Difference between revisions of "Thaddeus (Chapter 20)"

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Thaddeus (Act III)#Chapter 20

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-He said, "There is great power here,
-Which may be used to our purpose.
-Why can we not use it, as it was used
-By those who are now our slaves?
-In their foolishness, all the brothers
-Answered, "Yes, let us use it on them."
--- The Book of the Hammer, c. 5, v. 5-10
-The secrets of making Compelling Orbs were lost long ago, but few mourn the loss, as their power has great potential for good or evil.  An Orb's purpose is to control the minds of those placed under its influence.  Paladins found one at a temple dedicated to Mephisto, centuries ago.  They could not destroy it, so it was taken back to Kurast for safe-keeping.  Naturally, there was great temptation to use the Orb's power; eventually, its use was accepted, under tightly proscribed circumstances.  It was deemed beneficial for the Orb to be used at trials; the inability to lie made cases much shorter, the judgments easier and more fair.  Many potential priests, whose inner weaknesses would have made them unworthy of trust, were revealed for what they were by the Orb's light.
-When Thaddeus passed through the gates of Kurast, he began to feel a compulsion.  These here in Kurast were his brothers and sisters, not the greedy sinners and worthless pagans of other lands.  It was confusing at first; the skulls, the bodies, the idols of death worked into Kurast's very walls, these were not signs of the church of Light.  Only after speaking with his brother Zakarumite did the cause become clear.  The confusion in the man's mind mirrored his own, but he was trapped inside the madness, trying to get out.  No mere fanaticism clouded these men's minds; Mephisto had found his Orb.  Could he have intended this, all those years ago, and allowed it to be captured?
-Lying on his bunk in Meshif's ship, Thaddeus stared at the ceiling, the full enormity of this ages-old demonic plot beginning to dawn on him.  Mephisto's temple had infested the land openly, brazenly daring the church to attack it.  Was it built with the intention that it would be lost, to aid his greater victory later?  Demon lords are willing to sacrifice all their followers for their own enrichment, and their ends are always kept hidden from view.  As he lay there, a feeling of weakness crept through the walls, a sick feeling that no matter what he did... they'd know beforehand.  Every move he could make was anticipated, expected, worked into their plan.  They planned this for ages, sitting in the dark, waiting for it to happen.  Every minute that passes, they grow stronger, closer to their goal.
-Someone tapped on the door of the cabin.  "Hey," Natalya's voice said, "the sun's been up half an hour."
-Thaddeus stared up at her as she looked in the door.  "I'm sorry.  It's been a bad night."
-"You're usually a crack-o'-dawn guy.  What's the matter?"
-What a stupid question, Thaddeus thought.  It's beyond words.  But he said, "Perhaps I'm just tired.  It is no concern of yours."
-"Yes it is," She sat down on the edge of the bunk.  "You made it into Kurast?"
-"Yes."
-"Cain said you were rude to him last night.  He's never seen you be rude to anybody."
-"Cain may follow me everywhere, but he is not my keeper.  Yes, I have been into Kurast."
-"You had to kill some people?"
-Thaddeus didn't answer.  "They've fallen into darkness," she said.  "You did what you should have.  You did your duty."
-"I'm doing my duty.  They're doing their duty.  So what?"
-"How about a little faith?" Natalya smiled.  "They just can't see right now.  They'll be fine when you kill Mephisto."
-Thaddeus shook his head.  "I've chased the Brothers halfway across the world.  They will not meet me in battle, they do not have to.  I will not find Mephisto unless he lets me.  He will not let me unless he knows he can win.  All of this was planned."
-"They can't plan everything.  Come on, you're letting them get to you.  Yeah, Mephisto's taken over your church.  That's even more reason to get out there and get him!"
-"Yes," he mumbled.  "That has to be done."
-"So come on," Natalya said, pulling him up from the bunk.  "I'll help you get your armor on.  Man, that stuff has a lot of buckles.  Which end of this stick do you hit things with?"
-"The end with the crown on it."  Thaddeus inspected his armor padding; overnight it had grown green with mold.  "I hate this jungle."
-"You think you hate it?  Meshif's been going on and on about the mushrooms growing on his deck.  Have you seen those things?  They're huge!"
-On his way back into the jungle, Thaddeus stopped to apologize to Cain.  The old man was not offended, thankfully; just very confused.  "If my advice has been inadequate in some way, I truly regret it..."
-"Please, do not worry," Thaddeus reassured him.  "You have done all you could.  All of us are doing all we can.  It was just... a very bad night.  That is all."
-"I wish I could tell you more about the Compelling Orb.  They are rare things, considered very valuable to those who hold them, though their potential for evil is great."
-"Absolutely.  A very powerful tool.  I will be going into Kurast today, and hope to find the Orb.  Perhaps deactivating it would help our situation."
-"I hope so as well.  Oh, before you go, let me say that the people of Kurast are very grateful to you for the aid you have given them."
-Thaddeus smiled thinly.  "I'm sure Asheara is happy with what I have given her.  The rest will have to wait until Mephisto's power is broken.  Of course, that will make Asheara happier still.  I will see you again soon, Cain."
-Thaddeus went through the waypoint, and was gone.  For his part, Cain was more confused than ever.  What had Thaddeus given to Asheara?  As far as he knew, Thaddeus didn't have a very high opinion of Asheara; he didn't even like visiting her.
-"Hello, Asheara," Cain said as he walked into her house.
-"Hi there," she said.  "What can I do you for?"
-"I have a question.  What do you think of our earnest young Paladin?"
