Naya: Sha-Laial

The main gate wouldn't budge. Naya tapped her foot anxiously while Mavec and Alvec fiddled with the rope binding the main entrance together. "We'll have to try the side gates; this one is not coming undone without some serious disruptive spell-casting," Alvec informed the group.

"You're an abjurer; you don't have a way to bypass it?" Mavec asked.

"Not yet, I don't, but I'll certainly keep it in mind as I study magic," said Alvec.

"Let us be getting to the side gate then. Perhaps we can gain entry that way," Illaria stated before walking towards the side entrance. The whole group followed, and Alvec popped the lock open in moments. The group entered the facility for the first time. It was a large property with a three-story stone tower at the back. Its roof was a sunburnt orange, and each point on its hexagonal sloped roof had a statue of a gargoyle crouched on the lip of the roof. Near the front gate, still closed with that magic knot, was a series of small buildings not unlike a barn or stalls for horses. It was empty now, but Naya could almost imagine housing animals there. Surely, Alvec would have different ideas, though. He'd given no indication he didn't like animals, but also none that he did. There was no reason to think he'd house horses here.

Beyond that was an open-air building, a bit like a pavilion. Close by, she could see what looked like a natural pool of water.

The group proceeded forward toward the tower. As they neared it, the mechanical sound of constructs whirling back to life caught their attention. Two of the same scorpion-esc constructs they had fought in the farms, not but a day ago emerged from the tall grass. One of which skittered up the tower wall about twenty feet and pointed its tail down towards the party. The other rushed forward at Alvec, who managed to dive out of the way, gathering arcane energy around himself and donning the same ghostly blue chain shirt made of arcane magic. Bait took aim at the one up high and pulled the trigger, but the round fizzled in the chamber. The goblin let out a frustrated screech and quickly cleared the round.

Illaria, Naya, and Echo went toward the one on the ground. Illaria's sword barely found purchase on the creature's armored exoskeleton. Naya's swords and Echo's teeth struggled to sink in as they maneuvered to flank the construct. Mavec charged Piccora again with electricity and sent her in to deliver another jolt to the construct on ground level. The small rabbit connected, and the opposing construct sizzled as the electricity poured through it.

While everyone's attention was split on the constructs, something slithered out from the tall grass, an inky black mass with long tendrils whipping out blindly towards anything that moved. Naya felt something fluid wrap around her leg and pull her down to the ground. She let out a startled scream.

"DAT BIG GULP!" Bait shouted. "WATCH OUT; IT EATS EVERYTHING."

"How do you know this?" Illaria asked.

"Children tell bait stories. Big Gulp steal packages, eat cats."

The one on the wall aimed and shot a barb from its tail down at Illaria. She tried to get her blade up quickly, but the barb impaled her shoulder. She winced in pain but was hardly out of the fight. Alvec, now armored, rushed in towards the construct. He cast the same spell, electricity cackling from his free hand. He made contact with the creature's tail as he slipped behind it. The electricity did its damage quickly. It was hard to tell under the amount of rust on these machines, but their movements were clearly beginning to degrade from the attacks. It shouldn't be much longer till this one went down. It brought a sawblade at Illaria, who managed this time to intercept and deflect the spinning blade into the soft earth beneath their feet, kicking up small bits of sod. The tail recoiled from Alvec's attack, and flames blasted him again. He rolled low as the flames encroached on him. The bulk of the fire had missed him. As a descendant of hell, the fires weren't strong enough to scorch his skin. He chose not to activate his cape, which shimmered with arcane energy.

Naya swung both swords on the ground at the "thing" that had grabbed her. Her blades passed through the creature as if it wasn't there. There was no way to tell if they were doing anything at all. She began to kick her legs, trying to shake it off, but to no effect.

