Closed [The Temple of All Gods]Wandering to Worship[Elann]

[Clyde Sullins]

7th Winter 515

Clyde wasn't one to often go out and mingle with the common folk of Syliras.

He'd had enough trouble once his lab was built, since apparently the workers involved had decided to tell everyone they knew a new mage was about. He'd hoped the lab to be a refuge, but as it wasn't secret he had to at times deal with random people coming by. Random people angry at him, some wanting him to leave the city. Some simply left notes on his door, not wanting to face a mage directly.

And then there were the few who thought to ingratiate themselves to a mage, or who claimed to want use of his enchanting services but invariably didn't have the money to pay for it.

He was only glad that his face wasn't well known, even if far to many people for his liking knew where his lab was.

He'd had such a person visit today, and after dealing with them that morning wanted to get away for a bit. But it nearing winter, going outside the city and possibly camping wasn't as easy of a task. Not if he didn't want to reveal certain of his skills that he'd been keeping hidden.

He preferred to keep his status as a mage hidden if possible, since it tended to make dealing with the common folk easier. And where did common folk go? To the temple.

He'd seen the temple back in Ravok, and it was a rather different thing. This one was vaguely similar in its temple-ness, but still quite varied from the one focused on the worship of Rhysol.

Clyde hadn't visited it much, nor had he visited this temple much as he'd grown up in Syliras. He just didn't find a need to go to a specific place if he wanted to show worship for his deity. But as this was where the people were, this was where Clyde supposed he should go.

Who knew, perhaps he'd meet someone of interest, gain a contact, or add another piece to the web of influence he was slowly spreading over Syliras.

Clyde wore his robes as usual, and held the ever present staff Cha in his hand. The length of blue wood tended to draw attention due to its odd coloring, crafted of a wood native to Mura.

Unsure what to do, Clyde wandered about a bit, stared at the high ceiling, closed his eyes, and did other things he assumed one did in a temple. Mostly he just kept to himself, not noting anyone who seemed to be of worth...

Most of the people, in his opinion, looked like they spent their days digging in a field, which wasn't the type of person who garnered his notice, or who were worth his time.

[Elann]

.

There was one such girl inside the temple who was not filthy and smelled of pig manure. A Benshira. Their cleanliness rituals were very important to them. Her skin was soft from years of being removed from the sun and sandy winds of the deserts, scrubbed in various herbal packs her mother had made for her. It had a glow to it compared to the average Syliran and spoke of the fact she was from an exotic land far away. It was the only thing visible about her. The woman, obviously someone who was cold, was bundled up in scarves and thick wool wintery clothing, holding her hands about her as she prayed. She was pretty to look at despite the layers. Her chestnut hair seemed to almost have a red hue to it and her features were very feminine.

While usually seen wearing a frumpy worn tunic, her winter gear was new, made her look like someone of middle upper class, due to the perfection of the stitch work on it, but really it was just because someone had made them in the orangery for her, using her own materials she had purchased. As she sat there praying, the light sound of footfalls nearby caused her to seemingly end her prayer. It was not that she was suspicious of anyone inside the Temple of All Gods, nor was she one to worry about her own personal bubble too much in a location such as this, but the reason she looked up, was because she though it was Morian.

The light tap of the staff should have given it away even as she heard it, but she was not one to discern sounds well for what they meant. This was especially true in voices. As she looked up to the man before her, immediately starting at his feet, she could see the robes. Morian was known to wear robes as well, thus a bright smile began to grace her face. Instead of looking up the rest of his body, her eyes shot to his face. Their shimmering green blue, like crystals struck with light, seemed to be studying his face. Immediately she could realize it wasn't Morian but some youthful stranger. Her eyes shot to the side in embarrassment at her delight send Clyde's way, and regaining her composure she refocused on him with a slight smile.

He was a little ways away from her still as he meandered about the temple and unfortunately for her, had turned to look at something right when she so intently stared at him. It was clear by the darkening of her cheeks that flushed with blood and her avoiding glance that she realized she had been caught staring at him. Her her hand drew upward toward her cowl, as if to protect from blowing sand, however she resisted the urge and instead pulled it downward in open compassion for the stranger.

