Deep in the jungle surrounding Zuanwa, two Ta'zesh approached a cave. Arrows notched, they stalked down into it. Taking cover at a bend, and soundless peaking in, they saw a younger man peering deeply into a fire. His shoulders were exposed, exposing intricate burn marks that wrap around them. The necklace was also around it. It did not seem as though the Rul noticed them, until, without any provocation, he spoke, "Please turn back. Your presence distracts from my mediation."
Akata stepped out, "We are here for the Za'wal's necklace."
He responded harshly, "It is my mother's. I will be separate from it when I rejoin her."
Akata grunted, "So be it." Despite taking careful aim, her arrow completely veered off. The second and third arrows did not perform any better.
The Rul continued to gaze into his fire, "As you can see, I do not fear your arrows."
Sowing her bow, and grabbing her dagger, Akata took one step towards him before pulling back instinctively upon hearing the hissing of a snake. She did not see them until now, but they were numerous. Their skin blended into the caverns, and their bite was lethal.
The other hunter, Uwana spoke, her voice not as confident as her partner, "Just who are. You bare the marks of the Rul and what we are after, but you can not be. You must be a Lota'wal."
Waving his hand over the flame, it turned blue and seemingly jumped up before returning to normal, "I am the Ruanza'ka. The gods speak to me through the fire. They trust in me their secrets."
Akata holding back a shout, "Ruanza'ka? You must be a lying Lota'wal or. or a Loza'zesh wearing the flesh of a dead Rul."
The Ruanza'ka scoffed, "You may believe what you wish, Akata."
Uwana stopped her partner, "I have never heard of a Za'ka. If we believe you that it exists, why would be bestowed to you?"
Holding his hands still over the fire, the hunters could see his badly burnt hands, "An empty vessel has room to be filled. It was by fire and suffering I have become more."
Uwana lowered her voice, "If not gifted by the gods, what fearful thing could he be. We should leave now."
Akata muttered back, "We can not leave with nothing."
The Ruanza'ka responded, "Then return to your Za'watem with this, From water the city born, from water, it shall die. Once the greater light sets, the heavens will cry.
The city sleeps in rising tide, spurred by fools who speak more than they listen. Within the wave, a minnow has washed upon your shores, and the fools would have you think his fins were glided, but if he speaks with another's voice then he must be thrown back. They will yell and scream that it should be obvious at sight, but the gods can see what we can not, and place the greatest proof within the heart.
The Ta'ral and Rul will be the first to awake, and if still bound with bramble, it will only bleed the water for the sharks. Then those who survive might twice awaken from tribulation and become as I have.
Finally, a metal beast bound and tamed by those of distant shore comes. You can't defeat them, nor can you lose to them."
Cave hermit and pet snakes harassed by bow-carrying women.
Two hunters from Zuanwa tracked down a former slave and a necklace he stole, and find him in a cave, surrounded by venomous snakes and arrows refuse to hit him. He calls himself Ruanza'ka, and the hunters believe him to be a Lota'wal or Loza'zesh but the more cowardly/wise of the two decides to leave well enough alone, but the brave/foolhardy hunter doesn't want to leave with nothing. The hermit then tells them a prophecy about how the city about how Zuanwa is doomed.
Starting: 5MP/ 5DP Ending: 2MP/ 2DP
-3 MP to claim astrology port ( Magic related to the stars or zodiac, by itself, it primarily leans itself towards augury, however it can blend with other magic systems taking stronger influence from that magic system than from other astrological magic.)
-2 DP (Enhanced with Augury Port) Thaumaturgy: A more advanced form of sorcerous fortune, which is usually conscious but can be subconsciously used. Thaumaturgy has limited usages, but is more controlled than regular sorcery and can potentially be used without effort. In addition, it can even occur in response to premonitions, for example a person can suddenly be aware of a dangerous object quickly approaching them and it is quickly repelled from them. It can be used for the following purposes, its range is determined by the skill of the user: -> Causing something to change color and/or shed any color of light up to the brightest of a torch. -> Causing something to suddenly move for a brief moment. -> Causing something to persist for longer than otherwise expected, IE food spoiling slower or a candle burning for longer. -> Causing something to slow change temperature, though this can cause an object to reach more extreme temperatures if given time. -> Causing something to emit a particular noise, with more complex noises requiring greater skills. Animal calls are considered immediate noises to produce through thaumaturgy.
-1 DP (Discounted with augury port) Hospitality: Non-intelligent creatures are less likely to attack augurs unless provoked. Skilled augurs, when acting non-maliciously towards them, can sometimes take actions that would otherwise provoke them such as entering or lingering in their territory, touching them, or administering treatment to them. Non-intelligent creatures who still attack them are often less effective at doing so, either hesitating or becoming confused or they act more slowly.
“Come on, you brats, hurry up! Night’s already upon us and the trek’s long still!” thundered the spearman through a beard so thick that it could’ve been a mask. Before him, he shepherded a train of everything from young children to young adults, all bound together at the hands by a long length of rope. They had been walking from a rebelling village in the centre of the Lowlands, the first region seized by the Dûnans after they took Gleann over Risenberg - it was the second day of their march now. Up ahead, the front guard had already lit fires and set up camp.
One of the captives was already ragged, having long unkempt hair and appeared malnourished. He was clearly impoverished by chance before the war had started. He appeared young, though it was also hard to tell his exact age due to him being small from hunger. He was constantly muttering something just under his breath. The spearman frowned, his torch casting long, crass shadows across his mean face. He stomped over and grabbed the youngster by the shoulder.
“Hey, be quiet! You’ll say nothing before the archdruids allow you to speak, is that clear?”
His eyes were glazed over, he barely seemed to comprehend that he was grabbed or that someone was speaking to him, but his eyes suddenly widened and he whimpered, “Where is the moon.” his eyes pointed directly at it in full view.
The guard followed his gaze in bafflement. “What do you mean, it’s right there? Oh, by… Torrsten, I think we’ve caught someone blind.”
“Well, what did you expect?! We didn’t kill him on the battlefield! Must’a been left behind!” came a distant yell from over by the camp, followed by mocking laughter. The spearman shrunk a bit and blushed before shoving the young man onwards. “Keep moving!”
The captive still didn’t seem to comprehend what was happening around him, and sputtered out, “He is watching. No, they are watching.”
The spearman growled and grabbed the boy by the neck of his rags. “Hey, I told you to--” He was silenced by a large hand clasping his shoulder. It was one of the other guards, his expression a condescending smirk.
“Ian, give it a rest - what harm is he doing by talking?” said the guard. The spearman spat and shrugged off the hand. However, as he did, the ground felt uneven to him, or so it seemed, anyway, for the man stumbled and fell to the ground. The others looked bepuzzled for a moment before breaking out into a guffaw. The guard smacked his hand to his forehead. “By the gods, man, can’t you even stand?! What’s going on with you toni--woah!” The spearman pushed the guard away in a rage and, with effort, rose back to his feet.
