¶ The Final Conflict
As the Battle of the Burning Church escalates, a final clash comes to a head as the fate of The Church of Her is decided.
¶ Powerful Reinforcement
After significant losses on both sides of the battlefield, both The Encampment of Her Light and The Bulwark of The Serpent take stock and reinforce their ranks with new members to replenish the fallen, as a second arms race takes frightening shape.
Resentful over the death of Detriti, the Swamp Witch who at one point had been part and one with them, The Crow of Detriti joins the battle, rallying the forces of The Darkblade Guild to embolden The Bulwark with hopes to avenge the witch.
With no prompt or warning in the near-final hours before the battle, the enigmantic Wormlord Kuul joins the forces of The Bulwark, bringing with him the power of The Nameless Serpent itself, creating a massive imbalance in power between the forces.
By count of strength, The Encampment of Her Light is outmatched by a factor of nearly four-to-one. Her Silence and the other followers of Mother Agora brace for the incoming brutality.
¶ Fate of The Church
The fighting begins, and it is clear this fight is a foregone conclusion.
The voice of She Who Smiles reminds all that The Lost Pilgrim has segmented itself through this conflict.
The Crow of Detriti laughs at the death of Detriti, reminding all that what is dead cannot be destroyed — only reborn anew. The Darkblade Guild and its various allies rally at the call to arms.
Another general of The Encampment gives a resolute speech to rally the followers of Mother Agora and reminds the downtrodden army that they have already guided "the stones of progress" toward their target, and that they have already slain Detriti, the Swamp Witch; noting that if their sacrifice can rid the world of such vile forces, then it is surely worthwhile.
As the battle reaches its depths, Wormlord Kuul pronounces that a new world is upon all, growing from deep within the abyss, and that The Scales of The Ancient. His voice fluctuates, as if The Nameless Serpent itself takes control at times, and it reminds all who fight that they shall be rewarded for their allegiance and victory.
¶ The Many Fallen
As the battle raged, souls began to fall in even greater disparity than the previous battle.
62 among The Encampment were slain, while only 11 of The Bulwark's forces died.
An account of each loss was tallied in the Burning Church Casualties list.
More Encampment Medallions and Bands of the Bulwark are distributed to those who fought.
¶ Prisoners of War
With the battle over, and The Encampment surrounded by the forces of The Nameless Serpent, a choice had to be made; What would the victorious do with their captured enemy?
All who had joined the fight from the outset would use their newly obtained Bands of the Bulwark to cast votes to either spare or slaughter the remaining 48 souls who had survived the conflict.
The Crow of Detriti campaigned heavily for the execution of their prisoners, offering tribute to those who would vote in their favor. King Offling notably accepted, citing a foregone conclusion, to which Gunther Wolfsblood took exception (despite also voting to slaughter).
Despite an assumption by many, Wormlord Kuul pushed the vote to near parity by voting to spare the prisoners. Meanwhile, The Nameless Charter took joy in pivoting his vote back and forth, helping maintain a tie for a majority of the vote's duration.
In the end, by a margin of only 8 votes, it was decided the forces of The Nameless Serpent would show mercy, and spare the remaining followers of Mother Agora. This caused many, including Her Silence to face a crisis of faith.
¶ A Church Transformed
In the aftermath of the conflict, The Church of Her begins a wild transformation.
A network of massive roots erupts from the ground, twisting and tangling the spires of the church as new flora sprouts rapidly from the battlefield made rich from the dead of war. It is unrecognizable to those who first came to it at the dawn of the 18th Cycle, no longer a temple to Her Light.