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 The ritual fires have died down, the carcass of the sacrificed calf little more than blackened bones and cinders in a brazier along with some entrails spilled on the sands of the Red Vale. Surrounding the sacred rite are a hundred and one of Ra'Loah's faithful, gathered and robed, heads bowed and words of praise upon their lips. They've seen and heard Ra'Loah tonight, and awestruck worshipers pray in tongues as the crickets of the desert chirp relentlessly and the moon hangs oppressively overhead. The one who brought them here moves to speak, her midnight black robe rippling as she slowly draws back her hood, and those assembled bring themselves to a quiet to hear the words of the Prophet. "Brothers and sisters in Faith," Samarah begins, raising her hands as if to embrace them all, her voice a shout of impossible conviction. "Ra'Loah shall soon be worshiped throughout Sevvran and beyond, as It Wills it - I saw it plain as day in the fires, saw us assembled again beneath a mighty royal banner, our God's Name shouted throughout the world." They've heard talk of the Queen of Prophecy from her before, but she's not given them a name yet. It's not time yet, not until she can meet with who God intends again, to be certain of things. Visions of the future can be tricky after all, and seating the wrong person on the Throne of Sevvran would be a cataclysmic disaster - she has to be sure about it, in other words. But for now that's neither here nor there. "Go forth throughout Sevvran with my blessing, and share word of the True God. Let Its Will guide you, and let cleverness and caution temper your fervor - Inquisitors in thrall to the Great Enemy stalk the land, desperate to buy its favor with the blood of the faithful. They know not Whose servants they harm, but the hour of their judgement is close at hand." Raising her voice, she gestures towards the all but dead flames - and they explode to life, a great conflagration of towering flames and billowing smoke replacing the meager embers in an instant. A sign to guarantee her follower's faith, nothing more... courtesy not her God, but a little powdered Rustweed slipped onto the fires earlier, the slow-acting but flash-burning kind. As the ritual fire burns high again - by Samarah's extensively educated opinion, she's got about thirty seconds before the powder's consumed and the fire goes out, and with it her dramatic lighting - she raises her arms towards the heavens, looking rapturously at something that no one else can see. "As Ra'Loah commands me, so shall I go out into the wilderness - to the Haunted Ruins of Sihon, to fast and meditate and commune more fully with It. Until we meet together again, may the Sun bless your days, may the flames keep you safe at night, and may Ra'Loah's Will guide you onward." The flames go out as her prayer ends, and no sooner have they than the Prophet's disappeared from the midst of the procession. While her faithful flock needs to spread the word of God, she's prepared for her journey into the wilderness, to brave the demon haunted sands to find the place her God has chosen to reveal Itself and Its Will to her more completely. She'd visited it years ago after all, back when she was just Samarah the Scholar... it'll be even easier to find now, with the One True God backing her, and she can hardly wait to pass this test Its set before her.  Ruins of Sihon While I'm commanding my Cult to spread out and start mass converting everywhere they can, Samarah's making her way to a place of supernatural power to better convene with her God. Finding the place in question safely and interpreting what Ra'Loah reveals should be easy due to Wandering Scholar [+4], while Prophet of Ra'Loah [+4] handles the actually conveying directly with Ra'Loah and magically perceiving the future bit of things. Maybe It just wants Samarah to go all the way out there so she finds something significant and hopefully magical - she's not picky. In case it's relevant, both Spirit Blessed [+2] and Demon Haunted Wastes [-2] are probably at play here as well, even though the math cancels out. quote:
Rauri fucked around with this message at 12:24 on Jul 17, 2016 |
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Jul 17, 2016 11:52
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 12:10 |
