The Church of Mystra RP

[Tsidkenu]

Aeili can be seen coming and going from the temple several times today. At one point she is accompanied in her exit from the temple by four or five others, all of them kitted for battle and looking positively exhausted. The priestess ran from the Temple to Wyrm's Crossing ahead of the others, seemingly desperate to check on something.

Later in the day, a gray robed figure may have been seen leaving the Temple. The Priestess had made no apparent return to the building, but she emerged quite a time after the gray-robed person had left and made her way to Sorcerous Sundries, presumably to purchase additional magical reagents.

[Tsidkenu]

Anyone stopping by the Temple and asking for Priestess Aeili would be met with Lady Neela's response that she is away travelling and may not be returning for some time. No additional information other than this seems to be forthcoming as to her whereabouts.

[Tsidkenu]

After almost two weeks of absence, Priestess Aeili is finally seen to have emerged from the Temple, although she was never seen to have entered it at all, wearing ordinary brown travelling gear and looking as one who had been out of town.

She may have been seen to move from the Temple to a house near the Sword Coast Commercial Exchange where she remained for perhaps an hour before being joined by a stubble-wearing woodsman. The two would leave the house and enter the Commercial Exchange bank some time later.

After what was perhaps another half an hour, the golden haired elf would have been seen running alone, and in tears, towards the Temple of Mystra. She would stop inside only briefly to share a few teary-eyed words with Priestess Neela, and then quickly make her way to her private chambers.

[Tsidkenu]

After a few hours the distressed priestess had calmed herself and re-entered the sanctuary carrying her white staff in one hand and a rather full bag slung over her shoulder, filled with whatever valuables she thought she needed. She would exchange a few words with Priestess Neela which was soon followed by a long embrace.

Four letters are left with Priestess Neela at the temple, two of which were soon after delivered to their respective addresses.

The first was sent to the Shelf of Many Books, addressed to Ms. Telia Navra, Editor of the Herald.

The second was sent to the First Bank of Baldur's Gate, addressed to Mr. Charraj Cain of the Sword Coast Commercial Exchange.

The third, being written wholly in the Espruar Elven script, was left in the Temple unaddressed.

And the fourth and last, a general letter addressed to the assembly and therefore available to any of Mystra's faithful, reads as follows:

To my beloved faithful of Mystra,

I regret to inform you of my resignation as a priestess for the Mystran Diocese of Baldur's Gate, effective immediately.

Recent events have taxed me in such a way that my health has taken a turn for the worse and I feel I am unable to administer my duties to you all as fully as I wish to.

I therefore leave you in the responsible hands of our High Priestess Neela Daren until such time that my health improves. I hope to return in the future, and our gracious High Priestess has left an open door for me in this regard.

I wish you all the deepest graces of our Lady of Mysteries.

Until the next time our stars align,

Priestess Aeili Azenci

Aeili's private quarters are left clean and empty, and all further enquiries for the priestess are met only with Neela's words that she has left and it is uncertain when she will be returning.

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NB: This is NOT a retirement!

[Nomster]

Telia enters the Temple of Mystra and walks towards Priestess Neela, leaving a sealed letter with her addressed to Priestess Aeili. She takes a moment to read the general letter Aeili had left for the faithful. There is a saddened expression on her face and she thanks Priestess Neela and says some comforting words, "Aeili needs to do this, we all known but there will be an empty space here which will be hard to fill by someone else. I hope you will continue your own work here, Priestess. Know it is needed and appreciated." Telia steps aside and kneels before the bright eight star symbol of Mystra. She remains silent, as if she basks in the holy light.

When she speaks, her words are soft and she looks up the bright symbol, "Lady of Mysteries, please watch over your devout servant Aeili as she searches for her inner peace."

"Guide her to it, let her see how bright you shine even if clouds hide your star in the sky."

There is a smile on Telia's lips, as if remembering events and she dips her head, "Let your embrace give her comfort, when she needs it, as she has given many comfort in their times of needs."


