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Götterdämmerung [IC/PG-16/COMPLETED]

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Still on Kitt continued onward towards Taros' temple, still quite enraged about how this all turned out for all temples, his patron's specifically. He exhaled, trying to calm himself down, finally reaching to where the throng of people were beckoning him to come and see inside, to listen. As he entered the temple, he found he was already surrounded by the throng in a sense... The larger members of the group stay around the Watchdog as he entered the temple. They eyed his whip, seeming to be worried he'd about to start using it, but they made no moves to disarm him, either. The rest of the crowd parts, though, and let him in without an issue.

Time to get to the bottom of this...

The temple itself was still well-maintained and orderly, despite having now housed a huge throng of people who aren't interested in the worship of the temple's god, this sight continued to upset Kitt. No, instead at the head of the temple lies a young-ish man -- probably in his thirties from what he could tell, on a mobile cot, his head facing the entrance as he observes the proceedings outside. There were a couple people flanking him, but other than that and those surrounding Kitt, the temple was devoid of people.

After a moment or two, Kitt finally spoke up. "...so, what is such the spectacle that the people have been clamoring about coming in and listen?"

It took a moment for the man to respond. It took even longer for him to stir and bring himself to a sitting position, and even once he did he still looked past Kitt to the crowd beyond. "They want people to come see me," the man said. "To listen to me. My name is Simon Weatherson. I assume, from the whip in your hand and the look in your eye, that you are here to keep that from happening?"

"We'll come back to that in a bit...after all, I'm just crafting things like Taros would like." Kitt said flatly. "Now again I ask...what's going on in here that is such an importance that it threatens my patron's rituals?"

"We're simply doing what anyone does in a temple: Worship. We don't have a temple of our own, though. The council would like me to give my sermons in the Temple to Medeis, but Medeis is a dead god; there is nothing there for us." Finally, Simon looked at Kitt. "You ask these things as if you've weren't aware the answers. Who are you?"

"I ask these things cause I'm curious on why you invade my patron's temple..." Kitt simply replied, before speaking forth a bit more bolder. "I am Kitt Axton, Watchdog to the Great Forge Maker, Taros."

"A watchdog?" There was a glint in Simon's eyes as he heard the title. "Well, all the more reason to come listen to a sermon, then. Come, stay for a moment, then if you insist on removing us, we shall go somewhere else."

Kitt only stood where he was, not budging for a moment. "I'm sure you can give me the high points from your notes." he said, giving a sly smirk.

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The Ocean's Depth

When Olivander remembered that Finn was Dia's watchdog, he navigated his way to the water goddess' temple as best he could. When he arrived, he could spot Levanna from afar. "Couldn't miss an eclipse like that if I-- focus man!" he reminded himself. Finally catching up to his island guide, Olivander noted that Finn was nowhere in sight. "Good. I can talk to her alone."

"Lady Levanna," Olivander said as he approached carefully. "May I have a word?"

"Of course, what can I do for you?" Levanna said, turning to face him. "Though please, I must ask you to keep your voice low."

Olivander nodded and took his voice down a level. "I have some concerns, you see," Olivander said softly. "I realize my time here on Galatea has been very brief, but I must say, I'm already very troubled by a few things. And in short, I'd like to ask for your help with getting to the root of my concerns. After witnessing the events in the Taros' temple, everything seems out of sorts. And I'm wondering if you could possibly get me into a meeting with your religious council. The... things I'm witnessing simply cannot stand."

"I've said we're keeping things under control. Are you calling me a liar, dear watchdog? What concerns are these?"

Olivander smiled. "Yes, I am calling you a liar," he said plainly. "It's plain to see that you don't have anything under control. Especially after I overheard your conversation with... Aiden, was it? The priest. And the guards, well, they snap to your aid quickly but they were just as quick to leave things in the Taros temple to be handled by a watchdog. So why is that?"

"Well, I'll just have to speak to their commanding officer then about their behavior. Or perhaps they recognized that the situation was handled. I cannot speak for them," Levanna said, but any pretense, any air of nonchalance she might have had, had vanished. "Aiden, meanwhile, can't be helped. I admit there was a lapse in communication somewhere, but it wasn't like we weren't going to find out. He was simply more zealous about it is all."

Olivander's smile faded. "You were going to come to us eventually, Levanna. Why lead us down this path? What's keeping you from being honest? Why not take us straight to the problem and have the watchdogs address it?" Olivander grew tense. He wanted to ask her something else, but it would be pushing it. "Is she being watched?"

"Simon Weatherson is a human problem," Levanna said. "and only requires humans -- not deities or their representatives -- to stop it. If we needed a master of ceremonies or, say --" she gestured towards Dia's altar, towards a small path that lead onwards "-- an ocean, of course we would call upon whichever watchdog was suited for the task. "You are a watchdog," Levanna continued, "which of course means you will be permitted to spectate at our council meeting tomorrow. I cannot deny you that. But do not think we are doing anything other than the best we can for our island. Which, I might add, we've known for a lot longer than you."

"If that's true, then what are you afraid of?" Olivander thought to himself. "That's obviously true," Olivander said as he took a step back. "Your vision for the people of Galatea is what you want realized, right? You know your people and your island. I look forward to the meeting tomorrow."

He made his way further into the temple, but stopped when he peered down the path beyond. He could just barely make out Finn's head. He was probably spending time with his goddess, and Olivander was a lot of things but he wasn't stupid. This was a sacred moment for Finn and Dia. At least now he could examine the temple. He hadn't forgotten about his own goals. He wanted that pearl. "And I'll have it."

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“Ah, yes, follow me.”

Amir gave a final look back to the petrified form of Ms. Briar, a solemn look passing over his face. Emily led the two of them through Galatea back to the town square. Amir looked up at the clouds as they walked, occasionally looking back at Emily and Neasa to make sure he hadn't wound up lost. Which was something that happened to him pretty often. As they walked, the sun on his back, he began to ponder about the situation they had stumbled upon. If he hadn't just watched a woman die he would have almost found it funny. A cosmic coincidence that the day that he and his fellow Watchdogs visit Galatea is the same day that Ms. Briar succumbs to the curse laid upon her family? No. He was beginning to see the guiding hand of Myria. Sure, he did wish that she was more upfront with him. From what he had witnessed around the other Watchdogs, their gods tended to be more direct. Still, he could appreciate the artistry.

Emily directed Neasa to the temple of Taros before turning to Amir and grabbing him tightly around the wrist. He startled a bit but did not pull away. “Is there a way for you to tell me my fate? Or what will happen if I perform a specific action? I’d like to request your guidance.”

"Telling you your fate, that might be tricky. But guidance, guidance I can do." Amir looked around the square before spotting a temple emblazoned with a beautiful stained glass rendering of the same symbol that peaked ever so tastefully out of his robes. "It's your turn to follow me." 

Amir led Emily to the Temple of Myria, located at the eastern end of the square. The white marble of the facade sparkled in the sun. It was a beautiful sight, one worthy of a place of worship. Stepping through the doors, Emily and Amir were embraced by the wafting trails of incense. The interior of the temple was dully lit, small clusters of candles providing the only light other than what streamed in from the glass window. It created a beautiful tapestry of shifting light and color on the polished floors. Small altars to Myria lined the outer walls, several acolytes kneeled at them in prayer. Their forms were hunched, deeply relaxed. Amir was familiar with such form. Prayer to Myria often resulted being drawn in to sleep-like consciousness. Fate, he had learned, was best interpreted beyond the awakened world. 

It took a moment for anyone to notice that Emily and Amir had walked into the temple. Eventually an older acolyte, one of them temples elders roused himself from where he kneeled at the larger alter that sat in the center of the room. 

"Greetings," Amir bowed his head in respect, "My name is Amir, I am a Watchdog for Myria." He pulled back his robe to reveal the entirety of the mark on his chest. "I am here to request a private space where Ms. Briar and I can consult the Dreamweaver." 

The elder nodded, a kindly smile wrinkling his eyes. "Follow me." 

Before they moved further into the temple, Amir removed the wooden sandals from his feet and gestured for Emily to do the same. They left them at the front door with the other pairs of shoes. The temple elder led them to a private room, carrying a single candle with him that he used to light the incense in the small chamber. After making sure there was nothing else that they needed, he departed, closing the door behind him.

The private chamber was furnished with a small altar, surrounded by pillows. Faint trails of smoke drifted off the incense, making the room smell powerfully of lavender. "Shall we commune with the goddess, then?" He took Emily's hands, their bodies on opposite sides of the altar; their hands clasped above the carved symbol of Myria.

"Breathe deeply and slowly," Amir voice, already gentle, became languid and soothing as he began to coach Emily through the meditation. One had to achieve relaxation to be able to talk to the goddess of dreams. "Let yourself be pulled into Myria's realm. It is one you have visited every night, your mind knows its touch. Seek her guidance and ask her for answers." He gave Emily's hand a soft squeeze. "Do not be frightened of what you may see, her answers do not always make sense right away. And I will be with you, you are not alone."

