Nekoik sat on the oceanside plains below Aleni Amano, its early evening lights twinkling like a fairy kingdom slowly awaking.
And it reminded him of the tales his mother used to tell him, about the fae folk, and the magic of this world.

Ancalia had been beautiful once, and magical.   Once?  It was less than a decade ago that Aleni could remember running through the green pastures of his homelands, and visiting the mighty, magical forests with his parents ... always looking for the wonders that hid just outside his line of sight.

This all ended five summers ago. Through some unfathomable collapse of the celestial engines, nine dire Night Roads erupted throughout the country.
And their idyllic world was shattered; the Surcessant Order scrabbled to arrest the threats that poured forth, to protect the people and heal the land.
It wasn't just their idyllic world that was shattered, it was the Order ... the dreams, the security, the peace.

As he stood on this cold, evening hillock, looking down at Nekiok, Aleni knew that around that fairy scene of twinkling lights stood the best make-shift walls that could be built ... and on those walls, stood the ever vigilant knights of the Surcessant Order, as always.


And yet, even from this distance, he thought he could hear the sounds of music.



Please, tell us why Aleni has come to Nekoik?  Is he returning home, or is this his first time here perhaps?
And what does he know/think the music symbolises?
Is he alone out here, on the brink of civilisation on this cold night?  or is he accompanied?

Aleni exhaled, his chilled breath wafting about him in an vaporous cloud. He looked down at his charge, the humble township of Nekiok. Perhaps once it might have been a prosperous fishing locale or a major port for maritime trade. Now it was simply a quasi-fortress city where survivors could huddle behind the protection of the order's knights while they awaited the rare return of ships that would harbor refugees southward to Rakita and Toba; for a fee.

Slowly he moved out, light no longer his ally and fearing the creatures that might awaken to pray upon the unguarded and ill-prepared. In name he was also a knight of the Surcessant Order but in reality he had eschewed much of the vestments and regalia befitting his station and served nigh exclusively as a healer. He had been charged to lend aid to the town as the winter had brought with it fever and great ailments. Combined with vermin and spoilage in the half-emptied silos and graineries Nekiok was worse for wear.

Hopefully the gifts he had been bestowed through providence of the One will be of service to those in need.

--

Trudging along the mud-laden road he was surprised to hear music coming from the cities direction. It was uplifting and concerning. The people of Ancalia had little to celebrate in these times, often bereft with illness, hunger, and fear. There were also more practical concerns of drawing unwarranted attention from misbegotten creatures and malcontents. Not all places were so defensible as Nekiok and even among those that did not many were staffed with those capable of holding the defense.

When he reached the gates he called up to the gatehouse.

"Sir Aleni Amano, Knight of the Surcessant Order. I've been charged by decree of Knight Commander Amanuel to lend aid to the town of Nekiok."

His arrival watched, even at this time of night, from afar, Aleni was swiftly joined by Sir Jerrim Minbane, who introduced himself as “Knight Seneschal of this place”.
Minbane, as expected, treated Aleni with polite suspicion, grilling him with many questions and a good look over, before admitting Aleni to the city.

But it was a matter of course, and Minbane quickly assensed Aleni’s truth.
“So the Knight Commander has sent us another set of hands, eh?” he said happily, leading Aleni in through the gates with a hearty slap on the shoulder.  “And Merciful Hands at that!   Thank the One; you’ll be kept busy here, my friend.
The unholy hoarded never leave us alone for long”.

Once within, Aleni was led to a barracks within sight of the gate; and noticed the festivities going on in the city.
“Tonight we celebrate the Feast of St Targon”, Minbane explained, seeing Aleni’s curiosity, “and we annoint the three children whom we have been blessed with this year”.
His mood turned a little somber then, “We don’t have a lot to celebrate, of course”, knowing that Aleni must know that already, “but we do our best.

And children are ... precious”.    Since the opening of the Night Roads, with the illness and creatures they brought forward, many communities had experienced a decrease in fertility ... and those children that came, often died within the years.
Priests of a The One had become diligent in blessing what children came.


