PM to join [Syliran Archive] Knowledge is Power! (Bitt)

[Sei Tendo]

32nd of Spring, 514AV
12th Bell

Sei walked through the second Tier of the Dyres District, letting out a huff of air in the form of a sigh. He couldn't believe that Ser Erik - his Patron - had sent him to learn more about Knights and such. He didn't know what to expect. His Patron had given him instructions to go straight to the Syliran Archive's if he remembered correctly. Plus the fact Ser Erik made it clear that it was important for him to study. His Patron said 'Knowledge is Power', and walked away.

Arriving at his destination, he looked over the building before entering. He stepped through the threshold before going through an antechamber to find a man sitting at a desk. He motioned for Sei to come over, and the squire immediately rushed over. The man wore a hat, but the Kelvic could see strands of black hair to match the mans' stubble of a beard. He bowed and presented himself.

"Uh, hello. I'm squire Sei Tendo." He said nervously. He waited to be signed in, and when he was finished he continued. When he passed through the next antechamber his jaw nearly dropped.

Their was a huge open space with many tables neatly placed about. Their were a few desks, but the thing that caught his eye was the millions of shelves that adorned the Archive. All the woodwork had beautiful engravings as well, but the Kelvic didn't have time to pay attention.

He had limited access, but he was pretty sure he would be able to learn much with what he had to work with. He couldn't wait to start, so he immediately went for the Religion and Philosophy section. He looked at the row of books. He recognized Sylir, but he didn't know the rest. He pulled a book on Eyris out from the shelf and looked around for a quite seat. There were a few doors off to his left, so he chose the closet one.

The door opened revealing a smaller room, it looked pretty much empty so he sat at the nearest table. He then opened the book and began to skim the pages.

'Eyris, Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom, also known as the Wise One. A second rank Goddess who's symbol is a silver book or a mobius strip.'

"Hmm.. Goddess of Wisdom.." The tigerbpondered this for a bit, rolling the sentences back and forth through his mind. If Eyris is the Goddess of Wisdom, then all should worship her, right? But then, some people value other attributes over wisdom, just as I perfer power. Without worship to Eyris, what an ignorant world this would be. He was still pondering when he decided to continue.

[Bitt]

"Excuse me, am I in the archives?" A middle-aged man looked up from a large, leather-bound book to address Bitt's question, a small frown marked his face. Evidently, the scribe's first impression of Bitt was that of a wandering buffoon.
"Of course it is, but I'm afraid you'll have to move along; the archives are reserved for members of the order." With that, the dark-haired man returned to his reading, leaving Bitt to stand awkwardly in the antechamber.
"Excuse me-"
"Listen, I'm afraid I don't have time for this. You'll need to leave before I summon the guards." The earlier aura of indifference was replaced with an irritated glare. A pang of worry shot through Bitt, but he steadied his resolve and continued;
"My apologies Ser, but I am Squire Bitt. My patron is Ser Crowe, 3rd Wing, Yellow Company, 1st Regiment, Silver Quadron... he said I should come here if I wanted to learn more about Yahal." A long pause stretched between the two of them, and Bitt was scrutinised by the older man. Finally, the scribe began to rummage through a pile of papers, before choosing one and giving it a close inspection. After a couple of ticks, his eyes snapped back up and bore into the young squire.
"Squire Bitt... your information appears to be in order... you may proceed." Bitt exhaled in relief before continuing into the archives proper; even if the scribe wasn't exactly fond of him, he was duty bound to allow Bitt entry.

Despite making an early start, it had taken Bitt much longer than would have been ideal to get from the squire dormitories to the archives. It took a lot of backtracking, some kind stewards willing to offer directions, and a grumpy scribe, but he made it! Swelling with pride, the young squire entered the central chamber.
Amazing...
It had been several days since Bitt received a brief overview regarding the Gods and Goddesses most commonly worshipped by members of The Syliran Knights. At the time, he displayed an interest in Yahal, the God of Faith and Purity, and wanted to learn more about him. His patron, Ser Crowe, suggested the archives. Now, as he stood stunned, surrounded by shelves upon shelves of books, Bitt conceded that the suggestion was a good one. Reluctantly, he returned to the antechamber and asked the scribe to direct him to the section dedicated to religious texts; surprisingly, the man was much more civil when discussing the books directly.
He must really love them.
Even with direction, it took Bitt several chimes to find what he was looking for. Not knowing precisely what he needed, the young squire selected a book at random; 'Rising Above Corruption' was written neatly on its spine.

A quick glance revealed a selection of tables neatly dotted around the main chamber, but Bitt decided against using one, worried that he'd somehow cause a disturbance. He was already on shaky terms with one of the scribes, so he thought it best to play things safe. A series of doors lined the wall, so Bitt chose the closest one and entered it under the assumtion that it would lead to a reading alcove or something similar; instead, he was greeted by the sight of a small seminar room... and a man seamingly engrossed in a book of his own, seated at the table nearest to the door.
Whoops.
There would be no sense in leaving the room, he was allowed to be there after all, and to vacate because of the stranger could cause offence. Instead, Bitt decided to take a seat at the next table down, careful not to make too much noise. The young squire opened his book to its first page and started to read:

'There is good reason as to why Yahal's symbol is a pair of wings...'