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The meanings of her God's visions are so clear to her. Drawing her hands into the sleeves of her robes as the fire burns down around her and her visions fade with it, the prophet Samarah is already making her way away from the deathly still ruins towards her Destiny. Ra'Loah has made Its Will known to her, and there's nothing that will stand between her and what she's been chosen to do. Even still, as she trudges through the endless sands that separate the Red Vale from Sevvran proper, she cannot help but endless replay what the flames showed her, what her visions of the future truly mean. She knew to go Northwest, that much was obvious... but was else that God had shown her might have escaped her understanding somehow? The child eludes her. Her own religion? Though she instructed them to scatter, they might not - and she is leaving the Vale behind with every step she takes. Perhaps someone significant to her destiny, her God? Yes, it's quite possible... perhaps even the youth of her second vision. The woman, her God's Chosen Queen of course. The cracked crown... of course, Leona Sevvran. A bastard, yes, but the blood of kings flows through her veins - through half of her lineage. There's nothing to worry about the Kingdom being split, as Samarah originally feared. Surely it's merely an indicator of her bloodline, a sign from Ra'Loah as to who she need assist in taking the throne. The girl... The Wolf's Pup? It seems most likely. Poor girl. Even if De Wulfe is in the wrong, and will suffer for it - fighting against her true calling, failing to support a woman that raised her and that she cares about... it's distasteful to Samarah. Offensive even. Rather a true enemy than a false friend, after all. Petra has chosen wrong thus far. By the time Samarah's emerged from that desert near Hissin and the Spearhills, clad in robes and armed and sustained by her Faith, she's said countless prayers for both those she's seen in her vision, and the faithful flock she sent throughout the kingdom of Sevvran. Mostly though, she saved her prayers for the one she'd seen in the flames, the one who would unite the realm and champion Ra'Loah's forces against the coming darkness. "Mighty God Ra'Loah, Creator of All Things Good," she's started many prayers this way, though by the time she's come wandering out of the wastes, she truly, deliriously means it. "Show the True Queen Leona the way, and help keep her on the path of righteousness - towards her destiny." Samarah looks from under her heavy black robe towards the noonday sun overheard, and perhaps she truly does see something; hear someone speaking back to her. "As you command oh Ra'Loah, I obey." With every step she draws closer to her destiny, after all. Using Prophet of Ra'Loah [+4] towards Rauri fucked around with this message at 07:14 on Jul 19, 2016 |
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Jul 19, 2016 07:02
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For a day I am nearly entirely despondent, dead to the world as I feel my God's judgement upon me, my connection to It wane. As always, my greatest sin is pride - thinking myself intelligent and educated and cultured for years, and now the pleasure I take in being a trusted servant of Ra'Loah. Its judgement of me is just, as of course it is. I deserve to suffer for my pride, and can only pray I am worthy of passing this test It has set before me. Emerging from my travels and tribulations throughout the desert, I seem to find myself in a small town in the mountains of Hissin - Rookrock, if I remember right from my earlier travels. Largely full of loyalists to their King in Hiding, I expect to be turned away, disheveled and semi-delirious as I am, but sacred hospitality compels them to take me in, feed and care for me. I think I knew that in my past life, but it's hard to remember now. Every moment of recovery is accompanied by the acute knowledge that my God is watching me, waiting for myself to be a worthy vessel for Its Will - and I hear and obey, mighty Ra'Loah. As I recover over the next couple days I preach to the people of Rookrock, returning stories and teachings of the One True God in exchange for their generosity and hospitality. I'm wise enough to know that only the desperate, bored, and thrill-seekers from the outlying communities attend on day one - hoping to see miracles no doubt. No one leaves disappointed, despite the lack of showmanship some were hoping for - Ra'Loah is a righteous God and I can speak with great conviction when discussing him, and even better can use what I know of the religion of this region, it's people and their culture, to tailor my approach. They might not see signs of God, but they hear Its words and teachings and commandments clearly. This is a people that longs for hope, and I can provide it for them - Ra'Loah can provide it for them. By the end of the second day, my flock in this community has doubled. By the third, nearly everyone in the town (and many beyond) turns out for my sermons - and I suspect there is hope yet for this region, and for myself. It seems a humble mountain town, true. My precious black cloak is weather-beaten and stained, more ruddy brown