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Forbidden Temple of the Great Falls

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Valetni looked up from his meal. Ah, that wayward apprentice of his.

"Riley, Good." he said, taking item and placing it on the chair next to him. "You've eaten?" He asks, coughing.

"No sir." Riley shook his head. Valetni gestured the boy, nearly a man, now that he thought about it into the seat next to him.

"Eat up boy, then get back to work, the front stairs need scrubbing again." At these words, the boy began wolfing down his food as quickly as he could. It wasn't long before the boy was choking on some portion of food which had become lodged in his throat. With an exasperated sigh, Valetni whacked the boy on his back, forcing him to expel the food.

"Thank you sir." Riley replied, eyes watering as he gulped down a drink.

"Have I ever told you you have a girl's name?" Valetni growled after a moment.

"Yes sir, many times." Riley replied, now eating more slowly.

"Hmmm," Valetni said. "Maybe you should man up."

"Yes sir, as you say sir." Riley agreed. The two continue to eat in silence, the package on the other chair, ignored for now but not forgotten.
 
The small girl took her seat at the rather large table, in the rather large dining hall where the monks ate.

She began to tuck into her breakfast, her little mouth chomping away at her surprisingly large portions, her hands a flurry as they held her knife and fork which quickly transported food form her plate to her mouth.

a low *chmp, chmp, chmp* escaped her mouth as her jaw moved up and down chewing on the food

she held the cup before her and took a series of small sips from it.

When she had finished she carefully placed her knife and fork on the plate and let out a happy hum.

"Thank you for the food Miss Vanessa"
 
Vanessa saw the table full as she came back with her plate. She found a seat next to Morr. "Thanks"she said to both Morr and mary. She noted valenti stares but acted like it did not bother her.

She took bites of her food and then said "there is apple pie if you want some". She planned on eating some herself. She was already planning lunch in her head.

She turned to Morr saying "thank you for viting me to join you but I was raised if your the cook you serve the people you are eating first then you eat". She hoped he would understand. she turned to Mary "your welcome miss mary".
 
For Swiftbeak, those three months had been a combination of long stretches of routine with brief moments of triumph. Though each day was mostly the same, close to a month after he had arrived the creature's wings were finally freed, less they atrophy from disuse. He still had not outright flown since then, but he had been stretching them daily, exercising them; still, he was acutely aware that any attempt to take flight without permission could be seen as a black mark on his trustworthiness. And while he no longer felt the impending danger of being branded anathema wherever he went, he still very much felt the burden of his obvious corruption.

If nothing else, he had been steadily lengthening his metaphorical leash, spending more time away from Al and wandering the grounds. The guards had largely gotten used to him, and as he entered the dining hall he was greeted neither with open voice, nor disquieting stares- He even had a table still set up, and much to his delight already found it laden with the haunch of some four-legged beast when he'd arrived.

He glanced about the dining hall; Mary was not looking anywhere near his direction, meaning he was free to indulge himself. The flurry of tearing, biting and swallowing that ensued was one of his rare chances to indulge the twisted instincts his transformation had brought upon him, and though he always ultimately felt guilty for doing so, the hapless piece of meat before him was a harmless outlet for his, for lack of a better word, bloodlust.
 
Valetni turned away from the gruesome sight. He was not a squeamish man, not by any means, but the feeding habits of that damned bird were, to put it lightly, inelegant. Beside him, Riley looked as if he were about to be sick at any moment.

"You throw up here, and you'll be the one cleaning up." Valetni warned the gangly boy.

"Yes sir." The boy replied miserably, visibly choking down his rising bile.

"Attaboy." Valetni murmured, turning his attention back to the Gryphon. What an anatomical curiosity that it was, what Valetni wouldn't have given for the chance to get that one on his dissection table. It seemed impossibly that a creature of that size and build would be capable of flight, indeed, it seemed as if the balance was all wrong for flight, and as impressively developed as those flight muscles were, they did not seem capable of getting the creature off the ground, let alone sustaining it in flight for any meaningful amount of time. Yes, Valetni was definitely looking forward to unlocking the mystery of such a creature.