There is a long moment of silence, the smile has faded from her lips and her eyes are shut. "I am..." the words sound constrained and the sentence is not finished. Instead Telia sighs and her eyes flicker open and she raises her head, looking up at the light once more. "Lady, I ask you to.... show me. What I need to... do. To be." A sharp inhale of breath is taken. "How do I contain it... I do not know... these things."

"I can only hope that it is enough. And that... your light, Lady, that it will guide me too."

Telia dips her head once more and wipes at her cheeks with the back of her hand. She stands and slowly walks back to Neela, asking for a pendant with Mystra's symbol. A donation is made to the Temple, exceeding the pendant's worth. The pendant Telia chooses is very simple silver one, with a slight blue sheen. She leaves the Temple, pausing before the doors leading out to don the necklace, her fingers thoughtfully touching the sharp points of the star.

[Deathgrowl]

Laitae enters the temple, carrying a large stack of blank spell books in her arms. She drops the spell books down on one of the benches, then sits down next to them and pants lightly.

"I'm going to attend that mage fair, Neela. I need to find myself an escort, as it's going to be in the Upperdark after all," Laitae frowns in thought briefly before she looks up at the priestess with a smile. "I'll bring as much Art as I can find back, sister."

[Tsidkenu]

After almost two months of absence, Priestess Aeili reappeared in the temple via teleportation magic wearing an elven-styled turquoise and gold robe alongside a blue and gold robed woman many would recognise as Endelyon of the Sword Coast Commercial Exchange. After briefly stopping to greet Priestess Neela, Aeili would separate from Elly and make her way through heavy rain to Baldur's Gate First Bank. She would emerge a good time later hand in hand with oh my god is that Charraj Cain? She has a very happy look on her face and decidedly more grace in her elven step. The two would make their way back to the Temple of Mystra where they spent a good deal of time praying together before the altar.

[Tsidkenu]

