Eclipse
A tale of the origin of a great leader, who's path was forged by destiny.
The sun rose over the desert city of Bekilk as it always does, its arrival bringing warmth to the already fairly warm desert. The mid-summer heat makes this time of year some of the hottest in the Osmad Desert, though the people of Bekilk have grown used to this, having lived here for hundreds of years. With the rise of the sun, it will be only a few hours before the streets become busy with people running about with their daily business, as they have done almost every other day before. What they don't know, is that this day will be the day that the Sultanate changed forever.
None were more ignorant to this fact than the 16 year old daughter of the Sultana herself, Princess Nala, who's life was about to change significantly. The Princess was still reminiscing on the events of the day before, where she and her childhood friend, Salah, went on a date. Salah was one of the many suitors who came to see the Princess and it was he who Nala decided that she would wed when she came of age.
Today was a slow day, Nala thought to herself. The only major event that would happen is the Church of the Sun speaking with her mother, the Sultana. Nala was never interested in politics, even though she knew one day that it would be her responsibility. Nevertheless, she considered what she wanted to do to pass the time. Perhaps a training session with Wolfsbane? Maybe she could visit Salah again? Or maybe just a nice stroll through the city, helping out people in need.
Meanwhile, the Sultana was also preparing herself for the audience. She sat in the throne room with Master General Nassaire by her side and a more significant guard presence than normal. Sultana Al-Sharaf was prepared to show the Church that their recent surge in influence has no sway over her.
"Nassaire," she spoke, "you are prepared for anything, right?" Nassaire looked at the Sultana and responded. "Of course, your highness. I'm sure we can handle whatever the Church has to say. You're the one who has to deal with that, I'm afraid. I understand you don't trust them as much?" The Sultana reclined in her chair. "No, I do not. Though perhaps I am wrong about them. The majority of our people believe in their cause. Perhaps I should take their audience seriously?" "That's your call, my Sultana. My job is to ensure your safety. You do feel safe, yes?" The Sultana chuckled, "With the Master General and a handful of elite soldiers in this chamber? I can say with a high degree of certainty that I do indeed feel well defended." Nassaire let out a chuckle as well, "Shall I send for Baron Wolfsbane as well to join us in this audience?" The Sultana thought for a moment and then responds, "No. He deserves some time off. His service to our nation is something that I do not want to force on him too much. He's a good person. Let him rest."
"What do you imagine they want to ask you this time?" Nassaire inquired. "Probably wish to establish yet another place of worship," replied the Sultana, "as if they don't have enough already. But who am I to deny them their religious freedom. That's the tradition my family has upheld for generations and I don't intend to break tradition."
Eventually, the Patriarch of the Church made their presence known and were invited into the throne room to speak with the Sultana. The Princess, who was extremely bored after not deciding what she wanted to do, became curious as to what was going on. Though she hated politics, Nala had a habit of sneaking into the throne room during an important audience and listening to everything going on, completely unaware to anyone else in the room.
"Excuse me, guard," Nala got the attention of one of the many royal guards in the Ivory Palace, "Has the Patriarch arrived yet?" The guard deftly responded, "Indeed they have, your highness, though if I recall, the Sultana had mentioned that she is against you being present." Nala persisted, "well I won't be present, I'll just watch from the sidelines like I always do." "The Sultana has also strongly and specifically advised against that as well." Nala rolled her eyes. She knew her mother well, and though she doesn't want to upset her by any means, Nala always found a way to defy her. Whenever she specifically mentions to not sneak in, however, that usually means she expects things to turn ugly. Nala found these to be the most exciting of audiences, except that one meeting which ended in a lot of blood being spilled on the palace floor.
As Nala made her way through the halls of the Palace, she passed the weapon stand that held the elegant Wind Scimitar - a beautiful blade which was used only once just before the founding of the Osmad Sultanate. The stories spoke of Nala's ancestor who used the sword to defeat the dragon which once resided near the oasis which Bekilk rests on. The sword was supposedly magical and forged in the very sands which the city was built on. Ever since the founding of the Sultanate, the sword has rested here in the palace for generations. It is said that one day, it will be wielded by another Al-Sharaf who will liberate the city from a veil of darkness. Nala's dreamed of being able to wield it one day. What if I'm that hero?, she thought to herself, jokingly. She quickly disregarded that idea as a fantasy story that her mother would tell her about when she was younger, and continued to the throne room.
