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'Around the corner, any second now' might perhaps have been a tad hyperbolic. Or perhaps the local just meant that it would be easily visible as soon as they turned the corner. Either way, the Church of Iris stood out clearly all along the western stretch, just outside the city limits.



There were many smaller churches in Valhiem in addition to The Temple of the Quinity. Some were devoted to just one diety. Some devoted to more than one - usually connected siblings. One Church in the rich, southwestern quadrant, was devoted to Iskara and her three children; Kyrious, Barash and Taosi. But of all the churches, that most notable was the Church of Iris. On any given Sunday, the crowd of citizens gathered for sermon could consist of men, women and children of all classes from all parts of the city. Mother Iris, the first being of The Source, was loved above all.

The Sisters of the church were tending to various duties while the Church was not busy. Sister Anne and Sister Idril were busy with administration in the main office. Sister Liriel, Gozar and Tifali were out procuring goods for living. This left the bubbly, clumsy delightful disaster that was Sister Juliet on cleaning duties.

She was outside, on a small step ladder, washing the stained glass windows of the front entrance. The women approaching would be just in time to see Juliet bend down to soak her sponge in the bucket and wobble the step ladder into chaos. "W-w-waaaagh!"

Her feet flew out up into the air. The step ladder flew away. The bucket hit the floor, soapy water everywhere. All before the poor Sister landed flat on her back in the wet.
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Well, to be fair it was an eventful 72 hours lol


You're not lying!
And that thing Adam had talked about doing for a while is finally done! I didn't think it would be over lunch, but I'm happy with it.


It took me a minute to remember... Adam has been waiting for what seems like forever to thank James for the first battle.

Adam was able to dodge the creature's first attack, but the second one struck successfully, sending him flying a ways back. Being hit by a creature more than twice his size was something the man had never experienced, and with any luck, he'd never have to do so again. It was painful. But upon reflection, it could've been much worse. It didn't feel like anything was broken and the nature magic user could breathe normally. Was this the "hocus pocus" James had talked about earlier? He'd have to thank him later.


This is from Page 3 - 7 months ago! And I'm pretty sure there were other mentions of Adam wanting to thank James for this moment, later in the story.

I'm proud of Adam for getting around to it! In context, it was only 72 hours ago for the characters lol.




The Southeastern quadrant of the city was the richest area in Valhiem, (or at least, within the walls,) home to the upper-middle class, with well-patrolled and often-cleaned streets. Golden Tree Park was the centerpiece of the area, bordered by Beam Street North, Beam Street East, West and South. Zell was walking along Beam Street North towards the main intersection of the area.

The Nightingale sat on this intersection and was the most famous and exclusive restaurant, bar and function room establishment in Valhiem. Any notable social event or party that did not take place in the grand halls of The Citadel, most likely were taking place at The Nightingale.

Outside, Zell would see a garden of pretty colours, perfectly trimmed hedgerows, protected by fancy iron-railing fence and staff that were better dressed than most citizens in the city. So well dressed they were that it was hard to tell who were servers, greeters or security until they spoke to you. Clean, white stone steps led up to the garden and made pathways throughout, and all-together, the outside area had two levels above the street entrance. The building itself was an angular design of grand proportions and inside was a magnificent feast for the eyes. Musicians played, as they did in many establishments, but here only the finest violinists, strings and pianos played, with music resembling the classical music of earth. And too the finest chefs and servers in Mytheria could secure employment here. Enchanting lighting, statues, a dance floor, bar, with several fine dining areas within and without that made one feel as though they were the classiest man or woman on the mortal plane.

This was The Nightingale.

And like most major cities in this world and the last, one only had to walk 30 mins in the right direction to find themselves going from one class of neighbourhood into a different one.

The Northeastern quadrant of Valhiem was a mix of working and lower-middle class residence. The Brass Monkey was a notable tavern and gambling house in the area. It was not quite so famous, but not because it couldn't be. It was well known to be the headquarters of the private company; Dent, Dent and Farley. AKA The Thieves Guild. Everyone who knew, knew. Even the law was not ignorant to this fact. But The Thieves Guild had ways of co-existing with the rest of the city. Their contribution to the economy, the welfare of the city, their connection and expertise in the Adventurer Classes in and around the Ranger and Rogue class. Said expertise aiding and abetting their evasive crimes making them nigh untouchable when combined with their political connections and shadowy, inscrutible membership. The Thieves Guild could not be dismantled.

