\u201cThe grandeur?\u201d Eurus smiled.
\u201cI\u2019m glad that\u2019s how you\u2019re feeling.\u201d Ramorand scratched at his bald head. \u201cI can\u2019t get my mana stabilized.”
\u201cI have noticed that as well. I drank a potion, and felt euphoric for twenty minutes or so, but it has certainly faded. I think it\u2019s the excitement. Think of it, Ramorand. Tomorrow we will be the most famous men in Roahl.\u201d
\u201cI like your confidence,\u201d Ramorand said tepidly. \u201cWhat rifle are you bringing?\u201d
Eurus waved him off with a dismissive gesture. \u201cIntelligence says projectiles won’t work.\u201d
\u201cI have my sword, but I also have my blaster. Surely you need something, especially if\u2026\u201d Ramorand covered his coffee and shook a gentle no thank you<\/em> to the steward as he came by with the pot, then he continued more quietly, \u201c… especially if they\u2019re going to dampen our magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eurus pulled back his hood and threw his head back. As he felt the first drops of rain begin to fall upon him, he ran his hands through his thick grey hair and tugged at his beard. He flared his virons. He wanted to feel the strength of his well, but he could not evoke energy and cause a scene. Ramorand\u2019s suggestion that they were dampening the viron field alarmed him. By all accounts, the protective runemarks on the local magi would prevent bullets. Eurus\u2019s viron well kept him healthy and spritely, but as a man in his late 60s he stood little chance in a fair swordfight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy magic will see me through. This is my most singular moment. Tonight I fulfill the Great Quest.\u201d Eurus took a deep breath. Tonight he would fulfill the Great Quest. It seemed impossible even as he said it, but it was true. \u201cEither my magic will find me victorious, or you will not find me at the rendezvous.\u201d
\u201cMy elites will also find you victorious. If things get hairy, stay behind them,\u201d Ramorand said with intention. Eurus\u2019s confidence was contagious, but the man was anything but pragmatic. \u201cI mean it. You\u2019re the only one that can\u2026\u201d He gestured vaguely, \u201cdrink it. If things go south, you\u2019re the last man standing. Don\u2019t be a hero.\u201d
\u201cI won’t be a martyr,\u201d Eurus said. \u201cI\u2019m happy to be a hero.\u201d
\u201cHere they are.\u201d Ramorand pointed to a van pulling in across the street. He stood, pushed in his chair, and tucked a few bills under his cup. Eurus downed the last sip of his coffee. As he stood, a rumble of thunder betrayed the approach of a storm. He and Ramorand darted across the street and entered through the sliding side door of the van, held open by a templar.
\u201cDid you find a good garage?\u201d Ramorand asked the driver.
The driver responded with something about distances and response times, but Eurus had stopped paying attention. It would be dark in an hour, and their assault would commence four hours after that. As the sky welcomed their plan, and the deluge of rainwater washed away the dust from the cobblestone roads, Eurus nestled into his seat and tried to get some rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014————————————————————————————————————-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re going to go, now is the time.\u201d The driver called out.
Ramorand knew he was right. He looked at Eurus sleeping calmly in the back seat. They were about to do the impossible. They were going to invade a fortified church, steal their mystic energy source, and escape undetected. This plan could only work if this venerable archmagi was at his best. Ramorand needed Eurus calm and comfortable, but he also needed him awake.
\u201cWe need to get him up, sync timers, and talk extraction,\u201d called out Ventin, Ramorand\u2019s oldest and most trusted soldier.
Eurus snored fitfully in the back seat, and nobody dared touch him. They were right though. Ramorand shook Eurus, and spoke to him to avoid startling him.
\u201cMaster?\u201d Ramorand coaxed, \u201cMaster Eurus.\u201d
The archmagi opened his eyes and looked around somewhat surprised by his surroundings.
\u201cI thought I wouldn\u2019t sleep at all, I was so excited. How long has it been?\u201d
\u201cSix hours, sir,\u201d responded Ventin.
\u201cOh?\u201d Eurus responded as he grabbed his bag and tried to climb past the templar and out of the van. \u201cWe need to go!\u201d
Ramorand stayed him with an open palm. \u201cWe need to brief you first. We need to sync timers, talk extractions, and coordinate radio.\u201d
\u201cWe\u2019ll have communion,\u201d Eurus responded. \u201cWe need to hurry.\u201d
\u201cThat\u2019s a negative,\u201d Ventin chimed in.
\u201cActually, sir,\u201d Ramorand continued, \u201cWe tested it. Once you\u2019re down in the sewers, the viron field is totally fritzed. We need to function on EM.\u201d
\u201cGreat!\u201d Eurus exclaimed.
