There was great fanfare as the procession approached the Temple of Beauty’s grand entrance. Leading the parade was a phalanx of paladins and knights. The Brothers and Sisters of the Ruby Rose were in full regalia, resplendent in their polished armour. Sitting astride a magnificent warhorse was an imposing Sunite general, his centurion’s helmet sporting an impressive pompadoured crest. He looked every bit the conquering hero. At his hip was a sheathed sword that crackled with crimson energy. Flanking the military parade were whirling dancing girls who liberally sprinkled street and onlooker alike with rose petals as a smartly-attired marching band kept the beat. Bringing up the rear was a chariot being drawn by a team of lily-white horses. Holding the reins was the battle-hardened paladin’s twin, a handsome man with flowing locks and a charismatic smile. The Sunite was doling out winks, grins, and nods to the people crowding the sidewalks as his chariot rolled past. The crowd went wild. “Naes and Tiberius Inuus, I presume,” Bob observed. Tiberius dismounted his horse and passed its reins to an acolyte, and then extended a hand to help his brother from the chariot as a choreographed song and dance number played out, with bards extolling the warlord’s skill on the battlefield and the heartwarder’s diplomatic abilities. There was much singing, celebration, and merriment as the twin brothers strode up the main entrance steps. An acolyte bearing a bronzed bowl full of rose water rushed to meet them, and each brother made their ablutions in turn, much to the delight of the crowd. Damn, these men are prettier than me, Siegfried thought to himself. Darn beautiful men, always eating out of my garbage. He knew that the story of the Inuus brothers began in tragedy but the pair had pulled themselves up by their very pretty bootstraps into adulthood. They had been a fixture in Waterdeep since they came of age, and had been raised in the Temple of Beauty after their monther, a high-ranking Sunite cleric, died in childbirth and their father abandoned them out of grief and resentment. Tiberius Inuus was a powerful paladin and leader of the Order of the Ruby Rose, devoted to spreading the love of Sune to every corner of Faerun. While Tiberius chose a path of action that channeled his own grief in anger towards positive ends, Naes followed in his mother’s path of peace to become a powerful priest in his own right and was named First Heartwarder. Siegfried knew that under Tiberius’s leadership, the Order of the Ruby Rose was a well-trained military force that regularly campaigned against the forces of darkness with great proficiency, capable of laying their foes low without mussing their perfectly-coiffed hairstyles or denting their polished armour. Tiberius was adept at leveraging the large number of faithful amongst the nobility of the Lords’ Alliance and was able to ensure that the Ruby Rose were included in important battles against threats to the cities of the Sword Coast. While the veterans of the Order of the Gauntlet might view clerics of Sune as soft, they respected the Ruby Rose because of the efforts of Tiberius. An army of Variens at his disposal, Siegfried considered. My, my. As First Heartwarder, Naes Inuus was a high priest of Sune and believed that Sune was a goddess for all beings of the realms. His stated aim was to have a temple devoted to Sune in every city and village from the Sword Coast to the Sea of Fallen Stars and beyond, and in the history of the church, none of Sune’s faithful had ever been responsible for establishing as many new temples as had Naes. From Neverwinter in the North to Port Nyanzaru on the Chultan peninsula, it was difficult to find a community that doesn’t have at least a shrine devoted to the goddess of beauty. Naes had a reputation of being so devoted to Sune and her gospel that he was intolerant of other faiths. If there was an opportunity to convert a significant number of people to Sune’s faith, Naes would leave his offices in the Temple of Beauty. So, it was his fault that the High Exultant was replaced by a succubus, Siegfried thought. Naes tossed his locks of hair with a jaunty snap of his neck and said “well, what did I miss?” as he approached. Spying Bob, he smiled warmly and clapped his perfumed hands. “Ah! You must be High Exultant Robert Trevelyan!” He embraced Bob and gave him a traditional Sunite greeting: a kiss on both cheeks. “What a pleasure it is to meet you!” He clapped Bob on the shoulder. “Well, we have much to discuss before we get down to the business of the day, wouldn’t you agree?” He put his arm collegially around Bob’s shoulders and guided him back towards the sanctuary. “I must hear of your exploits and get a full debriefing, perhaps over a nice cup of coffee, wouldn’t you say?” Varien couldn’t help but notice that Tiberius Inuus was giving him a appraising look as he mounted the steps. He extended his muscled arm to the paladin and said “You must be Varien Aether.” Varien clasped the proffered hand, which had a vice-like grip. “I am indeed. You know, I read your book when I was quartered in Luskan.” Beneath