• PM To Join • [Glass Temple] Glasshouse (Faith)

[Kali'rial]

41st Day of Ashan, 717. Mid Afternoon

If there was one thing that could be said about Kali'rial, it certainly wasn't a compliment about her deep religious dedication. In fact, as a Sev'ryn it was not usual for worship in the temples around Idalos. Her people were more spiritually connected with the earth under their feet and around them. They celebrated life and regeneration, the changing of the seasons and the turn of the tide. Yet, there were those who wandered, some who lost their way or purpose. In those few, it was not uncommon to pray to Moseke for help.

Standing before the Glass Temple, Kali wondered whether she was one of the lost. Why else had she followed her feet to this spectacular building? The brunette frowned, her brow creasing.

Why indeed? She thought, even as her legs moved her forward and her hand extended to open the door way to the temple.

Once inside, the young hunter gazed around in open mouthed awe. The vast arching ceilings and massive stained glass windows towered over her, making the Sev'ryn feel incredibly small in the wider scheme of things. It was so quiet, the type of quiet that made people whisper just to maintain it. Slowly moving into the temple, Kali was distracted by a gentle creaking. Blinking herself back to reality, she turned her periwinkle gaze towards the sound, suddenly noticing the ancient Tunawa smiling sagely at her feet. She squawked with surprise before composing herself enough to take a deep breath and nod in greeting to the Elder Tree.

"Greetings Elder." She said with serious respect in her tone.

"Is there somewhere I can speak to Moseke in private?" The old Tuwana raised a creaking arm, pointing to one of the doorways off the side of the building that led to the shrine for the Immortal. Kali nodded again in thanks, and as she moved away the Tunawa chuckled a rustle of amusement before returning to his spot beside the doors, awaiting the next soul in need of guidance.

[Faith Augustin]

Earlier that trial, Faith had been working at the Order of the Adunih and she had helped a woman who was suffering from a severe infection. Thankfully, the combination of drugs which she had used and the new techniques she had utilised had meant that Char'on, the patient, was going to live. So, Faith had come to the Glass Temple and she had brought with her a small cutting of a plant.

When Kali entered the shrine, there was a woman already there. Faith was young, not yet nineteen although she could have passed for being in her early twenties. Her back was sword-straight as she sat in one of the chairs and she had her gaze fixed on the shrine itself. The human, for such Faith was, was short in stature; when she stood she was only five foot four and she had pale white skin. Her hair was long and jet black, but what was most striking about her were her pale eyes ~ so pale they were almost silver.

She was still, completely still as she sat in that seat and in her hands was a small pot. Her attention was focused on the altar and she was speaking in a soft voice, but discernible to Kali as she entered the shrine. "I grew it and brought it with me to Scalvoris. It grows in Andaris, but I don't know what grows in Desnind." Faith's voice was soft, just above a whisper and the reverence in her tone was unmistakable. "If I knew what plants grow there, I would bring them to you. Unless you would prefer things you don't see, I suppose."

"In your name, blessed Moseke. Accept this offering from your humble servant. Unto my final breath and beyond." The young woman stood then and put the plant on the altar, where the offerings were and she smiled and bowed. Turning, she caught sight of Kali and her initial surprise gave way to a smile of greeting. "My apologies, I did not hear you." She offered a hand to shake and a warm smile. "I'm Faith. It's a pleasure to meet you." Realising, though, that the woman might well wish to worship alone, Faith smiled apologetically. "I'll leave you to your worship."

[Kali'rial]

As Kali entered the shrine, she heard a woman's voice. Slowing at the entrance, she waited patiently as not to disturb the prayer in progress. The woman was offering a plant to Moseke, a gift of sorts, which the Sev'ryn suddenly realised she had none of. Would Moseke listen without a gift? Oh by the Immortals she was no good at this nonsense. Grandfather had not thought this whole Familiar Journey out at all when he sent her off.