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When The Islands Were Young

Dia’s eyes softened at Finn’s question. She’d had her hand raised, ready for another blow across the cheek but instead it slowly drifted down to her side and the water around her calmed. “Like I said when we first met, it was a long time ago,” Dia said. “It would have been just after it became clear that yes, humanity would survive after the apocalypse, just after we agreed on having watchdogs execute our will. Of course, I immediately tried to find one. Most of the gods did. It was especially important to me, though, because what is life without water? How can a world survive without the sea?

“Her name was Sarah Rosewater. She was a lot like you. I suppose that’s the point of a watchdog, really. She presented herself before me, and I did not find her devotion lacking. She had an energy to her, much like you do, and a drive to succeed. But she wouldn’t have ‘cannonballed’ into sacred water, or done anything to earn more than a playful jab to the shoulder

“Like I said, back then, the biggest fear was running out of water, and that the world would dry up. Dies, my sister, and her watchdog had been trying to help with rainwater, but the constant downpours were causing more problems than they were solving. Obviously.

“We weren’t as concerned with worship back then. We just wanted to help. All Sarah thought necessary was an unending spring in places that either had a lot of movement or that would be hard to deliver water shipments to. Galatea has one, and so do many other islands. That’s most of what she did. Aside from the preaching and the service, I mean. It’s not this pool, this was just consecrated with the mother of pearl. But if you go underground -- and there’s a tunnel just outside the city that will take you there -- you can see the remnants of Sarah’s work.

“The problem, of course, is that it’s a tourist attraction now. Nobody goes there to praise me or sing the songs of ‘Her Holiness Dia, Mother of the Sea,’ it’s just one of many interesting features, divorced from me in all but name.”

Dia raised her hand again for another slap. “You’ve made me wistful. Now, you can either find a way to have Galatea accept the ocean it deserves or, failing that, make them remember just who is keeping them alive.”


Emily Awake

Emily had said nothing since being led into Myria’s temple, mostly because she’d been so overwhelmed at the sight of it. Myria was not a deity she’d been brought up worshipping outside of the occasional night she’d woken up from a nightmare and had it disappear when she finally fell back asleep. She’d never seen the inside of her temple before, and she only came back down from her wonder when the watchdog motioned for her to remove her shoes before leading her on to a much smaller room for just the two of them.

If her situation were less grave, Emily would have said something like, “This isn’t an excuse to proposition me, is it?” But here too, she kept her mouth shut, instead focused on what she wanted to ask.

“Breathe deeply and slowly,” the watchdog said. She did so. “Seek her guidance and ask her for answers.”


Interlude: Levanna

The nerve! After the watchdog walked off so satisfied with himself, Levanna couldn’t find any reason to stay in Dia’s temple any longer. It certainly wouldn’t help in calming her down; despite its soothing palette, the watchdog was still in the building, which meant she couldn’t be. And yet, outside was barely any different. Even after a few deep breaths, the world seemed to only find new ways to aggravate her.

The crowd in front of the temple to Taros had been contained, yes, but it had not been significantly diminished. Of all the times to not execute her instructions promptly, why today? Sure, the Taros watchdog had seemed like he was about to take care of it, but that was no excuse. And they still hadn’t found-

“Lady Levanna!” A guard interrupted her train of thought, breaking from the group she had summoned earlier to sprint across the square. “Lady Levanna! The watchdogs you sent us to find, we’ve found them!”

That was good news at least. Levanna felt her expression soften. “Ah, yes, very good. Have you directed them anywhere or were you waiting for my instruction?”

“Well…” The guard scratched the back of their neck. “One is currently occupied in their temple, and the other…” They gestured with their other hand towards, no, just near the crowd to where the young girl stood, watching, waiting. “She was headed to her temple when we spotted her. We weren’t sure if we were supposed to interrupt, but with you here and her there, what are your orders?”

“Orders? I would have asked you to escort them to me, but I am already here, so you may consider that task finished. Your other one though, I might suggest moving a bit more quickly on?”

The guard nodded and sprinted back to the rest, who moved with a bit more urgency, even if it was still too slow for Levanna’s liking. Levanna didn’t bother managing them further, though. She had watchdogs to corral. She made confident strides over to the girl, who barely moved from her spot, and once she was within earshot, Levanna began to speak.

“Oh, you have to forgive me for losing you earlier!” Levanna said, still moving closer as she did so. “We were afraid you had gotten lost and had been looking all over for you. I trust you are well?”

Levanna moved even closer. “You’ll also have to forgive us for the commotion, but you must trust that it will be handled with or without your onlooking. In fact, that Taros watchdog just went in there with a whip so I’m sure they’ll all disperse in just a moment.”

She got even even closer, and this movement came with an attempt to change the subject. “What did you think of your temple? Was it as grand as you had imagined it?”


Emily’s Dream

There are so many questions Emily wants to ask, but even the most basic, even something as simple as “What should I know?” sounds silly in her mind. She dreams of a raging storm, thunder echoing in every direction, a lightning flash anywhere she might have chosen to look. And yet, the downpour doesn’t seem to affect her. Droplets that would have wet her skin do not, instead stopping centimeters, no, millimeters from hitting her and sliding away. Her eyes do not flinch away when a bolt of lightning strikes the ground, and the thunder becomes almost a rhythm she can follow along to.

She can feel the presence of Myria’s watchdog, even if she cannot see him. That helps too. Soon, she has her first question, and the world shifts.

Emily dreams of a temple. It is not Myria’s temple, nor is it any other one she recognizes, a fact not helped by its ruined state. The altar has been torn asunder, and only the tattered remains of tapestries hang from the walls, fluttering in some unfelt wind. The glassless windows show nothing outside but a dark void. The silence is oppressive.

The world rotates for her, she does not move or turn from her spot. There, in the pews, lay dozens of sculptures, all unique, and all of stone. One is a column, with tines sticking out of it, one is a small cylinder lying on its side, chipped three times at the top. And so on, and so on. 

Emily asks her second question, and the world shifts again.

She dreams of a fire, and a crowd around it, all humming (singing?) in unison, except for one, who stands in the middle, next to a fire, holding a piece of the fire aloft. In her hands is a small container, a bucket of sorts, and she can feel its weight. It is full of something -- some sort of liquid, and there is little she can do as she watches it leap from the bucket.

The fluid moves in slow motion, oscillating and warping yet always moving forward. But just when it’s about to hit the fire and the figure next to it, Emily wakes up.


“Okay,” Emily said. She felt out of breath and needed several before she was able to continue speaking. Her forehead felt a wet sort of clammy, too, and she didn’t need a mirror to know it was peppered with droplets of perspiration. “Okay,” she said again. “I guess, did you make anything out of that? I think I know- I think it helped, but if you have any additional guidance, I would appreciate it.”


Homily (The Islands Are Old)

Simon laughed, though the laugh quickly turned into a cough, which then grew worse, becoming a series of hacking coughs. His attendants looked worried, though they did nothing to assist him, and eventually, the fit did subside on its own. “The short version, hm?” Simon said. “Do you have places to be? No, it is of no matter. If you insist.

“But oh, my dear watchdog, where to start? If I tell you about myself and how I came across my revelations, would you accuse me of wasting your time? Should I just get on with it in such brief words as I can describe them? If I gave you a list of ninety or so theses, numbered and organized, would that assuage your frustration? You have to understand, I am at a loss here. Normally I lead up to all this. But I can tell by the look on your face you would call this stalling too.”

He coughed a few times, though this did not into another set of hacks like his last. “Why do the gods exist, do you think, dear watchdog? I will answer this for you: the gods exist because people believe in them. Not just that, the gods exist because people worship them. It’s a symbiotic relationship, don’t you see? The gods keep things in order, and we thank them for it as best we can. This was my first revelation.

“My second revelation was this: the world has ended. This is not the world as it should be, irreparably damaged as it is from an apocalypse we surely only used to speak about in myth. And yet…” Another cough. “And yet, here we are. So maybe what I should say is this: the world is ending. It is falling into decay. You intend to bless a sword today -- what do you think will happen to it? Eventually, it will cease being maintained, and it will rust.

“People believe this deep down, dear watchdog. If they tell you otherwise, they are liars. All we’re doing is bringing that belief to the forefront of people’s minds. Many find it comforting, actually, and those are the people who beckoned you in today. Some ignore it, and we work ever harder to welcome those people in with open arms. And some…” Simon seemed like he was about to say more, but he drifted off, and the sentence was left uncompleted. The only thing he added that seemed to be in that regard was this: “Belief in oblivion can be a harsh mistress, I suppose.”

Simon was wrapping up now. “All we ask for is legitimacy, really. I’ve told the religious council this as well: we just want a temple of our own to worship in. But if you are determined to not host us in yours, I suppose we’ll simply move on.”


OOC

Spoiler

Do keep in mind my request from last post about combat or calling upon divine power -- just keep me in the loop.

Dies (pronounced "Dee-ess", not like the present simple tense of "die") is the goddess of the sky and the weather, in case that wasn't obvious from context.

So that should be a lot more of the about Galatea's immediate problem, intermixed with some details about the world. I feel like I might have yanked control away from you players a couple times but, I mean, it is my RP and I don't think I yanked too hard. I will, of course, hear your complaints in this regard, though. Most of your paths are pretty set right now, wrapping up scenes in various locations about the square. Levanna is currently (and perhaps a bit too obviously) running spoiler, so feel free to ignore her if you so desire, lol.