The response took Ramorand aback. Eurus planned to run in with no weapons, and his response to learning that his magic wouldn\u2019t work was excitement. \u201cWhat\u2019s great, exactly?\u201d
\u201cIf the disruption is stronger in the sewers, that confirms the Singularity is here, no? We can home in on it,\u201d Eurus responded.
\u201cAgain, I like your confidence,\u201d Ramorand said. \u201cBut it also means we need to rely on some of the toys you hate. But we\u2019re professionals, and it\u2019s show time. On my command everyone set your comms to 200.\u201d
The templars all reached down to fiddle with their watches. Ramorand watched closely to make sure Eurus followed the instructions. The old man was playing ball.
\u201cNow!\u201d Ramorand said, clicking the start, and listening to the cascading clicks from the team around him. \u201cI\u2019ve uploaded the extraction points to all your devices. We have one for 50 minutes, 80, and 110. They are different sites, so pay attention. Comms are set to 4140. If you get disruption, go to 8280. If that doesn\u2019t work, go to, uh\u2026 sixteen\u2026\u201d
\u201c16560, sir\u201d Ventin chimed in.
\u201cRight. Everyone got that?\u201d Ramorand asked the group.
\u201cSir yes sir!\u201d responded the templar in unison.
\u201cSir yes sir,\u201d said a surly Eurus.
\u201cPut your cloaks in your wetknap, you\u2019re going to get wet!\u201d Ramorand called out.
The gang slid open the door and emerged from the van. The four templars, Ventin, Courdor, Erika, and Gaeve exited, followed by Ramorand and finally Eurus. Eurus discarded his cloak, tucked it securely into his bag, then fastened his bag to his back. The group exited the back side of the garage, and descended down a river bank to an access sewer. A deluge of effluent water flowed from the pipe to the river.
\u201cIs that going to be a problem?\u201d Eurus asked.
\u201cBelieve it or not, it\u2019s a blessing,\u201d Ramorand responded. \u201cThere is a rebar ladder. You only need to go about twelve feet before it\u2019ll open up. You\u2019ll have a walkway and everything. Ventin, Erika and I will go up first. You three, enchant us. Then we\u2019ll return the favor. The deluge will make it a little harder, but it doesn\u2019t smell anymore.\u201d
\u201cGood plan,\u201d Eurus said, then began an incantation.
Ramorand took point, reached up into the water outpouring from the sewer, and grabbed a hold of the ladder. Eurus\u2019 enchantment was potent, and the water bounced off of him harmlessly. Without this help, the weight of the water would be miserable to climb against. As he climbed, he chuckled to himself about Erika, who would need to make this climb being enchanted by Gaeve. Hopefully she wouldn’t get washed away.
Ramorand emerged from the sewer. His tightsuit was moist from his own respiration, but he had been kept clean and dry. He lit a glowstone, then reached into his viron well, and tried to commune with Eurus. Even at just 15 feet, he could barely find him. He closed his eyes and focused on his enchantment. At full force, no man could climb against this deluge of water. Ramorand focused on creating a shield that repelled the water over Eurus, so he only needed to pull his own weight. It took half a minute or so, but Eurus emerged from the sewer. Ramorand dropped the enchantment, opened his eyes, and took stock of his team. He and Eurus were in peak shape and ready to go. The rest of the gang was soaked. They looked beaten, battered, and frustrated.
\u201cThat\u2019s incredible,\u201d Ventin shouted over the roar of the water, while he shook the water from his short blonde hair. \u201cWhen I cased this place, it was full of shit.\u201d He took a deep breath.\u00a0
\u201cI was so mad at you,\u201d Erika said to Gaeve as she bent over to squeeze the water out of her hair, \u201cbut that was hard.\u201d
\u201cYeah,\u201d Gaeve responded as he pulled his cloak out of his knapsack. \u201cWhy is none of this working?\u201d he asked Ramorand.
\u201cThe virons are disorganized,\u201d Eurus answered. He was staring intently at his hand as his fingers emitted sparks to one another. \u201cWhen you reach for them, they are not where you expect them.\u201d
\u201cWell, I\u2019ve never felt anything like it,\u201d Erika responded. She pulled a mana potion out of her bag along with her cloak.
\u201cNo!\u201d Eurus forbade, \u201cDon\u2019t drink your potions in anticipation. Save them for right when you need them. We cannot fill our wells.\u201d
Erika looked to Ramorand, who gave her an agreeing glance. She shrugged, and attached her potion to her belt. Then she pulled her cloak tight around her with a shiver.