than anything, frayed and torn at the edges. Yet Ra'Loah has plans for us both, no matter our crude nature... <Rauri> Convert Hissin Mountain Town <Rauri> !r 2d6+6 <Krysmbot> Rauri, 8 + 6 = 14 +2 Prophet of Ra'Loah for preaching conviction and charisma, +4 Wandering Scholar due to tailoring arguments / knowing their cultural identity and concerns. Yet I've not forgotten my earlier folly - Ra'Loah helps those who help themselves. While I spread the word of the One True God and administer to my newfound followers, I'm open to their plights, stories, and tales... especially if they involve the rest of Sevvran somehow, and especially for things that might help me find the King in Hiding. My journey through the wastelands of the Red Vale took days, and it's likely I missed a great day of things relevant both to myself and Ra'Loah's interests. With these people's tales I'm slowly filled in on what's occurred, and my mind is alight with possibility and the Will of God. <Rauri> Gather Information <Rauri> !r 2d6+4 <Krysmbot> Rauri, 11 + 4 = 15 +4 due to Wandering Scholar, Samarah's used to synthesizing lots of primary source information into a cohesive and useful narrative by which to understand what's going on / what's occurred. Rauri fucked around with this message at 08:06 on Jul 26, 2016 |
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Jul 26, 2016 07:52
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The gifts I have been given by these villagers cannot be a coincidence. I've seen the King in Hiding in my visions before, and I know it is Ra'Loah's Will that I aid him. Thanking the villagers profusely for their thoughtful gifts, I preach to them again for one last night. Come the morning they'll discover I've departed, the provisions they provided carefully pocketed away in my restored cloak. In a way I wish I could just keep doing exactly this - spreading the word of the true God with small towns and groups of earnest folk, watching their smiles as they feel the warmth of God fall upon them - but Ra'Loah demands more of me, and I obey. My restored cloak is proof enough of my God's favor falling upon me again, and I shall strive my best to never disapoint It again. Between the map I now have in my possession and my previous travels in this area, I know I've a long day's travel ahead of me to reach King Kurt's castle - good thing I left early. Hissin's much like the Red Vale, and my travel lets me appreciate that fact more and more. Here's a people subjugated, longing for a savior - for a greater meaning behind their woes. And I can give both to them, I think, and then mentally correct myself immediately. Ra'Loah can provide those things, with me offering them on Its behalf. Throughout the day I walk, and think, and pray. While I must eventually make my way to the Princess Leona, or at least to her holdings to start preparing them for her destined struggle and eventually success in taking the throne, for now I'm Fated to assist another of Ra'Loah's favored champions in this world. Kurt and Leona could be powerful should they cooperate, and he'll be a significant thorn in the side of anyone that he chooses to oppose. While Ra'Loah has many blessings to offer, I've found in my travels that royals can be particular about the gifts they receive. He may be a King in hiding, but between my God's whispers and visions and my travels throughout this land, there must be something I know of that I can offer him. The location of some fortress of legendary, or a magic sword long buried and awaiting an appropriate wielder. By the time I reach his fortress the hour may be late, but I've still more to do. "The Lady Samarah, Prophet of the True God Ra'Loah, seeks audience with your master - the Rightful King of Hissin - as soon as it can be arranged," I announce up to the apparently unmanned gate, certain that I am actually overheard. "I bear a sigil granted to me for the purpose of identification, I can offer that too if necessary." <Rauri> Samarah Yamigame Roll <Rauri> !r 2d6+8 <Krysmbot> Rauri, 5 + 8 = 13 Using Wandering Sage and Prophet of Ra'Loah for a total of +8
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Jul 31, 2016 08:57
