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Forbidden Temple of the Great Falls

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Hassan grinned, looking with a manic stare at the temple gate before him. Months of travel have brought him here, at last. Months of travel through mountains, vast endless plains, experiencing climate Hassan wouldn't dreamed to have existed (did you know he saw snow a week back? He thought it queer.) But at last, the culmination of his journey!

"Hassan will sell many camel here, for I see none around!" he says with a thick accent, giving a glance around before looking closely at one of the wares at his side. The camel by Hassan responded with a glance of it's own, gazing into it's owners eyes before snorting and lazily glancing at a sound off in the distance. Hassan merely laughed, looking at the massive train of camels behind him.

And it was truly massive! Dozens upon dozens of camels in all states of living or decay, height, weight, gender, color! There would certainly be a camel amongst these for each person within the compound, perhaps two, the thought of it elated Hassan's heart. Yelling towards the gate in the hopes of alerting a gatekeeper, Hassan proclaimed, "Hassan has arrived selling finest used Camels of Arabia, and beyond! Open door and you will find many good thing in my wares!"
 
Korsarro sat down beside Arngeirr, he had promised to escort the knight and his relic. And that he would do. He looked to Alyssa and smiled "Thanks for letting me look at the shiny Aly" He quickly reached out and grabbed a tankard from a passing tray full of them and began gulping the delicious honey-mead brew down. If he was on guard duty. He would need to keep himself in top form for chopping.
 
The pain rushes back all too quickly, now that his meditation has been broken. He spits the last of the vomit out of his mouth and wipes his face with the back of his hand.

His body trembles uncontrollably from the pain, despite his best efforts to block it out.

"D..damn it all." He brings a fist down hard onto the dirt and grass as the bees flutter above his head.
 
Hassan passed with a gloated expression through the temple gates with his wares, as the guards watching over the gate gazed with amazements at their new procurements; "guard camels" Hassan called them, "able to take head off man at stone throw with the spit of their mouth!" The guards weren't willing to test out this theory, so they took his word for it.

Entering the courtyard of the temple, Hassan immediately got to work setting up his trade, separating the camels according to "type" (Allah only knows how Hassan does this) while fixing up a podium (an over-glorified wooden box affixed with a camel's hump for extra height) to better survey the crowds of customers that would undoubtedly arrive to browse his most excellent items for sale.

Taking out a loudspeaker from the podium, Hassan began to bellow, "One time only deal buy one camel get dead one 50% off! Crazy? 13 Sultans think so! BUY NOW AT CRAZY HASSAN'S CAMELS!"
 
-The beast attempts humor. Charming.- Sarcasm aside, Al is not too sure about that himself. "You are quite large and your shape is awkward. So putting you in a normal room would not suffice. I would put you in the stables, but the horses would surely disagree." He is silent for a moment, thinking. "How about this. I shall erect a makeshift den for you in the gardens. It is spacious. Follow me." Al begins slowly trotting into the corridors towards the sound of buzzing. It is good the temple is so large, for even the gryphon can easily pass in and out of the corridors. On the way Al retrieves some large bundles of cloth, wooden planks, and stakes.

Entering the gardens, surrounded by buzzing, Al searches for a good spot. He can see Vernasus off in the distance, deep in meditation. Finding an adequate area between three trees, he sets about fashioning a large tent. He proceeds to bring the planks into the covered area, propping them up and driving them deep into the ground so that they make a very large pyramid shape. With the stakes, he secures the cloth. It's ugly as sin but it'll be shelter. "There. I will ask Korsarro to fashion a waterproof tarp for it. Is there anything else you might wish to do?" A thought occurs to Al. He will probably be bunked out here too, as part of his duties tied to this gryphon.
 
NPC GUARD:

A guard walked past his rounds in the hospice when he suddenly heard a commotion from a nearby room. Entering, he spied Valenti, convulsing.
"oh shit- WE NEED A DOCTOR" he dashed over as Valetni began to stop, and felt for a pulse.
"DOCTOR" he called, and prepared to give mouth to mouth.
 
The gryphon looked over towards the splendor of the stables. "...It is for the best, I am certain, that I sleep elsewhere." He fell into pace behind Al, ducking his head down low as they navigated the corridors of the temple; high as they were, they still somehow felt confining, and he longed to be free of them... A thought that brought his mind back to his wings, which were already beginning to ache. He did his best to shake it off.

As Al erected the tent, the gryphon was sure to offer his aid in driving the stakes into the earth; one of the few things his awkward but heavy body could do to aid in the otherwise delicate task of construction. Whether the offer was accepted it or not he'd survey the final product from an idle set a few meters away before he stood to walk beneath it, and... Stood there, as well. And sat. And laid down. Then stood back up, and laid down facing about 45 degrees more to the right. Again, it stood up, and laid back down, this time facing only slightly off from where it had the first time. And then, finally, it curled its body inward; though the bound wings made it difficult to get comfortable he settled with his tailtip touching to his beak. "...It is adequate. It is better than the rain, certainly..." Pondering the monk's last question, he began to shake his head before interjecting with- "May I drink from the fountain, if the need arises? I do not know if it is ornamental or sacred."
 
