Mora Ven's Story

Slowly, the door to the Inner Sanctuary opened, and out walked Mora's guard, Rolaf. Slowly he walked to the goddess, his armor reflecting the light as it hit him, and leaned over. Softly picking up the hand of the sad goddess to kiss it.

"Lady Takira... Lady Mora wishes to see you, but i must ask... that you leave your weapons here. We cant take another chance my goddess." Slowly he stood up, holding her hand still, and took her into the sanctuary.

The Sanctuary, a massive sphere of light created by Mora as her personal home. Inside it can be anything Mora wishes but, because of her weakened state, she chooses to only have a bed, nothing more, and there she lied.

In her bed she held the hand of the her younger sister, Takira's older sister, Caylim. With a weak smile, Mora held out her other hand to Takira. "Young one... It pains me to have you look at me in this state... Come to me... Come to your big sister." Her face was pale, with the scars truly showing now more than ever. Underneath she wore nothing but what she needed, for the uncomfertability of cloths was something she didn't want to hassle with right now, and as Takira walked closer, she saw for the first time, the stab wound in Mora's left side, exposed to help the wound breath.

Tossing her dagger aside, Takira ran to her sister's bed, forgetting all nobility, and threw herself to her knees beside the bed, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh, Sister Mora, Sister Mora!" she sobbed, holding Mora's hand tightly, "I swear, I shall find who did this to you, I swear it! I may not be strong, but I will ask all of my creatures to search far and wide for your attacker!" She felt foolish, being reduced to such a state before her sister's, but she could not help it, her heart burst with such feelings of sadness. "They shall not escape my fangs, my claws!"

"Oh, Caylim," she turned to her other sister, hiccuping her tears, her eyes swollen and red, "you will help me, won't you? You must, oh, please Sister Caylim!"

"Takira...Stop." Mora said placing her hand atop her little sisters head. "The thief is long gone... But before he was able to leave the temple i delivered him justice. He will never be able to use his right arm again, or walk for a while with his left leg, but notice how i say thief. He wasn't here to kill me, he wasn't trained to kill, he was trained to steal his target, and escape..."

"I fear he is one of the Old Ones, and has taken Banatrix..." She says with a blank stare, her eyes closing shut as she try's to channel her energy for a moment to look for the sword. With a sudden gasp of pain she grabs her side, letting out a loud shout from the pain. After regaining herself she grips Takire and looks down at her sister. "Listen to me young one... You were to young to remember the war with the Old Gods, but this time they will come back even more powerful... What you must do is go to Grim Forge... To the Black Anvil... Gather a group of humans and the other gods, sisters. If Banatrix is dropped into the fire's, the Old Gods will be released, and we will lose our only weapon to stop them.."

With a sigh, Mora softly closed her eyes and let go of her sisters hand, then turned to Caylim. "Sister... We can not lose the sword. Find my apprentice, Chachare, and a man named Athos, and bring them both to me. Athos is a shady man, but we can trust him. If he fights back, you know what you must do Caylim." With a smile Mora softly closed her eyes and lied back in her, soon falling asleep.

"Please my lady's, Lady Mora needs her rest. You may come back to see her tomorrow Lady Takira..." Rolaf says picking up the still sad goddess, slowly walking with her in his arms to the door. "That goes for you Lady Caylim." He says with a soft look into your eyes before walking Takira out of the sanctuary.

Caylim watched with soft eyes as her sisters spoke. She thought it better to remain a silent listener. Takira, although Caylim loved her dearly, was so quick to seek revenge. It was unwise to go running around the city looking for a one armed limping man. Caylim could only imagine the hysterics the people would get in to.

Mora gave them instructions on what to do, and Caylim nodded understanding her purpose. "If he fights back, you know what you must do Caylim."

Indeed she did. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, but she nodded. She was about to speak when Rolaf reappeared taking Takira with him. She was inconsolable to the point of being unable to walk. She loved Mora like a mother, which Caylim understood. Although the Moon Goddess looked older, Mora was the first New God. The one who banished the Old Gods and brought on the age of Peace. Caylim couldn't ask for a better older sister.

"Rest sister, we will be back soon." Caylim finally managed to speak. She released her sister's hand, releasing three yellow butterflies to keep her sister company. "Don't lose hope."

She stood from her knees and gave her sister one last farewell before exiting the room. Takira immediately ran up to her, crying into her shoulder. "It will be alright Takira. Now is not the time for tears. We must gather the townsfolk."