Soon enough, temporary quarters were found for Aleni, and he was being invited to attend and enjoy the festivities; although Minbane was require back at the gate, of course, “Duty calls, eh.
Enjoy yourself tonight, my friend.   Your duty will begin soon enough”
This message was last edited by the player at 17:00, Sat 14 Dec 2019.

Aleni responded to the Seneschal's questions as a matter of course. He had been told that he would be questioned but the righteous had no fear of such questionings. He was sent here lawfully to enact the will of the knight commander and do as he was charged to do by the One and the Surcessant Order.

When it was explained what was transpiring Aleni could not help but smile, albeit only slightly.

"Three children you say? It truly is a time of celebration."

St. Targon was a patron of children, among other things. It was not uncommon to beseech their spirit in an effort to garner blessings from the One. That said their prayers had been answered to an extent. Aleni moved to the festival grounds, taking in all around him. The One was moving in this place and it moved within him.

He felt his power, his own anointings, calling out to him. And he answered.

Aleni commits Effort for the day to use Ender of Plagues.

For sure I will write this place up; but it’ll take a few days before that happens.  Bear with me, friend, and your prayers shall be answered.   ;-p


As Aleni moved among the crowds, he felt the presence of The One.
It was in them: the people.   Disputes the horror and apparent hopelessness of the world as it now was, these people (at least tonight) found joy and love among, and within, themselves.

The One’s messenger and saint of children was with them; Aleni could feel him.    Aleni felt Targon alive within him; the Word of Childbirth resplendent in his veins and his heart.
Yet, St Targon wasn’t the only presence that stirred with Aleni tonight.    St Xantosa, patron saint of healers, also.
And Aleni channeller the latter’s Power now, cleansing the city of all bodily impurities.  Washing away disease and sickness with impunity.

And at that moment, Aleni became aware of ... something ... in this city.   Something in these walls, that was adding grief to these peoples lives; something designed for bringing sickness among them.
It was impotent to the Powers that Aleni held, and he knew that he could undo the impurity ... if he could locate the locus, the source, of this Pestilence.
(but I’m going to make you find it, first.    Give me a Wisdom check, please; to help me work out what initial clues I’ll give you)

As he moved among the crowd, Aleni was greeting by strangers, all happy to have him among them.  Offering him food, honeyed water, and small handmade gifts.  Even the crippled and blind we smiling tonight; as children of many ages ran screaming happily through the legs of the masses.


I don’t know if you like the idea of Aleni being aligned with The One, and the Saints, on a cenceptual level.
If it’s not something you like, just say so, and we’ll say no more about it
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:21, Tue 10 Sept 2019.

Aleni was disturbed by the presence of some fell magic or force within the town. He had hoped that such things had not yet gripped Nekiok but it had always been wishful thinking. Still he decided that he would not let his spirits be dampened and moved about the crowd, laying his hands on the citizens and accepting their alms with as much grace as he could muster. When he encountered the lame, blind, or deformed he prayed over them while using Flesh Made True. When he was finished he spoke softly to each of them "go forward and prosper".

He was liberal with his Gifts, feeling that the people of Nekiok had earned his dutiful attendance. If he could lay to rest their physical grievances then he would.

As the evening progressed, and the night drew deeper, Aleni walked among the people of Nekoik.
Their festivities were a mixture of forced joy, and rebellion against the sorrow that plagued the city.  But their hearts were in this: and everyone was attempting to make the most of this night of nights; giving it their all in celebration of their newborn, and of the Saints they worshipped here, as well as The One.

And The One blessed the people for their dedication and effort: for The One had sent Aleni among the proverbial unwashed masses.
Aleni's divine edict had now lifted from this city the sickness and disease that had plagued the place; and as he wandered through the throbbing mobs of townfolk, miracles of healing fell upon the folk.  The blind could see ... whether again, or for the first time ever.
The maimed and mutilated, be it from circumstance or monster, found their bodies returned to its functioning whole.   Even those with birth defects were not just made whole, but blessed with bodies that they never thought possible for themselves.

For truly, the Saints and The One smiled upon them ...
And they noticed.  How could they not.  They noticed, and rejoiced ... their forced joy turning to true, uncomprehending yet uncompromising delight.
Little did they know that the emissary of The One, who brought this healing bounty to their lives, walked quietly among them.


