Imperial Heresy

[JediMaster12]

((I thought that maybe you would try to get ahold of steven to let him know about his part and I was thinking of what to put in next. Plus my main concern are the fires burning in my county in the mountains in So. Cal))

Rowan gave a nod and spoke to the fairhaired elf in his language who called out that they would march for battle. Rowan started to move towards the entrance when he was stopped by a dwarf. The dwarf said, "You have our best Master Elf. You saved us now we repay the favor."
"Thank you Master Dwarf. Perhaps some of you would join us on our hunt," Rowan replied. He was impatient but only because he cared about Darlene. He called to the others, "Mount up," and reached down to tug the dwarf onto his horse behind him. He then said, "We ride north," and nudged his horse forward.

[Alkonium]

(I sent him a few messages, but since I haven't gotten a response, I'm considering recasting the role.)
"Let us ride to Theion City!" Curudir shouted to the group he was leading, and halfway to the city, they spotted a band of Orks following them. "Let them follow us. They'll distract the Inquisitors and give us a chance to escape with Darlene." Curudir commented.

[JediMaster12]

((Ok just let me know))

Rowan cast a look to see the Orks. He never gave them much concern but from what he heard, the Inquisitors were after them as much as his kind so maybe they might have an ally albiet a reluctant one. He returned his gaze to study the skies and urged his stallion to a gallop, back to where Darlene was captured. It was a good place to start and pick up the trail. They had three hours left.

[Alkonium]

Curudir spotted the gates to the City, and his group began moving in to wait for the ambush. He looked and saw that the Orks were still following them, but still he waited. He looked again, and saw that the Orks had their crude weapons drawn.

[JediMaster12]

Rowan scouted around where Darlene was taken. He moved about looking at the tracking patterns. Nightcrawlers may be the undead but they weren't exactly faeries. They left huge indentations of where they took off from. He saw the trail and went to follow it on his horse. Saimhain would not be one to lose time but he could make it up if he had to.

[Alkonium]

Curudir's party arrived at the City Gates, with the Orks following. There they stayed and waited for the Inquisitors. As the Orks came, Curudir overheard one of them say to the others. "It's one of da pinkskins dem Temple boyz is afta. Get 'im!", Curudir immediately drew his swords, and ran toward the Orks. He stabbed one of them in the chest, and immediately noticed as he pulled his sword out, that there was no blood on it. Fabricants? he thought.

[JediMaster12]

Saimhain was not asleep. He didn't sleep much. He was well aware thatthe prize he had was a valuable one. He cast a glance at the girl. She acquiesed to being left where they dropped her with little fuss and he was curious. He was very curious about Rowan's reaction when he made a move for her. Rowan always was one to be overprotective, he thought to himself. He figured she must be hungry so he tossed her a bag with some bread in it after untying her hands.

Darlene knew she was being watched. She sensed that Saimhain was a Nightcrawler that thrived on very little sleep so she wasn't going to attempt an escape. She was suspicious when he untied her hands but then he tossed her a bag. She opened it and found a piece of bread. Out of sheer defiance, she broke off a small piece and ate it daintily only to get a laugh from Samhain. He said, "There's no need to stand on ceremony. You're not going to impress anybody. You must be hungry."
Out of sheer defiance, Darlene continued to eat daintily, making the bread last as long as she could. Once she was finished, Saimhain bound her wrists again. Sunset was coming soon and they would be moving. Where are you Rowan?

[Alkonium]

Because the Orks were fabricants, piercing their skin did nothing, and Curudir knew that the only way to kill them was to decapitate them or stab their brains. He then instructed the elves he was leading to do so. What reaason would the Temple have for fabricants? He thought.

[JediMaster12]

Rowan was getting close. He could smell the stench of death getting stronger. He was running out of time but he couldn't let anything happen to Darlene. He knew that Saimhain would probably do something that would catch him off guard. He had his senses tuned for the smallest disturbance.

[Alkonium]

With the fabricated Orks defeated, Curudir now waited for the Temple Entourage to arrive. He thought further about the Orks and how the Temple would have attained knowledge of how to fabricate creatures and why. He then wondered if Darlene knew anything about it.

