I'll be heading on five-day work trip to Helsinki tomorrow morning, so my posting will be slow at best... just in case Cedric happens to survive. 

I was preparing myself to this day and moment or what this could end up becoming... I played around with the thought of Cedric dying in my head. I ended up deciding his death wouldn't touch me as he wasn't mine originally. I simply adopted someone else's character and continued from where he left off.. (oh that reminds me of another wonderful game...) 

But.. Truth be told, I have grown to love Cedric and not just because of where I've taken the character, but because of the group; the family he is part of. Sure, the feelings aren't as strong as they could be for a character I have played for a much longer time, but I was surprised about what I felt when I read Olan's post.

Should he die and should I be able to bring in another character, he or she would have to be something totally different. 

Woah! 

Don't listen to the evil DM! The deathlovers are in trouble and worried. Why else would they have offered to let us live? 

*rolling a new character*

Killing of the undead, you mean? Right? 

Posted I have, finally!

Cedric gets ready to turn undead before casting any spells, unless ofc Gib already scares the gigglers away.

Staying in the back of the team, Cedric noticed Garn wasn’t so eager to head into the next room with Ch’dau and Aranwen. He could totally understand the big warrior. It was clear there would be a lot more of the undead in that direction, including the ones Solanis’s power had already forced away. And yet, even though they’d known each other for less hours than there are days in a moon, the young priest hadn’t considered Garn a coward. As he wondered about it for a moment, the warrior clearly grew impatient and gestured for the cleric to move forward. Cedric nodded silently and smiled.

Ah of course! Since Aranwen and Gib are in the front ready to take on the shamblers and gigglers, someone needs to bring up the rear in case some of the walkers sneak behind us. Very clever!

For no reason really Cedric crouched slightly as he stepped through the gate. It must’ve been due to a habit born out of the need to mind the floor beam when heading down into the vegetable cellar back at the abbey. Fetching potatoes, turnips, onions, beetroots and whatnot had been just one of the chores the young students had grown used to doing every day. As they’d grown taller, Cedric and his fellow students had been forced to start crouching on the cellar stairs to avoid hitting their heads. Everybody learned it sooner or later, but it took the thickest ones a few lovely lumps in their foreheads before dodging the nasty beam had grown into a habit. Cedric had never been the smartest…

Raising his eyes from the floor, Cedric gripped his staff tightly. In his mind, if he didn’t count losing Kith and Davena, they’d gotten this far fairly easily… Almost too easily for his liking. The evil priest or priests knew they were here, on their turf. They sure would know how to set up a proper ambush or where would be the best place to attack and kill the intruders. What were they waiting for?

The stench in the cell block was almost unbearable for the young lad. Sure, due to his profession, he’d seen and handled dead people many times and not always had the deaths been recent. But in here, the smell was far worse than anything he’d experienced so far. He felt like gagging, but forced the bile back down into his stomach.

Then he heard the giggles… No! A chuckle! A human chuckle at that. Straining to see beyond his friends, Cedric wanted to know if it was the same priest of the Death god they saw running away a moment before. Hatred burned inside of the young man, hatred like he’d never known before. The undead yes, he did hate them a lot, but they or at least the zombies, were simply mindless monsters created by the owner of the dry chuckle. The gigglers on the other hand… He now began to hear their mad laughter as well… The gigglers were worse, but they too had been born from a mind far more evil.

Cut off the head… The young cleric can almost see his father hitting a snake with a shovel and hear his voice utter the words. The priest is the head… Cedric’s mind started to run through the prayers he knew. Was there something he could do to stop the deathbringer from commanding the ghouls? What about the walking dead themselves? Could he…

The thought was cut off first by the sound of the gate slamming shut and then by a male voice speaking behind him; a voice Cedric couldn’t immediately place. It was very familiar, but the words made it totally strange.

"This gate always did have a funny catch to it," the voice casually explained from the other side of the bars.  "But if you close it just so, it locks quite securely."

When the recognition came, the priest almost didn’t want to turn around. He… No… He… They couldn’t…

The big warrior grinned evilly.  "My Dark Mistress sends her regards.  She would enjoy watching your demise, but she is otherwise... engaged at the moment.  Goodbye."

Before Cedric was able to clear his mind enough to act, Garn had already disappeared into the shadows and the sound of giggling had increased in volume and intensity. Turning around again, the boy grasped his holy symbol and sent a silent prayer to his God.

Blergh!

I had a plan of posting during a coffee break at work. Not going to happen, they said. We've got something planned for you, they said. You'll be sitten through two days in a meeting planning integrations... Blergh. VERY Much something I was not looking for. Not a very nice surprise in the morning. 