[Sei Tendo]

The Kelvic was surprised by the knowledge the Knighthood had on Eyris. He couldn't help but be amazed. A book - just one - and he felt as if he knew everything about the Goddess. He had to admit, he was never wise or smart one among his friends, but he felt confident in his knowledge about the 'Wise One' as Eyris was called.

Eyris is basically the embodiment of all knowledge, right? So does that mean all our thoughts come from her? The tiger battled with his thoughts, but was interrupted when a new face found it's way through the door of the seminar room he was in. From the looks of it, it was a squire. Sei turned from his book to get a better look a the.. Kid? The boy looked like he was in his teens with a muscular build. He had tangly dark-brown hair that was just below his shoulders, bright green eyes like himself, and high cheek bones. His brow was low, giving him an angry look. He had a smooth complexion with a slight tan, and had a noticeable scar running across his forehead.

The Kelvic turned back to his book as the boy sat down, only to notice the book the other squire began to read. 'Yahal'? Wait, that's one of the deities I have to learn about! The Kelvic looked back into his book, reading for half a chime before gently grabbing the book and taking a stand. He had decided to study with the other, hoping he wouldn't mind as he walked over. He took a seat next to the squire, and laid his book out before him. He put on his best friendly face and tapped the squire's shoulder.

"Uh, hey." He paused. "I'm Sei, Sei Tendo. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind studying together?" He extended his hand, before continuing. "If ya don't mind, that is."

[Bitt]

'...on occasion, Yahal gifts divine wisdom to his followers, offering them words of encouragement. Some of these words are recorded in sacred documents called Penita Scrolls...

Wow, I wonder if they have any of those scrolls here in Syliras, I'll have to look into-
A sudden tap to Bitt's shoulder violently ripped him from his thoughts, and reality came crashing back. The young squire snapped his head around and came face-to-face with the young man who, until recently, had been sitting at the next table over. Now that he was up close, Bitt noticed a pair of green eyes, much like his own, staring back at him; coupled with the stranger's friendly expression, Bitt's shock came to an abrupt halt, fading as quickly as it appeared.
That was foolish though... I should pay more attention to my surroundings in the future.

Next came a greeting; the man introduced himself as Sei Tendo. Bitt grinned in response to Sei's proposition, the man had made a good first impression;
"Sounds like a plan! " Truth be told, despite having only been reading for barely a chime, Bitt was already finding it tedious; reading for the sake of reading made his head hurt. Having someone to discuss the material with would make the entire process much more bearable, at least, that's the conclusion the young squire arrived at. Bitt reached out his own hand and shook Sei's happily;
"My name is Bitt, I'm squired to Ser Crowe. So, what are you rea-" Curious, Bitt leaned over to glance at his comrade's book... it was about Eyris. The revelation drained some of his cheerfulness, and he turned his attention back to Sei;
"Why are you reading up on Eyris? Don't you think she's a bit too... cruel?" Bitt was genuinely curious as to why the knights would feel drawn to Eyris; surely knowledge wasn't the exclusive domain of the righteous? It was confusing to him, the idea that she only valued intellectual types, when it was such an artificial way to judge a person.

[Sei Tendo]

"Cruel? While I agree that knowledge should be shared, I don't believe that Eyris is judgmental to those who aren't knowledgeable." The Kelvic reasoned. He didn't believe that Eyris was a wicked Goddess. He did admit that he was a power-seeker, but without knowledge, how would he use the power correctly? He as well had lost some of his cheerfulness, but his smile didn't falter. He wasn't the smartest, but he would push to be better now that he knew what he was missing. He would find evidence to back up his statement, so he dove into the book, skimming the pages for anything that could help his argument even a little.

'The Goddess Eyris is considered one of the true 'ancients' because she is indeed the source of all wisdom and knowledge. It is said that to look into her eyes is to catch a lucid moment of total and complete understanding about Mizahar and the world as a whole.'

He stopped after a few ticks, an important fact. The knighthood. The ones tasked with the job of keeping the peace. They fought for justice, swallowed their fears, and fought bravely for the citizens. Peace loving soldiers who only harmed when necessary. They wouldn't allow it, so why hadn't he thought of it before? "If Eyris was cruel, the knighthood wouldn't recognized her would they? She'd have the same status as Ryshol." Sei said, turning back to the younger squire with a proud grin.

