The Keepers of Chaos: A Vault of Hell

Riu Astrial: XCVIII

Gods: XCVIII

There was something about being somewhere familiar that just made people.. Giddy. Riu definitely felt that here. She was happy to be amongst temples of faith once again, how long ago was her training? How long ago had she impressed Selune so much to have these mystical gifts?

"Quit dancing in the street!" Herod screamed. She was snapped from her daze as Herod grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her back onto the sidewalk bouncing her around. While wagons did not normally cross through the street here she did see some in the far distance, they were usually only at the entrance of the castle ward.

"Thank you.. Uh.. Riu." Vestus commented while they entered the castle wards many temples. It was shaped like an amphitheater. Round oval with temples, churches and shrines dotting the landscape.

"You're very welcome!" She chirped, Vestus hadn't known his way around the city so she helped him find the location of so many houses of faith. They were hoping temples of his gods would also be there. "Alekzandr is there any.. Particular reason you wanted to find a faith?" Riu wondered. She bit her lip, recalling all those who usually laughed at religion. Alekzandr included in that. The soldier stood in place taking a sip from his flask. His eyes were particularly bloodshot today.

"Markos.." He began. "He mentioned something about.. A wall of the faithless... Those who do not express religion in any way will be consumed by the wall.. Taken rather than an afterlife.."

"You believe that cultist?" Adleth chuckled. Riu met the cold, serious stare of Alekzandr. She elbowed the elf in the chest.

"I don't need to believe Markos to take precautions.. Besides... He may be insane, but even I can tell he's seen things." Alekzandr responded.

"Like you?" Riu whispered. She saw that look in his eyes, this soldier had seen infinite horrors. They often took for granted just how crazy Markos was, how many things he had seen. They forgot Alekzandr had been through a war.. He'd seen things they had never experienced. But she knew, she always recognized it.. It was her job.

"Ha! I've seen much." Alekzandr murmured. "Ok, Vestus show me what this is." Riu took the lead. As did Vestus who spun around. She looked off to the churches and temples, she admired the number of marble buildings, quartz towers, the churchs made of wood older than any of them. Churchs to Tyr, temples to Auril, the floor was a dark brown sand with marble dashes like lines on a paper across the field. Riu felt at home.

"Our first order of business should be to find the temple of Zeus.." Vestus elaborated. "Once we find him, we can find our pantheon." Riu followed them around the field while they peered through temple windows. She recalled venturing there as a girl. Exploring the houses with her parents, and then exploring without them. 'They used to make donations.. I.. should do the same right?' She wondered. She placed a hand against her chest, wondering what part she had to play in her parents legacy.

"Tell me Vestus.. You seem a hard man, or.. Giant.. How did you come to worship this.. Group of deities, pardon my assumption but don't giants have their own religion or pantheon?" Alekzandr inquired about their new friend. She wanted to laugh, faith found people in mysterious ways.

"As a child I was thrown off a mountain." Vestus started, "By my mother."

"Wow that's.. Fuck.." Herod commented.

"Hephestus.. Took pity on me, seeing we had gone through a similar experience.. My mother tossed me because she believed I as a child would die, I wasn't strong enough. So my life being saved by this god? I took to worshiping him. Tossed away my birth name and took one derived from my lord." The giant looked stoically into the sky. Riu couldn't help but feel a form of admiration and respect for him, tossed to death but he refused to die.