the guardian sacrifice ✞ church of todd

t a n n e r    g a r c i a  .

Today, the Priests round up the Divine and the Jailor rounds up the disciples and Tanner rounds up the children, and they all gather outside the gallows in the center of the commune. No one stands under the structure, or at the lever, instead they all stand in front of the wooden terror. There are murmurs in the crowd that Tanner tries to ignore as he takes his place in the crowd, somewhere towards the front right, in plain view of his father. The Father. 

In the sway of the desert's air, you can see tumbleweeds scutter by and hear the creek of the noose. The sun is high at 11 a.m. and the heat is ever present, Tanner chats with another teacher as they wait for the watchmen to make it from the furthest points of the commune. Ernest Marsh, a language teacher, without her the latin language would be lost on the next generation. She asks Tanner if he knows anything of the gathering, and he says no. She asks Tanner if he knows anything of the set up at the gallows, and again, he says no. A manila box sits on a black table atop the wooden structure. He can assumes a vote, for what he cannot tell. 

Never would he have been able to guess the intentions of today's event. 

The Father nods to a watchman and then to a Divine Priest, Ezra Walker, attesting that everybody is in attendance. He then begins to speak, first with a verse that Tanner follows along with from his own memory. "For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings," the Father says.

"Corinthians Chapter 4, Verse 9," there's a brief pause before he states what most of them already know. "Condemned to die in the arena," he repeats, "today we are gathered in honor of Son of Todd, Elijah. He has been chosen for the ultimate test of devotion, and we can only pray for his magnificent deliverance. Rejoice!" He exclaims, and so they do, rejoice, rejoice, rejoice. It's rowdy for a second until the Father begins again, "I would now like to draw your focus to the box beside me."

The manila box. It draws all the focus from the court, "are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? That is what I ask to you," there is a moment where the crowd is left to ponder the verse from Hebrews. "To pay respects to Elijah's rite, I raise a tribute of our own: The Guardian Sacrifice. The option is your's to enter your name, and we will select one devoted soul to take the journey from the gallows to the gates above. To look over Elijah, and his deliverance." 

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Hello! We're gonna have a voluntary sacrifice to help Elijah win the Hunger Games. You can enter your character and how many entries you want, and you can enter 5 times. We will roll from a list that also includes a bunch of NPCs. That list will include mentors, parents and even siblings! May he deliver you.