[JediMaster12]

The sun went down before Rowan could get there and Saimhain had Darlene roughly bounded and they were off to the temple. They had just barely left when Rowan found their site. He knew he was close and continued at his pace. He would get to her.

Saimhain got Darlene to the city walls. He knew that Rowan would have used his human friend so he went around the back. With a swift movement, he flung Darlene over his shoulder and took a monster leap up the walls. He made his way to the Temple and banged on the door.

The fair haired elf who rallied the troops had them follow Curudir. He said, "They will listen to you. Aldstar will be following Saimhain. It is his battle."

[Alkonium]

Curudir began he approach to the City, aware of the psychic field used by the Temple to keep citizens in line. Because of his training as a Knight of the Empire, he had built up an immunity to such psychic power. He then thought about the heretical documents could could bring about the end of the Temple, and realised what they were: a spell to destroy the psychic field.

[JediMaster12]

Darlene hated being manhandled by the likes of Saimhain. She was strung over his shoulder and with amazing power, he jump scaled the wall into the city. She was gagged so all she could do was protest in muffled phrases. Her muffled protests got louder as Saimhain approached the Temple doors.
Saimhain just gripped her tighter. He was actually amused at the girl and her protests. She was different from all the other priests in the Temple that was for sure. The pleasureable thought that she would make a better Nightcrawler than the Temple's prisoner played through his mind. He would do it to spite Rowan and make him suffer. He might do that if the Temple didn't pay up. He banged again on the door.

[Alkonium]

The doors opened, and the High Inquisitor stood waiting. "It's about time you got here. Hand her over to us so we may begin the ceremony." He told Saimhain.
Meanwhile, Curudir had snuck into the Temple through the back and entered the cleansing chamber, taking the torch used to light the victim, and used it to set fire to one of the banners draped across the walls.

[JediMaster12]

"I might and then again I might not," Saimhain replied still holding Darlene over his shoulder. "You see even with our bargain, I have a mind to think that you won't uphold it. I think the little wench will make a perfect addition to my harem."

Rowan managed to follow Saimhain right to the Temple. He then lost him and thought that he may have gone to one of the high balconies but then he stopped. Saimhain did things you wouldn't expect like going up to the front door. He went around the Temple to where the massive doors were and saw the strip of light. He knew that he found Saimhain.

[Alkonium]

"You underestimate us. We took control of this Empire from the Elected Emperor, we made it strong. No human resists us thanks to our psychic fields, and no non-human escapes our wrath. Your race is nothing compared to us." The High Inquisitor told Seamhain, pointing the glowing end of his Holy Staff at him.

[JediMaster12]

"Uh uh uh," Saimhain shook his finger at the High Inquisitor in a mocking manner, "You do that and you won't be able to cleanse theis little beauty." His grip was firm on Darlene and he wasn't put out by the arrogance of the priest.

Darlene's eyes were wide open even though she couldn't make a coherent word. She saw where she was and realized that she needed to take the field down. She found it in the library but never wrote it down. It seemed like a good idea then but now it was not for she had it in her memory. Still she could concentrate on lowering it enough to buy some time. Recalling the words, she began to chant with her mind.

[Alkonium]

(Actually, my plan was to reveal that the "heretical documents" are actually a spell to destroy the psychic field)
"I can hear your thoughts. I know what you are trying to do. You do that, and we will unleash the Orks upon Morta because the people are no longer faithful, calling a punishment from the gods. As soon as they fear us again, the Orks will disappear. You know what we have created, and you never wondered why." The High Inquisitor told Darlene.
Arrogant fool. Curudir thought as he listed in on the conversation. He prepared to make his move, but he need a way of getting past Seamhain and the High Inquisitor.

[JediMaster12]

Darlene glared at the High Inquisitor. She had read the heretical documents and knew they were the key to destroying the field. SHe only wrote down the description to pass it on but it was her original plan to teach it to the Elven wizards. Now that she was caught she thought she had to do it by herself. She glared and spoke a muffled insult.

