Decisions

 "I am troubled, and have always valued your council Raquel."

 "Anna we have always trusted eachother, if I can help you of course I will"

"Its about the Red Saint, Elaina specifically. He gains power and influence everyday.  King Dante and the Isle have nobily spread the word of the light slowing his converts. If it were not for the Daughter Heir siding with him he would be limited to just to the fringe of civilization.  It is her that has granted him Towers of high sorcery, soliders and influence among the imperial nobility.  If she were to be removed, he would be pushed back to the ruins of Babylon.  Should I kill Elaina?"

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 "A shard of the Dark One escaped his Ravenloft prison.  The Shogun can not be converted and the Red Saint rises in power.  We should have destroyed the prime when we last discussed it.  We would be well into the rebuild.  Now we have delayed and the Dark One escapes with Chaos magic he is beyond our view.  It maybe too late, wipping out the prime may not stop him he may survive.  How much faith can I have in these mortals."

 "Great Father.  The men on the Isle have constantly proved their valor.  The Red Saint shall be exposed in time, or by pure force be defeated.  We will support the faithful."

"The Saint will exhaust the faith and numbers of the faithful and then the Dark One will attack a weak and exhausted people.  When the gods are weak he will feed off of them as he is Nocturn and grow.  Something must be done.  Should I eliminate the prime, is there time to rebuild?"

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 "I see now that the mortals are victims of the whims of Olympus.  Only if it serves their purpose do they save us.  They dare to hide behind the veil of their "light"  and demand we obey them with no explanation.  I will not be their puppet, they took everything from me. EVERYTHING.  I'll make them pay."

 "I am sorry you had to learn the same lesson I did.  I am more sorry for the price you had to pay to learn it.  It is not your fault but the fault of the false gods which puppet us.  We are puppets no longer.  I have just the mission for you Lumeria.  A way to earn just redemption."

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 "Anna, the threat of the Saint is not in arms or in imperial influence. But the battle of light and dark is fought in the hearts of every person.  Including ours.  TO murder your own family because you disagree is wrong.  Until she strikes at you and even after she maybe saved.  That is the war I want to win and that is the war you can win."

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 "We shall rely on Galan a little while longer."

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 " I accept,  Carmen will have justice."

The Warden watches as Reven prays.  The act of the unbeliever now reaching out to faith despite all odds invites...a miracle.  Just as Carmen's body expires and the blood stops gushing from her chest, she gasps. Light and life fill her as her eyes open. 

Reven meets her eyes and sees all his faith confirmed just before a long sword instantly takes it all away.  Carmen's head rolls off the head onto the floor severed from her body by the Grey Warden. In a graveled breathy voice the warden says, "It appears the gypsy was right. It is foolish to think good will win. Nial now I have taken from you your apprentice, ripped away the life of an innocent girl who you could not save, and did so possessing and destroying a paladin you knew you could trust.  Look around and remember well, for as long as you live this will be your fate."

Nial's sword is drawn in a flash and the Warden drops his sword and holds his lapels, "Strike him down, yes, add another innocent to our feud. It matters not to me he's served his purpose. and we'll meet again, Time is on my side."

He begins to sing as if no threat is present and even dance in a manner of victory, "TIME, TIME< TIME< is on my side...yes it is"

