The Water-bearer

Praying under your breath, you turn and start to run.

"Zarya!?" shouts a furious Dione at you. "Where do you think you're going!?"

She doesn't follow you – not yet. Her companion, the man possessed with a fragment of the Demon known as Legion takes pursuit. But you can stop him in his tracks, for you can sense it... holy water. There's some nearby. The consecrated fluid ought to pin this man down.

"ZARYA!" she shouts again, louder, angrier, her aura twitching more violently as if getting ready to strike!

"I'm not leaving her here with you! Not if your vision is true! We'll need her with us!" You try to turn Dione's vision of devastation against her. She doesn't respond immediately, so you keep going while getting the water ready. "Too many innocent and ordinary people, just like how I used to be, are in danger down in Antioch. But I... no, we won't let the worst happen! We'll get Capricorn Saturn back, and we won't let that so-called 'Angel' rampage as it pleases!"

You then duck out of the way of the man's sword slash, turn to face him, and douse him with holy water, crashing it down on his head!

"AAAHHHHHH!!!" he screams in agony, falling over and trying to dry himself.

"All the same... we won't let you do as you please either! Temperence isn't yours to control!" you add.

Dione growls at you. "Oh, so its fine to leave her under the control of the Sovereign Priest of Antioch and Trinity then!? I don't think so! I won't let anyone get in the way of my mission, not even you!"

She then rips the covering off of her left eye, but she's too slow. You've already turned away from her and resumed your escape. Her aura surges and explodes behind you as you dash out of the church, leaving the guards behind. You don't turn to see if they follow you. It's too risky. You can hear their shouting, demanding that you stop and declaring that they'll give chase, and their footsteps when you don't obey them.

It lasts for all of a few minutes.

There's a sudden rumbling from behind you, coming out of the main church of the Followers of the Way in Sardis. You can't see her, since you refuse to turn and look back, but you can sense her. Her spiritual presence is a whirling mixture of her own holiness and the Serpent's demonic essence. You can hear her body slithering on the city streets, trailing behind you as she gives chase. The guards have fallen silent... you hope they're retreated. Otherwise...

Ah, but you can't worry about them right now... you can't afford to be worried about anyone other than yourself right now!

It's fully night time, but there are still people out and about thanks to the lamps lighting up the city. When they notice what great beast is trailing behind you, they scream, panic, cower, retreat, and so on... Dione doesn't bother reassuring them. In fact, she says nothing to them. She's deadly silent; only the sound of her slithering across the marble-lined streets and crashing into people and walls alerts you to her presence.

This is bad... you can't risk leading her right to the meeting point. But the best source of water here is the harbor, which is in the opposite direction... There is water around, here and there, and you are taking hold of it and using it against Dione, but it's not slowing her down all that much... there has to be something else you can do...!

The Being's voice rings through your body. [DISSOLVE YOURSELF AND DISAPPEAR INTO THE DARKNESS.]

You round another corner of another street, and find yourself face to face with another fragment of Legion. It's one of the women who accosted you and Lina before. She's armed with a spatha, and charges straight at you, aiming to kill!

You let her swing, and phase right through her attack, splitting yourself apart and promptly reforming on the other side. You continue your escape, now with two pursuers. ...you'll have to trust the Being here. That technique is your only way out of here... but you need to find an unlit alleyway, and you're starting to get tired...

[NO. GO THIS WAY.]

An image flashes through your head of a path leading right to... the baths! Of course! There's more than enough water there for you to slow Dione and Legion down and slip away as a mass of bubbles!

You bid your legs to hold on just a bit longer, and follow the path laid out for you.

Of course, you're not the only one who knows where you're going.

"Dione! She's headed for the baths!"

"I see! Is there another fragment of you there?"

"Not yet... I'll alert them. You go ahead."

You can hear that woman stop, so only the snake is following you. But now there's trouble ahead.... no, your way out of here is ahead! Taking a deep breath, trying to calm yourself as much as a you can, you meditate on your time in the baths, how peaceful it was to be there with your companions, the relaxing mood brought to you not just by them, but by the hot and soothing water itself...