On the other end of the spectrum, if you exit your scene or otherwise don't have any idea what to do next, I have a bunch of prompts I could offer if you are looking for something. If you need one or have any other questions, as always, feel free to ask.

Oh, also here's Simon, since only one of you actually voted in that discord poll.

 

Edited by radio414

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“The short version, hm?” Simon said. “Do you have places to be? No, it is of no matter. If you insist."

The short version was...insightful to say the least. But yet... Kitt, whilst listening intently to this, couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than what Simon was saying. There was only one thing he could do at this point, well...one smart thing he could do at this point. He began to exhale sharply, moving forward towards one area where there was a forge awaiting. "If you will give me a moment, Simon Weatherson...I will seek council with my patron. Perhaps...he can shed some light on this as well as give me proper insight on my next actions." he said, holding the leather whip he made. "After all...I truly don't want to have to use this."

With that, he exhaled again. "...your steel is my body and your fire my blood...forge a pathway to understanding and cleave through uncertainty...I am the bone of your sword, you are the Master Forger. So as I pray...Great Forge Maker, Taros..."

The fire crackled and roared in response. No form or figure appeared, just these simple words in Kitt's mind: "What is it, my son? What do you seek?"

"I have come to inform you of a small predicament I found your temple in here and Galatea...as well as seek your guidance in this issue." Kitt spoke, proceeding to explain as much as he could about what Simon had told him as well as the state of the temple in Galatea. Once done with his explanation, Kitt sighed. "I'm unsure what I should do...or rather what your will has in store for me, Great Forge Maker. Is what he spoke of true?"

"I created you. You are my Watchdog. Any action you perform is an extension of my will. So tell me, my child, what do you think? What do you think of this man who has invaded our sacred place?"

That was sort of the response he figured Taros would give. After all, he was directly created by this deity. With a sigh, Kitt rolled his eyes some. "Sounds like the answer you would give. All joking aside, however, I believe that this man...he seems sick but everything he spoke, he seemed to believe it whole-hardheartedly. Such a belief isn't just something that you come across every day. However, I must know, Forge Master...who is this patron this man has devoted himself to? Perhaps if insight on this is given, I can attempt to make amends for this...and worship here in this place can resume to you."

The fire dimmed. It appeared the God of the Forge was deep in thought. "What you have described is not a domain I know. If you believe this man to be honest, why not ask him directly?"

"I see..." Kitt nodded, turning to have his back face the forge for a moment. He looked towards Simon and spoke once more. "The one you and your followers pledge your praise to...who is it, if I may be as bold to ask?"

Simon, who had returned to his reclined position on his cot, rolled his head over to face Kitt, a sort of wry smirk on his face. "I apologize, my dear watchdog. Perhaps I did not make myself clear. We worship oblivion. The inevitable end of the world. There is no god or goddess who will take us, nor do we find ourselves wanting."

"...I see." Kitt nodded, returning to the forge once more. "They serve no god or goddess, as none will take them, nor do they truly find themselves in want of one. They simply...serve and worship oblivion. Yet, still he seems to be truthful. However, it is still unsettling."

"Do what you feel must be done," the fire said. "I leave this matter entirely in your hands."

Kitt nodded, bowing slightly towards the forge, before turning away. He made his way down towards Simon and his followers. "...I would prefer you all leave. This temple is most precious to myself and my patron...along with all the blacksmiths." he began, before turning his attention to Simon. "However...I don't wish to see you cast out onto the streets for attempting to make my patron's dwelling a den of thieves as it were. Therefore, allow me to offer this: if you wish to remove yourselves quietly, I will make it my priority to speak with the council here on Galatea and get a temporary domicile for you, until they build you a temple. If anything, I'll find a way to build it myself with Taros' strength. Do we have an accord, Simon Weatherson?"

"They gave us a 'temporary place,'" Simon said. "Ah, but it is useless to repeat myself. We shall leave because you wish it." He gestured to his attendants, who lifted up the cot and began carrying him out. "Back to the former temple of Medeis, I suppose. For now, at least. For now. Onward!"

Kitt stood there, watching the procession of Simon and his followers beginning to file out of the temple. From where there was just chatter and noises before, now only the sounds of a tranquil silence arising from the room, amidst the sounds of the crackling fire from the hearths that surrounded a good portion of the temple. At the same time, however, as he was untying the leather straps from his make-shift whip, he couldn't help but wonder why the sickly individual simply gave up with no more than a thought. If he truly wished to have a dwelling for their worship of...oblivion...then he would've made a way to do so. But it was like he had heard the song and dance before, just chalking it up to being ignored.

"...I don't think that'll be the case this time." Kitt muttered to himself, putting the leather straps back in his bag and began to exit the temple. "I'll make sure you have some place to call a dwelling..."

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“Oh, you have to forgive me for losing you earlier! We were afraid you had gotten lost and had been looking all over for you. I trust you are well?”

Among the quieting-down scene in front of the Taros temple - seemed Kitt was doing something in there - Neasa was approached by that woman. Levanna, from the local council. Politicians... as much as she hated to admit it, Neasa always found herself more comfortable in the presence of those types. It reminded her of her childhood. Not that she was all too fond of those times, but nostalgia was simply human nature, wasn't it? Neasa greeted the woman with a nod of acknowledgement and confirmation. On a personal level, Neasa was just fine. But as a watchdog, and as a worshipper of Nuumu, it was a different story.

“You’ll also have to forgive us for the commotion, but you must trust that it will be handled with or without your onlooking. In fact, that Taros watchdog just went in there with a whip so I’m sure they’ll all disperse in just a moment. What did you think of your temple? Was it as grand as you had imagined it?”

"The temple is up to the specifications for a Nuumu temple," Neasa answered. "It's hard to draw a scale in my mind for what is normal or beyond that, since I was initiated in the world's largest temple to Nuumu. The commotion in the Taros temple, meanwhile, is something that would have me concerned if your council couldn't handle it." As a group of men, carrying another man atop a cot, exited the temple, Neasa nodded in the direction of the group. "Though it looks like you won't have to. No signs of a fight, either." A peaceful resolution. Either Taros's watchdog was quite the young diplomat, or these men had no hostile intentions. Neasa glanced around the temple square, looking at the different buildings. If it were just one of them among otherwise-normal buildings, that one would probably stick out like a sore thumb. But among so many, each one carefully placed to match the adjacent temples?

Neasa was no architect or city planner, but that was quite the feat.

"The temple square is impressively organized. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about the place?"

"Of course!" Levanna said, seemingly relieved for some reason. "What would you like to know?"

Neasa glanced around at a few more temples. She didn't know much about other gods, but from what little she got from word of mouth, she was able to guess who a few of these were devoted to. Two names in particular were stuck in her mind right now. She learned both of them today, in fact. "Which one of these is the Lar temple? Does it get visited often?"

Levanna looked around. "Ah, yes, the temple to Lar, God of Hearth and Home. That would be..." She scanned the eastern temples. "Yes, that one right over by the one with the stained glass? You see it? The stained glass one is Myria's temple, and then just to the left of it, the one made of red clay? That one is Lar's. Very popular with common folk, for obvious reasons, though I believe many have started worshipping in their own homes recently."

Red clay temple. It really gave her that homey vibe. Pretty appropriate. And the stained-glass temple was dedicated to a deity named Myria. She would have to ask her own deity about that one later. "And the temple to Inanis?"

Levanna frowned. "That's not the name of a god, that's a word," she said. "An old word, very old, in fact. Where did you hear that?"

"You hear a lot of words working with the dead, especially when you travel as much as a watchdog does," Neasa truthfully answered. Emily trying to quietly take Neasa away from sight instead of asking outright when Levanna was there, and the sudden shift in expression from Levanna, made the Nuumu watchdog think that sharing the whole story might not be a good idea. But this was something she had to get to the bottom of, and it seemed like Levanna had some information. "I've been of the mind it was a god this whole time, but it sounds like you know more. Would you mind educating me on the subject a bit?"

"I can," Levanna said, "but not here. I've found ancient knowledge can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Shall we retire to my office? I can even offer you some tea and biscuits for your troubles."

"Let's." One step closer to the root of the problem.

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Finn looked on at his goddess, as she explained the past and her previous watchdog, and how this pool was blessed by them.  Funnily enough, this pool of sacred water was a fraud, detached from that of the true endless fountain found outside the city.  Finn knew where he had to visit next, to offer proper prayer to his goddess who had so long since not be adored by the people of Galatea.  They had forgotten how to be grateful to his goddess, and it honestly ticked him off.  Finn's eyebrows raised while he saw Dia's hand do the same, prompting him to flinch a bit.

“You’ve made me wistful. Now, you can either find a way to have Galatea accept the ocean it deserves or, failing that, make them remember just who is keeping them alive.”

Before she could smack him, Finn put his hands up.

"Then I'll just take it all back!"  With his words, the goddess paused her assault.

"Oh?"  She grinned, smugly.  

