#Lore24 – Entry #230 – Helica Month #18 – Betrayal and the New Tranquility
Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah
As with my first visit to Grad Artanais, I would leave the city shaken by what I would find, though the circumstances could not be more different. As I write these words, I lay near death in the only safe place I could find within in ruins of the ancient city, within the shrine of Saghirah. It is perhaps only by her blessing that I survived what befell my party and yet live to tell of it, though I fear my revelations are simply too much for the populace of Helica to bear, to say nothing of the Church of Phyresis.
Once we had descended to the camping spot I had used what seemed a lifetime ago, I could sense the change that had come over Grad Artanais, the malevolent, oppressive pressure that radiated from it, specifically from the massive ruin of an ancient Battleball arena at the city’s center. Standing upon the slope of the holy mountain at night, I could see the vile aura of swirling blackness that surrounded the building, could see massive demons roaming the streets as if guarding it, miniscule compared to the Transgressor, but larger than any I had before witnessed. For once, even Tephysea seemed overwhelmed by what lay ahead, though she again professed that the love she and Esekia shared would see them through.
I had voiced my concerns about this relationship previously, but Esekia was quite resolute in his love, and for the additional hope it gave to the people of Helica. Perhaps it would make a difference, I had thought then, for if one summoner had to sacrifice themselves to defeat the Transgressor, then perhaps two could overcome whatever lay within that arena and walk out alive.
Of course, I would soon learn, after our party pushed through the guardian demons into the heart of Grad Artanais with the help of the Amaranths, that was a foolish hope. Even though I knew not what to expect once we had breached the arena, passing by the statues of heroes long forgotten to history, I could not have predicted that which we found waiting within. This is the truth that must told, but how can I reveal such a revelation to the people and actually make them believe it? Surely the Church would never allow such knowledge to escape, for the entirety of their faith is borne upon it.
What lies within the dark heart of the Transgressor is…
[Text becomes incoherent scrawls, drifting off the page]
…
I continue this entry with a clearer head now that I’ve had time to rest and have somewhat recovered from my injuries, for I am no longer near death, perhaps saved by the grace of the Amaranth herself. Like Saghirah’s forbidden scrolls, I cannot reveal what I learned just yet, not here, for it would find its way to the Church, and the rumors would be quickly quashed, and any proclaiming them killed, or at best, permanently enslaved as a Beast to silence them.
No, a more cautious approach is needed. I must be subtle, and I must be extremely careful once I leave this place. Though the darkness is gone for now, for a new Tranquility has started, the Transgressor will return, and the cycle will continue unabated until a way can be found to stop it. Suffice to say, the Sylvanae, specifically Tephysea and her loyal followers, are complicit in what comes next, and were responsible for what befell Esekia and my other companions. A full accounting of her betrayal will I make elsewhere, and it shall be secreted away with the knowledge of the forbidden scroll of Saghirah, safe from any who would seek it. I will see justice done in time, for I am assured that I will have plenty of it by the great Saghirah.
And so I end this journal for now, for the world I return to will surely be a different one upon my return, and I will have new purpose beyond simply uncovering the rest of Saghirah’s scrolls, for righteous vengeance is a powerful motivator.
The cycle cannot continue, for surely Helica will be destroyed, no matter how many times the Transgressor is defeated.