The next morning Karsa did some quick thinking and convinced Kranz to make Arcas into the "kitchen servant" to free Krantz to do other more important things like drink with Karsa. This got Arcas out of his cell and notably improved the quality of food in the dining hall. Arcas was put into the "mask of shame" which gagged and deafened him but the kitchen is a big step up from the dungeon.. both literally and figuratively.
The group then spends the next few days learning the ins and outs of being a member of the "faith". But the faith is not what it seems. While there is plenty of liturgy it is inconsistent and there is more of a focus on fundraising and recruitment via any means than on any practices.
DAY ONE
The party is taught to blend together and hide differences. Karsa gets picked on by Krantz since he can't look "less dwarven" at Krantz insistence but when he finally starts prancing around like a sissy Krantz starts giving him compliments which makes Karsa nervous. (while actually Seldion used magic to make himself slowly look shorter and stockier to help Karsa blend in.
There are plenty of Menial tasks top go around. Seldion takes to transcription translating the faith into more languages and making up the missing commandments.
Karsa gets a job in the armory after pointing out the hatchets are so dull it is easier to split wood using a hammer than these tools.
DAY TWO
Over time Arcas gets out of the mask. Arcas then convinces Krants to return his books in the name of letting him season the food with magic rather than expensive spices. He then starts to gets a following in the kitchen once word of the magical seasoning gets out to the upper ranks. Who doesn't like an olives and blue cheese drizzled on their steak. Or at least that is what the meatloaf tastes like. And like any church there are the mandatory sermons. First was Encarthis the staff wielding black robe from the recruitment drive. Who called down fire on one drowsy acolyte before giving this sermon over his smoldering remains.
"I speak as the voice of the living god. Let my tale start at the beginning. It is the tale of Razmir, the farmer, and the beggar. Tired and hungry Razmir had journeyed far looking for answers but as a storm rolled in he needed to take shelter and so approached a farmhouse. “Farmer I would like some food and a room” But the farmer was jealous of his nice farmhouse and protested that he only had a stale crust of bread to spare. Yet the smell of fresh baked bread rose from him. But razmir said nothing and took what he was offered then departed looking for shelter in the woods nearby. In the woods he saw a man in ragged robes lying in a hastily constructed shelter. The man offered Razmir use of his fire which Razmir accepted. He then shared his food as meager as it was. An old apple and a half bottle of wine which Razmir consumed greedily. Rasmir then curled up in the beggar’s shelter for it was starting to rain and slept peacefully while the beggar who had given everything he had shivered in the cold rain nearby. The next morning Razmir looked opon the beggar who was starving and blue lipped and said, “ You who gave me everything I wish to repay the favor. Follow me. And he led the beggar to the farmhouse nearby and banged on the door. The farmer arose with a fury and called Razmir names but they slid off Razmir who had been called many things worse. He turned to the beggar and said, you who gave me shelter I offer this house. It will keep you warm and dry and the fields if tended will feed you. The farmer was incensed and shut and locked the door but Razmir called up a swarm of bees that followed the farmer and stung him and crawled in his clothes. The farmer fled the house and his lands and Razmir said and he who gave be stale bread will now have a lifetime of begging for the same."
DAY THREE
Over time even priests start meals in the dinning room rather than eating out. This result in a bit more bullying as well as recognition. Ariel gets asked out on proselytizing drives which she uses to contact Reginar via the bakery they had arranged to use for messages.
Meanwhile Karsa gets a reputation for busting heads after he bashes up a number of acolytes. And after other priests start taking note of Karsa Krantz gets jealous. Especially after he hears Karsa taking credit for improving the cooking (which is actually all Arcas's doing)
Arcas also gets pissed and convinces Krantz to humble Karsa via a rigged melee that afternoon. During the grand melee everyone is given practice weapons but while Karsa is busy beating up Elvar, Krantz slips Arcas a heavy flail. Sadly Arcas has never used a flail before and proves almost as deadly to himself as Karsa. Even leaning heavily on Kimae for coordination he is completely inadequate with the weapon. And once Arcas and his grandmother start struggling over who gets to control Arcas's limbs everything quickly falls apart and it is lights out for the caster. Karsa then mops the room with everyone else.
But Seldion laid a trap earlier - feigning unconsciousness. And when Karsa goes to collect his prize Seldion jumps him. But Karsa gets in a lucky blow and Seldion crumples at Karsa's overwhelming brawn.