“I will -not- be made a fool out of!” His eyes fixed back on the young lad and he unsheathed a copper dagger. “If you won’t shut up, I’ll make an example of you.”
The other guards closed in around him. “Alright, Ian, that’s enough-- hey!” As they neared him, he spun around, jabbing at the air between them.
“Stay away! This bastard had it coming! No one ignores Ian’s orders - no one!”
The vagrant stated, “Death is a wonderful host, but terrible guest. You have invited it in.”
Ian snapped and grabbed the boy’s chin. He turned to face the others, pointing his dagger at them with a knowing look. “This is what happens when you defy Ian - what you get for laughing at me!” With that, he forced his fingers into the boy’s mouth, grabbed at his tongue and brought the blade to slice it off.
However, the second the metal touched flesh, it dissolved in Ian’s hands, becoming ash on the wind. No, not ash - dust. Ian recoiled, as did all the other guards. The spearman looked at his hands in disbelief. “W-what?”
“... It’s a bloody sorcerer…” whispered one of the other guards, picked up his spear and stabbed it at the boy. However, the jab, somehow, completely missed its mark despite the proximity. In trying to correct this mistake, the guard instead swung horizontally, aiming to slice at the boy’s shoulder. Once more, the second the metal came into contact with his flesh, it became dust. They cowered and exchanged looks of fear.
“D-demon!”
The vagrant glazed and confused eyes finally met Ian’s, he softly stated, “Do you not remember Scahach’ scolding about your ego?”
Ian, whose hyperventilation only seemed to egg his panic on, then let out a war cry, lifted both his hands into the air and brought them down on the boy’s head. However, as the fists connected with his skin, they broke, as though the bones inside had been made of glass. The man screamed as bones protruded through skin twisted in all manner of unnatural directions. The onlookers once more cowered or vomited at the sight. The other prisoners stared on with a mixture of terror and morbid curiousity.
A voice called out to Ian from the boy's form, but his lips did not move nor was his voice, "It is shame. Scahach' prayers for you to return unharmed could not be answered."
Ian looked up with tears in his eyes. “Wh-wha? What in--... Oh, gods, it hurts! How,” he sucked in a desperate, pained breath, “how do you know of, of my Scah?!” Efforts to move his hands only exasperated the pain.
The boy was quiet. His eyes were no longer glazed over, but still appeared unhealthy dim. He was facing right at Ian and didn’t seem to react to gruesome sight, but still seemed unnerved by the sound of his pain, flinching whenever his arms made sudden unnatural noises. The guard who had laughed at Ian before drew his own dagger.
“By the gods, Lars, didn’t you see what just happened?!” came a concerned squeal behind him. The guard Lars bit his teeth together and, with a hard grip, snatched the rope holding the prisoners together. He sliced over the knots, and soon, the whole chain came loose.
“I ain’t bringing that cursed child into my city - I ain’t bringing any of these.” He reluctantly looked down at the boy. “You’re free, kid. Go! Go back and be with your demonic ilk!” He tried to push him, but looked down at Ian’s hands again and decided against it, pulling his fist back towards his chest. Many of the other children and young adults started running back the way they had come.
The vagrant kid paused briefly, before starting to run away in the wrong direction.
Lars shouted, “HEY! Go home, I said!” But none dared give chase, for fear of ending up like Ian. They knelt down around him and started to inspect whether there was anything they could do.
”Oh, sister, what have I missed over here… Hey, thanks for catching that kid, Sirius. I wouldn’t have known anything was up if he hadn’t asked for the moon.” Gibbou rolled her shoulders so her chainmail rustled quietly. The two of them stood side by side in Antiquity, gazing at the world below.
“I have been concerned about Ha-Dûna for some time now, but he was the one who drew my attention. It seems rare for someone as talented as him to awaken, it is a shame what that cost him.” Sirius replied.
The moon goddess sighed. ”The Dûnans are… Okay, there’s no way around this. They’ve gone completely off the rails. I’m just glad I managed to get that spell going before that guy could hurt your… What is it you called them again? Ogres?”
“Augurs. And if it was not for your intervention, I would have stopped him. However I would not have been so kind.”
”He was far from innocent, that man, but…” She crossed her arms over her breastplate. ”I’d rather not the Dûnans grow even more accustomed to death than they already have. I’ll let that spell linger for a while, hope that at least stops their wanton killing of the civilians. Ugh, like, why do they do this anyway? I mean, I get that, sure, they want more land to feed that crazy fast growing population, and more land to settle on, and more land to rule and stuff… But, like, c’mon! Do they have to be so gung-ho about it? I dunno, what do you think?”
“... Perhaps it is because wolves are leading the flock.”
Gibbou frowned. ”You’re talking about the archdruids, aren’t you?”
“Not all of them.”
Gibbou squinted and punched her fist into her palm with a metallic clang. ”Got a name for me, brother? If someone’s ordering the butchering of innocents, I’d have to send them a strong worded letter. Yeah, a strongly worded letter that is a gruesome sleep schedule… Or something.”
“It is rarely one person is it? … It is a shame that people of Ha-Duna could be so easily fooled. Unlike us, they can be lied to by other mortals and sometimes it is foolish to disbelieve the powerful even when they are untruthful.”
”I just don’t understand - why are they so insistent on killing and imprisoning everyone? What did their neighbours do to them? The wars in this area are pretty recent, right?” She gave a hum and counter the number of years that had passed to herself. ”Yeah, pretty recently. You been paying attention much? Know their reasons?”
“Necessity is a cruel mistress. They were compelled to indulge, and now their greed has overtaken them. … I guess apart of it is that they are deceived by their own perceptions, being so far from the battlefield.”
Gibbou pulled her helmet off and rubbed her temples. ”Oi… Alright, I’ll need some time to thing about what to do here. You got any plans? Sirius?” Gibbou looked around, but it seemed as though the star god had vanished into thin air. She pouted and rolled her eyes. ”Okay, fine… Be like that…” Then she stomped her way back to her portal to observe some more from the comfort of her home.
Dûnan POW convoy strolling down the hill when, suddenly, it turns out one of the kids in it is an augur whispering shit! One of the guards gets pissy about him whispering shit, so the augur starts whispering more shit! This pisses the guard off, so some of his co-guards come to calm him down. He won’t calm down, though, and threatens to cut out the kid’s tongue. However, as he tries to cut it, Gibbou turns his knife and all other Dûnan weapons that try to harm innocents to dust. The Dûnans think the shit talker is a demon and get super scared. The pissy guard tries to whack him with his fists, but, surprise-surprise, his the bones in his hands break like glass. The augur starts shit talking his wife and the POWs are released into freedom.
Gibs and Sirius then have a chat about how shitty the whole situation is. They agree that it is shitty and decide to do something about it eventually. Sirius then disappears and leaves Gibbou alone to pout over how shitty everything is.