"Yeah, that seems like the best way to get them to recognize what you've done for them.  I can't have these people go around, not thanking you for keeping them alive all this time.  I bet this place would be abandoned by now if it weren't for you, but they go about their lives without so much as giving a single thought to you...it makes me mad!" 

The goddess put a hand to her mouth, in shock.

"Finn Flanagan!  I don't think I've ever seen you this irritated before.  This must be quite the atrocity in your eyes."

"Of course it is...they might as well be spitting in your waters...I'll be off now, but by the time I'm finished you'll have one-hundred times the amount of prayers!"  Dia nodded, as Finn lifted his head out of the water.  He looked around the pool, and towards the entrance.  Turning over his shoulder, he saw the Mother of Pearl.  "That's part of the deal too..."  He groaned, lifting it off of it's alter and into a pocket.  "I won't have them treat you as a mere tourist attraction anymore, either."  He huffed.  As he exited the temple, he saw the other priests of the temple minding their own business.  He stopped to wave goodbye, before smiling.  "Somehow I feel like this place will be a lot busier soon!  You better get the place in order!~"  He skipped out of the temple with a smile, as he could hear a loud commotion coming from the Taros Temple.  He hoped Kitt was doing alright.  Without Levanna in sight, he took a deep breath.  He could feel the water coming from where Dia had told him before, now he just needed to find the entrance.  He continued his merry skipping towards the outskirts of town, all the while humming his favorite shanty.  

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“Okay,” she said again. “I guess, did you make anything out of that? I think I know- I think it helped, but if you have any additional guidance, I would appreciate it.”

The world spun back into focus. The storm clouds fade into wisps of incense. The tall bonfire shrinks back into the candles. And the stone is replaced by the soft flesh of Emily's hand. She was soaked to the brim in sweat, which wasn't an uncommon experience when communing with the gods. Amir was a bit damp himself. He let go of her hands, taking a shaky breath in. Exhale. Inhale, this time more sturdy. Exhale. Emily's visions had been intense, more intense than most. 

"The storm," Amir said, "The rain, it didn't hit. Neither did the lightning. I think this means that whatever caused the petrification of your parents, it won't affect you." Amir paused, hesitant to continue interpreting Emily's dreams. He had a sinking suspicion that Emily was going to blame herself for the deaths' of her parents. "However, I fear it may continue to hurt the people around you. I do not believe your parents died due to disease, I believe it was a curse. And the presence of the sundered temples, it makes me believe that it is the power of an old, forgotten god that has cursed you." 

Amir was haunted by the familiar scene at the bonfire. This was something he could not make sense of. Eventually, he knew it would make sense. Myria's message always became clear over time. However, he worried that if he did not discover the truth soon, it would be too late for Emily.

"I would like to help you, Emily, but I need to know more about you. Have you had any other strange experiences lately? Dreams? Is there something going on the island? Has anyone new come into your life recently?" 

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Blue Balled

Olivander had been biding his time blending in with the temple guests and priests when Finn finally exited. This was his chance to further investigate and learn the ins and outs of the temple. Finally sneaking his way further inside, Olivander waded silently into the pool from which Finn had left. Inside, there was an altar, but it was bare. "The pearl should have been here. And if it was missing, then Finn would have surely made a fuss on his way out. But instead, he was all smiles. Then that means... he took it."

Olivander smiled and backed out of the pool, shaking his feet dry. He sneaked back into the temple entrance and slid silently back to its opening. "One way in. One way out." Finn was already gone and Olivander had no more business here. He began walking briskly back toward the temple of Taros where he last saw Kitt. He was curious as to the sum of the events that took place while he was busy scheming. And as Olivander shortly arrived back at the town square, he could see Kitt exiting the temple of Taros, right behind a procession of a rather frail looking man being carried by servants. Olivander didn't dawdle, and instead jogged right up to Kitt.

"Seems like you handled things," Olivander said as he stood at Kitt's side. "What was all that?"

"They were...in short, searching for a place to call their own where they can worship the inevitable end...oblivion. No deity patron...just the end," Kitt explained.

Olivander scratched his head. "They... wanna worship oblivion? But, why take Taros' temple? That's blasphemous."

"Believe me...I know. However, their leader, Simon, simply wished for the council to take their pleas and wants for this serious. Regardless, this is...something I've never come across in my travels," Kitt said.

Olivander nodded. "You know, with all this going on, I think there's a lot we're not being told. Us being watchdogs and all. I've got a proposal for you, Kitt," Olivander said quickly. "I did some digging and apparently the religious council here is really involved with everything that's going on. Not just this bit with er, those oblivion folk. There's a meeting soon, and we're not forbidden from attending. We could really learn a lot. You interested?"

"A meeting with the religious council? Hmmm, I believe this could definitely provide some insight. ...I'm in for this, Olivander."

"Perfect. Then it's a party. I'll see if I can convince some of the other dogs to join us tomorrow. Let's get to the bottom of this quickly, shall we?" Olivander said as he scurried off. He decided now to make his way back to Levanna's office. If there was a chance of bumping into any more of the watchdogs, it would be there.

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Biscuits

The journey back to Levanna’s office was pretty quick, all things considered. Levanna didn’t feel the need to give a tour, after all, and largely kept her head down as she guided the Nuumu watchdog through the streets. Multiple people called out to her, but she paid them no mind. The only person who managed to break her will and grab her attention was Aiden, who’d followed alongside her for quite a distance. When she tried to dismiss him with an “I’ll hear your concerns later,” that was when he finally spoke up.

“Three people. That’s how many showed up to worship today,” Aiden said. “The fire’s waning too.”

“Your concerns are noted. I’ll be sure to bring them up at tomorrow’s council meeting,” Levanna said. “I have other matters to attend to right now.”

Aiden tried to get in front of her then, but Levanna just kept on walking. She almost felt like she was walking right through him with how effortless it was, actually. It was like he was a one-person crowd. After checking that her charge had not gotten lost again in the meantime, she pressed onwards.

“You’ll have to forgive the mess,” Levanna said as they two entered her office, motioning to the tea set on her desk. “We left in a bit of a hurry last time. Everyone wanted to hurry off to see their temples and who was I to not oblige? The biscuits should still be good, and if you give me a few moments, I can offer some fresher tea. Make yourself at home in the meantime. I’ll be right back.”


Hashing It Out

There was something comforting, Emily thought, in hearing someone else -- especially someone of religious authority -- comfort her and say she was not destined to meet the same dreadful fate as her parents. “From your lips to the gods’ ears,” Emily found herself saying, though she felt less reassured when he said it must have been the result of a curse. How could she have the same curse as her parents and not be destined to fall to it? But she thought back to her dream, and realized, maybe there was something there she had to do still.

Then, of course, came the questions. Had she had any other strange experiences? Was there something weird going on on Galatea? “You mean besides watching my mother and father turn to stone?” Emily said. “They are not the only ones, you know. News tends to travel of who’s passed on and of what, especially when you’re trying to figure out why business is down. These are just whispers, but I believe them.

“As for new people?” Emily rubbed the back of her neck, trying to think. “I could not tell you. Galatea is a popular island, but it is not like new arrivals go unnoticed. I suppose Simon Weatherson’s current stint is significantly different from what he used to do, do you mean something like that?”


Washing It Down

The exterior of Galatea’s main city wasn’t defined by a wall or anything of the sort. It was more of a gradual progression; the density of the buildings slowly decreased, replaced by trees and natural scenery until Finn arrived, at the outskirts of the outskirts, at a cave.

Signs along the way had announced the cave as “Cornucopia Rock,” and a similar sign appeared at the mouth of the cave, a larger one with a drawing of the titular symbol right next to the name. If one squinted, they could probably see it, though the rock face was closer to an abstract impression of a goat’s horn than any actual resemblance.

Outside the cave was a line of people. It wasn’t too long, but it certainly was noticeable. Most in the queue had a bucket with them, though some had larger containers than even that. None of them paid Finn any mind as he approached.


The Tea

Levanna reopened the door to her office carrying a newly refreshed tea set, including some extra biscuits just in case, which she set down on her desk going back and closing the door behind her. “All comfortable? Good,” she said. “I didn’t know which kind of tea you prefer, but I hope this will suffice.”

Her mood shifted dramatically when she sat down, however, and the room darkened as though it was sympathetic to her whims. “Now,” Levanna said. “I suppose I could ask you again where you heard that word, but I’m sure I’ll get the same answer as before so I will not bother. I could ask you to never repeat what I am about to tell you, but I am sure it will end up on the lips of every other watchdog on the island, in addition to whoever you heard it from. And their associates. And so on, and so on. That’s the danger with words like these. They catch on quickly. And yet…

“‘Inanis.’” Levanna allowed herself a sip of her tea to punctuate the word. “To translate it now, I suppose the closest approximation I can give it is ‘void’. But you must understand, it means so much more than that. It is the idea of nothingness. Oblivion, even. You’re a watchdog for Nuumu, yes? So you should know the difference between dying and being consigned to such a fate.

“But it is dangerous to know. That’s why I ask you not to repeat these things carelessly. To know it is to be vulnerable to it.”

Levanna leaned forward and gestured to the platter. “You should have some more of these biscuits. I certainly won’t be able to have all these once you leave.”


