A corner booth in the tavern. Alrisiel, an unemployed cleric of Hod-hera was sitting with Grokwud, a giant spellsworder. A massive warhammer was leaning against the booth, as was Alrisiel's cleric's staff with circular motifs of Hod-hera's two symbols: healing herbs and hearths / fireplaces.
"Grokwud has never heard of clerics for job. Teef yes, warrior - yah. Even ranger, mage or tribal mans. Cleric has tribe already, working for God yes?"
"They sent me a notice, written on purple vellum. It said: Alrisiel Carefore, 2nd sphere Cleric of Hod-hera. Notice of termination of employment, pursuant to City Charter 16 - Bankruptcy of Religious Organization."
"Lots Clerics then, to be found, why should Grokwud hire you?" he said, leaning against his warhammer.
A late arrival spoke up: "Most other Clerics are starting their own all-cleric groups. I was over at Holy Hops and every cleric in town was taking up the tables. Clerics of Aph-Evril, Urrem-Mortem and Damar-Herm were definitely forming up new charters."
It was dual-sword wielding man of war Dirk Gadron. Human, wearing a feathered cap. He removed it.
"Milady Alrisiel of Hod-hera, the Redguard Auxilliary Company would love to have your services. I told Grokwud here to keep the drifters out, and he got a little enthusiastic."
"Grokwud will zap you, you watch out sword-boy."
"Ha Ha, oh Grokwud you slay me. Anyway, come on Alrisiel, come see our company hall!"'
"Grokwud thinks hall is just room in tavern."
The giant lead them on into an adjoining room, where there were three rows of benches around a central dais.
"Who else is in the Redguard?" Alrisiel asked. She sat down on one of the benches
"We're here!" cackled a high pitched, but clearly male, voice.
"Ah, the Gnome in question," Dirk laughed, "and our favorite bardess."
The gnome was wearing spike studded pauldrons, light chainmail and two daggers sheathed at his sides.
The other arrival was a dark elf playing a haunting melody on her flute. It was dissonant, odd, not like Alrisiel's experience of the Church's musicians.
"Kneegash Bop at your service, milady," the gnome said. "And this lady is Nuhoksa del Graven-Cinder."
The dark elf placed her flute in the exquisite case attached to her pack, and acknowledged their greeting with two fingers.
"So Redguard has a dual-wielding fighter, dual wielding gnomish berserker, spellsword and bardess? And now me? No archer or conventional wizard or sorcerer. No rogue?"
Dirk smiled, "Redguard is known as a strong bunch of front line fighters. Nuhoksa wields a wicked Ilyuvan bow, plucks it's strings with mastery. With you in the mix, we'll be a versatile crew. Sure we're not going to take a job to weave through a trapped manor or a lockpicking guild job, but we'll find plenty of work."
"Grokwud say Huddle up."
"I'm in charge, Grok--- Huddle up Redguard Company!" Dirk said.
"We didn't find any more recruits," Kneegash said.
Nuhoksa shrugged.
"Better than last season's opening day," Dirk said. "I took the liberty of jotting down the Army's job board. Most of it is for larger Merc Companies. But I think there's a few we should consider."
"Killian's Killers is 50 strong now. That's not a Merc Company, that's an army!" Kneegash shouted.
"Shh, listen up!" Dirk answered. "Option #1: Patrol the Eastern Graveyards while the army holds funeral services for its fallen commander Marlon Kale. Stop any necromancers trying to reanimate in the graveyard, and destroy anyone or anything they manage to raise up."
"East Graves huge! Need many men. Not good."
Nuhoksa gestured 'thumbs down'.
"Com' mon," Dirk said. "Its 50, fifty, K. We've got a cleric now. What do you think Alrisiel?"
"I understand bards can use wide area debuffing magics through their enchantes. What kind of range do you have on that, Lady Graven-Cinder?"
"She prefers not to talk whenever possible, saves her voice. Call her Nuhoksa, and she's got a bit shy of 50 yards of range."
"And how big is the graveyard?" Alrisiel asked.
