[Nexus] Temples of Dalachrech I

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside Temple

"Terrowin's a busy man, and in another city entirely. I can send for him, or I can teleport him here directly. One will require payment. The other will not." Blagzrukel's still thinking about a suitable payment for the method that requires payment. Kail won't say yes to another child so soon after the last; it'll take a few years for her to forget exactly how unpleasant it was, and her soul's already destined for Dalachrech anyway.

[Halae]

[Riverside Temple]

"Just send for him. I can sleep while I wait," Kail says. Acanthops stirs a bit, grasping whatever he can. Which happens to be the bedding at the moment. Kail will pick him up and hold him close to her chest, smiling despite herself. Insect parts or not, to her, he was a cute baby.

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside Temple

"Very well. Oh, and since you likely won't enjoy breastfeeding him, I think blood will suffice. Not necessarily yours, but somebody's. There's Temple Slaves here, they'll do. Or you could go and buy your own for the purpose." Azurelle told her how to get into the slave market under Fallow's Furry & Feathered Friends.

[Halae]

[Riverside Temple]

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I think having my own slave would be nice, all things considered. Given you're the boy's father, is there anything specific you want in regards to his future? I'm deciding what'll happen to him, but you're a blood relation. You should at least get a say in the matter." Kail says. It seems she's starting to drift off a bit.

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside Temple

"I have sired eighteen half-mortal offspring before. Four became notorious for various reasons. None of my offspring have become a Paladin. I'd like Acanthops to do that. If he manages to join Chlorocypha, Antricola, Arawana and Hadogenes, then all the better." The best thing about scientific Latin is that quite often, especially in the field of entomology, the generic names are suitable for naming demons. Not that I have actually translated any of those; it doesn't particularly matter. Most of those four contain predatory species. The odd one out is a genus of parasitic mites.

[The Alexandrian]

[Old Hermitage - Eericka]

... ... ...

Percy lost his hand! His freakish hand! Percy's hand was chopped off and he asseverates that he himself is fine! That's madness! Outright folly!

Eericka gasps as she beholds the amputated body part! In a flash, she's attempting to guide Percy to his bunk, her hand perhaps grasping at his non-stump-arm as she does so.

"You aren't fine, Percival! You're wounded! You're missing a hand! You just rest there and don't move until I get back, okay?"

Eericka will attempt to physically persuade her patient to lie down on his bunk before dashing off to the kitchen for a minute despite any of Percy's protests. When she returns, she's panting as if she sprinted the distance to the kitchen and back. Probably because she did.

She'll crush some herbs and soak them in a cup of heated water, straining the water with a filter after she attempts to stitch Percy's hand back on. That filtering will occur next post once the herbs have been submerged for a couple of minutes.

"Dangit, Percival! I'm a doctor, not a seamstress! If one of your legs were to pop off, you shouldn't wait until you think I'm free to ask me to hem it like you might with leggings! It is a piece of you and so it is important to me!"

Eericka argues, attempting to set about practicing her needlework on Percy's arm! Again, thanks to her skill, Percy shouldn't feel a thing as Eericka sutures his hand back on.

There's no match for Eericka when it comes to surgical sutures. She could stitch slaves back into one piece all day at the emporium! Maybe not all day, but whenever there was a skirmish, her hands were full.

-------
[Underside Temple]

Sylvia is safe from teh nomz! Good! Better, at least. But still, ewww! Eating one's lovers isn't socially acceptable! Everyone hates a succubus and all that!

Sylvia supposes that the time on the surface and the time underground might not be in sync. Her body might've adjusted to a sleeping schedule that would be considered nocturnal up top!

But Sylvia's thoughts are elsewhere as Charynrae strokes her tail.

"You know what I mean..."

Sylvia reaches to pull the curtains!

[Earl of Purple]

Underside Temple

Eating one's lovers isn't socially acceptable for humans. Driders aren't human. In fact, they're part-spider sexist misanthropes for the most part. Eating one's lovers is merely a facet of one's personal life it is considered impolite to mention in company without the use of euphemisms.

"Oh, I have a vague idea." Charynrae will gladly assist in the pulling of the curtain.

[Halae]

[Riverside Temple]

"I'll make sure it happens then," Kail says, falling back into sleep. Despite the baby's stirring, the sound of his mother's heartbeat calms him back into slumber as well.

[Zefir]

Inside Temple

A few of the other parishioners turn and frown and shush at Tovpir. The sermon isn't finished yet, although it's close, and they'd like to hear all of it.