Instead of waltzing into the large doors in the front of the chamber, Nala went the other route, through the court wizard's lab and then the diplomacy room, which then led into the left side of the throne room when viewing it from the doors that entered it. The wizard's lab contained a number of potions and magical items on the shelf, including a crystal ball on the highest shelf and a sending stone, the other end of which was on Wolfsbane and would be used to summon him if he was doing his own business. The court mage, a scrawny man named Dante, was too preoccupied with his work to notice Nala, who swiftly snuck past him. She got to the diplomacy room and every so gently opened the door that led to the throne room.
As she peeked through the door, she could see her mother sitting on the throne with Nassaire standing next to her. She also saw the three representatives from the Church. The first was a man Nala had seen in here before: Patriarch Vossen. A suspiciously plain yet well groomed leader of the Church of the Sun. He wore his white robes with red straps and a breastplate underneath. The next was a fully plate armored man, a very intimidating looking paladin of the Church. Paladin Israphel was his name - the right hand man of Vossen. His greatsword was sheathed on his back as he stood relatively close to the Patriarch, ready to defend him in case something happened. The other individual was another paladin, but no where near as intimidating as Israphel. Despite the distrust of this group, visitors of the Sultana were generally allowed to keep any weapons they had on them, after all, not only is the palace well guarded, but the Sultana herself and even the Princess is also trained in the art of combat.
Nala listened in on the conversation closely, keeping just out of sight. The Patriarch spoke with a voice very clear and deliberate, as if he was speaking at a sermon. "Illustrious Sultana, as I'm sure you are aware, the Church of the Sun has enlightened much of your nation. Our latest reports suggest that over half of the population in this city alone believe the Church is the one true path. I am upset that you still have yet to see the truth of our path, though I respect your choices."
The Sultana responded, "Our tradition demands that we uphold the principle of Freedom of Religion, with the obvious exception being the worship of any evil deities. Though I have never heard of your religion before you came along, it would be rude of us to forbid worship." "We appreciate the hospitality, Sultana," responded Vossen. Ugh, Nala thought to herself. She had seen this show of pleasantries many times before to the point where she found it annoying and pointless.
The discussion continued. "Sultana, we come here with a humble request. Given the large following we have gained from your people, we hope you would understand where we are coming from," asked the Patriarch. The Sultana leaned in with interest. "What is your request? If you wish to establish another place of worship that can be arranged fairly simply as you know." Vossen shook his head. "We are not here to ask for yet another church, your highness. No. We have been discussing amongst ourselves and we have decided, given the widespread support for our cause, that we wish to establish ourselves as the primary religion of the Sultanate. Moreso, however, we desire have be the primary political power of the nation."
The Sultana was taken aback by this request. "Humble, my ass!" exclaimed Nassaire. The Sultana could not help but let out a laugh from this absurd request. "Excuse me? Are you saying you intend to overthrow me and replace my rule with your cult? I don't think so. Nassaire. Please escort our guests out." Nassaire nodded, "Understood, my Sultana." However, Vossen stood his ground. "Sultana, I don't think you understood. I wasn't asking." This is getting intense, thought Nala, completely underestimating the severity of the situation, as she watched through the door, still undetected. The Sultana began to lean aggressively in her seat. "Vossen, we do not take kindly to threats here, please leave before I order my guards to attack." Still, the Patriarch stood defiant. "I still don't think you understand just how widespread our influence reaches, Sultana." At that moment, the elite palace guards all drew their weapons, though they were not aimed at the Patriarch. The Sultana shot up from her seat and drew her blade, alongside Nassaire who drew his as they watched their guards turn on them. "What is this nonsense?!" exclaimed Nassaire, "This is treason!" Israphel, who up to this point merely acted as insurance, stepped forward and drew his greatsword. Nala began to get concerned, though she still watched. The Patriarch stood there, unmoved. "Now, Sultana, with the influence we have, we will get what we want. The word of the Sun spreads fast, and we can thank your mage for that." Nassaire growled in disgust. "That traitor... I've had enough of this!"
