Luske couldn't remember much of what happened after that. Only his eyes - his damned eyes. They held a profound power she could not fully describe. Even the most reluctant of his girls would end up fawning over him after locking eyes with the pig, and Luske fears she fared no better. She counts it a blessing that she hold so few memories of the months that followed, up until Farouq decided to try a new technique on her. A total psychic extraction - everything she was, and everything she knew, would be drained out and locked away for his perusal, but she'd have to consent of course. Of course. When you're one of Farouq's girls, consent comes easy.

Perhaps the technique needed more work, perhaps her mind was too much for him, or perhaps the goddess interceded, but what happened next could not have been what Farouq had planned. Luske stood awake, sober, in control of her faculties for the first time in months, but on the ground before her was her own lifeless corpse. She now occupied the body of Lucky Farouq, and he was nowhere to be found.

Distraught with this harrowing revelation, Luske came to pieces, sobbing alone for hours in the undercroft beneath the Monastery with only her own remains for company. Eventually she allowed herself a prayer, to apologize and seek atonement from the goddess for allowing herself to stray so far. But to her surprise once more, the miracles of Sarenrae were still at her fingertips. She could still conjure light, still deliver healing, still call upon divine fire. She took this as a sign from the goddess, that it was her duty to steer the false idol's flock.

She came to realize that many of them could not turn anywhere else for aid. The few temples of Sarenrae in Katapesh were horribly overburdened and were unfortunately unable to care for a fraction of those who needed them, and the more populous church of Abadar would lay blame upon them for the grave sin of destitution, and relieve them of their hands if not their very lives for daring to steal in order to feed themselves.

For now, she was all they had. She resolved to reform the cult, to inject it with the Dawnflower's teachings, to actually heal the afflicted and addicted, a clear step up from Farouq's hypnotic placebos. She explained the differences in her miracles (and behavior) as having reached a new level of enlightenment. No longer would the followers cower in fear of 'The Great One', but instead speak plainly and openly to her about their problems. She considered trying to seek outside aid... but who would believe her? Surely someone as wily as Farouq could fool a Zone of Truth.

It was not until another adventuring party arrived that she was freed from this burden. Among them was her orcish pupil, Izzy, now a great adventurer in his own right. Her tears overflowed at being reunited with him, despite him failing to recognize her in this new body. Unfortunately, the young Warpriest had discovered Luske's decaying body stowed in the undercroft before resolving himself to slay Farouq for his heinous crimes. Luske had tried keeping the body fresh with Gentle Repose at first, hoping perhaps she could undo what had happened somehow, but as time went on and her flock continued to grow, she simply didn't have the time (or spell slots) to keep it up, as she had so many others to keep healthy.

---

"Did you kill her?" he asks, flatly
"I... Izzy I'm... this is hard to explain." the pig bites her lip. 'I am Luske Truestar..."
Izzy looks deep into the pig's eyes and it seems like she's telling the truth.
Izzy falters a bit, looking over the portly half orc. "I...I..." he keeps his eyes on the half orc. "Tell me something about me then, something only Luske would know." he mutters
The half-orc sniffles, wiping away her tears. "You always snort when you drink your soup." she offers, continuing without being prompted. "You had stable duty for almost half a year for trying to 'free' the vigil's horses." "You always say please and thank you when it's time for dinner, no matter how tired you are. And you have the biggest heart of any of the young recruits I even mentored back in Solku." she allows her sniffling to break down into big, heaving sobs.
Izzy scours Luske's face for any hint of impropriety but... every word rings true...
Izzy reaches out for hug, wrapping his arms around the pig's torso and squeezing.

---

Luske sobbed into that embrace for what seemed an eternity, eventually explaining to the adventurers everything that had transpired. As it happened, they were aiming to found their own town just an hour's walk from Katapesh, and were happy to provide aid, housing, and labor to the members of her flock. Their leader, the shrewd and charismatic Rakshasa Catfolk Anizhar, suggested that in exchange, Luske could provide her services as High Priest of the budding settlement, helping to coordinate and settle religious matters amongst its populace. Thrilled to be able to get these people the help they needed on a more permanent basis, and to find a place to call home even in this new body of hers, Luske agreed eagerly. Now she serves as the High Priest of Venture, using her position to settle disputes between alarmingly high number of Rovagug and Lamashtu worshipers in the city, and to extend aid to bring the destitute of nearby Katapesh to the growing city so that they might have a place to live, work, and prosper.

Finally having time to herself after all this madness, she's started to develop a relationship with Izzy. She loves to hear the stories of his many heroic exploits, and is still more than willing to serve as his guiding light when he holds doubts about the path ahead. As a lasting reminder of Farouq's influence, she finds that the body of a portly, virile pig man inescapably appealing - both Izzy's and her own included, and is debating if she might just want to stay this way now, even if she does still prefer being addressed as, and dressing as, a lady.

Description by  lemuel

Kah colored it!

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