A visit to the Temple (Alric,Alanys)

[Zevlin]

The trek through Alvadas had been frustrating, to say the least. Turning down different streets and alleys in the hopes of finding Ionu's evasive temple, with little luck. But the small group had finally managed to find their way. Ionu's temple stood tall and beautiful, despite its walls bearing the signs of time. If anything, this served to bring more character to the building. Zevlin found himself admiring the stonework, thinking of the time and dedication the builders had put into creating such a beautiful building. He almost forgot he had companions, walking up to the doors, only now turning to see if either of them were following.

Satisfied, he turned, stepping inside of the temple's walls. The openness around them seemed immense, drawing the eye to many a different area all at once, each vying for your attention. It had Zevlin turning in circles, trying to take in the whole view. "This place is amazing." The words left his lips without him realizing he had spoken, turning his attention back to his companions. "Do you think they'll let us the a look around and see what they're up to?"

OOCSorry this is so late and short ._.

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric looked upon the glorious temple with a reserved awe. He had seen the Temple before, of course. In fact, he made an attempt to visit it at least once a year. However, that never stopped him from admiring its beauty. The moss and lichen, draped over the worn walls, it was so very unclean in the very best of ways. He took in the sight quicker than his companions, although that largely due to the fact that it was much newer to them. Zevlin especially seemed to be entranced by the beautiful structure.

"Do you think they'll let us take a look around and see what they're up to?"

Alric thought about it. He didn't see why not. And, honestly, as long as they weren't intrusive, he doubted Ionu would care either. the temple was just as much a tourist attraction as a place of worship. Although, now that Alric thought on it, he was eager to learn from a rather knowledgeable individual. Alric had talked to him before but only briefly, and never very in-depth. There resided here, a very intelligent man by the name of Doddle Asperenus.

With an objective now in mind, Alric felt much more at ease following his companions about and helping them in their endeavors. " Yes, Zevlin, I am quite sure. The Temple of Ionu is as informal as the being it is named after. So long as we don't bother any worshipers, we'll be fine. After all, the temple absolutely loves to be gawked at."

[Alanys Hyacinth]

Alanys' dark ruby eyes glittered as they roamed the Temple's insides, collecting the sights and earning only a faint smirk. She could say so much to insult the make of this Temple and the God worshipped in it, but she was beginning Ionu enjoyed being mocked. In private she'd enjoy herself at its expense.

The Symenestra had to admit, though, that the Temple had a charm that drew the eye. It was perhaps not as frustrating as the streets that had led to it, and for that Alanys was grateful. She so disliked the way the streets moved in that unbecoming fashion. How was a person supposed to get anywhere they wanted?

"They have no reason to stop us, Zevlin. You and I are tourists. They should allow us in, beckon us even." Her eyes lowered from observing the building, the emotions Alanys felt hidden behind the bloody pools she used for irises.

Alric's comment earned another curve of her lips. "Sounds like an Inarta to me." She said. The words came off as bitter as ever, and the smirk didn't help to give the teasing effect the Spider was going for. Not that she'd admit to teasing a Human. The potential for embarrassment was immense.

Now, Alanys didn't know at all what to do here. She had barely bothered to learn of Alvadas and it's history at all. Buildings like the Temple rarely held her interest, and so all the pretty decorations didn't matter to her. She regarded Alric again, for he was the Human born and raised in Alvadas, and she gave him a slight smile that could be either kind or unkind.

"Do we have a plan?" She asked slowly.

[Zevlin]

As glad as he was to learn that there would't be a penalty for wandering around, the Inarta was still sore about how long it had taken them to actually reach the temple. "If it wants us to admire it, why did it take so long to show itself?" Zevlin asked, still finding it rather odd that he was speaking about a building as if it had a mind of its own. A sentient building; now that would be interesting to see. He was pretty sure a powerful illusionist could imitate the thought, but it would never be the real thing. That would take something much more powerful.