"Rolaf, send a messenger. We're looking for able bodied citizens. Don't reveal how dire the situation is, but tell them it is a special quest from Mora herself." She explained. "Quickly, we don't have much time."

Takira took Caylim's hand quickly, trying to smother her sobs, and stared up at her, "I know I am not strong. I know I cannot deliver justice, but...they've hurt her. I can't forgive them...I won't!" She remembered hearing Athos' name before; the birds often sang it on the wind, telling stories of how he hated the Gods, all of them. Takira sniffled again, and sighed, trying desperately to regain her composure.

"I shall...go and bathe before the guests arrive," she softly whispered, then dodged away towards her chambers, biting her tongue to stifle her cries of anguish.

After walking Athos down the vast hallways of the house, they reached a wall, a wall of complete stone.

"Acreo, sarvas, Mora." After speaking a simple phrase the wall opened. Yes, opened. From the stone wall, formed a door, and through the door there was... Nothing. Only a light blue mist through it. "Come, Athos. This is the Inner Sanctuary." The Inner Sanctuary, considered the most holly place in all of Atherea. Here, Mora smote Praxus, and trapped his soul in Banatrix. "I assume you know the history of this place... But we arnt here to talk about what has happened. Were here to talk about whats going to happen next."

Slowly, she walked through the opening into the mist. Disappearing into it.

"I am Athos. Your Elder Goddess Mora Ven has requested my presence."

He spoke with respect, but not like the faithfuls did. Caylim could feel his emotions towards the gods. They were not of pure hatred, but she could sense the edge. Something happened to him, long ago, that caused him to be angry. She couldn't help but ponder over what could have happened.

"Ah, so you are Athos." She mused walking around the tall man. "My sister was not kidding when she said you were shady." She couldn't help but laugh, whether the young man understood her joke or not.

She stopped in front of him, keeping herself a fair distance from him. She eyed him, up and down. His black hair sat untidy on top of his head, but his blue eyes seemed to pierce straight through Caylim's body. He had pain hidden behind those eyes. She made note of all the scars on his face, there were so many. And no doubt there were plenty more hidden elsewhere.

"The moon shines down upon you, Athos," Caylim said as more of a question. Most of the faithful believed that Caylim was the moon in human form. Able to walk upon the earth and smile down upon her subjects. But that wasn't the case. The Moon was a Goddess within itself. Caylim was the daughter of the Moon. Reborn again under her strength and power.

The Moon was a part of her, but all and all they were two separate beings. Often times, Caylim found herself questioning her mother's choices and ideas. But she smiled down upon this man. Staring at him long enough, she found herself realizing why.

"You are an assassin," She mused. "Using the darkness of night as your cover, and the moon as your guide. No wonder she likes you so much."

Their conversation was interrupted by Mora's voice echoing through the chamber. Caylim nodded. "I hope to see you again in the future." She smiled stepped aside to let Athos make his journey to Mora's chamber.

The assassin stood in the inner sanctuary, beside the Chief Goddess Mora Ven and Caylim Grace the Moon Goddess. The one place Athos never thought he'd find himself is in this most holy place surrounded by two deities. Athos flicked his gaze to Mora for the briefest of seconds, noting her uneasy stance and the hint of pain in her face. The blade cut deep it seems." He thought to himself as she spoke. His brilliant mind still trying to acurately guess the motives of the divinty around him but that was proving difficult fruit to bare. The simple answer would be for him to track down the attacker but something about this entire meeting seemed off. There was no reason any of the Gods needed to actually meet with Athos in person if they were merely hiring him to kill a thief let alone bring him into the inner sanctum. Remaining silent and reserving judgment Athos said not a word as Mora dissapeared into the mist that opened. Before following after her his mind shot back to Caylim still unsure of her meaning when she commented on his profession. You are an assassin," She mused. "Using the darkness of night as your cover, and the moon as your guide. No wonder she likes you so much." She had said, her words echoed in his mind. "Who was she?" He wondered but said nothing as he took a step after Mora and entered the mist.

(For the plot conserning Mora, Athos, and Caylim, please post in the Inner Sanctuary. From here, the plot conserning Takrie, Zee, and the orgenization of the party to find the assassin.)

"Athos...You have slain my servants for years. Killed creatures that i have held close..." Slowly she turned around, looking Athos in the eye as he walked in with her. "This is my world... I can craft it into anything i wish... Like your personal hell... But, this isn't my way, and instead i have another idea."