"If someone could help Naya, that would be good. I've got this one," Illaria said, making another attack on the construct. Slicing deep into its neck joint. Echo abandoned the fight and rushed to his master's aid. He bit at the big gulp, his fangs also failing to find purchase on the creature. It pulled Naya in further, dragging her down to her waist while wrapping another tendril around her. It shouldn't have been physically possible, but her legs vanished into the inky blackness like she was sinking into a moving lake.

"Do we know what this thing is actually called?" Mavec asked.

"It's big gulp; why no trust Bait."

"I'm sure it's called that by the locals, but does it have a more technical name?" Illaria asked. Alvec took a moment to look at the creature and frowned.

"It's a slithering ooze. It won't kill her immediately, even if it drags her down; just don't let it get out of sight and keep attacking it. We'll have a good few minutes even after it drags her down," Alvec said

"Not exactly reassuring!" Naya shouted as she ditched her swords and wrapped her arms around Echo's neck.

Mavec focused his attention on the one shooting barbs down at the group. He pulled a small pinch of butter out of his spell pouch and let the spell consume it. The wall under the creature suddenly became magically slick as a yellowed pool of grease appeared beneath its feet. It struggled desperately to maintain its grip on the wall but failed, plunging twenty feet to the ground, where it landed hard. The construct righted itself from its hard landing and turned its attention towards Mavec. Bait leveled his gun and pulled the trigger. This time, the bullet cleared the barrel and slammed into the construct. The bullet entered a joint where its neck connected to its body. There were several loud clangs as the shot ricocheted inside of it. The construct dropped lifeless to the ground.

The other construct spun around and swung its bladed implement at Alvec. The rotating blade barely snuck past his mithril buckler and bit through the protection of his spells, slicing into his stomach. He rolled with the attack as best he could, minimizing how nasty the wound would be. Illaria deftly thrust her wakizashi through one of the tail joints. The whole creature shook before collapsing onto the ground in a heap. Naya tried once more to pull herself free with Echo. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't manage the task. She could feel her legs stinging as something sprayed over her and her clothing.

"Echo, be a good boy and bite me," Naya said before whispering another word under her breath. The magic collar around his neck flared to life, and Echo's form shifted, aided by arcane energy. He grew to double his height as his eyes looked alarmed at the command he had just been given. He sunk his fangs into her shoulder and pulled hard. Naya screamed but also refused to let go. The pressure holding her in place finally snapped, and she and Echo fell backward away from the open maw of inky black that had held her.

Alvec grabbed two vials full of red viscous fluid and tossed them into the open hole where Naya had been. Two plumes of fire erupted from within it, and moments later, the creature violently started shooting items out of it like a geyser. Most of the objects were highly corroded, but some precious and semi-precious gems looked to have survived their time inside the pit. Eventually, the creature seemed to dry out entirely and flake away.

"See, told you big gulp real!" yelled Bait. "You see any packages inside? Neighbor boy says grandmother never get package because big gulp eat it."

"Odds aren't good for that Bait; these things use acid to digest anything inside of them." Alvec supplied.

"Oh, too bad den."

"You sounded like you knew a lot about these; got anything you'd like to share?" Illaria asked.

"Well, I grew up in Ot-Najan. It's got a strong presence of some... unsavory characters," said Alvec. "I heard rumors that they'd throw people into them and interrogate them. The acids are weak; it would take at least a minute before a full-grown adult would go unconscious. At least two till death, maybe even longer if they were made of sturdier stuff. The adventurous sort might last five or more minutes, to be honest."

"Hey, can I get some healing over here? Echo did great, but his fangs bite deep." Naya said as she sat on the ground, her legs coiled under her and one hand over a bleeding shoulder.