"Hello," she voiced innocently kind toward him. Her eyes trailed to his blue wooded staff and she admired it, not having seen anything quite like it thus far in her search of the Bazaar. "You have a beautiful walking staff."

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Clyde Sullins]

As was common for Clyde, his attention had wandered. At times he could become very focused, but when he was bored or nothing had his attention said attention often wandered.

At such times his mind tended to work on things that he felt were of import. Like what would happen if one of the nails from a pew was taken out. How long would it keep standing? How structurally intact would it be? Or what if someone applied a bit of pressure to the base of that wall. Could that be done in enough places to make the wall come down?

What materials where their nearby for use in Reimancy? Air obviously, and stone, but this place was lit so they would likely be something flamable close by...

If he was to build something like this himself, how long would it take with his skills and a source of stone? Or would he need to build and mold bricks from the stone, and then build it, since he couldn't well just carve a structure this large out of the ground...

On and on his mind buzzed, running from one random thought to another. Some where of use, some were nonsense, and some for useful but nonsensical.

Occasionally his mind would focus on a person, analyze them, not some facts he observed, and dismissed them. So long as they didn't draw to close he tended to not focus on a certain person more than those occasional flickering motions.

It wasn't that he wasn't aware of everyone at some level, he knew vaguely where everyone in the room was, and if someone started moving fast or yelled he'd note that and react, but at the moment he was thinking on other things and so as long as he didn't see a threat he wasn't wholly focusing on his environment.

It wasn't until he heard the girl speak that he noted her presence, a noting that caused him to suddenly jerk his head and meet her eyes as if he had been staring out a window and a loud pop had gone off right where the girl stood.

The first thing he noticed about her was that she appeared clean, and her skin didn't look like it had been beaten on by the harsh sun non-stop like a field workers.

The second was the words she'd just said, which he had to repeat in his head again before he remembered them fully and was able to consider a response. This caused a short delay before he began speaking.

His eyes didn't leave hers, didn't scan her body, instead staring into the depth of her twin orbs.

As he responded he smiled, noting as he did that her cheeks were flushed as if she was embarrassed or hot, he wasn't sure which. Considering the layers she wore inside it could be that, but if that was the case she'd surely take some layers off. So it seemed more likely, logically, that she was embarrassed. Clearly Clyde had missed something, or perhaps she was embarrassed to be speaking to him and was utterly shy. Always a possibility.

“Thank you. Yes, she is a beauty. Her name is Cha. She's of a wood that as far as I know only grows on the Konti Isle, Mura. Vian Wood. It makes for a beautiful staff.”

Clyde paused for a moment, dipping at the waist in a small bow like motion while keeping his head up and eyes gazing at hers, before popping back up.

“I am Clyde. Clyde Sullins, of Syliras. And you?”

As he stated his name Clyde focused on his djed, willing a tendril of it to boil and churn within Cha. With a focused thought on the girl he sent the tendril outward from the staff's body, reaching out with it and embracing her in his aura sight. He let the form of her aura flare within his secondary vision he saw without using his mundane eyes.

[Elann]

.

The man before her seemed studious, drawn about the room like a watcher, taking in everything he saw. She had thought he was even looking at her when speaking to him, but that was far from the truth as his eyes snapped to her. Clyde seemed pleasant enough to her initially, having caused a little smile to pass over his lips, easing her tension and embarrassment. As he eloquently spoke about his staff, her eyes trailed over the blue wood, evidently from a place in Mura called Konti Isle. The names meant nothing to her. Even the name of the wood was as unfamiliar as the name of the wood she sat on. Surely someone educated in the world down in Yahebah had heard such terms, but she was from her father's tents and only knew some of the trading world, not all of it.