Nassiare lunged forward towards the Patriarch, his saber arcing high as he prepared to strike. As he brought it down, it was met with the greatsword of Israphel, who instinctively stood in front of the Patriarch and parried the blow. Nassaire was knocked off balance and Israphel took a few large steps towards him, grabbed him by the armor and pulled him in for a powerful headbutt. The force of which sent Nassaire back a few feet onto his back, unconscious. From behind the door, Nala instinctively yelped, unable to control herself. As Israphel began to stand over Nassaire with his greatsword, prepared to drive it into his torso, he stopped and turned his head to the open door where Nala stood, as did everyone in the room. Vossen ordered "Grab that girl." The Sultana, who at this point has a blade from her very own guards against her neck, could do nothing but yell helplessly towards her daughter, "Nala! Run! Run far away!"
Nala quickly pulled herself up and rushed into the wizard's lab. She grabbed the sending stone and spoke into it, "Wolfbane! We need you at the palace, come quickly! Do NOT trust the Church or even the guards!" Before she had time to hear a response, she turned around to see the towering paladin of doom bearing down upon her. She deftly rolled out of the way, dropping the stone, as his sword slammed down onto the desk, lodging itself a few inches into the wood. He pulled it out and swung out towards Nala, who was backing away frightfully, barely managing to dodge the strikes. As the paladin pulled back for a third strike, Nala quickly undid one of the purple beads from her bracelet and threw it on the floor. As it hit the ground a blast of purple and grey smoke blasted into Israphel's face and when it cleared, Nala was nowhere to be found. In reality, she was still there, though the magical beads had temporarily shifted her form to the safety of the ethereal plane. She used the opportunity to dash out the room and up the stairs to her chambers. She could hear the paladin yell behind her, "Find her!" Meanwhile, a lone Wolfsbane was just arriving at the beautiful Sunset Garden not too far from the palace. He had been told that the Sultana wished to speak to him there and so he made his way there to be on time. It was at this time he received the message from Nala. Realizing the urgency in her voice, he responded: "On my way." He turned around to see four Church of the Sun paladins approaching him, yelling at him, "We know who you are lycan! By order of the Church of the Sun, you will be defeated here! Let the Sun's light cleanse you of your evil!" They each drew weapons which shined with the glint of silver and rushed him. Wolfsbane, however, was not a fool. He disengaged from his assassins and rushed over to the far wall of the garden. His tabaxi nature allowed him to swiftly climb over the wall and escape the assassins and began hastily making his way to the Palace. As Nala made it to her chambers, the etherealness wore off. She looked around her room in a panic and quickly grabbed whatever she thought was important. Necklace, check. Armor, check. Disguise, check. Blades, check. As she left her room she bumped into a pair of very confused guards. "Princess! What's going on?! Are you hurt?" Before Nala could respond, another guard came up the stairs. "Oh Princess! There you are. Everything's taken care of now. Are you hurt?" The other guard responded "What the hell's going on?" The third guard, who everyone could tell is a terrible liar, began to try and grab Nala. The first of the pair of loyal guards rushed in to defend her, interposing his shield between himself and the traitor and pinning him against the wall. "Get the Princess out of here!" he yelled to his friend. "Come on, Princess. We need to go!" Nala, frightened and confused had no choice but to follow. As they descended the stairs and headed towards the basement, they passed the scimitar on display again. Nala quickly grabbed it off its stand and rushed to the basement. About three loyal guards escorted Nala to the basement. On the path down, they could see the bodies of other guards lying in the halls. Perhaps they were traitors or were slain by the traitors. Nala did not have time to stop and investigate. They reached the basement and the guards quickly began to move the ugly frog statue that existed in the basement. Behind it was a tunnel, the existence of which was only known to the royal family and the highest ranking guards. "Go Princess! Now!" Speechless and in a panic, Nala entered the tunnel. There was enough room to stand in and as she looked behind her, the guards had already begun moving the statue back in place. No turning back now, she thought, and began to run towards the tunnel's exit. The tunnel led out into the city near the northern gates. As Nala emerged, she could see the streets are fairly calm. Everyone is unaware of the chaos happening in the palace. She then saw a guard