"Anyone else hurt?" Alvec called out as he produced the wand from the holster on his left calf. He first pointed the wand at Naya and focused on pushing magic through it. Unfortunately, this was still somewhat difficult for him. Activating wands wasn't a skill most wizards excelled at. It was more the territory of sorcerers with a firmer "feel" for the magic than wizards. It was more art than science. His first attempt fizzled, but before long, he caught the feel of it and could touch the soothing white tip of the wand to her bloody shoulder. The wounds closed instantly, leaving only dried blood and punctured clothing in their wake. Both required only the use of cantrips to fix. Once Naya was cleaned up, Alvec turned his attention to himself, healing the slight wound across his stomach before reknitting his clothing with some minor transmutation magic.

Healed up and patched up, Alvec headed for the tower's entrance. He pushed the doors open and stepped into the building. The moment he set foot in there, he turned around screaming and ran as far back away from it as his legs could carry him before stopping.

"What the hell?" Naya said, looking back into the room. As far as she could see, it was empty. Nothing was even mildly alarming about the first-floor entrance to this tower. She stepped in. Fear blossomed in her mind, overriding all rational thought. Something angry and cold clouded her senses, and something in her screamed for her to run far away as fast as she could. Her faculties returned to her shortly after, and she stood about as far away as Alvec had run. He stood beside her, holding his chin with his right hand and his right elbow with his left hand.

"Well, that was strange." Sure, that was one way to put it, Alvec. Horrifying seemed like the better word to Naya.

“Amatuers, step aside. Bait got dis." The goblin backed up and got a running start, throwing himself through the doorway. Again, as his bare green feet slapped onto the wooden floor, he too turned away, screaming, and ran as far as his little goblin legs could carry him.

"Did anyone learn anything about this place while they were out yesterday?" Alvec asked.

"Yeah, owned by the 'Six Strengths,' some sort of dojo or temple. They were on the wrong side of the war; they died out. Not sure." Mavec said.

"You said they were the Six Strengths? I'm going to try something possibly dumb," Alvec said as he readied his buckler and charged the door. He got only about two steps forward before the fear overwhelmed him again.

"Bait, try again too!" The goblin threw himself at the door again just to go screaming away.

"Damn it," Alvec said. "I was hoping that if I did something symbolic like charging right in like a warrior, it might allow me entrance. Let me take a look at the door real quick." He walked up to the doorway and began inspecting it. He shook his head left and right. "Looks like we'll be staying at the inn again. There's no arcane magic going on here, which means it's either something divine... or some special ability used by some otherworldly power. Maybe a ghost?"

"Bait, no give up!"

Illaria chuckled as Bait attempted to get through the door again, only to be forced to run away. "As funny as that is, perhaps we need to be considering consulting someone else for help.

"Didn't someone say there's a church of Kushang down the road?" Mavec asked.

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"I still need to go to a temple to get Echo approved; maybe now is the right time?" Naya asked.

"I'll pass," Mavec said as he walked over to the scrap heaps. "Piccora and I can stay here and start cleaning the place up a bit. If we can't get into the tower to sleep, we can ensure those other smaller buildings are safe. Camping in them would be better than camping outside."

"Bait, keep trying; this fun!" He was now screaming as he charged at the door and ran away from it. "Scary door, dumb fun."

"Then it's decided. Bait and Mavec will stay here and clean up while the rest of us visit the church of Kushang." Illaria said.

Alvec, Naya, and Illaria: The Church of Kushang

He barely had his plan for opening an alchemy shop jotted down on a piece of scrap parchment. This was far less prepared than the young Tiefling would have wanted to be before visiting the church of Kushang. Especially since he had learned they had been very interested in the property that Cellocht had so casually gifted to him. If he could just spin it as a sound business proposal, perhaps the church would get on board. Maybe he could also craft something for them; a magic item to help smooth things over might not be a bad idea. There were any number of enchanted items he could gift to them. Granted, he was gold-poor right now, and doing such a thing would cost money he desperately didn't have.

"Alvec, if you don't be getting out of your own head, you're going to flub your introduction. You only get one first impression," Illaria stated as they neared the end of the street.

"I don't get what's so important about this anyway. We're going to ask them for help; that's normal, right?" Naya asked as she walked in lockstep with Echo.

