Familia Oratoria

Chapter 1: Prologue

Fuuuaaahhh he let out a long, slow sigh, relaxing his whole body steadily from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Sagging slightly in the stool he sat on, he felt the half flagon of stout he'd guzzled hit his empty stomach, immediately going to work for him to churn up a buzz. This- in his humble view- was the best part of his post-Dungeon ritual. The bar was full, but not packed, as always, so for his companion and himself, it was comfortable.

Hey Bosch, ya hear? he hummed, humoring his companion even though he most certainly did not hear, and didn't really care. He wasn't a gossip, but she enjoyed the rumor mill as much as he enjoyed his booze, so he always indulged her.

Hear what, Anna?

Well, word is that Zeus and Hera are forming a partnership, and I heard they mean to challenge the Big Three she muttered conspiratorially. Though this time, it sounds like the situation warranted it, if it were true.

That sounds like some big news, if it holds water. Zeus and Hera have the strength on their own to be big players. Hmmm... on their own, they would be equal as the top two familia in Orario now, I'd say; the Big Three only outmatch them because of their own alliance. If they form their own in opposition, it could work. In that sense, I guess it ain't unbelievable

That's what I thought, too, but I don't know exactly what they would plan to do. I mean, Osiris Familia would probably congratulate them on the pact, but Set and Sobek wouldn't let it go without a fight, right?

He went silent for a moment, finishing the second half of his drink before flagging down a refill, They probably wouldn't, no; that means Osiris would have to fight, too. Wonder if it'll come to that? As long as it's all sanctioned by the Gods though, could make for some great entertainment!

Well yeah! A big power shift doesn't come along often, after all; pretty exciting time to be in Orario, huh?

Ha! Cheers to that one!

These two modest adventures, in a sea of similar souls, went about their daily life, not knowing that their casual conversation was predicting almost exactly the events of the next year. Zeus and Hera- Gods who descended to the lower world of Gekai relatively recently in divine terms- had shown themselves to be excellent in judging the potential of the mortal children to become strong adventurers, and equally competent in raising and guiding them in their progress. By the fourth generation of their familia, they announced the very first level 5 adventures known to the world, what would one day be known as first-class adventurers. Despite their smaller size and lesser resources, they were easy contenders for top familia in Orario. However, the top group of the city- known as the Big Three- was comprised of some of the earliest descended Gods in the lower world: Set, Sobek, and their head Osiris. These Gods commanded large, wealthy, powerful familia on their own, but in their alliance were practically unequal. It was only the guild and the influence of Osiris that kept the balance, considering the alliance was shaky at best due to the unrest between the three Gods themselves.

This provided an opportunity for the new stars of Orario. Zeus and Hera- having far future ambitions in mind- cemented an alliance to establish themselves and their familia at the top of Orario's pyramid. The pact was approved by Ouranos himself, and announced at the Denatus; eventually, it led to an unavoidable conflict between them and the more numerous Big Three. Set, Sobek, and Osiris commanded many adventurers ranging all the way to many level 3 and 4 individuals; however, Zeus and Hera combined were a great power as well. Their captains and aces were all level 4 or 5, and a number of level 3's and 2's on top of that. After an incident involving the attempted assassination of the Zeus familia captain, a War Game was called.

The result was a three-day battle in the wastes of the Kaios Desert that saw Zeus and Hera victorious, and the alliance of the Big Three broken. Within this grand story, a lesser, but more enduring one is found. The God Osiris, who was the central figure of the alliance, had one child among his Familia which was of first-class strength, but not first-class in level. His favored child had been banned from participation in the War Game by Osiris himself, and was left behind when the God took up his Familia and left from Orario after their defeat. This confused the child, who had kept Osiris' falna, and left himself to self-loathing; he continued in the dungeon, wondering if the outcome might have been different for his Familia.

He stewed for years in this fugue, until he bumped into a figure alone in the city at night. The man stunk of the Pleasure Quarter, but he still turned to apologize all the same, only to freeze up when he saw that it was Zeus himself he'd run across. The briefest flash of rage-induced thought was for him to strike the God down; send Zeus to heaven, render all his children powerless before him, and exact vengeance. Shame quickly put out that thought like a smoldering ember, and he bowed his head to resume his apology.

Ah, I remember you well, kiddo! You're the Horus, aren't ya? Osiris told me a lot about you, ya know?

Huh? You two... talked about me?

Course we did; you are his favorite child, ya know? He explained that you had the greatest potential of any he'd ever seen, and I can agree with him, seeing ya now

You flatter me, Lord Zeus, surely. If I was that great, he would have used my power to win the war game back then

Ah, listen kid, did he not explain things to ya? We didn't do all that just to be the top dogs, ya know? Lord Ouranos and Osiris both had some concerns about Set and Sobek that needed to be addressed, and that was the way we handled it. He excluded you because we might've lost if he didn't

Why not tell me, then?

Well, I dunno, lad. He told me he sent ya on an adventure during the war game though; wanna tell me how it went? I'll treat ya to dinner, come on

So began the strange and unlikely friendship between a God and the mortal whose deity was beaten by that God's Familia. Over the course of half a year, Horus came to know and accept the necessity of Zeus and Hera supplanting the previous Big Three; he grew so close with Zeus- in fact, that he converted his falna to that of the other God. He knew the necessity that even simply status updates would have for him moving forward. He had stood still long enough; it was time for another adventure.

Even still, he was not an open member of the Zeus Familia. Zeus was merely updating his blessing, and in return only called on rare favors from the man. He continued his solo work independent from the familia, and Zeus almost exclusively called on him for training new talent for him, Hera, or one of the other Gods' promising children in Orario, or even outside the city. He continued on like this through generations of Orario's adventurers, until he came to teach those that would take on the Three Grand Quests, as explained to him by Zeus. The sort of talent that concentrated once in a millennia was going to slay the three monster kings that still threatened the surface: Behemoth, Leviathan, and the Black Dragon. He asked, of course, about being included himself, but Zeus avoided the issue and had him simply train the others until they could stand on their own. He did so, and watched as they succeeded in slaying the first two great beasts, and set off for the third in high spirits.

When the news came of their defeat, it was heartbreaking. In a moment, he was reliving the what-ifs of his past. Like the War Game, would his presence have made a difference with the dragon? Regardless of the turmoil in his mind, the world moved on. Zeus came to meet with him in private, explaining that he thought Loki and Freya would soon move against Hera and himself in their vulnerable position. He wasn't happy, but he agreed with the prediction, and the god told him of his plan to move to the countryside to raise a child. A newborn boy from a member of his and Hera's familia. The remnants of the two familia would leave with them, or otherwise convert or go about their future as they saw fit; a few had survived the calamity of the Black Dragon, but none would dare attempt it again.

Taking this all in, Horus asked only for a final status update before returning the favor to Zeus and telling him of his plan. He would delve into the dungeon as deep as anyone has ever gone. He would reach the depths and either take the secrets to the grave, or return with greater knowledge to slay the dragon. There they departed, both with pain at the recent loss. Horus told his plan to Ouranos, explaining that he would return to him immediately upon his expedition's completion- should he survive it- as soon as he made it back to the surface. After saying farewell to his friend Fels, he went beneath the surface.