Chapter Fifteen The Red Temple

Day twelve, month nine of the year eight hundred and seven, Third Era of Man:

Today is the day we will reach the Red Temple. I can’t say I’m looking forward to this trial, but Aunt Ria thinks I should do it. Hell I’m basically here now, and... I keep hearing stories. Monsters where they shouldn’t be, caravans overrun, hellspawn walking. The knight orders are currently busy and in that last town we stayed at I saw them mobilizing. It feels weird to see garrisons arming for more than a bandit suppression out this way, we are many kilometers from the border. The Dragon Clans wouldn’t cross the mountains either, far too dangerous, between the numerous dragon and monster nests and the harsh terrain they are pretty impassable. 

I’d almost prefer another war however, that would at least be predictable. I don’t know what to make of this, only that it leaves a foul taste in the mouth. Nothing about the last few weeks has really felt right. Hell, neither does the news we are getting everytime we reach town. The Fall of Streg is a major talking point but it seems this wasn’t the only settlement hit by Hellspawn, just the hardest hit. Thankfully I’ve not heard of anything hitting Voros and the Knight Orders have announced they are reinforcing the garrisons throughout the region. Sadly I have to take this as a sign that Aurora was right, my prophecy is soon. Evil is certainly chafing at its chains and monsters are stirring in their dens. The roads are no longer safe, and even the walls of our towns are no longer shelter. Not that I like this, but I’m still not sure how these trials will help me summon a god.

Arlie sighed and set her journal aside, her mind rife with uncertainties. She didn’t really know what to make of things and she had so many questions. The only thing she was certain about was that her quiet life was over, something dark was going on in the world, malevolent and evil, its shadow had already been cast upon the unsuspecting people of Valiere. Streg was a good demonstration of that, but she knew that was just the start. Recalling her history, she knew how things would go, the last time hellspawn walked the land, the kings of yore had summoned heroes to defend the people, among them were twelve blessed by the dragon gods, and eight blessed by the Skylords, those twenty heroes were the strongest, most powerful heroes of the day and it was their combined efforts that defeated the hellspawn and their evil leader, sealing her away in Hell.

Naturally, the kings of today would recall that history as well, it would only stand to reason that they would start summoning champions to defend the realms of man again. No matter the result, the presence of so many new champions was going to change the world, the last champions had left their mark. What mark the new set would bring forth would remain uncertain until they were here. Nothing Arlie could anticipate or change, so it was pointless to worry about. Not that it stopped her from dwelling on that issue.

Rose suddenly called, “Breakfast!”

She stood up and made her way out of the tent, where she found the twins standing at the campfire. They’d been cooking rabbit steaks, freshly cut portions seasoned with herbs and spices they’d brought along, served with a side of wild veggies. Arlie gratefully took her plate, it smelled pretty good. Sitting down with her plate by the fire, she spoke up, “Based on the map, we should reach the temple in about two, maybe three handspans. We have plenty of daylight and the trees aren’t too thick, so I expect we will make good time.”

“That close?”

“We made good time and the Drava haven’t given us too much trouble.”

“Too much? We haven’t seen so much a single one.”

Arlie paused, Lily was right they hadn’t seen one and they’d passed into Drava territory days ago. This part of Varixyies was usually crawling with them, most travelers had an encounter or two even on the roads. Drava were pretty dangerous local predators; they operated in packs and had a potent paralytic that would leave one paralyzed for days, worse they were intelligent, very intelligent. Arlie honestly didn’t like the current lack of sightings, it didn’t seem like something to trust. “Right, don’t remind me. That seems...”

“Strange I know, but we can’t focus on that can we?”

Horon and Thron emerged from the trees at the moment with an armload of firewood each, “Area’s still clear, we got some more wood for the fire.”

Arlie looked up, “Breakfast is ready, come get a plate. We are going to get moving as soon as we are done eating.”

The pair came over to get their plates, following breakfast they struck camp, Dusk was hooked back up to the cart and they went back to their march.

_____________________________

Arlie picked up the pace as the trees thinned, opening out into a wide open area where the Red Temple sat, her eyes fell on the gleaming temple first. The walls were fashioned of polished red stone, perfectly smooth, unmarred by the elements. Stone that remained as pristine as the day it was first cut. The walls of the temple were curved, and decorated with murals and divine glyphs. Eight towers rose at the compass points, each one a lovely spire. From these towers, inner walls rose along the radial points curving up towards a large spire in the center. The gleaming form of the temple much resembled the legendary divine cities of the gods, albeit at a smaller scale. Even at this scale, the temple was large, easily twice the size of her hometown of Voros.

