The Enraged Cleric

The fire embers had all but turned to ash when I realised I needed to check on my charges and catch a few hours’ sleep. I returned to the Three Rings Tavern and found that their condition was getting better, but I was going to have to train a lot more to perfect the more powerful healing required to fully remove their conditions. One of Watson's arms twitched uncontrollably and Justin sounded like an eighty year old man as he wheezed in his sleep. As I left the room I noticed Justin was holding ‘Vera’ close. Odd, I thought to myself, I could have sworn his noisy stick was leaning up against the cupboard when I came in.

I also checked on Mandraiv, he seemed relatively fine considering the shock and shear horror of his own looks being affected. You’d think the world was going to end when he cursed his proclamations of retribution to all who had taken part in the diseases afflicting the city through clenched teeth. I suspected however, it was more his vanity and pride that were scared worse than his physical good looks. Artox slept faithfully at the foot of his bed. There wasn’t much I could do about his condition for the time being. I’d have to rectify that soon, the poor snake had suffered a lot for the sake of our group.

Sparrowhawk, well there wasn’t much I could do for her either as her looks were beyond my help, even if I could remove the disease affecting her. She did have a sense of courage and pride about her though, which was heartening.

As for Grit, well ‘there weren’t nothing wrong with im’, as he put it. Since he was the only one who hadn’t come down with any afflictions, I was starting to think he either had the constitution of a stone or the diseases were just too afraid they would be chewed up and spat out if they got too close to him.

After morning prayers and over breakfast, there was a fairly lengthy discussion about what to do next, and although I didn’t like circumventing the law, I could see the wisdom in going straight to the hospice to confront Dr Davalus. We had a lot of evidence that he was part of a disease cult but nothing really solid that would hold up at trial. Just the thought that it was happening right in the heart of the city, and in the hospice where citizens were going supposedly for help, was enough to make my stomach churn and the eel soup taste fowl, even after casting purify a couple of times.

We easily talked our way in to see the Dr, but we’d taken only a few steps inside when for some reason known only to Sparrowhawk, she decided to cast a hunting spell and all of the Greymaidens and ‘physicians’ went on high alert. And it didn’t take long to escalate into a fight for our lives and the truth. It must have been an ugly sight, seeing us barge in and attacking the doctors and their wardens in amongst dying and diseased people rowed up from wall to wall in the hospice. I could feel a dull thumping pain as the nurse was trying her best to defend the weak and helpless but my heart truly sank when I saw Sparrowhawk turn to defend me only to realise in that instant that she had slain probably the only person who genuinely cared for the sick people. There was nothing I could do for the nurse as the ringing of weapons on armour and singing of bow’s, the gurgling of potions and slashing of war-razors filled the air.

Incensed at the death and decay in the room I could feel my blood starting to boil but the fight was soon over and we moved up the stairs to continue our search for the Doctor and to make some sense of what was happening. There were a few more maidens and witchdoctors but their lives soon ended as we were now relentless in our pursuit of the cause of this terrible disease.  We opened the doors into the main upstairs chamber only to find a couple of physicians ‘working’ on rows of restrained Varisians. As the familiarity of a torture room filled my senses, the sounds of the fighting around me dulled and my vision narrowed as the deceiving Doctor Davalus entered the room.  I was furious to the point of losing control. I screamed a challenge that even made Gritt look around as he stepped into the doorway to protect us but annoyingly getting between me and the Doctor.

“Davalus, we come for you!!” I yelled, “Abadar shall guide his community, their will is strong!”

Sparrowhawks bow sang and Vera made a lot of noise, but she couldn’t drown out my anger at the shear evil of the situation.

“Urgothoa cannot stand against us!” Serenrae’s light shall cleanse Korvosa of your decay” I screamed and continued “There is nowhere you can hide, Shelyn’s beauty shall wash away all evidence of your passing and cleanse the hearts of this magnificent city!”

Gritt started getting mighty angry as he saw the doctor spit and belittle his goddess’ name. “Shelyn can do nothing, she is nothing, Urgothoa shall prevail” and he ran towards us is a fit of madness.

In my anger I had lost all rational thought and now words came unbidden, “The great sword of Iomedae shall strike you down.” “Justice shall be brought upon you, even if I have to strike you down myself!! “

As the fighting continued around me, litanies stream through my conscious thoughts and words were as one and holy energy healed my companions, though I don’t recall whether I was channelling through my holy armour, the dawning light through the windows, the prayer beads I hold under my shield or some other divine manifestation.

As we bested the fake physicians and at the moment when Davalus fell to the floor, I looked down and realised I held a longsword, a sword that until then I didn’t own. The longsword, a symbol of Iomedae…. Justice had been done.  Was this a sign?