[Riverfall Location]Mysterious Praying Statue: Olmec Stelae

[Baku]

Mysterious Praying Statue: Olmec Stelae Very little is known about the statue that rests just outside city, not far from the Taluka Outpost, even by the elders. What is known is that shortly after Riverfall had been finished, its residents slowly beginning to build their lives after the Valterrian, the statue appeared outside of the city, sitting upon the grass. The more the Akalaks began to inspect it, the more the felt a touch of the divine within the stone that made up it’s skin. What became more interesting to them, was the fact that only the Akalak(and later as they appeared Akontak) could feel the divinity from the statue itself. Over the span of the first season, many Akalak reported hearing strange movement from outside the city gates, but none who searched could find the source of those sounds, whether it was infravision or normal sight. It would be heard on occasion throughout the night, both outside and within the city walls in various places. Looking for signs of tracks the next day revealed nothing as well. However, one small clue was eventually found midway through the summer season, when a small Akalak boy claimed that the statue outside the city, which so mysteriously appeared one day, was never in the same resting place the following day. The following night, Akalaks who watched over the statue found themselves staring at it one moment, only to blink and found it had disappeared the next. Upon hearing reports, the Elders at that time soon surmised that the Statue itself was a gift from the Goddess Akajia, and homage was paid to her for such a gift, as Akalaks gathered to pray to the statue during the day in their routine travels. The reasons the statue moves at night, leaving no traces of it’s movements except the occasional sound of a footstep heard(which many Elders speculate to this day is purposefully done for reasons they are not even entirely sure of), are unclear to the Akalak culture, nor do they question it. In the end, it is something that Akajia decided to gift their city with, on top of her presence within the abbey and walk through the city at Wysar’s side, so they accept it as such. Because such is a gift from Akajia, the Akalak treat the statue almost as if it were holy relic, prohibiting any interaction with it save for the slightest touch when they pray to it. The first of the Cerulean were found being the one’s who first stood watch over the Statue itself as one of them stood vigil over the statue during the day. Their presence alone was generally enough to deter any who might have misgivings towards the statue. Akalak followed suit, posting one of their own to watch over the statue alongside the Cerulean guard. To this day, it is the one thing that the Akalak and their dark fallen comrades see eye to eye on. Any who attempt to damage or defile the statue in any way are treated as heretics towards one of their worshiped Gods and are generally killed where they stand.

[Nenai]

Nenai Timestamp ;; 28th Day of Spring, 511 AV Nenai, being the paranoid girl she was, had done research on Riverfall and its inhabitants long before she tried convincing her father to let her go. If she had a gift for languages, like her oldest brother had, she would have been able to learn more Tukant than a few disjointed phrases. Instead of force feeding herself Tukant, knowing that it would be her weakness, she had focused on other facets of their culture; Namely their mother and father deities, and those Akalak that are called Cerulean. The situation of the latter was the one most befuddling. It wasn't made quite clear what made these 'Cerulean' the way they were, but they were Akalak's who were noticeably more violent, and forced by the Riverfall Council of Elders to tattoo their faces completely and live outside the city. She felt as though there had to be a reason for this treatment, as all of the Akalak she had met or heard of were (along with being frighteningly muscular and tall) kind. The cause of such drastic changes in behavior in only a select few was odd...but no books she found in Kalinor elaborated on the reason, only the aftermath. Wysar was a male and, therefore, intimidating, so Nenai had unconsciously gravitated to learning about Akajia, the mother of the Akalak and Goddess of the Night, Shadows, Darkness, Secrets and Stealth. The books she had read explicitly stated that, when night fell, Akajia surrounded, saw and heard all. And a few also made passing mentions of a statue that the Akalak believed had been left for them by their mother, that moved around at night and slept at a different place everyday. Always staying near the city. It was easier to locate than she had imagined, once she'd gathered enough courage to ask a passing Akalak for directions. She had been injecting her breakfast, an orange, with digestive poison when she approached, however, and half believed he had responded quickly due to his alarm. Directions roughly memorized, Nenai hovered by the gate that lead out of the city until her breakfast's insides were soupy enough to drink and she could finish her meal. It might be considered rude to slurp fruit innards in front of a holy relic. The statue was not a long walk from the gate, and easy to spot, since two Akalak's were standing on either side of it. At least, she assumed they were both Akalak's, due to their similarity in build, but it took her a moment to realize the strange paleness of one's face as not a skin abnormality, but tattooing. A Cerulean. Realizing that her way of praying would seem abnormal to residents of Riverfall, and perhaps perceived as a threat, Nenai stopped a short distance away from the guards and statue - in plain sight - before pulling out her Ceremonial Knife. The Cerulean guard tensed more visibly than the Akalak, as if more ready to strike. Unnerved, but unwilling to turn back, Nenai concentrated on her task as she drew the blade across the back of her left hand. Some Symenestra would make a blood offering from their palm, but she was unwilling to risk handicapping her ability to climb efficiently in an unfamiliar place. Satisfied with the thin line of gray blood seeping to the surface of her skin, Nenai carefully cleaned her Ceremonial Knife on the grass and slipped it into the space between her shell armor and wrist before moving forward again. The two guards were still watching her warily, and she tried to convince herself that it was more out of confusion than alarm. Having read that outsiders were not permitted to touch the statue, she stopped five feet away from it and the guards before bowing at the waist and, after a glance at the two men, kneeling. Neither seemed to believe her a threat by this point, and returned to surveying the area while glancing back at her intermittently. Left to her praying, Nenai ran her right pointer finger over the line of blood and used the gray liquid to draw a rough triangle - a symbol of Akajia, if she remembered correctly - on the grass. "Please lend me good fortune in my quest to uncover any secrets in Riverfall that may lead me to finding my brother." She murmured in Symenos, wanting her prayer to be private and hoping that the Goddess, if she listened, could understand the intent if not the words. After a moment, she added "Thank you, Viratas, for allowing my safe travel into another deity's domain." Satisfied by what was, at the very least, a polite gesture to Akajia, Nenai stood and bowed to the statue again. She bowed to both guards as well, though more with her neck and shoulders than her entire back, before turning and heading back to the city.