Alanys' words caused him to laugh, mostly because they were true. Most Inarta loved attention and enjoyed being watched. It was just part of their nature. Which led him to wonder why they lived so isolated. Other than the obvious travelling limitations. "Do we really need a plan?" He asked the woman. "I've just come here to observe the temple and learn what I can. If there was something specific you wanted to see inside, you're welcome to go." His smile was easy and light, wanting to make sure that the other realized he wasn't trying to be cruel with his words.

OOCI'm just going to borrow her character for a moment..

With a nod, the symestra took her own path through the temple. "Perhaps I'll meet you again sometime." It was a vague farewell, but it was surprising they received one at all. Zevlin waved her off, before turning to face Alric. "You've been here before, yes? I'll follow you."

[Alric Wilmot]

"If it wants us to admire it, why did it take so long to show itself?" Alric thought it was a rather good question, but he knew the answer almost as soon as the question was posed. "It is because, my Inarta friend, the building knew that you'd be much more happy to see it, if you had a hard time finding it. What was the expression again? Longing makes the heart grow fonder? Yes, that's it." Zevlin seemed to consider Alric's words for but a moment, before he delved into his own thoughts. Alric wasn't really surprised. As Alric decided to do the same, he chuckled at Alanys and Zevlin's friendly bickering. It was nice to see they could get along, without goading from his hypnosis. However, almost as suddenly as he had thought how nice it was, Alanys decided to abandon the party for her own undisclosed reasons. Alric kept silent. He was rather disappointed at her departure, but he would not get in the way of someone else's goals. That might inhibit understanding, and he would never allow that. "You've been here before, yes? I'll follow you." Alric nodded to indicate that he had heard Zevlin. He was interested in finding Doddle, but the man never stayed still, so he supposed he and Zevlin could still sight see while search for him.

[Zevlin]

"It is because, my Inarta friend, the building knew that you'd be much more happy to see it, if you had a hard time finding it. What was the expression again? Longing makes the heart grow fonder? Yes, that's it."

Again, speaking of the temple as if it were alive. Though he supposed that it was easier to talk as if the temple was alive than talk as the genderless god being behind the trickery. Which had a very good chance at being true, as the building was dedicated to the mysterious god...goddess? That was also another thing the Inarta found incredibly frustrating; not knowing how to address the deity.

Zevlin and Alric walked in relative silence for the first bit of their wandering, which was odd considering how both of them loved talking. The silence began to eat at the Inarta, making him fidgety and irritable. He just couldn't keep quiet when no one else was talking. "So!" He started, his voice shattering the silence like glass. "What caused such interest in Hypnotism, Alric?" He asked. Even if it was on a subject he wasn't too comfortable with himself, it was something to get the other man talking.

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric was intrigued by Zevlin's question. He had never had anyone interested in his reasons before. They had always asked about hypnotism, what it was, and how it was done. But they had never asked why he had decided to learn it. No one had ever been interested in Alric. The question was simple enough to answer of course, but Alric stayed silent for a while, simply appreciating that he was something another wished to understand. It was quite a good feeling. "Well, Zevlin, I'm glad you asked. Not many people wonder why someone learns hypnotism. Whether that's because they assume they know the answer, or because they don't know, is beyond my knowledge. I suppose that's just one more thing for me to understand eh?" Alric smiled, thinking himself funny. "Well, Zevlin, I learned hypnotism because I was a rather poor communicator when I was young. You see, I'm a bit of an amateur philosopher. When I was young, I was constantly trying to convince others that my way of thinking was right. Unfortunately, no one wanted to hear it." Alric turned another corner, and scanned the corridor for any sign of Doddle. Unfortunately, he had no such luck. "So, I attempted to become more persuasive by learning hypnotism. It was such fun of course, I made it into a sort of hobby. Nowadays, it is rare for a day to go bye in which I don't practice for at least a few hours." Alric turned another corner and continued down the passage way, keeping his eyes open for any sign of the scholar. "So, tell me Zevlin, do you have any more questions? Or would you like to share a bit of yourself?"

