A daughter left for dead on the footsteps on the temple of Isha. Perhaps in hope she would make the goddess a worthy offering in one of the offering fires. Who her parents were mattered little to the temple dwellers. Once discovered by the inhabitants on the day of the festivals they gave the child to the high priest the old mans hands shook and he suffered a spazam that doubled the withered body over and the sudden weight shift caused him to fall into the fire himself. Burning to death. The thousands of spectators stood in silence. The child had killed the high priest for all to see! The shift in the child's fate was now complete.

The temple had no choice. They indoctrinated the child in the lore of the spiritual. Bathing the holy flesh with milk and oils. Clothing the body in silks and gold ceremonial garb. By the time she could speak the new high priestess now commanded the faith of the entire temple. When she came to the age of indoctrination Sui was again officially confirmed as the high priestess of the temple to Isha. The people gathered at the base. Scantly clad dancing drinking revelry in the night. Incense on the wind mixing with wine and food. Torches lighting every street converging to the massive bonfire at the temple grounds. Once again the second high priestess was mysteriously afflicted and fell to her death in the holy fire for offerings to the goddess. The crowd cheered for the power of the new high priestess beloved not just by the people now also the goddess! 

The harvests doubled, the population doubled, even the offerings to the temple. The high priestess was soon to become a holy icon not just in word and thought but throughout the kingdom her body was being sculpted in clay, brass, and silver. Bowls of fresh flowers and fruit lay at her feet. The temple steps were covered in people praying. Between prayer services and blessings Sui was locked away in her inner chamber. A bed, walls of books and a basin for bathing. However she read every book. The chamber soon became her cell. 

One night a soft whisper too low to hear the words but loud enough to know their meaning lured her to the western wall. A soft air current flowed through the slits in the stones. Her hands traced every stone like the lines of a lovers face. Finding a small symbol carved on the face of a single stone as she traced it with the tip of a finger she stepped back seeing the stone glow softly. The wall shifted to reveal a stair case going down. 

At the bottom of the steps was a hall stretching before her. Laid to rest wee the bodies of followers lining the niches in the walls. Segments of the floor were rusted bars of cells for the ones who were less than faithful. All the bodies preserved and the death rites preformed. the air was stale. The wind played with her hair as it swept past her. Almost urging her back to the stairs. She pressed onward. At the end of the hall was a large chamber. The lights in the octagonal chamber lit with her approach. Within the the chamber the metal door slammed shut behind her before she could scream. Screamed she did.

The next day lad to the night and after a few years the baths became more. The prayers became honey spilling from her lips as she spoke to the masses! Soon it was questioned why should the people have two rulers when faith was greater. They burned the royals. Their elders and their children. Giving them to the goddess. Crops were still good weather was good and the people flourished. The better life became the more they ignored the affect of the surrounding landscape.

More offerings came. Children, the infirm, the guilty, all sent to the flames. The animals grew fat and when the neighboring kingdom invaded they were crushed and offered as well. Nights filled with music and wine and pleasures of the flesh as each year passed the population grew smaller. Every full moon the maidens of the high priestess were sacrificed to the fire and new ones chosen. The population shrank until only a few hundred remained. 

When the next army came they were welcomed and as the victor the people were now slaves. They took the high priestess to the king and the others were forced into concubines for the generals. The high priestess begged for no one. Tried to save no one. Stripped of her golden adornments she was in little more than tattered silk standing before the king. Still she didn't bow or kneel. 

"You are here as a courtesy to the newly enslaved workers. If we had you executed then they would make you into a martyr. You will convert to the new gods and forsake the old ones. You will." Just then the very earth shook. The old slums fell into ruin. The catacombs beneath the old half of the city collapsed taking half of the surrounding city with it. The creatures calling the section their home flooded up into the surface streets. The screams and cries flooded the air! The knights by the door met with a gate guard who was permitted to approach the king. 

"My lord, the city has been swallowed by the ground half of the cities populace now rests with the royal ancestors! The knights armory and blacksmiths along with most of the treasury is now buried!" The king eyes wide looked at the gate watchmen in horror! Then at the priestess. She was unmoved by anything. Her calm demeanor almost suggested she knew of the coming disaster. 

"You," He pointed at the knight next to the watchmen. "go and get the rest of the guard organize a recovery and get other knights to ensure the treasury is recovered down to the last gold sovereign! We have to get a count of the population and damage. Call for the stone masons to meet with me as soon as they have assessed the damage and repair costs." The king then looked at the priestess. "I am not entertaining the notion this was an act of your goddess. You will submit to the new gods. You will not eat until you kneel before me and swear your life for this kingdom."

The priestess softly shook her head. "You will not eat either. The kingdom you have built will fall to ash like the tinder in your hearths. It is you who will kneel and beg to swear your lives to me." 

The king only chuckled as he nodded to the knight. "Escort her to a cell. Something without light. Maybe after a few months of eating rats she will welcome the gods mercy."

The knights did just that. The priestess didnt resist. She was taken unshackled to the cell without a window. just a solid oaken door. Over the course of the following few days the information came in. 2/3 of the city was buried. It would take a month to excavate and more than a year to either fill back in or rebuild the catacomb supports with the buildings atop. Almost half of the population was dead or missing. At least half counting the casualties of the campaign. The treasury was in the center so the time to find it would be the last party of the excavation effort. Meanwhile the word of this tragedy and the funds spent to mount the latest military campaign had reached the neighboring kingdoms. They were already weighing the advantages to cost of mounting an assault to absorb the Talderna kingdom and its resources. Word was one of the other kingdoms to the west has even considered letting the tragedy run its course to its ruin. The prisoners were now desperately needed to rebuild the population quickly. 

