, sleeping on his desk. As the long haired male woke up from his slumber, he noticed the tiny god still in his room. It was an odd sighting for him to see the wind god asleep in his room, in the morning especially. Taking his time, Mercher let himself get out of bed, get ready for the day and inspected the sleeping wind god. He crooked his head sideways as he noticed that the wind god looked rather ill and had a fever despite the disappearances of other outwardly noticeable symptoms that he could take note of. The blonde bureaucrat placed a small piece of cloth over the sleeping god before making his way out of his room to report to the main headquarters that he would be out of office today, a very rare occurrence for him.

It took him a mere hour for Mercher to get approval for his absence. He was expecting the long process for his leave, working in a government job isn’t always the ideal place to work. Once he entered his room, the first thing that he noticed was that the wind god was still sleeping feverishly. Without a second thought, he picked up the still sleeping wind god and placed them into a bag that was big enough to fit them. Before he set off, he wore his golden head ornament and put the bag over his shoulders. He had no particular destination in mind that could help the wind god but he’d just needed someone to help him with his current predicament. He’d known that most occupants and businesses don't treat gods and might not know who the wind god is, so off he went out to the forested areas away from the busy city.

 

[Bluffly]

Two Days Ago

"Tonight, Baron and Baroness Seydell meet their ends. Move out!" Niccolo's words were barely audible but his fellow assassins moved on cue, followed shortly by him. The guards had been closely watched beforehand. Were they just as corrupt as their employers or were their morals just? Landing softly against a window, Moon Claw placed his claws against the window,"Flash Freeze..." The glass shattered instantly, grabbing the nearby guard's attention. The man barged into the empty bedroom and locked eyes with Moon Claw,"H-H-heavn's J-judgement!? W-why are you here? The Seydells are good peo-" A low growl escaped from behind Moon Claw's mask as the assassin wrapped their clawed hand around the guard's neck.

Moon Claw turned the grown man around with ease,"Let's take a trip, Mr. Hastin, and don't try anything funny." The guard walked on Moon Claw's cue, still shocked that his name was known, however with claws to his throat he had no choice but to obey. Walking out the door, Hastin's heart rate lowered as he figured the other guards would be able to stop Moon Claw. Their pace was leisurely as if there was nothing to be afraid of and for Moon Claw, there wasn't a fear in his soul even as a guard attempted to strike him from behind,"Ethan Leonardes." A lighter voice chirped behind Moon Claw and Hastin

Within a flash the guard hit the floor, killed by another member of Heaven's Judgement. Standing over the body was another assassin with a distinct mask similar to but different from Moon Claw,"Trafficking, usually sex workers and orphans." A slim figure sprinted past the two men and disappeared around a corner, Hastin assumed that they were the voice from before. They continued their effortless pace while a small thought darted across his mind to attempt to escape but was quickly rejected by the claws at his throat. Hastin could hear the death rattle of his fellow guards around him. As they got closer and closer to the master bedroom he saw blood sprayed onto the ceiling, smeared against the wall, bloody hand prints here and there, and trickles of blood where someone attempted to get away.

Bodies began to appear to match the blood. Hastin's fellow guards were committed to their jobs and more than a few lay dead before the door to the Seydells. Moon Claw's voice was etched with disgust as they passed each corpse,"Sakimoto Satsuki, torture & trafficking. Monim El Sadat, thievery by intimidation. Isaac Nunes, drug dealing and abuse of sex workers. Elize Calea, forgery and counterfeiting," Moon Claw had only mentioned a few of the guards but it was enough to leave an impression,"I assume your captain, Asher Bell will be in here? Before we go forward, I must apologize. You were not meant to be here, but I know you covered for Harrison Moore, a swindler and trafficker by the way, however, I must ask: Will you believe me without proof or will you take a leap of faith to see the proof behind these doors?" Hastin's mind raced as he didn't know what to think or do, the assassin's grip had loosened and he had a chance to escape, however would he be able to kill this person or even the others while his fellow guards had been slaughtered, but an alternate thought also questioned if what the assassin said was true. On instinct, Hastin pushed the door open.