Krantz is so happy with the fight and the beatings Karsa gave the others that he has completely forgotten his grudge and offers Karsa some of the "good stuff" he keeps in the lockbox." After Karsa drags the other acolytes back downstairs to the barracks.
After one or two trips Karsa comes back up and finds Ariel with her arms crossed over her chest with a black rose laid on top of her arms. Weirded out he takes her down next then watches over the group since it is obvious that someone has their eye on her and that is a dangerous position for her to be in.
DAY FOUR
On the forth day Arcas is going nuts at the prospect of missing his tea ceremony appointment. Qimae come up with using the ancestral grapevine to reschedule their tea for an unspecified later date. It appears to work. Why don't the Thule use this all the time for communication?
That is the day that Nory makes his appearance. Finally leaving the chambers where he has supposedly meditated for the last month without food and water. He gives the following sermon.
"I speak as the voice of god, now living among us. Let me start at the beginning."
He raises his hand to halt Engarthis’s protest
"I do not speak of Azmir but of Existence. Once a whirling maelstrom of time and raging essence, or so I hear, as I came much much later."
Nory takes a moment to silently laugh at his joke before continuing.
"First the creator created order, a blown bubble in a raging maelstrom. But as time passed all we know came to exist in this bubble. First there were titans, and dragons. Then elves and goblins. Then mortals. Or so the histories would tell us if anything had existed through all the ages without becoming dust. And let me tell you, the mortal races were dwarfed by the powers that walked among them, and around them, so they created gods. "
"That is right. The mortals created gods. Not the other way around. Just as you today are a part of something much greater. But today I speak of history. And of the Fallen. So we do not forget the lessons of those who came before us. There were many many gods, both great and small and Legion were those that followed. But then the gods ceased to be."
Nory looks to the murals of terrified villagers on the wall to either side of the oratory room and continues softly as if speaking to them rather than to the hall filled with people.
"What can I saw of those of us who were left behind? Adrift without cause..."
"Some noble souls carried on as if nothing had changed. Maybe in denial. Others realized that without rudder they were adrift."
"Those that realized the truth first were considered Fallen. Though in honesty, they were just quicker on the uptake. A life of service had prepare none of those left behind to take over. These vessels of the gods were flawed. And the longer the denial went on the greater the fall from grace was when it came."
"For the road to hell is paved with good intentions and the best of choices brought down the greatest among us. And this brings us to today. And those gathered here in this room. Free willed"
At this moment he pauses to look directly at Ariel and smirks.
"well most of us."
laughter courses through the room but he continues over the laughter still staring meaningfully at Ariel.
"We stand here capable of raising our name into the Heavens and beyond. We will not make the same mistakes, for you have been warned. You can look within yourself for the answers that you seek."
He then gesticulates while he closes out his sermon.
"My work here is done. I leave now to go where I can help the cause we started today."
With that Nory walks off the podium and everyone seems to recall him leaving by a different direction as if dozens of copies of him left the room. The room stays hushed for a while and then conversations start as everyone tries to figure out what the hell the lecture meant. Well everyone but Ariel who looks a bit sick to her stomach to have been noticed by Noriel whom she obviously had unpleasant dealing in the past.
Krantz then takes the group out for their first big mission. There have been small shake down missions but this mission is to shake down a china shop for several hundred gold and do some serious damage in the process to send a message to the Thule that the Church is not to be slighted.
During the shakedown Krantz and a couple goons stand outside while The party and Elvar are supposed to go in and mess things up. After getting inside things get confused fast. Some people try to warn the shop keep, others break some glass and make clouds of fog appear to obscure anything happening inside form Krantz position outside the front. Elvar says something wrong and Karsa decides to discipline him but does so with the subtlety of a bullrush in a china shop and moments later the party has Elvar's shattered form covered with broken glass impaled on a broken vase staring at them. The party is horrified at this cold blooded killing. Qimae and Arcas comfort the shopkeeper and try to tell him where to go and what to do. Meanwhile Seldion slips the money they are supposed to steal into the lockbox and then makes a show out it taking it out. The party helps carry Elvar out as if he were drunk and with the help of the guards carries him back to the temple. Feeding Krantz a story of how Elvar chickened out and was running for the door when he slipped and smashed into several stands of crystal.
Krantz helps cover for Karsa but the death of an acolyte on a simple shakedown run is a black eye for Karsa's rep and the accusing glares from the rest of the party don't help much either. The others have meeting to discuss whether Karsa has "gone native"
That night Karsa sits awake in his bed wondering if he is turning into Krantz or his own father.