"I hesitate to say you're wrong..." Illaria trailed off.

"But it's a touch more complicated than on the surface," Alvec replied.

"I'll just have Echo bite them if they're mean to you." The trio laughed at the joke.

The church at the end of the street was anything but modest. Kushang, the God of civilization, who tamed the wilderness and turned it into orderly, smooth stone streets, demanded that her churches and temples be grand and practical. It was a big, boxy building that towered over the neighborhood's skyline. Its construction was mostly of stone, but inlaid at every opportunity were the three colors of the currency. Gold, silver, and copper ran in veins throughout the architecture. The doorways were large and open, considering the mid-day summer heat. The trio entered the church. With no sermons being hosted, several people were milling about doing some cleaning tasks. Illaria approached the first person she saw around their own age. A girl with long black hair wearing a simple dress with only light accents of gold, silver, and copper in the outfit that denoted her affiliation with the church. She held a broom and gently swept dust and dirt toward the open door.

"Hello, pardon the interruption, but I'm Illaria, and we could use some guidance." Illaria flashed a practically radiant smile along with her greeting.

"Oh, hello. What seems to be the problem? Maybe I can direct you to who best can help?" the girl said.

"You see, the property my friend inherited, we think it's haunted," Illaria said as she ushered Alvec over. "I'll let him explain more of the details. I'm going to go say a quick prayer at the altar. Haven't said many to Kushang lately," Illaria said before walking away, leaving Naya and Alvec to their own devices.

"Uh, hi there. I'm Alvec, and you are?" He stated, stepping forward and extending his hand to her. She hesitantly returned the gesture.

"I'm Sarbie; welcome to the neighborhood?" she said hesitantly

"Thanks," replied Alvec. "I'm a wizard, which is relevant because it means I've already checked out this problem from an arcane angle."

"Alright, so why do you think it's haunted?" asked Sarbie.

"Well, we're at 899 Scythefell Street, and every time we try to enter the tower, the second we set foot inside, we get hit with this wave of fear that drives us screaming back out of the tower," Alvec explained. "Since it's not an arcane spell, it means it must be something divine or supernatural. Seeing how the previous owners, the Six Strengths, appear to have perished, I kinda just latched onto the idea of it being haunted."

"Did I hear someone say something about the dojo!?" A young man's voice came from several pews over. Sarbie's shoulders slumped a bit as she let out a sigh and a small smile.

"I'd have told him if only he'd given me a bit more time," she said just loud enough for Alvec to hear. "Yes, Hoc, these are the new owners," Sarbie said as she stepped back a half step so the young man could join.

He was taller than the rest of the group, a full half-head taller than Alvec, yet his face was incredibly youthful. Perhaps the biggest baby face Alvec had ever seen.

"You guys live there!? No way, it's been abandoned forever! I've wanted to climb the walls so many times!" Hoc babbled. "I can't imagine how freaking cool that place must be. When did this happen?"

"Whoa, whoa, all things in time, friend. I think we should perhaps trade names before life stories," Alvec said, extending a hand to him as well. He took it unquestioningly and gave a sharp, curt shake.

"I'm Hoc, a paladin in training here at the church of Kushang," he said eagerly. "Someday, I'll swing around a golden sword, and people will praise my name."

"Alvec Snaptail, Shield Wizard at your service. As for when this happened: today. We arrived in Sha-Laial late last night. We just opened it up today to take a look around. Probably a good thing you never did climb those walls. We encountered some clockwork and a slithering ooze near the tower itself."

"Shield wizard?" asked Hoc. "Never heard of that before, some new order?"

Alvec patted his mithril buckler. "Not quite; I just fight in the thick of it, unlike most wizards."

"So why do you need the Church of Kushang's help?" Hoc asked.

"I was just explaining it to your friend Sarbie here; we think it's haunted," Alvec said, gesturing to the girl. "Every time we try to set foot in there, we get hit with this wave of fear which sends us running and screaming out of the towers. It's not some leftover trap, and it's not arcane in origin. Only leaves us a few options."