As you get closer, the water inside the baths resonates with you more and more intensely. You submerge yourself deeper and deeper, but it feels like you're floating up and up instead...

There's ten people possessed by fragments of Legion outside the baths. It wouldn't matter if there were a hundred. As easily as you can breathe, you draw out the water from the baths and flood the area, crashing a big wave on top of all of you! You can hear Dione and the others scream, but all you feel is inner peace... a peace that lets you dissolve into the water as bubbles and make your escape, for real this time.

None of them follow you. They all survived – you could feel their spiritual presences diminish, but not fade away – but they must have been too disoriented to give chase.

Speaking of disorientation, running across an entire city and summoning a giant wave took a lot out of you. You're feeling dizzy... the world is wobbly... or maybe that's just your legs... You're lucky to have the Being by your side, or you might not have even made it close to the meeting spot. You're even luckier that your friends decided to come and get you, arriving on the scene in their wagon just as your legs give out and you fall unconscious.

.

.

.

When you wake up, it's still dark. The only lights are a small campfire and the stars above. You've dried off a bit, but you're still pretty wet so you move a bit closer to the fire.

As you do, a familiar voice speaks up in a soft whisper. "Zarya... are you awake?"

You look over and see that Libra Venus and Scorpio Mars are on watch. The others are asleep, some on the ground, and some split between the two wagons you all have. You can't see Aurelia Prima, but you can sense the Demon possessing her. Your group has also gained a holy relic, but only one. You can't tell which one just yet... but that can wait for the morning.

"Mmmm..."

No, you're too tired to move. You flop back on the ground. "Where are we going?" you ask, stargazing.

You hear shuffling. After a few moments, Libra Venus comes into view. She's taken a seat by your side. You then realize that she's in a deep blue tunic, rather than her holy robes. Did she lose them? "We're heading towards Antioch," she says.

[] "We're heading straight there."
[] "We're stopping in Ephesus first."

"Temperance told us about a vision Dione had," adds Scorpio Mars. "Did Dione tell you about it too?"

You nod. "If she's right, then Capricorn Saturn is in danger. I want to help her... we can deal with Dione after that. You don't mind, right?"

"Not at all. We can't let a rogue Angel run wild. And we can't let Capricorn Saturn be used like a tool."

Libra Venus smiles down at you, bright like the stars. "I agree. Let's go and save her. But for now, you should rest."

She then sings softly into your ears, and you have a sweet dream in the watery depths from then on.

(The Being has been continuing to disentangle itself from you. As such, choose another spell from your Character Sheet to give up. Normally, you would have to give up a spell here. However... for the second time in a row, you don't have to! Zarya is willing to pause the separation temporarily, due to the angel situation. This will last until said angel is defeated. That said, if you'd still like to drop a spell, you may do so now. Otherwise, vote 'n/a' or something like that.)
[][Lost Spell] ???


Spiritual Aptitude: 40
QM Note: Now that we're out of Sardis, it's time to set another direction as we get closer to the end!

Ephesus

The Holy Maiden of Kindness had gone from a relatively stationary life tending to the lost and wounded in Pergamum from travelling around the land due to cultist-induced calamities. Following the destruction of Ephesus, she had travelled there to render aid to the city's people. There, she had met the mystery woman, Zarya, who was possessed by a most unusual Demon... so unusual that she had doubted that it was one! And when they, accompanied by several others, went to ask the Holy Maiden of Patience for her advice, she even agreed!

That old and wise woman then did quite an unusual and unorthodox thing. She had sent Zarya, as well as the no-longer-dead and Demon-possessed Leo Sun Theodora, off on a mission for the benefit of their holy order. Imagine! Using a foul and unholy creature like that thing that had inhabited Theodora's body to do the work of God! Kindness had been so shocked by this turn of events that she could hardly bring herself to set foot inside Patience's Church for a good while.

She had left her red robes and holy staff behind with Patience, and didn't look back. She'd believed for so long that these tools were meant to combat heretics and heathens, and yet here Patience was allying with them... but why? She should know better... so, did she? Was there something that Kindness didn't understand?