He diverted his attention from the gryphon, lest it see his gaze and perhaps somehow divine his meaning, or worse, mistake it for something else entirely. He gave a small shudder at that, he had overheard the whispered gossip regarding the beast and Brother Al. He shook his head, best not to listen to such hearsay in the absence of empirical evidence.

"Do you still have my To-Do List?" He inquired of Riley after a few moments.

"Yes sir, I've been keeping very good care of it, would you like it back now?" The boy, nearly a man, said. He let his utensils drop to the plate with a clatter as he frantically began searching his person for the object in question.

"Keep it for now, boy," Valetni waved him off his mad search. "It is enough that I know that you have it."

"Yes sir, of course sir." The boy nearly beamed with pride at Valetni's off the cuff remark. Valetni took another sip of juice, making a face at that. This Juice was fine, by the standards of juice, but it made a man miss the roasted coffee beans of his homelands. Yes, a bitter cup of coffee right now would be just the thing, that was the stuff a man needed to face the day, not some pressed fruit.
 
Zato had spent his last three months with more spare time than normal. The newcomer, Vanessa, had usurped his place in the kitchen, which he begrudgingly relinquished after the others had explained how dangerous it is to have a blind man working in the kitchen in the first place. He spent this new time working in the brewery, perfecting his recipes, and also producing vodka and mead by the gallon, it was rare for the temple to have such a surplus.
He had also learned to live with his new arm, it was easy to control, and by now it was considered normal to the other members at the temple for the old man to have a metal arm.

Zato woke up this morning in his brewery, he must have passed out experimenting with his alcohol. After a wash and change of clothes, he too entered the dining hall for breakfast.
 
"This I understand, placing one's duty above one's being. Though, curious to find in a cook, I suppose." Morr commented on sister Vanessa's words, before again focusing on the sustenance at hand.

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It was then that a man in his mid-thirties, mayhaps to be called regal in appearance, his features wizened beyond his time, clad in the standard habit worn by the grand temple's monks made his way through the space between the tables, approaching the podium from which Wolfram used to announce the day's plans.

Coming to a stop, he turned to the temple's eating occupants, though eyed the unbound gryphon with some weariness, before speaking, voice having a rasp tone "As much as I despise souring this day's mood already at its beginning, there are pressing matters that you must be made aware of.

Wolfram excuses himself for being quite busy and chose me to represent him in this matter, as you know, the troops we sent to investigate the rumors in Toldare have not checked back for several weeks, while the sovereigns of that land deny any involvement in the matter.

We are hard pressed to have this matter resolved, but must stand ready, as always, in case Toldare proves hostile in the end, which is why most outposts are currently standing ready to assist, leaving us with only those brothers and sisters of the Hellguard currently stationed at our Temple to the great Buzziah.

Now, new rumors have arrived, which some of you may have heard already. Those of the creature, or rather ship of flesh and gold. When these rumors cropped up about one month ago, we sent some of our own to investigate. They sent alarming reports. This creature exists and it is a menace to the seas. We have never seen something like this, it attacks anything that is in its sight devoid of reason, it seems.

The damage it has done to the trade overseas is tremendous.

The ones we sent to investigate further have not returned and we fear the worst. Worse yet, with our troops so limited due to the occurrences in Toldare, we cannot send many more to the south-east, but we cannot let this go unanswered."

The man paused, letting his gaze wander over the crowd, catching sight of Valetni berating his apprentice. The man's mood seemed to darken further "Valetni, Wolfram's words to you are that you are still responsible for the occurrences in the library. I suggest you listen closely, for the redemption for that act has been decided.

As I said, we cannot send many, barely two dozens of the Hellguard, but..." the aidé's eyes again wandered over the crowd, coming to a halt on the massive figure of Morr "Sir Morr, Wolfram would like for you to be the de-facto leader of this expedition, knowing of your unrest, though if anyone else in this hall would voluntarily wish to join, then Wolfram has given his allowance for that.

Especially for you, Valetni, Wolfram strongly suggests that you find your redemption by participating in this journey, your... unique abilities might be of use there, for once. Besides that, sir Morr, Wolfram would suggest that you familiarize yourself with your companions from the Hellguard, seek them out in the barracks at noon, supplies as well as money will be provided, and it is advised you start the journey as soon as possible, preferably today or tomorrow, though that is for you to decide.

