Perdilius and Lizabeth stood in wait by the church entrance, accompanied by a number of nuns with most of the orphans with Raz and Mesa up front. Some of the people crowded around the sidewalks, watching as a new carriage calmly made its way toward them. Once it came to a stop, Perdilius breathed in and straightened his posture, eagerly waiting as their newest guest stepped down to reveal himself. He was a portly man of average height, his mustache and beard well-trimmed and hung slightly to cover his double-chin. He sniffed and wiped his nose with a handkerchief, tucking it away as he approached them with wobbly footsteps. As the people began to appud his arrival, he waved at them briefly before steadily climbing up the steps where Perdilius was waiting.

  Despite his short stature and round shape, Lord Territh scanned around, his facial wrinkles closing together as he squinted and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun's gre. His gray a hair was trimmed short with a slight wavy pattern combed back, and his tunic was made of a silk fabric, well-decorated with patterns and yellow ce.

  "Father Perdilius." He spoke in a growl-like voice, using his cane to stand up straight.

  Perdilius grinned and reached out with his hand. "Lord Territh, I hope your travel was brief. So gd you could make it."

  Lord Territh wiggled his nose, his gray mustache dancing side to side as he eyed the priest's hand before accepting a firm handshake. "Father Perdilius."

  Lizabeth csped her hands together and bowed sincerely. "Lord Territh, you honor us with your presence this morning."

  "Lady Lizabeth." He reached out for her hand, nding a peck on her palm with a smile. "Now that is a smile that warms a frozen heart."

  Perdilius eyed him in discomfort as Lizabeth giggled, blushing as she slowly pulled her hand away.

  Lord Territh gnced around, wiping his forehead. "Faehorn City, not the worst looking city I've set my eyes on. And who are these batch of children?"

  Lizabeth grinned, kneeling down and pcing her hands on the shoulders of Raz and Mesa. "These are the recent children we've found from the north."

  "The north!?" Territh stumbled, stabbing his cane down to bance himself. "My word! Not a most hospitable pce as of recent."

  "Yes, please no more details my lord." Lizabeth frowned.

  "A thousand pardons, My Lady."

  Lizabeth leaned in, pushing Mesa and Raz forward. "These pair are especially unique, they are magic wielders!"

  "More than just casters mind you." Perdilius chimed in, patting Raz's back. "This one we believe to be an Elemental."

  "Really now?" Territh's eyes widened with interest, kneeling down to look the boy in the eyes. "Which element?"

  Raz fidgeted with his hands, keeping his chin pressed to his colr. "Water, sir."

  "You will address him as My Lord." Perdilius scolded him.

  "Please, Perdilius." Territh chuckled, tussling the boy's hair. "This one is definitely a prize to be kept. I've half a mind to take you back with me to meet the future King himself! Would you like that, Raz?"

  Mesa pouted, stomping her foot down. "I use magic too!"

  "Mesa!" Perdilius frowned.

  "Oh, pardon me miss." Territh turned to address her. "It's a miracle to be in the presence of two elementals here. What is your element?"

  "I change dirt." She grinned, fshing her teeth.

  Lizabeth chuckled, hugging the little girl from behind. "She's full of energy, this one."

  "But she is not an Elemental." Perdilius confirmed, stepping in. "She can cast magic, however."

  "Oh!" Territh stepped back, his excitement fading. "I see. Well, we can always use more spell casters should this conflict carry on longer than needed."

  Mesa looked up at Lizabeth with a puzzled look when Perdilius leaned close to their guest.

  "My Lord, does that mean the war continues?"

  "Afraid so, but please let us not sour our faces with talk of war. You sent word for me to see this tower, so let's see it!"

  "Oh, of course." Perdilius agreed, his voice wavering. "Did thou not wish to eat first before we begin?"

  Territh scratched his belly. "Hm, why not? A quick bite to start the day then."

  Tink! Tink! Tink! Tink!

  "Use great caution." Perdilius called out, passing by with a ntern in hand. "Last thing we want is to come all this way only for the structure to crumble and take us with it."

  He strolled through the center hall beyond the front entrance, the pickaxe noises chipping away at the walls with precision. Lizabeth accompanied him through the rge doors, keeping a rag to her nose to keep from breathing in the dust. She gnced from left to right, her veil nearly spinning from rapid turns before squeamish sticking by his side. Lord Territh stood close behind, coughing slightly.

  "This pce could use a dy's touch, what with the amount of rubble and marble lying about. Thank goodness it's spacious at least."

  She was right, the interior of the building was wide enough to fit two elephants' side by side. However, the front entrance had cave in and so Perdilius had the Giants set up a frame to keep the entrance sturdy and reinforced.

  "Why have them pick at the walls, Perdilius?" Territh frowned, clearing his throat. "All of this dust will stick to my hair and clothes."

