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Forbidden Temple of the Great Falls

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Zato followed Arngeirr to the dining room.
"Arngeirr, when you are ready, follow me and we shall go to the reliquary. Korsarro, would you please accompany us?"
 
Sweat poured off Brother Vernasuses body as his movements picked up speed. The bee's struggled to keep up as his attacks grew faster and faster.

He slid through the air with ease, felling his invisible opponents one after the other, until time seemed to slow to a crawl. A wry smile appeared on his face as his eyes bulged wide in his head.

FISTS OF A THOUSAND STINGERS!!!

The bee's detached themselves from his body in a mad panic and swiftly flew back into their homes as his booming voice filled the air. His breathing came hard and fast, as the honeycomb symbol on his head began to brightly glow and his arms moved like lightning through the air, striking out in front of him over and over, again and again and again, faster than would seem humanly possible.

His attack ended just as suddenly as it had began. His breathing returned to normal as he dropped from his stance and fell back softly onto the lush grass. With his meditation complete, a wry smile appeared on his face as he closed his eyes and let the warm sun embrace him. He was content... at least for the moment.
 
What the man in front of him was not a straight answer to his question, this he understood, but rather an offer that, at the same time, concided with his own purpose. The offer was kind, Morr supposed, the man in front of him could still have just reason to mistrust him, after all. Yet, truly it would mean pure havoc if a being inside the temple could manage to aquire control over the rest of its contents.

On a side-note, Morr found it strange that he had somehow forgotten to ask Blake to explain yesterday's occurrences in their full context to him.

It was like Wolfram said, a gamble on his part. But, already because their purposes coincided, the answer was simple, for the purpose demanded it;

"I accept your offer, brother Wolfram, and I shall serve you to the best of my abilities."
 
At first, Arngeirr does not respond. Too consumed is he by the need to eat his fill, lest his huge gentlemanly body begin to decay. The Hunger of the Huge is not something that a huge man can take lightly. For as long as there had been huge men and women in the Hugelands, they have battled against their mighty hungers to stay alive. Many outsiders thought it funny when they heard the tales of the huge men and women devouring entire farms and ruining fertile land, but in the Hugelands resources were scarce. Much of the farmlands had been destroyed by their ancestors, and there was never enough food to go around. Because of this, huge gentlemen and gentlewomen - for the word meant much, much more to the people of the Hugelands - would travel out into the world. If they ever returned, it would be with trade rights or vast shipments of supplies to feed the children and help raise a new generation of wandering giants. Everything the huge gentlemen and gentlewomen did was for the sake of those who could not leave their homes; the old and the young, the sick and the weak. All must try their best to preserve their people, and the only way to do so was to follow the path of justice. For if they were not right and honorable men and women, they would have no hope of succeeding in their huge journeys. So it was that men like Arngeirr and his late father Anvindr ventured forth to do good, not just abroad, but also at home. They were no longer a burden to their families, and one day would return to help continue their proud, gentlemanly culture. For if they did not, if only a few such men and shirked from their huge duties, then all would surely perish to hunger and disease.

Now, so far from home, Arngeirr had to fend for himself. At times the Hunger of the Huge was overpowering, as it was now. Arngeirr could do nothing until his stomach was silenced. As the last morsel of food sank into his gullet, Arngeirr felt calm and collected once more, the Hunger of the Huge subsiding.

"Ah, venerable Zato," he says with a shaking voice as he stands up. "I am ready whenever you are, gentleman monk. Please, lead the way."
 
"Then let us go" Zato said.
After a few hallway turns they came across thickly built doors. Large bars of metal came across, and the wood was decoratively painted.
Zato searched through his robes for a tiny, complex looking key, and inserted it into a small panel.
"Remember," he said as he turned it, sounding off a large number of clicks and sliding sounds.
"Don't touch anything without permission."
 
"Glady," Arngeirr says, his faculties fully restored. He follows Zato to their destination, pondering the mysteries of the Hunger of the Huge, as a hugeman is wont to do after a feeding frenzy. As they approach the gates and Zato reminds him of his duty, he responds with, "Of course gentleman Zato. I shall earn the right to enter you sacred reliquary, and shall touch nothing without your blessings."
 
"So, Arngeirr" Zato said as he walked along the long shelves, feeling the lettering of the solid plaques, cane tucked under his off arm.
"I noticed that you have quite the appetite, from the sound of it. Has it been a while since you've eaten?"
 
The sun felt unfamiliar on his face, an unwelcome intruder in the solitude of his memory. The whisper of the wind, almost as if a roar. The occasional sound of a an eye, the sound of a living thing. All felt strangely unfamiliar after his time in the crypts. The utter stillness, the utter silence, the utter, all consuming, reassuring embrace of death that hung heavy in the catacombs, so thick you could reach out and grasp it. Valetni liked that, he felt reluctance, as if straining against a tether that sought to anchor him to the crypt, he pondered this for a moment, then strode forth.

