The White Hare

Elven Hospitality

The Priest of Adam finds himself surrounded by a field of wildflowers. The warmth of the midday sun beading down on him feels pleasant. Washing away the pain and exhaustion from the days that had come to pass. What was he doing? Was it really his destiny to continue toiling away, fighting for gold like a cutthroat while asking people to donate what little they had to the church with a fake smile on his face?

"Adam, god of cunning and usurper of the slithering wraith. Is this all there is to life?" The wildflowers dance around him yet there is no wind. "Am I truly destined to gather fortune for the church while I destroy the lives of those less fortunate? Does being clever mean to be greedy, to be cruel? Why does the church want more and more from it's followers? Can I still in good conscience bring more into the fold?" He rubs his face and shakes his head. His trip to the forest after the hare was one of his latest attempts to keep his flock from being bled for everything they had and that had failed spectacularly. "I just don't know what to do anymore. For the love of all that is holy I told a child that he couldn't get his pneumonia treated because his mother and father couldn't afford it yesterday." He chokes on a sob. "Please, give me a sign that this is not your wish-" The warmth of the midday sun turns into a bitter chill. Cold scales rub against his hand and make him jump to his feet.

Under a moonless night where the flowers around him glow bright, thousands of serpents surge towards the priest. A low hanging fog disguising the majority of the ground while the glow of the flowers cast only enough light for him to witness the wave of cold blooded snakes descend upon him. Jumping out of the way he reaches for his holy symbol of Adam only to find it isn't there. No matter how quick he evades the slithering reptiles Joshua is always one step behind. The cold clutches of the scaled beasts wrap around his legs just as he lands.

Dozens slither up his body and wrap his arms and legs up completely. Binding him as a single white serpent faces him. Red eyes staring deep into his very soul as the hundreds holding him in place merge and coalesce into one. The coils wrapped around him squeeze relentlessly as the mouth of the giant snake comes closer to him. When it opens its gaping maw the pendant he had been searching for is found dangling within.

Visions flood his sight. He finds himself standing in front of a church that didn't belong to his order. In his hand was a dagger of the Slithering Wraith, a treasure locked away inside of his clergy's cathedral. Next is a pristine vessel holding holy water, a sister of Mellera gifts him the vessel which he drinks. Blood flows from his hands as the faces of dozens of higher members of his own order are frozen screaming before him.

"I am not an usurper of some ancient god, I am one who turned his back on his old ways and found a guiding light." An overbearing presence asserts itself as the foreign but familiar voice echoes in his mind. Warmth fills his chest as his he feels his awareness expand beyond the bounds of a mortal mind. It's too much! It feels like his head is being crushed and prepared to explode. The world goes dark. "Those above your station have strayed from the path of acceptance, freedom of knowledge and charity to those struggling to find their way in lieu of selfish greed and endless gluttony." A pair of glowing reptilian eyes pierce through the darkness and an unspoken ironclad command is imprinted in his mind. Reflected on the golden window before him. "I've given you all the guidance you will need."

[Apostol Quest: [Change The Order]

Your god has set his gaze back upon the clergy of Trestora and is enraged by what he finds. Those who have been trusted to maintain and look after the order have been either replaced by the unworthy or have become tainted by [Greed] and [Gluttony]. Your god requires a messenger to act upon his will when the others of your faith have done nothing when gifted with his precious word. Their faith is lacking. Is yours?