To find that out, she had wandered, alone and confused, through the city of Philadelphia, as a normal person with a false name of Irene. As Irene, she had learned that Patience had tolerated these other faiths for a long time, but despite their presence the faith of the other Followers had never wavered. They felt entirely secure in their position, and were entirely loyal to their Holy Maiden. In Kindness' opinion, they seemed more loyal to Patience than to the main church, but that wasn't an issue right now. In this city, there seemed not to be any issues with having all these faiths in one place – the Law-carriers, the Solar Dancers, the Entangled Ones, the Midnight Revelers, and the small Mystic Unions that were offshoots of their own Way were not in conflict with each other and not with them. The Demon-worshipping heretics, fallen from the path trod by people like her, were the sole target, as they were always the ones who attacked other people.

Only after confronting this truth for herself did Irene return to the main church of Philadelphia.

When she did, she wasn't surprised to find that Patience was waiting for her with a warm smile and a place by her side.

She was, however, surprised to find that a letter had come for her, sent by the Holy Maiden of Humility It requested that she, along with the two Jupiter Mystic Priestesses who originally resided in Sardis, go to that city to defend it from threats while she waged war against the evil menace in Antioch. Of course, Irene – now the Holy Maiden of Kindness once more – accepted the mission, as did her two allies and left as swiftly as they could.

Patience and Taurus Venus let them all go with a warning about concealed threats. It wouldn't be until after they got to Sardis that she realized that the threat had been by her side all along – Pisces Jupiter was working with the cultists all along! She managed to escape with the aid of several Followers and allies, but her attempt to return to Philadelphia was redirected to a surprise trip to Ephesus.

That city, the victim of so many disasters... that was where she remained to this day.

It was scary at first. Her crew of five ordinary people along with herself, a healer, were at the mercy of a group of armed cultists. Only her insistence on going along with the cultists' plot had spared the lives of her companions, much to their enemies' delight. They must have believed that they would receive a great reward for delivering such easy prey to their ringleaders in Ephesus!

But their only reward was a night-time visit to shallow grave in the mountains in their sleep.

Kindness herself didn't take part in that slaughter, but she didn't condemn those who did. No, she even followed them on the path towards Ephesus, believing that the city was in peril once more and needed urgent aid.

She arrived into a city that had been thrown into a panic by the actions of one of her own – the Holy Maiden of Humility! Her elder had come up from Antioch to destroy one of the leaders of the cultists, having completed her mission not long before their group arrived. The city was on full-on disarray with cultist and anti-cultist forces openly clashing in the city streets. The fighting let their group slip into the city unnoticed and made contact with the remaining local Followers. The church had been weakened, but not broken. And with her arrival, they expected her to steer them back to their proper position of power of the city. After all, that's how things were when the Holy Maiden of Diligence was alive. It'd even be easy given that the remaining one Advocate had fled to Pergamum.

Kindness was kind enough to wait a few days before shattering their expectations.

Sure, as a healer, it wasn't much of a surprise that had them all focus on tending to the wounded rather than conquering the city. But she went further than that. Rather than go directly on the attack, she bid them gather allies from across the city. And not just from the common people: she also wanted them to break bread with people of other faiths and forge new bonds with them, ones based on communion instead of oppression. She herself led the charge, arranging for one-on-one meetings with the other local leaders. Things weren't going to be the way they were before in Ephesus (and nor in Pergamum if she ever returned to her home).

Not even if it put her in conflict with her own Followers or the returning Holy Maiden of Humility.

Antioch

Virginia – the former Mystic Priestess Virgo Mercury – often woke up in a windowless room of the same spare apartment in Antioch, body covered with a donated blanket, head pounding, mind weary. This place was close to the Church that she had once been delegated to run, which was now in the (capable, she had to grudgingly admit) hands of the Mystic Priestess Cancer Moon. That woman must have been looking out for Virginia, even in her terrible state. She assumed so anyway, as she hadn't seen the woman in quite a while now. She must be avoiding her.

Just like everyone else in the Church here.

Virginia (she'd truly adopted this as her name now) crawled out of her blankets and stepped out into the bright sunlight. She shut her eyes as the rays pounded her head. But rather than retreat, she let the light attack her. It was her new morning ritual. The people passing by didn't give her so much as a second glance. She didn't pay them much mind either – she had bigger issues to worry about, like this unease in her soul...