  Perdilius paused and fshed them a grin, stepping over toward one of the walls and pressing the ntern close to it. The light revealed a series of glistening palm-sized jewels embedded into the rocky structure, crystal in color surrounded by tiny diamonds that reflected the light like stars in the night sky. Lord Territh's eyes widened as he took it all in, scanning around to see the gems surrounded not only the walls but the ceiling as well. "My word, is this some sort of gem mine?"

  "Not gems, My Lord." Perdilius crified, reaching into a bucket beside one of the miners. He fished out a gem to show them. "These aren't like any rubies or jewels that we know of."

  "Fascinating." Territh hummed to himself, cooking up an idea in mind. Perdilius smiled and tossed the gem back, guiding them the rest of the way down the hall.

  "And what of these?" Territh remarked, pointing at seven statues pced at opposite sides of the wall. "Queens, perhaps?"

  Perdilius hummed, pacing down the hall as the miners continued clearing through the rubble from inside. "Hmm, we believe they may depict women of royal lineage from an age long before. But it's a theory, nothing absolute."

  "Did they not have names?" He questioned, "No bels or offerings?"

  "Much of this structure has fallen victim to age. Time causes all to grow feeble with age, even the world around us. And if I do not make haste, it will pass me by before I fulfill this journey."

  Lizabeth leaned to one side, poking over his shoulder. "Come now father, you are not of old age yet. Fathering age perhaps." She teased.

  But Perdilius frowned back. "Mm, yes. Fathering age with no children to raise. And my hair is thinning over the years, soon I'll be the splitting image of my father. I don't quite look forward to that."

  "Thou have yet to mention your father much." She pointed out, keeping up the pace behind him.

  "My father was old fashioned; he wouldn't have dabbled with the faith." He said with a tone of disappointment. "My Lord, if you would do us the honors."

  He stopped at the end of the hall, standing beside the doorway draped by curtains. Lord Territh stepped uneasily around, reaching out and pulling the curtains aside as he passed through. Lizabeth was right behind him, keeping her eyes to his face, eager to see his reaction. His old eyes widened in awe as he looked around. The room was equally rge and circur, spiraling upwards coursing through the tower. They stepped onto a rge wooden ptform with chains passing through the center, traversing through the top with a lever to wind the gears.

  Perdilius stepped forward, gripping the lever and turning the crank around in circles. The ptform jumped, sending a cloud of dust flowing around before lifting off from the ground level. Lord Territh held onto Lizabeth, his head snapping around as the ptform slowly crawled its way up the tower structure.

  "As you can see, this is the main means of traveling through the tower." Perdilius expined, winding up the crank. "We've counted six floors so far, but most are in need of digging to unearth."

  "Then why are we moving up if we can't explore them?" Territh frowned.

  Perdilius fshed a knowing grin. "Do you not wish to see the view from the top?"

  Once the ptform settled at the highest floor, something clicked as a mechanism beneath the wooden ptform kept them locked in pce, allowing Perdilius to release the crank. Territh stepped into a circur room, the sun gring down on them. Several stone beams shot up around them, connected by hanging ropes and tattered fgs. He moved toward the ledge, pnting his hand on the stone rails and looking over the city of Faerun as the tower shot high enough that they could see the forest further out.

  "Gods, the view makes the journey nearly worth it." He remarked, gaining Perdilius' nod in agreement.

  "We've had transtors work on making sense of the markings and numerous books in here, one of the rooms houses its own library of text that I believe houses the secrets of this buildings past. Just as I theorized, this was used as a ritual of sorts." He expined, pointing out the numerous stone beds. "Possibly a sacrificial ritual of sorts."

  "One of those offerings to please the Gods type?" Territh amused.

  "Even better, a means to communicate with them."

  Territh scowled. "Nonsense."

  "Is it?" He pointed out. "We've known divine beings to coexist among us once upon a time. Demons, Angels, entities? What makes you so certain that interacting with Gods is beyond reach?"

  Territh paused to think of his response while Perdilius continued.

  "We know that Monster Girls are derived of demonic energy despite their humanoid appearance. Should that not clue us in that more existed before?"

  "Monster Girls." Lord Territh snickered to himself. "Those seductive things? Perdilius, they are good for one thing only now."

  Lizabeth winced when hearing that, keeping silent as Perdilius' eyes fred up. "Because of those creatures we find ourselves at war with whom we once called allies, My Lord."

  "King Robert's passing was a tragedy, of course. And he left a daughter behind along with his wife, our Queen."

  "She was a succubus." Perdilius reminded him through clenched teeth. "One that Lerryn made clear when he challenged her for the right to rule as Robert's brother."

  "And for that, our alliance was undone and we find ourselves warring between our brothers and sisters. The Great Divide, as history will call it." Territh raised his hand to stop him. "Perdilius, I agreed to fund this project of yours to gain an advantage for Lerryn to change the tide. Since we are away from wandering eyes, let me be frank with you. We are losing."

  "What!" Perdilius raised his head. "How? What of our allies?"

