Visions and Nightmares

	CawklesGM	Izem started hearing tales the moment he arrived on the Mentirosa, tremulous whispers muttered over frothy pints of stinking ale. Tales of dark things lurking about the hull of the ship, existing not because they are wanted but because they are needed. The "Witch's Tower" is a favorite. Supposedly, this tower is the abode of strange creature who can cast spells with but the faculty of their mind. It is constantly under guard, but every now and again somebody manages to slip in. Somebody manages to see the secrets hidden there. These courageous souls never return. Izem had probably heard at least six variations this tale by the time he stumbled upon he marbled entrance to the place. Seeing no guards, he stole away into that immaculately carved portal, on a quest to relieve his boredom by any means possible. With each careful step he finds himself drawn deeper and deeper itno this place. It is no witch's abode, cluttered with cyclopean architecture and bizarre secrets. It is, in fact, the exact opposite. This so called witch tower is a gentle place of order and repose, its marble floor polished to a mirror sheen, its pall of silence only disrupted by the occasional hint of a distant choir. Iconography of the strange Imperial church adorn the walls, morbid images of deathless angels and all seeing saints that watch over the tiny souls of those passing beneath their gaze. A quick walk through more hallways, and the startling emptiness of the tower is suddenly undone. Almost from nowhere, the hallways feed into a central cathedral that is positively cavernous, a forest of precisely carved pillars holding up a roof that is vibrant with religious tableaus and scenes from various religious pageants. Pews, hundreds of them, sit arrayed before the central altar: An armored figure, wrought in gleaming gold and fine jewels, shimmering like a star under the stale light of powerful glo lamps. Before this altar is the unmistakable form of a tiny little girl lying upon a white slab of stone. Before this slab is a hunched over woman in a black habit, kneeling in silent prayer. As far as Izem can see, he is the only one present.
	CawklesGM	"Dem roburous o terra, Sustentetam eam per hoc longæ noctis compeditin," The woman states abruptlly, her peremptory remark echoing through the empty chamber. She rises from her crouch, laying her hands upon the tiny, still form. Her silent vigil resumes, her inner focus radiating palpable energy and faith.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	heart nearly leaps out of his chest, or it at least feels like it does at the sudden boom of the woman's voice. Izem knows he shouldn't be here, but given the recent boredom and lack of assignments, and the lack of attention from his new wife, he feels he should at least get the lay of the ship. And where better to start than here? The sailors aboard this ship are too superstitious for their own good.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	The feeling he gets from this place is of awe, and piety, a grand monument of the love and faith to the glory of the God-Emperor. He stops his gawking and continues down the main aisle, between the hundreds of pews, towards the woman and the child. Despite himself he continues to drink in the sights, especially that of the massive statue that stands vigil over the two figures.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	'Sacred Ashura.' He mouths silently to himself as he continues his silent walk forward.
	CawklesGM	The mysterious woman stiffens for a moment, her hunched posture suddenly rising, her alabaster fingers sliding off the little girl's body. She stands are her full, rather unimpressive height, and stares at the glimmering statue before her. "It called you here, didn't it? This beautiful thing?" The feminine sound hits Izem's ears as if the woman was standing right next to him, her strange accent gentle and disarming.
	CawklesGM	"The God-Emperor always finds his children, be it through one lens or another. Only those of little faith are truly lost. And ye are not unfaithful."
	CawklesGM	The woman turns around, his habit swishing about her feet, a white cowl framing her girlish, almost doll like face. The black pits that were once her eyes still twitch with the same sucking darkness of before. He remembers the woman. There is a pulse in his mind, a sound not of his own creation that bounces around inside of his skull. Lillian, it says. Lillian, Lillian, Lillian.
	CawklesGM	"I suppose the guards deserted their post, then?" Her mouth smiles, but that's the only movement Izem sees on her face. Her lack of eyes makes the gesture extremely unnerving. "Ah, it happens. Time to time. The things pressing against our thin film of being can shake the hardiest of men."
	CawklesGM	Lillian puts one dainty foot after another, a very dignified stride indeed. She works her way down the small steps of the altar and approaches Izem closer. "Izem abn Anaruz. Why are you here?"