Rowan saw Saimhain and the High Inquistor speaking and he saw Darlene. He also saw Curudir waiting. He gave a nod and a look and started scaling the walls to make a drop behind the pair. He was quick and quiet on his feet so he landed without a shout behind them and said, "Hello there."

[Alkonium]

"What?" The High Inquisitor responded, turning around immediately. Curudir then took that moment to stab Saimhain in the back, not enough to kill him, but enough to force him to let go of Darlene. "We have to leave now." He told Darlene and Rowan.

[JediMaster12]

Darlene felt like a sack of potatoes being dropped. She couldn't pad her fall with her limbs for they were tied together. She did get some satisfaction in having Saimhain writhe in pain. Oh she knew steel wouldn't kill a Nightcrawler unless it chopped off their head but any injury was quite painful.

Rowan stood staring at the High Inquisitor with a look of defiance. He was actually pleased that he startled the treacherous human. He replied, "I believe this is the point where you stand there and not try to reach for anything." It was a bit of humor that Darlene had taught him a while back. He was still working on it.

[Alkonium]

Curudir looked past Rowan and saw the fire he started spreading, and realising that they needed to move quickly, hit the High Inquisitor in the back of the head with the hilt of his sword. "Let's go." He told them.

[JediMaster12]

Darlene managed to get her bindings undone and she pulled the gag off. She said, "No. We have to finish this now or we will never get another chance." She looked at Rowan who was staring back at her and said, "Come with me," and led the way to where the Grand Entrance of the Temple was. "Here we must make a stand."

[Alkonium]

"This place is burning to the ground. If we stay here, we'll die!" Curudir told her. "I set fire to the cleansing chamber, and it's spreading. Even if you succeed, you'll be killed, and the surviving priests will reestablish the psychic field. If we leave now, we'll live to fight and win another day. You heard the Inquisitor, we need a much larger army if we want to deal with those Orks they'll unleash."

[JediMaster12]

"There is a way to keep the field from ever being reestablished," Darlene replied with a fire in her eye. The glow from the burning building danced in her eyes and cast shadows from the night air. They had to do this now while the Temple was in disarray.
The fair haired elf managed to join them, "We will fight. We have warriors."
Rowan looked at Curudir and his brethren and said, "It might be the only chance we have. Take their biggest advantage and leave to fight another day."

[Alkonium]

"If we destroy the psychic field now, countless citizens will fall to the Orks. If you are so certain, I will go then and gather what Knights I can. We're the only humans outside the Temple with a resistance to the psychic field." Curudir told them, leaving the Temple.

[JediMaster12]

"Take the elven warriors. Don't take then for granted," Darlene replied, "Rowan, come with me," and she led the way to the very front of the Temple. She could feel the power of the psychic field and she took a deep breath.

[Alkonium]

"Very well. We will meet again, but before I go, I want to know why you never told us about the fabricated Orks." Curudir asked.

[JediMaster12]

"I never knew about them," Darlene replied, "Secrets on all sides I guess."

[Alkonium]

"Very well. I'd advise you to get out of here quickly." Curudir replied, running out of the building. As soon as he found he found his horse, he made his way for the village of Branel, remembering how the Knights had saved that village from the Nightcrawlers years before, something the Temple had never done.

[JediMaster12]

Darlene motined to Rowan and explained, "I know how to take down the psychic field but I need you to do something for me."
Rowan nodded but not quite sure exactly what she was intending.

Saimhain did not like being suprised even more so when a do gooding knight did it. He got up and growled. The fire didn't worry him as it did the newer of his kind. He knew most if not all the secrets of Nightcrawlers. What he really wanted was the girl and the knight. He saw the knight race off towards the village and followed suit.

[Alkonium]

Curudir knew he was being followed, but he could not stop now. He was getting close to Branel, and there he would be safe. The Arcane Knights had placed wards around the village after the original attack to keep Nightcrawlers out, but it also blocked psychic energy, making it one of the few places were people would opening aid the Imperial Knights.