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Post by Daos on Mar 25, 2019 13:24:17 GMT -8
Ladonna and Lillian remain at the inn, but Katya heads to the temple. She finds it empty of both worshipers and clergy, as they are all at the inn, celebrating the festival. Consequently, the temple is quiet and even peaceful.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Mar 25, 2019 14:55:34 GMT -8
Lillian sets out to find Finbul and tell him about the baron’s offer.
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Post by HorizonsDream on Mar 25, 2019 18:17:00 GMT -8
Ladonna watches as Lillian and Katya walk off before she can even say anything, then shrugs. She figures that the two of them will see that helping the Baron and his daughter would be beneficial in the long run, so she heads back inside the inn to find Ignot so that she can tell him the good news.
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Post by Ezeze on Mar 25, 2019 18:36:02 GMT -8
Katya isn't sure why she was convinced Garnet would be here.
She misses her. It has been impossible to talk to her these last few weeks, and her absence is even more keenly felt now that she has something important to talk about.
But the empty temple was, if nothing else, an opportunity to do exactly what she said she was going to. Katya spends the next few minutes skulking through the temple, making sure she is well and truly alone. She finds somewhere semi-hidden, out of the way, and difficult to see in the event someone else does come to the temple for guidance, or for peace, or - like her - for privacy.
Once she felt as secure as she ever could in town she breathes deep. She listens to the beating of her own heart. She lifts her arms wide over her head in a stretch she can feel through her back, through her legs and her toes - a stretch that has always felt good, and natural - and she prays for Crizza's guidance.
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Post by Daos on Mar 26, 2019 12:38:41 GMT -8
Ladonna Ladonna finds Ingot sitting with Liala. The two appear to be sharing a drink and speaking in low tones about something.
Katya As Katya begins to pray, she starts to feel a strange sensation. It's very similar to that feeling when someone is glaring daggers at you, and you sort of feel the heat of their gaze...but there is nobody else in the temple with her.
Before she can make sense of this intrusive feeling, she hears loud, metallic footsteps approaching. A woman in resplendent armor of gold enters the temple. A cloak of purple billows behind her, and a massive maul is slung over her back along with a large shield. Her helmet completely covers her face, save for her eyes which seem to glow green. She walks right up to Katya and towers over her; she must be at least 7 feet tall, if not taller. She looks down at Katya, and speaks; her voice is metallic, and seems to reverberate as if spoken through a long, metal tube. "Do you believe he can answer you in this sacred place? This is my house, not his."
Lillian Lillian finds Finbul sitting alone, drinking.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Mar 26, 2019 14:53:23 GMT -8
“Hello, Finbul,” Lillian greets the Halfling. “I feel I should be telling about about our meeting with the baron.”
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Post by HorizonsDream on Mar 26, 2019 15:47:46 GMT -8
"And what might the two of you be talking about?" Ladonna asks as she approaches the table.
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Post by Ezeze on Mar 26, 2019 19:09:33 GMT -8
The clank-clank-clank of metal on stone alerts Katya that someone else is in the temple with her before the goddess finds her, which means she is not in the unfortunate position of being startled with her eyes closed and arms wide when Gonto speaks. Instead she meets her alert and with feet firmly planted.
It takes Katya the span of a heartbeat to realize who she is face-to-face with. Not more, because she has already spoken to one god before and is not so ignorant as to believe another could not assume physical form if they wished. Not less, because of the sheer absurdity of the idea that Gonto herself would descend to deal with her in person.
The heartbeat passes. Katya inhales and her face contorts into an expression even Gonto may not have predicted; rage.
“You have so much to answer for!” She yells, completely heedless of who else might hear. It’s not as if there was anything she could do to hide if a goddess wished to exposure her.
“You, and your church, prop up corrupt priests. Give power to men who solicit bribes and delight in causing pain. Your teachings enforce inequality, keep families trapped in poverty for generations for the sin of being born another race. Worse of all you condone and bless the institution of slavery, and all of the wrongs that come with it.”
“Her own father kept her in bondage!” Katya is nearly red in the face when she yells that sentence. Gonto will know exactly who she is talking about, or she is not worthy of being called a goddess.
“Yet the thing you descended from your throne to ‘correct’, the thing which prompted you to appear in physical form, was not any of that. You are here only because I dared to injure your pride." She sneers the last word, making clear how little she thought of Gonto's pride.
“Opposing you was the only moral choice. The only one I could make and still bear to see my own reflection. So strike me down if that is your intent. It will prove that you are stronger, but it will not make you right.”