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	bows his head towards the woman, remembering seeing her with Kahina when he was finally able to find her again. "I didn't mean to disturb...but curiosity got to me, and well..." he pauses as he thinks of his response and feels abashed and childish for it, but lying to this woman feels like a sin it's own right. "I had heard stories of this place, and did not believe the superstitions of the...
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	...sailors I had talked with. In fact they give it no justice." He then lifts his bowed head and regards the statue before looking at Lillian...how did he know her name? "Lady Lillian." He does his best to look her straight in the eyes- well where they used to be, only flinching slightly before putting on his medicae's mask, a face of neutral analysis. He's seen worse than what has befallen Lillian.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"I must thank you, my lady, for keeping Kahina company. I can't imagine how much your guiding hand must have helped her during her recuperation."
	CawklesGM	"Ah, it was nothing my friend. She's a fine woman, a more faithful servant of Him there never was. She deserved some aid during this great test of her corpus. Her discovery of your miraculous survival was the last thing she needed to see, to cross the gap between ill health and balance" The woman grins sheepishly as the man puts on the effects of his profession. "But now, if you do not mind, I wish to hear the answer to the question I posed. Why are you here, Izem? Not, here, in this physical space. But HERE, in the madness of the materium. I touched your mind when we first met, and your resolve was almost overwhelming, a barrier I durst not cross. Where does such fire come from, ye humble man of dirt and sand?"
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	Izem is taken a bit aback by this. Touched my mind? He shivers involuntarily, but knows she meant no harm, none the less it still freaks him out a bit. Why is he here? Destiny? The mistakes of his family? His own mistakes in the field? Truly he does not know, his belief in His touch on all things in the universe is adamant, but how is he, a mere mortal, to know the plans of the God-Emperor?
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	He continues to think on it before replying, "if you had asked me that several years ago, I would have said it was the trials and challenges I faced at the death of my family and my continued survival under my new Father's tutelage. But that was just a beginning. No, now...now I would say it's because I want to see my comrades and my loved ones safe and alive."
	CawklesGM	The pale woman bobs her head up and down. Izem's response has clearly impressed her. "A fine answer, Mister. Anaruz." The sound almost makes the man jump; it's only moments later does it register that the sound actually came from her mouth this time, the noise tumbling into his skull rather than dribbling out of it. She chuckles, not at his fright, but at some strange thing only she
	CawklesGM	can see. "Pardon the question, I am not some soothsayer trying to draw you into an air of faux-mysticism and unmeaning queries. I merely ask because I had to asses your mind. Your wits. Your willingness to entertain forward and strange notions and stay on your rational feet whilst doing so."
	CawklesGM	Whipping around once again, Lillian stares at the still form of Tali. Well, stares as best as a blind woman can. "Needless to say, you have succeeded in this little challenge. You are ready." She lets out a dignified guffaw, her tiny little hand covering her mouth as if she committed some major indiscretion. 'Ah, there I go again, sounding vague and mysterious! God-Emperor forgive the
	CawklesGM	absence of my mind! What I meant to say is that you are now ready to learn."
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"Learn? Learn what exactly?" He asks more out of curiosity than anything else. He then tries to look around Lillian at the small form on the altar. Who is that, he wonders- Tali? "Tali? That's Tali isn't it? Is she well?" The words tumble out of his mouth in a rapid fire sort of way, almost tripping over each other in trying to get out of his mouth.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	he takes a step forward as he says all this.
	CawklesGM	Thud! Izem's face flatens as he steps face first into...a wall? In the middle of a cathedral aisle?
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"What?" He tries to touch forward, where this invisible wall seems to be.
	CawklesGM	"One thing at a time, mister Anaruz!" She wags a chiding finger, her anger playful. "I cannot properly explain the condition of your little friend without a priming lecture. But before that, I give you a choice." She turns around once more, her movement liquid. She holds out her arms, both fists balled. She opens up her first hand. All Izem sees is the almost sterile paleness to her
	CawklesGM	skin. "Your first choice: The boon of ignorance. The privilege of unknowing. The right to a life free of fear." Then her hand blossoms. A coruscating bolt of pale energy arcs between her fingers, dripping down into her palm like wax until it gathers into a winking witch-flame that is neither hot or cold, solid of liquid, real or unreal. "The second: The forbidden fruit. Knowing. The
	CawklesGM	weals and woes of lorecraft, as well as its gifts. It is a sword that cuts both ways."