Destination: Library.
 
"Aye," Arngeirr says, "It has been a long time since Arngeirr the mighty has eaten."

A strangely calm demeanor falls over him. He takes in a deep breath, as if preparing to regail Zato with another huge tail. “The struggle for food is fierce at home. All of us must leave at least once if we can, so that we will no longer be a burden on our families and villages. When I say, ‘I am Arngeirr and I am huge!’, it is not just to threaten and intimidate. It is to remind myself of my heritage and of the people I leave at home. I am massive. I require vast quantities of food. Just one of my meals can feed dozens of children, or give the sick and old just enough to stay alive. I must be a gentleman; I must be deserving of the food I wish to eat. If I am not, it shall go to someone else, as I am bound by my blood to starve myself to death for such grievous failures. And if the day comes that the Hunger of Huge overtakes me and I am not deserving of my meals, I will gladly die the slow, horrible death of hunger and have the gods cast my spirit in the frozen hells of the un-gentlemen so that my loved ones may yet live. My father taught this to me well. And my father knew it well himself. When he left home, he also left a secure supply of food. Wandering on his own, it would have been easy for him to starve to death, even by accident, all his life’s work left undone. I know not what he accomplished. I know not if he accomplished anything at all. All I know is that if a hugeman does not return in a decade’s time, it is likely he will not return at all, as the Hunger of Huge has surely taken him… or he has lost his gentlemanly way and is as good as dead to his family."

He takes another breath to steady himself. "It has been over ten years since he left. I know my father would never lose his way. Therefore, my father is surely dead. And has been dead for a long time.”
 
Korsarro nodded, eyeing the butler with suspicion he spoke, pointing the cleaver at him "I have my eye on you. I know where you sleep. Do not forget this." Korsarro walked over to Zato, sheathing the cleaver again and asking a guard at a table to take the arm to his Tannery when he had finished his meal, the guard, having quickly lost his appetite, leaving without and within seconds. He followed Zato, still unsure of when the hangover would hit him again. He felt slightly offended at Zatos words "I'll have you know I won't touch anything without permission. I remember last time." He sighs as they walk the halls, he views each artifact with a longing, what he would give to merely examine them. For a monk, he did very little artifact studying. His methods deemed too rash. He shook his head and looked to Zato, his voice betraying his longing "Is there anything in particular we're looking for? Aside from the giants antique that is." He looks to the giant in question "Your people live harsh lives. You will always be welcome here. We have need of capable guards and your protection of these artifacts would be considered most gentlemanly." Korsarro grins to the giant
 
Brother Vernasus spends a few more moments laying in the sun before regaining his senses.

"It does not do well to laze about in the grass all day, like some sort of animal..." He quietly mumbled to himself.

He thought for a moment on what to do, then remembered the huge man mountains heartfelt plee the night before. No doubt by now they would have taken him down to the reliquary in search of this strange relic.

"Well... I suppose it couldn't hurt to check in on them."

He hurried off through the gardens and back into the temple, arriving with haste at the large decorative doors that guarded the reliquary from the eyes of outsiders. Realizing they had already moved on, he quietly approached Brother Zato, Brother Korsarro and Arngeirr, carefully making sure not to come in contact with any of the ancient relics, given what happened the last time Korsarro got his grubby little fingers on one. He whispers softly as he catches up with the group, far too wary to dare raise his voice in a place like this.

"How goes the search, my friends?"
 
Zato grew solemn.
"I am sorry to hear of this. I know your pain; I have lived long enough to lose many brothers at the monastery, some, unfortunately, younger than myself. Still, we are still alive, so we must do our best to remain so, and enjoy the time we have with those we love."

He then answered Korsarro, "As a matter of fact, I did want to look for something myself, but I don't think I'll need help finding it...."
He stopped at one plaque, and his fingers brushed over it further, reading the paragraph or two.
"I've found what I'm looking for, Vernasus."
 
Zato felt the item for the plaque, a large suit of armor. His fingers brushed past the shoulder, and he stood still in thought for a full minute. He slowly detached the left arm, and raised it to his own stump. He slid it on, and it began to flow. Soon, it reformed, still resembling a piece of armor, symmetrical to his remaining arm. Sleek, thin, it flowed like skin tight sheets of metal, segmented at the joints, with a few cryptic runes etched along it. He moved the fingers experimentally, and felt his hands over each other. He took a deep breath, he said,
"I think this will do quite nicely."
 