patrolling the city. Her first instinct was to get his help, then she though, what if he's with the Church? She didn't know who to trust anymore and began to panic. Fearing for her life, she began to run once again, this time towards the gates of the city. She affixed her headscarf over her face to conceal her identity. She almost made it to the gate when she heard a voice behind her. "Hey!" She turned around to see a paladin of the Church had noticed her and started making his way towards her. At the gate was a pair of guards. One of whom began to move towards her. "Hey you! Stop!" As the guard attempted to restrain her, Nala pushed back with all her might, knocking the guard off his feet, and dashed outside the gate and outside the walls of the city she called home. She could hear the guards' cries diminish as they stop pursuing her. Nala continued running, not knowing if they would continue to pursue her and for how long. She ran away as fast as she could, not looking back for fear she would slow down. She ran for a good few minutes before the adrenaline began to subside and she began to get exhausted. She stopped on the side of the road and turned around, seeing her city in the distance, not knowing the fate of her mother or anyone else in the palace. She then immediately doubled over and vomited. The stress was simply too much to handle for the 16 year old princess. Nala stumbled a few steps back and fell to her knees with tears in her eyes. Within a few hours, her entire life has changed. She began to think about what would now happen to her. She was alone in the desert, and she knew she could not go back, for the Church would surely try to kill her. She wondered what they would do to her mother, to Nassaire, to Wolfsbane, and to Salah. The more she thought about this the more she wept. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't ready for any of this, she though to herself. The only way forward was to continue following the road north, away from Bekilk. Nala picked herself up, and continued up the road.
Some time in her journey, after her nerves had settled down, Nala realized that in her panic, she left the city and ran out into the desert without any sort of food or water. After traveling for this long, the heat of the desert started to get to her and she became extremely thirsty. As the afternoon came to an end, Nala found herself exhausted to the point where she couldn't continue. She collapsed against a rock on the side of the road and laid there, trying to catch her breath. Her throat was dry to the point where it hurt her to breathe. Had she made a mistake? She thought to herself. Was she wrong for running away? There was no way she could have taken that guy in a fight. But she could have intervened in some way instead of watching. The negative thoughts continued to flow through her mind as she lay there, before drifting off into unconsciousness. In her mind, the events of the day repeated themselves over and over. The sight of Nala's mother standing helplessly. The indomitable paladin's sword missing Nala by inches. The uncertainty in her escape from the palace. Nala was broken out of this loop by a voice calling out to her. "Young lady! Are you awake?" The individual calling out to her shook Nala awake. The figure, still blurry to her as she was slowly regaining consciousness, began to give her a water skin. Nala grabbed it with haste and began drinking from it feverishly. As the liquid poured down her dry throat, she was rejuvenated and quickly snapped back to reality. The figure, a very fine looking man with tan skin, well groomed black hair and a finely trimmed curly mustache, wearing a fancy purple robe and who's hands were adorned with jewelry, stood before her with a hand stretched out. "Thank the gods. I thought you were a goner." The man's voice was a very smooth and soft one. Nala looked past him and saw a wooden cart being drawn by a single camel. The cart looked like a bunch of folded pieces of wood stacked on top of each other, as if the thing could open up into a magnificent display of some kind. The man helped Nala to her feet. "Name's Rexxus Alexander, though you may call me Rex. What were you doing out here by yourself?" Nala responded, "I..." or so she attempted to. The sudden shock of reality had her stunned in silence. However, the name sounded somewhat familiar to her. "Thank you," Nala managed to muster out, "I was running from the city. The Church of the Sun were taking over." Rex began to mount his cart, "Well I did have my suspicions about the Church. It's one of the reasons I'm leaving the city myself. Would you like a ride?" Nala hesitated. She wasn't sure, after the events of the day, who to trust. Her only other option was to die out in the desert. "Please," she responded, and hopped on the cart behind Rex. "So, where were you trying to go?" Rex asked. Nala responded, "I don't really know. Just somewhere far away. What