[Flashback]A day in the library (Solo)

[Carsten]

Timestamp: 38th of Winter 506 AV

Carsten was sitting in the University of Zeltiva’s library; in front of him were two large books. To his left he had several sheets of paper, quill and ink, and to his right three smaller books was lying in a stable. Outside, the sun was on its way down, but Carsten knew he had a few more hours left of daylight to read. What was he engulfing himself in? He was reading ghe books The Mizaharian Pantheon and Worship in Mizahar. In the middle of Fall 506, Carsten had started taking a class named “Religion – Mizaharian Gods”, and he did not leave things half finished. Though he was always silent in class, and in fact skipped many lectures when his duties as a Pon called him, or he simply wanted to meditate or read, he wanted to be the top of the class. It was a daunting task, but he was certain he could do it. In fact, he would remain in the library until he was ahead of what they were learning about.

The sheets of paper on his left side were filled with notes, but they were not scrabbled hastily down. Orderly and carefully placed on the page, they would always be easy to locate, in case one book contradicted the other. It was a technique he had learned at the Librem, always read multiple stories, to see if they match. If not, deciphering them had always been an interest of Carsten, but so far, he had not met much of those in these books. In fact, they were so identical; Carsten had started doubting they were of two different authors.

The thing that interested him most was the relationship between the gods. Kihala and Dira, Leth and Syna, Wysar and Akajia, Aquiras and Priskill, even his own goddess Gnora and Eyris. Opposites were just as interesting, however, like Vayt and Rak’keli and Morwen and Ivak. In his own mind, Ivak had two anathemas. Morwen as the Goddess of Ice as opposed to his Fire, and Gnora, the Goddess of Logic as opposed to his emotional upheaval. It was notes about these that filled his pages, anything that tied them or their worshippers together, whether that was alliances or conflicts.

He had just finished the chapter about Nikali, a god he personally would have despised if he felt hate. Hate was only an emotion that hindered logical thinking, and only logic would bring down a Goddess of decadence, as Nikali. In fact, he respected her for her thinking that pleasure must be offset by pain. To addict others to substances that slowly ate away their life was, however, not something he respected. He wrote down his thoughts about her, and added a note: “Need to find out more about her worshippers. Where are they located? How many?” and was about to turn the page when he wrote a rhetorical question as well: “Whose side would she take in a war between the Gods?”

He looked at the question he had written down for a while. The question was written on almost all his notes, it was simply too difficult to gauge many of the gods motivations and allegiances. He turned his head back to the first book, and turned the page to another chapter.