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The King in Hiding's holdfast is even more unmanned and shabby than I'd anticipated. Strict discipline in those he has here, but the sorry state of the castle is impossible to hide. It makes me smile - I was shabby once too, before Ra'Loah found me. As Barlas leads me through the hallways of this hidden fortress towards the soul I seek we say nothing - I'm content to observe what I can before meeting with someone so important to Ra'Loah's plan's, and he seems distracted. Too distracted. Hmmm... ah, figured it out. As I'm brought before Kurt, I remove my hood, revealing eyes that match my fiery hair and a surprisingly youthful visage. "King of Hissin," I incline my head towards him but do not bow, and then look towards the Windspeaker without granting her the same honor. I've often wondered about her - either she serves Ra'Loah unknowingly, or her time mocking the gifts of God is rapidly drawing to a close... The Windspeaker seems to want some sort of confrontation. Her words are easy enough to figure out, if obviously incorrect. She seems to believe that the Wolf isn't destined to fall before Leona's armies, which is incorrect, as I've seen it happen in my visions. Her fate is sealed. And since the Windspeaker took it upon herself to impart unwarranted advice to me, so I suppose it's customary that I do the same - and at least mine is actually true. "I pray that you find the Light of Ra'Loah - and soon - for your own sake." As she draws back and the king speaks, I answer his questions in a humble but firm voice, black robes rustling slightly as I move slowly closer to him. "Either Samarah or the Lady Samarah is acceptable, it matters little to me, Your Grace." He seems to think he knows why I'm here, at which point my smile widens ever so slightly. "Dinner would be welcome. I'm certainly not going to refuse your hospitality, and we've much to talk about." And more afterwards perhaps... he is handsome, and Ra'Loah celebrates life. I'm close enough to him now to touch him, and no one's raised a hand against me - though I slowly and gently raise one to his forehead, my hand warm and soothing like a campfire on a cold night. "Though we should start with seeing to you - I can't bear to see one of Ra'Loah's chosen suffering." <Rauri> Offer Divine Aid and Succor to the King in Hiding <Rauri> !r 2d6+6 <Krysmbot> Rauri, 10 + 6 = 16 Trying to restore Kurt's physical and mental health + if the roll overruns the difficulty, bless him for the tasks Ra'Loah has in store for him - basically casting Greater Restoration if you want to be DnD about it. Utilizing Prophet of Ra'Loah [+6] for this purpose. Rauri fucked around with this message at 07:29 on Aug 12, 2016 |
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Aug 12, 2016 05:41
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Samarah follows the King in Hiding to the dining hall of course, folding her hands into the sleeves of her dark robes as she accompanies him and the Windspeaker to the table. Is it surprising that she immediately takes a seat at his right hand? It shouldn't be - Ra'Loah's destiny for her is to counsel and aid Its chosen, and Kurt Hissin happens to be one of them. When the time comes to raise their glasses in a toast she participates as well, eyes seeming to glimmer in the dim light as she thinks about the other priests and priestesses of Ra'Loah's flock. Have they fared as well as she has? Doubtful... she's not so young as to imagine that everything's gone well for all of them. Some have doubtless failed trials of faith and paid the price for it, and it's those poor souls that she prays even as she adds to the chorus of "To Fallen Comrades." The food that Kurt serves is doubtless the best Samarah's had in at least a year, if not longer. Diligently thanking Ra'Loah for both providing this food and guiding her here, she moves to compliment her mortal host as well. "If only it was just the food, your Grace. It's a rare treat for me to enjoy both the dishes of Hissin and a King's hospitality. That said, I should repay you on a personal level before moving onto greater matters." Moving her plate to the side with one hand, she produces a bit of parchment she's sealed with wax with the other hand so effortlessly that you'd swear she'd been holding it this whole time. Handing it to Kurt, she smiles as she waits for him to unwrap it. From what she's learned in her twenty-plus years traversing Sevvran, nobles love the drama involved with them opening things and it never hurts to carefully present your message - and this one's particularly worth the dramatic tension. It's got Samarah's detailed drawing of exactly the sword she saw in her vision, the one belonging to his bloodline and lost in a swamp somewhere. "The sword of your ancestors lies waiting for you in a swamp within your birthright, King in Hiding, and I know that it is your destiny to find it - I have seen all of these things in the fires and ash and wind." She doesn't actually know any more about it, which is exactly why she's done giving out hints about the sword. "However, of even greater importance..." Samarah looks deadly serious, glancing at the Windspeaker suspiciously before deciding it's destiny she be here for this moment and relaxing. "I am here as the Prophet of the One God Ra'Loah, and it's Its will I must speak of. King of