((Note to all readers: While the story of Mar'tessek and Brother Raphael will remain decent quality, I've converted this story from a hunt to simply a money-making thread where I can post quickly to raise my funds. Don't blame me; blame the Seasonal Specialties shop... ))
An odd figure took refuge in the Halls of Purity. At first glance, it seemed human, but a closer look revealed something...quite different. It was a woman, tall and broad-shouldered. Coal-black hair hung down her back, tied securely with a green ribbon. Her skin was dark, all but her face covered in drab green scales. Her hands sported black, pointed fingernails that resembled talons more than anything else. Her neck was unnaturally long, stretching far above the collar of her coat.
Mar'Tessek knelt before the candles she had lit, one for each member of her team that had passed away during the war. She placed her hands palms-down on her legs, and bowed her head over it reverently. In her mind, she brought each member's face to mind, trying to remember the good times, things they had shared before they had lost their lives in a cause which had proven to be fruitless in the end. She closed her eyes, offering up a prayer to Zu'hai that their next lives would be gentler to them.
"And please, great Zu'hai, let me find peace while I still inhabit this form."