Shit.
Gibbou - 4MP/4DP 1DP - Curse (Protection): Curse Dûnans so that when their weapons or bodies strike at innocents with ill intent, they disintegrate into dust (if weapon) or shatter like glass (if body). End: 4MP/3DP.
Sirius looked down and peered into a particular cave, though this was perhaps a misnomer. He was feeling the senses of his new praying followers, and yet he couldn't help but rearrange his vision to come from the far reaches.
He felt a tinge of guilt, they were extraordinarily gifted in his new magicks, but there was a steep cost. To open up their new senses, they had to forsake their old ones. They wore heavy gloves and clothes around their mouths and noses soaked in material to dampen their smell. Lighting was sparse, and food was bland and flavorless. The cavern was mostly silent however, occasionally, there were songs sung in whispers or instruments quietly played. Of their mundane perception, their hearing was the most important.
He had taught them of his new secrets, and while he gave them the knowledge of the mechanics to inform their choice, he never advocated for it. Despite his aversion, their merits were impressive. Their whisper-sight was only something he could grant them due to their training, the ability to tap into a small portion of the divine to see through falsehoods. Only one person among the circle had been able to harness it, but they all hold the potential to do so.
As they prayed, they revealed their stories to him, and none of them were particularly pleasant. Not everyone who came was entirely innocent but was duty-bound to accept them as his followers. He could only wish that they would find peace in the new understanding of the world that they were discovering.
Sirius is watching a new druid circle that he had formed after creating Augury, the Circle of Whispering Sight. He is averse to their harsh practices, founded in the knowledge he gave them through visions but not something he instructed them to do, but is impressed by their skill with augury and believes he is now obligated to aid them.
Starting: 5/5 Ending: 0/0
Augury Extraordinary Abilities (-1 MP, -5DP): -> Premonition: By attempting to invoke visions through will and magic (typically mana sorcery, but other methods work such as druidry), augurs can more readily access divine knowledge. Premonitions are often not as involved as regular visions: dangerous items may glow red, they may hear foreign words in languages which they understand, or they can feel the hatred or mistrust a god has towards a particular object or person. Premonitions are a skill, and master augurs can potentially: react faster than otherwise possible, hold a conversation in a language they do not understand, purposely invoke a full-scale vision.
-> Appraisal: Involves opening the senses to the magical and divine, typically through mana sorcery or druidry but other methods are possible. Appraisals occur through focusing on an object an augur is touching and a simple appraisal only rely on this heightened sense, and a moderately trained augur could tell if something is strongly magic and/or divine (but nothing further), a vague sense of what materials it is composed of (they not automatically know what those materials are, but can compare this sense to known quantities, IE all iron has the same feeling and steel would have a similar but distinct feeling) and if it is dangerous (but not how or why, but it will exclude known quantities of danger. A normal bronze dagger would not read as dangerous, but an unidentified veil of liquid would if it contained snake venom) Augurs can acquire more information by either being more skilled, or by having a more complex appraisal that can often involves meditation and prayer, and sometimes involves other magical rites.
-> Sorcerous Fortune: Augurs can use a form of mana sorcery in order to subtly manipulate the ways around them: arrows may slightly veer off an miss them, keys may fall into their reach, cards can shuffle in just the right way for them to win, etc, etc. This can both be conscious and subconscious, though it is more difficult to consciously use this sorcery
Claiming the Augury Port (-3 MP)
Created Holy Order, Circle of the Whispering Sight (-1 MP): -> Augury Adepts I: Members of this circle have an enhanced affinity for augury, allowing them to learn it easier and better use it conjunction with their druidic powers.
-> Whisper-Sight II (Free with Augury Port): An advanced skill that is combination of augury and druidry with requires absolute focus, by depriving the mundane senses, practioneers of this ability can tap into a fraction of a fraction of the divine senses, allowing them to sense any deception or illusion. They do not automatically know the truth, but they can sense if someone is lying, if an image is an illusion, etc.
A dull-eyed scholar from Sancta Civitas watched the night sky, using it as a captive audience to announce his frustrations and fears. Flashes of light suddenly started to streaked across every corner of the sky. After blinking, his eyes opened in a way that they had not before.
Everything except the stars vanished from his sight; the ground, the colorful sky, himself. He saw streaks of blues and yellows cross across three glyphs written into the stars, and the sky turned unnaturally around him, revealing an entirely new astronomical picture with three more symbols crossed over by mystical trails.
His eyes refocused on a giant crook gently sweeping across the heavens, interweaving mana into the celestial markings. Suddenly they were no longer stars in the sky, but arcane formulas with foreign concepts seamlessly integrated in ways beyond the scholar's understanding but attempted to commit to memory.
When the scholar senses returned to normal, he scurried to attempt to write down what they had seen. While his notes did not carry any immediate divine touch, he managed to write about arcane conceptions that would be considered advanced by even expert servants, though in addition to the obviously foreign elements, other oddities dotted the work such a motif of circles and the number three.
Sirius makes astrological spellcraft a thing, comets fly past the constellations associated with physical aspects as an omen, and a scholar sees a vision of Sirius doing this and of a formula for an astrological spell which he writes down. See details about astrological spells in the might summary
Starting: 2MP/0DP Ending: 0MP/0DP
-2MP Extraordinary Ability (For anyone who can create/cast mana spells) Astrological Spellcraft:
Spells can be specifically created invoking one of the physical aspects of the zodiac: spatial forces, undivided stars, comets, asteroids, space dust, or meteors. The created spell must be associated with the invoked aspect, IE spells regarding fire for meteors, cold for comets, or jumping spells for spatial forces.
These spells are typically more powerful in ideal conditions, but require specialized knowledge to create or use. Their power is influenced by the current zodiac period, being strongest in the period of the invoked aspect and weakest on the opposing period. Channeling the spell through an object associated with the invoked aspect also improves the spell, depending on how respective the object is of the period.
Each period additionally influences spells in different ways
Spatial Forces: Are difficult to be manipulated by others, but are the hardest to use Undivided Stars: Are longer-lasting, but easier to detect Comets: Are the strongest, but are weaker against other mana-based magic. Asteroids: Are the easiest to use, but are easily influenced by others. Space Dust: Are harder to detect, but typically shorter lasting. Meteors: Are strong against other mana-based magic, but are the weakest.
Through the eyes of his avatar, Sirius poured over the information gathered by his holy site. He had also attempted to further study and contemplation within his realm but was unsure of how reliable such information would be. He was also parsing information about it through prayers he had received to see how they understand it. Druidic prayers were common and invited overlap with spirit-singing. There were pockets of other groups that opened themselves to him, but he had not reached them in large numbers.
