50th of Spring, Late Afternoon, 522 A.V.
The building just north of the Syka Commons and past the Mercantile was not necessarily a full cabana. It was more of an Overwater Ranchero though most of it sat securely upon stilts on the land. It did house, however, one of the most expansive decks ever. It was built for entertaining guests of all sorts, with an array of chairs, fire pits that were lofted off the wood to keep night goers a bit warm, and an overall welcoming feel to it. There were tables for eating. And most importantly there was an array of gear for all sorts of fishing.
Mathias himself, the owner of the home, was an avid fisherman and a bigger socialite. He loved to combine the two past-times and hang out on his deck half the night catching his supper… and to be honest feeding a whole host of other people from his catches. The latest to benefit had been the children at the children’s pavilion. And since he cleaned the fish himself, he used the entrails and heads to bait traps for crab and lobster so there was always an excess.
His cabana had no doors. And people were free to drop by at all hours in case of emergency or the need for someone to talk too. He had an expansive library that people often borrowed from. And Stu kept Mathias in beverages, both fine and crude, so thirsty throats could be wetted as talk occurred. Bards played for him. Poets read for him. And the man was always ready to give a fishing, crabbing, or lobster lesson to anyone that dropped by. One didn’t need an appointment or to make an announcement. One just had to realize they might not be the only one there.
Tonight though, things weighed heavily on Mathias’ mind. He sat alone on his dock, contemplating the funeral pyre they’d lit earlier and the ashes they’d scattered when the fire had cooled. Murder in Syka. It was a first and something he was not terribly thrilled with. In fact, if one knew him well enough, they’d know that he had a quiet fury burning in him because he knew…. he just knew… that this was supernatural.
The Gods were going at it again and they were turning Syka into their battleground. He’d personally vetted every single settler here, and they were all to a man and woman good hearted people. They even had children now, and that gave him hope for the future of the Settlement. There were young people here too, which meant families were forming and loyalties forged. And because he was a priest of Xhyvas, he saw the possibilities for his little Settlement and its importance in the future.
He saw the strongest of them all… the best possibility in his mind… endangered in this season’s happenings. Syka was going to be the next stronghold of magic for the people by the people. It was going to be a place for mages to grow and flourish. People could come here from all over and take training. More than eighty percent of its population had some sort of magic and every single person here tolerated it. And from that magic would grow incredible leaps and bounds in technology. They were in the old Suvan Empire, sure, but Mathias saw the possibilities and all the strongest was that here the ancient ethics and well-being of Alahea could rise again.
He got up then, at that thought, and went into the cabana and brought out two wine glasses. Yes, it was possible that she wouldn’t come. But he rather thought she might. So he set them out, poured both glasses full – because if she came it would be soon – and waited.
Scarred, living a life of servitude, one of their newest and most damaged members was about to show an incredible act of courage and take things into her own hands to simply preserve a dream she had for her child to be raised in a place where he could run free and grow into his own powers without chains on his body or chains on his soul. And if she did that, she’d likely pass Kilhala’s test for the Goddess was always seeking those that would weigh the good of the group over their own individual passions even if it was for selfish reasons like the love of a child.
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