	CawklesGM	She walks closer to Izem, her two open palms twitching with the kind of tension only seen in steel cables. "Think, Izem. Ponder. Your choice here will be weighty. Take the hand that thee prefer."
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"I have seen terrors and madness and felt helpless to them, and yet I do not wish to put myself or others into unneeded danger, especially after my promise..."
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	rubs his head as he thinks on it carefully, his mind, wracked with all the pros and cons of this forbidden knowledge. He chuckles for a moment and smiles sheepishly. "I suppose you wouldn't be able to offer up anything else in regards to this forbidden fruit without tipping your hand?"
	CawklesGM	"Giving you a hint as to the consequences of your choice goes against the spirit of this trial, no?" She swishes her flaming hand about, the colorless light leaving faint impressions in the air with its radiant passing. "Ah, well, I suppose 'tis only fair to be lenient on somebody so bereft of understanding. Okay, here is a hint. The ONLY hint I will give you. The boon of knowledge will
	CawklesGM	take you somewhere. The future? Perhaps. The past? Maybe. To a definite truth? Certainly. I warn you, though, what you will find may not be to your liking. It might even drive what's left of you right out of your skull and leave a ranting lunatic behind." She flashes a mischevious grin, her mirth oddly motherly. "That last bit was a jest."
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	gives her a nervous chuckle at that last bit.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	takes a seat at the nearest pew and closes his eyes before he words a prayer. [Bazir] "Blessed Ashura please protect my being and soul as I venture into valley's unknown where darkness and madness might find me. Blessed Shaban help give me strength to guard myself and those I love from the perils of the unknown. God-Emperor above I ask for your mercy and guidance in this endeavor." He...
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	...mutters several other smaller oaths before opening his eyes, his face set with determination.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"If it means I can protect my comrades and loved ones better, I will shoulder the burden of knowledge. My father always taught me that knowledge is power, I just hope that I have the will to carry that burden. I put my trust in you, and the God-Emperor, Lady Lillian."
	CawklesGM	The psyker's flaming palm closes the distance between them. "Then take this hand, Izem abn Anaruz. Take this hand, and relax. What you are about to go through may lack any rational explanation."
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	Though determined, Izem flinches before taking her hand, expecting heat, but feeling known. He then clasps her hand.
	CawklesGM	The sensation Izem feels can be compared, in broad strokes, to what he felt when four fist sized bolt shells tore apart his body. It's pain unlike anything he's ever felt, a keening agony that blackens the world and drags him atom by atom to whatever queer destination Lillian's powers has deigned to send him. Though suffered for a microinstant, this brush with raging entropic energies
	CawklesGM	that subsume the consciousness would scar him forever. Before he can dwell on the sheer terror of what he has witnessed, he blinks his eyes open. What he sees is not the cathedral. What he sees is something wholly surprising to him.
	CawklesGM	He is on a ship's medicae deck. This ship's medicae deck. Except he's not healing anybody, visiting Muffin, or doing anything normal to his routine on this deck. Instead, his rear is firmly seated in a chair hugging the wall of a carpeted waiting room in the intensive care facility. Bland banners extolling the virtues of patience, prudence, and obedience dot the otherwise featureless
	CawklesGM	wall. Despite being a place somewhat familiar, disorientation has made it completely alien. To add to the confusion, a static ridden voice warbles from a vox nested in some corner. The demure voice on the other hand is calling Izem's name.
	CawklesGM	+Doctor Izem abn Anaruz, Doctor Izem abn Anaruz, please report to Room 417. I repeat, Doctor Izem abn Anaruz, please report to Room 417. Thought of the Day: Nature's perfection is faith unquestioned.+
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	Izem merely blinks as he hears this. Doctor? He looks down at himself as he stands up.
	CawklesGM	Body glove, matte black with sensors and other tools stitched directly into the form fitting material, chirping immeidately with detailed data readouts of the surrounding area as soon as his gaze falls across them. As he stands up, he notices that he was sitting on a simple white coat. Its right arm has a medicae patch, the symbol of the Blazing Trail, an imperial aquila, and the standard
	CawklesGM	of House Rook.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"Okay. I've seen weird things, but this takes the spice-cake." He says to himself as he plays along, and follows the directions of the vox-message.