It had been slowly growing inside of her ever since that day a few weeks ago. The day when she was kicked out of the only life she had ever known. She was thrown away like she never mattered at all. And to make matters worse... none of it had to happen. There was no point to anything that she had done.

Zarya was never her enemy.

Zarya was never a cultist.

Zarya was never the issue.

The issue here... was her, the woman now named Virginia.

She always had been, from the moment she first set eyes on Zarya, assuming the worst of her. Sure, she could convince herself that it made sense at the time. A horde of wicked and wild cultists sacked Ephesus and killed its Holy Maiden (who was suspiciously alone for some reason...). The cultists were known to call forth Demons and force these vile beasts into people, sometimes one of their own and sometimes innocent victims. Slaves could be either (and sometimes both!).

But that wasn't really the reason she turned against Zarya. It wasn't over something so logical.

No, it was about how she felt about Zarya's situation.

For her perspective, Zarya's situation should have been resolved long ago. At the time, they had all believed that she was Demon-possessed. So, just remove the Demon and either let her go back to Sardis or keep her in custody as she recovered. But under no circumstances should they work with her, using a Demon's unholy power as their own...! Let alone using a second one, one residing inside the woman who used to be their own Mystic Priestess Leo Sun. Despite the fact that it should have been unthinkable, the Holy Maiden of Patience both thought of it and proposed it.

At that point, Virginia had to step away, having no ability to stop this heresy from happening. She was unwilling to use her tools of convincing against one of her own. She could only hope that her companions returned to the light of God and ended this farce.

Instead, the farce continued and made a mockery of her.

These Demon-possessed women became the heroes of both Smyrna and Antioch, to the point where even the Holy Maiden of Humility and the Sovereign Priest of Antioch recognized them and were willing to work together with them. Once that happened the truth about her was revealed, though Virginia wouldn't recognize it for what it was.

In truth, she was the one who had stepped away from the light of God. Instead of supporting her fellow Followers efforts to get Zarya to embrace their Way, she wanted to cast Zarya into the darkness of Death! She wanted to punish Zarya, believing that this was some sort of scheme, that she was aiming for control. (In truth, the only control Zarya wanted was over her own life.)

That was why returned to Ephesus, aiming to use evil to destroy evil.

Instead, she sunk deep into that evil, and was defeated by the light that used to shine in her soul.

And it was all for nothing!

To stop herself from weeping for hours again (not that it did her any good), she walked out into the sunny morning. As she was no longer welcome in the Church, she had to find something – anything – to occupy her time, lest these thoughts consume her during the day just as they did during the night. Despite her ability to read and write, she could not find anyone willing to take her own as a scribe or secretary, and her ability to lead others meant nothing when none would follow her. And her lack of physical strength meant that all her attempts to do manual labor, whether in construction or mining, all ended in failure. Now she simply wandered around the city, begging for aid wherever it may be.

In her eyes, she had truly become a worthless woman.

That must have been why the dark shapes started to appear one day, encroaching on the edges of her vision. The shadows of the city were warping around her, inviting her in. Their pull was strongest at night, after some heavy servings of wine had dulled her mind. (Had she been in a better state of mind, she might have realized that these offers of drinks from certain men and women were suspect.)

The darkness was calling to her, declaring that she was right. She was worthless.

So, why not fade away into the night? Why not disappear?

Why not let her mind dissolve into the embrace of the shadows?

She had not surrendered yet. There were still people willing to take pity on a woman like her.

But she had no idea how much longer she could go on like this.

QM Note: Vote will close in a few hours, btw.

When you think about it, there's quite a few ways that you've been fortunate, despite everything else that's happened to you in your life.

Not only did your first encounter with the spiritual side of life include the Being, a curious alien rather than a hostile Demon, you had then encountered the very friendly Mystic Priestess Libra Venus not too long later. She's been a constant ally to you ever since. And now she was travelling with you once more after you both split up for separate missions that eventually took you both to the same place: Sardis, the city of Demons. With her soothing song, you recovered from your spiritual exhaustion within a day... and it gave you an idea.