  "We had many to join us, but the Queen's generals prove to be smarter than Lerryn and his forces. We've lost numbers and trust, Perdilius. Whatever this tower is capable of doing, see to it that you uncover all of its secrets. As for those gems, I would like you to send them to my keep in deliveries."

  "My Lord, we've struggled to amass food rations and supplies. They get lost to those monsters hidden in the forest. It would be of no trouble if we could receive some extra hands to protect the people."

  Territh hummed and tapped his cane on the bck marble floor. "I can arrange to bring in several of my personal men to assist here. Expect for them to arrive by next week's end."

  "Furthermore, the wild elves might be a nuisance to our project here. Perhaps a few dozen men would suffice-"

  "Perdilius, I cannot snap my fingers and gather troops to my beck and call. Soldiers cost money, food, and resources. And this war has proven to be a costly endeavor."

  Perdilius stepped in close as an idea came to mind. "What of the prisoners?"

  Territh gave him a puzzled look.

  "The prisoners." Perdilius repeated himself. "Thieves, criminals, perhaps some beggars here and there."

  "What of them?"

  "Send them our way along with your men."

  "Why?"

  "We could arrange to have them pardoned and taken care of so long as they agree to provide protection... and to behave themselves of any lecherous needs." He added, hesitant.

  Territh frowned. "Providing people of the faith their own militia has never ended well."

  "What militia? My lord I live to serve the gods and spread their teachings, and in servitude and support of King Lerryn."

  "But which comes first." Territh muttered, looking out across the city.

  Lizabeth stepped in. "My Lord, we do not ask for forces to apprehend, but for your protection. We owe all that we have to your generosity and to King Lerryn."

  Lord Territh clicked his tongue, tapping his cane once more. "Fine then, consider it done. But I expect a generous exchange of those gems in return, several pounds can be a good start."

  "You want them for decor?"

  "Profit, Perdilius. We need all the coin we can find, what better means then to exploit that mine underneath?" He grinned.

  Perdilius looked uncertain, tensing up. "My Lord, I require those to study. They aren't a profit but rather a piece of the puzzle, they serve in some way to this building, I just have yet to discover how."

  "You can keep some for yourself, but this is not something I can compromise." He made it clear with a jab of his cane.

  "Fine." He seethed, shaking his head. "As you say, My Lord. Perhaps the coin gained can go to removing that succubus Queen and her monstrous spawn."

  "In time." Territh approached the pair. "Difficult to believe Monster Girls can be harmful to us. A Queen who hid her true nature as a succubus in secret?"

  "No doubt she used her charms to seduce him." Perdilius mentioned.

  "That or perhaps the King knew what he was doing." Territh chuckled. "They say ying with a Succubus will rob you of experiencing pleasure with other women. And now we have a princess Succubus, what has this world come to. Still, at least those Monster Girls are good for one thing."

  "How so?"

  "Well how do you think I manage to finance these things?" He pointed out, nudging his arm. "One of my brothels costs extra for the privacy of bedding the... shall we say, particur harlots inside?"

  Lizabeth frowned. "A brothel housing Monster Girls?"

  "My Lord, surely that isn't permitted-" Perdilius started when Territh interrupted.

  "All is permitted so long as none are harmed or disrupted. And besides, they love it. It's a mutual benefit, both sides get to blow off some steam and keep it secret, and I get to make plenty a profit. That's what most people don't know, even in doing the greater things in life, nothing can be done without the expense of coin. And we will need plenty of coin if we are to continue this war."

  Lord Territh strolled between them, heading back to the lift. "Now please, we should hurry to conclude this. I've some matters that require my immediate attention by sunrise tomorrow."

  Perdilius nodded, using the lift to bring them back to the ground floor.

  Lizabeth leaned in. "My Lord, is it so wrong that the Queen came to be a Succubus?"

  He shrugged. "We needed an heir, a prince to take up the throne."

  "But the King seemed very much in love, is it so hard to believe that perhaps she didn't coax her charms on him?"

  "It's that possibility of it." Perdilius scorned. "We do not know if she meddled with his head or not."

  "Specution is simply that." Territh answered them both, stepping off the ptform and making his way down the hall. "Doesn't matter what we believe, my dear. We are where we are now because of who she was."

  "What she was." Perdilius added, noticing a stray cat staring at them from afar once they exited the tower.

  "Well then." Lord Territh spun around to face them. "This trip has proven to be quite a sight. I should retreat to get some much-needed rest."

  "Of course, My Lord." Lizabeth answered with a courteous bow.

  "Perdilius." He reminded him, patting his chest with his cane. "The gems. Don't forget."

  "It shall be done." Perdilius nodded, the two of them watching their Lord be escorted into his carriage.

  Lizabeth turned and spotted the brown cat running down. "I didn't know we had any pets around."

  "We don't." Perdilius growled, staring off toward the forest surrounding the city.