That is all." the man excused himself and retreated from the podium.
 
"I wish to go" Zato said, and stood up.
"My place in the kitchen has been taken care of, and I have left more than enough alcohol to last the temple, as well as instructions on how to brew more" he said, thinking of the scrawls he spent so long trying to write.
 
Valetni's squeamishness did not seem to bother Swiftbeak, if he was indeed aware of it; he continued to eat haphazardly so long as Mary was not looking in his direction. Valetni's deeper thoughts had escaped the gryphon's notice, even these past few months; while Swiftbeak had heard of the incident in the library, he was in no position nor of the disposition to judge those who had offered their hospitality freely, and should he had ever caught the poisoner's discomfortingly wistful glances, he may have written it off as, perhaps, jealousy for his mastery over flight. Which, all told, may not have been far from the truth- If something within the creature could allow something so cumbersome to fly, could it not do the same for a human?

Heedless to such questions, the creature stopped its meal, swallowing a final piece of rent flesh, when the regal man walked in; like many others he turned to watch this strange arrival, though the forward swivel and perk of his ears was unique to him. He listened to the speech with building worry, but something akin to excitement- Had he not been waiting all this time for a chance to prove his loyalty? ...But would they take him, even if he volunteered? Would he be seen as an asset or a risk?

Zato's voice solidified the gryphon's resolve. Standing to all fours, he stated as modestly as he could in his inhuman rumble: "I, too, will go, if you will have me. I look to repay the kindness you have shown me, thus far."
 
"Shit." Valetni muttered, his eyes narrowing as he heard his name. A strong suggestion from Wolfram was the same as an order. He coughed again.

"Well, Riley," He said, looking over to his wide eyed apprentice. "Looks like you'll be holding down the fort while I'm gone." Valetni levered himself to his feet. "We'll see just how useful I can be." He said in a dark tone.

"Sir?" Riley looked at him in confusion.

"I need a trunk, good for transporting delicate objects." Valetni instructed the apprentice, picking up his package in one hand. He hefted it, feeling its weight. "Shame for everyone else I only have one of these." He muttered to himself, too low for anyone else to hear.

"Meet me by the shed, within the hour, with that trunk and another rucksack of some sort." He resisted the urge to spit on the floor, if only because he knew who would have to clean it up. "Maybe get some dumb muscle to carry it."

"Yes sir, as you say sir." The boy was out of his seat like a shot, stumbling as he did so. Valetni shook his head, the boy was too damn eager to please, too damn imprecise. Using the cane, he slowly stumped his way out of the hall, treating anyone foolish enough to get in his way with a murderous look. Valetni was not fond of doing the bidding of others, his occupation be damned, he did what he wanted, because he wanted to do it. Rest assured, he would find some way to turn this to his advantage.

He turned as he reached the threshold, his voice just loud enough to reach everyone. "I hope you all enjoy your meal." The sounds of several unnerved guards dropping their silverware brought forth a malicious chuckle from the old man, the echo of his cane on the floor echoing back through the open doors long after he was out of sight.
 
While he was still uncomfortable with taking a position of leadership due to past events, his feelings, as always, did not matter. He was an experienced veteran and not putting this experience to proper use was a waste before the purpose.

Nodding at Swiftbeak and Zato, he said "You both are certainly welcome to join... as will be brother Valetni." he added, seeing how the latter was already leaving.

Finishing his meal, standing up, he raised his voice for the rest of the dining hall's occupants to hear him "I would prefer to start this journey tomorrow after the morning meal, until then I will accept anyone who is willing to join, but you should be aware that this quest will most certainly be dangerous. You will find me in the barracks as well as the bee-hives today. May goodness be with us for this quest."

He made his way out of the dining hall quietly.
 
The small girl stood up, (not making much of a difference of course, but it's the thought that counts.)

Her chair squeaked backwards, gathering the attention of those who noticed it, she puffed up her chest and addressed what she thought to be the entire room.
"I'll go and keep Mister Zato company!" she said cheerily.
 
"Mary, I would prefer that you stay here. A journey such as this can be quite dangerous" Zato replied, leaning on his cane. Indeed, Mary had never been outside the temple, so many things could go wrong, and she was only now starting to recover from her bad dreams.
 
her cheerfulness quickly subsided, replaced instead with worry and pleading.