	CawklesGM	The halls of the medicae deck seems familiar so far. The directions painted directly on the deckplate seem to glimmer with an unbroken coat of fresh paint, and some of the tasteful art installations in the walls have been traded out for other, stranger oil paintings. One in particular catches his eye: "The Storming of the Great Palace of Ashes".
	CawklesGM	He sees a serried tide of men in nondescript uniforms, colliding into a tidal wave of disheveled blade wielding maniacs at the foot of the stone double doors. Leading the charge is...Izem. Izem, his face an inspiriational mask of bottomless faith and infinite stoicism, has a halo of light playing about his head as him and his closest comrades lead their fellows during the final push
	CawklesGM	into the seat of Niassian power. Muffin, with a bionic eye and a nasty grin, clings to the back of Ace who is going on a veritible rampage through the horde with a powerfist. Behind them, Abbass, Jurdik, Roland, Rajh, and XMB carve great furrows into the onrushing horde with their own firearms. Kahina is perched atop a nearby outcrop of rubble, an addition an overeager artist no doubt
	CawklesGM	included to make her encouraging demeanour more heroic. The entire scene is a hypnotizing orchestra of blood and death, and nearly draws Izem in until...
	CawklesGM	"Tah feek ya doon 'ere, mate? Gottie sooch uh a beeg 'ead taht yeh wenna gokk at you an' youself 'fere ya do wot tah vex tryna tell ya doo? All papi 'elp meh, meh neh cannae unnahstan yeh." There is a meaty clap on his shoulder, and a gentle tugging. "Gratoolashun, buh tah weh!"
	CawklesGM	Muffin stands behind him, shirtless as always. She looks a lot more fit than Izem remembers, her arms toned with rippling muscle, her abs bearing a subtle six pack. True to the painting, she has a rounded bionic eye, and a pearly white smile. She looks absolutely ebuillent...and maybe a little drunk.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	just gawks for a moment. 'Scratch what I said earlier, it's getting weirder,' he thinks to himself. "By Ashura, Muffin..." Izem holds his head for a moment. "When did you get that Bionic eye? And the muscles, and- congratulations? What do you mean?" He pauses for a moment. "How much have you had to drink?"
	CawklesGM	Muffin rolls her eyes, trying to stifle a guffaw. "'ow mooch a yoo 'ad tah drenk, ya daft cunt?"
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"None as you can tell, I hope, Muffin, but my other questions still stand." He says almost desperately.
	CawklesGM	"I-Izem? Are... are yoo feelin' awrite, mate?" Muffin takes Izem and slings his arm over her shoulder, dragging him forward. "Lookie, less kep goon an' ya can tell meh why yoo actin' all...streng-loik."
	CawklesGM	As Muffin drags Izem forward, ordelries suddenly seem to be chugging along, flitting about the rooms. They are all smiles, nodding and greeting Izem as he passes. Muffin keeps talking. "Lookie, meh kno thissa 'ere sum sers stoof weh dealin' wit heyah, buh neh cannae beh a drongo neh! Neh, snap outta eet mate, errybody is waitin' fer yeh an' me want yeh tah smile!"
	CawklesGM	It's hard to smile when Muffin drags him past a clear room...its floor packed with filled bodybags. Blackblood soaks into the white tile floor, turning it a sickly red.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"Right, right." The hell is going here, he thinks to himself. Lillian wasn't lieing this is way too surreal.
	CawklesGM	The pair round a corner. Snow squad is chatting among themselves noisily, but grow silent when Izem appears. They all turn, beaming. "There he is!" Jurdik whispers as loud as he able. Abbass' reedy smile parts as he begins to speak as well. [Bazir]"Look brother, we were going to through you a little get together but we figured you'd rather go in first. Jan says it's all clear now.
	CawklesGM	Just...be gentle. And get ready to revel when you're done!"
	CawklesGM	Roland and Rajh nod in agreement, motionign towards the door, muttering sincere encouragment. Muffin deposits Izem in front of that selfsame door he confronted not too long ago.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	Izem smiles despite himself, his comrades look healthy and happy. He then walks to the door and opens it, a sense of deja-vu overwhelms him as he steps inside.
