Re: The Grand Hall of the Palace of Lucimburic.
After the wedding dinner, either that night or early the next morning, Rita approaches Raude Parisi, ready to hear what she has to say and hear what is happening in Arras.
"How is my father recovering from his injuries?" she asks, managing to get in a question before Raude can even begin to speak. She knows fully well that this could be considered rude and even disrespectful, but genuine fear about her father's well being makes protocol the last thing on her mind.
Once she is assured of her father's well being, she listens carefully to Raude. Oh, yes, the vote for the next High Priest of Pluto. Completely preoccupied with the wedding and the Solstice, she had let the subject temporarily slip her mind.
It has been more than nine months since she left Arras.
"I know my father didn't want the job," she admits. "He sent me a letter about Pelion's death in the demon attack and about the vote to choose a new High Priest. I still don't know how he knew I was here with King Theoderic," she adds, hoping to get an answer. "The letter was sent to Lucimburic; we came back here after visiting Aelasuria's family in Geneva and convincing the Geneva elves of the danger the Huns pose."
Rita had not exactly been certain she wanted her father to get the job. What would happen if, as High Priest, he invoked his authority over her as a priestess of the order and required her to return to Arras? That would create a major dilemma.
"My father confided in you? I didn't even know you two knew one another except in passing. I don't see why my father would not make a good High Priest, and I say this as a cleric, not as his daughter. Though his holding that position could create problems for me..."
Having voted for Evroul, she cannot help but feel ashamed when Raude says that choosing him would have amounted to the abandoning of the Temple in Catolacus.
"I voted for Patre Evroul because he has the wisdom to understand the nature of the demon threat and the need to oppose it. He and I spoke in the spring when I escorted King Theoderic, who wanted to honor his late father and brother, both of whom are buried in Catolacus. But I never considered Evroul being High Priest to equal an abandonment of that Temple. I just thought another cleric could watch over it."
Upon hearing that, Raude is likely to think of her the same way some of the other clerics of Pluto in Arras do--as a child who is too young to be involved in such matters and make smart decisions. Rita does her best to hide her insecurity from Raude, but chances are the High Priestess can see right through her.
"Mater Leondra," she says, thinking aloud. "She was Bishopress of Vipiacus, so she does have leadership experience. I wouldn't see her getting the position as evidence of a dynasty. After all, we did vote; her selection was not automatic. I highly doubt it the beginning of a pattern."
Leondra is a good choice, she thinks to herself, until she remembers. The stolen memories.
Her face turns pale. "This is a serious problem. Not because my father didn't get the position. We discovered that the demoness Zerova and the blackguards have been using a strange magical moss to steal clerics' memories. We managed to save Xybezza, a priestess of Pluto, just as one of the blackguards was trying to drown her in freezing water and asking her about Arras. But only after some of Xybezza's memories had been taken. The group that defeated Zerova recovered jars of the moss containing stolen memories. There is a way to gain access to those memories--by eating the moss. One of that group--I think a bard named Rory--did just that only because we need to know what the blackguards have learned from our clerics.
The memory he recovered belonged to Leondra. Zerova found her in Vipiacus and used the moss on her. She asked Leondra about Arras, about the Temple of Pluto, about her father. The way the magic works, the moss can take a memory even when someone tries their hardest to resist. Zerova wanted knowledge of Pelion's living quarters, his actions. And then she took the memory of her stealing Leondra's memory, meaning Leondra has no knowledge of any of this having happened."
Rita is calm but near tears. "Zerova and the blackguards used the memories they stole from Mater Leondra to kill her father by sending those fire demons to attack the Temple of Pluto. When I heard this, I knew without a doubt that Leondra must never be told about this. It would destroy her. She would feel responsible, and she did nothing wrong...
But now, she is High Priestess. That changes everything. This is something the High Priestess should know--but not Leondra the woman. What do I do? I do not even know if I count as a member of the order anymore. In Geneva, I was contacted by Lady Proserpina. Lord Pluto assigned me to serve her. For all I know, I am the only cleric of Proserpina in the world. Patre Seti believes this is very significant. But I have no idea what he would suggest we do about Leondra."
As to the rest of Raude's report, of course Rita is aware there is a war on. She has fought in several of the battles.
"Why would any clerics approach me about this? I am not that important; I have been a priestess just one year. And I haven't set foot in Arras for quite a while. I know that those who advocate against fighting are not evil, but they are wrong," she says definitively. "The gods are pulling us out of this. That is just what Patre Evroul and I talked about. The gods are here to help us, but first, we have to call upon them. Look at everything that has happened this past year. Theoderic commanded a small, renegade force, and now representatives of every race have flocked to him to support his fight against the Huns. Today, he is king of Belgica, and the Huns' invasion of the Ardennes has been thwarted. The Ardennes elves have reconciled with their human neighbors after sixty years. Unicorns and their riders are back. In several battles, we have had direct assistance from River Goddesses. If these things are not evidence that now is that time when the gods are acting to free us, I don't know what is."
There is one more thing. "You say my father confided in you. Please, I need to know. What is his position on this? I promise, I will keep it between us. I asked before I left, when I still didn't know much of what was going on, but he wouldn't tell me. All these months, I've been wondering. Please, tell me what you know."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:03, Thu 25 Apr 2013.