"Sarbie's just great, isn't she." Hoc nodded along to himself. "Well, I'll come with you guys and see if I can help you. I am a Paladin-in training. The fear shouldn't touch me."

"It's a bit sudden, but I'd be glad to have your help," Alvec said.

"Just be sure to donate to the church after I solve this little problem," Hoc said. With that, the two boys headed toward the exit, leaving Sarbie and Naya alone.

"He's just a ball of sunshine," Naya said.

"He can be a bit much at times, but his heart is in the right place," Sarbie said as she resumed sweeping.

"Wait, I need one more thing. I was told to come to a church to get Echo certified," said Naya as she pointed at the wolf.

Sarbie went stiff, for the first time noticing the presence of the well-behaved wolf standing quietly at the side of their master. "OH, uh, let me go fetch someone who specializes in that," she said as she beat a hasty retreat. A few minutes later, she returned with another cleric, an older man in simple robes of the same colors.

"Well, hello there. I hear we're looking to get an animal certified as an animal companion?" He asked as she gave a glance at Echo.

"Yes, I'm from Lom-Itoti. This wasn't really required out there, and it's my first time visiting a big city like Sha-Laial," Naya said

"So, what is this magnificent creature's name?" asked the man.

"He's Echo. Do you need me to have him do some tricks? He knows a handful." Naya asked.

"Yes, I will need to see what he can do."

Naya frowned at him. "How am I supposed to demonstrate the combat ones?"

"In the city, we're more concerned with seeing that he doesn't attack. So we won't need a demonstration on attacking creatures," he replied.

Naya nodded in agreement. She wordlessly stepped in front of Echo and held up a closed fist. The wolf sat down. Naya held out an open palm and walked away from him. He tilted his head slightly and remained where he was. She waved her hand towards herself, and he got up and sprinted over to her. He stopped in front of her and sat down again. She pointed to the ground, and he dropped to lying down with a lazy yawn.

"Echo, growl." The wolf let out a low, menacing growl. "Echo, enough." He stopped as abruptly as he had started. "Is that enough of a demonstration?" She asked.

"Yes, please have him come here; I just need to take one last test. Won't be but a moment." He held his hand open, and Echo jogged over to him. His hand glowed softly before he touched Echo's head. "Ah, yes, I feel the connection. It's hard to explain, but this animal is a blessed companion. Praise Kushang. Sarbie, run along and fetch one of the tags; we'll add it to his collar."

"Yes, sir, right away, sir," she said as she shuffled off.

"It's nice to have so many young folks working for us. It would be nice to get the girl out of the church a bit more often, though. She's a little too much of a homebody. Please call on her if you need more assistance." The cleric said before heading back deeper into the church. The girl, only a little older than Naya, returned with a golden tag. She looked hesitantly around.

"Did Father Oren already leave? I was hoping he'd attach it." Naya nodded.

"I can do it," Naya said, offering her hand.

"No, no, you can't. It requires a cleric to attune it." She looked at Echo and pursed her lips together.

"Would you feel better if he laid down and you got to pet him first?" Naya asked.

"Yeah, I might." She said, taking a deep breath and holding her hands in front of her chest clasped together around the small golden charm. This girl was skittish, but Naya could work with that. In some ways, she reminded her of a sheep, easily spooked and needing a little guidance. Echo laid down. Naya crouched beside him and rubbed his side and drumstick. Echo hammed it up, laying on his side with a big, contented sigh.

"Here, pet his belly; I promise he loves the rubs," Naya said, pointing towards his upper stomach and exposed chest. Sarbie knelt down gently and did as she was asked hesitantly at first, but soon, she was comfortably giving him a tail-wagging good belly rub. A few minutes later, Sarbie placed her hands around Echo's neck and latched the golden charm to the collar. She spoke a short prayer in a language Naya didn't understand, and a golden light radiated through the thin piece of smooth, rounded metal.