	CawklesGM	As Izem creeps inside, the void tapestry outside twinkles with exrta strength, almost responding to each of his footsteps. Lying in the same bed as before is Kahina, as gorgeous as ever, clad in the same simple hospital gown as before. But rather than being in pain, her face is that of contented serentiy. There is a strang sussurus, a gentle wet sound lilting through the silenc. It is
	CawklesGM	only then that Izem notices the tiny squirming bundle his wife is holding to her bare breasts. She looks up, and a delicate loving smile stretches across her face. "Shhhhh, Izem. She's almost done." The woman takes the fitful bundle away from her chest, and Izem spies the cherubic face of the newborn swaddled within it. She dangles her finger in its face, the baby cooing in response.
	CawklesGM	[Qom]"Are you just going to stand there, Izem?" Kahina teases, holding the baby out in front of her.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	Izem stands there in complete shock...and joy. Tears cascade down his face unabated as he rushes over to Kahina's side. He then falls to his knees as he examines the newborn, his child? Happiness and love explode inside him as gives his newborn daughter a tear-filled smile. "She's beautiful, as beautiful as you are, my star." He carefully, ever carefully puts the back of his hand against the...
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	...baby's cheek, and feels warmth. Izem chokes up as what he sees continues to smash into him like a bus.
	CawklesGM	Kahina giggles as Izem sees the face of his daughter, her own facial bandaging growing wet as she watches the display. She puts the child in his arms, the little thing gurgling. Her wide, chestnut eyes stare at Izem's face, and he swears he sees it smile. She's a fine child, her skin a handsome shade of brown, her weight quite healthy for a newborn. It's almost too good to be true! The
	CawklesGM	baby's arms reach out from its swaddle and grab Izem's finger, its little hand squeezing his finger, its tongue darting out of its mouth as it squirms in his grasp. Kahina readjusts her robe, preserving her modesty, before settling into a more comfortable position in her hospital bed. "We haven't given her a name yet," She coos, grinning. "It is the tradition of my people that both
	CawklesGM	parents present a name. The husband goes first. What is your suggestion, my love?"
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"Midiya." He almost croaks out while blinking more tears from his eyes.
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"What about you, what shall we call our little twinkle of sunlight?"
	CawklesGM	Kahina scratches her chin. Smiling, she responds. "How about Hasmiq? You know, my sister. The one you murdered."
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	A look of horror stretches across his face. His mouth is agape. "What?" He asks out of shock.
	CawklesGM	Kahina laughs, the sound somewhere between spirited and hysteric. "Come on, my love! Hasmiq! Out in that village, you found her under that horse! She told you that she was my sister, and you blew her brains out like it was a trifling matter." She pantomimes shouldering a rifle, discharging it with a silent "pew". "What honestly baffles me," she says, trying to stifle laughter, "is that
	CawklesGM	you never told me. You confessed your love to me, oh yes! But not his. Oh no. Even on wedding night, when you swept me off my feet and took me to our chamber, you didn't tell me. I even asked, quite specifically, if you were hiding anything from me. I didn't want anything to come between us that night. I told you all of my secrets." Her cheeks balloon, her voice teetering on the edge
	CawklesGM	of some approaching punchline. " But you didn't! You said 'no ma'am, you know everything!' And without a hint of shame you took off wedding robes and made a cuckold of my dead husband! God-Emperor, I remember, to this day, what you said to me when we were having the Fawzan dervish. You were taunting him! Taunting Omar! Isn't that demented?!"
	CawklesGM	She cannot contain her laughter now, thrwoing her fists against the railings of her bed. "Ah, this is why I love you so, Izem. You are a terrible man, a hypocrite, and a devotee to the Dark Gods. Now, hurry up and name the child. I'm getting peckish."
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"I am a coward." He chokes out between sobs. "But I am no devotee to these Dark Gods! I planned on telling you, I would have told you, I swear it." His face is twisted in grief and agony, where there was once joy. "How could I not, it tortures me that I had sinned in such a way, that I killed her to grant her mercy, and yet it grates on my soul." He looks down to his 'child.' "This all must...
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	...be an illusion. Or maybe my will is broken and I've succumbed to madness."
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"Hasmiq shall be her name, if this is even her." He says with finality.
	CawklesGM	Kahina laughter subsides slowly. "Thank you, my love. Can you hand her to me, please?"
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	He hesitantly gives his 'daughter' to his 'wife.'
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	The fear clearly evident on his face as he does so.