He had never been inside the Seydell's room before but it was just as beautiful as the ornate construction of the rest of the mansion. The marble floors were cleaned to perfection without a single imperfection. Hastin's eyes anxiously darted to and fro as he searched for his employers and Captain Bell, however he didn't see a sign of them other than the shelved bed and a few things thrown to the floor. Moon Claw waltzed over to the Baroness's ornate vanity and drew runic symbols, opening a staircase downwards,"The truth is always hidden in the abyss." Moon Claw's word spurred Hastin to descend. He had come this far and was more than prepared to die for the Seydells but if what Moon Claw had said about the others was true, then what was at the bottom of these stairs and what else were these nobles hiding?

"Before you kill me..."
"..."
"Will you tell my husband I love him...S-since you have been watching us..."
"..."
"H-h-how many are you?"
"Tonight? Just six."
"S-S-S-Six!?"
"That was all that was needed..."
"..."
"..."
"Why haven't you killed me?"
"Hmm? I don't know?" A giggle escaped the man's lips,"Question for you now: Why are you still walking forward? Put sword in hand and earn the fame of killing one of Heaven's Judgement."
"..."
"There's a part of you that believes me. You've probably seen some things that didn't add up or heard something you weren't supposed to hear...When you have a chance, tell the truth of what you saw."

Before Hastin could form a response he had reached the bottom and could hear the sounds of a fight. Without a second thought, the guard rushed forward to find two members of Heaven's Judgement standing over a battered and bruised Captain Bell,"H-Hastin kill the assassins!" Before the guard could even react he was staring into the eyes of an assassin and was about to lose an organ.

"No," The assassin stopped mid-attack as Moon Claw walked in," Radiant Sky and Rising Grace...He wasn't supposed to be here. Too bad for him. Ice Shot." A single piece of ice pierced Hastin's body and he fell backwards as blood slowly flowed out. Hastin could do nothing as his vision blurred and darkness enveloped him.

Current Day

Niccolo walked into the adventure's guild with his usual grandiose entrance, followed closely by his fan club. Over the years he has been masquerading as an adventurer he has amassed a following based on his good looks, skill, and fair attitude. He was known around the guild to be a delightful person who had a domineering side that forced the others to be good when he could, and today was no different because as soon as eyes fell on him his whip had already wrapped around two people,"Well, hello there my beautiful knuckleheads! Hehe!" The two adventures started to squirm and scream as they were slowly dragged towards Niccolo,"Shshshshh! Nobody wants to hear all of that! Besides you wouldn't have to do all this screaming if you were at Rurra's temple volunteering like I told you!" While Niccolo was lecturing the knuckleheads the faces of flashed across the news screen Baron and Baroness Seydell.

"This just in: One of the guards that was found bleeding out in the Seydell's mansion has just woken up. Although he is still weak, the authorities are going to question him as soon as he is coherent. The Seydells were another victim of the terrorist organization, Heaven's Judgement, and we, much like you, wait with bated breath to hear the truth of that night."

Niccolo suppressed his chuckle as the other guild members expressed disdain or apathy for the news. Releasing the knuckleheads he turned to walk away,"I'll be heading into the forest, when I return I better find you both, and your knucklehead third, volunteering at the festival! You wouldn't want Rurra's eerie priestess to reveal your darkest secrets, right?" He chuckled while waving off his fans and making his way to the forest. He felt no distinct way about the priestess but he did worry that the goddess would reveal his secrets. Niccolo prayed to many of the minor gods for guidance and protection and when you are living a double life, you would be a fool not to pray to the goddess of hidden knowledge.

Out in the forest, Niccolo noticed a blonde man walking through,"Hm? Now what would a person like him be doing out here? Especially with the gold, is he trying to get robbed?" Niccolo wondered aloud before deciding to approach him. With whip on hip, Niccolo scaled a tree with little effort and rested on a branch in the man's path,"Excuse me, sir. What brings you out here?"

Daylight Fantasy

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

Ephelina was led to the inner garden of the main temple. Usually only high clergy were allowed to be guests here while the outer gardens were designated as resting and meeting places for the lower ranks. Ephelina had encountered the high priests and priestesses of other minor deities and once the high priestess of Kirvath. However seeing the highest representatives of the major deities was rare as most of them were on travels all the time and only came to the main temple to celebrate their main festivals. Ephelina however never saw the high priestess of Aevith even once at the inner garden. She once saw her briefly while in the inner sanctum during a meeting with the high cardinal and each time the annual council of highest representatives congregate, but Ephelina never got a chance to speak to her.

