Molly Hatchet

October 6th - 10th, Albanus 1.

From the Holy Mounds, the band flew east to the Golden House.  There Catarina, disguised as a priestess, led them into Abbess Halaessa's sitting room, where the venerable Mother and Abbot Micarius awaited them.  The first order of business was the spy in town, a man posing as a victualler at the inn.  Catarina explained that she now believed the man worked for Count Solistraford.  She'd intercepted some of his letters (being shipped north with a merchant who travelled regularly between Benobles, Tillaford and Solistraford).  The spy was giving his patron accounts of Benobles' military strength and defenses.  In addition, he seemed most interested in discovering the whereabouts of Clarissa Benobles.  (Clarissa and her baby Marcus are indeed hiding in the Golden House at this moment.)

After much discussion, the party forged a letter, supposed from Clarissa.  Catarina then ensured that the missive fell into the hands of the spy.

During these talks, Leyna made a reference to "what happened on the Mounds."  Micarius picked that up instantly, and asked for details.  As Leyna hemmed and hawed, Severus drew the talk back to other business -- like the Equestria sacrifices.

Micarius outlined the ritual.  Four horses -- the finest Rostilla could produce -- would be blessed by the priests of Bella, outside Rostilla's main gates.  They raced around the city walls, following the outline of the pomerium (the sacred boundary of the city, created by the Fundati).  When they reached the front gates again, they raced up the Sacra Via to the capitol's central plaza, where the king and other priests awaited.  There, the Pontifex Supremus of Bella slew the winning horse, slitting its throat with one blow.  After much discussion, the group decided there was no way to replace this false sacrifice with a true one.  However if someone (Marius or a priest of Bella) performed a true blessing on the horses, then a pure ritual would begin -- and generate true augeries, in the actions of the horses.  The ritual would fail, of course, when the unclean priests sacrificed the winning horse, and no divine protection would result.  But bad omens would definitely increase dissatisfaction with the king.  Micarius suggested that Marius perform the blessing -- a suggestion which disturbed the young man.  Later, in a private conversation, Marius confessed his fears.  The abbot agreed that it was wiser to allow the most experienced priest to do the ritual, yet he also reassured the young cleric that he had faith in his abilities.

Finally, when all other topics had been exhausted, Micarius returned to the question of the Mounds with the tenacity of a rat terrier.  Leyna reluctantly explained her visions, and Titus confirmed that she was a paladin.  Both pontifices were shocked.  Micarius saw disturbing (yet intriguing) similarities between Leyna's experience and that of St. Cavallius -- a comparison that appalled Abbess Halaessa.  To the surprise of many, Halaessa turned out to be far more upset about this innovation.  Women had no place in the Order, she insisted.  They were entirely inappropriate, as they had no skill with arms.  "What about paladins who don't wield a sword?" Leyna asked.  The abbess sniffed.  "Paladins without swords?  What use would they be?"  Leyna began to rattle off examples of paladins who might seek a less martial path:  "Elderly paladins... young ones... paladins of Crescens... pregnant paladins..."

That last, unfortunate phrase threw the room into turmoil.  Micarius was stunned speechless.  Abbess Halaessa promptly choked on her tea and developed a first class case of the vapors.  Everyone was dismissed.  And while they were hosted most honorably, they did notice that from that point on, Halaessa avoided them.  Micarius assured Corvina that the Abbess would recover her composure... eventually.  But for now, it was best to leave her be.

The band planned to spend a week in the Golden House, resting and studying.  The temple's refuge allowed Marius to use all of his greatest prayers for sendings.  In particular, he began to contact some of the counts, passing on Severus' offer to perform the Bella sacrifices on their behalf.  It was a pointed, double-edged offer.  The ritual's blessing flowed down along the lines of authority;  allowing someone to perform it on your behalf was tantamount to swearing fealty to them.  Count Corresanti, accordingly, declined the offer.  Count Durus of Invictus accepted -- becoming the first of the lords to support Severus' bid for the thrown.  Count Dignus of Harrans hesitated for a long while before responding.  "The crown is woven of serpents," he finally told Marius.  "I wouldn't put it on my head for love or money.  Tell your brother I accept his offer."

One detail of the sendings disturbed Marius.  Count Durus seemed uneasy and distracted.  Corvina reminded her family that the elves had warned that they could not see Sandarfon's future, as he was riding into a storm.  Sandarfon and the senior paladins (Tinnius, Darius, Regulus, and Lucellus) would arrived in Invictus in three days' time.  Did the count's concerns have any connection to this 'storm'?

