The two had fallen into a surprisingly ‘panionable’ silence, both nursing their respective drinks while Peter looked over the tract, with Vaunn ‘peeking’ over his shoulder every now-and-again to help him uand a term or expin something that, as someone from another world, he wouldn’t grasp just yet. “Mh. Seems fairly uandable, thankfully.” Peter said, rolling up the scroll again; He’d have sig, but he didn’t have anything to do that with — something for ter, it seemed. “Aye, a fairly straightforward thing by the looks of it.” Vaunn agreed, “Did you have any other questions, d?”Peter gave pause, looking at the rolled-up part in his hand, theing the old priest’s eyes, “A lot, holy.” “Aye. I imagihat even though I got you those books for you and Enna… readin’ about things isn’t the same as someone who’s lived and lear as part of their lives.” “Yeah. I love reading but you’re right. I o hear information from someone who’s lived in this world and has learhe history of it for more than… a couple hours, at best, reading from a single source.” “Ask away.” He said, opening his arms, “No topic is taboo, d. You worry about d’Zaier having a fit over anything you’re curious about.”He nodded, chewing on his lip in thought, “I had already asked ‘why a child’—” He kept his voice low, not needing eavesdroppers, but clear so the old man could still hear him and uand, “I want to know more about the…” He paused, “Well. What she’s training to deal with.” “Ah. Alright.” He aking a moment — he uood why Peter was hesitant to say ‘DaiMaou’ in public, “For that, we have to go ba time.” “Yippie.”Sitting forward and finishing his mug of whatever-it-was, Vaunn nodded, “You see… it begins a long time ago.” Inhaling he whispered, “Over a thousand years agods died.” “Excuse me?” Peter coughed, almost spit-taking his mead. “Oh yes. I know you were, ah, shall we say ‘introduced’ to a couple of them the other day…” Vaunn chuckled, “But The Family has not always been the pantheon of Aetyros.”He nodded, “Please tinue, sorry for the interruption.”Vaunn held up a dismissing hand, shaking his head, “Not to worry — So, as I said. A thousand years ago, ods died.” He repeated, “And it was in the final battle against the DaiMaou.” He nodded, “An otherworlder, much like yourself, had been summoo Aetyros by the fod of Light, and Justice. A st-ditch attempt at solving a problem from beyond our world with a solution of the same.” “Out of text problem… out of text solution.” Peter mused quietly. “Quite so, d.” Vaunn nodded, “You see, the DaiMaou had been ravaging the p, wreaking havoc for an Age past, and, try as our world’s heroes might, ods and goddesses might, the thing’s maations moved unhindered. Crawling ever-forward towards some unknown end goal.” He frowned, running a finger around the rim of his mug, trag it, “Two important things you should know since you are living here now, and looking to bee an Adventurer.” He held up a hand, a finger extended, “First is that demons, while like any other race, were oed and treated… more than poorly.” He frowned, “This is due to the fact that they were onder the thrall of the DaiMaou. After its defeat they were freed, yes. But that… distrust… that hate ran deep and it took, to uate things, some time for them to be accepted.” “I see.” He frowned, “I imagihat’s why d’Zaier, at least, has issues with Na’at?” He asked, “She’s the Patron Goddess of demons, no?” “She is, and yes.” He agreed, “Some see her as evil… but she has never been. A force of ge, certainly. Chaos simply is after all.” He sighed, “She, and Xtha’leri’gath, are the two oldest members of the Family, in fact. Both in terms of being the eldest in the group, as well as the first two arrive iermath.” “Now… you say that but… I remember that, what’d she call it… the Litany?” Peter spoke up, “Again, apologies for interrupting…” “No no. Questions are important.” Vaunn nodded, “Ahe Litany of Heroes. You speak of Jhohyn, the first Hero and first Chosen of the Goddess of Light, Ilin'mam'kana.” “I am.” Peter nodded. “There was some overp between the old gods and The Family, our new ones.” Vaunn expined, “What I mean is that, for example, there’s evideo show that Na’at, Xtha’leri’gath, at least, showed up before our old gods died. Drawn to Aetyros by the DaiMaou and his as, and our as to bat it.” “Oh. Lots of Chaos ah…” Peter winced, and Vaunn nodded in