There were reasons why Ephelina didn't get chances to speak to the high priestess of Aevith. For one, many of the high clergy were a hurdle as they didn't want high priestess Velia interacting with Ephelina, not only because Ephelina was sort of a wild person to them, but because of personal prejudices. Another reason was because Velia was kept sheltered "for security reasons". It went far enough that Ephelina considered filing a grievance, if not even having Rurra take care of the matter.

"Lady Ephelina, here is your tea and some fairyherb. Would you like anything else?" A priest said as he served her the tea and fairyherb. Ephelina looked him in the eyes and just said: "You are such a good boy and a handsome man. Why were you put to work here when you could be doing greater things?" "Well, er, I am not sure. I thought this was something great for someone of my rank." The young priest replied. Ephelina leaned forward: "I see a lot of lost potential in you. You could be out healing the impoverished or doing good deeds. Why are you a priest, when you are serving the high clergy in the inner gardens? It is not like this is only an occasional duty. You are always on duty here. It is that bishop's fault, isn't it?"

"Well, I shouldn't speak openly about that... otherwise..." The priest said before being interrupted by Ephelina: "Because he will hurt you, wont he? I know what he does. All that is hidden and unknown is known to Rurra. But don't worry, the bishop will face divine judgement soon. Take a seat by the fountain and rest. If anyone comes and wants to punish you for that, they will have to go through me first as it was my word that you should rest." The young priest then nodded, put down the silver tray and sat down at the fountain, taking off his slippers and running them through the grass.

Soon, a familiar face approached. It was Rosearia. Ephelina's face lit up in almost a childlike joy, similar to how she was when she was Felis. The paladin was quite formal and reported to her as her security attaché. "Rose... I mean high paladin Rosearia Alvira. It is quite pleasant to see you again." Ephelina said as she got up. Her long brown braid went down to her thighs even when she was standing. She grabbed Rosearia by her hand and pulled her over to the other chair at the table. "Please sit. Relax. You may just call me Ephelina if you are comfortable with it. I will allow it. I wont allow anyone to scold you for being informal with me." Ephelina chirped in a sing-song tone of voice. "I am glad to have you with me. We can sit and speak here for a bit. However afterwards, we will need to head to the shrine so I can make preparations and soon after the first devotees will arrive."

"Set of tea made with love!" Ephelina chanted and with a swipe of her hand over the table, a kettle and a teacup appeared on the table. It should be the type of tea Rosearia used to enjoy with Felis.

 

[Vox Angelis]

Rosearia was taken aback with slight surprise as the High Priestess of Rurra welcomed her with such joy, even going so far as to guide the Paladin with her own hands to the table. It wasn't the first time she was witness to such acts, always with some amount of undue familiarity, but Rosearia always sighed and simply smiled, accepting that this was maybe a quirk of the Ogress. She sat down at the designated chair, content to go along with the priestess' antics.

"Ah, thank you for your kindness, Hi-... erm, Lady Ephelina." She corrected herself mid-sentence, offering Ephelina a small appreciative bow.

The elven knight gracefully accepted the offer for tea, gently taking the kettle and pouring its content into Ephelina's cup first, then her own after. She settled down comfortably and took a sip of her tea. Rosearia's eyes slightly widened at the taste of the brew. It was so very familiar. It took her years ago. Back in time, when she would enjoy some downtime with a dear friend. The nostalgia took her with such surprise, she coughed.

"T-this is a fine brew of tea, milady." The White Rose complimented after she cleared her throat.

She contemplated in silence the events that led her here, and the person she was having tea with. Needless to say, having lived for a few decades and experienced what most human would call almost a lifetime, she had seen a lot of things. A lot changed in time, some faster than other. Rurra's presence in Aevithia was of no exception.

"I must congratulate you, lady Ephelina. Years ago, your goddess' shrine was void of any presence in the capital. But now, not only is it properly restored, but you also brought a respectable gathering of devotees, and now you are holding celebrations as well."

Rosearia took another sip of her tea, softly sighing in comfort and smiling faintly.

"Rurra chose her high priestess well, I'm sure she is proud to have such a hard-working devoted soul to her cause."