[Zevlin]

Zevlin felt a tight smile pull on to his lips as Alric jumped right into a long and lengthy tale. You could always count on the man to take a simple answer and spin it into an epic the storytellers and bards could sing for years; had they been on topics others would have found interesting. Still, he listened as the other went on telling his story of social ineptness. That caused the red-head to raise a brow in surprise. Someone with such a gift for speaking fluidly had been shy at one point? It was hard to picture, an Alric who had to use hypnotism to gain attention from others.

Though, that was something Zevlin could somewhat relate to. Back in Wind-Reach, there were so many people, all of whom screamed as loud as they could for attention. The more attention one gains, the easier it was to climb the caste ladder. Unless you were a Dek; in that case attention usually wasn't a good thing. The inarta had always disliked having to fight with a thousand other souls for his voice to be heard. While he wasn't aware of it himself, Zevlin was an attention whore, and absolutely hated it when he was challenged by someone just as loud. Maybe that was why he liked Alric; the man seemed generally interested in him, even if it was just to understand the culture.

It annoyed the inarta to see that while Alric was giving his question thought, and answering truthfully (most likely), his attentions were divided. He was searching for something, and not truly focusing on his companion. As annoying as it was, Zevlin understood that Alric had come to the temple for his own motives, and not just to lead him on a free tour. So he ignored his feelings as best he could, though the dread of Alric finding what he was looking for, and subsequently leaving him alone, sat heavy in the back of his mind. He nearly missed his companion's words as the other asked a question of him, focusing his eyes on the dark haired male. His easy smile slid back into place, shaking his head. "If I think of something to ask, I shall speak." he assured the other.

Though it didn't show on his face, Zevlin was truly happy that Alric had asked about him; even if he wasn't sure what to tell the other. "I'm not sure what you would like to hear. I'm not learned in magic, as you are." He admitted, a frown crossing his features. "I've never understood magic, I can't make sense of it and that lack of knowledge," He paused, trying to think of the proper common word. "...it frightens me." His gaze drifted away from Alric, pensive and unsettled. "I don't know how to, er... counter! I don't know how to counter such a thing, so if I met someone who wished me harm with magic, I would fall easily..."

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric listened to Zevlin with a detached interest. It seemed as though Zevlin was one of those characters that liked to fill the emptiness of quiet with idle chatter. Not that Alric minded of course. He quite liked to learn about others. In fact, he was glad that Zevlin saw fit to share things about himself, as Alric was quite busy looking for the elusive Doddle. He listened to Zevlin share his concern about magic, and was intrigued. Alric, having lived in Alvadas his whole life, had grown to expect a certain amount of magic in the world. Here, in the city of illusion, it was expected that things were miraculous, extraordinary, and strange. "Well, Zevlin, I think it is rather healthy for you to fear magic. Especially if you have none of your own. To put it into words my Father once told me, 'Magic is like a sword, as long as you have one of your own, you need not fear your neighbor's.' Yes, I think it might be in your best interest to find a book or two on a magical discipline that catches your fancy. Then, you would most certainly have a way to counter it. Hypnotism, though, really is not all that effective in a fight. So I suppose I'm in the same boat as you. after all, my sword is more of a dagger, than a proper blade." Alric laughed a bit, and turned another corridor. This time however, Alric saw that they had arrived at a large open floor. Several disciples of Ionu laid prostrate on the floor, praying. At the head of the praying disciples, was a priest of Ionu. Or, at least Alric assumed that was what the man was. He wore a long robe, adorned with Ionu's Gnosis mark. Alric decided to go talk to the man. Before he did so however, he turned to Zevlin, and made a motion for him to follow. Who knows? Maybe Zevlin would become a convert, that would surely help Alric's standing with Ionu. With Zevlin at his back, Alric strode forward confidently.

[Cantrip]

Did you want something? Zevlin: XP Award: None Lores: Temple of Ionu Alric: XP Award: Observation +1 Lores: Temple of Ionu Alanys: Retired, so nothing. Additional Notes: This was a brief thread, with short posts all around. I’m afraid there wasn’t much to give, though it was a shame how the other players vanished before the thread could get off the ground.