Saying Farewell Pt2

The remains of the townsfolk of Valens Smith had finally settled, coming to rest in the town in a mockery of the lives they had once dreamed of having there. The ash lay inches thick on the township and Renwick knew that none of the townsfolk had survived save the child. Again he rinsed his mouth with stale water from his flask and spat. Half of it gone and he still couldn't get the taste out of his mouth. His stomach muscles ached from repeated vomiting, his guts left hollow and throat burned raw by bile. He didn't want to know what had happened here, didn't need to know what had reduced a hundred or so townsfolk to dust. Renwick already had a lifetime of bad memories and wasn't looking to add to that collection. The Paladins stood loosely grouped just outside the doorway Renwick had crouched in, seemingly unaffected by their sickening surroundings. They spoke quietly and though Renwick could have strained to overhear their words he couldn't bring himself to. He didn't want to get any closer or become any more involved in the atrocity that Valens Smith had become. Whatever had happened here, it was their problem now and they could deal with it, leave him to crawl back into his memories with a bottle of South Shores finest.
A shadow fell over him and from the corner of his eye he saw plate boots, their gleam dulled by a fine layer of ash. Renwick kept his eyes down, whatever they planned to do, he had no part in it, his job was done.

'Stir yourself. we must find the church.'
Macloren stood over him like some dread sentinel, the axe still slung over his back.
'Not me, oh no. I'm done here. You and your friends can grub around all you want, I don't want any further part of this'
'What happened here must be answered. There must be a record of what we find, to show that we speak the truth. You must witness'
'Witness? Witness what? This town is dead, everyone is dead, what more do you need? Leave me be and find your own answers.'
'Tulen Renwick. You misunderstand. You are not requested to witness. You have no choice here, You have a part to play whether it suits you or not. The Light has chosen you to be here, in this place at this time. You are the witness'
'Godsdamn you Paladin I said no! I aint chosen, I aint special and there is no way im staying in this cursed place any longer.'

Renwick struggled to his feet, shivering slightly in the chill morning air. He stared out across the township with its dusting of ash, looking for all the world like a winters day. Abandoned carts and possesions were strewn about, some half buried and it was clear that whatever fate had befallen the townsfolk they hadnt been expecting it. A few slow steps took him past the glowering form of Macloren. The Paladin didnt move but Renwick could feel his eyes upon him. They didnt understand, couldnt understand that no normal person could be here, could see this and know what happened and not be sickened. He would be left tainted forever, the sight of this place a stain on his memories for years to come. The scuffing paces took him to the side of a wagon lying abandoned in the middle of the dirt track. The bed was full of ash, humps and dips suggesting what lay beneath. Some compulsion made Renwick reach out hesistantly and brush the ash aside. Slowly he picked up what had lain below. A childs rag doll. Crudely made but all the more endearing for that, stiched together from scraps of leather and wool and hide by some loving new mother for her child. Something broke inside him, something fundamental needed to hold his sanity together and Renwick could feel himself falling, feel his mind and soul breaking under the enormity, the certainty of what had happened here.
'Oh gods........children.' Barely a whisper, but it was enough to open the floodgates in his mind..

'Tulen, look at me please. Please.' A womans voice, soft and gentle and a hand on his shoulder. It was bare and Renwick could feel the warmth of it spreading slowly through him, pushing out the chill that had settled into his bones. He turned and looked into Penitences clear bright blue eyes. There was something dancing deep within them, a small mote of golden light and suddenly Renwick could feel the darkness receding, feel his soul and mind mending. For the first time in many years he felt .... comforted, almost safe. Penitence spoke again softly, her breath warm and slightly spiced.
'Forgive Macloren. The Fist of Retribution sometimes forgets what it is to be untouched by the Light. He merely seeks to repay whoever has committed this atrocity in kind, to answer the pleas of the townsfolk.'
'What....I..I dont understand, what pleas? Theres no one here to speak....I..'
A sad smile crooked the corners of her mouth and she inclined her head towards Evangelist.
'Our brother is closer to the light than any of us. He hears the cries of every soul that died here. Every soul Tulen. All 157 of them, men, women and children. They cling to him crying out for help, for solace. And all he can do is listen.'

Renwick looked at the third Paladin. He stood like a statue in the centre of the square, face turned upwards as if seeking benediction. He had not moved, had not spoken and his face was a mask of the deepest grief. Penitence spoke again in the same soft tone.
'Three of our order were also here. Their voices cannot be heard amongst the dead and we cannot feel their presence. We would find them and the truth of what occured here. And then we would answer it. We know what it is to feel fear, to be unable to do anything in the face of such horror. We just ask that you stay with us and be our witness. Another voice must speak for them, must carry their story back to the world.'
He looked at each of them in turn. Penitence, her face composed yet caring. Macloren, tensed like a coiled spring, grim determination set in his face. And Evangelist, grief etched deep into his face but twinned with unshakeable resolve. Deep inside something stirred, some urge, a voice that said yes, this must be answered and Renwick found himself nodding in agreement. His resolve grew, shaky at first but gaining in strength, to see this through to its bitter end for better or worse. He turned back to Penitence.
'All right then. For them though, only for them.'
She smiled fully then, dazzingly bright and for a moment seemed to glow from within.
'Come then Tulen. Find us the chapel. A good as place as any to start dont you think?'

A quick look around to orientate himself, and Renwick knew which direction to head. He passed Macloren and the immense Paladin gave him a nod, as if acknowledging the force and strength of will it had taken to take those few steps. There were no tracks to follow, no signs to read and interpret and if there had been three other Paladins here they had not left any sign of their presence. They strode between half built and freshly finished houses clustered on either side. Valens Smith would have been a large settlement, easily twice the size of Andorhal to the northeast. Doubtfull that anyone else would settle here though, surely none want to make a life in the midst of so much death. Still though, for all its size Valens Smith was organised in a the same layout as many other towns in the Eastern Kingdoms and the chapel was simple enough to find. It stood ahead of them, set aside from the surrounding buildings by a low wall and courtyard. the foundations and walls were built of pale grey stone and possessed a strength that belied their fragile appearance. the roof was low and wide with a small unfinished bell tower that would ever more await the installation of its voice. The doorway was merely an archway open, no doors hung there yet and it was decorated on all sides with simple carvings of the holy symbols of the gods.
They entered the courtyard and stopped just inside the embrace of its walls. An unspoken agreement had brought them to a halt and a sense of unease had settled on Renwick, a vague idea that something was fundamentally wrong here. He looked about, not knowing what to look for but seraching for something, anything that explain the fingers of dread creeping down his spine. And then...he saw.

The ground around them was clear. Not a single flake of ash had fallen inside the church boundaries, even the ash which had dusted Renwick and the others had simply disappeared. The empty space were the gate in the wall should have stood showed a clear unnatural line of ash, stopping exactly on the boundary of the church grounds.
'This...this isnt right......' he stammered and wildly looked to Penitence. She was staring aghast at Evangelist, her eyes wide in shock. The Paladin stood with his hand covering his lower face. Some dark fluid had dripped onto his tabard, staining the pure white material. Evangelist moved his hand away and Renwick gave an involuntary cry. A stream of blood coursed from Evangelists nose, running down over his mouth and dripping from his chin. He looked at his gauntled hand, the blood thick there, as if he couldnt quite believe that it was his own.
'By the light.....' Renwick managed to murmer, his voice low and fearful, 'what in all the gods names happened here?'