"I am one who tends these sacred woods. I have been instructed by my mother, a warrior; she has been instructed by her mother, a warrior."
- The First Inquisition, v. 1.
"This forest is a place of divine power and mystery, of strange and spectral things, and of histories unknown."
- The First Inquisition, v. 2.
"We do not set foot in the three citadels that tower over these sacred woods; we only tend the grounds."
- The First Inquisition, v. 3.
"I saw fit to begin a chronicle of the things I have seen, as I fear unspeakable profanity has begun to poison this sacred place."
- The First Inquisition, v. 4.
"The first of the profaners was announced by a slickly green glow emanating from the shadowy woods surrounding us."
- The First Inquisition, v. 5.
"They had long, pale-blue legs, nearly twice as long as mine, yet they seemed to have no heads or arms."
- The First Inquisition, v. 6.
"Their bodies were a stunted mess of tumors and writhing white tentacles, beneath which existed some perverse source of green light."
- The First Inquisition, v. 7.
"They moved slowly, but we learned soon that they could lurch with ferocious speed, entrapping their prey in a cruel embrace and vomiting onto them a thick and pungent digestive fluid. It melted flesh from bone in a horrific matter of seconds."
- The First Inquisition, v. 8.
"Though we spend our days tending these sacred woods, we come from traditions of war, and train daily in the martial arts."
- The First Inquisition, v. 9.
"When the first of the profaners attacked, we took up arms."
- The First Inquisition, v. 10.
"We learned quickly that there would be no driving them back: they advanced relentlessly, mindless things of pure hunger, and so we cut down every last one. Three of us fell to the monsters."
- The First Inquisition, v. 11.
"In the following days, more profaners arrived, each more bizarre than the last. We were swarmed by winged stone heads with insectoid claws protruding from their mouths."
- The First Inquisition, v. 12.
"When hammered open, they were revealed to contain writhing clusters of black, gelatinous fat."
- The First Inquisition, v. 13.
"Snake-like profaners that bore rows of gnarled human hands and produced child-like cries deposited small, pulsating purple eggs into the neck flesh of two of us."
- The First Inquisition, v. 14.
"We gave them both merciful deaths and burned the bodies, rather than learn anything further of the eggs."
- The First Inquisition, v. 15.
"Our numbers dwindled with each new attack, and it became apparent that something must be done to save us from extinction."
- The First Inquisition, v. 16.
"Ten of us embarked toward the mountains in the north, where tales tell of a temple to the gods perched serenely above snow-topped crags and misty valleys, where hundreds of elite warriors practice daily at martial combat."
- The First Inquisition, v. 17.
"None of us had ever left these sacred woods. I pray for their safe return."
- The First Inquisition, v. 18.
"As our situation becomes increasingly precarious, some among us have begun to advocate a hideous solution: the Runes of Vor Yuile."
- The First Inquisition, v. 19.
"As we tend these sacred woods, we keep and protect those forbidden runes that might twist mortal flesh and minds, and of these, none are more potent than the Runes of Vor Yuile."
- The First Inquisition, v. 20.
"But what is given up to receive such power?"
- The First Inquisition, v. 21.
"Our tradition has held for generations; what do we risk by interrupting it now? A wretched choice is at hand."
- The First Inquisition, v. 22.
"Meanwhile, we haven't heard any news from those that embarked for the mountains, and new horrors descend on us each night."
- The First Inquisition, v. 23.
"Today marks the end of our long and storied tenure over these sacred woods. Half of us read aloud the Runes of Vor Yuile, severing a generations-old legacy and giving themselves over to a cursed existence."
- The First Inquisition, v. 24.
"Those that spoke the words immediately began to change shape: twisting and convulsing, shrieking and writhing, faces obliterated by eruptions of fungal tendrils."
- The First Inquisition, v. 25.
"Those of us who did not speak the words knew immediately that our former compatriots no longer saw us as allies."
- The First Inquisition, v. 26.
"They would still tend the sacred woods, only now we had become an unwelcome threat. We fled, harried by the echoing howls of the metamorphosed."
- The First Inquisition, v. 27.
"I know now why those that left for the mountain never returned. We have existed in the sacred woods for generations; our sustenance came from the land, and our dedication was to our duty alone."
- The First Inquisition, v. 28.
"Now that we had left, it soon became apparent that the woods were perfectly obscured from discovery, doubtless by some ancient divine mystery."
- The First Inquisition, v. 29.
"Try as we did, we never found the sacred woods, nor did we spy the three towers that rose so high above them."
- The First Inquisition, v. 30.
"Not many hexads had passed since our flight when we encountered those that had embarked for Dreadstone Peak, which I have learned is the name of the mountain peak upon which a temple of the gods is built."
- The First Inquisition, v. 31.
"As I predicted, they too had been fruitlessly searching for the sacred woods, and had been employing their skill by slaying those profaners that roamed near the sacred woods."
- The First Inquisition, v. 32.
"They hoped in vain that these unnatural creatures might somehow lead them back to that sacred place."
- The First Inquisition, v. 33.
"They had also grown in number, having recruited from that temple, which I also learned is called the Temple of Eleven. I related the sorry tale of those that had spoken from the Runes of Vor Yuile."
- The First Inquisition, v. 34.
"And so we again traveled as one, spirited warriors in search of a vanished home, slaying unspeakable horrors in pursuit of an answer."
- The First Inquisition, v. 35.
"We learned that word of our exploits had reached the cities to the south when a detachment of soldiers peacefully approached us in a clearing."
- The First Inquisition, v. 36.
"They called us the Bloody-Brow gang, or Bloodbrows. I suppose the customary markings on our faces must seem strange and unfamiliar to them."
- The First Inquisition, v. 37.
"Their language sounds funny to us, and none of us have seen armor as magnificent as theirs."
- The First Inquisition, v. 38.
"They say it is Sylvan steel, yet we are all Sylvans, and I have never seen metal quite like that."
- The First Inquisition, v. 39.
"The soldiers are friendly and wise, but they have given us an ultimatum: continue the hunt in the service of King Kenamun the Adored, or surrender ourselves to be tried as outlaws."
- The First Inquisition, v. 40.
"The soldiers tell us that we would most likely be pardoned of any crime should we go the latter route, but it is clear to us that the soldiers very much hope we accept the former."
- The First Inquisition, v. 41.
"But we have served only the sacred woods for generations; to kneel before some crown in a city to the south is not our way."
- The First Inquisition, v. 42.
"As we huddled close to discuss our options, we saw some of the soldiers' hands nervously travel to their sword hilts."
- The First Inquisition, v. 43.
"It was unclear which side would have an advantage should we opt to take the unspoken third choice."
- The First Inquisition, v. 44.
"In the end, we made the decision to kneel to the southern king. His name and titles are meaningless to us, but if serving his name gives us license to follow our true purpose, so be it."
- The First Inquisition, v. 45.
"The soldiers inform us that we are Bloodbrows no longer; we are now authorized members of the Inquisition."
- The First Inquisition, v. 46.
"Our tale as Inquisitors may have begun, but I care not to admit that our tale as keepers of the sacred woods has ended."
- The First Inquisition, v. 47.
"The king in the city to the south sends marvelous and strange arms; some we like, some we do not care for."
- The First Inquisition, v. 48.
"Resupply caravans bring us rich food to which we are not accustomed, and unfamiliar decoctions prepared by court alchemists promise to make us a bane to all profaners in the woods."
- The First Inquisition, v. 49.
"But in all things, our goal remains clear: we will return to the sacred woods and reclaim our destiny."
- The First Inquisition, v. 50.
Added complete list of entries for The First Inquisition
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