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Aurelius set out for the far reaches of Shabet in a group of young warriors from the Ataraxian Order under the command of Captain Varus—a calm and prudent man who appeared to be slightly over 40. He treated his subordinates like a father, doing everything possible to help them find the right path.
Besides Aurelius and Varus, there were four other people in the squad; among them, a young man roughly the same age as Aurelius himself stood out.
His name was Anil. As Varus later explained to Aurelius, he had realized the righteous paths of the Ataraxian faith at a very young age, but due to his inexperience, he was not yet ready to take command of an entire squad of Ataraxians. In terms of combat ability, however, he surpassed both Varus and Aurelius—who, despite being the newest member of the order, excelled over the other comrades in this small group.
During their journey to the far reaches of Shabet, Varus spoke of the goals of their trip to the city. As it turned out, Captain Kamal was conducting his own investigation in the capital and had stumbled upon two demon-born followers of the Demon of Knowledge. Varus showed a letter: "Kamal sometimes sent letters to his four comrades before sending a report to headquarters. This letter was sent to Ilgon. Two others were received by Jaya and Devi. The letter never reached Anil, and then no news came from Kamal either. We cannot know for sure what happened to him, so we can only assume that the reason for his disappearance lies with the demon-born mentioned in the letter. Either way, even if we fail to uncover the truth, our duty calls us to protect the people from this pair," he then addressed Aurelius personally, "I do not want you to be mistaken about certain things. Hatred, anger, contempt—all these are bad feelings and bring nothing but evil to you and the people around you. Our position regarding the demon-born does not stem from these own vicious feelings. They are all unfortunate people, victims of an ancient war when evil truly engulfed all humanity. And yet, we cannot allow them to live among humans. As for those who worship demons, they represent a real threat to everyone around them, even if they do not wish it themselves. Kill the demon-born without mercy, but do not take pleasure in it."
Upon arriving in the capital, they managed to learn that the people mentioned in the letter had become members of an expedition by the Silvernight organization. Varus had to use some kind of spell on a girl named Shaella to force her to reveal this information. The captain thanked the organization employee, and the group headed east that same day. There, they encountered a strange mist that they could not seem to bypass. Mystical clusters of magical energy battered the squad, but no one suffered serious injuries. Eventually, they decided to go around the area via the north and became completely lost. Varus ordered them to make camp, and they spent the entire next day pondering what to do next. The solution came to them in the form of a traveler who stumbled upon their camp. He was alone, and it was strange and very suspicious to meet another person here; when he introduced himself, things did not get any better. It was Laust Brightstrider. He asked to stay at their camp for the night. Varus did not trust this man and was very reluctant to do so, but agreed to give him shelter on the condition that he surrender all his weapons. In the end, refusing a person such a request in the Wildlands in the middle of the night would have been simply inhumane. Subsequently, it turned out that Laust knew these lands well and could lead them out. The group had little choice and agreed. At some point during their journey, they lost sight of Brightstrider, and after about 30 meters of travel, they collided with a whole horde of fierce natives. One of Aurelius's comrades died during the battle. The others, including him, were captured by small humanoids. They took them to their city and threw them into cages. That same day, one of them was sacrificed on the altar of some dark god. A week later, another perished.
The survivors were stripped of all their equipment.
Pyramid
Altar
Residential buildings
And, of course, their own cages.
Besides Aurelius and Varus, there were four other people in the squad; among them, a young man roughly the same age as Aurelius himself stood out.
His name was Anil. As Varus later explained to Aurelius, he had realized the righteous paths of the Ataraxian faith at a very young age, but due to his inexperience, he was not yet ready to take command of an entire squad of Ataraxians. In terms of combat ability, however, he surpassed both Varus and Aurelius—who, despite being the newest member of the order, excelled over the other comrades in this small group.
During their journey to the far reaches of Shabet, Varus spoke of the goals of their trip to the city. As it turned out, Captain Kamal was conducting his own investigation in the capital and had stumbled upon two demon-born followers of the Demon of Knowledge. Varus showed a letter: "Kamal sometimes sent letters to his four comrades before sending a report to headquarters. This letter was sent to Ilgon. Two others were received by Jaya and Devi. The letter never reached Anil, and then no news came from Kamal either. We cannot know for sure what happened to him, so we can only assume that the reason for his disappearance lies with the demon-born mentioned in the letter. Either way, even if we fail to uncover the truth, our duty calls us to protect the people from this pair," he then addressed Aurelius personally, "I do not want you to be mistaken about certain things. Hatred, anger, contempt—all these are bad feelings and bring nothing but evil to you and the people around you. Our position regarding the demon-born does not stem from these own vicious feelings. They are all unfortunate people, victims of an ancient war when evil truly engulfed all humanity. And yet, we cannot allow them to live among humans. As for those who worship demons, they represent a real threat to everyone around them, even if they do not wish it themselves. Kill the demon-born without mercy, but do not take pleasure in it."
Upon arriving in the capital, they managed to learn that the people mentioned in the letter had become members of an expedition by the Silvernight organization. Varus had to use some kind of spell on a girl named Shaella to force her to reveal this information. The captain thanked the organization employee, and the group headed east that same day. There, they encountered a strange mist that they could not seem to bypass. Mystical clusters of magical energy battered the squad, but no one suffered serious injuries. Eventually, they decided to go around the area via the north and became completely lost. Varus ordered them to make camp, and they spent the entire next day pondering what to do next. The solution came to them in the form of a traveler who stumbled upon their camp. He was alone, and it was strange and very suspicious to meet another person here; when he introduced himself, things did not get any better. It was Laust Brightstrider. He asked to stay at their camp for the night. Varus did not trust this man and was very reluctant to do so, but agreed to give him shelter on the condition that he surrender all his weapons. In the end, refusing a person such a request in the Wildlands in the middle of the night would have been simply inhumane. Subsequently, it turned out that Laust knew these lands well and could lead them out. The group had little choice and agreed. At some point during their journey, they lost sight of Brightstrider, and after about 30 meters of travel, they collided with a whole horde of fierce natives. One of Aurelius's comrades died during the battle. The others, including him, were captured by small humanoids. They took them to their city and threw them into cages. That same day, one of them was sacrificed on the altar of some dark god. A week later, another perished.
The survivors were stripped of all their equipment.
City of Natives
The prisoners noticed the following structures:Pyramid
Altar
Residential buildings
And, of course, their own cages.