"Hmm It really does," she commented briefly on its beauty. Her company paused and dipped at the waist, bowing respectfully to her and then rising. Elann showed her vigor and youth by rising swiftly, spring in her step to do the same for him, albeit with a bit less grace. Her brown hair tumbled forward as she looked down to the ground before him instead of maintaining the eye contact he so faithfully kept toward her. When she raised, a look of interpretation was upon her face, taking his words in with curiosity interpreting them into Shiber, her natural language, and then gaining the understanding of them. She was decently well at common, but it was clear by her accent and her almost unnoticed delay, that common was not so common initially for her.

"My name is Elann, daughter of Shlomet, of the Sons of Rapa."

The phrase came out with ease, obviously something she had much more practice with. The name was coupled with the outpouring of Clydes djed toward her, revealing not only her own aura of caution, curiosity, and calm, but a brilliant and unique otherworldly gold that stretched outward from her nearly to Clyde's position at the edge of where she sat, roughly ten feet. It spoke of purity and faith, nearly assertively so; being that no mere mortal magic showed like it meant perhaps it was a touch of the divine.

Interest took Elann over the mention of his staff's name, but her interest in Clyde was more overpowering. "So how did you come about traveling to Konti Island? Where is that? Nearby?" Her voice was sweet, gentle, like her personality, and she seemed sincere in her intentions with no malice as she sat back down; this time facing him more.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde continued to smile at the girl as she played along with his game, intentionally or not he was unsure. Perhaps giving back the bow had been more of a reflex, something done in response to the other person, more so than a habit of doing it herself. He could see it being either of those, or perhaps neither.

He noted a slight delay, but he assumed the more likely reason that she was considering his words and being careful with the reply. The fact that she was having to interpret and reinterpret his words did not occur to him.

Clyde however did fully note her name, Elann, and noted how she presented it. He knew of surnames, something not everyone had. But the fact that she'd presented herself by giving her fathers name said something. It was something he'd not heard of in the cultures of Sylira, which hinted perhaps that she might not be of his region. Possibly. Or perhaps it was just some idiosyncrasy of her's, such as how he stated his own name.

Her father was named Shlomet, a name he'd not heard the likes of. Then she referred, he assumed, to the parentage of clan of her father, as one of the sons of Rapa. A tribe? Group? Something. Perhaps then her branch was this Rapa, and her direct and immediate father was the Shlomet.

Clyde was no professional anthropologist, but piecing together the various bits of information he was starting to get a vague feel for certain specific aspects of the girl.

As his aura sense extended however he met resistance and information far earlier than he should have. As the first bit of the tendril struck her aura it was like a sound wave hitting a pool of water and making a ripple flash across it. As the ripple spread his awareness of her aura did too, and he saw a layer of gold ensconcing her.

It was something he'd not seen in all of his time as an aurist.

The fact that it initially displayed itself as color said something. Usually even when he examined humans the aura first seemed grey, and then came into color. Her's however had immediately flashed the strong gold, leading him to believe that her aura had been "physically" altered to be as such.

He wasn't sure what it meant, or what it did, or how it would affect anything he did, but he knew it meant something. If nothing else it drew his interest all the more.

It wasn't however simply a layer of the strong gold, nor was her aura ensconced with it, but it seemed to actually meld with her aura at a deep level within her very djed. His first thought was attempting to copy it. He knew how to alter his own aura. Therefore, if he noted its effects, its feel, its touch, his full awareness of it, he could perhaps copy and mimic the effect if not fully then at least aesthetically.

With this in mind he fully examined the girls aura, the goldness, wanting to understand it fully for later. One never knew when such a thing could be of use. If nothing else it was shocking, and gave him ideas for enhancing his own aura if not in the same way then in general.

He'd never considered making his aura denser, or lacing it with such firmness and feelings. Just reading it gave him impressions, and made him pause before pressing onward.

Clyde did his best to split his attention, not wanting to show part of his focus was dwelling on examining her and her aura. Instead he did his best to appear focused on her, letting his eyes focus on her pair, and letting his search within his aura sight sweep over and examine the rest of her.