Diverting divine power into those that prayed to him, and expanding it through their magical essences, he attempted to draw them closer to divinity so that they could communicate more freely. However, as it spread out throughout the populations of the world, it became diluted. It had potentially passed over entire species, though that was not the intent. For those who did receive it, it alone was not enough. For some reason, trauma seemed to awaken the power for reasons he didn't fully understand but believed might connect to his nature as a god of hope. Others could temporarily invoke this innate power through direct divine attention. He named the power visions, but it was more than that with it a god could convey sensory or emotional information as he did for the first Leto.
Visions were a good start and would help integrate his further plans, but it felt lacking. As if he could not do it properly.
Refocusing on the Augur's Legend, he attempted to add to its function. He gave it the ability to subtly alter mana to create phenomena that would convey some type of meaningful information. Thinking of the Hir, he opened this function to all gods but added rules so that other gods would not abuse it. He quickly stole away from his realm to add a notice about this to the divine message board.
He had personally imbued three types of omens, that a celestial sheep born with black wool would warn of danger, that a Kirin appearing the sky would signify a leader that has the confidence of Sirius, and the passage of celestial bodies through certain star patterns could convey information based on the zodiac.
Yet it still felt incomplete, but he didn't know to progress. He calmed himself and agreed with himself to continue his diligent research. In the process, he had claimed a new aspect of magic.
Sirius creates visions and other omens as seen below in might summary, and we see his thought process in creating them. I also got the omen port.
Starting: 5/5 Ending: 2/0
-3 DP to add to Augur's Legend: Divine Guidance III: The holy site allows for the creation and proliferation of omens. Any god can create an omen in this way so long as Sirius does not reject it, and that it does not convey false or overly miss leading information. Omens created in this way are general, infrequent, unspecific, are limited in scope, and typically regard something specific to that god.
Imbued in it at creation are Sirius' omens: -> A Kirin appearing in the night sky signifies that a ruler coming into power has the blessing of Sirius. -> Different cluster of stars represent different aspects of the zodiac, and the passing of meteors through a respective cluster represents a rising of that aspect, with comets representing a lowering of that aspect. -> The birth of a celestial sheep with black wool forewarns of an approaching evil in the region.
-2 DP to give extraordinary ability Divine Visions: -> Applies to any species whose owner does veto it. -> Is active in some who have experienced trauma or recent direct divine attention (not everyone who has trauma awakes this ability) -> Allows god to share sensory and vague emotional information to those praying if they have this active ability.
-3 MP acquired port Omens: Omens Port: Influencing the world using magic to passively convey divine messages to mortals. This can also involve slight divine intervention that is minor enough to mistaken for chance.
Leto Delphi looked over her people and her supplies. Just above half of the original united freehold populations remained. Not all left by choice; the old and injured were unable to the long, perilous journey and needed to stay at the nearest haven. Most of their original supplies went with them as barter in the arrangement.
However, the high-lands were their home, and forage came easy. Druids, who referred to themselves as the Guiding Lights, flocked to her, additionally replenishing her population and supplies. A few mentioned that they had mentors who had settled in the city to the west known as Ha-Duna and that they would be happy to supply the pilgrimage and offer she could hardly ignore.
One of the pressing issues dividing her followers was a matter of religion. Everyone had their own opinion, and it threatened to destroy whatever sense of community lingered. At one point, she needed to have two way-finders separated as people worried about the severity of their argument. The druids were odd, as that very night, the same ones were laughing over drinks. To make peace, the worship of the druidic gods and the god of perfection, the goddess of love and the goddess of flame, shall not be discouraged. Nobody was satisfied with it, but it quelled the tension.
After some travel, they arrived at the Constellar Lodge. A wooden longhouse out of the walls of Ha-Duna. While her druidic followers had spoken of Ha-Duna, she had a more in-depth talk with one of the Constellars named Cionn.
Cionn, who was born from the Gaardskarls, guided her through the city. As they went to enter the city, they saw cow-pulled plows drove the soil of the fields. Going through the market to barter for supplies, they saw men smugly and lazying smoking a drowsing herb, and more practical men admired the new craftsmanship of glasswork. Finally, the stopped by the circle of the gods to ask that the gods bless the journey, she saw druids admiring a mirror, although she could tell it was different from admiring mundane crafts.
While Cionn as a translator, she spoke with one of the druid attendants about herself, Elysium and Ketrafa. At one point in the conversation, she slightly confused when the Long Strider suggested they travel north. After the confusion resolved, there was a mild tension, but it ended peacefully with him helping with the prayer, before being escorted back to the lodge.
The Constellars spent a large amount of wealth, supplying them with food, clothing, and simple tools, and pull carts. Delphi expressed concern about this. Cionn explained the resthouse system, how they had used their wealth to be independent of it as a matter of pride, but that it would mean they wouldn't starve.
They managed to leave, handing southward towards the lowlands, on relatively good terms. But the day before they left, they heard rumors that floated around them, such as that one of their babies was cursed to become a monster and that they Taeg-Eit was displeased with them, but also that the Leto was blessed by Seeros, or they were accompanied by an ancient folk hero that saught after Elysium long ago and never returned. The arch-druids clearly stated that such gossip was nonsense.
The Leto lost a significant portion of population and supplies as people were unable or unwilling to follow her, however, this was made up by Druids of the Guiding Light joining her and by foraging.
Her new druidic followers suggest heading west to Ha-Duna to resupply before traveling south, which she agrees to.
There are internal tensions over religion, which the Leto attempted to ease by allowing the worship of the druidic gods and the five with the exception of Tekret, without making any further decisions about how to restructure the faith, easing tensions but leaving everybody unsatisfied.
They arrive at Ha-Duna and the Constellar Lodge, a place where old and injured Constellars retire to, and they meet Cionn who is now a Constellar. They visit Ha-Duna, buying supplies at the market and giving prayers at the holy circle and notice various happenings around the city.
They left on fairly good terms, but there are rumors regarding potential curses that lay upon them and the divine nature of their quest, which the archdruids deny.
The priestess tightly grasped a bloodied clothe as she felt the entire weight of the night sky upon her shoulders. From a young age, she learned of the five, the old-tongue, and the proper appeasements. She felt forsaken by the gods. A year has passed since the sky raged against the earth and devastated the freeholds unfortunate enough to settle on the lower grounds. The Ketrafans lacked mercy and reason, and when the only recourse was violence, the forces of the united settlements fell before their bronzed weapons. A stranger who spoke the old-tongue carried the lone survivor, and it was a matter of time before the Ketrafans approached upon their position.
The stranger spoke a fable that the thane once told, one of far-away paradise, repeating a phrase she had heard uttered from the old fool, "The stars lead to Elysium." It was hardly time to consider such things. All else died or deserted, the burden of leadership fell upon her. It seemed every day, more misfortune manifested. The thane's second son was born healthy but bore the monstrous features of the trolls. People have started to question the divinity of Tekret and had chased one of his priests from the camp as the people thought him loyal to the Ketrafans. The others doubted her leadership, and she could not fault them.