about you?" "I'm headed to Oxfront. Up until now I was but a humble traveling merchant. Once I get to Oxfront, I'll set up a permanent shop. It was one of my dreams as a child and now I finally have the money to do so." The cart continued its journey north with its two passengers. "Say, I can't shake the feeling I know you from somewhere. What's your name?" asked Rex. Nala hesitated once again. So far the man seems trustworthy but who knows? Does he work for the Church? Nala tried to think of a response, but the exhaustion, both mental and physical, prevented her from thinking of a good alias. "...Nala," she said finally after an awkward pause. "Pleasure to meet you, Nala." Rex turned away and tried to think where he had heard that name before. Nala spoke up, "I believe my mother had done business with you before. I think that explains why I thought your name was familiar." Rex looked flattered. "Well I have a very particular clientele, you must be from a rather well off family then." He continued to think to himself. He knew that name was familiar somehow but he just couldn't put his finger on it. "What did you say your name was again? Nala? Oh! Like the Princess! A very popular name indeed! See I had also done some business with the Sultana. She once had me enchant..." Rex paused as he noticed the emerald amulet around Nala's neck and, upon further inspecting her features, made a realization. "By the gods! You're the Princess! What?? Why are you here alone? What happened? Where are your guards?" He stopped the cart as he began to realize the situation he was in. Nala, who up until this point was attempting to hide her identity but had clearly failed, responded, "The Church of the Sun took over! They had turned the guards against us! I fled as fast as I could." Both Rex and Nala were in a panic. "Well, what should I do? Should I take you back?" Rex suggested. "No! I... I don't know what they would do to me if I went back," Nala argued. Rex thought for a moment, "Well, uhh, you can certainly accompany me to Oxfront until this thing dies down. I could use an assistant. Maybe teach you a magic thing or two." "I appreciate the offer, but I really don't know what to do." Rex nodded. "Though I do feel bad leaving you without some protection, I suppose I could drop you off at the next town we come across?" Nala, without any options, agreed, "I think that would be best. I don't want to put you in any sort of danger or responsibility. I can take care of myself... I think." About a day later, the desert sand began to transition to the hard dirt and rock that marked the divide between the Osmad Desert and the Ironwood Forests. Trees began to dot the landscape until they became a fairly dense woodland. There, the cart stopped at the first town beyond the desert: a pathetic village called Pavv. Rex made sure the Princess was well supplied before he departed, purchasing for her enough food and water to last a few days on the road. "Good luck, Princess. Perhaps we will see each other again under better circumstances?" said Rex. Nala bowed respectfully towards Rex. "Indeed," she said, "Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Rex. I probably would have died out there if you hadn't come along. I wish I could repay you in some way." Rex bowed back. "No need, Princess. If you happen to make your way to Oxfront, find me there. Farewell." Rex and his shop departed the town, leaving Nala alone among this strange foreign town. At this point, it had gotten late. Rex was kind enough to get Nala a room in the local inn, a small but welcoming building in the center of this little town. Nala made her way to her room and closed the door. It was her first night alone. Far from her home and her future uncertain. As she dozed off, again, the events of the day before repeated themselves in her head. Some were twisted alterations of the truth, many ending horribly while others were more hopeful. Regardless, it was a restless night. Morning came, and Nala was unsure if she even got any sleep at all. As she awoke, Nala hoped to find herself in her room in the palace; all this being a dream. Unfortunately, she was still in the same inn she arrived in the day before. She made her way downstairs for breakfast, with the handful of coin she brought along with her. The tavern was fairly empty, with the exception of a few patrons enjoying their morning food and alcohol. She prepared herself to speak to the innkeeper, when she noticed, entering the tavern, a tall black-furred tabaxi, with a dark grey cloak and a pair of swords by his sides - Wolfsbane. A wave of relief struct over Nala as she rushed over to him. "Wolfsbane?! You're alive!" "Princess!" Wolfsbane exclaimed and embraced her. "What happened to everybody? How did you find me?" "Well, the Church of the Sun tried to kill me. That was when I recieved your message. So I ran to the palace and some guards tried to tell me everything was okay, but then they tried to attack me too. I found the Sultana and Nassaire were captured by the Church, but they were alive. I then tried to look for you. I found a track that led out of the city and it led me here." It was at this moment that Nala knew that there was still hope for her home. "What should we do now? We can't go back," asked Nala. Wolfsbane responded, "I have an idea. Come, I am going to introduce you to my clan." Chapter 2 ==>
