[ WP ] The new class of paladins does not , in fact , contain a single paladin ... just a lot of other classes doing their best to fake it .

`` Amand, Thomas?'' 
 
 `` Cleric.'' 
 
 `` Another one?'' I looked up from the ledger at the paladin lounging in the chair opposite. Anneth was the least paladin-like paladin I'd ever seen, but there was no denying she was one of the best trainers in the entire Empire. 
 
 Most Paladins, reporting to the headmaster of the Academy would be sitting properly in the chair, not sprawled over it like it was a padded lounger. Most paladins would also be decked out in full regalia as befitting a formal report, not wearing a loose shirt and trousers. And twirling a throwing knife. 
 
 `` So that makes four clerics, two warriors, a thief and a sorcerer. Are any of the graduating class actually Paladins?'' 
 
 `` Gaston shows some promise. Good heart, stalwart friend, about as straight an arrow as you can get.'' 
 
 `` And?'' 
 
 *Sigh* `` And nothing. Nada. Zip. No aura, no spells. Long hours in the chapel, but no sign from the Gals Upstairs'' 
 
 I tried not to wince as Anneth referred to the Five in such a flippant manner. She was a devotee of The Watcher, who was *supposed* to guard the minds of the people from the fear and insanity of the Dark Thief, but her chosen Paladins always tended to have the strangest... quirks. 
 
 `` Any luck yourself?'' 
 
 `` Nothing concrete.'' That was disappointing. The Five could be extremely vocal during times of strife, but otherwise you just... never heard from them. It'd been sixteen years since the last raiders had been driven out of Callums Gap, and since then....nothing. The cursed thing was that for the gods *that was n't unusual*. So now we had a complete lack of new Paladins, complete silence from the Heavens, and no way of knowing what that meant. 
 
 I flipped open the report sheets. No unusual activity from the villages. No missing patrols. No disturbances. Even the chapels were n't reporting anything.....hold on. 
 
 `` Hold on....the Chapel down by Sunwall is requesting more Amethyst candles.'' 
 
 Anneth perked up at that, one eyebrow raised. Amethyst Candles were only ever used as symbols for the Gods. One of their'miraculous' features was that so long as the flame, representing the Five, burned, then the candle never melted. Should that flame stop though....*poof*. So a Chapel requesting more should only happen if the flames died... and those flames only died when Dark works were afoot. 
 
 `` Right. I'll take Gaston, Thomas, and Serefina. We'll check it out. Run the rest through the Fast of the Forty Nights again, I'd say. If that does n't spontaneously cause at least one of them to acquire *Create Water*, nothing will.'' 
 
 -- -- 
 
 The next morning, four Imperial Chargers thundered out of the main gates, their riders bedecked in full ceremonial regalia. Burnished breastplates and jeweled scabbards glinted magnificently in the early sun as the riders crested the outer fortifications of the Academy, and then descended into the town proper. 
 
 `` *Make Way! Make Way for the Paladins of the Empire! *'' 
 
 The crier had time to get one fast call out before the horses sped down the broad Access Avenue, causing merchants to leap aside in trepidation. A full Expedition should *never* be impeded. Wonder with a touch of anxiety followed their mad dash, until the horses and riders were out the gate and away down the hill. In the sudden silence that was left in their wake, worried whispers started up, speculation and information alike blossoming. 
 
 And in the crowd, the guards listened carefully. Listened in order to report to the Academy. 
 
 -- -- -- 
 
 Gaston swung off his charger and sincerely regretted it. Pain from a day in the saddle spiked up his spine, and as he tended to his steed, that pain helped focus his mind. Paladin Anneth had been remarkably cryptic, and their high-speed departure from the Academy clearly indicated there was something serious going on. Raiders? Animal Attacks? The Dark? 
 
 Anneth had to know about his failures in the Chapel. But why would she then have taken him on an expedition? He supposed that Thomas and Serefina had accomplished the favor of one of the Five, but him? He was naught but a warrior trying his best to act like a Paladin. 
 
 `` Gaston! Fire, if you please!'' 
 
 Anneth's command was pleasant, but firm. Much like all her tests and trials at the Academy. He gathered the twigs and sticks and arranged them in the campfire. He knew technically how the next step should go. 
 
 Concentrate, focus, and then use the command: *ignis*. 
 
 He tried it again, one eye carefully on Anneth. She turned away, looking out over the valley, and quick as a flash, Gaston brought his bracers together, sparking the flint and steel he'd hidden in them. Sparks rained down on the kindling, and a wisp of smoke began wafting up. Paladin Anneth smiled down on his effort and then moved off to the woods. 
 
 Gaston returned to his horse for his supplies, uncomfortably convinced that Anneth's smile had been less of satisfaction, and more of *knowing*. 
 