	CawklesGM	Kahina takes the child in her arms, nuzzling its face against hers. "Aren't you delightful ray of sunshine, Hasmiq? Hmmm? Aren't you gorgeous?" She pats the child on the head before turning to her husband. "So do you want the first bite, or me?"
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	immediately grabs the child from Kahina's grip and backs away. A look of concern on his face. "What blasphemy is this!? What sick joke is this?!" He asks almost to himself as he backs away with the 'child.'
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	He fumbles with the door out of the room, keeping his eyes on 'Kahina' as he finally gets the door open and awkwardly walks back out. What the hell is going?
	CawklesGM	Kahina lurches out her bed, her bones popping and joints creaking as she leaps onto the deckplate and crawls towards Izem...like a spider. The beautiful woman is gone; her face is a pale mask of rage, her jaws unhinging to reveal a gaping maw of needle sharp teeth. Izem is not privy to the rest of the transformation as he forces the door open, tumbling across the threshold and into a
	CawklesGM	maelstrom of space and time. An attosecond of perfect agony, and then numbness. He slowly comes to...his face is pressed against something cold and smooth. Marble?
	CawklesGM	the shaking that follows confirms his suspicion. "Izem? Izem? Come to the light, Izem! Rouse thyself! It's over!"
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	Izem's eyes shoot open, the light a welcome pain to his retina's as he collects himself. He scrunches his eyes shut, as he does so he remembers the horrors of what he just witnessed. He releases a cry of emotional fear and opens his eyes again.
	CawklesGM	Lillian stoops down, laying a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder. Her eyeless countenance is face to face with his. Somehow, the peculiar looking woman is precisely the comfort he needed. "You had yourself a fine nightmare, hm?" She asks, her voice raspy with the weight of the situation. "They got to you almost immediately. They know who you are. They know what you want, and worse
	CawklesGM	still, what you fear. The Dark Gods. One of them sent its minion after you. What you just saw was a daemon clad in the guise of your wife."
	CawklesGM	Lillian shakes her head, however, wracking her brain over something. "It makes no sense though...The Lord of Skulls is not known for his subtlety. The cruel torment he just visited upon you is not like him at all." She shudders visibly just saying one of the Blood God's titles. she clears her throat. "Let this be the beginning of your new education. You got a taste of the power of the
	CawklesGM	warp, just enough to know its infinite evil. It will serve you well when the full story of what dwells parallel to reality is revealed to you."
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	While she explains all of this, he almost throws up, the ugly experience continuing to catch up with him. He clamps a hand over his mouth to keep it from escaping to the marble floor and with an effort swallows it back. The taste of bile and stomach acid a burning welcome reminder that he's himself, and he's back in reality. "I-I, that was horrific." With great effort he picks himself up....
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	..."These, these things, why me? And are they related to the things happening on Nova Spera?"
	CawklesGM	Lillian nods slightly. Then, after a moment of thought, nods vigorously. "Their worshippers crawl all over the planet. They have erected monuments to their patrons, and energies of their worship pool there. The emotional resonance is severe, it's almost overpowering. And why you? Why, they cursed you. That's why. They know the God-Emperor moves through you, all of you, and seek to
	CawklesGM	undermine you as best they can. They exist to resist the God-Empero and his champions."
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"So they are anathema to all who are guided by Ashura and Shaban, and ultimately Him." He nods in understanding. "These filth are an infection that must be eradicated immediately before more fall to their madness." His face is a portrait of anger, how dare these things warp the joy he's tried to find in his life.
	CawklesGM	Lillian nods sagely. "They must be eradicated before they swallow that poor girl whole." She points to the prone form of Tali, a look of motherly concern creasing her face. "That poor thing. She is a situation much like yours. Except she cannot escape....and she's been trapped in their for nigh on three weeks. By her reckoning, she may have been trapped in some nightmare for three seconds...or three milennia. We'll only know when we find the monument currently tugging at her soul and cast it into the abyss."
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	"That's why she's unconscious? Sacred Emperor, I couldn't stand to be there for more than an hour. She saved us in the Palace of Ashes, I'd like to help her at the very least. I'd only wish that nightmare on the worst of my foes." He replies with a shiver.
Lillian nods glumly. "Indeed. The best you can do is let her rest, and let my peers handle it. Once your understanding of Chaos grows, you'll soon find out why you cannot help here."
	Izem_abn_Anaruz	nods slowly, still trying to grasp what it is he's dealing with here.