Suddenly the woman was done, standing in front of Kali with a warm smile and a hand shake. The brunette returned the handshake firmly. The young woman, Faith so it was, had the most fascinating blue eyes. It caught Kali off guard for a moment as she tried to determine if they were actually blue or more of a silver.

"No need to apologise, or to leave. I'm not really sure what I'm doing so you're not really interrupting." She offered a smile then, nodding her head in greeting.

"My name is Kali'rial, but you are welcome to call me Kali." Pausing a moment, she pointed to the plant.

"I couldn't help but overhear before, about your offering. She would love it, regardless of where it was grown. Moseke, She cherishes life no matter where it stems from." Striding over to the alter, Kali leaned closer to inspect the potted plant before straightening again.

"It's a beautiful plant, not dissimilar to things I've seen in Desnind. Well grown. Our plants grow much larger though, I think they thrive from Her presence." Smiling, the Sev'ryn moved to take a seat, staring at the alter. Moseke wasn't really a 'come all Ye and pray' type of Immortal, but if someone asked she did listen. Kali glanced back at Faith then, a curious look on her face.

"You aren't Sev'ryn, yet you pray to Moseke?" It was a question, something that Kali didn't quite understand. Perhaps humans prayed to all the Immortals? She waited for Faith, curious to hear the reply.

[Faith Augustin]

Kali'rial? Faith nodded her head "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kali." When they shook hands, Kali might conceivably notice that Faith had a delicate black tattoo on her wrist and that her fingernails were long and pointed.

Whilst this might not be unusual, Faith was a young woman after all and they could be prone to being fashion-conscious, yet the black nails and tattoo did not match the clothing of the young woman, who wore a white blouse and light blue skirt. Also, the attention to such detail was somewhat incongruous with the lack of make-up Faith wore and the fact that her hair was loose.

Faith turned to look at the plant and smiled at Kali's words. The plants in Desnind were larger, possibly because of Moseke's presence? That made sense to her and Faith smiled. "I imagine it is a beautiful place. I would love to visit there one trial and pay my respects." The young woman asked her, though, about why she was here and Faith smiled.

"No, I am not Sev'ryn, but Moseke has been very kind to me." Opening her hand, Faith showed the palm where a small leaf tattoo seemed to be, showing her as a person blessed by the Immortal, if Kali recognised it as such, which Faith did not know. "I am a doctor and student of medicine and I try to serve her each trial. I owe her a lot." Moseke had healed her, after all, in a way which Faith could never truly express her gratitude for. "I worship Moseke, Famula and Vri. Life and death and the in between." She smiled and looked at Kali with intense silver eyes.

"What is Desnind like?" Faith wondered. She had a very clear visual image, but it was just that. She had never been there, after all. Yet the question was asked with the kind of earnest gaze which was Faith's usual, because she had asked a question and was intrigued by the answer. Someone who could tell her what Desnind was like first hand, after all, was worth a dozen books and if there was something to learn, then Faith was delighted to learn it.

[Kali'rial]

Kali glanced at Faith's hand, noticing the mark of Moseke on her palm and the black pointed nails. The young woman did not have her own markings, but she had seen them before on others. Moseke was a kind and generous Immortal, so it didn't surprise the Sev'ryn that someone who worked to help others would be noticed by Her. At the mention of her home, Kali smiled and stood again, moving back towards the silver eyed woman. She motioned for Faith to walk with her, knowing that Moseke's ear would be there to lend still if she returned later. The Immortal would be more delighted in her children sharing the wonders of her creation then sitting in worship anyway.

"Indeed, it is beautiful. Our city is unlike Scalvoris. Here you're all scurrying around like insects on the hard stone ground in your stone buildings. The flora around you is decoration or part of the landscape beyond the city." The brunette gestured around the temple with its incredible arches and stained windows.

