Daltanius Silverarms: Sacrifice to Bane! Paladin of Torm!

[Bashagain]

-The Sacrifice-

"Thou canst take my life, but thou wilt never take my... FREEDOOOOOM!" Screamed Daltanius as he lay restrained upon a cold sacrificial altar to Bane by the shores of Lake Minmir. His agonizing screams were met with jeers and laughters from the Banites surrounding him. Only his mentor Calduil, restrained also, sympathized with the paladin in his last moment of struggle.

"A paltry sacrifice, but so be it!" Spat the summoned Banelar Naga as it lunged at the helpless paladin's neck, tearing his throat. The voice of Daltanius' defiance was soon replaced with pathetic gurgle as he drowned in his own blood. In company of cheering villains, Daltanius died. His freshly slain body was swallowed whole by the creature of Bane like a rat fed to a hungry snake.


-Bane's Toy-

"Who... are you?" Daltanius managed to utter his question as a lone, faint figure came into his vision, melting away the darkness that shrouded him for what felt like an eternity.

"Daltanius - Thou dost not yet realize thine importance." Responded the blurry, imposing figure in a deep, reverberating voice. "Thou hast only begun to discover thy power." The figure continued. "Join me, and I shalt complete thy training! With our combined strength, we could END this destructive conflict and bring ORDER to the world."

Suddenly overwhelmed by an awesome evil presence, Daltanius instantly recognized the figure that stood before him - Bane. Mustering up the last remnant of courage left in him, he shouted back defiantly. "I'll never join thee!"

"If thou only KNEW the power of MY side... Obi-Two never told thee what happened to thy father." Replied Bane.

"What? Who... Who is Obi-Two? And what happened to my father?!" Perplexed Paladin queried.

Ignoring the paladin's question, Bane continued his exposition. "No, Daltanius... I am thy father!"

The shocking revelation from the God of Fear and Tyranny prompted the only obvious reaction from Daltanius. "No... No... 'Tis not true! 'Tis IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Search thy feelings. Thou knowest it to be true!" Pressed the evil god, all the while snickering inside.

Suddenly, the handsome paladin's mug crumpled into a what one could only describe as a face of half digested Banelar dung. "Noooooooooo! Noooo!" Scream of Daltanius' agonizing denial was so desperate and vehement, it pierced the barriers of the planes and reached the ears of his patron god, Torm.


-Divine Intervention-

With a roar, Torm summoned his ally Bahamut and was granted empowering favors from Tyr and Illmater. Mounting the dragon-god, the god of duty teleported into the sanctum of Bane's Sacrificed Souls.

Using the divine power of House of Triad to intervene Bane's evil machination, Torm, in his full battle-ready form appeared between the god of fear and the sacrificed paladin."Thou hast failed, Tyrannous One. The yon soul sacrificed to thee shalt never join thy side. He is a paladin knight like his ancestors before him!" Torm thunderously decreed.

"What a surprise, Upstart! I had not thought thou wouldst trouble thyself with this insignificant soul sacrificed to me." Sneered Bane. "As a true coward, thou hast recruited old winged Bahamut to match half my strength? Pathetic, weak fool... Have at thee!!!" With a sudden lunge, the dark god hurled his morningstar at Torm.

With a thunderous clash, Torm's divine sword, "Duty's Bond," flashed in the darkness to deflect Bane's attack as Bahamut - carrying Torm - charged fiercely at the tyrant of oppression.

Bane chuckled and scoffed as he teleported a short distance to dodge the valiant charge of the two gods. "Still spirited as ever, boy! But as much as I would enjoy wringing out thy life with my bare hands, this petty soul is hardly worth the hassle at a time like this." The dark god continued. "I have finished toying with him by enacting one of my favorite scenes from Celestial Wars. Take him, and begone from my domain, curs!"

"Very well, Tyrant. I leave thy domain with my faithful. Until next we meet, dark one, we resume our game with our adherents." Keeping his sword gripped with his right hand, Torm extended his left hand toward Daltanius, pulling the paladin towards him. A divine shell encapsulated Daltanius as he began to move toward Torm, and for the paladin, once again, everything faded into nothingness.


-There and Back Again-

"Thy faith hath been tested, young Silverarms, and 'twas found unwavering." A gentle voice of Torm reached Daltanius' ears. "Now I shalt use my power to free thee from the deathly prison of Bane's sacrifices. Live again, Daltanius. Thou art truly a paladin knight like thy father, but not thy grandfather (since he was a ranger), and also like thy great grandfather Erik before thee!" With Torm's utterance, Daltanius felt his soul drain into a cold darkness of a familiar forest.

As the chill made him shiver, the young Silverarms knew he was once again alive. The sight of Soulstone of Heartwood Grove filled his eyes. He felt a burning sensation as air rushed into his lungs for the first time in a long while. With a lengthy groan and a vile smell of half-digested Banelar dung, the paladin rose - once again to resume his solemn duty.