Back in Sardis, you learned that a destroying Angel had come down to cleanse this world of Sin in the crudest way possible – by cleansing it of people. Once your group – now expanded to yourself, Libra Venus, Linza, Philippos, Theodora, Aries Mars, Scorpio Mars, Sagittarius Jupiter, Temperance, Aurelia Prima, Cornelia Prima, and her two kids – found out about this, you all decided that you needed to take action and confront this holy being. It had to be stopped! So, you had decided that you needed to keep your abilities for now.

But that raised an issue – you had no idea how long this would take, and you still wanted to set the Being free soon. It disentangling itself from you would lead to you losing your abilities, however. The only way around this, from your point of view, was to find another spiritual medium to channel the Being's powers through. That way, it wouldn't matter how physically connected the two of you were. The Being trusted you and so was fine with you trying this, so you approached Libra Venus with the idea while on the way to Ephesus. Her response was...

[][Artefact?] ...that she could play a song to help you use your abilities... (The Being starts disentangling itself from Zarya once more. However, as long as Libra Venus is around, Zarya does not lose access to any spells she has.)
[][Artefact?] ...that you should construct your own back in Antioch... (Zarya spends some time crafting a holy artefact after returning to Antioch. Once it's complete, she and the Being will be able to separate fully at any time.)

...and you decided to go with it, thanking her for her help.

Besides this matter, you had all decided to go to Antioch and warn the people there of an upcoming attack. Since Dione's vision was of the future, hopefully Antioch would still be standing when you all arrived there.

Of course, you weren't going to drag the kids or their mom into this matter, and so you all were making a detour in Ephesus first. After the defeat of Celso Longinus, the cultists should have lost control of the city, so it should be safe for them all to stay there for now. And even if it wasn't, Aurelia Prima was going to stay there as well to defend them, just in case. The fact that it meant that she no longer had to spend any time with you all was just a bonus. If Holy Maiden of Humility was there, she could even give the woman a proper exorcism and free her from the grasp of the Leviathan.

As far as Cornelia Prima was concerned, this was the best outcome. So, for the sake of her sister-in-law's happiness, Aurelia Prima put up with it. She mostly kept to herself while on the road, which was fine by you. You had plenty of other matters to concern yourself with.

Particularly, matters relating to the Holy Maiden of Temperance, who considered herself in debt to all of you for rescuing her. She had originally fled from Laodicea after the conspiracy within the local military finally made their move. They attacked in the night, with a few loyal to her being able to warn her of the attack only scarce moments before it was launched. But thanks to them and their brave sacrifice, she was able to escape with her holy relics – her golden helmet and golden candlestick – and flee into the wilderness. She wandered across it into the territory of those who lived beyond civilization's edge, and eventually made her way to Sardis, hoping to receive aid from Humility and the Jupiter Mystic Priestesses. Instead, she ended up captured by the former Pisces Jupiter, a traitor in truth!

The woman, now going by Dione, had tried to entice Temperance into joining her. She believed that with the holy light of the golden candlesticks, the Demons could be easily purified and made pliable. But Temperance had no interest in Dione's heretical schemes, and Dione had not resorted to forcing Temperance to obey... although the Serpent had been complaining that Dione should do just that. At the rate things had been going...

...no, there was no need to worry about that. Her allies in the Church had come to save her, just as she believed they would. They had even also saved Sagittarius Jupiter!

However, you all had only recovered one of the three holy relics associated with the two of them.

(See QM Note below for more details.)
[][Relic!] The holy light of the golden candlestick of Laodicea could light up even the darkest nights.
[][Relic!] The gilded helmet of the Holy Maiden of Temperance made her a powerful fighter.
[][Relic!] The Bolt Thrower Bow provides Sagittarius Jupiter with devastating long-range attacks.

The other two will have to be recovered another time, after you've dealt with your rogue angel problem.

Speaking of problems... there's one that's been brewing in Ephesus for a while, apparently.