Her prayers to the five echoed out and were left unanswered. She obeyed the advice of the foolish thane and shouted her frustrations to the heavens. As she released her emotions, she heard the ever quietest whisper, "The stars lead to Elysium."
As her eyes opened, she saw a tranquil grassland and grazing beasts. It was must more simple and not as perfect as the stories, but she could feel what her eyes could not see. There were no trolls or Iskrill, and while she sensed something alien and threatening, it was distant. The soil was fertile, and the animals were gentle. There was a warm, welcoming aura surrounding the island. She tried to find its source but only caught a glimpse of a small, robed figure with a crook. Reaching out towards it, it almost felt as her hand brushed against fur.
Her vision was pulled away from the island and back towards her body. It went so quickly that she could only catch faint glimpses, but she could viscerally feel the length of the journey.
As her senses returned to the highlands, the presence lingered. It whispered, "Restraint is wisdom, dogma is foolhardy, kindness is divine."
Despite her sight returning to normal, her senses have not fully normalized. She shouted, but instead of words, she heard her intentions. Echoing back to her was her true feelings that she had buried. It was a surreal but oddly comforting experience. The friendly whisper left with, "Be aware of yourself and strive each day to be better than the last. You may become doubtful, you may falter, and you might experience hardship, but never shall you be alone. My strength goes with and awakes your own, Leto Delphi."
Delphi approached the remnants of the freeholds who gathered around a fire. She held the clothe woven by each settlement and blessed by Tekretian leadership rites, and as all of their eyes rest upon her, she tossed the trinket into the flame. The deadly silence was broken by her voice, "Today, you can follow me or you can not. I will walk towards a new land, Elysium. I recognize that it will not be perfect and that we shall find trials there as well. But it is a tranquil land, and when we arrive, the stars shall welcome us home." Her eyes rested upon the thane's wife, and her tone made her intention clear, "I will do whatever I can to protect and advocate for any person who follows me."
One year after the end of the great storm, several freeholds banded together against Ketrafa's aggressions. Their forces were slaughtered by the Ketrafans, leaving only one survivor to carry a piece of cloth, a symbol of leadership, to the priestess Delphi. The survivor was brought to the group by a stranger who spoke the old tongue, who was not named but was Nicolas.
Delphi is sitting under the night sky pondering recent events, including the above, that the now-dead thane's second son was born with trollish features, and that people began to question Tekret and her leadership.
Taking the advice of the thane, she shouts to the stars about her feelings and is given a vision of Elysium, the birthplace of the celestial sheep and a place she considered a myth, and gave her some advice and echoed back her own hidden thoughts to her before dubbing her the first Leto.
She returns to the others, burns the cloth that symbolizes her leadership and tells them that she is going to Elysium and anyone is free to follow her or not. She also says she will protect anyone who travels with her, not directly saying but implying she will protect the baby with troll features.
No MP changed
The Leto: is a title that is held by a series of heroes, its current holder can determine heir/s that can willingly take the title upon their death, or perform a ceremony to pass the title to a willing heir. An heir must also open themselves to Sirius as if praying and be accepted by him to receive the title if the previous holder died then it will pass to the next heir in line (as determined by the holder as they assign possible heirs). If it is the ceremony, then the ceremony simply fizzles and nothing happens. If a holder dies without a suitable heir, then there will be no one to carry the title for 72 years before Sirius can appoint a new Leto.
Free With Hope Port: Hope's Aegis II: Drawing upon a reservoir of emotional strength, the Leto is resistant to any mental manipulations that will cause them to knowingly act against their true, unmanipulated interests or beliefs. This does not protect someone from manipulating their senses to be unable to see a sword, but it does provide protection against someone compelling to move towards a sword, or compelled to take any action, which they can make a reasonable inference would be dangerous. This protection does not need to be immediate, a person can fall under the influence of an effect that does not initially meet the requirements but once it does, they have the full protection of this title.
Cyrus travelled along the crowd of people flowing in Ha-Dûna. It had been about a decade since he spent a winter within the holy city. He had since grown out a beard, and was now wearing a worn but well-mended travelling robe that had a design of the kirin constellation surrounded by a circle on the left shoulder. Following him were two others wearing similar dress, a female in around her twenties whose left shoulder had the newt constellation but no circle and a slightly younger male who had a plain robe.
The group moved towards the inner town, and afterward, Cyrus once again found himself praying in front of Seeros megalith with his head tilted towards the sky. The young women took a similar position, while the plain-robed man quietly muttered something to himself.
A crowd of curious druids soon formed around them, taking particular interest in the shapes of zodiacs on their backs. One of them, a middle-aged woman stepped up to Cyrus and cleared her throat politely.
Before turning around, he said something in a language foreign to the highlands then flipped around with a flourish, “Excuse the intrusion, we are of the circle of the guiding lights and we are acting as ambassadors for the starry watcher. I am Constellar Cyrus.” and gesturing over to his companions in turn, “This is Wayfinder Cionn, and this is Initiate Simon.” he nodded his head while saying, “May the stars guide you.”
The woman furrowed her brow. “Wait, wait, wait… Cyrus as in… Did, did you visit us a long time ago? Must be a decade by now.” She eyed him up and down again. “Yeeeaah… Yeah, you must be! Do you remember me?”
Cyrus smirked, “Yes, I never forget a name, Owyn.”
She frowned. “It’s, it’s Aewyn, but, uh, close!” The druids behind her exchanged looks. “So, what brings you back here?”
“As always, we are guided by the lights of the night sky. But today, we share the bountiful wisdom of the night’s curator.” stepping back and gesturing to Cionn, she stepped forward, she outreached her hands, tightly cupping them together. She exhaled sharply and light emerged from her hand, shaping it into the visage of a newt made of red, fire-like, ethereal substance. It enamated a kind warmth.
The druids staggered backwards from the sight, one of them raising his fist angrily. “What did you do that for?! You had no reason to conjure forth the flames of Reiya at this time! Wanton demonstration is disrespectful, moreso here in the sight of the gods!”
Cionn looked towards Cyrus, who was hiding a smile, before sighing. She uncuffed her hands, causing the newt to disappear. While she attempted to hide, her face and tone betrayed her annoyance, her accent was also very typical for the region around Ha-Dûna, “We are the faithful of Seeros and the other seven. That was the heaven’s flame given form by my conviction. I would appreciate it if you did not slander my devotion.”
Another druid scoffed hot air. “Favours are not for show. While I’ll admit that it’s pretty, that creation of yours… Actually, what is that? Never seen Reiya’s flames be used to conjure forth an animal before.”
Her eyes once again glancing backwards, her lips curled into a crude resemblance of a grin, she seemed to struggle with her words, muttering something just under her breath in the foreign language though the word Seeros clearly slipped through, “It is a newt. And it is neither of Reiya, nor is a favour. It is an expression of my piety, and of my understanding of the great pattern of the sky.”
The druids once again exchanged glances. “Explain.”