\u201cAnd projectiles don\u2019t work,\u201d Ventin pointed out, \u201cso we are going in with no magic and full melee?\u201d
\u201cYou are the finest battlemagi the Federation has to offer,\u201d Ramorand retorted. \u201cYou were hand picked for this mission. You are soldiers. We are sneaking into a temple where a bunch of old clerics are sleeping. Is that too much for you?\u201d
\u201cIf their runemarks will repel all our rifle fire, calling them \u2018old clerics\u2019 might be a little disingenuous,\u201d Ventin pointed out.
\u201cYou will not find a wizard more powerful than I,\u201d Eurus asserted.
Ramorand waited a second for another complaint, but none came. \u201cYou heard the man. Let’s carry the ball. Courdor, take point.\u201d
Courder read a number off his watch, gestured a salute, and marched down the sewer. Ramorand\u2019s glowstone illuminated twenty meters or so, but Courder\u2019s shadow was disruptive, so he lit his own stone. He marched them no more than 300 meters, having taken one right turn, before he gestured to a hatch on the wall.
\u201cThat\u2019s the one,\u201d Courder said.
Ventin wasted no time in twisting the handwheel to release the pressure. He pulled it open, revealing the rough dirt floor and hewn stone wall of the temple catacombs. Ventin gestured for Courder to lead. The rest of the squad filed in behind him. Ramorand gawked as his stone lit the busts of High Fathers. Every time he passed by one, he felt the piercing gaze of the dead, as if the great magi were criticizing his diminutive viron reserve. As he passed the third statue, a King Kelrig, he felt a disruption in the local energies.
\u201cStealth is folly, we are detected,\u201d Eurus snapped. \u201cA spirit watched us, then departed through the ceiling.\u201d
\u201cMake haste!\u201d Ramorand called out, and the team broke into a metered run, slow enough to maintain formation. \u201cCan you stop them?\u201d Ramorand asked Eurus.
\u201cNo. They are going to the Father Deacon. He\u2019s in the western spire,\u201d Eurus responded through struggling breaths.
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d Ramorand asked.
\u201cGet to him!\u201d Eurus commanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ramorand broke rank and sprinted past the rest of his team. He found an ascending stairwell with torchlight at its apex. The rough hewn walls turned to masonry as he ascended, and even as he stepped through puddles draining down the stairs, he could tell he was leaving the underground and entering the temple. He reached into his bag and grabbed a mana potion. He dug around looking for a second, but he knew he wouldn\u2019t find one. One was usually enough to last him a whole day. This was his second potion in eight hours, and it was supposed to be his back up. As soon as he opened this door, though, he could be descended upon by hostile combatants. He drank the potion. He felt the warm glow of its power course through his veins. Then he pulled out his blaster and flung open the door. \u2014————————————————————————————————————-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Father Alric ran through his enchantments, desperately informing the listener network, and getting the word of the assault out to all his clergy. He had sent his staffbearer, Lucca, down to the Sanctum to assist Nina, and alert her that Federation scum was attacking, and they could not reach the Sanctum. Once all the clergy were awakened, he would send the Listeners to slow the intrusion in any way they could.\u00a0 A Listener emerged from the floor to come to Alric\u2019s aid. Alric launched it at the attacker, but the man severed the ghost with a skillful stroke of his enchanted armament. Alric tried to blast him with a crackle of electric energy, but the enemy swung his blade and met the strike with the blistering energy of Listener he had severed. The spirit\u2019s waning essence absorbed the crackle of lightning, and dissipated it with a pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With each failed attack the trespasser advanced upon Alric, leaving him cornered. Alric fell to one knee and lowered his head. Alric would haunt this man until he could realize his revenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The wind whipped, carrying flecks of sand which battered Eurus\u2019s already weathered face. He donned his goggles, and scanned the sky. Heavy billowing mammatus clouds rolled in from the west. Eurus had only visited Astire during its many dry months, and had never seen one of its rare summer storms. Today, of all days, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[51,52,49,50],"class_list":["post-411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-dosar-act-1","tag-the-battle-of-the-sanctum","tag-the-great-quest","tag-the-tyryn-war"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=411"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":416,"href":"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411\/revisions\/416"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
A confused young man stood in the hallway on the other side of the door. He held a pike in one hand, and was walking toward the catacombs, apparently alerted by the sound of someone running up the stairs. Without hesitation, Ramorand fired his blaster at the man and struck him in the chest. The man barely had time to realize his own death as he clutched his breast and fell to the ground with a thud. Behind him stood a sentry drone. The sentry started shaking, and Ramorand figured it was about to sound the alarm. Ramorand flared his viron well and emitted a scorching bolt, which severed the circuitry of the sentry and left it also falling to the ground in a heap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cathedral-Lookout-1024x760.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Fear washed over Ramorand. The power offered by his potion had lasted him all of twenty seconds, and now he was to challenge the High Father with just his sword. His pace never slowed, however. If this were his fate he would face it bravely. He sprinted down the hallway, before encountering another ascending stairwell. So as to not alert any more sentries, as well as to catch his breath, he climbed these stairs with a more metered pace. He realized that the cold glow of his glowstone stood out against the warm flicker of torch fire which otherwise illuminated the corridor, so he dismissed the stone and replaced it with a torch off the wall.