"Maybe 600 yards long by 200 yards deep," Dirk answered. "So what do you think?"
"We can do it. I'll bless your weapons, to make them more effective against the undead. We can set up a detection radius, and whatever debuffs Nuhoksa can lay down. The bardess and I can take up a central position, and you guys can roam and pounce on any threats that rise up. I've got Hod's healing magics to keep you going."
"The other job is escorting a merchant to Ale Bay. Its only paying 2.5 k and it would take us 6 days and leave us having to work our way back into the city after. We should really take this. What do you think?"
"It's early season. The dark companies will be very well stocked with the dark professions. But I guess, Kneegash can't resist a big monster bash. I'll do it!"
Nuhoksa was still and silent, and after an awkward moment nodded.
"The job's tomorrow. The funeral is at High-Noon but we need to be there by 10 I figure. Here's your inn tokens. Alrisiel, just talk to Earl, and he'll set you up with a room, that's what the token is for."
"I'll need a half hour with all of your weapons tommorrow to bless them. And Nuhoksa, I have to bless your arrows, so that'll take the longest," Alrisiel said. "Usually I work with Holy Hammers which I can quick recharge on. This will be dfiferent, unless you've had your weapons blessed before."
"We've never had a cleric. What cleric would have joined a Merc company before? With the church out of commission, I expect everyone to be hiring for all kinds of undead --- situations." Dirk said.
With that the group dispersed, each taking a inn token.
Alrisiel talked to Earl and got her room key, and went in to relax.
Dinner was still hours away. The whole dissolution of the Church organizational structure was still too new, and shocking. She took a long bath and then spent a half-hour praying to Hod-Hera while still in her bath robes.
There was a knock on the door. Alrisiel blushed, she didn't want to greet anyone in just a bathrobe. She cracked open the door.
It was a city official. Something with taxes or the charter division.
"Alrisiel Carefore?" asked the official.
"Yes," she said, awkwardly, opening the door the rest of the way.
"2nd Sphere Cleric of Hod-Hera?" he asked.
"Yes."
The man in gold lined uniform took out a pouch from his satchel, opening it up, and starting at it, before nodding. He turned back to her.
"As a 2nd sphere cleric of the Church of San-Clare-Osco, defunct, you are entitled to compensation for lost seniority and retirement investiture."
He handed over the small pouch which jingled as it moved.
Alrisiel took the pouch, and briefly looked into it. It was filled with gold coins. The region's currency was based on coppers, bronze, silver and gold coins. These gold coins were worth 1000 credits each.
The official made his exit immediately, and she closed the door, placing the pouch of coins on the small bed while she got dressed.
She had a dozen similar Cleric outfits back at the church, but all of them but the one she had been wearing when she got the bankruptcy notice were considered assets of the church, and were liquidated as part of the proceedings.
So she had no option but to put back on the same outfit she had worn earlier. It was a white blouse with Hod-Hera symbols embossed, a pale blue skirt and a cloth sash which marked her as a 2nd sphere cleric with its two tassels wrapped in black leather cords.
She put the Hod-heran focusing amulet back around her neck. The amulet itself was white in parts, but mirror-like on four of the cubic faces. The necklace that bore it was delicate silver woven in small chain loops.
Her boots were well-polished, black and only went up to a bit above her ankle.
Her hair was golden and curly. She tied it back in a pony tail.
She eyed the pouch of coins. Must be at least 40k. There was actually a note inside, she didn't get a chance to unfold and read it though.
Another knock knock knock sounded on her inn room door.
"Alri," the gnome Kneegash shouted, as she opened the door. "Can I call you Alri?"
"Only if I can call you Knee," Alrisiel said dryly.
"Call me Gash, Alri. Hoksa and I are going to practice our skills at the training range. Wanna come/?"
She shrugged, and then turned, grabbing her staff and proceeded to follow them.
The "training range" was just down to the street from the tavern / inn.
Past a 24-hour Adventu-Bite, fast food joint, and past the Hammer and Blunt Weapons Emporium.