Time has run out

Reven and Lumeria at Lumeria's house with a very sick Carmen... There is a familiar voice at the door. The smiling face of nial the.bard.greets you, "lumeria it's been too long" Behind him stands a paladin dressed in leather armor with a grey hood and silver Griffin emblem upon his right shoulder. He uneasily adjusts his collar and hood. This is my friend, a demon hunter grey warden.  We must talk, ...looking at Carmen...on afraid he was right Reven speaks up, "Hello nial what do you need to speak of?" Nial's simply reply speaks volumes of unspoken fears, "How is Carmen?" "Deteriorating.   She may be too far gone now on the mental side."   "I may know what haunts her. Our old friend azaziel. He uses people he has possessed to create an ancor which prevents banishment or entrapment."He takes a small blue medallion with the same grey Griffin symbol as the paladin and gently swings it over Carmen. "Yes her soul has melded with his." You see the paladin smile just slightly as Reven replies, "How do we help her?  Do we need to use protection from evil and new plane protection?" The grey warden will say, "That will prevent possession but now that it's done their souls are intertwined you can't protect her from herself.  The only cure I know is death.  I think Niall should have to do it.  He is the one that brought this demon upon you. This girls death should rest on his conscience." Searching for an alternative Reven looks at Lumeria, "What say you lumera?  Do you believe this is all that b can be done?" Lumeria searches her memories, all the songs she's heard all the books she's read all the studies she has made for some clue some lost verse that could tell her but all the stories she knew as a bard seemed so clouded now.  Reven seeing the puzzled look on her face asks what is wrong and breaks Lumeria's silence, To Revan:  "I.....don't know."  To Nial and the Grey Warden: "Nial! It is so good to see you again. I am sad that I have not been able to return to your school, but the path of my life has led me elsewhere. How were you able to find us?  I have taken extra measures to ensure our privacy here."  nial will say, a favorAble wind is all. The warden will say, it was a coincidence finding you. We were tracking the demon and the trail led us to Carmen, we must act quickly time is against us. Lumira will look to Nial and ask him how he knows this Grey Warden. How correct are his facts and assumptions? Does Carmen really have to die? She will also step forward, putting herself between them and Carmen."  She had already lost a child just days earlier.  IN exchange for Mathias saving her life he required she bore him a child and then that child be removed to serve him.  Angels took him from her days after he was born. She could not loose another one.  Nial says, the grey wardens are an order of paladins that work for the isle. The specialize in demonology and are the best in the world for info on about or how to fight them. Working with such gruesome subject matter leaves them pretty Grimm...no offense. "None taken." The warden says with a slight smile Reven responds to the comment, "Grim you say.  Aren't you the ones that believe in miracles?" Miracles are more common that you realize is nials smiles response. The warden takes a confident stride to Carmen and opens her eyelids to show a blank stare with eyes full of black sores, "that is where the demon hides. The demon hides. You are all made of greed, you can not be free of this unless I show you how. She must die. You all did this to her you must live with it, she is a victim of you tampering with beings and forces you don't understand. Kill her Niall or watch her keep suffering and let azzaziel roam free plotting his next strike on you. Lumeria, don't get too close he's in to deep. The demon has marked him and not him not anyone he loved will be spared." Her heart flutters and panic sets in, followed by cold reality crashing upon in in thousands of waves...She had been on the wrong side. Lumira will tell the Warden, "No. It is not Niall's fault. It's my fault for thinking that goodness could triumph. How could the gods let this innocent girl, completely devoid of evil, be anchored by this demon? There is no justice.  She did nothing to deserve this." Lumira is now beside Carmen, stroking her hair, crying. "And since Mathos has nothing to gain from her, he has not saved her. All Carmen wanted was to have a childhood, and that was ripped from her. I couldn't even do that for her.  If there is blame here, it belongs to the gods and myself.  And since the gods clearly won't intervene, I will.  I will do what I must." Lumira kisses Carmen softly on the forehead, and says, "Forgive me, sweet child."  Then she pulls out her dagger and stabs it in Carmen's heart. "The Light will guide my path no more.  Mathos can have his bastard priest, but he cannot have me any longer.  We mortals really are play things for the high and mighty Olympians.  We were sent here not live our own lives, but to be used by the gods to fulfill their own selfish desires. The Red Saint is right.  His justice is what I seek now." She will rip off her holy symbol and teleport to Brendenford.

I've found him

  Adjusting the cowl of his hood he approached Nial as he was reading.  With out hesitation he spoke quickly and rushed, "I found his anchor.  The being he's latched to so he stays on the prime."

Nial turned placing a calm finger in his book, "I was just reading about that ability very interesting.  By melding his soul with another he can't be banished or dismissed or trapped.  Like an anchor. I knew most of this before but its good to have it confirmed."

"If you find the anchor we can use it to control him or push him to another plane."

"Then let's be off. Where are we going."

"To see Lumeria."

A Grave Mistake

 Leaving the library and returning to his quarters he prayed.  He prayed to be protected and cleansed from the demonic influence he studied.  He prayed for Nial, that Nials path steer him clear of the evil Azzazel.  He prayed for enlightenment, that they light purge the grey in his soul.

A young recruit knocked on his door and disturbed his prayers.  "My lord I've found him.  A man who knows the sacred of Azzazel's anchor. Should we find Nial?"

"No he is already too deep into mysteries he doesn't understand.  This is Warder business.  Take me."

They traveled to the docks a midst the crowds of people, ignorant of the dark shadows that lived in their world. Into the hull of a ship with high polished rails and crisp sturdy sails.  The wind caught its banner making it snap crisply toward the heavens. Across the deck and down the stairs which creaked under the weight of his armor and exposed some wet \rot as the planks below deck compressed under his stride.

The recruit spoke softly, "He says his words are for your ears only. I'm to lock you in."

A nod resulted in a closed door.  The Warden's eyes fell upon a large man with a massive broad chest and thick arms.  The man stood with his hands resting with fingers curled under his lapels. His posture screamed a calm confident pose completely non threatening and deadly. The Warden called back to his recruit, "Open the door you've made a huge mistake."