Hissin, there are two paths before you. You can fight the destiny the True God has for you, and wage your war without the help of Heaven, fail and die alone and abandoned - I wish it were not so, but I have foreseen it." It's hard to understate the conviction, the raw emotion and zealotry - perhaps even authority - the Prophet of Ra'Loah is exhibiting. For one brief moment her hair is blown about by a wind imperceptible to everyone else. "Or you can embrace the One True God." Samarah offers a hand, looking ever so vivid and hopeful. "Your Grace, Leona Sevvran is the One True Queen, fated by Ra'Loah to save the living from threats you can barely begin to imagine - to serve as its champion during the Final Days of our world." She sounds so sure of all of this. "I've seen your banner fluttering among her warhost in my dreams - seen you at her side, grander crowns than you now wear atop both your heads. Both of you are dear to the Great God Ra'Loah, I'm sure of it... I wish only to guide you, to share the Light of the True God and help you claim your rightful destiny." Rauri fucked around with this message at 10:08 on Aug 16, 2016 |
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Aug 16, 2016 09:04
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Samarah seems to pay the Windspeaker very little mind. The woman had been much less impressive than she'd hoped - both smug and ignorant, the Prophet of Ra'Loah has only a single thing to say to her as she leaves. "I'll be praying for you, Windspeaker." She does not mention what exactly it is she's going to be praying for, as she's trying to be polite. With her out of mind, she once again returns her attention to the King in Hidding, who seems to be rather interested in the scrying orb he's been given. She's rather more interested by the Bear himself having appeared in Hissin - and in Kurt's rightful wariness concerning him. It seems he needs both counsel and assurances of her usefulness if he's to commit more fully to Ra'Loahs' cause. She speaks, and there's a power to her voice. "Your majesty... I understand your concerns. For now you must pull back and avoid conflict with Commander Von Voss, and instead search for the Sword of Hissin with the aid of your knights and best followers. By the time you've found it, the One True God Ra'Loah will have seen to it that the Bear has been removed from your lands, of this I'm sure." She's not, but it feels right. Things are too chaotic for him to remain here for long - and if they're not yet, she'll just have to tip the scales herself some. This man is meant to follow her God's cause, of that she's certain. Samarah stares into the eyes of the King in Hiding as she finishes her spiel, and then smiles mysteriously. "I'll pray for you as well, King in Hiding." It comes across a lot warmer than when she'd mentioned it to the Windspeaker. After all, while she sort of hope the Windspeaker falls off a cliff or something, she's praying for Kurt's soul - and that he realize that Ra'Loah is the one true God indeed, and that It has a special destiny in mind for him, should he merely choose to worship the One True God. <Rauri> Show Kurt Visions of the Future <Rauri> !r 2d6+6 <Krysmbot> Rauri, 9+6=15
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Aug 23, 2016 03:39
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The King in Hiding will come around, Samarah assures herself as she departs through a postern gate in the dead of night atop a borrowed donkey - a few provisions, a change of clothes, some books, and her recently repaired cloak the only supplies she has with her. Ra'Loah's work for her here is done... Kurt has been shown the way, both towards God and towards his family's sword, so important to his destiny. All she can do now is pray, and continue to walk the path that the True God has set before her. Determined to make her way towards the Spearhills, far to the south and west of Hissin, she's got a long road ahead of her. Still, it's not as if she's not traveled these roads before. For nearly twenty years Samarah traveled the length and breadth of Sevvran and beyond, and the its ways and passages - both known and secret - are familiar to her. Taking backroads and shortcuts wherever she can, hiding her signature cloak and preferring a simple traveler's garb instead, she's determined to make it there without incident. <Rauri> Samarah Making her way towards the Spearhills <Rauri> !r 2d6+2-2 <Krysmbot> Rauri, 4+2-2=4 <Rauri> yuuuuup Utilized Scholar +2 and Infidel -2, get a build point for my upcoming trouble at least. Of course, the last time she utilized these paths was before her revelation and conversion - and therefore before she became the head of an Infidel Religion wanted by the Church. Let's see if her precautions were enough.