"Indeed," Arngeirr intones, "That is truly my motivation for coming. My father's work may lay undone. If he is dead, I, as his son, have chosen to complete it for him. My father came here so that his son would not know an un-gentleman for a father. This is the one and only way I can ever repay for everything he has done to me."

And truly he thinks to himself, I pray Woden has not cast him into the frozen Hels. I pray he is at dear mother's side.

At this point, Arngeirr strides on alone. He is deaf to the world, and cannot hear the comments of Korsarro and Vernasus, so obsessed is he with finding the shame of Anvindr. He walks purposefully down rows of shelves lined with books, trinkets, baubles, and other artifacts. They are all neat and organized, laid out in an orderly fashion.

"If I were my father," he asks himself, "Where would I hide such an awful weapon?"

He ponders for a moment; his father would not have made a scene about it. Anvindr would rather the box fall in obscurity, no-one knowing what it did and never questioning its contents. Casting his eyes across the vaults, he sees a chamber further down that seemed to contain disorganized and unidentifiable relics. The huge man quickly marches to it, searching frantically through piles of rubbish, broken suits of armor, and discarded blade, until-

There! Surely that must be it! A wooden box the size of his chest, black and yellow like the carapace of a bee. He lifts it gently from the high shelf - his father must have purposely placed it out of reach of other men - and brings it down to a table with reverence. A small lock sits on the front of the box, a shard of amber from an ancient tree. Arngeirr reaches into his waistband and pulls out a small, round item; a disc of the same amber with an insect preserved inside. At first it looks like a huge humblebee, but under scrutiny it is revealed not to be a bee at all. It is a hornet, a massive species nearly three inches long, hailing from the far east. The land his father had campaigned in as a warrior of days gone by.

Arngeirr holds the disc of amber holding the giant hornet to the fragment set into the box. A loud click sounds from within the box, and the container opens with a wash of dust and stale air. Arngeirr brushes aside the rancid fumes and looks inside to see it is filled with red velvet, supple to the touch. Resting in the box are two large bands of silk, like sashes, wound up tight. One black, one gold.

Arngeirr leans back, the dim light in the chamber reflecting across the sashes. He turns his head, squints his eyes, anything to- yes! He sees the patterns, the every shifting mass of hornets that coats each sash. This is it, he realizes. Months of travelling have lead him to his point. His entire body is numb as he stares upon the contents of the box with bated breath. There are no words to describe the feeling welling up within his huge breast.

Ten years. Ten years Anvindr spent and did not find this place. Arngeirr only knew to search from the fragmented stories he heard of a huge man who must have been his father who disappeared last year before ever reaching the Great Falls. This was his father's legacy. The Shame of Anvindr.

Arngeirr closes the box and lock it in silence. He tucks the preserved hornet back into his waistband, and turns to exit the reliquary. "Brother Zato," he says solemnly, "I have found my father's relic." His voice is low, almost sorrowful. "Thank you, friend. You are surely a huge gentleman. Perhaps now my father and I can know peace."
 
Wolfram gives that slowly familiar nod, the one as much for himself as anyone nearby, before standing. "I hope your injuries are not so severe to keep you bedridden for long, Sir Morr. But likewise do not strain yourself to needless injury. And, officially, welcome to the Temple of the Great Falls." With his grin back on his face, the man moves to leave the room, pausing briefly at the doorway as he removes his book from where he stashed it upon entering. "Oh, and do inform Sir Leonard of the situation when he is clear-headed enough, would you? The man is in poor enough health that it's amazing he's still moving at all, but after recent events this might lend him the spring in his step he needs to keep moving. Perhaps it is the spring we all need to keep moving. Prayer is merely putting one foot after the other, in the end." The last bit comes quietly, far more to himself than Morr as he opens his book and flips to his page. Apparetly finding it, he departs as calmly as he entered.
 
Korsarro pouted at the sight of the two he had accompanied screwing around with demonic artifacts. Every time. Every damn time. Everybody gets to play with the shinies but me. He shook his head and looked upon the rows of artifacts, trinkets as far as they eye could see. It was amazing how few of the demonic artifacts looked to be weapons. His eyes fixated themselves on a book that he didn't recall seeing. A drawing of human anatomy in perfect detail adorning its front. Curious, he lifted the book and turned to the first page, oblivious to the actions of Zato and the giant. My god. This book. If he understood what he was reading... This changed everything. He quickly closed the book and hid it on his person. He would need to study this. He would need much study. He turned to Zato in time to see him attaching the demonic armour to his stump. He rushed over, shouting at him "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! You know this armour is evil!"
 
"Korsarro, I believe I am more than capable of controlling this item. Besides which, it will be quite useful to have all my limbs again." Zato replied, still flexing and testing the motions of the hand.
"Given light of the recent events, we may have to fight more often than before."
He turned to Arngeirr.
"Very good! What relic is it, Arngeirr?"
 