“Konti Isle? It is home of the Konti race. Mura, it is an island off the east coast of Sylira, to the east and north of here past Nyka. I believe when I visited it I was coming from Syliras or Zeltiva, and heading to Nyka. Though I imagine there are some of that race within Syliras. I've seen a few here in passing.”

“What of you, you seem traveled. Whereabouts have you gone of interest? I've never so much as left Sylira, though I've been all over it. Actually...”

Here Clyde paused, taking his pack off his back and going through his things, breaking physical eye contact as he did so. After a few moments his hand came out of his pack with a scroll in his grip.

“Actually, I've a map of the region, and I could show you where we are and where Mura is, if you'd like to sit and look at it with me.”

The last time he'd looked at the map, he'd been working on setting up an outpost north of Ravok for the city. That however had been seasons ago, and the map had sat without use in his pack since then.

[Elann]

.

Purely devoid of noticing anything was occurring behind the scenes, Elann merely behaved as any stranger would to another, however her kindness and sweet disposition made her a bit more pleasant than the average Syliran. Her radiant eyes seemed to brighten all the more as he began to speak of Konti Isle. Though Elann hadn't known it in her, her friend and recent misfortunes over the last year had put a type of wanderlust deep within her. She had gotten a taste of the world, and while it had been a horrible experience, fraught with suffering, pain, and starvation, she also had been so blessed by it. Not only had Yahals own hand touched and blessed her on the journey, but she had met Noah. He had helped her get settled, patiently being her friend through thick and thin, and she him. But there was a time when she was lost in the city and he was not around. In that time she had bought her own maps of the Syliras region, it just was not labeled very well.

Konti Isle it seemed was home to a people named the Konti. She had seen many strange looking people in her walks about the city thus far, but never was bold enough to ask what they were. It therefore was likely she had seen them and not known who or what they were. When Clyde spoke about Nyka though, she smiled. It seemed blatantly obvious she had heard of Nyka. Her people and even her family had occasional trades for the fine colored fabric from that place. Still, she listened patiently.

"I imagine so, I have never known them though. What do the Konti look like? I've only been in Syliras for a couple seasons...if even that much. So far I have met many races I've never seen. Vantha, Isur, Kelvic to name a few."

"Me? Traveled?" She let out a giggle full of mirth. "Well I suppose you can say that. I've wandered the deserts of Eyktol all my life with my tribe," she paused, "I am Benshira if you don't know." Because some people didn't. "I traveled from Yahebah to Kenash, then to Syliras. That is all. I have not really 'traveled' as you say." She gave him a grin showing she was lighthearted about it. "At least not in explor...exploration?" She asked as if struggling with the word, but at least knowing it.

With curiosity, she watched with squinting eyes of expectation as he dug through his pack. A delighted look came over her face as she saw it was a map and she leaned forward in display of that joy as he talked; almost looking like she would clap her hands in excitement.

"Yes! Please sit. I have a map of Syliras as well but it is horribly labeled. I would love to see it."

That of course would mean that he would have to volunteer to step within the golden radius surrounding the blue-green eyed desert tribeswoman.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde smiled, shaking his head as she said she didn't know of Konti or if she'd seen one.

“They're a bit hard to miss, you'd know if you saw one. They're a bit fishy... Not like they're suspicious, but literally fish like or aquatic a bit. Not full on, they aren't fish people, but they've got scales in places... I don't know where all they have them, but the ones I saw had it on their foreheads, the backs of their hands, and their neck. And I think they can breathe underwater, so I'd assume they've got gills. I can't fully recall though, its been awhile, and I didn't interrogate her about it.”

Clyde paused for a moment, wrinkling his brow in thought, before continuing on.

“And I think they're all female. At least, I've never heard of nor seen a male one.”

Clyde listened as she spoke of her travels, of visiting and living in the deserts of Eyktol. He knew vaguely what a desert was, but couldn't even picture it in his head. Perhaps like the ocean it was one of those things you just had to see. Endless sand and dryness, he couldn't imagine it truly. The closest he knew of sand was beaches, and it bordered water.

He wasn't sure what a Benshira was though, the thing she professed to be. He'd assumed she was just a normal human.