The man spoke slowly with a rolling gravely tone, "Not as big as you, I'm afraid."

A huge two handed sword swung towards the Warden who barely deflects the blow with his bracer and draws his long sword and in the same fluid movement slices the solid chest of his attacker. "You would kill this man?" the man said in his calm tone.

"I will fight the shadow wherever it may be.  With sacrifice comes victory."  Another blow carves deep into the man's thigh.

"You Grey Warden's have great skill. And much bravery." A quick chop buries the two handed sword into the Warden's shoulder driving him like a spike to his knees. Blood from the man's chest wound spills like rain onto the Warden covering him in a red bath and sliding into the Warden's shoulder. "Too much for you I fear."

The Warden, unable to further grasp his sword drops it to the floor with a dull thud.  Instead his fingers crawl to his hold symbol hanging from his belt. A quick prayer casts protection from evil.

The possessed man knees the Warden in the face breaking his nose and driving him back off the sword. A quick kick slides the holy symbol across the mildew covered floor to the far corner.  The Warden could hear the recruit frantically trying to open door.  He only had to hold out for a few moments. The possessed man strode over to the prone paladin grasped him under the arm and in one decisive movement lifted him off the ground forcing him to stand. Using the momentum the Warden slid his dagger into his left hand and into the man's throat just as the door came open.

The man crumbled to the ground dead. Slain by the Grey Warden. The recruit rushed in catching the Warden before he hit the ground.  "I'm sorry I...You need healing."

"Thank you and yes my friend I do, but its not urgent.  Starting now time is on our side."

Into Abyss

"Are you sure you want to do this bard?"
 It was a familiar question.  All the Grey Wardens asked it constantly.  Nial could not tell if it was honest concern for him and a desire to protect him from the subject matter he was researching or, a manifestation of their own self importance --knowledge so dangerous only they could handle it.  This man was old, very old for a paladin.  In his late forties his eyes had stories to tell, the lines on his face came from both battle scare and age.  He carried a torch through the deep caverns of the libary.  Its light fought against the darkness in a ravenous battle which produced only a small 6 foot circle of light and protection. With this small light the paladin led him on, further and further into the darkness.

The rows and rows of books and scrolls kept deep underground to shelter them from the elements created a labyrinth, an abyss that if one did not know the way he could easily be lost and never found. For minutes silence hung in the air.  It was the only response to the paladins question --silence.  The old paladin turned and led on.  They walked together for several minutes their muted boot falls the only sound.  The steps stopped and a voice again penetrated the darkness, "The Isle keeps and collects records and documents of all types.  Greatest libraries in the world on the matters of religion, artifacts and outsiders."  The word outsider rolled from his tongue easily.  Most who knew what it meant would choke on the word but this man had a familiarity with such things that made it as easy as breathing. "Though the Isle has gathered this information for good and the purposes of defending the light on the earth it can by its nature be dangerous.  More than one Warden has studied these tomes and come to think the enemy was in the right.  More than one Warden has sought to understand the enemy and invited it too closely to his heart and found dead by an unseen hand."

Nial smiled widely, "I'm aware of the risks my good fellow.  Not all is doom and gloom, the enemy has already found me, I must understand the hunter if I am to prevent becoming his prey."

"Very well."

Silence resumed as the narrow catacombs of books unread opened into a small study area with desks chairs and lambs.  Silently and deliberately, the Warden lit the lamps and brushed a thin film of dust from the desk. "Here you are master Bard, sit and I will tell you of this Azazzel which haunts you." Nial sat as the chair creaked slightly, it may not have been noticeable if not for the total silence all around.  The Warden pulled a large volume, about the thickness of Nials Fist, from a shelf and sat down across the table.  Slowly and deliberately he turned the old fragile pages separating layers of cobwebs in the bindings.

"Azazzel is a winged scorpion demon of the highest evolution."  He read directly from the text, During the third age the winged scorpion evolved.  We saw it cross the threshold of physical binding.  There is one called Azazzel who can possess bodies of mortals.  By touch his clasp is sure, by the breath he moves the space of a toss.  Not meant for the mortal realm without host he has but a wings flab before he must return. By his song yeah shall know him, immortality has brought time to his side."

"Oh yes I know the song."

"Fierce and deadly.  He finds delight in haunting a target.  Death is too easy and not enough, a mortal who crosses his path is likely to become a target.  A demon's game to torment and torture.  He will rip from them that which they love most until they embrace death themselves."

"That must be me."

"To the Heart of Kale he gave his loyalty.  Zyr would end the blood war and bind the species.  For that Azzazel gave his loyalty and passion.  This gave him purpose and aim.  Without his master Azazzel would deploy unfetterred destruction and misery upon the peoples of the earth until his insatiable appetite is sated."