The Brass Monkey was a relatively big and clean establishment, when not compared to upper class standards. But even as you neared the front entrance and yard, it started to become clear what kind of place this was and what kind of people frequented it. Here among the patrons were men who liked dark clothing or hooded cloaks, tattoos or scars, carried weapons or huge hulking muscle. Adventurers of the less pure persuasion also liked the place, in addition to Rangers and Rogues who came to learn more or use the massive practice facilities in the training grounds behind the place.

As Zell got closer, a man who was dressed much like a stereotypical pirate of all things, with a teardrop inked on his cheek amongst other tattoos, would raise his chin to mean-mug the englishman.

"Oi," he called out with a voice like gravel. "The fuck you looking at, baby-face?"
<Snipped quote by Zapdos>

Lillianna: "...Huh. Well, they did say the fashion industry was 'killer' back home at least."


Haha that was good.


"James," Lucy greeted heartily after saying goodbye to the adventurer she was dealing with. How could she forget the Cleric who wasn't beholden to any particular diety? (It did help that she'd met him just yesterday.) She listened to his explanation and shrugged with a nod. "Sure, that's no problem at all."

Upon seeing the new party member, her outward reaction stayed muted and professional, but her first thought was that this man must be very ill, because there was no way there was a demon-cursed individual just freely walking around the city of Valhiem. It also couldn't be some kind of Witch Queen agent. Surely the enemy would try to disguise their spies a little better than this!

"If you'd like to scan your crystal just there please," she asked, her eyes narrowing as got a vague feeling of recognition. Her magi-tech screen brought up his details and the man's name jogged her memory some more. "Barracker Kassel," she said, realising who he was now. "You look... different." She remembered the time this young man had first tried to register as adventurer. It was adorable. Funny how to the older elf, it felt like only yesterday, but humans grew up so fast. Probing the adventurers Status page in more detail, she could see the answer as to why he looked like he'd been bathing in the Dark Domain for the last decade. Vampirism. Unfortunate - not just personally but professionally too, seeing as he was a Paladin. "So... I should've known you'd get blessed with the Gift. That fiesty look in your eyes you had as a kid - you can't fake that kind of courage and ambition." She briefly looked at James while pointing her thumb at Barracker. "Would you believe this guy tried to make an adventurer party when he just a child. Him and his cute little friends wanted to slay orcs to keep the trade routes safe to Valhiem safe so the people would never go hungry." She put a hand on her heart as she got all warm and fuzzy. After she was finished potentially embarassing Barracker, she said to him. "I'm glad you got what you wanted."

She turned back to James. "You've got yourself a tough one here, James. That claymore and massive shield aren't just for show, I can promise you that." She pointed at her screen to indicate that his combat history was far from empty. When all was taken care of, she bid them farewell. "Take care of yourselves out there."

***




The sun moved up and across the sky to take the center of the sky above Valhiem. After the streets quietened post morning rush of everyone going to work, the busy pace of the city, particularly in the commercial districts and up on Citadel Mountain, began to pick up again for the lunchtime hours.
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darksoulstargetdestroyed.gif


I love how you make us copy/paste your gifs into google when you could easily just put the actual thing in the OOC. It adds anticipation and rarely disappoints lol.
<Snipped quote by xenon>

I don't think Second Chance is quite that bad at surviving :P


You should tell Adam that. He's up in his room, crying himself to sleep, right now :P


"Undaya, Iris, and Sillagy for now, but who knows? Maybe if I keep getting Blessings with the gift I will catch 'em all"

Areleth was stood next to the font, a look of surprise on his face. "That is..." he faltered in his speech for a moment. "...an interesting trio."

Undaya, the Sea God, was a child of Mother Iris, so it made some sense that a gifted Cleric could be chosen by by both dieties. But Sillagy aswell? That couldn't be right. The young man must have been mistaken. Areleth let it go, for all would shortly become clear with the ritual.

"This room is where we can test the strength of the bonds a Cleric holds with their deities," he explained as he looked pointedly around the chamber. "For new Clerics such as yourself, it can often indicate your potential. Not always, but often."

He walked over to fetch a silver jug, then filled it at the stone pool in the corner of the room. Coming back to the center where the font stood, he poured the water into the basin. Then he gestured to the bundles of branches on the other side of the room. "Take a small branch, my son. Bless it with the prayer closest to your heart, and place the blessed branch into this water here."

