"To punish a Heretic is a tiresome affair, what used to be simple in the Olden Days from before the Revolt of Warmaster Augurious now is a complicated, time-consuming affair for parties both Divine and Mortal in nature, a total revision from top to bottom by All-Father and his confidants, even asking for help from his fellows that lie beyond our very reality, As Priests of His Faith this primer and the subsequent Books will show you Initiate how to navigate this complex pathway of Punishment, for the life of the cloth is also one with its less than glamourous side..."
Heretics and the Divine Law, a Primer for Beginners and Initiates 4th Volume.
Raffa Ironheart stalked the newly built residence for her little anti-divine faction, even deep underground, and with plenty of magick sigils to ward off the elements she felt a cold chill creep up her spine.
"The Wastes are not for the weak of constitution indeed" She smiled as her people got their bearings, it had taken too long but she had done it, in this isolated corner of the world she and her people would be free, and hopefully their masked savior would send more wayward souls to them.
"Someone High up with Lucrezia and her Duchy no doubt" she spoke to herself as the others nodded, together with the Pillars pilfered from Uumaries' now abandoned cathedrals, and an Impressive Teleportation Station they could move between the capital and their sanctuary with calm minds and hearts.
"My Lady, Ill tidings from the south..." Raffa stopped her daydreaming and crouched down, ready for work as always.
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"You think they did it?" Tomoe asked Hvtial as she kissed the dragonkin shortly after getting ready for class "I just saw Richard walking down the corridor and he looked like the happiest man alive"
He walked a bit forward, but saw a deserted corridor, noises all around as people went on their morning rituals or got ready for their classes "We aren't teenagers anymore Tomoe, we can just ask him you know?" Hvtial poked her in the cheeks as she puffed up.
"Darling, I love you and would fight against an army of a thousand men for you, but sometimes you just are thick as dragon's hide and dumber than a rock" Rose spoke up, her fancy dress flowing as she walked, kissed Tomoe and Hvtial "You can't just ask a man a question like that, it's a sacred thing!" Rose spoke as both women started dragging Hvtial to Class.
"Of course, you can just ask Rose, we are comrades in arms! he won't mind, it's the code you know?" Hvtial shot back, faking outrage over being called dumb and thick "Surely you the great Heir of House Castellon is aware of it?" the smirk ill fitted his usually stoic and serious face but for once the Dragonkin let himself go.
Silence descended upon the trio as Rose narrowed her eyes, a standoff without words ensured as the lovers watched each other with silence that would make the dead green with envy.
"Damn you Hav" Rose spoke putting her hands up.
"Suppose we can just ask him later, seems Lucrezia won't be coming to class today" Tomoe spoke as she watched for signs of the cold beauty, finding none as the trio shrugged and walked into class.
Finding their seats, the trio saw that Richard was unusually sleepy for the morning class, Rose smiled at the scene as the Professor went on about the magical properties of Healing, from mending broken bones to more specialized treatment such as the flame sac dragonkin had beneath their throats.
"Nasty things can get infected all the time if you don't take proper care" Hvtial spoke to his beloved "Mother would often subject me to the most horrible herb mixes there was" to which the Professor honed on them and had the young man explain parts of his physiology.
Not missing a beat, He hopped to the many students around the class, as each told (or showed since some had skills in the Healing Arts) the many unique ailments and treatments they learned, be it via more unorthodox means, or the more mainstream ones.
"Impressive stuff as always" Tomoe spoke as the class went on "I hope our daughter is skilled in the arts of healing myself, someone to aid us with our weary bones once we get older" The girl had a smile on her face as she imagined the scene, Rose sighed "I want a Warrior-Queen! no daisy-picking peace-loving healer" to which Hvtial responded "Vermilion War Doctrine enforces a strict and rigorous training regimen to their Healing Corps, Especially the Knights and War Clerics, Ask the Grannarians about it, they held lines even the Royal Knights thought to be lost in the war.
"Besides, I want a Boy" The Dragonkin smiled as his cheeks flushed red "He shall be free to choose his path in life of course" The lovebirds went on about their would-be heirs as the class moved on around them, with the Professor and Students doing mostly magical presentations of the Healing Magicks.
As the class died down and closed on a good note, people started filling out the room, ready for their food at the cafeteria, of course, some were now having lunch in other places of the Academy, due to a certain incident that happened but most still went there for their food.
Catching up with Richard, the trio formed up around him as the young man greeted them with a tired but happy expression on his face "Friends, good to see you lot hale of health and spirit" he laughed "Forgive my mood today, for I am mighty tired"
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Rose smirked "Aye Chief, we can tell that much" Tomoe laughed and Hvtial patted him on the back "Seems the Duchess wore you out like a meat puppet, surprised you aren't bowlegged, that's a common thing whenever Saal'Xhir people have their way" Rose spoke as they walked towards a table.
"Hey, keep this on the down low, no need to kick up the rumor mill yet," Hvtial said and Rose waved him off, getting a table was easy as the 3 of them left Tomoe to guard it and went to grab food, that done Tomoe herself grabbed a plate and the crew was finally gathered.
"Right, spill you, bastard, how was it?" Rose whispered with a conspiratory tone, Tomoe laughed as her cheeks flushed red as all 4 hunched and began to whisper amongst themselves.
"Gods above woman, are you a Saal'Xhirian priestess now?" Richard laughed "Yes it was godsdamned great, if a little scary" The girls looked at each other with puzzlement "What do you mean scary?" Tomoe asked.