"There, it's done. You shouldn't encounter any more problems from city officials. He can come anywhere you go so long as he isn't actively causing problems. You'll want to make sure he's good at getting quiet. That's the one we usually get complaints about."

"Thank you," Naya said, "Do you think you could do one more thing for me?" Naya asked. Sarbie looked at her with concern. "Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous; I just wanted to know a bit more about the gods. Back in Lom-Itoti, we didn't deal with them much... and Mavec's lectures... leave something to be desired."

"Sure, I can tell you a bit about the gods of the Empire," Sarbie said with a visible release of tension in her stance. "You're standing in a temple to Kushang, the mother of law and order. She stands for truth, justice, and community. She's the daughter of Mother Sky and half-brother to Dahn-Daluzi, the God of travelers. She's the most favored God in the entire Empire as the church was the first to formally back Emperor Ageneon's claims."

"Can you tell me more about Dahn-Daluzi? I think I've heard Illaria mention him before," Naya asked.

"Yes, the God of travelers. He's more concerned with personal freedom than community and law. He's said to travel around the world pretending to be a mortal. Gifting his blessings to those who travel under his parents, Mother Sky and the Cloud Sheppard. His worship was nearly wiped from the Empire, as the wars and Anarchy made things like travel particularly dangerous. I heard a few merchants talking about roadside shrines popping up to him these days."

"This has been a lot to take in. Are there any other gods I need to know about?" Naya asked.

"There are plenty more; the pantheon is vast, but there are only two more commonly worshiped in the Empire, the husband and wife, Tozhen and Sarosa."

"I've certainly heard both of those names. Alvec and Mavec offer prayers to them, usually before they work on crafting things." Naya said.

"That makes sense; they are the crafting gods. They say the sun and the moon are the manifestation of their ideas that they gift to each other each day, passed between each other as they refine them. Hearing anyone say they were struck by a sunbeam or moonbeam means they had a good idea. One they think might just be divinely inspired." Sarbie informed her.

"So what do they craft anyway?" Naya asked.

"Sarosa is all about precision. Cooking, Alchemy, sewing. Those are all acts that she presides over. Tohzen is sometimes called the God of sweat. Most of his worshippers are hard men with hard jobs. I hate the name, but my father worships him too. He's a carpenter. He likes to call him the God of fortifications."

"And what about the spirits?"

"They are the gods' creations, here to keep the natural world in order. They aren't really venerated." Sarbie said.

"Seems a shame; the spirits are worthy of our praise." Naya insisted.

"Perhaps the good news is that the gods don't make you pick sides. Most people, clerics of Kushang included, pray to all the gods at some point in their lives. I mean, I don't worship Tohzen or Sarosa all that much, but you know I don't skip out on making sweets for my family on Ivy Day."

"Ivy day?" Naya asked.

"Do they not give handmade gifts during it where you're from?" Sarbie asked.

"No, I've never heard of it."

"Well, the rules are simple: you give something you made to someone. These gifts are usually given to family... or well... lovers or love interests." Sarbie said. "Is there anyone you're thinking of making any gifts for this year?"

"Is it ok to make them for friends?"

"It is, though you'll want to clarify that it is a friend gift. You wouldn't want to give anyone the wrong idea."

"Speaking of the boys, I ought to follow them back home. I want to see how this whole haunted tower thing shakes out. If you get a chance, I'd love to host you as thanks after we set up the place. It would be fun to throw a ball for Echo."

"Perhaps I could swing by sometime. We'll have to bring Hoc, though. After tonight, I'd be surprised he doesn't set up camp outside the towers. He's always been fascinated with stories of military orders. Ageneon outlawed them after the war. The church or the army are the only options for someone who wants that kind of attention."

"Alright, we'll make it happen as soon as we can. It would be nice to make some friends in the city."