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After you awake in the morning, with a slight headache from all the ale the night before, you and Toryn set out to look for
a Temple of Zek. Between Toryn's fairly direct, annoying manner and you being a dark elf, not many people on the street are
willing to hand out information to the two of you.
erus (Aikira): do they recognise me, even with my hood on
Evil GM: Absolutely, people aren't stupid...but they don't try to lynch you either. They're just not as willing to talk
to you.
Finally, after many hours of tromping all over Qeynos, you run across the symbol of Zek carved crudely on the side of
a stone building.
Aikira says to toryn
Aikira: this is the place
Toryn claps Aikira on the back
Toryn: I'll wait outside for you.
Aikira: that might be for the best brother
Aikira walks up to the door and tries to push it open
Toryn: May the gods show you what you seek.
Aikira: let's hope so
Aikira says, whilst walking to the door
There is no door to the temple, instead a heavy, dusty tapestry hangs in the doorway.
Aikira pushes it aside, and slowly walks in, holding his guard up
There is a long, dark hallway that is kept a light with candles stuck in mounds of wax on the floor. In the candle light,
Aikira can make out murels of bloody battles on either side of the wall.
Aikira continues to go deeper into the building, but stops for a brief moment to take a closer look at the drawings, and
strokes with the palm of his hand over them, then he moves along
erus (Aikira): does he know what the battles stand for?
Evil GM: Give me a knowledge religion roll
While studying the paintings, Aikira notices that there are three distinct themes. The first is Victory which shows a
lone warrior standing in the middle of a blood soaked field.
The second is Strength, which shows the same warrior fighting off a whole legion by himself.
The third is Conflict, which shows the warrior having to choose between running to save himself or sacrificing himself
on the battlefield to save his own legion.
erus (Aikira): does he knows if this is a general picture, symbolizing the virtues of a warrior off zek, or is it about
aikira
erus (Aikira): to be more excat, is it him on the drawings
Evil GM: It's the general picture of the virtues of Zek
As Aikira continues walking, he notices the hallway is going down, under the earth. At the end of the hallway is another
tapestry hanging in the hallway.
Aikira keeps walking up to the tapestry, and when he reaches it, he pushes it aside with his spear, again carefully entering
the next room
erus (Aikira): does he hear anything?
Evil GM: there's some squeeking of rats, but nothing alarming
erus (Aikira): does he sees anything?
Evil GM: Behind the tapestry is a large, windowless room, filled with a sickly sweet smoke of burnt incense. At the far
end of the room is an alter with burnin candles and tapestries drape the wall behind the alter. For the rest, the room is
bare.
Aikira walks up to the alter, there, he lays down his spear, bow and arrows, and takes of his katana. he pulls back the
hood of his cloak and gets down on one knee.
Aikira: my lord, I've come to learn from your wisdom
There is an opressing feeling in the room when Aikira speaks.
Aikira lowers his head out of respect, and just waits untill someone appears
A figure emerges from behind the tapestry on the wall.
erus (Aikira): does aikira know if it is zek?
Evil GM: no
Aikira looks up and adresses to figure
Aikira: who might you be?
Priestess of Zek: Within this temple, I have no name...warrior. Names only stand in the way of the divine and generates
pride. However, you may call me a Priestess of Zek.
Aikira bows his head again
Aikira: mylady, it's my honour to meet you
Priestess of Zek: You have come to seek our father's inspiration?
Aikira: yes mylady, but most, I have questions
Priestess of Zek: Ask and I will see if I have the answers.
Aikira: I want to know if it is his will, that I stay with this group, there are...individuals, who test me
Aikira: even one of our one, also a follower of our lord
Aikira: a half breed, a half or female
Priestess of Zek pushes the hood back revealing a once beautiful but now grossly scarred, bald head.
Aikira looks up, but does not seem to be disgusted, he just keeps a plain face, even with a slight touch of respect in
his eyes
The priestess turns her back on Aikira and walks to the alter. Her robe drops from her body, revealing her naked, scarred
body. She picks a silver dagger off the alter, raises her arm above her head and slices the skin on her forarm until blood
dribbles down her arm. She then leans over and lets the blood dribble into a golden bowl on the alter.
erus (Aikira): is it the chick from his dreams?
Petra (Priestess of Zek): nope
Petra (Priestess of Zek): the picture on the document I sent you is the chick from his dreams.
erus (Aikira): ok
Priestess of Zek stares into the golden bowl for quite sometime before answering, her back still turned on Aikira.
Priestess of Zek: His will in this matter is unknown. What I see is too much anger, too much pride clouding your bond
with our Father, our Master.
Aikira looks confused
Aikira: I've done nothing but my best to serve our lord
Aikira seems to be unwilling to call zek his master, aikira only names his oyabun teacher, his master
Priestess of Zek turns around and faces Aikira, her eyes are clouded over and her voice changes. Even her face seems to
change shape and form somewhat.
Priestess of Zek: Your anger is like a wild thing, it runs amok and threatens your soul at every turn. You must learn
to tame your anger, to leash it, to control it. Until this happens, you will never be one with me...child.
erus (Aikira): is it zek speaking now?
Priestess of Zek: Your pride is also like a wild thing. You hold onto it and attempt to ride it, but it rides you. In
order to become a warrior of My legion, you must let your pride go. Who you are and where you come from is nothing, it only
stands in the way of your destiny.