"Here, in this very room 76 years ago, i defeated the Baron... And captured his soul into the sword Banatrix." As she spoke, the sword appeared in the air, floating between the two of them. The sword was long, and gleamed with power. But, it wasn't what the assassin expected from a legendary sword of a goddess. It was simple, VERY simple. In fact, the sword its self looked to be made of iron.

"Banatrix holds the power to capture the souls of anything it strikes. The Old Gods are trapped inside of it, and it has been taken. If there released, it will start the 3rd Reckoning." Slowly, a whole world formed around the 3 of them, but then soon it started to crumble. Fire, lava, darklings, and blackness soon take over the lushes land that once existed.

"What you see, is the future if the Old Gods are released, and we can not stop them. This is where you come in. You shall be declared a free man, my guards will not hunt you, and i shall erase your name form history. A clean slate. All you must do is find the sword, and bring it back to me. But, if the Old Gods are released, there is one more thing you can do."

"Atop of Angles Landing there is a shrine, out of reach of the Old Gods." As she spoke, the room started to feel cooled, and snow started to fall around. It was the summit of the mountain Angles Landing, the highest mountain in all of Atherea. "The shrine holds another ancient weapon. Baron Praxus's "Eternity's End". It is an ax, forged in the Black Anvil much like Banatrix, only it does not simply capture souls... It can kill us. It is the only weapon that can kill a god, and it MUST not fall into the Barons hands." After speaking, she started to coff. Holding her stomach and she leaned over and spat up blood into the snow.

Caylim ran to her side qwickly, holding her up right, "Sister! Are you alright??" She asked in a panic, but Mora put her hand on her soulder, and stood up straight. "Yes". She said sternly, "I am alright... Just tired..."


"Athos..." She said standing upright again, griping Caylim as she grunted in pain, "You, and Caylim, are the only creatures in all of Atherea that know of this... If you fail in stopping there plan, you must find the ax... And bring it here... But first, you must stop the sword from reaching Grim Forge, and the Black Anvil. If the sword is dropped in the fires, then the 3rd Reckoning shall be upon us..."

Soon after speaking, the snowy mountain top faded into the normal mist, only with a bed behind Mora. Slowly she walked to it and sat down on it, lieing out in the bed. "Caylim. There is a visitor in our hall. Please, great her. After that, pack everything you will need. Then, when your done, you can find Rolaf at the gate leading out of the city. Athos, you too must prepare for the journey. Meet Rolaf and the others at the gate when you are ready to leave... That is if you are going. But Athos, i am putting my trust in you... Please, for the good of Atherea, do not fail me..."

Shortly after, Mora closed her eyes and fell asleep. The door opening behind Athos back into the house.

"Caylim. There is a visitor in our hall. Please, greet her."

Caylim nodded helping her sister into her bed. Mora adding more things for her sister to do, and Caylim nodded. "Do not worry Mora," She chastised. "Rest. You have done enough for today."

Her sister protested against her words, but Caylim pushed her down gently. "Rest, Mora."

Her sister finally collapsed, giving into her tired body. Caylim walked over to the entrance gesturing for Athos to follow. "I hope you will be joining us, Athos. You would be a valuable asset."

As they left the room, Caylim released a few yellow butterflies to fly around the inner sanctuary. She smiled at her sister and left. following Athos. "I have to go and greet our new visitor. I hope to finish our earlier conversation."

She smiled at the assassin hoping to ease the tension she could clearly see in his shoulders. "Unless you will pass up this opportunity. If that is the case, then I hope the moon continues to smile down upon you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must take my leave of you."

She smiled again, and walked briskly to the front entrance. She was greeted by a woman with maroon colored hair, and seemed to be weakening at the sight of the sun. She smiled. "Another favorite of the Moon. Come in, child. Get out of the sun before you collapse."

Caylim eyed the young one. Her body signaling she was hiding something. It amused her that she believed her to be gullible. The moon was her aid in judgement of people, since the moon saw all. Even in the brightest of days, the moon still showed it's face.

"I like the color of your locks...reminds me of the Moon and all her majesty."

Caylim laughed at the remark. She could feel the Moon pulsing through her body, giving her a reading on the maroon haired girl. Caylim smirked. "I see," She mused. "Come with me, I think my sister will find you...interesting."

Caylim walked ahead of the girl, her fingers latched behind her back. She felt the beads of her dress jingle as she walked, the Moon continuing to pulse through her. She would have to speak with Mora before speaking with the girl.

