Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

Padraig was getting things ready for them to defend their home, their family. Qit, their friend, had been murdered in the grounds of their home and Padraig was getting started on creating physical defences, while Faith was examining the bodies of the necromantic thralls which had attacked and then, hitting the books. Faith made her way to the garden and she had her hands pressed together. Although she wore her sword, she knew she would not need to use it. Every danger that was out here was long term, emotional. The physical danger, Qit had stopped when she sacrificed herself. Faith breathed in and steeled herself as she made her way out. Each of the bodies would need to be dealt with; thralls which had been animated by necromancy and whose bodies had been used to attack. They would need full and proper burial, no matter what the state of the thralls themselves, but before that, Faith knew, there was work to be done here.

And she knew just what it was that had to be done.

These bodies had been taken and used, against their will. They had been tortured at a soul-level and Faith could not allow that to continue. So she would make absolutely sure that their bodies were well cared for in death. But first, she had to make sure that she got all of the information she could.

In order to do that, Faith needed to find out how they'd died. Each one of them. It wasn't pleasant, but she needed to. Because each one of them had died at the hands of a necromancer who had, at least, had a part to play in this. In seeing... experiencing each of the deaths here, she would be able to ascertain vital details. Tiny nuances which she could study, time and again, each one giving her a piece of information which would be useful when she brought death to the bastards who had hurt her sister. Who had killed her sister, in fact, while she had been defending them.

Breathing in, Faith calmed herself and looked at the carnage. The bodies. First, it was important that she observed, took notes, attended to each and every minute detail. She did this as dispassionately as she could, utilising her Vri-granted ability to never forget anything. Sometimes, that was more of a curse than a blessing, but she knew that it was vital for so much of what she did and she was more than grateful to Vri for it. So, first of all it was collecting all the information that she could.

And then, one at a time, she went to the corpses and examined them. Despite her perfect memory, Faith made extensive notes, took measurements and so on. Placement of things, bodies, might be important. So, she measured twice, then recorded the information. Finally, she examined the bodies, looking for what kind of thrall they were, looking at the wells which had been placed inside them. Such blatant mutilation of the flesh horrified her,

But all of it needed to be done. Every well collected, every body position noted; the young priestess of Famula, Vri, Moseke and Ymiden looked around and she breathed in. It hadn't been that long ago that she'd experienced fourteen deaths, in an investigation. Now, it was time to do the same.

And so, she began.

It was gruelling. Emotionally, she was exhausted before she began but, having begun she started to recall just what torture felt like. Death was never something pleasant to experience, but Faith made her way, carefully and meticulously, through each of the people here. Each one of whom had been killed and raised as a necromantic thrall. It was horrifying. For some of them, she got to see, feel and fully experience the death and it gave her no information. But others, they were helpful.

And each one of them was gruelling.

The ability she used meant that Faith saw, and experienced the death. Her own sense of discipline and experience of this sort of thing, of storing these deaths, meant that she was able to cope with it. But it was not a pleasant experience. Far, far from it. The young woman had been a slave for the first eighteen, nearly nineteen, arcs of her life. Then, she had found love which - as it transpired - had been hers throughout the lifetimes. Her soul mate. Famula's son, although they had not known it until very recently, and she had bonded their souls together a number of lifetimes ago.

Her life, thus far, had given her the strength she needed; Faith absolutely believed it. She had to, because now, now that she had taken all the notes, noted all the measurements, retrieved all the wells and there was, now, only one thing left to do. So, Faith steeled herself and then, she started.

It took her three breaks to get half way through. By that time, Faith was shaking from head to foot. But she continued. Because they needed to know. They had to.

And so, the constant battering continued. Some of them had been used once they had already died, but the majority of them had been killed. And that meant, of course, that Faith had a face. A face which she now knew. More than one, in fairness, and as she experienced death after horrific death, Faith started to build up a picture.

"Faith, you need to stop," Alissa said. The biqaj woman who was Faith's bodyguard looked at her with genuine concern.

Faith lifted glowing red eyes to Alissa and her voice was calm. Emotionless. "They killed Qit. They were coming for me. My husband. My children. I will not stop. There will be no stopping. Not tonight, not tomorrow. I will not stop until this woman is gone and no longer a threat to me and mine."

Alissa looked at her and sighed. "You're grieving, Faith. You're in shock."

Faith stood and held out her hand, palm facing the ground. "I am shaking with fury and fuelled by determination. This woman, this necromancer, she killed Qit. Do you think she's going to stop coming because of one defeat? Or will she do this differently next time? Will she not stop until I am dead and my children are gone? I will not stop until I have stopped her. We will not." Turning back to the garden where her children played and the corpses of those who had been animated to attempt to kill her lay, Faith's face with pale, grim and utterly determined.

"It is the only response."

Three more breaks and, as Dawn's light would have peeped over the horizon, were it not Cylus, Faith was done. She looked at Alissa and nodded.

"Now," she said, softly. "We put them to rest and we avenge them."

"All I'm saying," Alissa said, trying not to sound irritated, "is it's like the Docks. You can't do this alone. Or maybe you can. But if you do then you are risking so much more than you need to." The biqaj had not left Faith's side but if there was one thing that she was sure of, Alissa was convinced that Faith ~ and Padraig ~ were about to go off on this mission alone. And she knew that she had to stop that, if she could.

"What happens if you fail? When Alexander took you, both, it could have happened. You know as well as I do. And you know, as well, that this woman is coming after you and yours. They're in danger too. So don't tell me you can't put them in harm's way, they're already there. We are." Faith's head lifted and she looked at Alissa.

"That's not fair." Faith's voice was soft, almost resigned. Her eyes still glowed a deep molten red.

"I know," Alissa said, her own eyes swirling with emotion. "But it's still true. I'm sorry, Faith it is. They're in danger now. We all are. Let's fight together. If you don't at least ask... how can they make a choice?"

Faith sighed and nodded. "I'll write to them."

And that was what she did. To Nir'wei, to Kura, to the Faction ~ both here and in Scalvoris, to the Cathedral. Looking down at it, Faith considered. Who would they come after? Rey'na, Lucas, Arlo, people she knew. Pash and Kali, people they called friends. Even to Malcolm Krome and Lady Elyna, although Faith had given up on receiving the courtesy of a reply from them. Faith wrote to them all and hoped and prayed that the letters got where they needed to. Many of them - most of them - had Echo Scrolls. Tristan, of course and, in that she thought that - since his brother was on Scalvoris - she should write to him too. Who knew where the danger lurked.

Then, there were the employees of Cali's, all the Isonomia members and the people of Beacon. The Elements, the Council of Scalvoris. Her colleagues at the University.

Yvithia in Viden, on Padraig's behalf. Ilaren in Rharne, on behalf of them both. All of them. Even Nightshade Eld, who had written to her recently. Anyone. Anyone with links.

Because she had to. And so, she did.