<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/Bfwmw0T.jpg)<br/></div><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">Mother Freya</span></div><br/>Unlike the others Freya did not scamper when she saw the hulking lizard, nor did she even flinch when he drew near. She craned her head up, revealing more of her face to him than most were privy to in the process, and smiled..."bad side? well looking at you now I think I'd be hard pressed to find one" she cooed, softly, serenely, a gentle hand finding it's way to one of his large, scaly biceps, "while a creative metaphor, I don't think it quite fits. I see no wolves here, only a strong lion ready to watch over the pride..." she said, producing an amulet of Aros and holding it up for him, "Here, please accept this, if not as a mark of faith then instead think of it as a badge of office" she explained. She didn't mind his supposed lack of faith, just as all the others she helped serve she would not demand piety as a price of entry, she was content to let that part come more naturally, even if some people's journey would be more...<em>gradual</em>than others'.<br/><br/>It was hard not to notice the lumbering mastodon that had joined her service that night, and when he asked for a moment of her time after wards she was happy to give it, "Only if I may call you my son" she playfully cooed when he fumbled with what to call her. She nodded along to his words, though he ended up retreating with surprising swiftness before she could answer his request. She took a long moment to consider it later that night, but ultimately decided against it. He was strong, earnest, and seemed like a good soul. He would no doubt make excellent follower of Aros, and that option would always be open to him, but as far as her personal hands went...well the Church's work unfortunately called for sharper tools... Then next day Freya found her way to Large Sniff and gently led him aside, "My sweetest son. It warms my heart to know you would pledge yourself to the Church's cause. However I believe your virtue and generosity are pure enough that you do not need my hand to guide you. Simply continue to follow your heart and help the people of the Sanctum and Aros will continue to smile upon you. At this time he needs nothing more from you than that. Of course I still look forward to seeing you at our sermons, make not a stranger of yourself"<br/><br/><br/><hr/><br/><br/>Again today the Good Mother stepped softly down the cobbled streets of the Inner Sanctum. However now she was not tailed by her usual procession. She no longer needed such blatant shows of strength and support, for now her procession was all around her, the good people with smiles on their faces, prayers in their hearts, and symbols of Aros hanging from their necks. Of course some of those amulets still hid gleaming daggers, and those who wore them watched over Freya from the side lines with great vigilance. She may have walked alone, but mercy upon anyone who made the mistake of thinking she was unguarded.<br/><br/>Freya made her way to one of the district squares wherein sat a wide<div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">fountain</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://i.imgur.com/Wu5v7gA.jpg)</div></div>. Years ago the fountain had ran dry, only occasionally filling with filth and rain water. It had been defaced, graffitti'd, and chipped away by vandals repeatedly over the years, however in recent weeks the Healing Church had made a point in cleaning and restoring it. And now whenever the Mother of the Healing Church walked by it the fountain would miraculously spring back to life, flowing with cool, crystal clear water. Like Freya herself this water seemed to have minor healing properties, and remained pure and clean no matter what was put in it, not that many dared to try and defile it. With a small sigh Freya took a seat at the edge of the fountain, another one coming as she turned and dipped her feet inside, prompting the motherly nun to raise up the hem of her robe high enough to show off a sinful amount of her smooth, slender legs, all the way to the knee!<br/><br/>"I wish to share another story today my children. One about reason and action, and how these things dance with one another. For it is possible for people to all perform the exact same action, yet each for a different reason, and while the action never changes, the meaning behind it can differ greatly as a result" she said, "This story is a true one, in fact it happened only a few short days ago in the market district" she added, standing up within the fountain and wading around it as she spoke, allowing her to address people on all sides, "The Malignant Grimoire, a most unholy tome that threatened great calamity upon the people of Hexville. Though he bade me not speak of it at the time, in truth Aros was watching this matter with vested interest, and it was in fact his own light that empowered that brave woman to destroy it. A necessary action done for good reason" she explained, trying to siphon off some credit for the book's destruction despite remaining silent through the whole ordeal.<br/><br/>"Though this much is obvious, and is not the actual focus of our story. There were several Aspirants who stepped up to ensure the vile book's destruction, but there were two who strangely fought to preserve it, and here in lies the tale" she said, holding up a pair of fingers, "One was the grandiose Ixeor, Sovereign of the Realms Betwixt and Between. A man of arcane talent and noble upbringing...and privilege. The second is one you may have seen here in the Sanctum before, if only fleeting, Morticia Scott, the mysterious woman spreading talk of "foul" necromancy through the city." Freya set the stage, "We know their actions, their attempts to preserve a cursed object that would no doubt bring ruin to the world in the wrong hands. But what of their reasoning? For what purpose? What if I told that one of them was actually acting with<em>good</em>intentions? And it may not be the one you are thinking"<br/><br/>"You see the true villain in this matter is the so-called Sovereign Ixeor. Like many of the high born in this city, the same ones responsible for driving Hexville to it's current dire state, Ixeor acts for no other purpose than his own. His reasons for trying to save the tome were selfish, he simply desired the power for his own, ignoring the danger it posed to others, despite the fact that as a mage of high station he already had more than his fair share of power to begin with. It is a selfishness that borders on malice, and shows just how dangerous his kind can be. Now on the contrary we have Morticia, the supposed "vile necromancer". For weeks now she has fought against the notion that necromancy is a dark art that only spreads evil and corruption, and you may be surprised to hear that Aros agrees with this. Necromancy is not just the magic of death, it is of life. Life that is granted, however fleetingly, so that the children of Aros may walk the Earth again and, hopefully, continue his work in some small way. Unfortunately the same way a fire can burn a man's house, or water can drown a man's lungs, it is possible for this life giving art to be misused for evil. And just like how you wouldn't snuff out all flames to avoid burning, or pour out all barrels of water to avoid drowning, or<em>dull all knives</em>to avoid being stabbed....neither should you decry necromancy just because it can be misused. Fire warms our homes and cooks our food, water quenches our thirst and cleans our bodies, knives can be tools for craft and protection, and necromancy can allow the dead a brief reunion with those they've left behind" she proclaimed, seeming to put a fair amount of support behind the necromancer's message.<br/><br/>"Make no mistake, what Morticia did was wrong. The action she took to protect the book could have had dire consequences had she succeeded. But it is important to understand the reason behind it. Her heart is soft and gentle, it weeps for any she sees as misunderstood and shunned. She acted to protect the book because it is in her nature to find the good in things, even if no one else believes it is there. In this case she was wrong, there was no good in that bloody tome, but just because we make mistakes does not make us evil, especially when our hearts are in the right place. And with proper guidance I believe she could be a true champion of the downtrodden, like those here in the Sanctum, who are no strangers to being labeled as wicked and irredeemable. So do not judge too harshly, for she is no villain like Ixeor. Where he hoards power and influence for his own gain, wearing the mask of a virtuous man, she attempts to use it to help others, to shed light on those in the dark. And while you should not follow her words blindly, do not close off your heart entirely. Aros smiles on those who peer past the veil of darkness to find the light within...."