Nala quickly pulled herself up and rushed into the wizard's lab. She grabbed the sending stone and spoke into it, "Wolfbane! We need you at the palace, come quickly! Do NOT trust the Church or even the guards!" Before she had time to hear a response, she turned around to see the towering paladin of doom bearing down upon her. She deftly rolled out of the way, dropping the stone, as his sword slammed down onto the desk, lodging itself a few inches into the wood. He pulled it out and swung out towards Nala, who was backing away frightfully, barely managing to dodge the strikes. As the paladin pulled back for a third strike, Nala quickly undid one of the purple beads from her bracelet and threw it on the floor. As it hit the ground a blast of purple and grey smoke blasted into Israphel's face and when it cleared, Nala was nowhere to be found. In reality, she was still there, though the magical beads had temporarily shifted her form to the safety of the ethereal plane. She used the opportunity to dash out the room and up the stairs to her chambers. She could hear the paladin yell behind her, "Find her!" Meanwhile, a lone Wolfsbane was just arriving at the beautiful Sunset Garden not too far from the palace. He had been told that the Sultana wished to speak to him there and so he made his way there to be on time. It was at this time he received the message from Nala. Realizing the urgency in her voice, he responded: "On my way." He turned around to see four Church of the Sun paladins approaching him, yelling at him, "We know who you are lycan! By order of the Church of the Sun, you will be defeated here! Let the Sun's light cleanse you of your evil!" They each drew weapons which shined with the glint of silver and rushed him. Wolfsbane, however, was not a fool. He disengaged from his assassins and rushed over to the far wall of the garden. His tabaxi nature allowed him to swiftly climb over the wall and escape the assassins and began hastily making his way to the Palace. As Nala made it to her chambers, the etherealness wore off. She looked around her room in a panic and quickly grabbed whatever she thought was important. Necklace, check. Armor, check. Disguise, check. Blades, check. As she left her room she bumped into a pair of very confused guards. "Princess! What's going on?! Are you hurt?" Before Nala could respond, another guard came up the stairs. "Oh Princess! There you are. Everything's taken care of now. Are you hurt?" The other guard responded "What the hell's going on?" The third guard, who everyone could tell is a terrible liar, began to try and grab Nala. The first of the pair of loyal guards rushed in to defend her, interposing his shield between himself and the traitor and pinning him against the wall. "Get the Princess out of here!" he yelled to his friend. "Come on, Princess. We need to go!" Nala, frightened and confused had no choice but to follow. As they descended the stairs and headed towards the basement, they passed the scimitar on display again. Nala quickly grabbed it off its stand and rushed to the basement. About three loyal guards escorted Nala to the basement. On the path down, they could see the bodies of other guards lying in the halls. Perhaps they were traitors or were slain by the traitors. Nala did not have time to stop and investigate. They reached the basement and the guards quickly began to move the ugly frog statue that existed in the basement. Behind it was a tunnel, the existence of which was only known to the royal family and the highest ranking guards. "Go Princess! Now!" Speechless and in a panic, Nala entered the tunnel. There was enough room to stand in and as she looked behind her, the guards had already begun moving the statue back in place. No turning back now, she thought, and began to run towards the tunnel's exit. The tunnel led out into the city near the northern gates. As Nala emerged, she could see the streets are fairly calm. Everyone is unaware of the chaos happening in the palace. She then saw a guard patrolling the city. Her first instinct was to get his help, then she though, what if he's with the Church? She didn't know who to trust anymore and began to panic. Fearing for her life, she began to run once again, this time towards the gates of the city. She affixed her headscarf over her face to conceal her identity. She almost made it to the gate when she heard a voice behind her. "Hey!" She turned around to see a paladin of the Church had noticed her and started making his way towards