Petra (Priestess of Zek): I don't know ;-)
Aikira looks a bit angered, altough the priestess just pointed out to him, he must control his anger and give up his pride.
she kinda attacked his pride. and he seems not yet ready to give it up... to give up his believes, virtues and teachings from
his oyabun grandmaster
Aikira 's voice trembles, but he tries to control himself
Aikira: give up...my pride mylady?
Aikira: my honor?
Priestess of Zek: Pride and anger go hand in hand. You are prideful about your race. When someone insults who you are,
your anger flares and threatens to consume you. Without pride, you can control your anger and use it instead of letting it
use you.
Priestess of Zek: Honor is not pride.
Aikira: so I'm just to let that half breed insult my kin? even her every breath is an insult. her blood is impure. where
it not she was one off your children, I would have killed her a long time ago
Priestess of Zek laughs
Aikira almost screams out, but he knows he's crossing a line, and holds his peace again
Priestess of Zek: Your blood is impure as well. You are a twisted thing, born from hate and cruelity of one who couldn't
even make his own creations.
Priestess of Zek smurks.
Aikira looks angered, and grabs the handle of his katana. but he waits.
Priestess of Zek: Innoruuk, the Prince of Hate. He wasn't even fit to be called a God, the powerless git.
Priestess of Zek walks up and smacks Aikira across the face so hard that it cuts the inside of his mouth on his teeth
and draws blood.
erus (Aikira): I thought gomph was my father? hmmm intrigues :)
Priestess of Zek: Remember that about your own bloodlines when you deem it necessary to insult someone elses.
Petra (Priestess of Zek): give me a knowledge religion roll
Aikira almost falls over, but he braces himself, and spits blood on the floor, ignoring his pain
Petra (Priestess of Zek): she isn't talking about biological fathers...she's talking gods. She's implying the god, Innorruk,
that is the father of dark elves is a twisted and impure thing...basically backing up the wood elve's story about dark elves.
Petra (Priestess of Zek): bottom line, she's calling Aikira an impure thing based on his race
erus (Aikira): right!!! I knew that, sorry was thinking about it
Aikira bows his head again, and calms his anger
Aikira: I'm sorry mylady, I forgot my place
Priestess of Zek: If you're not careful, your pride will start a war.
Aikira looks up
Aikira: who do you mean
erus (Aikira): how
Priestess of Zek: Your "half-breed" as you call the bardess is backed not only by a vengeful goddess, but by
the whole league of bards who are powers in their own right in this land.
Priestess of Zek: The woodelf is a princess.
erus (Aikira): ro is not a follower of zek?
Petra (Priestess of Zek): dunno ;-)
erus (Aikira): :)
Aikira: what seems to be the problem then mylady, doesn't our lord favors a good war
Priestess of Zek: If your pride leads you to harming either, things will be set in motion that will start wars and there
is already enough strife to deal with.
Priestess of Zek: A war, yes...but we do not start them. We fight in them.
Priestess of Zek: Let others muddy the waters of honor, let Me and mine shine.
Aikira: very well, I'm your servant, your will is my command
Priestess of Zek: Good, I am glad that I finally have your attention.
Priestess of Zek with unnatural strength, kicks Aikira in the stomach.
Priestess of Zek: Get up.
Aikira flies a few feet trough the room and lands hard
Aikira stumbles to get up, coughing
Aikira he spits blood again
Aikira: what was that for mylady?
Aikira he can barely say, with the wind knocked out of him
Priestess of Zek: Are you questioning My will?
Aikira: off course not mylady
Priestess of Zek walks over, eyes blazing with an unnatural fire, and stares hard into Aikira's eyes.
Aikira tries to keep looking back into her eyes, but he has a feeling he never encountered before. he starts to feel uneasy.
Aikira: what is it you want me to do mylady
Priestess of Zek slaps Aikira in the face yet again.
Aikira grunts
Priestess of Zek: I am your Lord, your Master, the one that you choose to bow before. It would be in your best interest
to listen to my next words carefully for I will not repeat myself to one as lowly as yourself.
Aikira bows his head and listens
Priestess of Zek: There will be three tests. Tests to prove your devotion to Me and the craft that I allow you to follow.
Priestess of Zek: Strength, Victory, and Conflict. Pass them and you will be deemed worthy of learning more. Fail and
you will be deemed weak and unworthy of My further attentions.
Aikira nods
Aikira: yes my lord, I understand
Priestess of Zek: Do not try to seek out when and where the tests will be held, do not try to seek what they will consist
of. You will know them when they come.
Aikira nods again
Somewhere deeper in the temple, a gong vibrates. The life and fire leaves the Priestess's eyes and face and she collapses,
lifeless, on the ground.
Aikira falls down on his knees
Aikira feels completly exhausted, he stumbles towards his weapons and picks them up, then stumbled towards the alter and
takes the golden cup and drinks the blood. he surely craved for a good pint of blood
Priestess of Zek turns her head slowly, eyes closed and swollen, towards the alter and Aikira.
Aikira looks at her
Priestess of Zek: It is time for you to leave until you are called to a Temple once again.
Aikira doesn't say a word and leaves, stroking his cheek.
Aikira thinks about how difficult it will be to kill a god aswel for dishonoring him so. maybe in time... first the half
breed, then a god, then the world.
Aikira walks outside
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