The top of this staircase featured no door, and he quickly found himself emptied into a grand hall outfitted like a mess room. It had pews and tables all around it, and was lit and warmed by a large fireplace on the far side. Grand windows adorned the wall to his left, and the powerful echo of an aggressive rainstorm clattering against the glass covered the sound of his footsteps. Two young clerics sat silhouetted by the fire. They held each other in an embrace, and kissed each other with a passion that Ramorand surmised they would not emerge from. There were three exits from this room. On the near wall was a large oaken door, on the far right was a hallway, and on his left an ascending staircase. As Eurus had directed him to climb a spire, he deemed fit to ascend again. He walked steadily and confidently across the grand hall and toward the stairs. He watched the couple out of the corner of his eyes, but did not turn to face them. They had no interest in him.
Once he had made it out of their sight, he once again broke into a sprint. The stairwell spiraled, with broad landings every twelve vertical feet or so. The landings were adorned with seats and statues. As Ramorand climbed four floors, he began to feel fatigue set in. Normally he could flare his virons to push through such trivial problems, but the mundanity of his condition left him victim to the wiles of weariness. He heard a voice shout from above him, so he extinguished his torch, disappeared into the next landing, and hid behind a bust. If Alric\u2019s defense delegation was being deployed to the Catacombs, perhaps Ramorand could avoid them entirely. The uneven orange light of a torch filled the stairwell above him. Ramorand held his breath as a dark haired boy with the torch and a staff in his hands emerged from the stairs above him swiftly disappeared down the stairs below him. Had Ramorand known it would just be one, he would have struck the boy down.
Ramorand checked his watch, and it read 238. He hesitated for a moment to catch his breath, then resumed his ascent. He did not light another torch. He opted instead to trust the architecture of the stairs, and to climb via the faint light emerging from his watch. After ascending two more stories, the stairs emptied into a modestly sized room. Rugs lined the floor, and torches lined the walls. The room was lit glamorously, and beautiful tapestries hung from the ceiling and obscured the stained glass windows. A throne stood at the far end of the room, and in front of that throne stood an old man, fabulously dressed in purple and gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A cold chill ran down his spine. He detected a powerful presence nearby. He almost hadn\u2019t noticed it, because it was a force barely stronger than Lucca\u2019s, but Lucca was not here. Alric engaged his protective runemarks as he lifted his head to face the door. Immediately after, an energy bolt blazed from the top of the staircase and deflected off his abjuration.
Alric evoked a gust of wind to extinguish the torches. He knew the room much better than his assailant, and darkness would be his advantage. Alric was not fast, but he quickly took a few steps toward one of the windows. He needed to change his location so as to not catch wanton blaster fire. He pooled his energy and prepared to evoke a blast of heat when next a noise would betray his assailant\u2019s position.
To Alric\u2019s terror, his assailant\u2019s position was betrayed not by a noise, but by the glow of a blade becoming wreathed in a blue flame. In the cold glow of the sword, Alric could see the attacker\u2019s dark skin, his bald head, and the malice in his eyes. Alric released the blast of heat, but the intruder absorbed it into his blade and let out a guttural yell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ramorand-Ulysses-Lord-Inquisitor-B-1024x759.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mountbakergames.com\/manifold\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Sever-the-Ties-1024x759.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d the Father Deacon asked.
Without a word the assailant approached until he stood menacingly over the High Father. Alric lamented his situation. He had not been purified, and now he would never join the Ascended. He was filled with rage as his eternity was stolen from him. Ramorand struck the grovelling Deacon and severed Alric\u2019s head from his neck. He severed Alric\u2019s life from his body, but Ramorand could not sever Alric\u2019s rage from his spirit. Alric would never face the afterlife he had been promised, but his afterlife had a new purpose now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n