"B-but I'm big now, I can look after myself..."

she looked up at the blind old monk her hands pulling on his sleeve to keep his attention.

"Please Mister Zato, I want to go with you all."
 
Zato looked in the direction of the tugging.
"Mary, listen. What we have to deal with out there, can be extremely dangerous. It's not safe for young girls to go" he said, putting a hand on her head.
 
Vanessa stood up as well saying "going along as well you all will need a cook". She then turned to look at every one before cleaning up the plates that were left behind. She washed them all off then got a peace of pie for herself.
 
"Thank you Riley, you can leave now." Valetni told the apprentice as he finished dragging a heavy chest into the 'poison' shed.

"But sir, won't you nee-"Riley began.

"I said, you may leave now." Valetni cut him off in a tone that told the apprentice that he would accept no dissent from him this time.

"Yes sir..." The apprentice said, eyes cast downwards as he made his way out the door, closing it behind him. As soon as the apprentice was outside, Valetni hobbled his way to the door, securely locking it. With that done, he made his way to the center of the floor, feeling around for the seem that betrayed the location of the hidden trap door. With a grunt, he slowly levered open the heavy door, allowing access into the roughly hewn root cellar that now served as his private laboratory. Now, safe in the privacy of his hidden lair, and with no watching eyes or listening ears, Valetni was safe to attend to his package.

Laying it on the table normally reserved for the dissection of corpses, Valetni felt his breath quicken. He stared at it, resting so innocently. He had been anticipating this for so long, ever since he had spoken of it with the tanner. The small man had likewise been enthusiastic about the prospect of this, appealing as it was to both of their trades. Now, he was about to see if weeks of collaboration had paid off. With trembling hands, he grasped his package, and set about unwrapping it.

It was beautiful.

Not in the traditional, aesthetic way, but in it's function. What it promised. If it could accomplish half of what Valetni imagined it could...He shook his head, he mustn't get ahead of himself. First, he would have to see if it could fit, he regretted that there would be only one, no smaller size for the likes of Mary, Whereas the logistics of accommodating the gryphon was an intellectual nightmare.

Valetni coughed for several moments, when his fit subsided, he lifted it to his face. The Self Contained Gas Protection Respiratory Apparatus slipped smoothly onto his face. Made of several layers cloth impregnated with Glycerol and a solution of ammonia and formaldehyde built around a leather framework. Pulling the numerous leather straps tight, it formed a nearly airtight seal around his face. Vision was allowed through two glass eyepieces. The mask gave him the appearance of an ant-eater, a six inch long cylinder hanging off where the mouth was, a wooden filter filled with activated charcoal. Respiration was simple, by inhaling, you forced the air outside to run the gamut of the filter as well as the impregnated layers, which would hopefully combat most toxins he would be encountering. Valetni removed the mask, he would have time to play with it later, but for now he was going to have a chat with Vernasus.
 
"You are the ones being set under my command, then?" Morr, somewhat rhetorical, asked the exactly two dozen members of the Hellguard lined up, clad in their traditional suits of mail and plate, even in a time and place like this. The members of the Guard always had to be ready, for anything, anywhere.

"Yes, sir Morr." the answer came from what could be called the weibel, Morr supposed, a woman in her mid-twenties, though gender only really made apparent by her voice, which held a strong, disciplined tone, figure concealed under her armor, her rank denoted by the slight brass lines worked into her pauldrons.

"Good then, you have been informed about our route?"

"We will make our way to the port-city of Pikewall via horse, which will take the better part of a week, after that..."

The discussion with the weibel would go on for several hours, details had to be clarified, logistics planned. However, all in all, there was simply no definite plan to take on something that met the description the reports had stated, nor had there ever been ones about water-based demons. All in all, this was a variable that had found itself, despite its apparent possibility, through the planning of the Guard simply due to never having even remotely existed beforehand.

