Gate of Memoirs/Human Sin

Baelfyr recalls the war council among the King's Court.
Episode 4—The Fall of Zeruiah—
Portrait 	Dialogue
Music: "Justice"	Music: "Justice"
 	
*Since the gift of Fire was introduced to the humans, their weaponry had improved by leaps and bounds.
*To defend against any future incursions from otherworldly entities, they rallied their soldiers with hearts of iron and fists of steel.
*The courts have long ceded their authority to their militaristic arms;
*for many nobles, they sought only protection from threats both inside and out, and little else.
*For others, the immense sway one man holds over the kingdoms is cause for concern...
 	
*The blacksteeled facade of the Empire's citadel rises up before Baelfyr—a silent, ironclad sentinel.
*Standing before this imposing structure, he retrieves a small object from his pocket.
*The bit of antler he had broken off Zeruiah glimmers softly, as if it too pulses with a warmth and life of its own.
*Baelfyr: This is the beginning of the end for all of us.
*Baelfyr: No one can stop me now.
 	
*He plunges the sharp end into his chest, biting his lip to stifle the hiss of pain welling in his throat.
*As the wound begins to drip, he peels back his shirt to reveal the darkened, almost burned, flesh near his heart.
*Baelfyr: (This will probably never heal.)
*Baelfyr: (...Such is human sin; it pervades us all, and my soul the blackest among them.)
*Baelfyr: (But it doesn't matter. I will take them down myself.)
*He glares at the towering structure before placing his hand over the wound and slipping into its iron gates.
 	
*Empire Soldier: Sir...Sir Baelfyr!
*Empire Soldier: He's injured! Someone, get a medic!
*Empire General: What happened? This grievous wound...
 	
*Baelfyr: The Fae Sage...has turned.
*Baelfyr: The corruption has never truly left the Vale. It has been left to fester.
 	
*Baelfyr: I shudder to think if the sage herself were to succumb to this madness.
*Baelfyr: We must do something about this.
 	
*Empire General: True. We cannot allow our people to be threatened...
 	
*Baelfyr: The divine flame will light our path.
*Baelfyr: It must be done...if we want to survive.
 	
*Court Advisor: This is madness!
*Court Advisor: We cannot simply wage war on the words of one man!
*Court Advisor: We should investigate the cause of the Sage's folly instead of attacking the weakened Fae!
*Magistrate: Our cities are safe thanks to the swift actions of Sir Baelfyr.
*Magistrate: What have YOU done, hmm? Will we sit here and wait for them to swallow our lands, then?
*Empire Soldier: You and your nobles sit up in your ivory towers while the rest of us suffer!
*Empire Footman: Who are the ones ankle-deep in blood, stepping over the bodies of the fallen, huh?!
*Empire General: Enough!
*Empire General: ... ...
*Empire General: I trust you to do what is right for our people.
 	
*Baelfyr: Of course.
*Baelfyr: It is the only purpose of my life...
Portrait 	Dialogue
Music: "Dragon's Roar"	Music: "Dragon's Roar"
 	
*Treading vaguely remembered paths into the Vale brings little comfort to those who fought in the Voidborn invasion.
*The dark, foreboding forests still echo with the screeching of their otherworldly enemies.
*Despite the naturally accelerated healing of plant life, the ambience lends only an air of tension to the area.
 	
*Baelfyr: There are no screeching fiends to be found here, but their evil permeates the very earth.
*Baelfyr: Will we allow this wound to fester and seep into our kingdoms?
 	
*Empire Soldiers: NEVER!
 	
*Baelfyr: Then in the name of the Holy Flame, purge this land!
*Baelfyr: The darkness shall never hold sway over us.
 	
*With a rousing roar, the Empire's soldiers charge forth into the forest.
 	
*Baelfyr: Let them burn.
 	
*Baelfyr: Let them all burn...