"Not to say your buildings aren't without their beauty, but you're disconnected from the life around you. In Desnind, we build our city in the broad branches of Moseke's trees and our forests are a part of our lives. It's what connects us to the life around us. The whispering of the branches in the morning breeze, or the tremor of the ground as the Nàhb'àífinju scatter through the undergrowth." A small frown came to Kali then, her periwinkle eyes serious as she paused their wanderings to look at Faith.

"When we walk the trees, our feet grip the bark bare. Touching the ground with naked skin, we are connected to Moseke. Her presence in our city saturates the very soil with life and love, and we are ever her Children. Even here, far from the trees, we are close to Her." She tapped the floor softly with bare toes, to emphasise her point. Taking up their walk again, Kali raised a hand to wave to the Elder Tunawa by the door in respect. The small creature smiled warmly at the two women.

"There is a temple in Desnind, unlike anything I have seen in my travels. It is the centre of our city, and paths branch from it like the very roots of the tree it is built into. You, I think, would like it." The hunter nodded as though she was affirming her own comment.

"Indeed, if Moseke has marked you it would be quite the journey to make. She would greet you with such open compassion and love." The brunette said with a tone that spoke of deep respect and love. Whilst not a devout worshipper nor a follower of Aiséirism, she knew as Sev'ryn that she loved Her, the Mother of her kind. It was a fact as normal and known as the requirement to breathe or drink. Kali continued on.

"I do not follow other Immortals, so I know little of Famula and Vri. Does this worship help your abilities with your healing?"

[Faith Augustin]

How interesting, Faith thought, the way that Kali referred to the people of Scalvoris as 'you', as though she was not part of it, as though she did not stand in the very buildings she was referring to. Was that part of Sev'ryn teaching, she wondered, or was it an individual aloofness which Kali felt? Either way, it was interesting and she listened carefully to the Sev'ryn woman's words. Walking together, Faith smiled and nodded her head to Stan, the Tunawa who ran the temple and he smiled back.

Such certainty in what Kali spoke, Faith considered. You are disconnected from the life around you, the Sev'ryn said and Faith raised an eyebrow ever so slightly but said nothing. She had asked what Desnind was like and her new companion seemed to take that as a very serious reason to explain why it was better. People fascinated Faith and so she listened and she learned; about Desnind, about Moseke and about Kali, too. She nodded, though, when Kali said that Moseke would open Her arms in greeting, should Faith travel there. "Indeed. She has always been most generous and kind."

Kali's last question, though, made her certainty, and her answer to Faith's question, make sense to the young human woman. She spoke of what she knew with certainty, but she did not know about other Immortals. Faith considered the question, though, about the worship of Vri and Famula and its place in relation to her healing. "Yes and no, I suppose," she smiled at Kali and explained further. "I have worshipped Famula all my life, I was raised to do so. As an adult, I choose to. She represents Servitude, Blood, Resurrection and Souls, so I can see the souls who have not moved on and help them to do so." They were everywhere, after all, the ghosts Faith saw.

"Vri is the Immortal of Death, Sorrow, Love and Remembrance. So, to me, it's about the whole journey, from birth to the soul finally moving on to where it should. As a healer, I do the work of all three, I serve them all. When I help a soul move on, I do the same." Faith shrugged slightly, a gentle raise of her shoulders. "Your description of Desnind sounds beautiful, but I would disagree with something you say." Of course, Faith knew that this was just a matter of how different people viewed the world. "From my perspective, it is those who do not deal with birth and death who are disconnected from life."

Faith smiled, though, to be sure it was an interesting conversation and she did not disagree with Kali's points necessarily, she just thought that the reality was slightly more complex. "In your travels, you say? Where have you traveled?" Faith asked, curiously. "I haven't been to many places, but what you describe Desnind as sounds wonderful. Do you miss it?"

[Kali'rial]

Listening to Faith explain her reasoning for worshipping Famula made more than sense to Kali. It was after all, why she worshipped Moseke. Of course, Mother of all Sev'ryn, it wasn't difficult to see why the connection existed, but it was altogether viable to understand that if she as a Sev'ryn had been raised by another race from birth she may not worship Moseke at all. The intricacies of this religious relationship were fascinating to explore, but Faiths comment about seeing souls that hadn't moved on distracted Kali's train of thought.