In itself, there was the plan for the journey itself, but none yet to actually fight the foe, or even reach it by their own means. Maybe, Morr thought, maybe this was why Wolfram had specifically demanded for brother Valetni to accompany this journey.
 
breakfast was done, Blake was now in his room looking at the package the servant brought in, he opened the package knowing what was inside.
when he saw his prize, his "friend" for the past 15 years of his life. when the poison failed to kick in, the knife that missed, the swords he considered to be not enough for a basic defense, only "she" the specialized Crossbow he called Stella remained to save him once again.

when he got done checking that she still worked since the day he got her, he put her away in a hidden place in the bedroom ready to be picked up to serve him once more. and then Blake got rid of the remains of the packaging and went to do his rounds around the hospice
 
Limping along the moist, dripping caverns, Valetni trailed his free hand along the wall. Memories.

This was the first time since the incident that he was able to visit his other friends, those he could unburden himself to, for dead men told no tales. Valetni called out to them, and they answered back. He slowly walked along the catacombs, addressing each occupant by name, slowly going back through the ages. Occasionally he would stop for a short conversation, enduring some good natured ribbing about the use of his cane, and how he would soon be joining them in the restless dark. As Valetni made his way forward, he finally encountered the most recent occupant, Brother Vernasus.

As he approached the body, Valetni hesitated. The two of them had been rivals, their exploits legendary across the monastery and a constant source of amusement for the acolytes, and even some of the the brothers. While each of them had at various times expressed the desire to see the other in the catacombs, now that the time had come Valetni felt strangely empty. His nemesis lay before him, defeated, and nearly by his own hand no less. Yet at the same time, the great game of cat and mouse that they had conducted for so many years had finally come to a conclusion. Valetni had not won, but neither had Vernasus, with the death of one of the players, both had lost. Valetni searched himself for some grand words or gesture, some token of respect that he could show to a valiant foe, but nothing came to him. He stood there for several minutes, before finally speaking.

"Sucks to be you." He said with a simple shrug, before turning and heading back towards the entrance.
 
"Mary, listen. These sorts of journeys are dangerous, especially for young girls. If you were older, and trained for such a thing, I may feel differently, but that's not the case. I want you to wait here until we return. Are we understood?" Zato attempted to make his point clear with the girl. She had only once been in a life-threatening situation, but he wished for it not to happen again.
 
She wiped her eyes on her sleeves.

"O-ok, I'll wait right here Mister Zato..."

Mary sat back down at the table, her mood significantly quieter and more reserved than it had been when she had woken up this morning.
 
Leaving behind a mess of tattered bones and tendon on the cutting board that served as his plate, the gryphon-thing stood and made his way out of the mess hall. His destination was the barracks; though he'd given Morr a few minutes to get settled he had many questions about his role in the upcoming battle- Though he volunteered, he himself was at a loss as to how to implement his unique assets into a seaborne campaign. Thankfully, that was a tactician's role; he was just a soldier.

Arriving at the barracks, Swiftbeak's sharp ears picked up the sound of voices within. Assuming Morr was already briefing the troops, the creature lowered itself to the ground and lay on the other side of the door, patiently waiting. And listening. As the briefing drug on for hours not once did Swiftbeak make overtures to depart; he stretched, he scratched, but always his attention was focused on every intricate detail the knight was delivering to the hellguard. And only after the briefing itself was finished in its entirety did the gryphon stand and enter.

"Sir Morr, I did not want to interrupt, but I have a number of questions. Might you have time to answer them?"
 
Vanessa cleaned up her pie plate as well as the gryphon's mess. She did not mind the fact it was a bloody mess with bones . she did have to hide the fact it brought flash back to the time her family was killed by her uncle. She gave a sigh as everything was cleaned up.

She went back to her room to change out of her uniform till Lunch. She put on a faded light blue dress with black boots underneath. She then walked out of her room shutting the door behind her . She was now going to go look for brother Morr to let him know he had a cook on his team.

She made her way to the barracks and saw the gryphon there and she had to admit the bird was terrifying. If it had come to attacked the temple she did not think anyone would make it out alive. She may have killed her uncle so she was not scared to take a life but she did not think she could win a fight against this big bird.

She stood beside the bird and said "sorry I have interrupt you as well but I wanted to let you know that you have a cook on your hands to you wont have to worry about finding someone to cook in your party ". She felt so small standing there next to the big bird that she felt like an ant and hoped he did not just decide to squish the bug.
 
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