Several buildings sat near the temple. None of them were as impressive, but she noticed one that stood out. It was two stories tall and built from the same red stones as the temple. Elegant arches and sweeping windows gave it a lovely appeal and the roof was a dusty shade of blue that went well with the red walls.

Drawing closer she noted the attached stables and the name on the sign, The Red Temple Inn. Not the most creative name, but it was simple and to the point. Enough to let her know the point of the building. Arlie and Company steered toward the temple inn. 

Pulling up beside the stable a female figure came out to greet them. She was entirely naked with silvery skin that gleamed in the light like living metal. Her face was perfect, flawless like a work of art. The woman had large amber eyes with a lovely mystic glow to them, and long white hair that loosely flowed down her back. The detail on her body was unreal, but Arlie knew the moment she saw her, this girl wasn’t human, nor was she any of the other living races, she was a golem of the highest order. A living work of art given form and function. The golem girl smiled, a friendly business smile, “Greetings, welcome to the Red Temple Inn. Are you here to challenge the trial?”

“I am,” said Arlie.

“Wonderful, we offer a horse lodging service and have stowage for your cart. The current rate is ten silver marks for one week’s stay. If you need rooms, we have plenty available at the moment. We have single and double bedrooms available, breakfast and dinner is included with the board. Current rate is twelve silver marks a night for a single bed, fifteen silver marks a night for a double bed.”

Rose pressed against her from behind, “Oh! Double bed? Sounds fun don’t you think?”

Lily groaned, and Arlie flushed, “Maybe just a little. We could save a bit of coin that way.”

Horon spoke up, “I’ll be fine sharing with Thron, how about you Thron?”

“Sounds fine to me.”

Lily spoke up, “um is there a triple bed available?”

“No but the Queen’s Suite features the largest bed in the inn, going rate is twenty silvers.”

Rose pressed further against Arlie, “Take it! I’d love a little luxury after being on the road so long. It would beat the hell out of another night camping.”

Arlie blushed deeper, “We’ll take it.”

The golem nodded, “Excellent, I can show you to your rooms, F-23 will get your cart and horse settled. Now what name are you registering your horse under?”

“Contrey,” replied Arlie, as she followed the golem to the inn, a second identical one emerged to take care of their cart. Arlie didn’t stay around to watch, Golems were rare but well known for being trustworthy.

Inside the stone walls were paneled with lovely hardwoods and painted in calm colors. Murals and flowers added to the atmosphere of the place. The main room of the inn was set up with a wide counter, several tables and neatly placed chairs. The golem led them to a wide set of stairs and up to the second floor. 

The first stop was a room labeled, 2-7. Stopping by the door, the Golem spoke up, “Alright this is the double for the males of your group,” she said as she presented a key, “This will be your key, we expect it returned when you leave.”

Arlie took a peek into the room, it was well furnished with a large bed, a wardrobe, a closet on the side and even a trunk at the base of the bed. A fur rug sat on the floor and the bed was already made with a lovely quilt. It seemed pretty nice, “Well looks like you two will have some nice accommodations.”

“So it does,” said Horon as he took the key, “We’ll drop our stuff off, meet back up in the Foyer.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Arlie.

Rose grinned, “Can’t wait to see the love nest.”

Lily sighed, “Really?”

Arlie giggled and the group followed the golem to the end of the hall and up a final flight of stairs. The Queen’s Suite was a floor to itself and came with access to a rooftop deck, along with an attached bathroom. Something she didn’t see very often, most places had the bath detached from the main buildings. To have one in the room of an inn was a kind of luxury rare even among the nobles.

The bed however was just as large as they’d been promised with an elaborate headboard and made up with big fluffy-looking pillows and a high-end quilt. Arlie couldn’t help but look forward to trying it out. Of course she was aware that she still had to look into the requirements of the trial.

In the meantime, she could put some of her stuff up in the room. The golem handed her a key, “Alright this is your key to the room, don’t lose it, we will expect it back when you leave.”

“Understood, any special rules I need to be aware of. Will the trial affect my stay or anything?”

“No, but the guardian will explain that. You will have to obey the rules of the trail though, all of them. Keep that in mind.”

Arlie nodded, that seemed good to know. She’d hoped for more answers ahead of time, but she figured she’d learn from the guardian. It occurred to her that she didn’t know much of anything about the guardian either. That might be an experience. “Right, any suggestions for meeting the guardian?”

“Leave your armor and weapons here, you won’t be able to take them into the trial anyway. As for meeting the guardian, when you meet them be respectful, they don’t like rude guests, being rude will only make your test harder.”

That made sense, so she filled that away in her mind, then got to work getting settled. The girls changed out of the armor, left their weapons secured in the suite chest, and then headed out to meet the boys in casual clothes.