Cyrus stepped forward, causing Cionn to sigh with relief, “Sirius is a god of many names and many virtues, he has extended himself to grant those Hir-blessed with a new power so that we may aid mortal-kind, the familiars. One must understand the zodiac, and devote themselves to one of its virtues, and the star watcher will freely grant his power to conjure these spectral animals. Perhaps it would help if I showed my soul-bound familiar?” he said, once again hiding a smirk, while Cionn shook her head.
“A familiar? What?” came another voice, though a number of druids grew increasingly curious, nodding for Cyrus to continue.
Cyrus raised his hand, the stars painted on the megalith behind him began to glow. Silver energy appeared beside him before growing and shifting into the shape of a legendary kirin, formed of light in the resemblance of a silvery metal. It stood half of Cyrus height, and as it stood there, the megalith still reacted emitting a slight whitish light.
Gesturing over it, “This is my familiar.”
Once more, the druids staggered back, unable to believe the sight before their eyes. One of them pointed at the statue and shouted, “Look! The statue!” Many of them fell to their knees in response to the miracle, while others looked on in disbelief. Aewyn shifted between Cyrus and the kirin before asking, “How… How did you do this? What is the zodiac?”
Cyrus dismissed his familiar, causing the light to fade from the stone behind him. “You raised this monument without knowing the Zodiac? It is Sirius’ will, his pattern that had wove into the night sky. It is many things, and once you understand it, then you can devote yourself to its virtues, resilience, observance, cunning, kindness, introspection, and loyalty, and then you will have a familiar that is an extension of yourself and your virtue. But familiars are just one of the two gifts which the starry watcher has bestowed upon his faithful, with promise of more.”
The druids looked between the kirin and the statue, before one of the others spoke, “Could, could you teach us how to connect with him as you do? These miracles are unfamiliar to us - at least, not seen before here in Ha-Dûna.”
Cyrus replied, “I can not teach you how to do it as I do, but I can teach you the fundamentals and guide you how to connect to the pattern as yourself.”
The druids had by now all been absorbed by the beauty of this creature, and were edging at the cusp of Cyrus’ words. “Teach us,” Aewyn begged, and many bowed their heads in equal respect.
Cyrus spent all day explaining the zodiac and its many features, detailing the six northern constellations of the whale, sheep, wren, kirin, snake, and fox and their locations in the night sky above the highlands. He discussed the six virtues and physical aspects of the heavens. His sermon included bits and pieces of philosophy, astronomy, astrology and a few miscellaneous subjects.
While people came and went, eventually the crowd began to clear and the three travelling druids made their way to a resthouse. As the sun began to set and the stars once again became visible in the sky, Simon stood outside looking at the stars. He was muttering to himself in the foreign language, though even to those who didn’t understand the language, it had an obvious, simple rhyming scheme. His fingers traced the air, and he was clearly deep in thought.
“It’s getting late, friend,” came a voice behind him. It looked to be a guard of sorts, humble linen shirt and pantaloons worn under a hauberk of padded hides. A flaccid woolen hat sat atop his head, and his thumbs were resting neatly on the inside of a hemp rope belt, from which hung a lumpy copper-headed axe.
Simon looked up with a start, saying something in the different language before going, “Understand no, friend.”
The guard narrowed his eyes and scoffed quietly. “Come now, friend, you know the rules - only those sanctioned by the archdruids are allowed to stay up after Gibbou’s Curfew. If you have their permission, I’d like to see it.” He offered an open hand.
Taking a deep breath, “Understand no, druid foreign apprentice I.”
The guard put two and two together and hummed. “Oh, you’re a pilgrim, huh…” He glanced back at the house behind them. “Do you, uh…” He tried his best to convey his words with his hands, clapping himself on the chest first and then pointing at the resthouse. “... Any friends? Family?”
Muttering, “Family.” he pointed back to the resthouse, “There constellar.”
The guard frowned. “... Constell--... Oh, those, uh, new pilgrims, huh. Understood - I’ll be right back.” The guard turned and stepped into the resthouse. It was a longhouse, doorways at the short ends and pillars along the walls supporting a heavy thatch roof. The centre of the house hosted a hearth half-full of glowing, charred logs, above which was suspended a spit with a goat carcass nearly picked clean. Around the hearth were three small tables flanked with benches on each long end; along the left wall upon entry were a few sealed clay pots of drink; and along the walls everywhere else were straw beds, most full of snoring travellers. Nestled at one of the ends of tables, Cionn was dressed in evening wear and was hunched over a wooden tablet, making precise cuttings into it.
The guard approached and bowed curtly. “Gibbou’s peace be with you on this fine evening, friend. Forgive my intruding, but do you know that man standing outside staring at the stars? He doesn’t speak Dûnan, it’d seem, and I’m trying to get him inside.”
Bowing her hand, “And stars guide you. I presume you are speaking of Initiate Simon, he means no harm to the peace.”
“‘Course, ‘course,” the guard agreed. “However, as you surely know, Gibbou’s Curfew will start any moment, and we don’t allow anyone without the archdruids’ permission to overstay the curfew - the Lady on the Moon wishes everyone a good rest.”
Cionn just nodded, “I will make sure he is well-rested. He does have a performance in the morning.”
Next afternoon, after Cyrus had discussed more about the zodiac and off-handly mentioned a special spirit-singing performance at this particular hour, Cyrus quickly said a prayer to Sirius before stating, “And now time for our performance of spirit-singing, blessed by the starry watcher.” before stepping back into the background. Simon nervously walked in front of a crowd, looking behind his shoulder and saying something in the foreign language. After a short reply, he took another step forward, closing his eyes before tilting his head up and began to recite a foreign poem. It had a similar rhyme scheme to one he was practicing, but wasn’t exactly the same. After a few moments, the magic within the song followed out and those who listened to it could feel the presence of Sirius, almost as if they were channeling his favor. A new sense began to open in their mind, and suddenly they had a keen awareness of which direction was north.
The crowd instinctively all turned northwards and smiled at one another as they tried out this new mental compass. The druids intently listened to the words of the song, nodding and occasionally rumbling along.
The performance lasted for a few minutes before reaching its natural conclusion, however even afterwards Sirius' presence lingered with the audience, though the more practiced druids could tell that was slowly fading away with time. Simon nodded, “Thank you for listening.” in a way that sounded about as rehearsed as the poem, before scurrying off towards Cionn.
Cyrus quickly stepped back up in front of the crowd, “And that was Initiate Simon’s performance of the zodiac song of the dog. It is just one of twelve songs blessed by the celestial keeper, but sadly along our group we only know of this one.”
One of the druids in the crowd raised her hand. “Where would we go to learn more?”
Cyrus gave an exaggerated sigh, “I wish I could tell you, however somethings must be handled more delicately. When I have a proper meeting with an arch-druid, then I will discuss it with them.”