The Moon is cautious. Her vibe is completely thrown by her. Something is...wrong.

Taking a glance back at the girl, Caylim saw the girl following. Her eyes darting back and forth scanning all of the Hall. As the neared the Inner Sanctuary, Caylim stopped the young one.

"Wait here," She said. "I must speak with my sister before she meets with you."

[Ignore]

Caylim smiled at the young maid and thanked her for informing her of Mora's situation. On the inside, however, she was fuming. It wasn't the first time Mora had locked herself away in the Inner Sanctuary.

Granted this time, Mora had been injured and did need to rest. Usually, it was because Mora was being a brat. Goddesses or not, they were still sisters. And they treated each other as such.

Sighing, Caylim made her way back to where she had left the maroon haired girl. "I am sorry, but Mora is not taking visitors at the moment. I guess it falls on my shoulders to deem if you are worthy to go on this quest."

She smiled, even though the situation was not really a happy one. She was still getting a strange vibe from the Moon, but she wasn't getting a clear picture as to what the feelings were.

"I am sorry, young one, but I did not catch your name."

When the voices in her head finally quieted down, Caylim had made her way to the Inner Sanctuary hoping to speak with her sister before leaving on her journey. However, the door to the sanctuary was still sealed, with no hopes of getting it open. Sighing, Caylim tracked down a Faithful to pass a message to Mora. To send a message to Caylim as soon as she was capable.

Although she found Zee to be a viable asset, the explosion of voices in her head had her concerned. The message from the Moon was so unclear. What if it was a warning? Packing all the things she needed, Caylim forced the thoughts out of her head. She would write Mora later, when they had made headway on their journey. Now was not the time to dwell on such things.

Slipping out of her standard robe, Caylim changed into leggings and a tunic. It was a very manly ensemble, but it still accentuated her womanly curves. She slipped the strap of her pack over her head to rest on her shoulder, the bag bouncing against her hip. She grabbed her black cloak, the one of legend, said to be made form the night sky, and clasped it around her neck, letting the flow material wrap around her.

Finally, her quiver was strapped to her belt, and her bow was held firmly in her hand. She hardly ever went out in anything but her robes. Considering it was a time of peace, she felt out of place. The last time she had worn this attire was when she was in battle against the Old Gods. Her dear sister by her side, defending the lives of the subjects they held dear.

She sighed, and began her trudge to the gates of the city. Takira was probably already there, tending to the animals. She was hardly ever at the castle, which Caylim understood. Her mind and spirit belonged in the forests, with the animals and the trees.

When Caylim arrived, she was not surprised to find Athos and Zee had already shown up. Rolaf stood, silent and stoic as ever, by the gates her eyes never straying from the spot ahead of him. "Rolaf" Caylim greeted bowing her head.

He made a simple nod in return. The strong, silent type he was. "I am glad to see all of you here."

The day was bright, and clear. Not a cloud was in the sky in Mora. The birds were chirping and the people were busing about. After receiving word from the bird, Takira has been up in her tree talking with the birds non stop. As she talked with bird after bird about what was happening, of the caravan finding the village, the werewolf, and other such news from around the 5 holds, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hmm... Sister... You are to young to worry about such matters as this. Rolaf is there guild, and you know that if anything were to happen, Rolaf can handle it..." Slowly the goddess leaned down next to her sister in the tree house, much like the Druidic houses of Evercrest, and held her sister close to her. There long hair mixing together as she held the younger goddess close to her.

"Today your sister is feeling very good, a lot better than the past few days." She said with a smile and a laugh, holding Takira's hand as she stood up. She was dressed in just her robe, witch was always very unlike her. Mora loved making herself look beautiful, but didnt care for how she looked around her sister. Slowly she climbed down from the tree house, and walked with her sister back into the mouse.

"Come, Takira, its time you learned." She said in a serous, yet light tone. "Learn what, sister?" Takira asked. With a smile, Mora turned down to her and walked her into the inner sanctuary. "Its time you learned how to fight."

As they walked into the sanctuary, the hole room transformed into a training ground. A large circle made of dirt ontop of a slight hill. There was no sound besides the wind blowing, and the sound of the soft steps of Mora walking over to a weapon rack. Around the rased circle were weapons ranging form bows, to daggers, to maces. "Welcome to my private training area... Made just for you, little sister." With a smile, Mora stood of to the side of the hill, holding her scepter in hand.

