Aris looked about to the five other doors that they had yet to open, and the rooms beyond that they had to explore. "We'll clear this floor, then move upwards to the roof. Let's stay together, just in case."

The remaining five rooms on the first floor were of little interest. A storage closet full of what was once cleaning supplies tucked next to a pair of bathrooms with shower stalls. Two dorm rooms with bunk beds. A communal kitchen, its hearth long cold. A common eating space, with an intact trestle table and two benches. All in all, the living spaces of low-ranking acolytes or servants. There were no more bodies, living, dead, or undead. Indeed there was no evidence of occupation for quite some time. the way the dressers were left open and the beds unmade indicated a rapid departure by whatever occupants had once lived in the dorms.

The party proceed up the central staircase to the second floor. They emerged into a dining room that was perhaps elegant in its heyday. Two long tables were covered with the tattered scraps of tablecloths, and a third along the curved wall was stained with fat and blood from being used as a carving table and scorched by over-heated warming dishes. Of the four doors leading off of the central room, one led to another kitchen. Much larger than the one on the first floor, this one was obviously intended to serve the main dining hall at capacity when needed. A second door led to a set of bathrooms, while the third led to a sitting room with the scraps of two overstuffed chairs long inhabited by mice and an empty bookshelf. The fourth led to a small facilities area, including a ladder locked behind a gate in a protrusion beyond the outer wall of the Old Temple. Talae easily broke the lock and looked up the ladder.

"Looks like it goes to the roof, probably to patch leaks and the like. Let's clear the inside of this place first, and then check it out on our way back down."

The central stair let out onto a small circular alcove on the third floor. Two of the four exits led into lavish bathrooms with individual showers. The third lead to a store room with some barrels and storage space for cleaning supplies and other odds and ends. The fourth led into the shrine itself. Two abbreviated rows of pews flanked the walls before the altar, and the shattered frames of two stained-glass windows allowed sunlight to flood into the room. Little Bird immediately set about searching the room and the altar, but sighed and abandoned her search after only a short time.

"This isn't the source of the unhallowed nature of this place. There is no idol or other icon of faith to act as the focus for such an enchantment, only the rotted remains of a book of scripture. No way to know which god or goddess either, the title and cover is too ruined for that. I could use this place to try and consecrate this Temple in the name of Kuko, but I'd want to fix the windows first, at least. Plus break or unmake whatever is actually the source of the unhallowing."

Aris nodded. "upwards once more then, before we double back and check the roof."

The central stair ended at the fourth and final floor, emerging into the center of the remains of an elegant common room. A fireplace was tucked into one corner, the remains of a set of gaming tables were stacked in another. Dragonchess pieces were scattered about the floor, the white ivory ones now yellowed with age, and the ebony wood of the black pieces little more than piles of rot. Two of the three doors lead into to elegant bed chambers, complete with the moldy remains of canopy beds, ornately carved bedside tables, and empty dressers. The third bed chamber was much the same, but for a single disturbing addition. In the center of the bed was a complete skeleton in repose. A golden, gilded collar was set about its neck, and a matching shackle leashed one of its ankles to a bedpost, leaving just enough slack for the bound person to walk about the room, but not to leave it.

Aflia immediately wretched her breakfast into a corner. "A tiefling, enslaved as a sex toy and left to starve when everyone else fled. Gods, what other atrocities will we find here..."

Aris held up a hand to the rest of the party, "Wait in the common room. We'll be along shortly."

Everyone else filed out quietly, leaving Aris and Aflia alone. Aflia continued to wretch, tears pouring down her face. "What more hope do I have then she ever did? Chained by duty and scorn, shamed into acting a role not of our own choosing."

Aris reached out a tentative hand, resting it on Aflia's shoulder. "You have what choices you chose to make."

"And what do you mean by that meaningless drivel?"

"Are you going to let the label of tiefling be a dagger in your heart, or are you going to claim it for yourself, make it a part of who you are? Wear it as a piece of your armor, that others cannot turn it against you?"

"Wha... sniffle what do you want me to do?"

"What I want doesn't really matter, does it? What matters is what you decide to do."

"You.. hic You said a part of my armor. What else do I have? What else am I?"

"Oh, I don't know, a self-taught dragon-blooded sorceress? Did you ever look into what that might mean for you, besides a few scales?"

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"No... Not really..."

"Well then, when we get out of here, why don't you do that?"

"Heh... Is that a request?"

"No, only advice from one friend to another."

"I think I might do that then..."

Aris took his hand back. "Once we check the roof, we'll be more than halfway done with this place. Think you can keep going? Or should we call it quits?"

Aflia smacked Aris on the shoulder, "I'm game if you are friend. And once we are done here, I'm going to hold you to your offer of a place to live. Shallahai can keep her damn title."