The sidewalk was full of every type of adventurer in every type of garb. They were all shopping or out and about for some reason.
Every type of vaguely or supposedly heroic adventurer that was. The dark professions had their own shopping and tavern districts on the other side of the city.
Thieves with a heart of gold, berserkers with a pint-sized pun-ferocity, and also clerics, paladins, rangers, warriors and wizards.
The training yard was packed full as well, but there were hundreds of dummies, and plenty of targets and other training equipment.
"We'll find an area with dummies and bullseyes," 'Gash said, mostly talking to Nuhoksa.
They walked through the huge building, and after several false starts, they found an area in the corner of the first floor.
"I can't use a lot of my spells in training. Orbs in particular," Alrisiel said.
Kneegash started attacking his training dummy from every angle, with acrobatic leaps and manuevers to move around the dummy and attack if from every angle. She almost thought the gnome was going to crash into her as she whaled on her dummy with her staff.
Nuhoksa took the training at a more leisurely pace, slowly drawing an arrow from her black quiver. The arrow seemed very long and barbed on the end. Her bow was no where to be found until it shimmered into existence, and she pulled back its string, nocking the arrow in place.
Alri stopped and watched the Dark Elf hold the bow with arrow taut for a long pause, following the arrow in flight as it embedded into the bullseye.
She focused back on her own dummy, casting the simple Centering spell with intention and a slight motion of her staff. Now she wouldn't be distracted by the wild gnome.
Fighting with staves allowed for extensive parrying and striking with both ends of the staff. The top of her stave was crowned with the enchantment sigils that give it magical power for use with spells.
There were a few spells she could cast without the staff, but mostly she was out of luck without it.
She focused on her footwork and parried blows that obviously didn't come from the dummy.
Small blades like what the gnome used were a lot harder to deal with, whereas she was quite adept at defending against two-hand swords and large blunt weapons with her staff.
After a while she stopped sparring with the dummy, noticing the wooden dummy was dented and scuffed up in many places where she commonly struck.
Gash and Hoksa were watching her curiously.
"I always figured it was the Hammer wielding ones to watch out for," Gash said. Hoksa nodded
"Most of my spells are either healing, blesses,.buffs or orbs. As long as no one needs any of that, I let my orbs do their work and switch to my stave," she said.
"When you say orb..." Gash asked.
"It's like a buffered attack spell. Its an orb of Holy fire, or Holy water that hovers above, and when it spots vileness it will use up that stored up power to attack whatever triggered it.
"If we had a thief in the company, I would worry about my orbs triggering on them, its not specifically targeted at my enemy. More like the Goddess it inhabiting the orb and deciding who and when to strike."
"Wowsa. Well, you are a cleric of wonders and surprises. I've got a few flying daggers that will attack my enemies and protect me. Hoksa has a lot of clever tools though."
"Well, let's get back," Alri said.
Hoksa nodded, and lead them through the human (elven, gnomish, giant) wave of adventurers.
The street was utterly empty. That is, empty of sentients. Things were on fire, Zombies were shambling around, and spells were flying around, but people were concealed.
"Back inside, we need to gather up everyone!" Gash shouted.
Hoksa started to sing.
Fight, fight, fight.
My friends, join our cause,
The vile ones come again,
As they have been,
Fight, fight, fight
Gather your courage,
Gather your friends,
Rally the banners,
Purify the hearts,
Bring forth righteous fury,
Upon this wicked night.
Alrisiel was transfixed by Nuhoksa's song. She hadn't said a word until she started singing.
People everywhere swarmed to her. Company leaders started to shout and talk with the others, and put together a plan.
Gash finally told her, "We'll be going out in the middle. There's some durable groups going out first, and then the bulk will get out there. If you can start blessing our weapons, that'd be great."
Alrisiel waved her staff carefully in the crowded hallway, focusing on Gash's first dagger.
Others started to charge out there. She worked on Gash's second dagger.
"I'll only have time to bless a few of your arrows, Nuhoksa," she said.