agreement. “Others of The Family came after, and some of The Family were once mortals who, in the final battle, asded to godhood and were weled into The Family.” “Oh, I see.” Peter nodded, finishing his mead. “They are quite the ‘found family’.” Vaunn smiled, “It is also why many of us appreciate them as some were, in fact, just like us at oime.” That also expins Na’at’s ent about having as many reasons to not follow, or worship, them as there are to do so…Vaunn cleared his throat, “Over time, you see, the DaiMaou had been targeting the gods and goddesses of the old pantheon. We lost them one or two at a time over the age… until all that was left erhaps ten, a dozen at best.” He sighed, “This was not including Na’at or Xtha, or any of the asded… because, well, obviously they hadn’t yet.” “I recall something about the God-Killer sword?” Peter ventured.Vaunn nodded, “It was an artifact that was fed by several of the gods, giving their st bit of energy and life to it. To empower it the Old God of Justice gave his soul to the on. This, the First Hero, Jhohyn, took into battle against the DaiMaou. That… tracks with what I heard Ene. Probably pared down to just the ‘important’ bits that Reva and d’Zaier wanted her to focus on.“It doeshere, though, does it.” Peter asked, “Sinna is training to fight him now.” “Does it ever end?” Vaunn asked, sighing, “You are corre that this was not the st time. As you imagihere were those that, for some reason, wa the DaiMaou back. The first time this was done was during a time of great athyrik fluence. A hundred and forty-seven years after its defeat with the God-Killer Sword.” Vauned, “And every two hundred years after that.” He paused, “However… something I noticed, looking back as I was trying to learn things myself to help with Ennalyssa’s training… even though that athyrik fluence happens every two hundred years, almost like a seaso… the attempts at freeing the DaiMaou have been happening sooner and sooner.” “Attempts at freeing…” Peter frowned.Vaunn nodded, “I know, it sort of takes the piss out of the name ‘God-Killer’ doesn’t it?” He shrugged, “Its physical body was destroyed, the DaiMaou was killed by Jhohy, a hundred-forty-seven years ter it rose again. Demons, who had been living in a tenuous peace, with no indication they secretly followed or worshiped the DaiMaou were suddenly rising up and f an army of destru.” “Catame.” Peter snarked sarcastically. “This is when the sed Hero, Madlynn, again a Chosen of Ilin'mam'kana, led the bined forces raised up against the resurrected DaiMaou and its army. Again, life was forfeit when Madlynn gave herself to the sealing spell that bound the damned monster. It is that spell that keeps being attacked sooner and sooner, each time it is broken and the DaiMaou resealed it seems to be weaker thaime before.” “So. The DaiMaou was killed. It was resurrected during that fluence a hundred-forty-seven years ter. Defeated again, sealed… and every two-hundred years after that it’s the seal that is attacked, undone, with it rising up, gathering its forces…” “That is precisely that.” Vaunn nodded, “This includes two-hundred years ago, as well.” “How does Na’at fit in… how are demons, then, not murdered on-site ‘just in case’?” He asked, frowning as he felt his stomach twist, hating the thoughts f, hating the need he felt to ask that question. “After Madlynn, Na’at stepped up and took the demons under her wing in an attempt to help them rebuild what was lost. They were pelled, you see. The DaiMaou has power over them — it’s why spells, magid substahat mess with the mind are heavily reguted and watched over. The DaiMaou took away the Self of thousands of people: friends, lovers, family…” He shook his head, “Being the patron goddess of the demons gave them some measure of prote against that, as they were now tied to Na’at… but it’s not perfect.” “If we could veer off-subject for a moment?” Peter asked “Certainly. I realize this is a heavy subject. What’s on your mind?”Peter sighed, “What about bumynt?” “That isn’t something that influehe mind.” Vaunn expined, “Certainly it could be seen as ‘influeng’ but it’s a rexant, a pain-killer. I speak of things like magic that pels you. Almost… mind-breaking hypnotism.” “Could the two be bined?” Peter frowned seriously, shivering. “… What happened d?” Vaunn’s tourned almost cold in its seriousness.

