Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-5824038-20151027123438/@comment-5824038-20151102103625

News of the crusade would not reach the cities for a long time. Villages were burnt to the ground to kill any and all practitioners hiding in them. Survivors were more intent on rebuilding, instead of sending word to the outside world. But as with all things, Brightwall eventually heard what was happening. The Senate had no idea what to do. Their army was stretched thiny by now, trying to deal with the possible attacks from the Council of Nobles, and watching the ever-present threat of Samarkand.

Regiments were sent out to meet the knights, try to come to some arrangement. They were driven back every single time, sustaining heavy losses. It seemed the knights were unstoppable. Azura's wrath swept across the continent like wildfire. Borders meant nothing to these holy crusaders, and Samarkand was not safe from them.

The crusade lasted a whole year. Werewolves, vampires, cultists, everyone who could be an enemy of the knights, fled before the oncoming cleansing wave.

But once they had finished the knights returned home. Back to the Adamantine Monastery. It was said, though, that the knights encountered something at the end of their journey that had frightened them beyond measure. Something was out there... something that even the Knights of Azura feared...

________

Marya was sitting alone in the dark dungeons of the Adamantine Monastery. Nobody was left here; not a single monk remained. She would die very soon of starvation and thirst. It seemed that even Azura had abandoned her, departing her temple to lend strength to her knights on crusade.

She sat there. Her powers could not escape this room. For some reason, psychic energies could not flow out of the stone walls.

But then something happened. Far off, atop Daggerfall's clocktower, Jean Guetierre died. And with that the contingency ritual activated. A tremendous surge of magical and psychic power exploded into life, and rushed off to the mountains. A final gift.

This power smashed through the walls, ignoring the barrier that had been erected. It surrounded Marya, pulsating with a raging power, before being absorbed by the priestess.

She stood up, and screamed. Her back arched and her body contorted with the influx of energy. Images of Guetierre's life flashed through her mind. But above all, her mind was filled with anger, rage, hatred; but also love, compassion, and pity. The fire of Guetierre's power mixed with hers, until they came together. Her psychic energies reached out, to find one who was bonded to her forever by her actions.

Far off, back in Daggerfall, Meledran burnt into cinder. His mind and his spirit raced off to the mountains to answer the call of his mistress.

_________

'Victory!' Marcus roared. 'We claimed victory!'

The knights cheered in ecstatic excitement. Their crusade was finally over. The Lady of the Rose had protected during their journey, and their war had been a success. Of their original number, under a dozen had been lost.

Dominae victoria! he cried out. Victory for our Lady.

The clouds darkened. Everyone looked up in surprise. The mountains loomed behind them, the Adamantine Monastery just visible far off into the sky.

Fiery energy swirled above them. A ghostly figure approached them from the ground. His appearance was identical to Meledran, but he was glowing like embers.

I herald Her coming.

This psychic message resonated through every knight's mind.

Above them, the fires had converged upon one point. They split apart, and a harsh glow burst from the opening. Out of it descended a figure.

Her red hair was just like Marya's. Her face was just like Marya's. But she was cloaked in flame and light, her priestess robes exchanged with clothing of green and gold.

She outstretched her arms, and cried out in a fierce voice

Hear me, Knights of Azura!

No longer am I the woman you knew!

I am Fire, and Life, incarnate!

Now and forever - I am Phoenix!