OOC

Spoiler

Thought scenes would wrap up and then y'all started more scenes. Definitely not upset, but it does make me look like a fool being like "You'll probably wrap up your scenes soon," last post, haha. Also, while we're complaining, going "not even the religious council knows" and then having the one named member totally know is a bit of a plot cul-de-sac but now that I've said it nobody else is allowed to.

I didn't do much for Finn besides moving him to the spring with a bit of set dressing -- I figured that was expected. Olive and Kitt, meanwhile, have each other and a destination in mind so I didn't do anything, but I did reintroduce Aiden to the area if you wanted to run into him instead.

As always, let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Looking forward to this next round of posts.

 

Edited by radio414

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“You’ll have to forgive the mess. We left in a bit of a hurry last time. Everyone wanted to hurry off to see their temples and who was I to not oblige? The biscuits should still be good, and if you give me a few moments, I can offer some fresher tea. Make yourself at home in the meantime. I’ll be right back.”

"Of course." Nice office Levanna had here. And the biscuits, while not quite fresh anymore, were also quite nice. The trip here - while mostly uneventful - did involve an encounter with a persistent priest. Sounded like his temple was having some trouble. When Levanna returned with the tea, Neasa gave the councilwoman her undivided attention, bar a small sip of tea. Not bad stuff at all! This sort of atmosphere really brought her back to noble house childhood, and while they were subtle, some shifts in her posture may have shown that. More upright and rigid, arms back, chin up. This was an important meeting after all, with an important person.

An important person who went on to explain what Inanis was. A word that was best defined as the end. No soul left over, no afterlife, et cetera. You die, and that's it, the end.

"You’re a watchdog for Nuumu, yes? So you should know the difference between dying and being consigned to such a fate."

"Indeed," Neasa nodded, taking a sip of tea. "A fate like that means losing access to any sort of proper afterlife in the Ashwood. That makes this Inanis a direct enemy to Nuumu, and so it's my duty to destroy it." Levanna then went on to explain that this word was such a thing that knowing of it meant being susceptible to it. That was certainly a grim thought. The watchdog of Nuumu being denied her entry to Ashwood upon dying because of an obscure word covering a concept that was purely antithetical to the very god she worshipped.

“You should have some more of these biscuits. I certainly won’t be able to have all these once you leave.”

"They are well made. My compliments to the chef." The problem of how to destroy a concept was something swimming through Neasa's head right now. If it was something those who knew of it were vulnerable to, the only way to do this would be to destroy all knowledge of it. After consuming an additional biscuit, Neasa weashed it down with a sip of tea and confirmed "This knowledge is safe in my hands. It's Nuumu's place - and thus mine - to merely observe and only act as necessary. Exposing others to knowledge about something inherently antithetical to my own god doesn't seem to be in my best interests right now, let alone theirs. Though I must ask, is this related to that crowd making a scene at the Taros temple earlier?"

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Inevitable

As Olivander made his way to Levanna's office, he watched her enter it with a tray of biscuits. She wasn't going to eat all of that on her own. He didn't know who she was with, but at this point, he didn't trust her enough to not eavesdrop on all of her conversations. As the door shut behind Levanna, Olivander quickly sneaked up to the door and stooped down, gently pressing his ear to the wood.

“‘Inanis. To translate it now, I suppose the closest approximation I can give it is ‘void’. But you must understand, it means so much more than that. It is the idea of nothingness. Oblivion, even. You’re a watchdog for Nuumu, yes? So you should know the difference between dying and being consigned to such a fate. But it is dangerous to know. That’s why I ask you not to repeat these things carelessly. To know it is to be vulnerable to it," Levanna explained.

"Inanis? Void? I wonder how that's related to what--"

"Exposing others to knowledge about something inherently antithetical to my own god doesn't seem to be in my best interests right now, let alone theirs. Though I must ask, is this related to that crowd making a scene at the Taros temple earlier?"

"Yeah, that. That last part," Olivander thought. Apparently, the Nuumu watchdog was here. Should he wait and listen for more information or open the door unexpectedly and rattle Levanna? It was likely that this was pertinent to the watchdogs and they would find out about it anyway. There was no point in staying silent here. "Fuck it," he finally said to himself. Olivander stood up straight and dusted off his pants legs. He sighed, took a deep breath, and cranked open Leavanna's door to her office.

He didn't bother with any courtesies. Instead, he got right to the point. "I would have knocked, but I heard some pertinent information that pertains to my interests." Olivander shut the door behind him. "How is this--'Inanis' did you call it?--related to what happened at the Taros temple? Why are there people worshiping oblivion? And why is the religious council invested in that?" Olivander folded his arms and leaned against the door, propping his foot up against it to prevent anyone else from entering behind him. "Seems to me you're invested in bringing an end to it. So who's stopping you and why?"

 

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As he traveled outside of the city, Finn could really begin to appreciate the nature the Galatea had to offer.  Forests were definitely beautiful, but he was more fond of the ocean.  Duh.  But the strong greens were definitely a nice change of pace from time to time.  His least favorite thing about places like this were all the leaves scattered about.  He didn't like the crunching noise under his feet, and he especially hated it when they were all wet and stuck to the bottom of his sandals.  The sea truly was the only place for he.  Strolling down the path, he was greeted with many signs that read 'Cornucopia Rock'.  Finn giggled under his breath at the irony of the incident that would take place shortly.

"Cornucopia, more like Cornulearntocoapwithdehydration...ia."  He sighed.  He'd make it work somehow.  As he approached the cave's mouth, he noticed a large line of people at the entrance.  Each of them held a bucket, supposedly to get their endless fill of water.  "Ingrates."  Finn muttered under his breath.  He figured that he wouldn't cut in line, that would draw way too much attention to himself before he'd even get the chance to scoop up all of the water.  If he did cut, he'd have a riot on his hands, and he didn't want to bring violence upon the ignorant citizens.  He just wanted to teach them a lesson in gratitude, and make sure that they prayed properly to his goddess from now on.  

It took a couple of hours, but Finn had finally made it to the so called 'Cornucopia'.  It was really rather plain, contrary to what he was expecting.  The never-ending stream of water seemed to pour out of a slot in the cave, pouring into a singular basin.  The basin, however, didn't seem to have the capability of overflowing, as if by magic.  Not so much magic as divine miracle, though.  He walked up to the basin, and placed a hand on the surface of the water.  He could feel his predecessor's power here, and he apologized to her beforehand.  In a flash, all of the water in the basin, and that poured through the wall, had turned into a sapphire like gem in Finn's hand.  The water's flow stopped completely, not a single drop was left.  Finn nodded his head with a smile, and turned on his heel.  As he exited the cave, he saw people were still lining up with buckets in hand.

"Well's dried up.  You must've made Dia angry."  Finn grinned, innocently, as he began making his way back to the city.  

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I suppose Simon Weatherson’s current stint is significantly different from what he used to do, do you mean something like that?”

Amir nodded thoughtfully, listening to Emily explain who Simon Weatherson was. He could see that Emily had relaxed at hearing his interpretation of her visions. He, however, wasn't put at ease. This was all far more complicated than anything he had ever dealt with before and each new revelation only brought more questions. He wondered if maybe he should have stayed with the group for longer than he had. It must have been several hours already. He wondered if they had caught wind of any of this. 

"What do you mean? How is he different?"

"He was a performer- I think he was an actor," Emily said. "I remember seeing him when I was a child out at the amphitheater. Now, of course, he's much more interested in preaching to his cult than his performance. That is what has changed."

A cult. It would be far too big of a coincidence if Simon's actions weren't related to the curse that had polluted Galatea. The Briars weren't the only ones being affected, they were all in danger. 

"I think it's about time for me to return to the other Watchdogs. You are free to accompany me, if you choose. I think it's time we spoke with Levanna."

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"Perfect. Then it's a party. I'll see if I can convince some of the other dogs to join us tomorrow. Let's get to the bottom of this quickly, shall we?"

This was the general plan that Olivander proposed to Kitt and the one he basically accepted. They would join in at listening to the religious council's meeting the next day. However, while Olivander went off ahead, no doubt back to Levanna's office, Kitt remained just outside of Taros' temple. He looked up at it, sighing in somewhat of a defeated manner. Of all the temples to have done this to and selected, he wasn't too keen on it being Taros'...at the same time, he had a bit of a personal reason to be very hasty and distraught about this temple being defiled like that, since he was a creation of his patron...his son, so to speak.

...tomorrow is too late. We'd need information now... Kitt thought, crossing his arms as be began to leave the area near Taros' temple. Unfortunately, I'm not any sort of mystery sleuth nor am I dealing with a deity of knowledge. If Levanna wishes to keep things close to her chest like she has been and Simon only gives vague answers in the methods he does...perhaps that other individual would help.

At that point, Kitt began to raise his head as he saw the exact person he needed to speak with: Aiden. It seemed he was on his way back to the temple of Lars. With not a moment to lose, the Watchdog ran in the direction Aiden was headed. "Excuse me!" he called out, before finally getting caught up with the man. "Sorry to disturb your work, Aiden sir, but I wished to ask you a few things...namely about Simon and the following he and his followers have in relation of the 'oblivion' they worship." Kitt explained. "I understand I am merely the tool and mouthpiece of Taros, but seeing as his temple was used by them for anything other than his will...I believe this makes it my business to know things. So if you could please assist me, I would greatly appreciate it."

