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Forbidden Temple of the Great Falls

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Kaleed was woken up by a guard walking the perimeter of the courtyard. Shaken awake, he was told of the breakfast that was happening without him.

He rose, letting his fur blanket fall from him. The guard looked at him for a moment studying his face, showing no strange reactions. Kaleed met his eyes and nodded in thanks. The guard returned the nod and continued on his way.

Brushing the dust that had gathered on him, Kaleed bent and gathered up his things. Tucking into his small knapsack, he slung it around his shoulders, and continued towards the storage warehouse that he was directed to.

Walking into the building, he gazed around the room. It was mostly empty, except for a few guards moving some chairs. He sat at a table, wondering if anyone else would show up. He was not sure how to obtain some hot water for his meal flask. He grabbed his knapsack, and pulled out a few small packages wrapped in wax paper. A small stone mortar and pedestal emerged, and he began silently preparing his meal.
 
Valetni turned pondered his response for a moment. The girl was young, no doubt, but she would only be getting older. He knew what the older monk would say, he would lie, say it was nothing, anything to avoid upsetting her. Valetni had done the same thing for his daughter. He never got the chance to see how his method would have his own daughter turn out at Mary's age, but he could see how Zato's method had. The girl was fragile, emotional, coddled, and socially stunted.

He stopped and turned to look Mary in the eyes.

"Burning flesh and hair." Valetni said simply. "This morning, it's the smell of victory."
 
Perhaps, Zato could not make a proper wink. In any case, it was time for damage control.

"The flesh of demons, of course!" he added.

"The scoundrels attacked, but we fended them off!"
 
"Though not without great cost to ourselves." Valetni interrupted. "Remember Mary, if there is one thing I say that you remember, remember this." Valetni paused for effect. "Nothing will be achieved without being willing to make sacrifices."
 
"oh" The Girl went quiet for a few minutes, looking up at Valetni and Zato occasionally.

"But they stopped all of the demons?" she had a semi vacant expression as she continued looking from monk to monk.
 
She stood still for a moment, looking down at her feet.

"If it happened to me..." she began, her words as if she was digesting and working through huge amounts of information.

"I'd want to be protecting everyone..." the young girl looked up, (seemingly all there now) at the two monks.

"And making sure they could all be happy again." She stood, awkwardly fidgeting slightly between the tall, brown clothed figures of the monks.
 
"I'm sure they were thinking the same thing." Valetni muttered. "But dead is dead and alive is alive, and it's nearly always better to be alive than dead. You'll realize that if you get older." Valetni said with a tiny amount of anger in his voice, he wasn't sure who it was directed at, Before stumping to breakfast.
 
"Come along now, Mary." Zato said, and tapped down the stairs.

With the guidance from a passing guard, he led the girl towards the storage shed for breakfast.
 
Kaleed was busy grinding some greens when he looked up and saw his new master coming into the room. Coming in on his heels was a blind monk, and a small girl with enormous blue eyes.

He usually did not like preparing his meals with company. Most people stared and made him feel uncomfortable. He tried not to hold it against them, but sometimes he did wish he could throw something at the random odd observer.

Kaleed tried to wave one of the servicewomen down in an attempt to obtain some hot water.
 
Soon, the rest of the -surviving and intact- inhabitants of the outpost joined, some, like Elia, taking their portion of the nourishment to the hospice for the wounded. The atmosphere was dour, too many had fallen, some were still struggling with their lives, while the question about 'how' the attackers had managed to infiltrate the outpost remained unanswered. Add to that, the funeral was approaching.

While the others ate in silence, Morr remained standing, waiting. When the dark-skinned man with the fused mouth entered, he approached him "Sir, I must thank you for your help yesterday's night. You had no reason to and could have simply avoided entering the fortifications in the first place. Add to that, you and sister Vanessa saved my life from a surprise attack and were wounded to quite an extent in the process. If you have need of anything I will see to it that it shall be granted." his voice, despite his intent, remaining without emotion.
 
Kaleed listened to the giant armored mans thank you.