So Faith saw the dead? The brunette felt an irrational flicker in her chest. Could she see her parents?

Pushing the ridiculous thought aside, she continued to listen with interest as the healer then explained her relationship with Vri. Together, all three connections made sense. Kali was intrigued by the Immortals discussed, and made a mental note to find out more. Whilst her own Moseke was her one true Immortal, the knowledge of others could be valuable.

As Faith challenged the only thing that Kali knew from her Immortal connection, the brunette tilted her head curiously. She took a moment to mull over the comment before replying with a frown as she tried to explain her answer.

"I feel that our view on the meaning of the word 'life' could be different. Not in the context of right or wrong, but in the material form. You speak about life as the line of when something joins the world and then departs. Life for me is all of this." She gestured beyond the doors of the temple, out at the grass and dirt and sky.

"Life is the flow and ebb of living breathing beings, and the connection of the world to everything else. I am connected to all life, by standing on the bare ground. I am one soul, and yet I am many. I am a little plant or a towering mountain. I am the creatures in the trees and the ants underground...and they are me." The blue eyed hunter struggled to explain the concept, but took no offence to Faith's words. As the conversation continued, Kali couldn't help but smile.

"Where haven't I been, might be a better question. I've spent almost my entire life on the trade routes between Desnind and Scalvoris, and everywhere in between on Eastern and Southern Idalos." The brunette chuckled softly and raised an eyebrow.

"You should see the walls of Nashaki. Spires that seem to touch the clouds, a seemingly impenetrable fortress. It's highly impressive. The glass works that come from the city are so beautiful, it's hard to believe they are made by mortal hands." Smile falling gently, Kali looked away from the silver eyed woman when she mentioned Desnind again.

"I miss my grandfather, and the feeling of having a 'place' that isn't owned by a business. I miss not having to live out of a rucksack off the back of a horse." She narrowed her blue eyes for a moment, as though considering her next words carefully.

"I don't miss Desnind itself as much as I miss the idea of it. The city, whilst my home and always will be, isn't where I grew up. It's a..safe haven in the poorer weather and a place to restock before the next trade season." Glancing at Faith, she shrugged and smiled again.

"Does that make sense?"

[Faith Augustin]

Kali explained her understanding of the word "life" and Faith considered it with a tilt of the head and a thoughtful frown. "I agree with your definition. But," she said and she gestured to the Temple, to the buildings, "by the very definition you give, this place is as much part of life as a tree. If you are a little plant or a towering mountain, you have a soul which inhabits a body. That body has hands and hands made this place. It is alive and part of Moseke as much as a tree. She is stone and earth, after all." Pale silver eyes regarded Kali and she spoke her truth as she saw it.

"By that definition, in fact, you are choosing to disconnect yourself from life when you refer to these as 'your buildings' rather than ours. You are part of them, they are of you. We are close to Moseke here because she is here in these stones and this wood as much as in a forest or a field." Faith shrugged slightly and smiled. "So I believe anyhow." It was absolutely true to her and Kali's description of the people of Scalvoris as 'scurrying around like insects on the hard stone ground in your stone buildings' had struck a note with the young woman. That was not the Moseke she knew and worshiped. All life was sacred to Her.

The description Kali gave of Nashaki intrigued Faith, though and she listened intently. "I've seen some wonderful glasswares here. Egilrun glass, made from the sands here. I can't imagine what whole structures must be like." She smiled and considered. "I have a friend who hails from the Eternal Empire. Maybe one of these trials we might go see it. We came here from Andaris, Rynmere. Although we spent a little time in Rharne and before that I lived in Athart."