What made him first resist the guards that tried to seize him were the faces of the haggard figures that looked at him with a hope so very desperate. For them, he was the only one to ever truly show any compassion, the only one who had ever granted them the thought that even they deserved living. To them, he was something like a saint.

Looking back at the dead bodies, these desperate people were still not justified in such murder, but in a way, he was able to understand. The constant oppression only had made them desperate enough to become, by law, criminals. This law the guardsmen perpetrated had to be wrong if it allowed for such a cleft between rich and poor to exist that the latter willingly became murderers rather than suffer any longer.

Grasping his weapon, Morr once again charged at the upholders of the law, behind him the crowd once again erupting in triumphant cries as they followed him to what they thought was victory.
 
Given her ample spare time Alyssa had produced one of the knives stored away on her person and well used whetstone. It was sharp enough she knew, but it was an exercise Alyssa undertook when she felt anxious. She was entirely unaware of the resolution and physical exchange Arngeirr, Vernasus and Korsarro going on. Entirely unaware of Valenti's encroaching death. Unaware that Mary had made a recovery. Rather than dwelling on how she was unable to help, she decided to focus on how she could settle accounts.

It was a matter of simple arithmetic. They had caused harm to Mary, so she needed to render an amount of harm onto them. She needed to know if the damage was permanent or not, if the child's lifetime was to be scarred she would make certain the two of them had their own injuries to remind them of what they had done. Ideally she would just remove the Bee keeper's tongue and the Alchemist's hands. Remove the first one's ability to speak his creed and remove the later's ability to finely handle his beloved chemicals. It seemed an equivalent exchange if Mary was saddled with a lifetime of pain and discomfort.

She paused in her sharpening, blowing on the blade before wiping at it with a rag.

Wolfram wouldn't like that. So such a level of balancing was out of the question. Breaking bones was more plausible. Those heal, and if she did it well enough they could heal incorrectly. Blame it on a fall or clumsiness on their part. Possible but still hard to do. The idea of approaching Wolfram and asking his permission in carrying out her justice crossed her mind, but she did away with it quickly. If she asked it'd merely raise suspicion on her part.

Alyssa's cold stare snapped up from her work when Arngeirr and Korsarro came in. She watched the both of them, calculating. She was still in brooding mode, taking a moment to gather her thoughts as she opened her coat a little and sheathed the blade in a side pocket and putting the whetstone away.

“No, no. It's fine Arngeirr. Gave me time to think, it was a welcome duty.” She paused as the pieces started falling in place. “And thank you, for entrusting me with something so important to you.”

Alyssa gave a nod at Korsarro. “No problem Kor, things got a little hectic back there and everything.”

Her voice was low and flat, clearly controlled but even still she couldn't keep the tremble of emotion out of it.

“H-how is Mary doing?”
 
"The lass is fine," Arngeirr answered, "She is recovering well, thanks to the timely actions of apothecary Blake and brother Zato. Hopefully she will be no worse for wear"

The huge man sagged, sinking in his seat, seemingly deflated. "I know this will sound callous and self-serving, but I must say, I have not been able to accomplish anything today. And for a long time, I may not be able to access the library if it was contaminated by Valetni's chemicals. Though certainly there are those here who have it worse than I, I cannot help but lament my own predicament."

For the hundredth time today, the huge man took in a lungful of air and let it out in an explosive sigh. "I say lass, have you sat here all this time? I truly do apologize for burdening you with this... wretched thing, but I felt I had to attend to Mary. Her wandering into the dangerous area is ultimately my fault."
 
"It will be fine. The only truly holy things we have here are these hives." He pauses for a moment, listening to the droning sound of the sacred insects. "They are the messengers of our goddess, and you would do well to respect them. If you wish to sate your thirst, come along." Looking after a guest was not coming comfortably to Al, and it wasn't just because he was so recently arrived here himself. He must play escort to this thing, this abomination. -Monk, seal thy evils!- The thought rushes clearly through his mind draining away his petty thoughts. But still, a small voice persists. Worrying constantly at the edges, reminding him of his ultimate betrayal, barely begun yet so long in the making.
 
He grit his teeth as he pulled himself up onto his feet, every muscle in his body screaming in defiance to his movement.

He absent mindedly shuffled out of the gardens and into the lobby, standing in awe yet again, of the statue of Great Goddess Buzzia. He grabbed the small cloth from inside his robes and began to clean the statue. It only took a few seconds however, before the smell hit him.

"What in the name?" He pushed the doors of the great temple opened, fully exposing himself to the odour, his eyes watering violently.

"Good goddess..." His hand clamped over his nose. The courtyard was inexplicably filled with camels.


He cautiously approached the strange man, stood on his makeshift pedestal.
 
"YOU!" Hassan yells, looking down with an outstretched finger at Vernasus, "You come to Hassan for camel, yes? Finely used from Arabia!" The man on the podium vaguely smells of spice and buyer's remorse.

He steps down off the podium, energetically grabbing Vernasus by the shoulder and starting him through a tour of his wares, "Hassan got goods for all occasion! You need transport? Camel carry more then horse, less maintenance too" he nudges the monk with his elbow, "Dead camel, make great hammock on day of being lazy. Small camel, think as investment! camel in men costume in camel costume pretending to be camel! Old Hassan favorite, you buy yes?"
 
