[Chapel] Sanguine [Veldrys]

[Tabarnac]

"They never came back," he repeated. "Certainly our Inarta allies have found evidence of failed expeditions, though we have no confirmed reports of anyone arriving in Sultros or Kalinor... anywhere... speaking of a surviving Denvali settlement. Bear in mind that it was the Zeltivans who found us, not our wind-riding Inarta neighbors. I assume the gods had a hand in our isolation. It makes a certain sort of sense, though. With Aquiras in a permanent swoon, His children remained in a sort of stasis too. "The seas at that time were more dangerous. Tides erratic, storms frequent, and it took some time to sound the harbor for hull-shearing rocks." He shrugged. "Again, I assume there was a larger design, and we hadn't enough people to waste on expedition after expedition." When Veldrys accepted his offer, he nodded and clasped the Symenestra's wrist, paying no mind to inhuman claws. It was done as simply as that. "You will have a room here," he said. "Small and rather spartan, but an acolyte can hardly focus upon the God when living in the lap of luxury. Meals will be seen to. You will have no expenses, but you will serve the community spiritually and with your more mundane skills. Have you any?" The last was not asked with any sort of malice, but mere businesslike -- or, given the circumstances of Denval, military -- efficiency.

[Veldrys]

"Never", he murmurred. He couldn’t believe that the expeditions had never come back, that nobody had reached the outside world and informed them of the survivors in Denval. Maybe the gods had indeed had a hand in it. There was no other explanation that made sense to the Symenestra. Maybe it had indeed all been part of some greater plan – although he found it hard to imagine that the seas had been even more dangerous back then. The journey to Denval had been rather unpleasant as far as he was concerned, and it was not an experience he particularly wanted to repeat, although he would have to if he ever wanted to leave Denval again. "It certainly seems so", he agreed as the chaplain assumed there had been a larger design. He let the human touch his hand, noticing how he didn’t hesitate at all. The humans he had known in Kalinor had always been a little careful. "I don’t need luxury", he replied. "A place to sleep and meals are all I need. As for skills ..." He hesitated for a moment as he wondered what and how much he should tell the human. He would keep his magic studies, his studies of morphing and his interest in glyphing to himself. Magic was often regarded with suspicion, besides the chaplain had asked about his more mundane skills and not such complicated things. "In my home town I worked as a healer. I can treat most common injuries and illnesses, and I’m somewhat familiar with the herbs that grow in this part of the world as well. Most of my patients were members of my own race, but I’ve occasionally treated humans as well and found that they are not completely different from us. Do you have need of a man with such skills here?" Of course most of his human patients had been surrogates, human women that had been captured and forced to bear Symenestra children. It was another fact he decided to keep to himself. He didn’t approve of the Harvest and preferred to pretend it didn’t exist. He wanted to focus on other things, such as his studies of history and religion for now and not on this unnecessary spilling of blood, on this constant dilemma.

[Tabarnac]

Haimon seemed to take what Veldrys offered at face value, and considered the options going forward. It didn't take him lock, this being a relatively small community and his knowledge of it the profound familiarity of a native son. "We don't often get cases of illness here, though we might get injuries if they cannot make it to a healer or one of Rak'keli's chosen. Perhaps I will send you to spend some time assisting them, however, with particular interest in aiding patients with problems of the blood. "Well," he continued, standing with a great economy of movement. "Let us get you settled in."

[Veldrys]

The Symenestra waited for what the chaplain would say to his revelation. "There are people that bear the mark of Rak’keli in this city?" he asked, unable to completely hide his surprise. He had encountered few that worshipped this particular deity in his home town. Most Symenestra lacked the gentle disposition that was necessary for a follower of Rak’keli. The goddess required those that bore her mark to heal friends and enemies alike. That was something that quite a few Symenestra had a problem with. Even Veldrys himself who was kinder than most often wondered if he would ever be capable of such a thing. "I would appreciate that", he replied as the chaplain spoke about him assisting one of Rak’keli’s chosen. While he had already occasionally treated his own patients without the supervision of a more experienced healer in Kalinor, the surface world was different. It would be good to have somebody to guide him, to teach him. They might employ different methods. Besides, it would be interesting to watch how a chosen of Rak’keli healed. Having said that, he would follow the human to wherever he would take him, to get settled in.

[Tabarnac]

XP Award! Veldrys XP Award: Interrogation +5 Lore: Denvali Viratas Cult (basic) Additional Notes: Veldrys is now an acolyte of Viratas, “reporting” directly to Chaplain Haimon. He owes his service to the people of Denval as much as the god for the duration of his time there, as the chaplains serve the population too. You can assume that he’s been given some serviceable woolen clothes for the winter and linen for the warmer months. He’ll need some kind of blood-red accoutrement, however. Perhaps a headband or sash or the like. I will let you decide rather than impose any fashions upon you. Just let me know. I will figure out his income/expenses soon. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or concerns. Keep writing!