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Aiden

Aiden was a little surprised to be approached -- in recent days, he had been the one doing the approaching -- but the surprise faded when he realized who and why. “Ah yes, of course,” he said. “Unfortunately I’ve become a bit of an expert on the subject of these most recent events. Even still, I would request that we do it in the safety of Lar’s temple. Some of my opinions are not very popular if you understand my meaning. You’ve already seen how Levanna reacts to my approaches, right? Anyway, please, follow me.”

He turned on his heels and continued on his way. Inwardly, he felt like gagging, having to present the image of formality, and yet he knew the politeness was necessary, especially after having been presented as much from his soon-to-be guest. It was what Lar would have wanted, anyway. He could speak plainly once they were out of the square proper.


The interior of the temple to Lar was much like its exterior in that the material involved in its construction tinted everything inside in a rusty brown hue. In addition to shaped windows allowing for sunlight to shine in, there was an additional source of light in the form of a central fire. Again, Aiden reflected on its size. The area set aside for the fire was large; it was meant to be similar to the altar of any other temple. Lar was the god of the hearth, after all! This was supposed to be that hearth! And yet, the fire dwindled. It still crackled with life on occasion, but it was all the few acolytes attending to it could do to keep it at that level.

“Anyone else?” Aiden asked the room.

“No, Brother Bell,” was the response.

Aiden frowned at that but tried not to let it show too much as he guided his charge back, past the fire, into a hallway beyond where his quarters lay. His were the backmost, and Aiden pulled open the door before gesturing his permission for the Taros dog to enter. “I can’t offer you any tea or biscuits,” he said. “But this is the best place I can think of to talk about what you’re asking me. You can- you can sit on the chair at the desk there, I’ll sit on my cot. Or perhaps you would prefer the reverse?”


Emily

“You are free to come with me if you wish,” the watchdog said. Which, intuitively, at least, was fine as an offer, but Emily still hesitated. Certain imagery in her dream still troubled her; why had nothing been said about the bonfire scene? Was it that inscrutable, that even Myria’s watchdog couldn’t parse it? And yet, she couldn’t find any words to enunciate her concern, and every time she opened her mouth to try anyway, nothing came out.

These instincts, then, very nearly compelled her to say no. There were many things she was pretty sure she would have to decide on her own. But at the same time, instead of dragging watchdogs around and demanding they pay attention to her needs, now a watchdog -- a representative of the gods themselves -- was beckoning her to accompany them. Was that not worth considering as well?

And with all that was going on, was there ever going to be time to mourn?

She did come to a decision eventually, though. In reality, her pause was probably only a few seconds, before she said, “Very well. I do have business with the Nuumu watchdog as well; I’d like to check on her preparations for my mother’s rites. My father’s as well, so I will follow you to her at the very least.”


Levanna

“I’m glad we understand each other,” Levanna said as Nuumu’s watchdog reached out for another biscuit. And she meant it. She practically sighed with relief when she heard that Nuumu was willing to stand against such phrases as the ones they’d discussed. That was to say, she’d assumed it, but it was still nice to hear straight from the dog’s mouth. And what a refreshing conversation compared to all the other watchdogs on the island! And now that such connections were being made, they could maybe move on to -

“Is this related to that crowd making a scene at the Taros temple earlier?”

The question didn’t catch Levanna entirely off-guard (after all, the two had met right outside Taros’ temple as Simon was dispersing), but it was a topic she’d been hoping to avoid. That was the whole point of her approach, after all, or it was a point, at least. Still, she was about to provide her best attempt at an answer when, for the second time today, someone came barging in. Another face she recognized, another watchdog, and not one she was happy to see.

“I would have knocked, but I heard some information that pertains to my interests,” he said. And then came even more questions. Four of them, in total, and not one of them asked in anything less than what Levanna felt could be the most accusatory tone.

The last one stung the most; Levanna reacted to that one almost reflexively. “Nothing is stopping us,” she said. “I was not trying to deceive you when I said we were working on it. You have been here all of an afternoon and you were expecting the problem solved in the meantime?”

She took a breath to calm down. The tea helped as well, not just giving her another excuse to pause, but also, well, because it was tea. When she brought her cup back down, she continued. “Alright, take a seat, young watchdog, and I will explain. And to you as well,” she said, gesturing to Nuumu’s dog as she did so.

“We are dealing with a new religion,” Levanna said. “They are aggressive in their recruitment and they have not simply dispersed as the whims of the populace change. We -- that is, the religious council -- have decided to build them a temple to Simon’s specifications, with an agreement from Simon that the particularly aggressive nature of some of his tactics will cease. Construction is not yet underway, but it will be soon.

“Why they are worshipping ‘oblivion,’ I could not tell you,” Levanna said. “That is something you will have to ask the man himself.”


“Cornulearntocopewithdehydrationia”

It wasn’t long before people noticed that the spring had dried up. After all, even if people didn’t take Finn seriously right away, it was an easily checkable statement. The line behind Finn began to murmur, one after the other, a rumble that only got louder until someone with a deep, booming voice, called after him, “Hey, kid! What’d you mean by that?”

He was huge, at least a head taller than Finn and probably more, and he still had an empty barrel it appeared he’d been intending to fill up slung over his broad shoulders. As he approached, the size disparity only seemed to get larger and larger until he towered over the five-foot-five watchdog.

“John, don’t,” somebody else said.

“No, he can speak for himself,” John replied. “What’d you do to our water, kid? You don’t just get to say, ‘Well’s dry,’ what’s your game?”


Summon the Fire

The choice of seating didn’t really matter. Aiden kept talking. “Actually, before we get into your questions, do you mind if I complain for a moment? This is not complaining about you, but as an outsider and an authority, I feel this is my best opportunity for this sort of petition to work.” 

Again, Aiden didn’t wait for an answer. “You mentioned Simon Weatherson to me, and given he was in your temple, I have to imagine you spoke to him. Which means you must know how dangerous he is. He’s a blasphemer, at the very least, preaching in places that he doesn’t belong.

“But even if -- and despite what those on the religious council will tell you it’s not a when, but an if -- even if he gets a place where his teachings aren’t heresy, I don’t think the blight he has brought with him will cease. That’s what Levanna and the others are banking on, and despite what that would mean for this temple, for Lar especially, I cannot believe it. And in the meantime…”

Aiden looked at the Taros dog. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Please, be seated. You have questions, and I will answer them.”


OOC

Spoiler

I kept thinking the exposition-y parts had either too much or too little exposition so I guess here we are. A few notes in the meantime:

I haven't been keeping track of time on the island that well, but it seems like when the gang does actually come together would be a good time to start wrapping up the day, at least. Most of you are moving in that direction after a scene or two, so while we're not there yet, keep that in mind. There'll be a bit of a debriefing in discord when that happens, but, as always, I'll hear your questions and/or complaints if you have them whenever.

I'm not giving an image for John because he's more of an obstacle than a character. If you must have one to visualize, imagine Garcia from Fire Emblem: the Sacred Stones.

Dragged Kitt along because it seemed okay last time I dragged someone and I didn't want that section to just be "yeah sure, ask away i guess". It's not a far drag, at least.

Think that's it, though, most everyone else is in a scene or moving to be in one so not much else to explain, I don't think. My offer to help you find something to do if you find yourself lacking still stands if that's not the case (apologies again for misreading posts last time).

Stay safe.

 

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“I would have knocked, but I heard some information that pertains to my interests.”

Well, so much for keeping this out of everyone else's ears to avoid them meeting whatever sort of fate knowing the word Inanis would cause. That said, the Hinder watchdog's questions lined up pretty well with Neasa's own, and the explanation they were treated to was more than satisfactory.

“We are dealing with a new religion. They are aggressive in their recruitment and they have not simply dispersed as the whims of the populace change. We -- that is, the religious council -- have decided to build them a temple to Simon’s specifications, with an agreement from Simon that the particularly aggressive nature of some of his tactics will cease. Construction is not yet underway, but it will be soon. Why they are worshipping ‘oblivion,’ I could not tell you. That is something you will have to ask the man himself.”

A temple dedicated to this oblivion... Neasa was unsure how to feel. As a monk of Nuumu, obviously she couldn't condone such a thing being built, even less so with the context of what this faith - no, just the name itself - did to people. Asking herself what Nuumu would do wasn't making things any easier. Would he put it to the flame, like old stories said he had when met with a cult of necromancers? Or, because his was the role of an observer, would he just leave them be? But then one had to consider the value placed on proper death, but it wasn't like this was rendering anyone immortal or even worse undead, and surely the underworld was a bit cramped sometimes and this would be a good way to thin the herd some.

There was just too much to know what to do. She'd have to get the important details from Simon himself, it seemed, which meant finding and conversing with what from her perspective was a heretic of nearly the highest order.