It took a few days to arrive there from Sardis along a mostly empty road. When you got there, the cultists had indeed mostly been defeated. Even better, the Holy Maiden of Kindness had indeed made it to the city safely, and was now joined by the Holy Maiden of Humility. But.... there was some tension between them, or rather between Kindness and the bulk of the city's Followers over the matter of how to relate to all the non-cultist people of other faiths. To be honest, this was not a problem you particularly wanted to handle right now, not when a disaster was looming. The rest of your group was in agreement.

So, you all split up and talked to the two Holy Maidens separately. You, Theodora, Aries Mars, Scorpio Mars, and Sagittarius Jupiter had a chat with Humility, while Linza, Philippos, Libra Venus, and Temperance had a chat with Kindness.

And in the end, the following was decided.

[][Holy Maidens] Humility would stay in Ephesus, while Kindness would travel to Antioch. (No change in relations.)
[][Holy Maidens] Kindness would stay in Ephesus, while Humility would travel to Antioch. (Gain (+) with Kindness and lose (+) with Humility.)


Spiritual Aptitude: 40
QM Note: The Golden Candlestick is a holy relic with a great but unknown power, as Temperence has never tried to use it. The Gilded Helmet provides its wielder with increased control over their own body, increasing physical strength and stamina, as well as improved emotional control. The Bolt Thrower Bow has power comparable to a ballista in the size and shape of an ornamented regular bow, and is infused with holy lightning.

With her gilded helmet granting her great strength, the Holy Maiden of Temperence is just the kind of person you need around to focus on fighting the rogue Angel while the rest of you either support her, handle the Trinity, or rescue Capricorn Saturn. If that angel is anything like the Demons you've faced before, then you'll want as many people who can use their spiritual connections for combat to face it.

So, it might at first seem like an odd decision to bring along the Holy Maiden of Kindness – who lacks any sort of combat ability – with your group to Antioch instead of the Holy Maiden of Humility – who you yourself saw nearly burn a man to death with a giant ball of fire. However, two other factors have to be considered. One – in exchange for having no combat ability, Kindness is able to heal wounds and connect together people's inner voices. Two – the burning power of Humility may not work on a being that itself is made of fire.

Humility herself makes another convincing argument. In the worst-case scenario, should the angel manage to make its way out of Antioch to attack other cities, there's at least a chance that Humility would be able to fight it, as opposed to Kindness who would be completely helpless. While Kindness herself didn't phrase it that way, she also noted that she would be better suited to supporting others in a battle rather than having to fight on her own. Her only counterargument against going is her desire to continue her work here in Ephesus, but after Temperance impresses upon her the urgency of the situation, she agrees to come along for the ride.

That said, she doesn't pretend to be pleased about it. When she sees you again for the first time in months, the smile on her face is practiced and polite. "It's good to see that you're doing well, Zarya. Ah, but you're still possessed by the Demon? I would have thought the Humility would have removed it..."

"Well, she would have, but... hmm, actually, it's a long story. I'll tell you on the way to Antioch, along with everything else that's happened to me since we last met," was your reply, much to her confusion. After all, what story could there be to tell? Wasn't it their duty to get rid of demonic entities without hesitation, that same duty that Dione had rejected? She voiced her thoughts on the matter but ultimately agreed when you held firm and promised her an explanation later. She might not agree with every decision for comrade has made, but she trusted that there must be a reason for it.

With that decided, it was time to go back on the road.

While your group – now consisting of yourself, Linza, Philippos, Libra Venus, Theodora, Aries Mars, Scorpio Mars, Temperance, and Kindness once Sagittarius Jupiter decides to stay with Humility – readies your wagons, you ask a question that's been on your mind ever since Dione first mentioned the Trinity.

"Kindness, Temperance... Dione claimed before that only the Trinity would be able to call forth an Angel. Do either of you have any idea how they could do that?"

It would be more accurate to say that only some of you are actually preparing the wagons. Linza and Philippos have taken charge, aided by yourself, Theodora, and Temperance. The Mars duo, Libra Venus, and Kindness are standing by the sidelines and idly chatting when you ask your question. Temperance, continuing her work, deflects to Kindness, who ponders the matter, gazing up at the cloudy sky as she thinks.

"Hmmm... to be honest, I'm not sure. I'd imagine that Angels wouldn't be attracted to human sacrifice, so it can't be that..."

