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VHuman(Undead)-Cleric(Undeath)
Pelor and the temple were all he knew. It was a simple life, living as a servant to Pelor. He had everything he needed: a loving family, a god to look up to, and a haven to prosper in. And thrive he did indeed; Christoph and his brother, Dendric, both became valiant servants of Pelor. Fighting evil alongside one another, Christoph could've never expected his brother's plot to defect to a god of necromancy and wreak havoc on the temple. How could he after he made his oath? How could Dendric turn his back on everything? Dendric's oath never mattered to him, and neither did his family or friends, as he deserted on a mission to clear an area of undead. He disappeared for days, only to return with a large group of undead as an oath-broken paladin.
The battle was long and brutal; Christoph was left crippled and watched as his brother slaughtered their family and friends, fighting along the evil they were supposed to eradicate. He had no strength to fight and no energy to channel the holy magic from Pelor to heal himself. All he could do was beg for Pelor to aid those still alive as he slowly bled out. The world went cold, his chants quiet and muffled, and the pain faded. He was going to die alongside the people he couldn't protect. Yet, before his eyes shut forever, Dendric approached him amidst the fighting. Muttering something he couldn't hear with a strange light coming from around him, the world went dark as his eyes closed for the final time.
Christoph wasn't expecting to wake up slumped against the wall. Confused, he got up, exhausted and lightheaded; he wandered around the temple. Corpses of the undead and allies lay sprawled on the ground, still somewhat fresh; it appeared Christoph wasn't out for too long. He called out to the people he knew, wondering if anyone was alive after the raid, but the only response he got was his echo. Defeated, Christoph began to tear up; why was he alive, yet no one else was? As he went to wipe away his tears, his heart dropped. Looking at his hand in horror, it was becoming a pale gray. He seized a helmet off the ground and peered into the reflection. From what he could see, the skin on his face was beginning to lose color, like the blood was draining from his body. His skin seemed like it was shrinking, causing him to look gaunt.
It was then he realized his fate; he had become undead. He dropped the helmet to the floor, quivering from the realization. Distraught, he went to the statute of Pelor deeper in the temple, where he died. Falling to his knees, he called Pelor, asking for his guidance. He begged on the ground for Pelor's warmth; all he received from his desperation was the blistering cold of being alone. He stopped calling out to Pelor, for he understood that Pelor no longer cared for him. In an act to serve his god one last time, he reached for a sword and prepared to end his undeath. He would be destroying the one thing his god hated, and as long as he honored the code of Pelor, he'd gladly sacrifice his life.
As he was about to rapidly stab himself till he could no more, a voice reached out to him.
"Ah... an undead cleric, tell me, are you trying to pass on?"
Christoph turned behind him to see a figure cloaked in ashen gray robes, with fiery orange eyes peering out from behind their long black hair.
"In the name of Pelor, I have decided to execute myself; who may I ask questions me?" He responded to the ominous figure that loomed behind him.
"I go by many titles, but you know very well who I am," they responded.
Christoph recognized who he was talking to upon hearing the name. He wasn't talking to any human being; this was Altzmyr.
"Altzmyr, how fitting for you to visit me, but why come to me now when I'm about to lay my soul to rest? Don't you allow those bound to decaying flesh to die of their own free will?"
"I do, but I came with an offer; you have unfinished business, don't you?"
Christoph looked down at the sword and clenched it tightly, "Are you referring to Dendric? Yes, I can feel the flame of vengeance burning in my heart. Yet, what good will I do as a cleric with no god to follow? I'm a shell of myself; how could someone ever undead make a difference?"
Altzmyr approached Christoph, "Even if you live in undeath, that doesn't mean you can't do good in the world. I understand that while you were living, you believed the undead were a plague, but now you're one. You must understand that it isn't a matter of living or not; it's what you decide to do."
He set the sword on the ground and stood, turning to Altzmyr to face him. "You're right; I can still make a difference in this world while living in undeath, for the better. To continue the legacy of my friends who fought evil to keep the dark at bay. Tell me, Altzmyr, what offer have you brought me?"
"My boons, to continue your work on the mortal plane. Even as an undead, you can continue eradicating what you perceived as evil, only if you vow never to harm the undead like you. The oppressed undead who only want to exist like the living, the ones that want to do good for the world like yourself. Cleric, will you devote yourself to me?"
"That's all you require of me? Devotion...? My faith in Pelor still holds strong, but he has left me for I am forsaken," he knelt before Altzmyr, "So I shall serve you until my brother has fallen, but once my goal is complete, I still plan to die."
Altzmyr nodded, "I understand, Cleric; now go, complete your mission in my name. Preach my wisdom and honor me; I have given you aid to thrive; do not disappoint me." And without another word, his wings appeared from behind him and suddenly wrapped around him, when the feathers disappeared, Altzmyr was gone.
Christoph got up from the ground from where he knelt, walking over and grabbing a mace from the hands of a dead cleric. As he walked through the blood-stained and fly-filled halls, he paid his respects to all those he considered family. He would get vengeance for his parents, the clerics, and the paladins who fought alongside him, and he would reclaim his honor, even if everyone but death had left him alone. 246Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUZS5c9ato