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Post by Daos on Mar 27, 2019 8:49:58 GMT -8
Ladonna"You-know-who, the traitor," Liala responds. "Hey, where have you been, anyway?" KatyaKatya braces herself for retaliation, but none comes. Rather, the figure simply shakes her head. "You know nothing. You understand nothing. You see the world with the eyes of a child. And like a child, who does not understand why her parents will not allow her to eat sweets for dinner or stay up all night, you stand before me and throw a tantrum. It is no wonder he has chosen you to be his pawn...you are so impressionable. So easy to manipulate. He likes people like that." She does not speak Crizza's name, but it's clear from the distaste in her voice who she refers to.
"All mortals have free will. The crimes you lay at my feet are not my own. If a church promotes a corrupt priest, it was the decision of the mortals who run the church, not my own. If a nation enslaves a people, that was not my decision. If a father locks up his offspring, that is not my decision. I do my best to guide mortals along the optimal path, but not all listen. Some listen to the lies of him, as you do. Some arrogantly believe they know better than I. Some think with fear or hate or greed or love instead of logic. And some listen, but their own biases cause them to misunderstand, misinterpret or learn the wrong lesson."
She turns away from Katya, as if she sees or hears something off in the distance, but there is nothing there that Katya can sense. She then turns her head slightly, so that one glowing eye can focus on her. "You speak of right and wrong, you speak of morality, but do you really believe he cares about such things any more than I? Do you believe that the divine powers you wield...come from him?"
Now she turns her full gaze back upon Katya. "The world is not so black and white. You look at a system that has been in place for generations, and believe that you alone can fix it all, and yet you accuse me of being prideful?" Again, she shakes her head. "I come before you to warn you. You walk a difficult path. In your heart, you seek justice and truth, yet you follow the mad whims of a god of destruction and chaos. These two ideals are mutually exclusive, and sooner or later, you will have to make a choice. Hopefully it will be an educated choice, but ultimately that is up to you. Choose well, for your decisions affect many, not only yourself."
LillianFinbul looks up at her and arches a brow. "What? The baron? The baron hasn't met with anyone in the village except the reeve in...well, longer than I can remember, anyway. Why? Something to do with stopping the goblins?"
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Post by Ezeze on Mar 27, 2019 12:49:39 GMT -8
"Don't you worry. Metizio, Giacomo, Lorenze, and Uchdryd Gibney showed me how little Crizza cares for morality. I have no more intention of letting him disclaim his sins than I have of letting you, yours."
"If you don't intend to kill me, then help me. My goals might align with Crizza's in the short term, in that change must happen and abusers of power must be unseated, but by the time I am finished I will have ensured that the rules in place are ones worth upholding. Is that something you want, or do you not actually care that your followers are 'misunderstanding' your dogma?"
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Post by HorizonsDream on Mar 27, 2019 14:09:51 GMT -8
"I just got back from seeing the Baron," Ladonna says as she takes a seat with the two of them.
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Post by GravityEmblem on Mar 28, 2019 8:46:49 GMT -8
"Well, he called us specifically because of that," Lillian explains. "He made us an offer to escort his daughter to Hart and effectively act as her bodyguard for a few years until she marries. It would be a good opportunity to leave Buho, but I wanted to discuss it with you first before I made a decision."
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Post by Daos on Mar 28, 2019 12:52:22 GMT -8
Ladonna"The baron?" asks Liala in surprise. She seems taken back, although Ingot does not appear to react at all. "But the baron hasn't met with anyone in town for years...well, other than the reeve, I mean. What did he say?" Katya"Perhaps some day you and I can form a pact," the massive golden knight says. "But not this day. Your mind and soul are still too cluttered, too divided. If you truly wish to improve the system, and not merely destroy it, then you must prove it first with words and deeds. I will be watching you. So will he, I am sure."
"Miss Katya?" This new voice draws her attention to the entrance, where Kohen Rorak has just arrived. "Is everything alright? I thought I heard yelling." When Katya looks back to the knight, she finds she is gone. What's more, there is no evidence she was ever there to begin with; no scuffing on the floor where she had tread with her massive golden boots, for instance. Had Katya just imagined the whole thing, or had that all really happened?
Lillian"Discuss it with me?" Finbul asks, perplexed. "It sounds exactly what you wanted; an all expense paid trip out of Buho. Not sure what Hart is like, I've never been there. But I've heard it's big, with lots more people. Very religious, too."
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Post by HorizonsDream on Mar 28, 2019 13:26:58 GMT -8
"He has heard of what we have done for the town," Ladonna says. "And he wants some trustworthy people to help take care of his daughter while she stays in Hart," she explains.
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Post by Ezeze on Mar 28, 2019 13:54:35 GMT -8
Well. As she grew in power Katya's abilities were going to get less and less subtle. There would never, ever be a better opportunity to do this.
Katya turns towards Kohen Rorak, puts on her best wide-eyed expression of awe and confusion, and tells him
"I've just been visited by Gonto."
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