Richard gestures towards himself "Well it's plain to see I was put through the metaphorical grinder here at least on the physical level, but there was something more I felt, now my Necromancy and Soul-based magic skills are low but..." Richard was grasping for words as he snapped his fingers.
"Ah, The blessing" Rose pointed her fingers "Of course why did I not realize that bloody hell I am dumb" The other two looked at her, questions plain to see upon their faces, Hvtial grunted as he spoke "You mean to say Saa'Xhir's blessing did something to him?"
"Very uncommon event yes, Saal'Xhir High Priestesses will abstain themselves from the pleasures of the flesh for months, some cases even decades to develop a sort of, what was the word for it again, ah! a cascade event!" Rose made a hand gesture "It empowers them, and their offspring, granting a huge amount of both divine energy to their goddess and mana to the mortal who is born out of this event"
The group went silent after the explanation, staring at her with blank stares "What? I am a godsdamned noble, I ought to know stuff like this, having children and ensuring a proper bloodline is something my family prides itself I will have you know!" Rose felt the need to defend her name in this as smiles broke out from her friends.
"Note that down, "Rose gets flustered when the topic of family comes up" and that her kids will be healthy as a Dire Horse from the north" Richard spoke with a faux commandeering tone.
"Those are big godsdamned horses Richard" Tomoe spoke with admiration in her voice "Ahem we got sidetracked from your nightly escapades, we can assume then our Lady Duchess likes to play rough" The young woman smiled as the others exchanged banter among themselves, it was a cozy if cramped feeling given the group was hunched and whispering to each other, but still cozy.
"Yeah she had me choking her once, crazy" Richard whispered as he recalled the sexual gauntlet he was put through, Hvtial smirking as the regular kinks of high society were spoken, then showing a face full of puzzlement as Richard kept talking.
"What do you mean she had you pinned down, that's not how this whole thing works Richard" Tomoe spoke " There's a power dynamic between who's taking and who's giving..." to which Rose could only laugh.
"I don't even wanna think about when you add Vivienne into the mix, or Gods forbid the Prince and Hope" Rose spoke as Richard finished his retelling, the group having their fill out of the very juicy gossip only they were privy to.
"Not much to do on that front, love does make you do crazy things after all" He smiled at the idea of it all "Of course it will be very complicated explaining this to the Kids in the future but still..." Richard explained as he cast his gaze into the far-off distance.
"You can't bring out Kids after all this lewd talk Richard, Gods" Tomoe shook her head "But then again..." she trailed off as Rose pinched her arm "Don't worry your pretty head about it, we already have the ritual booked for next year, courtesy of a certain someone" she winked to Richard "It's going to be alright"
Hvtial hugged Tomoe as the girl melted in his arms, it was a very wholesome scene for those who saw it, alas the whole cafeteria was a mess of noise and activity and so only a very few witnessed it.
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"No? The sea elves are moving again and you dare to say no? need I remind you who's my boyfriend? who's got a blessing from your father of the greater variety AND has the rage on her at the max capacity?" Lucrezia paced around her throne room, or better a facsimile of it as she was still in Vermilions Capital.
"You dare use them to force this? you have two war blessings, surely you are well aware of the long-term consequences if I even approve of this development!" An Austure Elven man spoke to her, yet his voice was not his own as the Goddess of War Morugarius projected her woes to Lucrezia, the Goddess was at the end of her wits here after all.
"Yes, surely this is about the arms race, not me putting your woman into the lower ends of the Divines and blowing up her cathedrals, Let's go with that narrative then" Lucrezia whipped back, getting tired of this Facade.
Morugarius was meant to be reasonable, she blessed the bleeding nation after all! their ancient evil enemy was quite literally knocking on their doorstep and still, every time Lucrezia went through with her WMD she had to deal with the Goddess stonewalling her at a Divine Bureaucracy level.
Both women stared each other down for a solid minute, silence so thick one could taste it in the air "The War will Happen" Morugarius spoke in such a queer way that Lucrezia was taken back, until her knowledge from the game kicked into gear.
"You spoke with Gwennarius" she pointed "The war is a fulcrum in the River of Time, even if I do use my Weapons" She paced around again, of course, her plans for the future would be thwarted by that annoying Goddess!
"Do you know how many will die? the devastation will..." Lucrezia caught herself before finishing the sentence "Of course you do, The Long Queue will take its due one way or another" Bitterness eradicated from her words as she finished and sat down on her fake throne.
"Fine then" Lucrezia spat out "No Nukes but the Space Station will have Kinetic weaponry and capabilities to fast deploy troops" she snarled as the Goddess left the Elf's body, the priest snapping back to reality with a weary sigh.
"Forgive me Fendur, it seems your Goddess is not happy with me again, if you require anything be sure to talk with my maid" Lucrezia spoke to the man and he waved her off, ever the stoic that one.
"Worry not Daughter of the North, but I thank you for your hospitality and generosity, even if at odds with My Lady, as always should you require me do not hesitate to call" and with that he went off, the illusion of Lucrezia's throne room dismantling as her room was made manifest into reality again.
"Saa, get Richard here I wanna decompress for the next 5 hours" she bellowed out and her maid snickered "You will literally kill him if this keeps up Lucrezia!"
Lucrezia waved her maid off "She won't let him die"