[Oisin]

Oisin Oisin sat contemplating, knowing that he was still young and that his future was still bright, still ahead of him. He walked along their homelands, his golden eyes avoiding the beams of the overhead sun. Oisin's long black hair was in ponytails down the back of his head, several of them all in a row. Some of his hair was left to flow down his back. Decorative jewelry of tanned animal hide and bones and jewels went around his wrists, arms and biceps, accentuating his still developing muscles. He often thought of his mother, and wished to start his own family, but felt he must prove himself. Of course, by this age, he already had, but there had to be something more. He felt he needed new challenges every so often, with rewards to follow. It would keep his active mind entertained. The sky began to darken, and he looked up as the sun started to disappear beneath clouds, and the rain began to fall. He clutched his weapon in hand, and started to head for the grasslands, hurrying to catch the snakes that slithered through the grasses before they had fully gotten into hiding from the weather. He pierced one with his blade, hacking into it's thick throat to decapitate it. Somewhere, he felt he was taking his internal anger out on the beast, the creature. He slashed it again, on the other side and watched as the blood spurted from all sides and the creature soon lay dead. He grabbed it by the bulk of it's middle and started to haul it back to his dwelling. He cut away at it's flesh, going to make things from it's hide as well as pieces from other animals. He wondered if Makutsi was manifesting herself in the rain, and felt he knew it without a doubt. The festivals would be starting soon, if they hadn't already, and he looked to join them. Getting ready for them a little eagerly, he prepared a meal of wine and fish, along with a portion of vegetables over a fire, adding herbs from his garden, although not from his few crops. He skinned the meat from the snake, separating the parts that would be eaten and the parts that would be used for items, hanging the meat over limbs of trees with leaves shielding it from the elements, a sort of natural refrigerator. This would be for supper. He watched a girl leaving their statue that was thought to come from their mother goddess. He had no prayers on his mind, but he tipped his head thankfully, respectfully. Perhaps, maybe he would see her tonight. More food was lain out on ware that had been made within their community, as if awaiting a friend or guest. He could've eaten inside his home, but he'd rather have been out in the elements, even beneath the slight rain. He was tucked away in a small cove, near the rushing waterfall, which was now going slightly faster with more velocity from the water from the added rains. He still fed his fire, letting it burn and smoke in the crevice he had found, enjoying the warmth as it gathered on his dark flesh. Oisin could feel it well up inside, anticipation for the festivals, of new faces he could meet. He pined for the company of a woman, and with thoughts of this he poured another glass of wine, letting the fish marinate in spices and it's own juices. But he didn't care to get too drunk, only wanted the rush after his killings.