 -- -- - 
 
 Thomas tried not to let the sweat show. It was their second day of riding, and an unexpected test had come upon them. A merchant caravan lay on the side of the road, and it's two occupants stood awkwardly next to it. One had a clearly broken arm - a trivial repair task given the right magics, but otherwise a long, painful process to fix without. 
 
 Paladin Anneth had asked him to `` Heal'' the injured merchant, but there was one problem. Thomas was yet to gain the ability to do so. Sure, he had his Cleric spells - cleric magic was n't from the Five, but rather from the ambient faith energy. It also would n't work while he was wearing the heavy armor of the Paladins. 
 
 He'd prayed for hours in the chapels, but nothing. He could n't go back to Father Martins at the Hammerfell Chapel and admit failure. He just had to try harder, to try again. 
 
 But for now, he had a job. Taking the injured man, he led him around the far side of the wagon, and out of the view of the others. Then he shucked off the heavy breastplate and went to work. 
 
 The familiar flows of magic washed over him, and he caught them, shaping with his will, taking power from the faith of the people and teasing it, manipulating it. With a subtle flash of blue, the broken arm snapped back into place and knitted together. 
 
 As he replaced his armor, Thomas ignored the tearful thanks of the merchant, his mind already whirring as he tried to figure out how he could get through the next few days with his sole level one spell slot already used. 
 
 -- - 
 
 Serefina positively *detested* this muck. It smelt, and it clung to her boots. It was n't... quite mud, and she completely refused to think about what it actually entailed. Besides, all this... this expedition, this creeping around as *things* prowled the mists was n't her fault. 
 
 But no! Mother had insisted that she attend the Academy. Mother was sure that her *darling'fina* was a genuine Paladin! Mother, who could n't so much cast a cantrip! Really, she supposed it was actually that pious bastard David. He could n't accept that he had Draconic blood in him, so any magics was therefore divine, not mortal!. 
 
 *Just accept that one of your ancestors did the dirty with a dragon, dolt! * She'd thrown that one at him, and the next day found herself shipped off to the boring, stolid Academy. 
 
 She figured the fastest way through was just to fake it, drop out at the last minute, and then hike out on her own. Head home and Mother and David would make her life hell. 
 
 Speaking of which, her life was hell. Just ahead of her, a skeleton ambled aimlessly around the edge of the unmarked grave. Some schmuck attempting to save on burial costs by skimping the blessings, apparently. And now the Dark Arts had empowered his skelton into an unholy semblance of life. 
 
 Paladin Anneth - who was undeniably *cool*, really - had instructed her to deal with it. Serefina knew the spell to use - *Turn Undead*, but not being a Paladin, she was n't actually able to cast it. 
 
 *Time for the old'Sorcerer Special then*. 
 
 Channeling her magic, Serefina luxuriated in the sensation as her entire body came alive, heat rushing toward her hand....and a globe of fire spalled into existence above it. Euphoria sang in her very bones as she drew an arm back and *hurled* it at the undead. 
 
 At the last second, she remembered to shout `` TURN UNDEAD!'' as the Fireball hit home, and blasted the charred, shattered fragments of the skeleton over the clearing. Who needed gods again? 
 
 -- - 
 
 Anneth dismounted and tried not to be sick. The very air around the chapel was thick with a putrid *something*, and the unconcerned expressions of her charges showed clearly that none of them had the slightest thread of Divine favor in them. 
 
 `` Alright, here we are. Smells like the Dark, so draw swords and watch each others backs. Get in to the Chapel, investigate, and get out. If it's too much, we send a runner back to the Academy. No unnecessary risks, people. Lets go.'' 
 
 A Dark infestation like this was....worrisome. It was exactly the sort of thing that the Five... that hell *The Watcher* was meant to spot before it got a hold. And she'd felt nothing. And none of the new recruits had gained Paladin status. 
 
 It was more than worrisome. It was... bad. 
 
 Anneth pried the door open with her sword, and moved in. Low and stealthy. The others followed. 
 
 The chapel was dimly lit, with five red candles glowing ahead. Several of the pews had been smashed, and there was *something* in front of the altar....she cursed softly as the form resolved into the slumped body of the chapel priest. 
 
 Anneth stood, and strode up the aisle - just in time for a massive *Presence* to thunder soundlessly through the space. Her legs were mired in glue, her jaw frozen shut as absolute unthinkable Evil locked her down. 
 
 *AH! More Morsels To Consume! Come, Little Paladins!'' 
 
 The form of the priest rose, and shambled towards the small group. Anneth recognized its shattered walk almost immediately. *Void Demon! * 
 
 -- - 
 
 *Damn Character limit. * 