Fortune favors the prepared -- and so the troupe flew down to Invictus the day before the paladins were to arrive.  On their initial survey, everything looked normal.  Though they did see a small, heavily armed band of outriders patrolling in a circle about two miles out from Invictus.  They were led by Sir Silvestrius, Durus' friend and chief lieutenant.  With him was Durus' sister Tia, who kept searching the ground, apparently looking for tracks.  They were wary when the band approached them -- until Tia recognized the Surrexi.  "Is that Severus?  La, I mean Count Surrexus?  And little Marius!  My, how you've grown!  The last time I saw you, you were still in swaddling clothes."  (A horrid exaggeration;  she and her brother only arrived in Invictus six years ago.)

Silvestrius hung back, clearly uncomfortable to be in Titus' presence.  As the party performed their usual paranoid scan of auras, Marius noted that the knight's was a rich, warm gold.  The intense glow of a priest -- or a paladin...  By this point, Leyna was wearing the tabard that Titus had made for her;  a fact Silvestrius could hardly fail to notice.  Faced by what was clearly a much more heretical paladin than himself, Silvestrius relaxed and opened up.  He confessed that he had been a member of the Order as well, until he met Tia and fell in love with her.  He laid down his oaths, of course, as you're supposed to do.  But, contrary to all the teachings of the temples and the paladins, the Gods' blessings did not desert him when he did.  Much to his own shock, Silvestrius found that he could be a married paladin.  A father, even, for they had a small son.

When the band asked what she was searching for, Tia explained that she'd had vague, disturbing dreams about a black rain, pouring down on Invictus and washing it away.  There were omens, bad ones.  Durus had broken three mirrors in the last week.  She had no idea what these signs meant and so she and Silvestrius were searching for any clues.  The party guessed that the 'black rain' referred to the acidic breath of black dragons.  While Tia and her husband returned to Invictus, Marius sent a message to Sir Tinnius, asking to meet the paladins before they arrived in town.

The next day, shortly before dark, the paladins and their elvish escorts arrived.  All seemed cheerful and well -- though Balthasar was rathered battered and bruised from all the "encouragement" that Lucellus had given him on the trip.  Titus met them as they appeared out of the elves' illusion, hoping to break the shocking news gradually.  He explained that he had taken a squire.  Tinnius approved... though he did not understand why Titus would hide this fact.  The squire had gone to the Mounds and been accepted by the Gods.  And now she...

"She?" snapped Tinnius.  "Did you say 'she'?"  Titus took a deep breath and said yes, his cousin Leyna was now a paladin.

The reactions of the four knights varied dramatically.  Darius, who had been forewarned, simply congratulated Titus quietly.  Lucellus was confused.  "Women can't be paladins.  Can they?"  Titus explained that yes, they could;  it was simply human convention that they did not.  "Huh.  Who would have thought it?  Very clever of you to figure that out -- I never would have guessed it!"  That seemed to settle the issue for him.  Lucellus bounded over to Leyna and pounded on her for a bit, an attack that people assumed was meant as congratulations.

Tinnius and Regulus, however, were harder sells.  Regulus was just appalled.  It wasn't decent.  If men took young girls as squires it would... it would... all kinds of improprieties would arise.  Later, he apologized privately to Leyna.  He meant no insult.  But men... with girls... it just wouldn't do.  Tinnius was furious and raged at Titus for embarassing the Order.  Women paladins?!?  He would make a mockery of the Order if word of this got out.  When Darius spoke positively to Titus, Tinnius rounded on him, too.  Was he not shocked at the actions of his former squire?  Was his entire lineage irresponsible?  Hard words passed, between Tinnius, Titus, and Darius.  Regulus wrung his hands in dismay.  Meanwhile Lucellus rummaged about, looking for supper.

Since things appeared to have reached a nasty impasse, the rest of the party reminded the paladins that a real threat loomed.  The black rain, black dragons... or whatever was coming.  The knights agreed to put aside their arguments, for the moment, and concentrate on defending Invictus.

Severus and Marius used illusions to appear as Balthasar and Tinnius' squire.  Then they and the paladins rode into town, while the elves cloaked the rest of the party with illusion.  Invictus had been warned the day before;  all the livestock and villagers were hidden in deep cellars, a ways away from the manor.  The defenders took up positions near the manor and waited to see what dark would bring.

The first sign was a thunderstorm, rolling up from the south.  Flashes of dry lightning lit the sky as black clouds obscured the moon's light.  As the storm roiled overhead, Gaius and one of the elves spotted their foe:  a black dragon, circling directly above them.  At first it seemed quite close.  Then, with a sinking feeling, the rangers realized that the creature was actually far, far away.  It was simply enormous.  A great wyrm, for certain.  One whose wing-span was over 150 feet.