"This has been a very informative discussion," Neasa smiled. "I appreciate you being so open about the current issues on Galatea. Whatever brought us here, this information should bring us much closer to figuring it out and resolving the issue." A temple, an aggressively-recruiting cult, oblivion, everything had to be linked together somehow, and it was probably through Simon. Hopefully all those years of simply observing were about to pay off. "Do you happen to know about any places this Simon might frequent when he isn't preaching? I need to have a word with him."

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Totally Oblivious

“We are dealing with a new religion,” Levanna said. “They are aggressive in their recruitment and they have not simply dispersed as the whims of the populace change. We -- that is, the religious council -- have decided to build them a temple to Simon’s specifications, with an agreement from Simon that the particularly aggressive nature of some of his tactics will cease. Construction is not yet underway, but it will be soon.

“Why they are worshipping ‘oblivion,’ I could not tell you,” Levanna said. “That is something you will have to ask the man himself.”

Olivander was satisfied at least. He didn't like these answers, but he was satisfied with them. Simon must have been the same person that Kitt had dealt with. But now that it seemed like the Nuumu watchdog was fully involved and informed on the matter, there was no need for Olivander to pursue Simon directly.

"I appreciate you being so open about the current issues on Galatea. Whatever brought us here, this information should bring us much closer to figuring it out and resolving the issue." This girl was much more invested than Olivander was. But he had to keep up this ruse if he wanted to accomplish any of his goals without being caught.

"I certainly hope that's all true. I'll share my findings with the others when I have a chance. Right now, I'm going to retire for the night and prepare for the religious council's meeting tomorrow. Thank you for your time, Levanna," Olivander said as he left the office, snagging a biscuit on his way out. So far he had covered all his bases. He had been seen and heard on multiple occasions. Now he simply needed to buy time and come up with a plan. The religious council was going to tell him a lot more about Galatea. And that meant he could learn the inns, outs, and vulnerabilities of the island. This would require some tactical decision making, and a good night's rest.

Olivander left the building and strolled out to Galatea's wilderness. He would find a comfortable, shady tree and rest for the evening. Inns weren't quite his thing.

 

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“Ah yes, of course. Unfortunately I’ve become a bit of an expert on the subject of these most recent events. Even still, I would request that we do it in the safety of Lar’s temple. Some of my opinions are not very popular if you understand my meaning. You’ve already seen how Levanna reacts to my approaches, right? Anyway, please, follow me.”

"If you believe that to be the safest option, then I shall oblige." Kitt nodded, following after Aiden towards Lar's temple. The inside of Lar's temple was much like its exterior in that the material involved in its construction tinted everything inside in a rusty brown hue. In addition to shaped windows allowing for sunlight to shine in, there was an additional source of light in the form of a central fire. Kitt was quite impressed with the design, though it wasn't Taros' temple...but at the same time, not many other deities would be able to compare to his own patron. ...probably all the Watchdogs felt that way...maybe.

“I can’t offer you any tea or biscuits. But this is the best place I can think of to talk about what you’re asking me. You can- you can sit on the chair at the desk there, I’ll sit on my cot. Or perhaps you would prefer the reverse?”

Kitt waved his hand dismissively, giving a smile. "I'll stand, do not worry about me."

“Actually, before we get into your questions, do you mind if I complain for a moment? This is not complaining about you, but as an outsider and an authority, I feel this is my best opportunity for this sort of petition to work. You mentioned Simon Weatherson to me, and given he was in your temple, I have to imagine you spoke to him. Which means you must know how dangerous he is. He’s a blasphemer, at the very least, preaching in places that he doesn’t belong. But even if -- and despite what those on the religious council will tell you it’s not a when, but an if -- even if he gets a place where his teachings aren’t heresy, I don’t think the blight he has brought with him will cease. That’s what Levanna and the others are banking on, and despite what that would mean for this temple, for Lar especially, I cannot believe it. And in the meantime…I’m sorry. Please, be seated. You have questions, and I will answer them.”

"A blasphemer? Hmmm, I originally thought that he was paying tribute to his own deity, but when he mentioned he follows just the end...following just oblivion, it's obvious that this wasn't the case. I even communed with Taros just to see if this was anything he knew of...which it wasn't." Kitt nodded, putting his hand to his chin for a moment. "Regardless, I did tell him myself that I'd find a way to get a temple for him, however he told me that he...I believe one of those phrases is...he's heard that song and dance before. So I don't think that will happen."

The Forge Master's Watchdog paused, before thinking more about what Aiden said. "...so what I'm hearing is, Levanna and those in the religious council are trying to cause dissension in Galatea? If that's the case...that's the worst outcome possible, for all parties involved. Perhaps you could divulge more into this situation?"

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“Hey, kid! What’d you mean by that?”

Finn stopped in his tracks with a bit of a jump.  He was afraid someone was gonna ask that.  Him and his big mouth were going to get themselves in trouble...again.  As the man approached, Finn's head had to keep tilting up and up.  He was a hulking colossus of a man, certainly making Finn himself look like quite the small fry.  There was always a bigger fish though.  To the ordinary citizen, this man must've been quite the intimidating force to reckon with. 

“John, don’t,” A brave soul tried to stop the man.  

“No, he can speak for himself,” The citizen, John, ignored his fellows plea. “What’d you do to our water, kid? You don’t just get to say, ‘Well’s dry,’ what’s your game?”

Finn giggled.

"There isn't a game!  This is some serious business!  I'm quite the follower of Dia, you see."  He smiled at the man, the boy's smile was almost a ray of sunshine in itself.  "She must be upset that she's not getting enough credit for the miracle you all have received.  She must've just...taken it back."  Finn's smile turned melancholy, his bottom lip quivering.  "If only people would give thanks to her..."  The man leered at him.  

"She has a temple just like every other god, don't she? Why don't you go down there and complain?" He got even closer, letting his height and mass emphasize every word. "You didn't answer my question anyway. What'd you do to our water?"

"She has a temple, duh!  But no one's in there.  It's just the caretakers at this point.  And for everything she's done for this island, the inhabitants should be praying twice a day, at least.  She graced your town with the gift of infinite water...what have you done to show thanks for that, John?"  Finn, not even slightly intimidated by the man's display, smiled again.  "Besides, I didn't do anything to your water.  This is Dia's will!"  

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Amir could see Emily's hesitation. She didn't trust him completely, yet. He could understand that; they had only met a few hours ago, after all. He hoped he could earn her trust, however. She was someone that he really did want to help. Get her the answers, the closure, she deserved. "Very well," she agreed,  "I do have business with the Nuumu watchdog as well; I’d like to check on her preparations for my mother’s rites. My father’s as well, so I will follow you to her at the very least.” Amir nodded.

"Then let's go." 

They exited the temple together, grabbing their shoes before stepping back into the streets of Galatea. Amir thanked the temple keepers and elders before taking his leave. They traveled in relative silence for a while. Finally, Amir spoke up. 

"You'll have to excuse me if at times I can get a bit mission-oriented. I don't mean to seem dismissive of the losses you've suffered." He punctuated his sentence with a silence that he hoped would communicate sincerity before continuing. "I still feel very new to my role as a watchdog and I think I am trying to prove myself to the others and to Myria." Maybe it sounded like an excuse, but it was true. 

Walking up to Levanna's office, Amir and Emily past Olivander who seemed to be leaving. He and Neasa seemed to be finishing up a conversation with Levanna. He thought about introducing Emily to Hinder's watchdog, but before he could Olivander was gone. Amir stood awkwardly in Levanna's doorway. "Good evening. My name is Amir, watchdog to Myria." Amir still didn't trust Levanna, but she was the only way he figured they could get more information. "Ms. Briar and I have some troubling news we would like to talk to you about. And I am sure Emily would also like to talk to you as well, Neasa, if you wouldn't mind staying. "



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Bosses Hang

The way Amir moved through the city was impressive to Emily. He couldn’t have known where he was going, and yet he seemed to know exactly that, cutting through the Temple Square and heading straight to the religious council building. It must be his patron, Emily thought to herself. Myria must have been lightly guiding his steps. Or maybe it was just luck. Whichever it was, Emily followed a few steps behind. She wasn’t as sure as Amir seemed to be about facing Levanna, but if that was where the Nuumu watchdog was, that was something she had to face.

“Miss Briar and I have some troubling news we would like to talk to you about,” Amir said as they walked into the room. Emily frowned at that. Not because it was wrong, though the exact details were a little fuzzy, but because she wasn’t sure there was anything they could say that Levanna didn’t already know. And perhaps that was the point, that Amir did know, but Emily still felt a little uncomfortable at the thought of her being the reason Levanna found out. She did, after all, pull two watchdogs away from Levanna’s watchful eye.

Levanna, for her part, didn’t immediately jump on Emily’s presence. “Of course,” she said, before turning to Neasa and adding, “He is supposed to be in the old temple to Medeis, if you do go looking, though as you saw, he tends to move around.”

“Medeis’ temple…” Emily muttered under her breath. She felt like she was still in her dream, like another puzzle piece had just fallen into place. Unfortunately, her utterance was still loud enough to be heard by at least Levanna, who shot her a dirty look from across the room. If that wasn’t another reason to feel unwelcome…

Her mind was made up. “It is probably best if we speak alone in any case,” Emily said. “I will wait outside, Lady Neasa. Forgive the intrusion.”