(CONTINUE THIS IN THE INNER SANCTUARY)

"Oh, Sister Mora," Takira gasped, "it's lovely but...me? Fight? No, no, that could never happen! I'm far too small, and my dagger is not a good weapon for someone such as I!" Fiddling with her braid, she pulled it over her shoulder and sighed, remembering when Caylim had braided it just that morning. Would she see her sister again? Would she see ANY of them again?

"Mora, I'm not a fighter, you know that..." Takira felt foolish, useless, and rude, telling her sister that she wouldn't use her kind offer. "Sister, I cannot...I can't even ask my animals to fight for me, let alone fight myself."

Slowly Mora walked to her smaller sister and held her hands, speaking to her lowly "Takira... I know you miss Caylim, and i know you and her are closer than me and you are... But every night, when the moon comes out, she is looking down at you. She sees you and she smiles... I feel it. I know you dont want to fight my sister, but darkness is coming, I can sense it sister. If the Old Gods are released, and your unprepared... Lilith will not take pity on you again." As she spoke, it reminded Takira of the last time she saw the Mother of Monsters, Lilith.

Lilith was the opposite of everything Takira held sacred. Animals were simply playthings for her to twist into vial beasts, and life was something that could be thrown away and replaced. Long ago, Lilith attacked Evercrest, and the Druidic temple. Takira was one of the survivors of the attacks, and ran through he forests to find safety. After a battle between Lilith and the gods, Lilith cursed the forest to be a place for her beasts to breed and thrive in.

Under a low bush near the base of a huge tree, Lilith found Takira. Scared for her life, Takira held up her dagger against the witch. This only made her laugh. With a vial growl she swiped the dagger out of her hand, and picked the child Takira up. No one knows why, but Lilith placed the child back on the ground, and pressed the dagger back into her hands. With that she disappeared. Not long after Mora raced through the forest to find the witch when she found Takira. Dressed in full armor she knelled down and watched as the child shook with fear. Slowly, Mora extender her hand to the child and picked her up, taking her back to the village.

"If.. Your not prepared... I fear i wont be able to stop her in this state." Mora's looked down to the ground as she held her younger sister close to her, her long white hair hanging down over the shoulder of the younger goddess. Then came a noise. A noise that Takira knew, but couldn't imagine her sister making. After listening for a moment, her hunch was right. Mora was crying. It started softly, as just a few whimpers, but then turned into a full stream of tears down Takira's shoulder.

"Curse m-my weakness... Curse my inability t-to deffend my own land... Curse the True Gods for leaving mankink... Curse me f-for thinking i stood a chance against Praxus..." The list went on and on and she just kept crying into Takiras shoulder.

"Sister Mora...Sister Mora, please, do not cry...you are not weak, you are the strongest Goddess ever to roam this place." Terrified by her sister's tears, she, too, began to sob, remembering the fear that woman had given her. Takira should have been killed, she was only a young druidess, nothing special; yet she had let her live. That itself stunk as something foul.

"You can stand against Praxus, you will, and you will win! Please, Mora, please, d-do not cry..." Tears rolled down her face, and she held her sister tightly, wishing she never had to let go, that she could take all her sister's pain away.

Caylim felt a surge of power radiate from the Moon down to her. They were walking cautiously through the woods, bypassing another empty village, when she felt it. Almost collapsing to the ground from the surge, Caylim felt like her body was overtaken with an earthquake.

She pushed past the surge, and did her best to walk on, but she could feel the heaviness in her feet. Lilith was back.

There was no other feeling like that of Lilith's call, and Caylim knew it very well. Looking up at the Moon and then back behind her, in the direction of Lilith's prison, Caylim could still feel the call.

Lilith was the Mother of Monsters and most of those monsters had ties to the Moon. Lilith and Caylim were sisters, in the sense that they Moon helped them create and be the women of power that they were. Looking back up at the Moon, Caylim hoped her mother would clarify that she was just going crazy.

I'm sorry daughter, but she is back. She has been released.

What do I do Mother?

Do not worry about Lilith, you have more important tasks at hand. The Old Gods cannot be released.

Nodding Caylim put on a stoic face before glancing back towards Lilith's prison. Fear gripped her heart. She had to get a message to Mora and Takira. She lifted her hand up and a yellow butterfly landed gently on her finger. Pressing the silky wings to her lips, the yellow color began to drain into a dark, heavy purple. Lifting her hand, the butterfly took off.

Hopefully Mora would understand the dire situation she was now in.