The party regrouped in the common room, and headed down the stairs to the second floor. form there, they filed up the ladder one by one. The roof proved to be flat, circled by a shallow lip to collect rain pierced by gutters to drain it away. Chimneys from the fireplaces below poked through around the edges. In the center of the space was a circular raised area, free of all protrusions, clearly intended for some sort of ritual. Four low mounds rested in the center of the area. The smallest in the center looked like a small pile of ashes, while the other three, ringed about it in a triangle, were neatly stacked sets of yellowed bones surmounted by inhuman, serpentine skulls the size of a man's torso. Nothing moved until lady Ussi approached closer to examine the skulls.

Three ringing chimes rent the silence. The skulls rose upwards, the bones arranging themselves beneath into bodies. In a matter of frozen moments, three complete bodies rose above the circle. Each was seven foot high at the shoulder and rested on the coiled remains of serpentine tails. As they turned to face the party directly, more details became apparent. The one on the left had four arms, each ending in taloned hands. The one on the right had clattering skeletal serpents for hair. Laid flat, they stretched halfway down its back, but some of them curled up and moved of their own accord. The one in the middle spread its arms wide, followed by the bony remains of wings. green fire glowed in six skeletal eye sockets, and bony jaws clacked up and down.

Mul summoned her battleaxe, but rested the but on the ground in readyness, "The bones of Heralds, moving once more."

Lady Ussi stared upwards in awe, "I know these forms from the oldest carvings. Denedar, Merrsshulk, and Sslyeth. Divines of the Silithid Empire, before the Day of Reckoning at Alexandria."

Talae clenched her warmaul tighter, "are we running, or are we fighting? I don't think they can talk without tongues..."

The winged Herald held up one hand, as if asking for a moment. Silver-green energy gathered about its throat and jaws, cladding the bones in ghostly flesh. "An Unbound sstandss before uss brotherss, asking neither benediction nor condemnation. Ssuch hass not happened in many, many yearss. What are we to make of thiss?"

The serpent-haired Herald reached up to sooth the serpents coiling protectively about its throat, "perhapss we should assk it itss intentionss Sslyeth. After all, not all of our children follow uss ass a trinity any more."

The four-armed Herald crossed both sets of arms across its chest, "and it comess with a Sson of Ironbark at itss back. Perhaps it iss not a child of ourss at all Merrsshulk, but a bastard by-blow come to finissh what Ironbark and their ilk began sso long ago."

Sslyeth flexed his wings slowly, "I find mysself in agreement with Merrsshulk. What have you to ssay for yoursself little Unbound?"

Lady Ussi gulped and doubt made her voice waiver, "I... we... thought you dead, laid low with Alexandria. The Branded still claim to speak with your voices, but..."

Denedar uncrossed his four arms and brushed away an invisible fly from the air, "Thosse zealotss do not sspeak with Our Voicess, whatever they might claim. And I can ssee from how you sstand that you have broken with them, body and mind. Perhapss we have found a champion after all brotherss. It even carriess the fallen blade of one of our Guardianss."

Merrsshulk's hair uncoiled itself from about his throat, and he slouched lower, looking Lady Ussi in the eyes, "Hmm, perhapss. It hass a certain sstrength of sspirit and will. What ssay you, Sslyeth?"

Sslyeth flexed one wing, "I will agree, if the Unbound agreess ass well. It iss time that we sstarted to sseep back through the crackss, but I will not have any but a willing champion. We must not repeat the mistakess of Alexandria."

Lady Ussi drew a deep breath, doubt vanishing before certain purpose. "If it means that my people will live free of the tyranny of the Branded, then I agree."

Denedar nodded, "then sstep forward to sstand between uss, Unbound, and receive our blesssing that you may go forth ass our Champion."

Ussi the Unbound stepped forward to stand atop the pile of ashes between the three Heralds. Each in turn placed a skeletal hand atop her head. In one three-layered voice, they intoned an ancient right. "Witnesssed by the Blood of the Dragon, by the Voice of the Outssider, by the Flame in the Dark, by the Breeze in the Ssky, and by the Keeper of Lore we make thiss oath to you Ussi the Unbound: sso long ass you sstand by, for, and with the Light, We will sstand with you."

Lady Ussi spoke in turn, her voice echoing a power beyond the mortal ken, "By my actss, I will kindle the Light in otherss. With the sstrength of my armss, I will sshelter the Light from those who sseek to ssnuff it out. By the sstrength of my will, I will tend the Light in my ssoul. By the sstrength of my sspirit, I will be a beacon of Light that otherss might follow."

"Then on thiss day, in the ssight of thesse witnesssess, Ussi the Unbound iss no more. Risse, Lady Ussi of the Light, and go forth with our Blesssing."

There was a blinding glow of light. When it faded, the skeletal Heralds were no more then dust scattered on the wind.

----------------------------------------

Status Report:

Treasury: 10050

Income: +5 gold per day (semi-retired Agent of Althiem)

Equipment: In good condition.

Estates:

Ikin: Village, Fishing Docks

Trebor Convent: Under Construction

Four Empty Holdings (may be improved later)

One Old Temple (occupied by ???)

The Ring: obsidian band with one carbuncle gem and two empty settings.

Total Deaths: 1