"Do those Trinity women have some kind of special power?" asks Linza while feeding the horses.

Kindness shakes her head.

"...Truly? They're just normal women?" she asks, disbelieving. You feel the same.

"It's true," chimes in Temperance. "They're spiritual leaders and are in charge of all of the monasteries, but they're not supposed to have any special abilities of their own. They don't have any holy artefacts like the rest of us."

"...wait, does Humility have one?" you ask. "I don't recall seeing it."

The holy women among you all confirm that the Holy Maiden of Humility is the sole exception to the rule that holy artefacts are needed to channel holy powers. More precisely, her power is able to be channeled directly through her body and soul. Unlike the rest of them, who were granted powers once they came of age, she was chosen essentially from birth. Temperance also added that Humility went through a special ceremony, once that she didn't know the details of.

You take all this in, and come up with a possibility. "Still, if having powers like that is possible at all, maybe the Trinity applied it to themselves."

"There is another possibility," adds Philippos. "Perhaps instead of a sacrifice, the Angel was called down with a different type of offering. Angels are messengers, aren't they? Maybe the Trinity offered to help them spread a message or do some other holy work."

"For all we know, it could even be both!" concluded Linza.

Kindness shuddered. "I hope not... what kind of holy work is destroying the world without bringing about a new one? What message could they possibly be spreading?"

"I... hmm..."

Kindness turns to look at you. "Zarya? You're swimming in your thoughts. Would sharing them help?"

"Well... I'm just wondering about something. I don't think Temperance would know about this, but you would have, Kindness. Remember when the cultists summoned that giant dragon and nearly destroyed Antioch?"

You had no idea Temperance's eyes could go that wide. But Kindness simply nods. Looks like someone filled her in on that part already.

"At the same time, I felt another spiritual presence coming from a far-off place."

And once you mention that Theodora and Libra Venus chime in that they felt it too, as did Capricorn Saturn (and likely Virginia and Cancer Moon). The presence was coming from too far away for any of you to get a clear sense as to what it was, but you definitely didn't feel any of the pulsating and burning malevolence of the Demon Dragon. You have to wonder if that was the Angel, and you just didn't recognize it for what it was at the time.

...but wouldn't that mean that the cultists were directly responsible for summoning an Angel? That couldn't be right... could it?

When you voice that thought, Kindness at once counters it. "No, Zarya, I think the Angel called forth itself to fight that Demon. But then, I don't know why it summoned itself to Patmos..."

"Did someone let the Trinity know about the attack? Maybe they called it forth to avenge what they believed to be a doomed city," ponders Temperance out loud.

"But then why would it attack innocent people or allow the Trinity to control Capricorn Saturn?"

Before the Holy Maidens can attempt to give you an answer, Theodora speaks up. "Everyone, we can continue debating the matter here... or we can confront the Trinity and get the answers straight from them. I know what I'd rather do. The wagon's ready, so let's go!"

And after making a quick detour to let Humility and Sagittarius Jupiter know that you've left, you all head back to Antioch.

(Once you get back there, you'll let the Church know that there's an incoming disaster so that they can prepare. But should you spread the news among the people? It could cause a panic, but not necessarily... and who says that panic in the face of such an event is a bad thing?)
[] Only alert the Antiochian Church, and trust them to warn the public appropriately.
[] Alert everyone that you can, using every means at hand. (Gain (+) with Kindness.)

Spiritual Aptitude: 40
QM Note: Back to Antioch next update, where you'll do some warning and sculpting. Character sheet was also updated.

The trip to Antioch is peaceful under sunny skies.

With Ephesus secured and spring on the horizon, travel between these two cities picks up again. Soldiers take up their places once more at regular stations between the two, providing security for these rest stops. Travel from the smaller villages to the cities and vice versa has also picked up again, though mostly in one direction – towards the villages. It seems that some people have lost faith in the Antiochian Church...

Well, your holy companions won't let that stand! They'll see to it that faith will be rewarded!