Wolfram departed, leaving Morr with his thoughts and the unconscious man again, again bringing his thoughts back to his words to Mary. He had made a promise whose fulfillment was almost outside his reach and would further cage him in this room. Purpose demanded. He would follow.

He had never supressed his memories, he had never denied himself any sort of truth that he could have viewed as unsettling. He had only ever accepted, accepted, accepted and fulfilled, desperately atoned if not. But talking with Mary about the highly possible death of her mister rattles had tugged some memories more pronounced than others.

He remembered, while he was laying back down on his bed again, how many he had helped. Stood for those who cannot stand for themselves. Always trying to fight the oppression of the weak by the means of the strong. He was strong himself, it was his duty, his purpose to be strong, for those who cannot be so, this he accepted.

His purpose demanded he stand, stand even when everything around him fell apart, even when nothing was left for him to stand for. He could only accept. After all, who needed Morr the person when there was Morr the knight? No one, that was who. No one alive, at least. He accepted.

After having eaten the hearty meal, Morr soon had to give in to the weakness his body was beginning to exhibit at his age, soon accepting the sleep that overwhelmed him.
 
"It is an old box from the unsorted relics area," he answers, "Filled with rolls of silk. I remember it vividly from my childhood, and it responded to the key my father entrusted to me. This is surely the item my father attempted to dispose of."

The giant man breathes a heavy sigh. "But alas, I still do not know what it does. Surely there must be some repository of knowledge on this ancient item. My father would have been keen to have this item passed into your hands unnoticed, but he would not have left you without a means to bind it or prevent its falling into the wrong hands. Do you have a library, venerable monk? I believe my father would have left something there in case the need ever arose to seek this item out."
 
"Yes, actually" Zato told him where the library was.
"But if the item was locked in a chest, we must not have had the chance to study it ourselves. Would you mind if some of the others were able to examine it later today, while you search the library?"
 
Brother Vernasus lets out an irritated grunt as he see's the devilish little imp pocketing the mysterious book.

He approaches Korsarro and places his hand down on the small mans shoulder.

"You know, Brother Korsarro... that little incident you caused in here some time ago may have slipped everyone elses minds, but I remember all too well the chaos you caused, and I've been watching you like a hawk since I got here, you reckless little monster."

Before Korsarro has a chance to reply, Vernasus grabs him swiftly by his stunted legs and tosses him back out into the hallway, following seconds later. As Korsarro attempts to pick himself up from the ground, Vernasus grabs him by the strap wrapped around his chest, and lifts him up off his feet, bringing him face to face with the now snarling monk.

"Give me the book."
 
"I would not mind if you and your brothers studies this item, of course. But, given the nature of my quest here, I would humbly request that I be allowed to keep the relic nearby at all times, and to be there when you examine it. This item brought the ruination of my father; I would not wish to let it go now that I have found it."

Arngeirr smiles down at the slight monk, though he knows the old man cannot see it. He feels he is so close to unraveling his father's mysteries, and it would be a boon to have the wizened monks of the forbidden temple aid him in understanding the secrets of the box.
 
"I understand, Arngeirr. But if that is the case, I would like you to keep one of my brothers near you at all times. Neither of us are sure of its capabilities, and it would be safer of it had two people watching it." Zato requested.
"I'm sure you'll understand."
 
Korsarro places both hands on Vernasuses grip, staring down to him "The book is for study. Nothing more. If it says what I think it does... I could do so much." He shakes his head "I will not give you the book. From what I can tell it could solve any problem we have. Leather harder than plate. Ways to preserve flesh to never rot or decay, do you not understand? We could be faster than any warrior, with near invincible armour. Not even demons could touch us. The previous experiments were... well. Wrong. I have learned from my methods. It will not be the same this time." Korsarro shifts in his grasp "We would never lose another Brother or Guard to those foul beasts. All I need is time and resources. The book can teach me what I need. I ask you to trust me as your Brother." He looks into Vernasuses eyes "I am your Brother. I will fight at your side until I can fight no more. All I ask is you let me regain some of the trust you once had in me." He raises his arms in an act of submission. He would not fight one of his Brothers over an artifact before it had been used incorrectly. That was exactly what the demons would want.
 
Brother Vernasus stares into Korsarros eyes for a moment, searching for even a hint of insincerity. Finding none, he releases his grasp, leaving the man to drop onto the floor.

"....Fine."

"I'll give you a chance to earn your trust back, brother. But so help me Korsarro, in The Great Godess Buzziah's name, if you have deceived me here this day.... on your head be it."

With that, Brother Vernasus turned his back to Korsarro and headed back into the reliquary.
 
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