[RPG][SWI][Ik]

[James]

Lady Teniel's face was contorted with indecision as she sat in the dim light
of her dungeons, deep within the high black walls of Ikalak city itself. To
be within this place, of her absolute power calm her somewhat, and the
stinking smell of rotting flesh, faeces and death caused her mind to ease
and her conscienceness to drift out toward her love, her life, her god,
Nergal.

She was sitting at her desk in the dungeons, surrounded by the many black
cages and prison cells in which she held her prey. The desk, made of the
mighty oak forests in Neralle, had been tarnished forever by the black paint
which had been smeared across its legs and top, and something else which
Teniel did not know, but liked to lick occasionally when she was deep within
mediation. But suddenly, the screams of her inmates as they called out
desperately for help caused her to wake from her silent mediation, angering
her in this fragile state of mind she threw a dirty cup which stood on the
table at the bars where the screaming had come.

She then attempted to return to her former state of mind, but this time
however, no amount of meditation would be able to calm her, and no matter
how much she buried herself within these dank stone walls, the issue would
find her. She was the Haruspex Maximus of Ikalak, the will of Nergal's
mighty and brutal justice, and she knew her task though she did not want it.
Lord Octimus was her Lord, her first friend, her mentor, and her true
Captain, and she was not about to betray him, she knew as much.

 "ARGHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" she cried in a high pitched voice as the
turmoil within her mind reached fever pitch, jumping up she drew her sword
and started flailing it everywhere. Smashing the desk and chair, sending a
blizzard of woodchips in every direction. The screams from the inmates
suddenly reached fever pitch as the wood chips flew through the bars to
strike them whilst they lay chained to the walls. She continued like this
for many more hours to come, smashing at the walls until her blade was as
dull as the setting in which the act occurred. Eventually, she collapsed
with exhaustion, right on the very floor.

*"Damn them....damn him....damn Dio....Diodorus....fool of a
man....shouldn't have ordered my lord where he could not go," *sobbed Teniel
in her sleep as she fought with her demons* "....but must punish
them...punish him...no...no...cannot fine them....they were right to
stay...but where they?...leaving their comrades...I know that bitch Alanna
would have done the same if it was my Lord telling her to go....but then my
Lord would not have been so stupid to order that...wait...I know..."*

She awoke, her head reeling from the blow of hitting the floor so hard, and
her body aching from so many hours of destruction, but this time, he mind
was set.

 "Scribe!" she called, which was responded to by a man, shaking with fear,
being pushed through the doorway by the guards who did not want to enter
this room any more than the scribe did. Behind him was pushed out a small
table, and chair as well, it seemed as though this was not the first time
that furniture had been removed from the room in such a way.

 "Write!" she commanded:

 Nobles *of* Ikalak,

*Have you all forgotten upon which the laws of the this realm were founded?
The laws which have given Ikalak the strength to fight on despite our
desperate struggle against a greater foe? The Council of Ikalak, are the
will of Nergal for their tenure, whether appointed or elected.*

*Therefore, even if you utterly disagree with their words and instructions,
you are bound by the sacred laws of the Church to follow them. Thus, any
Noble of Ikalak who has been elected into the role of the Paladin Primus,
through a just and fair ballot with all candidates who wish to be tried by
the Nobility available to contest, is vested within him the laws of Nergal,
and the absolute authority to command.*

*In saying that, although that I personally have been most disappointed and
apalled at some of the recent military decisions of our current leadership
in Alanna and Diodorus, it is my duty to uphold their decisions and enforce
them. If anyone doesn't like what they are doing, it is not your place to
remain out of the fight and leave your comrades to die. However it is your
place to contest the next election and let the nobility of Ikalak decide as
to where our realm will be taken in the future.*

*Therefore, Octimus, Vincent, Xerxius. You have violated the Commandments of
war and are now subjected to a gold fine. May this be a lesson to you in the
future, that such acts of deliberate insubordination will not be tolerated.*

 Signed,

 The *Harupsex* Maximus *of* Ikalak, Nergal's *most* faithful priestess.

As she finished the letter, and affixed it with her seal, and shaking hands,
Teniel threw it at the scribe, along with the written orders to demand 50
gold from each of the names. The scribe quickly took the documents, backed
away and fled through the door and down the tunnel to the upper levels of
the city and out.

Teniel sat quietly in the chair, staring up into the darkened ceiling, tears
streaming down her face. Just as she had been so calm before, Teniel had now
reverted back into the silent beration which had tortured her for days now.
As the day ended, a balding servant entered the chamber, bringing with him
some food on a silver platter. Placing it before his Lady upon the table, he
then turned slowly to return to the palace kitchens. And then just as slowly
stopped, and then toppled to the ground clutching at his back where a silver
platter had been rammed in.

Teniel stood motionless, her eyes filled with fury as she drove the metal
object deeper into the wounded man, seeing the blood gush from his body and
spray all over her face. After several minutes, the groaning and the
twitching of her prey ended, and it was clear the man had died in this
brutal assault. But Teniel did not remain, and smeared the blood across her
face until her skin was a dark red colour. Then, turning back towards the
cell from which she thought a scream had originated many hours before,
during her meditation. She drew her sword, and yanking the prison cell door
wide open she entered and silently butchered her victim, Betus of Sandalak.

When she was done, there was nothing left to distinguish man from bloody
mass, and Nergal's priestess was nowhere to be found. One thing was clear
though, she had left her clothes behind her....and the forests of Berakor
were alive that night as a high pitched wail could be heard reverberating
throughout the trees....
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