Eventually they reached the island, soaked to the bone but comforted in the knowledge that their efforts were, if not necessarily being celebrated, were at the least being tolerated. It was a fine line, she thought, when dealing with the darker aspects of the divine; appeasement is the wisest course of action, draw too much attention and you wind up with a situation like that business with the chrysalis. Still, all of the divine faces deserved respect, she just generally preferred to respect them at a safe distance.
After a long climb, they gathered somewhat appropriately beneath the Eluned prayer gate and awaited the other ship's passengers and whatever stragglers had decided to come along. Liurilias announced Tethloren Island as their destination and Etherian slipped away to row across first and guide the rest of the group. Juleanne entertained the group with the beginnings of a sea shanty before deciding that the remainder was too bawdy, while several of the clerics offered quiet prayers to the night. As the dawn bells chimed across the sleeping city, the mother-of-pearl walls of the arch took on an eerie hue, as marine colored lightning crept up the sides and covered the entire structure, much like netting would. The lightning crackled and spat, and then like a reverse growing ivy it simply retreated downward and disappeared into the ground. Shivering slightly, Mistanna cast her gaze outside for a long breath and then gathered herself, opening a moongate to where Etherian stood waiting. The group passed through one by one and gazed around at the Halasa Temple.
They passed through the shrines, pausing before each avatar, making offerings of shells, water, and prayers. Some of them debated the source of Drogor's ire, some simply looked around in wonder. Having toured the area before (Was there a temple in this land that she and her husband had not seen?) Sendithu stayed towards the side with Zamara, the two women remaining vigilant as the signs of Divine attention grew stronger and more frequent.
Before the image of the albatross, Liurilias offered up thanks and praise and the supplicants filed through. The feeling of warm downy feathers encompassed her, like a coat. She felt safe, warm and loved. For a brief moment Sendithu could imagine herself on wing, flying above the waters, before she shook herself and became aware of her surroundings once more. Glancing around her, she thought she saw the vague figure of a smiling woman who appeared not to notice a man behind her who appeared to be glowering slightly. Sendithu stepped towards them, her hand straying towards a blade, but the pair disappeared as the crowd began to disperse, moving towards the shrine of Eluned.
Once again, offerings were made and prayers were recited. This time, as Zandrith recited a prayer to the Mother of Oceans, members of the group went still and unfocused briefly before recovering and exclaiming about receiving a vision of becoming a dolphin. Again she searched the shadows behind the pilgrims as they discussed their experience, and briefly caught a glimpse of a kindly woman observing the crowd. The glowering man stood behind this woman, as well, but his visage seemed slightly less aggressive towards her. The pair again vanished into the crowd as they moved forward towards the image of the shark, the shrine of Drogor.
Zamara pulled Sendithu aside as the group filed in. The Elf's eyes widened slightly in surprise as her friend explained what she wished to offer as tribute, but Sendithu acquiesced. Better that she do it than someone with a less steady hand, she thought. As the shark teeth piled up and the prayers to the Shark grew louder, more insistent, they approached the image and Zamara placed her hand on it, unblinking. Liurilias furrowed his brow at his wife but did not intervene as Sendithu stepped forward, a ritualist's knife suddenly in her right hand, her left hand holding Zamara's elbow steady.
With a final glance at Zamara's face, Sendithu raised her chin and intoned "Drogor, accept the hand of this Healer as thanks for safe passage, and the hopes that you will allow us to return to the mainland once more."
Zamara's hand tightened around the shark tooth she held, but the Healer said nothing. Behind them, the group continued their prayers and offerings, most ignoring the pair as they readied themselves. "Are you prepared?" Sendithu asked, and Zamara nodded slightly, setting her jaw. With a swift and sure motion, Sendithu tightened her grip and the knife flashed forward, severing Zamara's hand neatly at the wrist.
Several things seemed to happen at once. Behind them, the crowd stirred as a debate grew louder. A female was heard exclaiming "I would advise him to get over it", followed by "How to make an angry immortal not angry" just before a crack of wet thunder sounded accompanied by the stagnant and pungent smell of brine. Within the blink of an eye, a blast of marine-blue forked lightning appeared from above.
The smell of brine grew stronger, but was accompanied now by the stench of burnt flesh, as the marine-hued lightning sought its target, Gwenddolyn. As quickly as it appeared, the entity dissipated now that its divine work was completed.
Gwenddolyn's body and Zamara's hand hit the floor at almost the same instant. The crowd was silent for a breath, staring at the spectacle, before the room exploded in voices, everyone shouting at once. The overall sentiment was that, once physically healed, Gwenddolyn's spirit would receive no Clerical assistance until she made sufficient apology for her outburst. Over and over, Liurilias and Reira attempted to drive the point home that what the Therengian had said was unacceptable, particularly in light of the group's mission and the very sacred ground where they stood, but her spirit stubbornly refused to admit any wrongdoing until it became clear to all that abandoning her was honoring the will of Drogor and offering resurrection without her remorse was flying in the face of His wishes. Finally she relented (Afraid to be left behind, not truly sorry, Sendithu muttered to Liurilias later that morning), and after being blessed with a small sign of permission from Drogor himself, Liurilias gave her the gift of life once more.
Somewhat subdued, the group finished paying their respects. Zamara idly traced patterns in blood, washing the image of the shark in crimson. Sendithu cleaned her knife quietly, her eyes scanning the shadows. Liurilias and Mistanna gathered the group together and they filed out slowly, making their way back to the prayer gate as the unseen sun climbed towards midday. The wind and rain beat at them still, but each of the pilgrims felt like they had done something important that night. Something meaningful. As they approached their ships to sail home, crackling images of dancing lightning reminded them of the need to pause and reflect on their betters. Even the mightiest warrior only continued to draw breath at the whim of the Gods.
((I wanted to stop and thank everyone that took part last night. Little events like this one are one of my favorite things about this game, and it was fantastic to see how talk about the pilgrimage spread by word of mouth IG and we got some fresh faces to come out and hopefully have a little fun with this. Thank you, also, to whoever was behind the scenes freaking us out with krakens and lightning and stuff. So much fun to see things happening in response to what we were doing, it really adds to the immersion. So, again, thank all of you for participating, Liuri's player and I had a blast doing this with you! ))
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