 

[Daylight Fantasy]

It was a long way to get to the edge of the city. The bureaucrat got a lot of looks in his way, mainly because of his odd clothes and hair accessory. He ignored all the attention in his way, continuing to walk along the twists and turns of the street carrying the hidden wind god. While Mercher felt heavily uncomfortable with the attention, he persisted in his journey into the forests away from the city. It was a peaceful journey as he ventured on, the chatting of citizens played in the background, setting the ambience.

It took him a long time to reach the edge of the city. His shoulder felt sore after carrying the wind god in a bag but that didn’t completely exhaust him. Mercher moved the strap of the bag to his other shoulder to ease the tension from his other shoulder before continuing walking along the dirt road. The forest was quite the change of scenery from the city, the sound of birds and animals reminded Mercher a lot of the journey with his father from long ago when he was a young half-elf, travelling from place to place to stay with either parents. He felt nearly nothing for the memories, the earlier one is, the more his memories fade. It was truly too bad that his elf relatives cut all ties with him and his father, as Mercher had pushed family matters away from pursuing his goals.

Mercher didn’t go too deep into the forest before a masculine voice called his attention. He looked up, finding a male with animal features resting on a tree a few metres in front of him. It was very odd, in Mercher’s opinion, for someone to be resting on a branch, especially when the branch will break. He bows in greeting before speaking, “Greetings, sir. I am currently seeking a temple to ask the gods for a favour. Do you have directions to the nearest one in the area?"

Bluffly

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

As the female elven paladin coughed when drinking the tea, Ephelina briefly jumped up from her seat: "Are you..." She was going to ask if Rosearia was okay, but Rosearia complimented the tea. Considering that she may have remembered the tea from her time with Felis, Ephelina felt at ease and sat back down. "That is great to hear. I thought you would like it. It brings me back to memories of my own. It is a great brew." Ephelina said with a smile.

When Rosearia commented on the progress Ephelina had made in the past eight years and that Rurra had made a wise choice to select such a hard-working priestess, Ephelina replied: "Well, eight years ago, I was on the brink of death, nearly burnt to a crisp and through Rurra's grace was I not only spared death, but I was given a rebirth. Sure, my appearance may have changed a little bit to somewhat mirror Rurra's presence and Rurra may have changed my hair color from white to brown in a drunken stupor while she was in control of my body during my stay in Abalithe. But I must say it is remarkable how quickly my hair has grown since then." Her hair had grown from about shoulder length to almost touching the ground which is why she usually braided it into a single long braid.

"At the ceremony, a couple of those from Abalithe who first welcomed me in Veres will be attending. It seems I am popular enough as a high priestess that Rurra possibly has more devotees in Abalithe than in the capital. I was told that out of the six thousand in Abalithe, about six hundred are followers of Rurra now. Though I guess most of the devotees are adventurers and people associated with the adventurer's guild." Ephelina explained.

"Once you have had your fill of tea, I would say we can go to the hall of minor deities, so that I can prepared and receive the guests. Take your time. You can have the entire contents of the kettle if you want to. If you want to talk about anything or have questions, just ask away." She said then smiling more.

 

[Bluffly]

Niccolo noticed the man's eyes glance over his ears and tail, which caused him to briefly glare at him. Niccolo wore a pair of magic earrings to hide his ears to make an easier path up the ranks of adventurers and affluent circles. His tail was easier to hide as he could always say it was an accessory or pretend its a belt. Until now, he had no issues with anyone seeing through it but he was intelligent enough to know it was a possibility. He was warned that it may be possible for a high priest or priestess and some diety chosen to be able to see through it.

Niccolo leaned back and allowed his weight to be dragged down by gravity. Landing gracefully, as if he had done this more than a few times, the young man strutted to Mercher. His eyes ran up and down the other man's body as he noted his appearance. Dressed strangely and with a golden headband... In the forest... Seeking a temple? Niccolo's caution was tip-toeing towards paranoia however he pushed it down for now,"So...You're seeking a temple...In the forest? I'm not sure of any temples in the forest, and if they are here, they are hidden or have a small following. You'll have a better chance at," Niccolo started walking past Mercher but was stopped by something,"At...Uh...Um...At the lesser gods' temples. There's a festival going on today for Rura, the goddess of hidden knowledge, so you may be able to talk to the priestess..." Niccolo's face crinkled up as he began to sniff around Mercher.