In response to he acceptance, Clyde headed over towards the nearest pew and tapped next to himself for her to sit.

As he walked within the golden shine of her aura it was a bit odd at first, a tingle down his spine and along the rib over his scar, but it wasn't unpleasant nor did it repel him. Even if it had he'd likely have pressed within anyways, as he was interested enough in the girl after their discussion and what he'd seen.

“Now, do you mean to say you've a map of Syliras, this city, or Sylira this region, or both? Since its quite different. This is a map of the region, Sylira, not the city, just to be clear.”

Clyde would unfurl the map and begin to point out features and cities and he explained them.

“Now, we are here, in Syliras. South and east this way leads to Zeltiva. Up along the coast north here is Sunberth. Further north up the coast is Nyka. And though its not on the map, Mura would be around here, due east more or less from Nyka. Ah, and there is also Sahova off the east coast, though further south closer to Sunberth. Right... Here.”

He was still pondering how to approach her aura, or finding out about it, but for now wasn't sure. Perhaps he could do so in a roundabout way, or so he hoped.

“Each of those cities its unique and its own place. I've been to all of them but Sunberth. Although I've heard... Stories. It doesn't have the best reputation.”

“Ah, if you don't mind me asking, what brought you here? Are you giving worship to anyone in particular?”

[Elann]

.

Clyde had a nice smile, and it showed his purity. Even if she had met the most ruthless killer in town, she could tell he still had good in him somewhere from that smile. He explained to her the details of the Konti people, regaling her with wisdom of the people she had seen here and there among the town. Her mind trailed back in thought over them as a race.

"I think I know the ones you speak of. I've seen them around the castle. You know...I've never seen a male one either. But no, there has to be males...how could there be no males?"

Her tone was quizzical, very interested in how a species could not have a male. She was no biologist or scientist of anyways. Her life was in a tent, so as he told her such, she grew very suspicious that he was toying with her. Thinking it all a joke, she had a large smile growing on her face, testing to see if he was kidding.

Clyde moved to the nearest pew to himself and sat, bidding her to come. Her interest piqued, she did so, sliding up next to him. The earthy scent of henna, a tiny hint of rose water, and a very light perfume smell came off of her. As Elann leaned in, there was a unique scent of almond and honey on the skin of her face, hinting that at the moment she tasted sweet. Elann's eyes were glued on the map before her.

"I have both, a map of Syliras and a map of Sylira. My Sylira map is very bad...which is sad for how much it cost. I only realized this later and the vendor was gone when I returned. I don't think it was intentional though."

She resigned herself to think better of people than to just outright think they took advantage of her. Elann's piercingly bright eyes scanned the cartograph in front of her, drawing her in to see what her map was so readily missing. As Clyde began to explain, her legs tucked up beside her on the pew to sit more comfortably as she watched his finger point out things.

"You've been to all of those cities?"

She pulled away, distancing herself from the man and looked to him as one would look to a teacher.

"I couldn't imagine traveling so far...Isn't it very dangerous?"

Briefly she glanced to his staff once more and then back to his map.

"So you acquired Cha around here then?" she pointed roughly to the correct spot on the map from where he got it and then slid back away.

The tale of Sunberth somewhat frightened her and she made a mental note of where it was so that she'd know to never travel there, and perhaps, be suspicious of those from there.

"Stories? Like what?"

She seemed interested in tales about as much as maps. It was easy to assume that Elann was hungry for knowledge.

Clyde's question about Elann's purpose there in the Temple caused Elann to smile, particularly the second half.

"I come here often to pray. I am praying to Yahal, who watches over me and my people, the Benshira, and all who turn from impurity and unfaithfulness."

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde replied with a wry smile, at her comment on konti surely not being only female.

“Our world is a strange one. I've seen things far stranger than a race without males. I mean, their is a race of creatures that seems to literally birth itself from the very ground, Yukmen! Perhaps the problem is that you think of them individually. Looking at it logically, Konti don't operate by themselves, other races interact. Perhaps then they propagate the species through other races that do have males? Or who knows, perhaps they don't need males at all, and have tossed aside the entire need for breeding in the traditional sense, and simply will themselves pregnant? Though I'll admit, that latter thought seems a bit less likely...”