[Bitt]

Realising that he'd likely spoken out of turn, the young squire flushed slightly in embarrassment. Oddly, Sei's initial counter-argument ran parallel with his own concerns regarding the Goddess, which only served to embarrass him further. Thankfully, it seemed that his companion had taken the question surprisingly well, turning to his book for answers. Bitt was still trying to get over the awe of being in an archive full of books, it was such an alien experience to him. Sure, he'd learnt how to read and write, but books containing such well-organised fragments of knowledge were alien to him. So many in one place? Even more-so.
Ironically, I suppose Eyris is to thank for such a thing.
Still, the convenience of having access to books was not enough to sway the young squire's opinion regarding the goddess. He attributed the archives to the presence of the knights as an organised group. He didn't doubt for a single chime that any equally well-established organisations dedicated to less-than-reputable acts had similar collections of knowledge.

Smells kind of funny in here too...
It had been bothering Bitt for a time, but the air was so dry, and it was actually the relative lack of any major distinguishable odour that made him feel uneasy. Syliras usually maintained a smoky, dank atmosphere. Put bluntly, it stunk. It was the kind of smell one would get used to, but a smell all the same. The archives were different. It wasn't the fresh air of outdoors, but an artificial cleansing of the Syliran stench. Obviously, it had something to do with the books, though for the life of him the young squire couldn't deduce what it might me.

Sei's second retort confused Bitt slightly, and he raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.
"Sorry, who's Rhysol? Crowe hasn't told me about him before, I take it he's an enemy of ours- of The Knights?" Bitt placed both his hands behind his head and leaned back slightly, as if to consider his next words, before continuing, "In any case, I'm sure bad people aren't denied knowledge... In fact, I'd wager most knowledge is used for less than honourable actions. I just can't help but feel a bit suspicious is all." The young squire returned his companion's smile, almost hoping the other man could change his mind.
At the end of the day, Eyris is accepted by the knights, after all.

[Sei Tendo]

The Kelvic was stunned that Bitt hadn't heard of Rhysol. Even if the Kelvic squire only knew his name, he still at least knew that much. His Patron, Ser Erik, had told Sei that Rhysol was the enemy of the Syliran Knighthood. At first he'd questioned Ser Erik about who Rhysol was and what was he about. He received vague answers which led his Patron to force him here.

The Kelvic tiger sighed before noticing Bitt's lack of interest and attention on the matter. No point in voicing my opinion on someone who doesn't care. He felt that it was good idea to start studyining. He would then compare Eryis to Yahal by checking each others notes or thoughts. He read on.

'The Goddess Eryis is considered one of the true 'ancients' because she is indeed the source of all wisdom and knowledge.'

"Hmm.. Hey Bitt, it says here Eryis is the source of all knowledge, so doesn't that mean she's part of us all?" He inquired.

[Bitt]

Instead of answering Bitt's inquiry regarding Rhysol - whom Bitt decided he would have to research at some point, his curiosity having been tickled - Sei turned his attention away from the young squire and continued to read his book. No answer. No warning. Bitt raised an eyebrow at this, and he stared at the young man in disbelief.
Was... was it something I said?
Surely not all of the Syliran Knights were so abrasive? Or was it something that came with time? His room-mate, Altos, seemed pleasant enough, but he was just as new to the order as Bitt was. Crowe wasn't exactly the most openly-friendly ship in the harbour, but there was a certain charm about the older knight all the same. Bitt scratched the small space behind his ear and shrugged his shoulders, there wouldn't be much to gain by dwelling on the matter at this point.
I'll just ask Crowe about it later, I think.
Instead, the young squire returned his attention to the book that lay open before him. After all, his purpose in coming to the archives was to read. Despite not being overly excited about the activity, he needed to stop wasting his time. Bitt rubbed his eyes and searched, roughly, for where he'd left off:

...should Yahal deem one of his followers worthy, he will grant them his gnosis mark: Ennervism. It takes the shape of a pair of wings on the marked individual's back, with additional marks increasing their detail. While it is difficult to state the limits of such things in definite terms, it can be said with some certainty that Yahal's mark grants its bearer a golden aura that can ward off corruption and-...

At Sei's words, Bitt was forced to - once again - tear his attention away from the book.
It was just getting interesting too!
More than that though, he was confused. Bitt was having trouble reading his companion. First, Sei ignored Bitt's question. Now, he was asking one of his own. It made no sense to him! With a tentative tone, Bitt spoke;
"Exactly. She's part of everyone, that's my point. I'm everyone. You're everyone. The sailors of the world, the chefs, and the blacksmiths, we're all everyone..." Bitt looked Sei straight in the eye, his words granting him confidence as he spoke them, for in his mind they made perfect sense, "...but the murderers... the thieves... the rapists? They're everyone too. Eryis values knowledge, but I don't think that a person's knowledge is a good way to judge who they are, as people." Bitt promptly tapped his finger one of the pages in his own book, "Yahal though? Yahal represents purity and, while it may be different for you Sei, I've never heard of a murderer, thief or rapist who was pure."