After thinking for a moment, Kaleed met the mans eyes, almost hidden through the slits in his helmet. He nodded, and raised his palm to his forehead and then out towards the man. After a second, he let it drop. It was a gesture of acknowledgement and agreement for one who was elevated above you. Kaleed knew that he probably wouldn't understand, but thought the gesture was appropriate.

After a moment, he waved the man down, to join the table he sat at. At the same time, he reached down, and pulled out his writing tablet.
 
Seeing as how the thin frame of brother Valetni entered, Morr was forced to decline the mute's apparent offer. Walking towards the old monk, Morr spoke "Brother Valetni, perhaps you are reluctant to listen to my words. I used a foul method of speech to persuade you to help earlier, a threat and I should not have done so. While I understand that you are not in need of my apologies, I offer you this instead: My servitude until I am redeemed, if you so wish it."

Behind brother Valetni, the older monk Zato, guided by milady Mary entered the hall and went to sit, receiving plates of sustenance from a passing serf.
 
Valetni stopped, cocking his head as he considered the scarred man's words. It seemed that he was collecting quite a following as of late. A ghost of a smile graced his lips as he pondered the implications of this.

"I'll keep that in mind, knight." He said, his voice rough and raspy, before coughing. He walked past the knight, and took a seat.

He was feeling oatmeal today.
 
Mary drank from the mug in front of her, and looked about at the people gathered for breakfast.

She sipped at the liquid, as her small body shuffled and fidgeted slightly on the chair.

As Mary carefully sat the mug back down upon the table she looked down at the food in front of her. ...Oatmeal?

"Mister Zato, There's Oatmeal today." the small girl said before tucking in, it had been quite some time since she'd had oatmeal.
 
Morr made his way back to the dark-skinned mute's table and took a seat "I suppose it was obvious that these questions would have to be answered, if you are willig to do so. First, where did you come from? Second, why did you come here? It happens rarely that a stranger like you makes his way to a Hellguard-outpost, most often they do so to deliver artifacts."
 
Kaleed listened intently to the questions as they were presented to him.

He nodded in understanding, and began to write upon his small tablet.

Stopping every few strokes to think about what he was saying, his forehead furrowed in concentration. Absentmindedly, he sipped from his meal flask, the vestiges of last night meal cold, but still tasting good.

After a few more moments, he finished off the last few strokes, and presented the tablet to Sir Morr.

The rough, writing was hard to understand as he wasn't fully fluent in this country's language.
(The tablet basically read as follows)

Kaleed Muinantit is name. Travelled from land Urah, 2 frosts cycles pass. Worked as Wetboy for Shinga of Cenaria. Served since my small times. Get old, leave. Find Kakari stone, danger stone. Bring to Hellguard. Say Hellguard strongest. Will serve Hellguard. Want eat, Want sleep.
 
Vanessa walked over to Kaleed and Sir morr and seeing that Kaleed wont be eating their food but she wanted to say good morning to them. She looked at Kaleed and asked her questions "The other fellow cookers say you was trying to get their attention and not sure what mind if I try to help you sir and are you feeling well you took a nasty hit to the head last night". She turned to Sir Morr giving him some oatmeal and said "Good morning Sir Morr". She then went back to the kitchen got herself some breakfast and sat across from Sir morr and Kaleed.
 
Kaleed mimed drinking, and pointed at a flagon of water, then again at his meal flask. He sat bemused at his attempts of communication.
 
"A good morning to you, sister Vanessa." Morr greeted the woman that took her seat on the other side of the table, acknowledging the oatmeal with a quick glance "My humble thanks for the nourishment."

Looking back at the mute's handsigns, Morr was reminded of when a piece of metal had deflected off his breastplate through the small space between helmet and throat, punctured his lower jaw before nailing his tongue to the bone, forcing him to communicate with unskilled handwavering for a while. Waving over one of the serfs for water to be granted to the dark-skinned mute, he read the tablet again.

"Very well, sir Kaleed Muinantit, it appears I must thank you twice, both for helping in the battle and now for delivering an artifact to the Hellguard in earlier times. However, you should know that I will not take you into service merely because you think the Hellguards are 'the strongest'. What other reason would you have to serve except for merely finding a master of superior strength?"
 
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