Ahead of the Storm - Day 3

Alhaster, Six Months Ago

Kyuss was defeated. The war was over. Prince Zeech allowed Elena to defeat him in a duel for the rulership of Alhaster, and she in turn had forgiven him and asked for his hand in marriage, so that they may together - as representatives of Wee Jas and Hextor - rebuilt the city and help set the world in motion again.

Basking in the glory of her own victory over a God - though she credited it entirely to her own Goddess allowing Elena to channel her divine power for the epic fight - the new Queen of Alhaster levitated high above the crowd and spoke in a booming, divinely-enhanced voice:

"People of Alhaster!!! I, Elena Guildenstern, High Priestess of Wee Jas and your new Queen of Alhaster... have at last brought you the peace you deserve. With the destruction of the Wormgod Kyuss at my hands just moments ago, as you have all witnessed... the world can live anew, safe in the knowledge that no usurper of its serenity shall go unpunished. For there shall always be those such as I (and my fellow Harbingers) to restore peace when it has been threatened.

To that end, the weeks ahead shall be a time for rebuilding, and restoring to this city the beauty it once held. I therefore call out to all of you with talents in the arts, architecture, construction - please submit your names to the city hall, as we will be in need of your services to help make this city as glorious in appearance as her people deserve. Gone shall be the darkness in the streets, and the despair in your hearts - for victory is ours!! And now we shall rise up and take our place in the world. Within but a few years, Alhaster shall be spoken of in admiring tones, a city as remarkable and glamourous as Greyhawk City, Waterdeep or even the Valencia of old!

But first, the time has come to celebrate!! So grab your finest wines you've been saving away from a day of celebration - and everyone toast to our future, to the greatness of Alhaster, and to the union of Elena and Zeech!!!"

And the crowd roared - louder than you would ever have expected them to. It was almost as though Elena's invitation to celebrate were MORE than an invitation - almost like a godly command which none had the will to resist.

So thus, while the rest of the world spent that night fighting off the last remnants of the undead armies... Alhaster celebrated, mindless of the world around them, all thoughts and eyes focused on their beautiful new Queen.

And in the far distance, you could almost hear the Pelorian priestess Pellegri sigh, mourning the loss of the "sister" she had once known, now seemingly corrupted beyond measure by power, vanity and fame.

And in the far distance, you could almost hear the Vecnite necromancer Soulerio curse, jealous of the fame and glory earned by Elena, while he himself had been robbed of the chance to be the hero in the fight against Kyuss - and also bitter at Pellegri for her last taunting words of forgiveness.

And in the furthest distance of all, none could hear the cackling voice of the vampiric dragon Lashonna, as she laughed at the destruction of her age-old rival, Dragotha, and the information she had just gained by speaking with his dead rotting corpse. That secret he had long held so tightly, now finally hers, all thanks to the Harbingers. How foolish of them to think that their defeat of Kyuss was any true victory, while Lashonna's plan had instead worked out to perfection...