-Asheara laughed.  "Not bad.  Can deal with the midgets.  He'd make a decent Iron Wolf; just needs to pull that broomstick out of his ass and relax."
-"Has he... given anything to you?"
-"Sure.  A hard time.  If he's giving anything to anybody, it's that Assassin.  He likes her.  They talk about me behind my back."
-Cain smiled pleasantly.  "Surely there's no harm in that.  In these trying times, gossip is one of the few distractions we have."
-"If you're gonna talk about me, say it to my face.  Anyway, Assassins don't gossip.  They collect information.  I'm not givin' him anything, as long as he hangs around with her."
-"Hello, Natalya," Cain said as he walked down to the marketplace.
-"Hello, Deckard Cain.  To what do I owe the pleasure?"
-"I have been wondering about something.  Tell me, what do you think of Thaddeus?"
-She shrugged.  "He's ok.  But he doesn't appreciate where he is.  He takes it seriously when he has to kill someone."
-"Shouldn't he?  Ending a human life should not be taken lightly."
-"When you have to do it, yes.  He's fighting church followers, so I guess it's natural.  But if he keeps taking it like he is, it's gonna drive him crazy.  You don't kill someone, then try to be compassionate about it.  You kill, and move on."
-"Hmm.  You would know more about that than I do.  Has he been visiting with Asheara that you know of?"
-"Not that I know of.  I know he likes her.  I think it's the outfit."
-Cain raised an eyebrow.  "You believe she may have... turned his head?"
-"Ever heard of 'opposites attract'?  The repressed ones always go for wild girls.  They want to do all the naughty things they heard whispered about in religion school."
-"That would explain some of the Zakarumite priestesses I met in my youth." For a moment, Cain looked distracted by fond memories.
-"You wild and crazy old bastard, you." Natalya laughed.  "Don't think you'll find any of them anymore.  Have to make do with Asheara."
-In Kurast, Thaddeus finished exploring the lower city, and found a bridge over a canal into the middle city.  The area he found was a bazaar, a great marketplace with open stalls and large blocks of closed shops.  Many of the merchants and customers were still there... in body, anyway.  They had been dispatched with slow cruelty.  Someone apparently thought it would be humorous to kill the merchants with their own wares; the cutler had been sliced to ribbons; the millner was crushed to a red paste between his grinding stones; a kiln disclosed the ashy remnants of a potter; a vegetable merchant was stuffed until he burst.
-Great Thorned Hulks guarded the bazaar, and green vulture demons circled above.  But the worst for Thaddeus were the men, now accompanied by their cantors.  The zealots sent to greet him in the bazaar were more energetic than those he'd fought earlier.  For a while, Thaddeus tried to avoid them.  He hid behind buildings or trees, but they interpreted this as cowardice and came for him even more eagerly.  That failed, so he tried running around to strike down the priest directing them.  When the cantor died, his body disintegrated, the pieces sucked down to the earth by his descending soul.
-"Look, there, my brothers!" Thaddeus cried.  "Your leaders are corrupted!  Evil lies in the heart of the church, do not follow your priests and councilors!"  There was no reaction from them; either they couldn't see, or were beyond caring.  As they surrounded him, Thaddeus cursed Mephisto, and let the hammers fly.  Part of him knew, this is war, a cruel and horrible war.  In war there are moments for compassion and tender action.  There are moments for ruthless action.  The only possible compassion was to see clearly what was to be done, and do it directly.
-Another part of him screamed every time a hammer ripped through a human body.  He'd killed dozens, hundreds of creatures; these men were just another enemy.  It shouldn't matter who they were or what they believed.  But as much as he tried to lie to himself, these men were his brothers.  They thought as he did.  Some might even still think what they were doing was right and good.  When it was all done, Thaddeus dropped to his knees, weeping and cursing and praying all at once.
-As he went through the bazaar, he ran into more Zakarumites; each encounter ended much the same way.  Two temples sat at the corners of the bazaar; the claws of moldy vultures scuttled across blessed stones.  Inside, the temples were full of Vampires and Hulks, as well as the priestesses and nuns Thaddeus never saw outside.  Inside, cloistered away from the outside world, they had grown pale, and their nails were like claws.  To judge from the quantities of human bones littering the floor, sacrifices were held here.  In the old days, the remains of any sacrifice were devoured by the priestesses.
-In one ruined temple, Thaddeus met a paladin of renown, Sarina.  He couldn't think of much to say to her at this point.  Not for the first time, Thaddeus wished someone were with him, someone he could trust and take comfort in.  It would be nice to have Fara here, he was sure she could overcome her fear.  Having her here would help him overcome his own fear and hate.  Hate was welling up within him, looking at what Mephisto had done to Kurast.  But hate is Mephisto's strength, his greatest weapon and support.  Hating made Mephisto strong; but how could Thaddeus move through Kurast without coming to hate Mephisto himself?
-Sarina was guarding a book, a black book shaped like a coffin.  The text was all old glyphs, which he did not have the knowledge to read.  Back on the docks, Cain identified it as the book of Lam Esen, a seer from the distant past.  Alkor would be most likely to know how to read the book.
-"You have found the Black Book!  It contains information on the Prime Evils."
-"Such as how they may be found?" Thaddeus asked.
-"I will not know until I read it.  Busy yourself with slaughtering.  I have a love of morbid excess."

Difference between revisions of "Thaddeus (Chapter 20)"

Latest revision as of 13:29, 12 February 2017

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