Kali's description of how she felt when she thought of Desnind, not that she missed it so much but the people and that she kept a certain feeling for it made Faith smile. Did it make sense? "Yes and no," Faith admitted with a half smile. "I've never been attached to a place." Come to that, Faith realised, she had only recently become attached to any people. Before, it had simply not been possible. "I understand in theory, but can not relate in practice."

With a raised eyebrow, though, she wondered. "You say you work trade routes? If so, I run a restaurant and would certainly buy fresh meat. Or unusual fruits or vegetables if they would be preserved on the journey from Desnind." She shrugged slightly. "Just a thought, really." The earnest young woman smiled, determined to make a success of the business she had opened here."Cally's, is the name of the place. I'm there most trials so if you ever have the desire or opportunity, I'd be open to business." Faith was a young woman, certainly, but she was as determined as they came.

[Kali'rial]

Kali listened patiently to Faith's continued discussion on the matter of life, not particularly aligned, but not against the concepts. At the end of it all, they both worshipped the Mother of her people in their own ways with their own understandings and experiences. Neither could claim right or wrong, and the conversation gave the Sev'ryn some interesting things to consider.

As Faith mentioned the other cities, the brunette smiled. It sounded like the woman had come from the Central Region originally.

"I have heard those city names, but had never visited them. If you have the time, then yes I highly recommend taking the trip to Nashaki." As the conversation moved on, the raven haired woman seemed to pick up on something, her silver eyes on Kali with interest. The brunette listened to the proposition, and smiled. A restaurant, of course. The healer sounded like she was extremely busy, but Kali could relate. Being busy meant you were being productive.

"Cally's you say? I think I've walked past your establishment a couple of times on the way back to my current place of stay. Never come inside, have considered it though. Looks good though." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, her mind turning as she considered the business offer.

"Can't help with the fruit or vegetables, sorry, but I'm sure that we could work something out for the meat. Depends on what you need. I can hunt the local area for smaller things. Rabbits and the like. Or if you're happy to butcher, I can bring larger things. I'll skin and gut them, any innards you want you can have, but the skins aren't included in price." Kali watched her with periwinkle eyes. The prospect of a regular place to sell peaked her traders heart, and she wasn't going to beat around the bush. Right to the point.

"If you're getting regular deliveries from anyone else, and they're unskinned, I'm willing to skin and clean them in exchange for keeping the skins?"

[Faith Augustin]

Faith was pleased, more than she could easily say, to have a conversation about the Immortals, Moseke specifically. It was nice to meet someone who was obviously devout and it was always a good thing to share opinions and such. She found Kali's ideas interesting and she would consider them over the next few trials, wondering about them and considering from different angles.

As their conversation turned to the possibility of trade, though, Faith nodded her head. "Well, actually, that's ideal. Cally's has land on which we farm a lot of the fresh produce but don't yet have our own livestock." Faith smiled and thought about it, running through the possibilities. "I'm happy to butcher, I prefer to." That meant that she knew what she was getting, she saw the whole animal.

Faith very much appreciated the straight talking Kali did, and her expression showed her concentration as she weighed up the possibilities. "I'm interested in smaller and larger animals. Also, animals which are not usually considered high end." Faith smiled, giving an example, "Hafrein, they used to be a staple here but are very tough and difficult to cook. I make a tasting platter from them. So, if you can bring me good quality meat regularly, and fish if you do that too, I can set up a regular agreement with you. Or, if you'd rather keep it as and when, that is acceptable too. What would be your preference?"

Faith had to admit, she was more and more pleased she had met this woman. Realising that she hadn't addressed one point, though, she added "And other than things like poultry where the skin is part of the dish, the skin holds no interest for me. I'd certainly be prepared to discuss those deliveries we get with the skin on, currently, also. We have no use for it."

Off Topic

Ok - so to be clear. Faith is offering Kali a job. If she takes it then, you'd need to do a job thread each season based around hunting and bringing meat to Cally's. You'd get an extra 2gn x day bonus to your normal wage, also. Let me know!