The dark elf handed three silver tipped arrows to her, drawing them out of the quiver with a long pull. They were each easily three feet long.
She focused on each one, handing them back after several minutes.
Slash and gnash and bash and crash,
Blitz and kick and bite and dash,
Hold back your mercy,
Release your hound,
Unleash the battle cry,
Plunge the blade down.
While Hoksa's war chant was going on, Alrisiel took a moment to perceive the undead that were outside. She couldn't use her orbs yet, but she could stun a half dozen of the mindless sorts for a few minutes.
"Now!" Gash shouted.
They ran out with a crowd of others, into the street where necromancers and sorcerers, evil rogues and other evil sorts were now fighting the heroes.
Alrisiel focused on her orb spells, triple-casting Orb of Holy Fire, and casting Orb of Holy Water once.
The orbs started to strike after the targeting period, which was only five seconds because of the undead around.
She saved the rest of her mana for healing and resurrection spells.
Kneegash had spotted a rogue trying to sneak attack someone, and the two of them were caught in a tango of daggers.
Nuhoksa was using her magical shouts to disrupt dark mages, while firing her bow at strategic targets.
Several of the buildings nearby were on fire.
She heard someone shout, "The inn's on fire!"
Alrisiel healed Hoksa from a gouge inflicted by a Tribal Barbarian, stepping into the fray, and smashing her staff at the barb.
It was a whir of staff and healing spell, and fighting music and no undead minions. Those who went before them must have swept the undead from the fray.
"Gash! Protect me!" she shouted, as she came to a dead woman's body.
"This seems like a bad idea," he said, but he threatened several attackers with quick dagger movements.
Alrisiel focused only on Hod-Hera.
"Do not let your enemy, oh Goddess, tear away life from those who protect your hearth. Let life ring out, let death be defeated. Jan-sara-kei, la so do marick Ludop Ra Sectum har Var Lasiter Medra Cell dran! Dimos! Dimos! Let your champion show your favor, so it may be revealed to the world, the name of Hod-Hera, protector of hearth, healer of all! Rise in the light of new Hope -- Eora Samarkin."
The Goddess revealed the woman's name for her as she asked for it.
As the woman coughed, Alrisiel's focus returned to the battle, and Gash, who was dashing from place to place in the circle around her and Eora. He was cutting, dodging, throwing sharpened stones, leaping, growling and winning, inexplicable against a torrent of bigger, meaner looking foes.
Eora picked up the wand that was beside her, and raised up off the ground, swirling the wand in a circle around them.
A great torrent of fire blasted in every direction away from them, inflicting grievous wounds on many of their foes.
Gash fell backward and Alrisiel caught him. He had a vacant expression on his face.
"His berserk is over," Eora said. "Now its our turn to protect him."
The Dark professions had an advantage in surprise, ferocity and willingness to abandon any scruples to get a win.
But they had a resilience in the face of danger, making many of the big scraps between the two groups all about time. The Dark folk needed to cause grievous harm before too long, and the Light folk needed to hold on, until their greater durability, persistence and mana would enable them to win the day.
The Dark Folk started to fall apart after Gash's stunt. The fighting continued at a fierce pace for a little while, but then their attackers began to flee.
The fighting had pushed Hoksa quite some distance from them.
"That was a near perfect resurrection. I had quite a lot of mana," Eora said.
The quality of your resurrection depending on your magical skill, but also your pure heartedness and skill in communicating with Hod-Hera. Clerics of other Gods would talk to theirs in a different way that Alrisiel did with Hod-Hera.
"Usually I can manage half mana," Alrisiel said.
"Wow, second sphere, and I'm sure you restored 80-90% of mine. That spell is a one use affect before I'm out of juice."
"What else do we need to do now?" Alrisiel asked.
"The rangers and sneaks will pursue and hunt down whomever they can. Help with the fire fighting."
It was late when she laid her head down in one of the temporary tents that had been set up while the inn was repaired.
She had been casting Orb of Holy Water near the fires until her mana ran out, and then waiting to recover mana, casting it again, and so on. And coughing at the smoke.
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