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Sep 8, 2016 08:14
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BP: 1 | Location: Checkpoint Were her precautions truly insufficient? Isn't it instead much more likely that this is a test Ra'Loah has for her? Waiting in line alongside the other travelers, Samarah refuses to give in to worry. Whatever happens when the guards come across her is what's destined to happen - it's Ra'Loah's will even if she be apprehended and slain. Not that she's fearful of that, of course, since she knows it isn't Its will, it can't be. She's its Chosen Prophet, her God wouldn't allow for her to meet such an ignoble end. Saying a few prayers for her safety in between making small talk with those in line around her, she's content to wait until it comes time for the soldiers of the False King of Sevvran to speak to her. Between her education in Sevvran customs and her relatively harmless demeanor and age, she's fairly sure she's coming across as an unassuming traveler. Once they do, the Prophet of Ra'Loah is at peace and in no way nervous. The only falsehoods she tells to the guards are identifying herself by her sister's name - Aisha - instead of her own, and stating that she's merely traveling to the Spearhills to attend her daughter's wedding. Surely the guards don't need to check her identification any further, and she can move along? <Rauri> Samarah Miraculously making her way through the checkpoint <Rauri> !r 2d6+6 <Krysmbot> Rauri, 11+6 = 17 Obviously used Prophet of Ra'Loah +6 for this. Rauri fucked around with this message at 08:43 on Sep 17, 2016 |
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Sep 17, 2016 08:40
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 12:10 |
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BP: 2 | Location: Towards the Spearhills! Her faith has been rewarded. Ushered along at the checkpoint, the Prophet of Ra'Loah sees no reason to not be gracious about the unknown escape she's in the midst of making. "Thank you sir, I shall," Samarah returns politely, smile practically sparkling in the light of the suddenly sunny weather. It's almost miraculous how much she looks like yet another traveler, and not one of the most wanted fugitives in Sevvran. "A pleasant day to you as well." With that nicety observed she's on her way, climbing back aboard her liberated mount and ushering it forward towards her destiny. ------------------- It's been days since then, yet the Spearhills seem practically no closer to Samarah than they had before. Elevation and rocky terrain make for slow going, and this part of the kingdom has remained perpetually underdeveloped throughout Samarah's two decades of experience - which only serves to compound the frustratingly minimal progress she's made so far. It's been too long since she was in the Vale, since she met with like-minded believers, or lead a proper service, or even had someone to talk to that wasn't the donkey she's been riding along the way or drunks in traveler's taverns. Since her near-escape at the checkpoint, Samarah's once again donned the robes of her true faith. Ra'Loah will see her along the way to her sacred destination, she's sure of it - and as such she has no problem identifying herself as a believer to those she encounters along the way. If even one soul is brought to the True Faith, the risk it poses to her is worth it - and she's done her fair share of preaching since then. As it turns out, an attractive foreign woman in a seedy tavern has even less of a problem drawing the eyes and ears of drunken audiences than you might think... Still, she has to be nearing her destination - both logic and her faith dictate that this journey cannot last forever. The castle of the True Queen awaits her passionate zeal and word of the True God (and if rumors of Leona are true, her shapely form as well), she cannot afford to tarry in the foothills and forests she's traveling through. After all, the fate of the world is at stake! <Rauri> Samarah Pilgrimage to the Spearhills <Rauri> !r 2d6+4 <Krysmbot> Rauri, 8+4 = 12 +6 Prophet, -2 Infidel. Hopefully that's high enough to get Samarah there safely~
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Sep 21, 2016 09:14
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