Session 23: Viter

"O' Eternal Flame

O' Fallen Star

Let your light guide our hands

By your grace we are moved to act against the darkness

…Something, something ageless struggle"

That poem is verbatim.

Like – exactly as it was said aloud to myself and Viter’s Acolytes during a most dastardly and disturbing scene. Say what? Religious zealots! Fire! Blood! Murder! Or sacrifice!?

Wait, wait. I’m jumping ahead. No good tale starts at the end!

EARLIER THAT DAY

I awoke from a dream. In it, I couldn’t see a thing. I just heard the sounds of someone very familiar crying.

In a rare moment of lucidity, perhaps a cruel god’s jest, I was left with this dream in mind the rest of the day.

As I pontificated, the future philosopher I am, a guard rudely barged in and told us that we were banned from the gathering of the final trial.

I was upset.

Ivasar was upset.

Ember suggested we have children plant bombs.

We landed on having the kids make a distraction instead. I don’t know if Ember loved that. After all, flame and fury are buried in her name.

But alas! Viter’s Acolytes came together, and with the help of the Wee-zards concocted a most devious ruse! We would mold a “crusik” at Ivasar’s suggestion, complete with large spikes for arms, legs, fangs and scales. We put together this incredible plan of illusory magic to fool… to fool…

That part is irrelevant. Just know it went perfectly according to plan. Mark that in the books.

We made our way to the final trial anyhow. We entered the room and Lacretia and her crew admitted us, despite their earlier grievances. There was a large bonfire in the room, and an obsidian stone slab. The Warriors of the Dawn circled the room, with their five remaining would-be recruits ready to face the final trial!

I was admiring the room and admittedly checked out until I heard those words again…

“…Let your light guide our hands”

Oh! We must be starting! I wonder what will happ---

They’re naked. The recruits are naked.

Lacretia is asking them to go naked into the flame. She says it’s a trial of conviction. But… wait, what? What does being naked and being put into flame have to do with anythi-oh my god they did it. One of them just did it. They… oh god. They didn’t survive.

Listen, I’m going to skip a bit here. Droark, my buddy, survived somehow. And one other.

The other three perished. Why? BECAUSE THEY WERE NAKED IN A FLAME.

How these two survived I’ll never understand. I… I just don’t know what’s going on anymore.

I may have tried to trick everyone and got kicked out at one point. Or they would have tried to kick me out! But you know me, dear reader. I am Viter! I go where I please!

I definitely didn’t leave in fear for my life! Ha HA! What a farce that would have been!