Not even two hours into the meeting and I'm already falling asleep...

Such a brave girl... And smart. Bit by bit, Kith is eating away Davena's spells. But the cost... It's just too much. Hang in there for just a bit longer! 

 oh you people! 

Glad you liked it.   I just couldn't resist it. Don't worry, Cedric is too shy and modest to even think about it. 

Ha! My God is stronger than your god! 

Cedric’s first thought after his, or more the Radiant Father’s, success in turning the zombies was more than a bit childish. Being a young man, though wise for one of his age, the cleric’s behaviour was some times impulsive. He took a quick look around to see how everyone had reacted to his thoughts... and let out a silent sigh. He was really glad he hadn’t said it out loud. The smile, however, stayed on his face as he watched the warriors swiftly cut down the remaining shamblers. 

During his studies, Cedric had read about great clerics who were powerful enough to outright destroy undead beings with the might of their faith. Heroes like Piotr the Prudent or the ever-so-sunny Sanna, a former Sendrian torturer who had seen Solanis’s light and instead of killing people had dedicated her life to healing and saving souls. There were numerous other tales of the greatest of the Radiant Father’s servants, but Cedric couldn’t afford to reminisce more about them right now.

As Aranwen laid her hand on his shoulder, it almost made Cedric jump. He’d been too concentrated in the turning attempt and too deep in his thoughts to notice the silently moving Syl. Her soft voice from the soft lips very close to his ear made the young heart in the priest’s chest beat faster and red rise to his cheeks. She could probably feel his inexperienced body flinch ever so slightly under her fingers. There had been no women in the abbey and there had never been a girl in the lad’s life either. Yes, he’d had his innocent crushes like every teen boy, but such a soft, female touch even without any hidden meanings almost made him weak in the knees.

Cedric quickly cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, ahem, I... it seems you’re right. The Blazing Lord seems to be pleased about my actions and the direction we have taken... Yes. Thank you.” The attempt for a bow was funny at best. It was clear the young cleric had very little or no experience in such manners. He forced his best professional expression on his face and nodded to Aranwen. “But.. you know… they may return at some point. Unfortunately I am not yet strong enough to stop them completely.”

As the next actions were discussed, Cedric stayed back in the shadows trying to be as invisible as he could allowing the more battle-hardened people to decide what they should do next… and also to hide his blush.

I was going to have Cedric try turning the walkers, but probably can't post tonight. But I'm good with game moving on. 

Could be an excerpt from any of the better fantasy novels I've ready. You know, the really, really, really good ones. 
Love it I did.  

And the pace this game is now moving... Awesomeness! (still hate the word) I hope I can keep up being across the big A and Finnish and all.  Don't slow down on my account!

My dearest cat, perhaps Cedric or Gib could be of assistance? I'm sure the walking corpses will flee in the face of their devotion.

Or maybe Midge can send in his bees to disturb the priest's concentration? 

And thanks! Haven't actually played a cleric for a looong time, but I'm loving it. Thanks again Olan for dragging me back home! 

Anybody else having problems with this text field? I often need to reload the page a few times before it appears, especially on my phone.

Yeah, Cedric is a strong-willed young man, sometimes. Mostly he feels a bit insecure and unsure of himself. Hopefully his confidence doesn't turn into megalomania later on.

Oh and hugs... We love them in here! (we being me, but I'm sure the others do too) 

And I.

Sorry Olan. I know you've made such great plans for Davena and her undead army, but it will never happen. We will put an end to it all now. You'll need to come up with a new plot quickly, I'm afraid.

Another door, another magical trap. Whomever was behind this all clearly didn’t want any visitors, at least not living ones. Cedric had been taught a prayer that helped him reshape small pieces of wood, but the door ahead of them was way larger than anything he would be able to modify… unless… Unless he directed the magical power to a smaller area around the hinges! Yes! Despite of the gravity of the situation, the thought brought a smile to the young man’s face.

Before he had a chance to suggest his idea to the rest of the team, Gib’s deep and experienced voice suggested a more… traditional way of opening the portal: a rope! The smile on Cedric’s voice froze for a heartbeat and then came back again, wider. Of course! Why hadn’t he thought of that? So much simpler and would save his strength too. The cleric liked to idea and nodded eagerly to Gib. “Yes. That’s a great idea! But how do we get the rope in place without disturbing the trap? Is it safe? And... and as I'm not very skilled in combat, maybe I should take a place behind you guys ready to assist you if needed?”