Inside Temple

The scorpion remains silent for the rest of the sermon . Still his attention was driven away by the vision. So it's obviously that he doesn't listen and won't notice when it is over.

[Murkus]

Old Hermitage - Eericka

Percy is startled by Eericka's boldness, and while making little protest, he looks at her with wide eyes once he's been laid down. "Eericka, really, I don't need any rest..." And then she's gone again. Mm. Percival allows himself a small smile, seeing how he's 'endeared' himself to Eericka. At least he won't have to worry about a knife slipping during an operation that could save his life someday.

He smiles at the quick work when she returns. "I was bit more worried about saving Elezibethele, at the time." The demonazi will permit her to work on his hand, sowing it back on and cleaning it. "You really are good at this, though. I know sowing a limb back on must not be typical..."

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside Temple

Blagzrukel smiles, attempts to pat his nineteenth half-mortal offspring on the head and telepathically lets Terrowin know that Kail is asking for him. Then, he leaves; there's a group of human-supremacists that have posted a message against half of Dalachrech's followers, and He wants somebody to investigate. Who better than a demon currently in human form?

Inside Temple

When it is over, Jorje, the human with compound eyes, returns to Tovpir. "What did you think of the sermon? Did it provide you with anything to think about?"

Also, unless I'm mistaken again, the sea of beetles at the beginning were a geographical feature, not an army.

[Halae]

[Riverside Temple]

By the time Terrowin arrives, Kail will have woken up, and will be letting Acanthops suck some blood out of her palm, similar to the way that Blagzrukel did it.

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside Temple

"Hello Kail. It's good to see you again." He smiles. "Before we start talking, Blagzrukel would like you to know that he may be busy for a while; Dalachrech has sent him on a mission. He has assured me that he will come back whenever he can."

[Halae]

[Riverside Temple]

Kail nods, "Thanks," she's smiling down at the baby, "Look... About the... Ugh, I don't know how to do this. I'm sorry I've been avoiding you; The pregnancy made me... very much irritable, and I was actually actively trying to keep away from you for that reason. But, well, you're still really handsome. And such. And you probably get the point already, so I'm going to stop rambling." During that little speech, a blush crept its way onto Kail's face.

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside Temple

"I know why you chose to sleep with him, don't worry. He's not, or wasn't, much to look at and I would not want to spend too much time in a bed with him, even if he were a her. Although, I thought you were going to be a man by now." Terrowin doesn't know the second deal made between Kail and Blagzrukel.

[Halae]

[Riverisde Temple]

Kail nods, "I chose to stay a woman, and got something else out of him. I couldn't deprive Acanthops here of his mother. I had to go through that as a child. I wasn't going to let it happen to someone else. I really should have seen it coming though, and I don't know why I didn't."

"... anyways, this raises another point. I'm still a woman, so I'm still attracted to men, if you'd be willing to, uh, do something with that, then I, uh, would be as well," Blushing. Much blushing. Kail isn't very good at this.

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside Temple

"Oh, I see. Well, you certainly are still beautiful, so I'd like to continue our relationship. Um, how asleep is Acanthops?" Terrowin has a small smile as he asks the question.

[Halae]

[Riverside Temple]

"Well, if I know anything about babies, the blood he just had will fill him right up, and make him sleep for at least a few hours. Why?" Connect the dots, Kail. Come on.

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside

"So, there's no possibility of waking him up should we decide to use the bed?" That's slightly less subtle. But that doesn't mean Kail will definitely twig.

[Halae]

[Riverside]

Kail lets out a laugh, "Terrowin, I gave birth less than twenty four hours ago, and it took a lot of healing to even keep me alive. I'm too tired and too sore for something like that. Later, I promise."

[Zefir]

Inside Temple

When it is over, Jorje, the human with compound eyes, returns to Tovpir. "What did you think of the sermon? Did it provide you with anything to think about?"

Also, unless I'm mistaken again, the sea of beetles at the beginning were a geographical feature, not an army.

Inside Temple

Missinterpretation I say. A sea full of flesh eating bugs could also be seen as an army I think. But don't worry Tovpir was a fighter for his whole life. So such things just need to be brought in the right direction.

The scorpion twitch, his tail and claws aimed at Jorje but stoping befor any harm can happen.

"I can't say that. In fact I didn't got all. It was like somthing dragged me away during this sermon."