When James did as he was instructed, Areleth cast a spell of his own on the holy font - something of a special identification spell, strictly formulated for this process. What happened next would determine not only the dieties tied to James, but would also determine how much power the Cleric wielded. There were many reactions possible. If James was indeed a patron of Iris, then the water would glow white and sparkle. Undaya's Cleric would make the basin overflow and spill water onto the floor. If Sillagy was his strongest bond, then the branch would turn into a golden spoon.

What happened next, Areleth had never seen before in all of his two centuries of service to the temple. The water glowed not just white but blinding bright white, yet swirled with purple and orange, as it began to overflow from the basin. The branch levitated as multiple illusions changed it's form from a golden spoon, to a sword and then a chess peice and more. It grew in size and levitated higher and higher until it hit the ceiling and exploded into pieces. The water poured from all sides of the basin - far more water than had been poured into it - and then also exploded, soaking the frightened Areleth and James too.

When the reaction was over, the air in the room was dotted with firefly illusions that hung around for a few moments before disappearing. Areleth was aghast as he looked around, trying to figure out just how many results had happened during the ritual. He was caught completely off guard, but he reckoned he might have seen every reaction possible. And all in the strongest form possible.

"By the Quinity," he whispered, his brow furrowed. He looked at James. Who was this man? "A miracle."

Once the element of suprise had worn off, the High Septum explained to James that he was either tied to no diety at all, or maybe he was tied to every single one. And that such a thing had never been recorded in history before, even in The Mythic Age - when The Wellsprings were abundant in Source. In all his words, he couldn't possibly stress just how unprecedented this was.

While he was explaining that James was a miracle from The Source, he noticed a movement in the shadows of the corridor outside the room. Through the archway entrance, his elven eyes could barely see the faintest trace of the man watching from the shadows. And then an idea came to him, like it was put in his mind by Mother Iris herself. This was a sign - and he as The High Septum was compelled to act.

"You are an adventurer," he said as he placed a hand on James' shoulder. "Tell me, have you formed a party yet?" he asked. "I would like to offer you the services of my good friend. Barracker?" He called the young man outside, into the room. "Barracker is Paladin of the Church. A skilled veteran warrior who specializes in frontline protection. Newly formed parties are often at their most vulnerable in the beginning, while they learn the ropes of their profession. You are special, James, and I would not like that your survival through these tricky times was left to chance. Please, accept my offer - the offer of the Temple. Take Barracker into your party. At least until you've had time to grow in experience. You will not be disappointed." He turned to Barracker. "Please take good care of them. And yourself, my son."

If James had no other business with the Temple, then Areleth would see them to the main hall and let them be on their way. The High Septum Areleth had some people to see and some messages to send. Something grand and miraculous was happening to Mytheria. Peices were being placed on the board. Cogs set in motion. Areleth in all his wisdom, could not ignore it.
Clarissa was crouched down, at eye level with the mysterious cube that sat on the desk. A few inches away, mean-mugging the inanimate object. She was startled into standing up when the knock on the door came so soon after she'd been left in lonely silence. Turning around and seeing the blonde woman approach with tentative questions, she paused and gave her a look up and down.

After the third rapid-fire question, the Director raised a hand to signal stop. Then came the apology and the explanation that... what? New to the world? What the heck did that mean?

"The front lines draw ever closer to Valhiem," Clarissa started, her mind still on the 'new to the world' statement. And the cube. Always the cube. She narrowed her eyes as she organized her thoughts, then sat back down on the desk. "The entirety of the northeast has fallen into Her hands. She aims to take the fortress of Tarost in The Dragonspine - the mountain range to the north of here. If she gets that then she can move easily from east to west through the mountains. It gives Her access to the Northwest. And Capitol City." Clarissa picked up the cube and turned it about in one hand as she looked at it. "She has threatened to push to Valhiem, but She prefers that we come to her for any battles south of Dragonsridge. I think she might be preparing to attack us though."

Clarissa continued to trace the cube's patterns with her eyes. "We've won a battle or two. A small one on the sands of Jespa. A valuable defense at Tarost. Her victories have been more impactful, but it is still important to note our own. She's not won yet." Putting the cube down again, she turned her full attention to MacKensie. "As for why she's gotten into bed with the Voidling Princes of the Oblivion Plane, you'd have to ask her yourself. Frankly, I'm not interested. She chose evil and that's that. What do you mean; you're 'new to this world?' Where are you from?"
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