And even as he did, Aleni could sense that 'source of pestilence'.   The cleansing that he'd sent throughout the city was complete ... but as the night progressed, he could sense again that the source was ever so slowly, already, beginning to assert its grief back upon the people.
It was a mild thing, for the sickness it brought was slow to take hold.   It would take weeks, maybe months, before it could reinfect the city to the level that Aleni had senses earlier.  But it was ... insidious.


I will work on the Faction description/statistics for Nekoik soon, I promise.

Aleni rejoiced with the people as they were healed and made whole. The righteous shall inherit the blessings of The One. They had not yet been abandoned, nor forsaken. His presence was evidence of that, his very life was evidence of the benevolence of the One.

Sadly, it seemed, that his purpose was not yet done with simple healing. No there was a fell power within the city that would see the One's blessings undermined if not dealt with. Aleni allowed the festival to progress, keeping to his own for its duration and retiring when it finally came to be. As a part of his order's agreement he would rendered dutiful service on the morrow in exchange for housing; likely tending to the hungry.

It was early hours of the morning before Aleni got to bed ... and he lay there for some time* tense with the knowledge that he wasn't going to get much sleep before the sun rose.
But, eventually, he drifted off to sleep ... dreaming of golden beaches, and a huge pelican who delivered some trees, before the grass caught on fire and everyone cooked turnips and talked about the new princess.
                                            * as we all do in these situations, eh

He was woken by shouts and movements as the city came alive, and the Order's finest could be heard training in the courtyard outside.
It was later the Aleni expected: and he was surprised that he'd slept through the dawnrise.

The door to his room (he'd been given a private place for the night) was still closed, though, so either nobody wanted him, nobody remembered him, or orders had been given to let him sleep.   Likely the latter.


I'll let you lead the way into this next day.
Tell me what you'd like Aleni to hope to accomplish

Awaking from his unorthodox dream he rose and began to ready himself for the day. Pouring water into his wash basin he freshened himself and donned his robes. Taking his staff in hand after offering a morning prayer of thanks to the One he exited his humble dwelling. About him his brother and sister knights were busying themselves and he felt as though his time to do the same was upon him.

Moving out into the town proper he moved to inspect a few locales. The first was the well, the next the granary, then the storehouses, and finally any storage or root cellars. He took inventory to the best of his ability at each location, trying to understand the situation the town was in more thoroughly. As he worked he also looked to the townspeople. Were they feed well or were they hungry? What quality were their clothes and shoes? For that matter of their homes and businesses?

As Aleni wandered the city, it felt familiar to him.    Not the specifics of this individual city, but it was like so many others in Ancalia; a struggling city, a refuge against the atrocities that had come into his world several years ago, and broken their nation’s proverbial body.
But like any human, or group thereof, it hadn’t broken their spirit ... and this morning, it was ‘business as usual’.

The ‘unwashed masses’ had returned from their festive mood, and now scurried about the city in a bleary, tired haze, about their many duties and occupations: crafting, cleaning, farming, building.

Aleni was beginning to familiarising himself with the layout of this individual outpost of humanity, when a messenger from the barracks found him:  a scout troop was being sent out, this morning, to check on some ‘movements’ observed during the early hours of the morning in the openlands.
Sir Minbane was offering Aleni the opportunity to join the scouts.

Aleni moved about the city and gathered what information he could about the peoples there. The city, like many others, was struggling to survive even if the morale of the people within no longer reflected that. Food was sparse but narrowly sufficient to keep people from the brink of starvation, water plentiful enough to meet the need but not perfectly clean nor abundant enough not to ration. Seamstresses and tailors seemed to be all but gone as public ware degraded into a steady collection of patchwork cloth. Even the cordwainers were missed as boots and shoes gradually wore down and were salvaged into crude wooden sandals and foot wraps.

They were greatly in need of help but perhaps their need lay in greater concerns than simply mortal ones. When his superior called for him to join the scouts he agreed and moved to meet with them. Rallying at the barracks he waited further instruction as he prepared himself for the events to come.