Despited of his question, Cedric felt quite useless. He had his trusty staff, but he knew from their earlier fights with the undead that it was not very effective and his old sling was not much better. Stones against walking corpses that were impervious to pain? Yeah right, what a blessing that would be… If only I could do something that would help the others fighting the shamblers… 

The cleric looked at his friends who didn’t seem to be too worried about the monsters behind the door. They definitely didn’t even consider running away to save themselves. Only one thing mattered now and that was getting Kith and Davena safe and away from the claws and jaws of the gigglers. 

Cedric had no doubt in his heart either about what they should do next even if he didn't really know what use he would be in the fight they all knew would come any moment now... Right here, right now, he was a warrior of Light; a spearhead of Solanis’s attack against the evil in the tunnel. He was the herald of the Sun who would help the righteous warriors beside him strike down the servants of D’hurgen. There was no doubt in his heart. 

Wait… Radiant Father… Your Light could be a blessing. Your might could sharpen the edges of our swords and our daggers. I am the vessel of your Power, my Lord; the conduit of your kindness and love. Use me, oh Father.

“Friends…”, Cedric’s voice was soft, but surprisingly strong. There was no lack of conviction in his words, no fear in his soul. He was not asking for permission nor commanding, but what he said was not a suggestion either. “Prepare for the onslaught behind the door and the once you are ready, gather around me.”

When the rope had been attached and the ranged weapons readied, the young man faced his companions with the confidence of a much older and experienced clergyman, with the kindness and love and empathy he had seen in the Abbot’s eyes so many times. Standing in front of the group was a young priest, barely a man, in his worn and faded yellow robes and he was a man who was ready to die in order to save his friends. Despite of all the hideous sounds echoing in the tunnel and from behind the wooden door, Cedric was calmer than he had been in weeks. He knew his place in the order of things now. He now knew who he was and why.

“Oh Radiant Solanis, Shining Lord, the bringer of Light and the master of Mornings, hear me now like you have heard me so many times before. We stand before you united in our diversity. We have come together to put a stop to the evil spawning in this temple of doom and to save our dear friend Kithran and our new friend Davena. Give us your blessing in our undertaking. Give us your love and help us destroy the monstrous beings who aim to defile the World and shadow your Light. Bless us, oh Father!”

With the prayer done, Cedric gave a bow to his companions, gripped his staff tight and rolled the words of another prayer on his tongue. 

Good thinking. That should work too and saves one spell for later use, if the door open inwards.

Cedric could probably warp the wood around the hinges to make it fall down... I think. 

Oh I see now why Kith was taken.... Devious. 

Using the power permanently stored inside of his body did not feel quite the same as praying for the power of his God directly. But cancelling the darkness with a spell of his own did make Cedric feel proud of himself for a split of a second. A fleeting thought in the back of his mind wondered whether this was how Midge felt every time he used his magic...

As blackness subsided and he took in the view, there was a slight tremble of fear within Cedric. Strangely enough, for a short moment the idea of fighting the ghouls in total darkness had almost seemed better than battling them in the torch-light. For now that he could see them again, the hideousness of the monsters made them even more terrible. Fortunately, before the cleric had any time to even consider his next action, his companions had struck down the gigglers.

A childish sense of happiness filled the young man and he began to raise his free hand in the air as a sign of victory when he heard first Garn and then Ch’dau cry out. With the fist still half-way in the air, Cedric scanned the hallway and the severity of the situation hit him. It hit him hard. The ghouls had picked the two women in the group they knew were not immune to their paralysing attack or better yet, they had ignored the one that could and would resist the foul side-effects of their strikes. He still couldn’t understand why a being in the state of undeath would want to do the unspeakable things they had witnessed the gigglers do to women before. And he didn’t really want to understand. Cedric just wanted to stop them. He wanted it more than anything he had wanted before in his life.

The lad barely noticed when Aranwen motioned him aside and did something to the walls with the flat of her beautiful sylvari blade. He didn’t even notice the bleeding wound on her arm where one of the monsters had bitten her before Gib pointed the injury to him. Forcing the fog of the shock away from his mind, Cedric nodded to his fellow priest and moved to their furious-looking leader. ”Aranwen, please give me a quick moment and let me heal your wound before the rot of the undead starts infecting it. The prayer will not slow our pursuit much, but the wound might.”

Not really waiting for her reply or permission, Cedric in his customary way grabbed the holy symbol of Solanis with one hand and held the other right above the wound in the bladesinger’s forearm. His prayer was faster and even more fervent than usual. The priest very much wanted Aranwen to be in full fighting condition when they caught up with the woman snatchers.  “Oh Radiant Father! Heal this wound with your miraculous POWER! Let Aranwen bring GLORY to your name and lay destruction to the servants of the Death God! Give us STRENGTH to wipe this plague from the face of the World!”

As soon as the healing magics of Solanis had done their work, Cedric nodded to Aranwen. “Ready.”