Cyrus, now a Constellar, returns to Ha-Duna after spending 10 years in the prairie of sol, followed by Wayfinder Cionn, a native from the area around Ha-Duna, and Initiate Simon, a native from the Prairie who is a spirit-singer with difficulties with the local language.
At the megaliths, Cionn demonstrates her newt familiar but it is mistaken for a favor of Neiya. However Cyrus shows his kirin familiar, which caused the stars painted on the megalith to glow in its presence. Now curious to know more, a crowd gathers to learn about the zodiac and astrology.
Later that night, Simon is outside trying to learn a new zodiac song when he is stopped by a guard enforcing the curfew. After the guard realizes he doesn’t speak the language, he goes into the rest house and finds Cionn, adding some artistic flourishes to a map. She brings Simon back instead.
In the afternoon, after Cyrus taught more astrology in the morning, he introduced Simon and had him perform the zodiac song of the dog, which took the form of a poem. It caused the listeners to feel the presence of the stars, and had their minds opened to sense magnetism allowing them to keenly tell which way is north.
The poem ends, and Cyrus walks back in front of the crowd to announce it as just one of twelve songs. Someone asked how to learn the other eleven, but Cyrus responds that he would leave the information in the hands of the arch-druids.
Sirius Starting: 0MP/2DP Sirius Ending: 0MP/0DP
-2 DP to bestow the extraordinary ability of the Zodiac Songs on to spirit-singers | Silently, often crowded out by the voices of other spirits, the stars sing the song of the zodiac. Some stars or comets may sing differently, but only the unified voice carries to Galbar. By listening to these songs, and understanding their essence, spirit-singers can recite zodiac songs that bestow the singer and nearby listeners an advantage depending on the invoked zodiac, typically lasting for a few hours or until another zodiac song is sung. Groups of six to twelve spirit-singers can perform a song that invokes all twelve zodiacs and conveys all twelve advantages. > Whale: Improved Breathing > Sheep: Improved Jumping > Wren: Improved Vocal Capacity > Kirin: Improved Perception of the Stars and Zodiac Songs > Snake: Infrared Sense > Fox: Improved Hearing > Leon: Reduces sunlight vulnerability, Sight is no hindered by bright lights > Turtle: Improved Tirelessness > Owl: Improved World-song sensitivity > Butterfly: More graceful movements > Dog: Magnetic Sense > Newt: Emanates Warmth
Circle of the Guiding Lights: Starting: 7 +5 for post length Ending: 12
Ceres flew into the heart of the lands south of the Zodiac Stones. Plagued by endless storms, the region was unique. She had descended into a cave, unsure of it was carved by mundane or divine forces. It was deep but otherwise unremarkable. Being called underground was unusual, especially considering how remote and uninhabited the area is, but she tried not to question it.
She eventually found a dry branch of the cave raised from another path downwards, which drained the water. Following it to a dead-end, she closed her senses and allowed her to act as a divine conduit.
When she cast her sight out once again, she was standing in a cluttered room. Notes covered the walls and the newly formed wooden tables. Sirius had consecrated this room as the Augur's Legend.
Sirius had some experience with magic, having created Xuanwu to bind celestial energies to telluric energies, and having helped witches also connect themselves to it. He had noted the presence of servants, witches, warlocks, and druids, along with other mortal magicians. They all had the potential to be tools of good, and should not be quick to dismiss any of them. But they lacked subtly. Even Druidry, while aligned with virtues, appeared to lack a certain finesse.
He had taken some asteroid debris and formed into a crook. He had attempted to use it as a magic tool, but that did not satisfy his requirements. He needed to understand magic before he could truly create a system of it of his own. Thus, he created the Legend to monitor and record magic. He did not mean to be too intrusive with it, simply record the broad-strokes and particularly notable instances.
However, while his holy site operated, he could still work on separate projects. Several subjects had his attention, but his connection to the Hir made Druidry a good starting point. Reaching out through his avatar and the Hir, he blessed druids with new power, drawing specifically from his essence.
As druids of the guiding lights prayed to him, he whispered back, "Understand the zodiac, devote yourself to the virtues of one of the celestial animals under the stars in a place of druidic importance, and when you call upon a celestial animal you have formed a kinship with it will appear. It will not be impressive at first, but as you grow in piety, it shall grow too. Wish upon it, and it shall borrow your druidic power to serve you in ways that fit it. Go and share this knowledge freely."
Sirius is interested in magic and creates his crook as a magic tool, but realizes something is missing. He obtains the magic domain, but nothing flashy happens with it. He thinks other magic systems are good, but lack finesse. He creates the Augur's Legend to learn more about magic to be better prepared to subtly manipulate it. The Augur's Legend is in a dry part of a cave somewhere deep into the Stormlands.
However, for the time being, he can tinker with other magic systems and starts with Druidism due to his immediate connection to it through the Hir. He blessed druids with the power to make astrological familiars, and tells druids of the guiding light how to do so and tells them to spread the word about it.
Starting: 5MP/5DP Ending: 0MP/2DP
-5MP Claimed Magic Domain
-1DP Created Augur's Legend, a holy site composed of a scattering of notes about magical activity. Map the Infinite I: This holy site monitor and records the locations, intensity, movement, and variety of magical energies. This is only capable of doing so for intense or longstanding (more than a decade) energies that are not being actively obscured.
-2 DP Bestowed extraordinary ability, Zodiac Familiars -> Applies to all druids, but particular those devoted to Sirius. -> A person can manifest this after carefully studying the stars and the zodiac and devoting themselves to a particular zodiac that most matches their personality (zodiacs that do not represent a virtue take from the two zodiacs beside themselves, for example, newts are loyal and resilient) under the stars in a place of significance for Druidry or astrology. -> This power allows them to manifest a spectral familiar of the animal they devoted themselves too. Regardless of the animal, its size is determined by the druid and their skill and devotion, starting as the size of an adult human palm, but can grow up to fully encompass an adult human in the possession of a master druid. -> The familiar can manifest particular traits or behaviors through druidic wishes, appropriate the familiar. General traits include becoming tangible for brief periods of time or being able to separate from their owner for brief periods of time. Specific traits include wrens could monitor for dangers, newts could warm those who are cold.
As the sun set, Cyrus prepared to continue his voyage. He needed to patch a torn spot on his clothing. At one point, his clothes were relatively nice travelling wear fit for nobility, but the wear had since taken a toil on them. He noted the many differences between the prairie and his homeland in the highlands. Using a simple tool, he carved out details into a wooden slate in an attempt to make a map. It was difficult as the flat grassland offered few landmarks.
However, navigation was surprisingly simple, ever since the bizarre stranger told him about this pilgrimage, he could always follow the stars with confidence. He was originally hesitant to walk along the giant leons, however, not once had they given him grief.
As he continued to travel, the stars shifted their direction from south to north. They began to reveal something else that he had noticed before, the coming of winter. He had not realized the signs in the foreign place, but as he returned to the highlands, the signs of fall were evident.