Only after a week the king summoned the priestess to court. She looked no different than when he first saw her. "I have consulted with my advisers. Your people will be freed and become workers in exchange you, Priestess will be given an advisory position to..."

The priestess again softly shook her head no. "You will build a temple to my goddess. Renounce the gods and name me the high priestess. Then you will sacrifice your daughter for penance." 

The king sneered. "Throw her in the dungeon. Chain her to the wall leaver her on her toes and brick up the door!" The knights nodded and took her away. She did not laugh, or cry, or beg, she went silently. They placed her in a room, chained her to the wall, the older guard shook his head and put a piece of cloth around her wrists before applying the shackles. Grabbing a stool to place under her feet so she would not hang from the chains. Leaving the room with a bow before the masons bricked up the door. 

Days turned to weeks and after the first moth the Talderna Kingdom was besieged twice, crops withered and died. Famine set in and soon the people started to plead to the king! Only a few of the advisers noticed that as the people suffered the slave labor did not. They were in perfect health. 

The king out of coin and surrounded sent out a force of knights that were met with arrows and catapults. They never made it to the enemy lines. He was disliked and the people started to chant for the release of the priestess. The king refused! Under fed and lack of enforcers the people rose up! Even with some of the remaining knights the population over took the kingdom! They rushed to the dungeon searching for the priestess! Opening cell after cell to finally find the one holding her! 

She was no different. The time had never touched her although the clothing was little more than soiled rags and the rats locked in with the priestess died of starvation she was unharmed. The guard released her and carried her to the thrown room. She stood nearly nude before them. "You will begin building the temple."

The starving king only nodded.

"You will give me the queen to be my slave." 

The king nodded.

The priestess turned to the knight as the queen whined in protest with the princess. "You will spread the word and be my champion." A hand caressed the helmet he wore.

The knights eyes glowed a dark red as he bowed and left. All the people worked on the construction. The forces outside began to experience deaths from unknown assassins. Their catapults were sabotaged, the horses grew sick and died. The word spread the land was cursed and the order to return was given. Still the people worked in a fanatic fever! The hole now held a temple that was no higher than the ground. Hiding the multiple levels beneath. In a few months the temple was completed and the priestess was now in control of the kingdom! 

The very night fires burned and the people gathered. A hole in the floor was centered over a large fire pit below. Flickering green and purple light and no smoke. The king stood beside the priestess flanked by knights once loyal to him. With only a nod they tossed him in. The proud king laughed as he descended into the flames. Then the queen screaming and crying forced to her knees before the people. The remained silent as the priestess raised a dagger and cut some of the queens hair to toss into the fires below. 

The queen fell silent her eyes glossed over and she was tied to a slab behind the priestess. Next the princess crying and weak was dragged to the opening. Placed on her knees before the high priestess she was naked and crying. The priestess silently shoved the tip of the blade deep into the girls heart! The priestess knelt in front of the girl before removing the dagger. Letting the blood spray over her own body. Then with a kiss she leaned the girl to fall into the flames. The ground below rocked sending the crowed to their backs! A deep growl could be heard beneath their feet! 

The high priestess rose to her feet to overlook the crowd. Arms spread out more of the people joined in walking up to smile and fall into the flames. The priestess looked up to the heavens. The shine of sharpened steel burst through her chest as a trickle of blood fell from the mouth of a follower. The long blade yanked from her chest from behind left no wound yet a follower died from a hole in their chest. 

The immortal woman turned to see the three adventures before her. A paladin, cleric, and bard stood weapons drawn. The immortals eyes glanced at the upper left to the priest and rouge with her bow ready. From behind hiding in a building second floor window was a mage chanting softly.

"Your reign is over demon! Here you die!" The paladin stood at the ready.

She laughed. "I have many lives. How many times will you kill me?" Her left arm swung wide to cities people behind her. "You would kill them?" Her skin turning a golden red. The eyes turned into serpents slits. A tail tore from the back flesh long and whip like. Six sets of horns sprouted from her head in a crown. "I am too powerful here in my temple!" 

The mage cast a spell and threw three sapphires to the ground below. "Exim ignitus Me va!" And three greater fire elemental's exploded among the crowd! The cleric blessing the elementals with a holy power. The holy infusion burning the inhabitants alive! 

The high demon screamed in outrage! "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo!" She flung the dagger upward in an arch behind herself. The tip landed in the slot above the Queens head which exploded the weapon in a flash of unholy fire! Consuming the queen! "[i]You will [b]suffer[/b][/i]!!!" 

The paladin and other two rushed her! The priest using a scroll to bless the area! The flames in the pit roared in anger! Over and over the three struck her killing more and more of the people in the crowd! The ground sizzled as the blessing purified the area! The mage cast a spell of chain lightning into the doomed souls! Paired with the blessing of the cleric the damned died en mass! As the battle intensified the rushed the alter behind her and kissed the burned corpse of the Queen. Another explosion of light as the two bodies now merged and became a twisted vessel for a herald of the goddess! Standing over the cities buildings a titan of evil! 
[img]https://wallpaperplay.com/walls/full/5/2/1/27070.jpg[/img]
The champions sighed, this was going to take a while. 

When it was over the bard was half burned and the only one left. This was no legend, no story of heroes. This was a warning of the true evil, the horror of false hope....