Annie watched from the shadows, waited to see if he’d be back today. If so, then good news for her and the old man. People distracted were easy marks, and a bit more ration meant things would be a bit easier for a day.  The rich folk who came through the market always seemed to have a bit more to buy ration with, anyway. Not like they’d starve, unlike Annie and the old man.

She spotted him then: the preacher was tall and thin, mostly skin and bones.  Instead of picking up his ration in the market like everyone else, he used the time to preach to everyone else there.  He’d found a box to stand on, and put it near the center of the roundabout, where a tiny garden grew under the light of sun and stars.

“Fools!” He cried out.  “All of you, shuffling on in this false life after what she did to us.  She denied us our right to an afterlife, and you are just glad there’s a bit of bread or meat to eke out your day.”

Annie watched the preacher and the crowd around him. “Petricalifax didn’t save us! She doomed our ancestors and all their children to roam the empty void forever.  Death is no outlet for us, there is no Heaven waiting for us when we die. All that is barred from us, when we could have gone on when the Gods left us all.”

He was gathering a crowd now, and Annie slipped out.  A coin bag here, a bit of bread there. It all went in her shirt, hidden from view.  The preacher had worked into a froth now, and people were stopping and watching him.  And not watching their purse strings.

“You say she is on the side of Law and Good, that she’s and ancient gold dragon and remembers what is right and honorable.  I say she is alien to us, more so than any dark elf or orc, human or halfling. What is Law without Hammerforge to beat it into shape? Where is Good with Ardent to champion it passionately?

They are gone, and with them any idea of Law or Good or even Evil.  Perticalifax stole that from us when she locked our forebears in her spell.  And why? Why? I ask of you? To save us? Or to play with us?”

The crowd was full, and riled up. Annie shirt was full, too, and she slunk away.  The preacher would be back tomorrow, for another sermon, but she and the old man would eat well tonight.

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Note: We’re still looking for a Few Good Adventurers.