After wandering for some time, he reached a series of fields economically ploughed between the rocky terrain, in between which were scattered small huts. A path cut between the fields and led to increasing concentrations of huts until he met the open gates of a low palisade wall, through which flowed a two-directional river of peasants, merchants and druids. Inside, he could see a busy market place, as well as more huts, though the majority of these were made of stone, as opposed to the wooden huts outside the walls. Wandering through the streets, he came upon the temple grounds. There were several large statues carved into megaliths, walking in front of one reminiscent of an old man in front of a starry field, he closed his eyes and tilted his head up and began to silently pray.
“P-pardon?” came a voice.
Nearly instinctively, Cyrus turned around and did the proper greeting, “Stars guide you. I am Cyrus, a traveler paying respect to his patron.”
The voice, belonging to a white-robed woman in her twenties, did a confused hum. “O-oh! I see. Gods’ peace upon you, then, traveller. I’m Aewyn, caretaker of these prayer grounds.” She failed to hide a frown. “I, uhm, I noticed your attire indicates you have been travelling far and further than far. Would you, would you perhaps like me to direct you to a nearby resthouse for pilgrims? They are certain to have new clothes for you, too.”
“I would appreciate that. Though, I am presuming you are a druid?” he replied.
“Apprentice still, technically,” she said with a curt bow. “I’m studying under the great Kaer Pinya. How about you? You mentioned you came here to pay respect to your patron. Are you a mapmaker, perhaps?”
“I have some experience with cartography, though none of my lessons really seemed to apply to the grasslands. Though, I guess you could say I am a sort of apprentice too.” he said.
“O-oh, is that so?” She eyed his attire up and down again. “U-uhm… Are you perhaps from a foreign circle?”
He paused, seriously trying to remember back until it came back to me, “Yes, she did say something to that effect. The circle of the guiding lights. Though I have yet to meet another member.”
Aewyn’s frown hardened. “Circle of the Guiding Lights? That one’s… New. Which part of the land do you hail from?”
“A small kingdom in the far north.” he said.
“Huh… That so?” Her glance seemed to drift. “Say, would you like me to show you to the resthouse?”
Cyprus raised his eye, and then for a split second, he smirked. “As I said, that would be nice. But I have one last question, when you look at the stars, what do you see?”
“W-what I see?” came an unexpecting reply. “W-well, I see Seeros’ grand tapestry of stars and constellations. It fills me with hope and safety knowing that, no matter where I go, I will have those same stars to guide me and others’ back home.” She made a small smile.
“You can see the tapestry?” he said, smirking again before quickly reverting to a neutral expression, “Then you should it is the time of the leon, a time to be kind to strangers.”
Aewyn blinked. “W-why, of course! Please, let me escort you to the resthouse. I’ll have Arn prepare a leek and pea pottage post haste!” She started leading Cyprus away from the prayer grounds towards a large stone house.
Cyprus followed her to the resthouse, receiving a bed and as much gruel, bone broth, and pea pottage as he could eat. He accepted the simple white robe for while he was in town, though it would be a poor choice to continue his journey with, though that is a matter of spring. With the cloth change, the number of looks and glances in the streets decreased considerably - Cyprus appeared much like any of the other pilgrims flooding through town in fluctuating numbers. One day when he was eating at the resthouse, another had shuffled up to him and inspected his attire with a bit of a frown. It looked to be a traveling merchant, the usual druidic robes of the other patrons being replaced by a large fur cloak over simple linen and wool shirts, a pair of hide pants and bark shoes. He wore a small fur hat.
“Say, friend, did you lose your clothes on the road? It’s not often we see someone donning the alm robes these days.”
“They are more or less in one piece, but trekking through the woods can wear out clothing rather quickly.” he replied.
“Huh, that so. Where do you come from, stranger?” The merchant gave his drinking horn a slurp. “Judging by your accent, I would say somewhere north of here.”
“More or less.” he replied, “It seems you are no stranger to the road either.”
“Oh, no, wouldn’t say that. Although, most who pass by here are either from the north or around Ketrefa, and you don’t sound Ketrefan. You’re a druid, aren’t you? Long Stride?”
“I have not tasted the Hir’s waters, but I guess you could say I am an apprentice for the circle of the guiding lights.” he said.
“Guiding Lights, huh?” went the merchant. “Not one I’ve heard of. Are they newly formed? What do they do?”
“I was informed that to join, you need to go on pilgrimage to the Hir and do druid stuff on the way. I was skeptical at first, but the first time I saw the stars after starting the journey, there are no words to describe it. Everything just made sense.”
The merchant frowned. “That doesn’t sound too different from the Long Stride. They’ve got pilgrimages, too; they help people, too. At least the Red Leaves teach their members to remain in their villages. What makes you different?”
Cyprus took a minute to think about it for a moment, “Well, other than the person who told me about this circle, my only guide has been the stars. So far they have not led me wrong.”
“Huh, that so…” mumbled the merchant.
Cyprus is informed about the Circle of Guiding Light off-screen, and we see him in the Prairie of Sol several months into his pilgrimage. He is then guiding north to Ha-Duna as winter approaches and traversing unfamiliar terrain would become more dangerous.
He prayers to a megalith depicting Seeros, when he is interrupted by an apprentice who tends to the area. Through their discussion he reveals that he is a travelling cartographer from a kingdom in the far north who is a druid hopeful in the circle of the guiding lights. He informs her that the current zodiac period is that of the leon, telling her it is a time to be kind to strangers.
She escorts him to a rest house where he changes out of this travel-worn clothes into a robe, where he talks to a merchant. They also discuss where he is from, and after some light prodding he gives some of his thoughts about the circle of the guiding light.
Sirius Starting: 3MP / 5DP Ending: 0MP/ 1DP
Claimed Port Guidance under the Star Domain (-3MP) Desc: For as long as stars shine down upon Galbar, they have guided its people. Guidance is concerned with knowing physical and temporal location. It is associated with maps, compasses, calendars, hourglasses, navigators, and associated people and objects.
MP Used to Unlock: 1 from Nicolas’ stargazer titles, 4 from the Circle of Guiding Lights titles.
Created Holy Order, Circle of Guiding Lights, Spending 4DP on titles: Starlit Pilgrimage I: In order to become a druid, one typically must summon the Hir to them through prayer. For this order, people who have a sincere and informed desire to join this circle are guided by the stars to the Hir for as long as they freely provide some service to the region they are traveling through. These pilgrimages can last for years, even decades, but they have all benefits of being a member of the order for as long as they are on the pilgrimage.
Sirius' Assurance II: A member of this order can never be lost for as long as they can or otherwise perceive the presence of stars, being able to easily find their way to a friendly settlement if they ever needed to.
Time of the Zodiac I: Using the stars, members of this order have an impressive sense of time and are always able to tell the current zodiac period.
Circle of the Guiding Lights: +3 for Post Length Starting: 0 Ending: 3
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