  So, Peter told him — expining his enter with the head cilor during his ‘training’, the bumynt infused dy; all of it.

  “Bel protect.” Vaunhed after the story was done, “What was she thinking?” He shook his head, “Was she even thinking?”Peter could only shrug, “While it was expio me that the dy and bumynt were, as you said, fairly innocuous… that… ess. The pliability I felt… still disturbs me, because I didn’t feel in trol of myself.” “Aye. A great , and one I’ll be iigating, you be assured.” He shook his head, “That is a serious thing you told me and will be treated so.” He huffed an exhale, “I think I see why you asked that. Yes. The demon race suffers through something simir each time the DaiMaou is unsealed.” “But with Na’at’s … um… influe’s lessened.” “To a degree.” He nodded, “Makes it easier to fight by everyone, not just those with a near-indomitable will.”Peter exhaled, fpping his lips to make noise as he did, “Yikes.” “If only that was the end of things.” Vaunn shook his head, “The rise and fall happewice more after that, with demons trying to rebuild again, and again. Some were not having it.” He frowned, “As you imagine among the loudest where those belonging to the Church Luminous. It was bad enough that Na’at offered the demons an escape, soce, in their own realm. Some chose to move to their own nds, an isnd, to call their own.” “Holy crap.” Peter breathed. “Aye. The demon’s realm is oft called “hell” due to…” He stopped, “Anyway…” “No, no. Go on.”Vaunn shook his head. “Ah.” Peter nodded, “Is it, perhaps, reted to…” He motioo himself, “People like me?” “For every good one, like you, there is another who is loud-mouthed and boastful, or entitled, or, in a thankfully few rare cases, corrupt and evil.” “Did they start that way?” Peter asked. “Most didn’t, no. Some saw themselves as superior, due to the gifts they gained as a Champion, odchild.” “That expins some of the vitriol I got.” “Hardly.” Vaunn sniffed angrily, “That was bigotry ary showing, seeing you as an outsider and thus lesser.” He corrected.

  “Grand.” Peter rubbed his face, annoyed, “So… someone is out there, every two-hundred years, helping uhe greatest threat to existeyros has faced.” “That be the long-and-short of it, aye.” Vaunn sighed, “I feel the hat, after such a heavy subject, that we could both use something a might heavier than our previous drinks.” “I’d rather not… I do have that bat assessment as part of the application.” “Oh, nay. Nothing debilitating.” Vaunn chuckled, fgging down the dragonkin Ayzema and something, as she left the priest turned back to Peter, “Just something a little stronger. And not much. Just a toast to your lu your test. A tradition of sorts.” “Uhoh?”The priest ughed, “Nothing like that. No tricks, I promise.”

  “O thing, d.” Vaunn said, “I don’t know how useful… but you may find it iing in some manner.” “Ah?” “The DaiMaou… no one is sure of where it came from.” Vaunn said, “Our oldest texts only go back so-far. And they are schorly attempts at cataloging stories of an older time.” “An… older time?”The priest nodded, “Aye. Some say that the DaiMaou is a God of destru, and demons its minions, and dungeons too. The cores of which are like queen nits, or woodmites, who burrow through the world and make it weaker with all the tunnels… or are some sort of… smithy, with the dungeon monsters being fodder for its forces of quest.” “Damn.” “Aye, aye. You said something earlier: an out-of-text problem, needin’ an out-of-text solution.” “Yeah, I remember.” “Many think it’s just-so. That the DaiMaou is nothing from this world, but another and we’re just the meal.” “How did it get here then…” “That’s the rub. Like I said, no one knows. But… those old stories…” “Yeah?” Peter leaned forward. “There was a Great Isnd onbsp; A small ti like-as-not… where a people once lived, great with their knowledge and craft. Some say they offended not the old gods, but something Greater, something Beyond… and so whatever that was sent the DaiMaou to destroy the offenders. Sending the isnd ‘h the waves, deep, and wiping the people from the world. Did a damn sight to the rest of Aetyros as well. Nearly wiping all us out.” He hissed, “Aory is that these people, with their great knowledge, cracked a hole iend let loose something that shouldn’t have been. Or maybe just a part of something. Could be both are true, details being lost to time and all.” “Grand.” Peter sighed, rolling his eyes in annoyano pressure.” “Aye. No pressure.” Vaunn agreed with a soft chuckle.

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