her. At the gate was a pair of guards. One of whom began to move towards her. "Hey you! Stop!" As the guard attempted to restrain her, Nala pushed back with all her might, knocking the guard off his feet, and dashed outside the gate and outside the walls of the city she called home. She could hear the guards' cries diminish as they stop pursuing her. Nala continued running, not knowing if they would continue to pursue her and for how long. She ran away as fast as she could, not looking back for fear she would slow down. She ran for a good few minutes before the adrenaline began to subside and she began to get exhausted. She stopped on the side of the road and turned around, seeing her city in the distance, not knowing the fate of her mother or anyone else in the palace. She then immediately doubled over and vomited. The stress was simply too much to handle for the 16 year old princess. Nala stumbled a few steps back and fell to her knees with tears in her eyes. Within a few hours, her entire life has changed. She began to think about what would now happen to her. She was alone in the desert, and she knew she could not go back, for the Church would surely try to kill her. She wondered what they would do to her mother, to Nassaire, to Wolfsbane, and to Salah. The more she thought about this the more she wept. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't ready for any of this, she though to herself. The only way forward was to continue following the road north, away from Bekilk. Nala picked herself up, and continued up the road.
Some time in her journey, after her nerves had settled down, Nala realized that in her panic, she left the city and ran out into the desert without any sort of food or water. After traveling for this long, the heat of the desert started to get to her and she became extremely thirsty. As the afternoon came to an end, Nala found herself exhausted to the point where she couldn't continue. She collapsed against a rock on the side of the road and laid there, trying to catch her breath. Her throat was dry to the point where it hurt her to breathe. Had she made a mistake? She thought to herself. Was she wrong for running away? There was no way she could have taken that guy in a fight. But she could have intervened in some way instead of watching. The negative thoughts continued to flow through her mind as she lay there, before drifting off into unconsciousness. In her mind, the events of the day repeated themselves over and over. The sight of Nala's mother standing helplessly. The indomitable paladin's sword missing Nala by inches. The uncertainty in her escape from the palace. Nala was broken out of this loop by a voice calling out to her. "Young lady! Are you awake?" The individual calling out to her shook Nala awake. The figure, still blurry to her as she was slowly regaining consciousness, began to give her a water skin. Nala grabbed it with haste and began drinking from it feverishly. As the liquid poured down her dry throat, she was rejuvenated and quickly snapped back to reality. The figure, a very fine looking man with tan skin, well groomed black hair and a finely trimmed curly mustache, wearing a fancy purple robe and who's hands were adorned with jewelry, stood before her with a hand stretched out. "Thank the gods. I thought you were a goner." The man's voice was a very smooth and soft one. Nala looked past him and saw a wooden cart being drawn by a single camel. The cart looked like a bunch of folded pieces of wood stacked on top of each other, as if the thing could open up into a magnificent display of some kind. The man helped Nala to her feet. "Name's Rexxus Alexander, though you may call me Rex. What were you doing out here by yourself?" Nala responded, "I..." or so she attempted to. The sudden shock of reality had her stunned in silence. However, the name sounded somewhat familiar to her. "Thank you," Nala managed to muster out, "I was running from the city. The Church of the Sun were taking over." Rex began to mount his cart, "Well I did have my suspicions about the Church. It's one of the reasons I'm leaving the city myself. Would you like a ride?" Nala hesitated. She wasn't sure, after the events of the day, who to trust. Her only other option was to die out in the desert. "Please," she responded, and hopped on the cart behind Rex. "So, where were you trying to go?" Rex asked. Nala responded, "I don't really know. Just somewhere far away. What about you?" "I'm headed to Oxfront. Up until now I was but a humble traveling merchant. Once I get to Oxfront, I'll set up a permanent shop. It was one of my dreams as a child and now I finally have the money to do so." The cart continued its journey north with its two passengers. "Say, I can't shake the feeling I know you from somewhere. What's your name?" asked Rex. Nala hesitated once again. So far the man seems trustworthy but who knows? Does he work for the Church? Nala tried to think