Upon hearing this, Sir Tinnius turned to Sir Darius.  "Harrans, you know dragons far better than I do.  Do we have any chance of killing this creature?"  Some chance, Darius replied, though it would be a grim fight.  Tinnius nodded and ordered an assault.  "If we do not kill it now, it will return.  Perhaps with others, or a rider.  The fight will never be easier than it is now."

The dragon made the first move.  It tucked its wings in and dropped like a rock onto the Invictus manor house.  The building's roof shattered from the blow;  walls collapsed.  Gaius, who had been hiding on its roof, manage to leap down onto a nearby shed before the dragon struck.  Leyna, standing near the manor's front, was struck by debris as the manor's front wall collapsed.  The black immediately began clawing through the rubble beneath its feet, searching for something.

With that, the party attacked.  Sandarfon sunk an arrow deep into its side, but Gaius' shots merely scattered off its scales. Corvina's spells and Leyna's blows were shrugged off likewise.  Marius and Severus cast blessings on the paladins.

And then Titus made his move.  Levelling his lance, he and Sinister charged across the plaza.  The blow struck home, piercing the dragon's scale and driving the lance deep into the monster's vitals.  Screaming in agony, the creature turned on the young paladin.  And for a moment, the Surrexi thought they were about to lose a brother.

But Titus wasn't alone.  Regulus charged a moment later, and his lance also slammed deep into the dragon's chest.  Darius and Lucellus' weapons shattered.  Then Tinnius spurred his horse and a third barb impaled the black.  Hot, acidic blood rained down around them as the badly-wounded dragon threw itself into the air.  More arrows bounced off its dense armor, ineffectively.  Just as it looked like the creature would successfully flee, Titus grabbed Tinnius and used his cape of the mountebank to teleport above it.  

The two paladins appeared in mid-air and the dragon slammed into them.  Titus managed to grab one of its horns and hold on, but his sword did not pierce the scaley hide.  Tinnius, however, drove his holy blade through the dragon's skull.  With one last scream, it toppled backwards, dropping like a rock towards Invictus.  The paladins dropped too.. until Severus cast feather fall on them both.  The dragon crashed into the courtyard, injuring Regulus and Darius slightly.  And as Titus and Tinnius wafted gently to the ground, it twitched out its last breaths and expired.

Much celebration and rejoicing occurred.  Everyone was stunned by how many devastating blows the paladins had struck, and concluded that clearly the Gods meant to send a message to Theodosius.  Even Tinnius seemed to mellow somewhat, telling Leyna that he was impressed that she stood her ground against the creature.  He and Regulus recognized Silvestrius and were pleased that the knight was alive -- not dead in Altania, as they'd feared.  When Silvestrius hesitantly confessed that he'd laid down his vows, Tinnius expressed his sorrow and dropped the subject.  No one made any mention of the fact that he was still blessed.

The next day, after even more celebrations, the paladins and elves continued on towards the Fallen Lands, leaving Balthasar and the other squire with Count Durus.  Tinnius was calmer, but he still insisted that it was a very, very bad idea to allow men to take female squires.  If an eighteen year old knight took, say, a fourteen year old girl as his squire... well, it was quite obvious what would happen.  The Gods might allow female paladins.  But Tinnius wasn't sure that such a thing was wise.  Before they left, Leyna gave the Grand Master a copy of the letter she and Marius had written, describing her visions.  Tinnius, gruffly, agreed to read it.

As they headed south, the party flew east towards Ossorius.  Their first pass over the county revealed a run-down, unremarkable port.  There were two sets of docks:  one main one, and a small one by some sea caves.  Fishing boats clustered around the main docks, while only one ship lay anchored near the caves.  Titus and Severus turned invisible and flew off to do reconnaissence.

The strange ship proved to have a strong magical aura, of illusion and necromancy.  It was also foul beyond words.  About 40 sailors toiled away at their jobs.  As Titus and Severus sailed down to its deck, the scene changed.  The sailors' flesh melted away, to reveal a skeletal crew.  Ghouls lounged about, and a hulking abomination watched over them all.  As the two men hesitated, a shadow with burning eyes drifted out of the captain's quarters, sniffing at the air.  Titus and Severus quickly retreated, before it could spot them.

The sea caves proved to be empty.  One flight of steps stretched upwards, echoing with the sound of guards' voices.  Another passage crept deeper into the cliff.  Following it, they triggered a symbol of pain.  Which, fortunately, neither or them succombed to.  Beyond they found a cavern with perhaps sixty slaves in it, mostly teens and children.  The passage continued deeper into the hillside -- and screams of agony could be heard from within.  Silently slipping down the corridor, they found three pain devils torturing a handful of slaves.  And there was one oddity:  a mad-woman lay chained in the corner.  Raving, but unharmed.

With that, Titus and Severus returned to the rest of the group.  Clearly much killing and smiting was necessary...