his centurion’s helmet, Tiberius’s handsome face cracked a smile. “You’ve read Dawns and Departures of a Soldier’s Life ?” “Twice!” Varien said. “It was a tough couple of years but your book helped me through it.” Tiberius removed his helmet and stored it under his arm. “Well, that is incredibly gratifying, that my wisdom, and that of my ghostwriter ,” he added sotto voce , “was able to help you through such a time.” He looked at Varien anew, a certain respect in his eyes. “I read something about you as well, you know – mentions in dispatches that reached me even as I was in the far-flung reaches on campaign with the Order. I’ve heard that Our Lady bestowed upon you the gift of a Ruby Rose unbidden. Had I known sooner I would have bid you join us on our call to action. But clearly you have been doing well for yourself. I would actually love to hear of your exploits in service of Lady Firehair and of course, the security of the Sword Coast and so on. I understand that you have been in the thick of it.” “Well, you know, it would be ugly to boast,” Varien replied. Tiberius threw his head back and laughed. “Confidence in one’s abilities and evidence of competence is not arrogance, Varien Aether, and there is a time when boasting is not unseemly,” he said. “Why, I’m restraining myself from beating my breast as I chronicle many a deed that the Order has done of late. However, it is good to meet you, and we’ll get you marching under the banner of the Ruby Rose yet, mark my words.” Siegfried observed these exchanges with a watchful eye. He believed that Tiberius’s respect for Varien was genuine and he appeared to be interested in learning more about him with a view to recruiting him into the Sisters and Brothers of the Ruby Rose. Siegfried also knew, by reputation, that Tiberius detested the corruption of city-state politics, which in his view put him and Varien on the same playing field. Tiberius turned to wave at the troops who continued to march by. He leaned over to Varien and under his breath said, “Truth be told, I’d rather still be out on the battlefield rather than navigate this political problem that we have here in Waterdeep.” “Well, that’s clearly the point of why we’re here,” Varien said. “You need someone clearly competent to do it. Certainly not me, I’m not the one to do it, but also you don’t want the one who wants to do it to do it, necessarily, because then you get the situation of me needing to come back here and banishing them.” Tiberius chuckled and nodded. “Yes indeed, whoever declines the offer the loudest is clearly the one most in favour of taking up the mantle of leadership.” He sighed. “I’ve heard no end from my brother on this topic.” “Does he want you to be the High Priest?” Varien asked. Tiberius scoffed. “I would really rather not be behind a desk or pulpit if you take my meaning.” “Well, it would be beneficial to have a High Priest who was capable of swinging a longsword,” Varien replied. “Yes, but usually when I swing my longsword I like it to kill something at the end of my blade. There’s not much killing to be done on temple grounds, although I have heard otherwise of late, eh?” He gave Varien a sidelong glance and winked. Siegfried also determined that Naes was a master politician and was interacting with Bob because it was protocol and expected, and he was trying to strike up a friendship that may end up with benefits. The Herald was now calling out as the brothers approached the church entrance. “Behold, Naes Inuus, the First Heartwarder, returned to the Temple of Beauty!” Erwen tugged on Siegfried’s belt. “He must have been named after a horse,” he whispered. Siegfried gave Erwen a piece of jerky and patted him on the head. The party entered the temple. Siegfried positioned himself near Nero of the Garden as a self-appointed arbiter of succession, given his role in clearing the way for the vacancy and in support of Bob. Nero seemed amenable. “Let’s not rewrite ecclesiastical precepts completely, but your princely presence is appreciated,” the genasi genie purred. “We’ll allow the honorific to stand.” Siegfried leaned in. “I know it doesn’t mean anything, I’m just here to look out for my boys since they don’t know how to politic as well as we do.” “Isn’t that always the way,” Nero replied. “Well, since we have some time before the formal proceedings get underway, I think I will make acquaintances with the Thayan representative,” Siegfried said, spying Adanja Feranos from across the sanctuary. The priestess seemed less like a fish out of water than a navigational hazard that all other delegates were keen to avoid. “Hey,” Siegfried said to the priestess, using his eyebrows to their fullest extent. Feranos seemed grateful for the attention. Varien turned to Tiberius as he watched the exchange. “What’s the deal in Thay, anyway?” “Where would I start?” Tiberius said. “Were you involved in setting up a temple there?” Varien asked. “Well, we do our best to spread the light and love of Sune to all corners of Faerun,” Tiberius said. “Even to places that live in shadow, and there’s no place more shadowy than Thay. However, the city of Bezantur