of a response, but the exhaustion, both mental and physical, prevented her from thinking of a good alias. "...Nala," she said finally after an awkward pause. "Pleasure to meet you, Nala." Rex turned away and tried to think where he had heard that name before. Nala spoke up, "I believe my mother had done business with you before. I think that explains why I thought your name was familiar." Rex looked flattered. "Well I have a very particular clientele, you must be from a rather well off family then." He continued to think to himself. He knew that name was familiar somehow but he just couldn't put his finger on it. "What did you say your name was again? Nala? Oh! Like the Princess! A very popular name indeed! See I had also done some business with the Sultana. She once had me enchant..." Rex paused as he noticed the emerald amulet around Nala's neck and, upon further inspecting her features, made a realization. "By the gods! You're the Princess! What?? Why are you here alone? What happened? Where are your guards?" He stopped the cart as he began to realize the situation he was in. Nala, who up until this point was attempting to hide her identity but had clearly failed, responded, "The Church of the Sun took over! They had turned the guards against us! I fled as fast as I could." Both Rex and Nala were in a panic. "Well, what should I do? Should I take you back?" Rex suggested. "No! I... I don't know what they would do to me if I went back," Nala argued. Rex thought for a moment, "Well, uhh, you can certainly accompany me to Oxfront until this thing dies down. I could use an assistant. Maybe teach you a magic thing or two." "I appreciate the offer, but I really don't know what to do." Rex nodded. "Though I do feel bad leaving you without some protection, I suppose I could drop you off at the next town we come across?" Nala, without any options, agreed, "I think that would be best. I don't want to put you in any sort of danger or responsibility. I can take care of myself... I think." About a day later, the desert sand began to transition to the hard dirt and rock that marked the divide between the Osmad Desert and the Ironwood Forests. Trees began to dot the landscape until they became a fairly dense woodland. There, the cart stopped at the first town beyond the desert: a pathetic village called Pavv. Rex made sure the Princess was well supplied before he departed, purchasing for her enough food and water to last a few days on the road. "Good luck, Princess. Perhaps we will see each other again under better circumstances?" said Rex. Nala bowed respectfully towards Rex. "Indeed," she said, "Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Rex. I probably would have died out there if you hadn't come along. I wish I could repay you in some way." Rex bowed back. "No need, Princess. If you happen to make your way to Oxfront, find me there. Farewell." Rex and his shop departed the town, leaving Nala alone among this strange foreign town. At this point, it had gotten late. Rex was kind enough to get Nala a room in the local inn, a small but welcoming building in the center of this little town. Nala made her way to her room and closed the door. It was her first night alone. Far from her home and her future uncertain. As she dozed off, again, the events of the day before repeated themselves in her head. Some were twisted alterations of the truth, many ending horribly while others were more hopeful. Regardless, it was a restless night. Morning came, and Nala was unsure if she even got any sleep at all. As she awoke, Nala hoped to find herself in her room in the palace; all this being a dream. Unfortunately, she was still in the same inn she arrived in the day before. She made her way downstairs for breakfast, with the handful of coin she brought along with her. The tavern was fairly empty, with the exception of a few patrons enjoying their morning food and alcohol. She prepared herself to speak to the innkeeper, when she noticed, entering the tavern, a tall black-furred tabaxi, with a dark grey cloak and a pair of swords by his sides - Wolfsbane. A wave of relief struct over Nala as she rushed over to him. "Wolfsbane?! You're alive!" "Princess!" Wolfsbane exclaimed and embraced her. "What happened to everybody? How did you find me?" "Well, the Church of the Sun tried to kill me. That was when I recieved your message. So I ran to the palace and some guards tried to tell me everything was okay, but then they tried to attack me too. I found the Sultana and Nassaire were captured by the Church, but they were alive. I then tried to look for you. I found a track that led out of the city and it led me here." It was at this moment that Nala knew that there was still hope for her home. "What should we do now? We can't go back," asked Nala. Wolfsbane responded, "I have an idea. Come, I am going to introduce you to my clan." Chapter 2 ==>
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