On a certain morning, four figures could be seen to enter the Temple of Mystra. A blue-and-white robed Mystran fitting Aeili's description, an armoured figure wearing a cloak with Mystra's symbol on it fitting Charraj Cain's description, a grey robed female fitting Rilae'ar'an's description, and another female fitting Terri Lalani's description. The four would not exit the temple.

~~~~~~~~~* * *~~~~~~~~~

Several days later, a figure fitting Charraj Cain's description would leave the temple. Copious amounts of crying and sobbing would emanate from within. Later, a bleary-eyed Aeili would exit, wearing far less formal common attire, and wandering about the city looking rather sad and sorry. She would later be rejoined by a consoling Charraj in his attempts to bring solace to her grief.

[Tsidkenu]

After the army of the Lord's Alliance departed to the north, the Mystran stayed behind and could be seen rushing through the streets of Baldur's Gate where she heads for her temple.

After some hours, an ear-piercing scream followed by cries for Aeili echo from the temple's interior. Blood spatters the floor and the altar, and Aeili's lifeless body lays in a crumpled heap, as if she had been cut asunder with a large blade. Her golden hair is soaked with the red of her shed blood and her now-glassy eyes stare off blankly into the distance while Priestess Neela weeps profusely over her remains.

[Charraj]

Charraj walks to the Temple of Mystra to visit Aeili. From outside the temple, he hears Priestess Neela's weeping. Charraj rushes into the temple.

Upon seeing Aeili's bloody corpse, he rushes towards her and collapses to his knees. Panicking, Charraj yells at Neela and fumbles for a scroll in his pack. Charraj's hands shake as he tries to open the scroll. His fingers freeze up, and he stares at his hands, wondering why they won't work. Aeili is dead, and he has to do something. He silently begs his hands to work, but his thoughts are all jumbled up and his mind is a mess.

Neela tells Charraj that the temple will see to Aeili properly, and asks him to put the scroll away. Charraj can't even bring himself to look at Aeili's body.

Tears run down Charraj's face, but his expression is empty. The wizard's lips move silently. why won't you work? it's happening again. why won't you work? it's happening again. why won't you work? it's happening again. why won't you work? it's happening again . . .

Charraj stares blankly at his hands, and whatever thoughts are going through his head can't be pleasant. Neela places a hand on his shoulder. Charraj looks up at Neela blankly. "I can't take this anymore. They're supposed to outlive me," he rambles. Tears continue to run down his expressionless face. Neela leaves Charraj to be alone with Aeili.

Elias, the Weavemasters, Catam, now Aeili. A man can only take so much.

A few minutes after Neela leaves, Charraj takes off his cloak of regeneration and draws his dagger. He injures himself enough so that his next spell will work.

"Petrify."

Charraj's mind mercifully stops as he is turned to stone.

[Nomster]

Telia and Ameris walk to the Temple of Mystra, hand in hand with the aim to pray to the Lady for Aeili. Once they step inside, they are met by an unusual sight. A new statue is near the altar. Telia steps closer to inspect it, then lets out a gasp. Ameris hurries to look at what surprised his wife and together they look with distraught at Charraj, made of stone.

Once the initial shock has settled, Telia reaches into one of her sleeves, pulling out a wand which she always carries with her. She expresses uncertainty and an unwillingness to do anything when Ameris asks if Charraj's condition can be reversed. They both agree they need to know more and try to find a moment to speak to Priestess Neela and ask her what has happened and what, if anything, they might be able to do for Charraj.

[Tsidkenu]

Besides the publically forthcoming rumours drifting through the streets of the East Gate District, Lady Neela would have spent some time telling the duo how Priestess Aeili had used a Mystran ritual to put her own life force at stake in order to ensure that Dawnknight Eldarian was successful in his mission in taking the fight directly to The General. Despite being copiously warded by divinations permitting her to see moments ahead into the future so as to redirect any injuries she would take with curative magics, the priestess' frail form was overwhelmed by the sheer brute force of whatever happened to Dawnknight Eldarian on the battlefield, severing her connection to the Dawnknight as well as from her own mortal existence. Despite Lady Neela's pleadings to the contrary, it seems that Aeili freely entertained the risk.

The Mystran High Priestess would surmise that Aeili's death may have simply been too much grief for Charraj to handle cognitively, and he was somehow turned to stone, perhaps even self inflicted, while Lady Neela had left the temple to give him some alone time with Aeili's body. His condition could no doubt be reversed, but whatever state of mind he was in when he was petrified would remain, and any attempt to rectify his condition should best keep that caution in mind.

[Tsidkenu]

The Temple of Mystra would announce privately to its adherents, and to the clergy of the Temple of Ilmater, that in the light of donations received from various sources a Resurrection will be attempted for the fallen priestess in the coming tenday.

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((Since its Christmas tomorrow and all I am happy to leave this until next weekend at the earliest, any event to RP through this will be postponed until at least Friday 1st January, but I am open to adjust to other availabilities during this holiday season.

Please PM me your suitable times next weekend (Preferrably Fri/Sat night GMT = my Sat/Sun) and I'll to my best to accommodate as many as is logistically possible

DMs if you're reading: please remove 5 diamonds, 1 king's tear and 30,000 gp from Aeili if you see me in game. All were made as donations.))

[Charraj]

The halfling Ckal arrives at the Temple of Mystra while Telia is speaking with Neela. Ckal frees Charraj from his petrified state, and the two speak at length.

[Dagesh]

Ckal walks into the temple. He looks around carefully to make sure there isn't some random magical thing lurking around. He slowly walks to the Charraj statue. After he looks around, Ckal knocks on Charraj. Neela wasn't messing around. He takes a deep breath. The prepared spell bubbles to the forefront of his mind. He plucks his finger across one of his blades and pinches some dirt from a pouch. His hands begin to move in an intricate and practiced motion. The words from his lips are familiar to Ckal after deep and intimate memorization. With everything combined the spell begins to take effect on Charraj. In the process, the spell crawls out of Ckal's mind and leaves an empty memory in its place.

He then watches as the spell takes affect. The cold, stony statue melts into the pink flesh of Charraj. His chest moves with the filling and releasing of air. Ckal watches and notices that, although the spell was effective, Charraj doesn't move from his place. From Charraj's eye comes a heavy tear.