Before she exited the room, then the building altogether, Emily heard Levanna say, “Well, alright. What ‘troubling news’ did you have to bring me, then?”


Fam/Famine

There was a long pause after Finn finished speaking. Each person was either reeling from what had just been said or was holding their breath, waiting for what happened next. John himself was mystified, though that quickly reverted back to anger and he was the first one to do something. “Twice a day, huh?” he snarled. “You sound like that guy who came over a couple months ago saying things like we couldn’t worship the house god in our own homes. I told my mates I should have shown him some proper sense, but he’s not here anymore, so I guess I’m gonna have to do the same to you.”

But before things could escalate any further, someone else grabbed John’s arm. “John, he’s a kid,” they said. “Besides, we’ve got bigger things to worry about right now. Like what we’re gonna tell Wendell. I don't wanna also tell him you beat up a kid because of it, even if he is a brat.”

Mentioning Wendell seemed to calm John down, or at least it got his fists to unclench, which was almost the same thing. “Whatever,” John said. And, to Finn, he added, “You better know what you’re doing. Get out of here before I change my mind.”


Undoing A Luciferian Towers

Aiden was quick to jump in and issue a correction. “I don’t think they’re trying to do anything,” he said. “It’s their inaction that is the problem. Simon started professing his new faith… I think it was a few weeks ago? The religious council was pretty quick to accede to his demand for a temple, and yet if you go outside and look, there are no foundations set or even space set aside. There is a bureaucracy to the whole process, I’m sure, but it has not been proven to be an effective one. Especially since, well…”

For a moment, Aiden paused his rant, trying to think of the best way to say what he wanted. When he did start back up again, it wasn’t following up on anything at all, and yet it seemed to him like it was the only way to move the conversation forward. “I am passionate about this not only because I care about the people of Galatea, but because Simon has affected us at this temple personally. One of Lar’s dogs came here months ago and, as his representative, declared that maintaining the fire was not just the most important way one could give worship, it was the only way. For years, people had been worshipping from their homes out of convenience; they were sacred places too, they believed. It was a struggle to adapt to this new theology, but we managed. Just as we were getting used to our new normal, however, that was when Simon and his cult invaded the temple.

“People are still afraid to come and worship,” Aiden said. “They don’t want to end up the victims of some stories I’ve heard. They think Simon’s mere existence in these temples is harmful and dangerous, and I am inclined to agree with them.”


OOC

Spoiler

As slowly yet surely it builds. This post's subtitle theme was songs from the album Luciferian Towers by Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Closer to on-topic, I didn't give Olive anything to do because, well, he's sleeping, yeah? I'm not exactly expecting a post from him either, though probably mention something in Discord just to be sure. Or I'll ask. Everyone else either got more of their scene or was Finn, who is probably wrapping his up now? I mentioned in the OOC thread that I'm garbage at writing combat so if you'd been looking to initiate that, that's gonna be on you to do so.

As always, feel free to ask me questions in chat or DMs, remember what I said about ending the day soon, and I'll see you on page three.

Be kind to each other.


 

Edited by radio414

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“I don’t think they’re trying to do anything. It’s their inaction that is the problem. Simon started professing his new faith… I think it was a few weeks ago? The religious council was pretty quick to accede to his demand for a temple, and yet if you go outside and look, there are no foundations set or even space set aside. There is a bureaucracy to the whole process, I’m sure, but it has not been proven to be an effective one. Especially since, well…”

"I meant no disrespect at all about what I said, I assure, Aiden sir." Kitt nodded, allowing the priest to explain deeper into what things were happening. "I however only threw out a possible reasoning for this to be occurring. Please, do continue."

“I am passionate about this not only because I care about the people of Galatea, but because Simon has affected us at this temple personally. One of Lar’s dogs came here months ago and, as his representative, declared that maintaining the fire was not just the most important way one could give worship, it was the only way. For years, people had been worshiping from their homes out of convenience; they were sacred places too, they believed. It was a struggle to adapt to this new theology, but we managed. Just as we were getting used to our new normal, however, that was when Simon and his cult invaded the temple. People are still afraid to come and worship. They don’t want to end up the victims of some stories I’ve heard. They think Simon’s mere existence in these temples is harmful and dangerous, and I am inclined to agree with them.”

Kitt remained silent for a while, pondering and collecting his thoughts as he thought about what Aiden had spoke. "As such...a change to the norm occurs and people panic." he muttered, putting his hand to his chin slightly. "While he isn't doing anything of the sorts, it is true that this...belief in nothing but oblivion is worrisome. Nevertheless, you were about to say something earlier...yet you paused. Why is that?"

Aiden laughed. "Nothing of the sort, huh? That's a good one," he said. Then he realized Kitt was serious, and his voice became very low. "I suppose you wouldn't have heard the stories. Forgive me, I paused because I wasn't sure what to say. I will say it now, though. Simon's teachings do, in fact, lead to suffering, and either through deliberate inaction or getting caught up in meaningless procedure, the council has allowed it to continue."

"I see...then this should be decided then." Kitt nodded. "The Watchdog of Hinder, Olivander, suggested we Watchdogs attend the little meeting tomorrow with the religious council. He too seems to believe something else isn't quite right here. And what you said, Aiden, does indeed make me uneasy. I want you to go with us tomorrow for this meeting. I want to get to the bottom of this, and at this point, from what I've heard...the religious council may be where we need to go to get any sort of resolution."

"I doubt Levanna or any of the other members of the council will permit my entry," Aiden said. "However, you have heard what I have to say, and I bless you to go in my place. I will warn you, too, if the council's actions are deliberate, they may not take kindly to corrections."

Kitt gave a bit of a small smirk to Aiden saying that. "At least be near to behold the outcome. Whether or not they take kindly to the corrections, I believe that they will find we are no pushovers..." He extended his hand out towards Aiden, nodding. "Regardless, I thank you for your assistance. Heh, it may not be my place to say...but I believe with that mind of yours...you'd make an excellent Watchdog to Lar."

"From your mouth to the gods' ears," Aiden said, reciprocating the handshake. "I wish you the best."

He had gotten his answers now, and no doubt, he figured Olivander and maybe even the others would've received some more insight as well. As Kitt left Lar's temple and made his way back to Levanna's office, one thing was made clear about this: something on Galatea wasn't sitting right and while the pieces of this estranged puzzle didn't seem to fit into any specific pattern or reason, Kitt believe that the answers to all his questions lay in the religious council's meeting.

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“He is supposed to be in the old temple to Medeis, if you do go looking, though as you saw, he tends to move around.”

"Understood. I'll need to have a word with him." With that, Neasa excused herself, leaving not far behind Emily who seemed to have said something wrong, based on the look Levanna gave her. She must have been quite the unlucky type of girl. Based on how every other watchdog seemed to have heard the word Inanis before, Neasa was willing to bet the troubling news that Amir had in store was about precisely that. What a disaster.

And so, Neasa took her leave from the building, retracing her steps back to the temple square. Now then... which of these was the temple to Medeis anyway? Only one way to find out, wasn't there? Emily had followed her all the way here, and had already heard the word on her mother's deathbed. Glancing around the square, Neasa asked "Which one of these is the Medeis temple? Do you have business there too or something?"

"I have business with you," Emily said. Her phrasing had some finality to it, like she wasn't going to answer the other half of Neasa's questions, but she still pointed out an old building that was just teetering on the brink of disrepair. "But it's that one over there, if you insist on managing your own business first."

"...that makes sense. This shouldn't take long." Neasa made her way over to the temple, swung the doors open... and found that Simon wasn't here. And so, Neasa promptly closed the doors and went back the way she came. "He's not in. While I wait for him to go back, what's your business with me? There's no reason I should be doing nothing during the wait."

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“Twice a day, huh?  You sound like that guy who came over a couple months ago saying things like we couldn’t worship the house god in our own homes. I told my mates I should have shown him some proper sense, but he’s not here anymore, so I guess I’m gonna have to do the same to you.”  Finn's mouth hung in an O shape, as he waited for inevitable violence to occur.  

“John, he’s a kid,” someone with some common sense said, grabbing the man's arm. A small snort of air escaped from his nose, in a struggle to keep himself from laughing.  At least the man seemed to be a good friend to stop John from getting into a scuffle with a teenager.  Although, it would've ended badly for the man, if Finn weren't a pacifist.  “Besides, we’ve got bigger things to worry about right now. Like what we’re gonna tell Wendell. I don't wanna also tell him you beat up a kid because of it, even if he is a brat.”  The name made a wave of calm crash of this, John fellow.  He must've been somebody that neither of the two wanted to deal with.  Was he a bad dude?  

“Whatever,” John said.  Looking to Finn, he added, “You better know what you’re doing. Get out of here before I change my mind.”  Finn's cheeks puffed out.  This was his Goddesses holy site!  Or should he say, former holy site.  If anyone was allowed here it was him.  He puffed out all the air, and instead turned on his heel.  He waved to the line, smiling while turned away from them.

"I'll see you all at Dia's temple!  Have a rad day!"  With the tear placed safely away, Finn made his way back to Galatea.  There, he'd ask Levanna who this Wendell guy was.  

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