Back in the city of Jaskar, Clay felt relieved. The network of tunnels had been a dark maze in his journey away from the gruesome scene of his encounter with the dwarves of the Black Bishop gang. Clay was no closer to ending things with Hamor than he had been when he'd left the city for Kad.

Only now, blood had been spilled.

He figured it wouldn't be safe to return to the hunter's guild until his business with the dwarves was finished. Perhaps, leaving Jaskar was his best course of action at this point. He didn't know.

Consulting his map of the city, Clay attempted to decide where he would go next. Perhaps the magister's guild. There was a treasure trove of information collected in the guild hall.

But, he wasn't sure whether or not the dwarves had tracked him to the guild previously.

On the map, he saw the courtyard of Amri outlined. He still hadn't learned anything about the goddess of the first flame.

He'd decided. He would go to the court of Amri.

The streets of Jaskar seemed hostile as Clay navigated his path. Every pedestrian who walked out into the street seemed to be a threat to Clay's eyes.

But, Clay reminded himself, the drow were no friends to the dwarf gangs that populated the underworld of Jaskar. The tall figures that wandered past the golem showed no interest in his business. They hurried by, seeking the comforting shelter of the buildings that lined the dimly lit streets.

The streets weren't entirely clear of dwarf activity. The occasional short figure of a dwarf walking out into the streets caused the tense golem to tighten his grip on the sword that hung at his waist. But, each time such an encounter took place, the dwarf carried on its way.

The illumination of the street began to grow brighter as he approached the courtyard. The purple lightstone grew more abundant in the lining of the buildings and streets. The ambient light chased away the shadows that seemed desperate to escape.

From around a corner, an orange light shined warmly on the street. Rounding the corner, Clay felt this familiar glow encompass him. He basked in the warmth of Amri's bonfire.

The chanting of the goddess's acolytes seemed to strengthen the warm light as it warred with the encroaching shadows. The white-robed figures lined the courtyard, paying no mind to the newcomer as they carried on with their prayer.

Approaching the congregation, Clay felt eyes on him. Scanning the acolytes, he saw that none of them were interested in what he was doing. Nonetheless, he felt the penetrating gaze upon him.

His eyes were drawn to the large bonfire in the center of the courtyard. He thought of the dancing figure from his previous visit. Would she show herself again?

Clay looked deeply into the flames, hoping to see the goddess. But, she was elusive.

Walking amongst the white-robed individuals, the golem found himself wondering why he had come. Had he just hoped to see the feminine flame once more?

"Welcome."

Distracted by the rolling flames as they licked upwards into the air, he didn't notice the man's approach.

Standing by the golem's side a human male stood politely, his hands clasped at his waist.

"Hello," Clay responded. His eyes were drawn back to the fire.

The man noticed Clay's interest and joined him in gazing into the flames. "Beautiful, isn't she?"

At the mention of the goddess, Clay found himself searching the flames for the dancing form.

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"Where?" He whispered.

"Before you." The man stated. "She is the fire itself."

The golem gazed at the bonfire from one end to the other. He suddenly realized there was no fuel for the fire. Nothing was consumed by the flames, and no smoke rose from the inferno.

Clay became increasingly conscious of the chanting of the acolytes that tended the fire. The flames almost seemed to pulse in resonance with the prayer.

"Who is she?" Clay asked. His voice subdued.

The man looked at the golem and said, "She is the goddess Amri. Her flame has burned since the dawn of creation."

A content smile spread across the man's face. "It was with her that the Creator forged the world in its infancy. She is the mother of creation."

Clay found himself surprised by the man's words. Marcel had told him that the elder races had claimed to be gods and waged war on the creator.

"And..." Clay hesitated, "The Calamity?"

The smile fell from the man's lips. Taking a deep breath the acolyte collected his thoughts.

"Yes, the Calamity. The goddess was not among those that rebelled against the creator."

With some effort, the man's smile returned.

"Among the creator's first works, he created the elder races. Among them, he created the jinn. The jinn were fire-made flesh. The first jinn were formed as pairs. The goddess Amri was formed with her mate..." The man's smile faltered.

"Together with Amri and her mate, the creator forged the primordial world. In the first days of creation, the darkness was banished from the world. But, as the creator continued his labors, Amri's mate grew jealous. As his races proliferated across the world, his flame corrupted. He led the jinn in rebellion against the creator's works."

The chanting of the acolytes grew somber as the man continued his story. The flames seemed almost sad.

"But, Amri stayed faithful to the creator. She did not join her brethren and mate. She held to the Creator's will as her kin joined the wars of the Calamity."

Clay could feel the changes in the court as the man recalled the ancient story. The flames once more defiantly licked up into the shadows that pervaded this world.

"As her mate consumed the flesh of his victims, his flame became ever more corrupt. While Amri remained pure to her purpose, her mate changed. No longer did his flame bring light. It now brings darkness."

The chanting of Amri's attendants built-in strength to match the defiant flames.

"To end the Calamity, the creator forged the firmament. To achieve this feat he came to his truest companion, the goddess of the first flame." The man's voice was filled with pride as he recounted her role in the Calamity.

"But, it came at a cost. With the establishment of the firmament, the creator banished all life into exile. There was no distinction made between those who rebelled and those who remained faithful."

Clay felt the grief of the man's words. The flames seemed somber in the recollection. A figure showed through the flames, but it had ceased to dance as it weaved through the inferno.

"We, the younger races, were divided among the separate worlds. The armies of the gods were shattered, each remnant trapped on the plane it was banished to. Only the elder races have the power to travel between the realms. But, without their armies, they would not dare to face the Creator. The goddess could leave to pursue the Creator across the realms, but she chooses to remain here to fulfill the task He assigned to her in the beginning. To illuminate the darkness and chase away the shadows."

The feminine character in the flames began, once more, her dance. Clay attempted to keep up, but the figure disappeared from his sight.

The man stood at Clay's side as they both gazed into the roiling fire.

All around them, the acolytes carried on with their prayer. The shadows seemed all the more afraid of the light for the telling of the story.

"Thank you," Clay said, appreciative of the story behind the goddess.

He recalled the tome on necromancy that he had read. It said that the flames of jinn were necessary for the baking of a special golem. He wondered if he had encountered a jinn when he had fallen through the vent in the firmament.

Turning from the bonfire, Clay began to depart from the gathering of Amri's disciples. The man bowed before the golem's departing form.

"May the goddess light your way."

Clay thought about the man's words. She already had.

With a final nod of his head to the man, Clay left the warmth of Amri's courtyard.

Away from the light of the goddess's flame, the streets of Jaskar City were dim and gloomy. The lightstone that lined the surrounding buildings and the caged fire that dotted the intersections paled in comparison to the brilliance of Amri's bonfire.

But, the shadows did flee at the advance of the lights.

The golem wandered through the urban environment, uncertain of his next course of action. The hunter's guild was off the table, the dwarves had already tracked him to his residence there. But, he needed more money if he was to upgrade his equipment. And, he didn't know how else to earn a wage in this drow-run city.

Out of ideas for where to turn in his wanderings, Clay decided to risk returning to the magister's guild.

A brief consultation of his map put him on the path to the guild hall.

He was finding himself ever more comfortable with navigating through the streets of Jaskar. The darkness that penetrated the city was no longer the oppressive haze it had been when he'd first come to the city. He knew that he owed Amri his gratitude for that.