But as for you... you're more concerned about whether these people are safe. And the fewer of them that are in Antioch when the rogue Angel attacks, the better. The only reason you all aren't going with Kindness's suggestion to warn everyone to run away is to avoid causing undue panic. There will be plenty of due panic when the day comes... for as you all get closer to Antioch, you can start to feel that odd aura in the distance... and to make matters worse, it's assuredly heading this way!

Besides, if the leaders of the church want to improve their reputation with the people, there's no better way to do that then to have them handle this crisis. This must be something that they're aware of after all, and want to fix. Otherwise, they'll keep losing sheep from their flock.

However, when your group of yourself, Linza, Philippos, Libra Venus, Theodora, Aries Mars, Scorpio Mars, Temperance, and Kindness arrive in Antioch and warn the resident holy leaders – the Mystic Priestesses of Cancer Moon, Aquarius Saturn, and the new Virgo Mercury, as well as the Sovereign Priest of Antioch – none of them seem too concerned about that matter. Furthermore, you get the impression that the tensions within the city have been resolved. Though you're not sure how, and the man in charge is light on details.

Hmmm... well, you might worry about that later.

For now, you all do your duty – warning them of what's to come and asking them to warn others appropriately. The man and his holy women aides are quite grateful for the news, as well as for the aid of so many Mystic Priestesses and Holy Maidens. While he's not sure why exactly the Trinity would turn against the rest of the Church, he – as well as the Mystic Priestesses working with him – assure you that they'll do everything in their power to help you all take down the Trinity and rescue Capricorn Saturn. Her capture seems to be quite a sore spot for him; his usually calm demeanor became tinged with barely restrained rage when her sorry fate was brought up.

He also offered quite the reward if she were to be rescued alive, which you, Linza, and Philippos were more than happy to accept – as long as it was within his power, he would grant each of you any single request. And as the man who had inherited (temporarily, of course) the position of the Advocates, many things were within his power – wealth, land, authority, and so on.

As you all leave him and his aides be, your duty done, you think over if you want anything from him...

(This is meant to be open-ended, and it's fine if you don't actually want anything from him.)
[][Favor] You have something in mind: (write-in)
[][Favor] You'll think it over later. (but do still propose some ideas; it'd help me out)
[][Favor] You don't want anything from him. You're doing this for Capricorn Saturn. (Gain (+) with Aquarius Saturn and Kindness when that time comes.)

...and then your group splits up for now. But you know that you'll be getting back together soon enough.

You, accompanied by Libra Venus, head over to where your apartment and workshop are. As she doesn't have a home here, she's elected to take shelter with you. Having abandoned her holy robes outside Sardis, she looks just like any other person in her deep blue tunic. Well, she would if it wasn't for her differently-colored eyes and her enchanted cithara.

And speaking of enchanted items, it's finally time for you to try and make one all on your own! And not just any item – no, this will be a blessed sculpture! Now, it's finally time for you to make something just for yourself!

When the two of you get to your workshop, Libra Venus leaves you be to work on some new material of her own – looks like she has some new songs in mind. Your workshop is filled with all the tools you need, generously donated to you by the various artisans of Antioch. You also some starting materials you can work with – but no ice, so if you want to make an ice statue, you'll have to ask for some.

But is that what you want? Sure, it's appropriate, but you'll have to store it in a cellar or something similar to keep it from melting... you don't think you have the ability to keep it solid year-round. Not on your own anyway. Maybe one of the local holy women can help you out?

Well, you should decide what you want to make this statue out of first...

[][Material] You know what, you will work with ice after all. You'll need to ask around to get enough, and also see if one of the Mystic Priestesses can help you. Maybe Libra Venus or Scorpio Mars?
[][Material] No, you'll work with a more traditional material...
-[][Material] ...you'll carve it out of marble.
-[][Material] ...you'll construct it from terracotta.
-[][Material] ...you'll cast it from bronze.

...as well as what the statue will look like when it's done.

[][Appearance] It's a statue of the Being... as close as you can get to it, anyway.
[][Appearance] It's a statue of what you imagine a fusion of the two of you to look like.
[][Appearance] It's a statue of yourself in holy robes with the Being's symbols.
[][Appearance] It's a statue of ... (write-in)


Spiritual Aptitude: 40