He only disarmed, shattering halberd shafts and grasping away hastily drawn short swords, but whenever he would do so, the rioting civilians would kill the men he had just rendered helpless.

The mob grew, the cries for freedom and equality growing louder and louder, spreading over the entire town, soon forcing the guardsmen, barely more than two dozen left, to retreat, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake as the foolhardy rioters still kept trying to pursue them, with Morr shouting at them to stop their madness, his voice drowned out in the chorus of victorious yells.

For these people, men and women, it seemed like the dawn of a new age as they fell into each other's arms in joyus victory, make-shift weaponry waving in the air.

Morr could only see a battlefield.

He was not capable of resisting anymore when the crowd dragged him with them.
 
Valetni opened his eyes.

He felt it all rushing back to him, everything that had happened, everything that had been said, that had been done, everything that had occurred. Everything.
He came back to himself. He felt the torn ligaments, the ripped muscles, the burning from the microlacerations of his upper respiratory tract. It all came to him. Everything.

Valetni Opened his mouth.

And he screamed.
And he screamed.
And he screamed.
 
"No, I am not thirsty now. I thought it best to ask, so that I need not wake you later." The gryphon remained unmoving in its curled sleep-ready posture, but its voice held none of the weariness of sleep. Behind Al, the creature's eyes reflected the fading light; they seemed for a time to burn with curiosity.

"...I will confess to you that since this change, I have little had interaction with humans; I fear I am losing my ability to tell what one is thinking by their face and body. Yet I am not so far from myself that I cannot see that this assignment is disturbing you. You do not need to stay out here, like an ani-" An abrupt stop. "Like me. I am sure you have somewhere warm to sleep inside, and while truthfully I've not had opportunity to use my voice for years, I know what I must seem to you; I will not force you to suffer my company, nor discomfort for my sake."
 
Korsarro flinched at the mention of Mary. It seemed that the midget Tanners psyche would not let his folly go just yet. He smiled slightly at the news she was recovering. It was lucky. He would have to be more careful in future. A fact that he made sure was beaten into his psyche. Sipping his mead, an idea springs to his mind. He ponders it for a moment.

"Say... Arn, that relic of yours... Alyssa here knows the basics of studying artifacts... As do I... Do you think... We could get away with studying the thing here?" He shakes his head "Obviously, not in the banquet hall but... you know what I mean." He shook his head aain, he still had a debt to pay.
 
The small figure woke up trembling, hands clamped over her ears, tears forming at her eyes...

She just wanted to shut it out, make it stop, no more noise, no more hurt, shut it all out, hide away...

She curled into a tighter ball and wept.
 
"What the-" Before he can even finish his sentence, the mad man has him by the shoulder, proudly displaying his seemingly endless array of camels.


"My friend, I have no need-" Nope, he's not even listening. He just keeps talking about the camels.

Vernasus fills the courtyard with laughter... something he can't remember doing in a long time. There's just something about the insanely enthusiastic man that makes it utterly impossible to dislike him.

"My friend... Hassan you said your name was, yes?" Oddly enough, the mans sheer presence alone seems to have made him forget all about the pain in his body.

"Hassan...I must ask. Where in the name of Buzziah did you FIND all these camels?"
 
"No worries Swiftbeak. My comfort is something I gave up long ago." Al taps his metal chest so that it rings in agreement "And besides, you may very well be trying to dissuade me so that you might go about some evil without my knowing. So please, if you are thirsty, feel free to wake me." With that, Al leans against a tree, serenely surveying the gryphon. He can hear a disturbance in the distance. Something about 'camels'.
 
"I say old bean, a mighty fine suggestion," Arngeirr says, "I'd be happy if you were the gentleman monk to accompany me while I move this relic about."

Arngeirr stands up from the table. He is still tired from the day's events, and even so he must carry on. Perhaps working with Korsarro would help him gain a better understanding of his huge-hearted friend. Turning to the slight warrior who had taken up his duty, he says, "And if the lady would like to attend us, I am sure her expertise on the matter would be most appreciated."
 
Zato also woke up, hearing the screams of Valetni down the hall. He heard Mary sobbing next to him and went to work calming her
"Shh, it's okay Mary..." he cooed.
"Just cover your ears" he kept repeating as he heard someone shout for a doctor.
 
"Better question how camels find me!" He says with a wide, beaming smile. You can almost see your surprised reflection on the impossibly polished silver on some of his teeth.

"The Camel is proud, noble creature" he gives a wide sweep of his arm at the humped beasts around them, "they know a good man when they see them. Hassan can tell" Hassan suddenly and unexpectedly gets close to Vernasus's face, one of his widely open eyes twitching slightly, "Hassan can see it."

Before long, Hassan was practically dragging Vernasus to one of the groups of camels, "Camel hair make great wig for head, want one yes?" Hassan takes out a knife without warning, slicing a thick mat of camel hair and tying it with a bit of string, plopping it on Vernasus's head, "That be 10 silver, good look!"
 
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