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside

"Oh, I see. Later, then. Whilst I remember, please be careful. Somebody attacked the Hermitage, and Elezibethele has ordered her guards to pack up and leave. They're moving to a secondary location, and she won't tell me where until she's satisfied that the new Hermitage has been fully fortified and prepared to deal with another attack. The attackers desecrated the Temple and took most of the slaves with them. They also injured Elezibethele. Since then, somebody has put up a reward for captured members of the Middling and Orthodox Dalachrechian clergy; that includes everybody in this Temple and the followers of Elezibethele. They didn't know about the Chthonic Dalachrechians, otherwise I suspect Charynrae's temple would also be at risk. The motive behind it seems to be to rescue slaves and prevent sapient sacrifices, something I don't practice in my Temple as I need to keep Remnant happy. The Order of the Centipede, the paladins, are affected because they are tasked to defend all of Dalachrech's Temples, regardless of which sect or creed they belong to." Terrowin's not particularly worried about Elezibethele and her group; she has lots of guards, and at the moment nobody who isn't with her knows where she is. He is worried about the Riverside Temple, as that only recently came out into the open.

Inside Temple

"Dalachrech sent a vision to you. It is a sign of His approval, don't worry. What did you see? There's several visions He uses and each has a separate meaning." Jorje sounds impressed; it's been a while since anybody received any vision of any kind.

[Halae]

[Riverside Temple]

Right back on to business, isn't he? "Alright, I'll keep that in mind. If these people are trying to rescue slaves, I doubt they'll be willing to attack a new mother and her child. We'll see what happens. Thank you for the warning." Kail will then reach upto try and grab Terrowin by the collar, to drag him down a bit closer to her face so she can give him a kiss, "Take care of yourself, alright? I'm worried they might try do something to you, since you're the high priest."

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside Temple

"I am a High Priest. The times I could claim sole theological authority below Dalachrech are over. My Temple is still the largest, and I have the most clerics underneath me, but I'm just one amongst five, now. Each High Priest, or Priestess, has their own values and are leading their followers in their own way. I represent the Reformed branch, with no slaves or sacrifices, whilst Elezibethele is the Orthodox branch, with slaves and sacrifices and Defelent is Middling with slaves, but no sacrifices of sapient beings and Charynrae, whom I doubt you've met as she's never seen the sky, is High Priestess of the Chthonic Dalachrechians in Underside. There's officially a council now, but it's never actually met up." The fifth member of the council is Azurelle, representing the Order of the Centipede.

[Halae]

[Riverside Temple]

"I'll want to speak to all of them, I think. Acanthops is obviously going to need to learn about the different temples, and I should probably see them as well. Once I'm feeling better, of course." Acanthops begins to stir, and Kail lifts him up so that the baby is laying on her chest. her heartbeat calms him again, bringing a smile to Kail's face.

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside Temple

"Near as I can tell, the only one you'd have difficulty with there is Elezibethele's. She's not too keen on humans, and her Hermitage is designed to be a hidden location. Although Charynrae's Temple might be hard to find, given as to how it's underground and just under a mile down. But it's definitely worth seeing; she keeps it safe by breeding spiders and spinning giant silk cocoons that she's suspended from the ceiling of a tunnel. It's open to visitors, so you should be able to enter. Save it till last, it can be dangerous down there." Riverside Temple and Inside Temple are open to the public. There's no difficulty in finding them or entering them. In fact, Kail knows where they are.

[Halae]

[Riverside Temple]

Kail nods, "Why Elizabethele doesn't like humans?"

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside Temple

"She was raised in the belief that elves in general and drow in particular are the highest form of sapient life. Since she escaped the drow slavery in which she was raised, she found her way to the surface where she discovered that not only were humans everywhere but they were interbreeding with elves. She's since discarded the 'drow in particular' thing, because she's sampled surface elf culture and realised that drow won't amount to anything until they stop fighting amongst themselves and unify properly. She hates the surface elves because they're just a group of jumped-up hippies that, in her opinion, spend too long mourning their lost greatness and not enough in trying to get it back. So she's generally hostile at least to everything, but humans and half-elves suffer the most enmity from her. It's the main reason why she started the Hermitage- so she didn't have to spend all the time surrounded by all us pathetic short-life scum." Elezibethele is an elf-supremacist. Were she human, she'd have joined Charlie's Family pretty early on. The dead Durk Fallow was pretty racist, too; he sold slaves, but considered gnomes like himself to be superior and never enslaved any. His brother has since taken over his operation and has no such belief.

[Halae]

[Riverside Temple]

"Sounds like a few people I know," Kail says, "anyways, thanks for stopping by Terrowin. I'll come and see you once I'm recovered."

[Earl of Purple]

Riverside Temple

"Please do. I miss your company." And I don't think he just means behind the curtain. I'm not sure.