is also known as the City of a Thousand Temples, when it’s not known as the Citadel of Thieves, that is,” he winked at Varien. “As Thayan cities go, it’s as diverse a place as can be found in that benighted realm and is a hub for those oppressed by the rule of the Red Wizards, who worship magic above all else. We’ve made inroads as far as we can without attracting the ire of Szass Tam. This priestess here, Feranos, does not parade herself openly as an Philocalist of Sune in Thay, rather she leads an underground church, a network of believers, for should they become too visible, too prominent, the other, darker faiths active in Thay will, shall we say, push them out, sometimes violently. So we support them through back channels as best we can.” Siegfried was finding much of this out from Feranos as he leaned in close, playing it cool. The priestess, for her part, was enjoying the social contact a little too much for Siegfried’s liking, but the half-orc knew he had to do what he had to do in order to get as much information as possible. He figured that if she was an agent of the Red Wizards, she was a singular expert in covering it up. Feranos was talking about the difficulties faced by the minority faiths of Thay. “Leaving Bezantur was a risk in and of itself, and I’m not sure what I will return to when this conclave has concluded. However, the importance of the deliberations here demanded my presence.” At this she wiped a tear from her mascaraed eye. “If only these other priestesses and clerics understood what my flock has had to endure in the East. They just don’t get it.” “It’s like Robert’s always saying,” Siegfried said, indicating Bob Trevelyan across the room. “These bloody Westerners are ignorant of the struggles of Sune’s faithful of the East.” Feranos’s eyes widened. “Oh? Robert Trevelyan is also from the East?” Siegfried nodded. “Born and raised in Kirkwall,” he replied. “Even further east than Thay,” she mused. “That’s fascinating.” “Yes, this is a man who knows the needs of integrity in hard places, of supporting those who are doing important work under difficult circumstances. Bob is not someone who lets people down,” Siegfried said, pumping Bob’s air into Adanja’s tires. The Philocalist was listening with rapt attention. On the other side of the room, Erwen was observing the interactions of the many beautiful Sunite delegates, and picked up a bit of frost and frigidity between High Priestess Morlain and the High and Most Beautiful Priestess Aumreya Uldarin. The pair of voluptuous vicars were engaged in a complicated repartee of wordplay disguising insults within compliments, and were approaching the outer edge of propriety. I’m detecting bad vibes in this sensual stew, Erwen thought to himself. It’s time to stir the pot. He moseyed towards the two priestesses. Aumreya was in the middle of saying “you know, I just love the way you don’t care about what anybody thinks of you!” to Morlain. “Your dedication to the faith is impressive, even if it means sacrificing your marital life,” Morlain replied, running a hand up and down her trophy husband’s substantial bicep. “Morlain, you’re so brave for normalizing realistic standards of attractiveness within the Temple of Beauty,” Aumreya replied with an insincere wink. “In the Temple of Beauty’s light, you look very nice indeed,” Morlain snapped back. “You know, I just passed through the Palace of Passion, and I wish I was relaxed about housekeeping standards as you are,” Aumreya replied. “It’s so good of you to prioritize the work of the Church outside the temple gates, on street corners.” As Erwen passed Aumreya’s curved hip, he whispered, “I heard they were talking about your beauty and the way you dress to someone else.” He walked past. As Erwen tried to disappear in the crowd, he saw Ilbrar the Iron put a staying hand on Morlain’s forearm before his wife could draw breath to give a retort that would have shattered the freshly-replaced stain glass windows in the sanctuary. Erwen felt someone’s gaze on him. “Well, who might you be?” Thauna Mascalar’s honeyed voice said as a willowy figure bent down to his level, giving him an eyeful of her substantial cleavage. “Your worst nightmare,” Erwen growled. “Oh my!” Thauna squeaked. She straightened up, straightened her skirts, and turned back to the verbal battle unfolding. Varien and Tiberius were sharing war stories with one another. “A balor in the basement?” Tiberius said. “Among the many problems inherent in fighting in a basement is that you’re fighting in a basement.” Siegfried disengaged from Adanjos and did a fly-by of his own, speaking in the voice of Malwe-Sha as he did so. Yes, get your woman under control , he purred. He melted into the crowd and struck up a conversation with Shandalara. He detected a slight flinch from Ilbrar as he moved past and felt the man’s eyes on his shoulder blades as he spoke with the representative from Silverymoon. Shandalara was a bookish sort, and Siegfried maneuvered her towards Sybil, sensing that the two would be sympatico. A soft chime from the altar dais let the assembly know that the synod was about to begin.