While Clyde might be running ideas wildly, it didn't mean he took the debate any less seriously. And if there was one thing Clyde enjoyed and took his true element in, it was a debate. He could debate till he turned blue in the face, and tended not to take offense whatever was said within the confines of a theoretical debate. Of course, this didn't meant he same was true of his counterpart in a debate, which sometimes led to problems when he said something or other to offend.

Perhaps if Clyde wasn't locked into the more scholarly mindset he was currently in, debating, thinking logically, and picking apart facts, he might have noted certain facts about the girl. Her scent, her closeness to him as they examined the map, all were forgotten, along with his original interest in her due to her appearance and appeal. At least for the moment.

Moving on to the next subject, Clyde nodded in response to her question.

“I've been to almost every city in Sylira, though I've never left its borders. I've traveled by boat, by horse, by foot, and by caravan. I've even traveled alone once or twice, though not of my own choice. Yes, it is dangerous, but if you take the necessary precautions, and know how to protect yourself well enough, most dangers can be avoided to a degree. But I mean, there is always danger, even taking a few steps outside of the walls of the city there is danger. Safety is subjective.”

Clyde nodded to her question about where he acquired Cha, or technically the wood that went into crafting her, and then pressed onward to respond to her next question in regards to Sunberh.

“Ah, nothing good I'm afraid. Sunberth is known for few things. The most prominent of those being its lawlessness, and its thieves. More or less anything is legal there, and everyone is ready to put a blade between your ribs and make off with whatever of value you might hold.”

Clyde narrowed his eyes for a moment as she mentioned Yahal, trying to recall if he'd ever heard of such a god, and slightly misunderstanding her words.

“Yahal... Doesn't ring a bell. Don't think I've heard of that deity. You say they are a god specifically of your people? Perhaps that's why I've not heard, if he's only worshiped by your people. Whats the domain they are over?”

[Elann]

.

Elann of course had heard of Yukmen and had to watch for them in her own tribe as well as many other abnormalities. She herself was one though she didn't know it. It didn't mean she was well versed in what was out there in the world though. Hearing Clyde incited her curiosity.

"Oh how...unique." He clearly wasn't joking. Though there was a wry smile on his face he didn't seem to have deception in mind. "I would have never guessed that such a race existed out there. I guess I don't think of Yukmen much that they come from the ground."

She suddenly felt a little self conscious and a great deal uneducated so she bit her lip figuratively on the subject.

Disbelief filled her as Clyde seemed to explain that he had traveled across the region of Sylira even alone once or twice. She had always known people to travel by caravan. To do so by foot was suicide. That meant that either he was a liar, powerful, or very cunning. Upon him speaking about safety being subjective, she hung her head.

"I probably would have died out there. I hardly even know how to fight, let alone survive out in the wild. Doing something like that would scare me into death."

It felt good to hear from him the various places on the map, especially where he had received such a beautiful blue staff. It reminded her of her fathers, yet so much more unique. As Cha and the subject of Konti Isle left them, she listened intently to the tale of Sunberth and how its lawlessness was prevalent there.

"Why isn't everyone in the city dead then? Does the threat of violence keep people from killing each other?"

The concept of Sunberth was about as opposite of her culture as possible.

"I am not the most educated on the subject of Yahal to teach you what his influence is on the world, but I know that anyone who cries out to him, he is open to. He then is not just worshiped by our people. Here in Syliras he is worshiped as well. You see, Yahal is the god of purity and righteousness. He is personal with his followers, and loves them very much."

Her face beamed with a happiness and joy it seemed at the mention of him.

"Ever since a young girl I have praised him. He has protected me, watched over me. He is a friend to the selfless and loves anything that seeks out goodness in people and the world; be it god or man."

He didn't seem to know about her people, so she just asked, "Have you heard of the Benshira?"

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts