Eleein
Eleein
A loud knocking at your door jostles you awake. The first thing you do
is find and sheathe your sword, this being immediately followed by
getting up and answering the door. An aged cleric, dressed in
immaculate robes and holding onto a staff for support is on the other
side, looking up toward you.
'Sir Nichols?' He asks, as though unsure that he has the right room.
You nod. 'Yes, I am Spencer Nichols.'
'Ah!' The cleric says. 'And I am Matthew Leons. Do you mind if
I come in?'
'By all means' You say, recognizing this man as the Father Leons that
Chrisopher referred to. You wonder why he's here to see you, though.
Father Leons walks into the room, seating himself in one of the chairs
and looking toward you inquisitively. 'I bet you're wondering
why I'm being so generous as to donate and prepare all of your
supplies ahead of time.'
You don't tell him your theory about him wanting to get rid of you. Instead,
you take a chair opposite of his and reply 'I was curious...'
'Because...' the aged cleric begins. 'I know why you're here,
and - more importantly, I know where you're going.' After seeing
the astonished look on your face, he continues. 'Don't worry, Sir
Nichols, I want to cause a panic about as much as you do. I
will not share this knowledge with anyone, unless it becomes
neccessary.'
'But how?' you ask, amazed.
'It was not difficult. First there is that poor woman in Obern, and then
we lose all communication with the cities west of the High Barrier.
When King Allenton sends his best man, along with a cleric of
our order, it's bound to be related.'
Given Leons' explanation, you're somewhat surprised that nobody
else has figured out your purpose. Apparently, you had judged
Leons incorrectly. 'What woman in Obern?' You ask. Obern is
one of the cities west of the High Barrier. You know it has one
of the Order's temples in it, but little else.
'You mean you hadn't heard? There was a woman we discovered
who was possessed by the Onyx. This couldn't have been more than
a few weeks ago. We took her to Obern, and managed to heal her
and drive the Onyx from her body. She's been in a coma ever since.'
Leons shakes his head sadly. 'It does not bode well that we have
found evidence of the Onyx after all this time. That conflict nearly
destroyed us all and set back progress hundreds of years. There
are many of our order who tire of war. The Fanatic conflict showed
the clerics their ineffectiveness in battle, and many of our most
respected priests were killed. I wish you to know that I, unlike
many of our Order, support your actions. The rest of our Order
has turned away from conflict. If the Onyx is brought to bear again,
I do not know if we will be able to aid you.' He says this
sadly. You know that the Eleein Order was the only reason that the
last battle against the Onyx was won. If they do not come to the aid
of the rest of the world... the rest of the world might be lost.
'But enough of my dire predictions.' Leons says. 'I should let you
go, as time is definitely of the essense.' With that, the aged cleric gets
up and sees himself out of the room. As he goes, he says one final
thing. 'Supplies for you are with Shila in her room. I hope that you
do not mind, but I have already spoken with Shila of your
plans. I did so thinking that she already knew. She seemed somewhat
distressed that you had not mentioned it to her earlier.' the old man
shrugs. 'I must now go. Go with my
blessing, Sir Nichols.'
Seeing no further reason to stay where you are, you leave your room,
attempting to find your way back to Shila's. It takes you much longer
to get to her room than it took Christopher to lead you to yours, mainly
because all of the rooms in the temple look the same. Finally, you
manage to locate the number that you remember as Shila's. Before
you can knock, the door opens and Shila is standing there, a pack
on her back and a grin on her face.
'It's about time you got up! Your pack is in here. Get it, and let's get
going!' she says enthusiastically.
On to the High Barrier
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