[center][h1]ℜ𝔢𝔫𝔞𝔲𝔩𝔱 𝔅𝔢𝔞𝔲𝔪𝔬𝔫𝔱[/h1][/center]
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[i]Was he dreaming? No...nightmare. Flashes of discordant sounds and images painted a horrific canvas; images that were so personal, yet tainted by sin and shame. In his head, he reached out, reaching for the one thing that could save him. But he took one step too far, and the ground beneath him fell.

Plummeting through shadow, his lifeline grew smaller, dimmer, heralded by a lone shriek.

A cloister bell began to ring.[/i]

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[i]"...Up, and up now."[/i] The ringing faded, eclipsed by the gruff voice of the jailer rapping his boot against the iron bars. With eyes weakly opening, Renault's lethargy lasted only a few moments when he saw who the jailer was accompanied by. A weight formed in his chest, followed by a tightening of the throat. This was it.

The nervousness he felt was only exacerbated by the first words spoken by the holy man: [i]the Test of Purity[/i]. For ten years, Renault had seen such rituals performed by clerics, and even certain Paladins in the field. Their shared ability to ascertain one's motives and alignment all-but-trivialized many disputes, and hastened a process that could otherwise take days or even weeks. 

Slowly rising to his feet on stiff, wobbly legs, Renault's mouth fell open as the priest drew back his hood and revealed the wooden symbol of Erithar worn around his neck. Overwhelmed with shame, Renault quickly bowed his head, as if subconsciously hoping the priest would not recognize his face. The absence of his own pendant made him feel naked, vulnerable.

Next came the words Renault had heard a hundred times a hundred different ways, yet this time more harrowing than the last. [i]"May the holiest of holies, the name of our great sacred protector and judge of that which is righteous and good, find you all without stain in his vision for us all."[/i]

"May it be so." Renault responded, half to himself, and half to an unknown audience. Swallowing hard, he lifted his head to meet the priest's gaze. "I will go first." He said, the bravery in his voice wavering ever-so-slightly. "Judgment is an old friend." Taking one step closer towards the bars, Renault bowed slightly in deference, submitting himself.