For some reason or another, this man smelt fresh to Niccolo. The air immediately around him smelt different than the smell of the forest,"I'm sorry for sniffing before I even introduced myself. My name is Niccolo,"He spoke as he bowed and flashed a smile,"You smell like a fresh breeze blowing in or a wind current bringing a scent. Anyway, I'll be glad to guide you to the temple, I was just about to head that way myself"

Daylight Fantasy

 

[Vox Angelis]

The tale of Ephelina's demise in her past life and her rebirth by Rurra sounded like a fairy tale, a story that most of the people in Aevith's clergy had a hard time believing to be the truth. Some others would even go so far as to call it balsphemy, to claim such a honor to be bestowed by divinity itself to someone of such quaint background. Even for Rosearia, who is known in Aevith's clergy to be one of its most open-minded members, had a very hard time believing the tale to be true. And yet, there were lots of signs that would suggest there was truth to be found in the High Priestess' claims. Whether Felis' death was too hard on the Paladin or she took caution to not leave her exposed to emotional weaknesses, the White Rose had her reserves and sheltered herself against the eventuality.

While she did finish her cup of tea, Rosearia dismissed the rest of the kettle with a polite bow. "Apologies, milady. While I take chagrin in wasting such good tea, it would appear one cup will suffice..." It was quite surprising of her, who would usually not object to spending a long time and a whole kettle of tea to socialize in good company. The faithful knight dabbed her pale lips clean with a napkin. "... and I wouldn't want to take up much of your time for preparations."

She carefully placed her set of dishes away, closer to the tea pot. The White Rose looked slightly more formal, her hands clasped together and resting on the table while her back straightened. "What are your plans for this evening, Lady Ephelina? What can we expect during the celebrations? Do you have people, or some other things you feel I should be looking out for?"

TanteRegenbogen

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

While a little disappointed that Rosearia didn't want to stick around in the garden for too much longer, Ephelina didn't think too much of it. She did say that it was up to Rosearia how much tea she wanted to have. "Before I let the rest of the kettle go to waste, I am aware that the young priest over there and the young priestess Irali Levendaire enjoy this kind of tea too." Ephelina said. She then called over to the young priest: "Brother Hiras! You may finish our tea, but don't forget to offer Sister Irali Levendaire a cup too."

The young priest got up and quickly made his way over. He gratefully bowed to Ephelina and replied: "I thank you greatly, high priestess. I will see to that the sister gets her share of this pleasantly aromatic brew."

She then turned back towards Rosearia as she asked for what Ephelina's plans were in the evening and what were to be expected of the celebrations. "Well after preparations, the first guests should arrive soon. Then when it is determined that most attendees have arrived, I will commence with the ceremony to which Rurra will selected those especially worthy to speak to her and receive valuable advice or a special blessing. Once that is done, the attendees place their offerings at the shrine. After that, Rurra will give everyone a general blessing, however special compared to usual blessings." Ephelina explained.

"Once the ceremony as wrapped up. We will go over to the adventurer's guild for the main celebrations. For the celebrations, I am hoping for some visitors from the town of Abalithe. Long time friends of sorts. Rurra wont tell me if they will show up for not. She says it is a surprise. Though she likes to tease me. You were mainly assigned to me, because the bishop somehow thinks it would be such a pain to be a guard for me. But I have the feeling doesn't really like anyone much. All you need to do is step in in case there is an incident. Usually Aevithian fanatics and people with anti-ogre sentiments won't cause any incidents in the main temple. But I guess you have heard I can deal with them myself. Otherwise, at the celebration, I invite you to enjoy yourself." Ephelina continued. Her face briefly was serious before she returned to a cheery expression.

Ephelina got up and said: "Well that's that. We should head over to the Hall of Minor Deities so I can prepare." She then made her way towards the Hall of Minor Deities, getting the usual stares from Aevithian clergy as even though she's been known for years, there were tons of rumors among senior clergy about her and the younger clergy always found an ogre within the temple to be unusual, especially since it was a high priestess. Ephelina however didn't pay much attention to it as she had gotten used to it already.

Vox Angelis