Solo Is any one listening?

[Balian Martell]

73rd of Fall, 514

The lofty chamber and the intricately carved stone walls of the Temple of All Gods did little to comfort Balian. Like much of the rest of the city, the Temple felt like a cage, trapping him within its stone confines. After nearly two seasons, he still could not get accustomed to life in the city, and it wasn’t just his surroundings; no, his entire state felt…forced. He had joined the Order out of his duty to his family; His father was a Knight of the Order, and so was his father before him. It was Balians duty to follow in their footsteps, yet he didn’t feel at ease in doing so. It didn’t help that he had seen little of his Patron since she had retrieved him from the outpost, nor that most of his time was spent training alone without much interaction with the other squires save his dorm mate, Wynn. Though another problem was that he wasn’t sure what it was what he wanted either, and that only added to his confusion. And so it was that Balian had gone to the Temple of All Gods, in hope to seek some answers.

Balian was not an overly devout person; he barely knew of any of the gods, save for those that of the order. He preferred to leave the gods to themselves, and worry about more immediate matters, yet such were his qualms he had decided to visit the temple, and see if he could get some guidance. The Temple itself had a fair amount of people in it already, praying at the various statues that lined the walls, or at the pews that made up the space in-between the walls. On this day Balian wore a simple red tunic, along with his pants and boots; his ‘civi” cloths, as Wynn often liked to say. There was no trace that he belonged to the order, which was just as well; he didn’t necessarily like the attention he got while in uniform. The result was that he was able to glide through the temple without drawing attention to himself. Today, he was not a Squire of the knights of Sylir. Today he was merely Balian Martel, just another citizen of the city.

Balian had grown up knowing of the three Patron Gods of the order; Yahal, Tyveth, and Eyris, and since the Djed storms of two years ago, the now risen god Sylir, he who the order was named after. He knew of these gods because he was a son of a knight, one that followed Tyveth, the god of truth, honor and justice in particular. Balian had figured that since he was of the order, if only a squire, he should pray to the patron gods for guidance, in the hope that they would help ease his troubled mind.

As this was the first time he had ever visited the Temple, Balian was, he was ashamed to say, unsure of which of the statutes represented the deities he wished to speak to. So instead, he made his way towards one of the pews and knelt. His head resting on his folded hands, while his knees placed on the cool stone of the floor. In this position, Balian prayed.

Balian Martell

[Balian Martell]

Tyveth, if you can hear me, I seek your guidance. I know of you through my father, who holds you in highest regard. I know you are the God of Truth, Virtue, and Honor, and are one of the Gods of the Order of Sylir. I am unsure of my path, and I am questioning if it is the right one for me. I try to fulfill my duties as best I can, to honor you through actions, yet I cannot shake this sense of unease. I do not wish to disappoint my family, who expects me to follow in the footsteps of my forefathers, nor do I wish to abandon the Order and the responsibilities to the people that with it. I ask that you help me ease my doubts show me if this is what I am meant for.

Balian let his prayer drift away, hoping that Tyveth might hear and answer. In truth Balian did not know what to expect. He did not know if the god had heard him, or even if his prayer would reach him at all. He did not know if he should wait for a sign, of if one would come immediately. He waited for something to happen, as he knelt. If he had felt foolish before; which he did, he felt doubly so now. He actually knew little of Tyveth, other than the generic information that was provided. He had never bothered to learn more of this god, and coupled with not being a devout follower, he could see why the god would not bother

Hoping to receive some form of guidance, something to ease his troubled heart, Balian waited to see if there was answer. One chime went by. Then a second. After about ten chimes and no clear sign Balian resigned himself that Tyveth had not heard him. Sighing, he was about to get up and leave when he spotted a statue on the wall. It gave him an idea. There were 4 Patron were there not? Where Tyveth had not answered, another might still. He took a deep breath, and began to clear his mind. As he did, he began a second prayer, this time to the goddess of Wisdom.

Eyris, goddess of wisdom and knowledge, I seek guidance, as I am unsure of my path. Please grant me the wisdom I need to know if I have chosen well; the wisdom that will allow me to find to find peace on this path, so that I fulfill my duties and responsibilities without doubt on my mind. I ask that you help guide me to this peace, and that your blessing follow me through to the very end.

He knew that the prayer was weak. It lacked….conviction. Truth be told he was unsure if Eyris was the right deity to pray to. Of what he knew she did not take sides; she was simply the deity of knowledge. She probably wasn’t one to respond to the whimpering prayer of one who knew nothing.

Balian Martell

[Balian Martell]

He sat back up on the bench, removing his knees from the pew. He took a moment to relax as the soft murmurs of prayers and chatter of the other temple goers. No answer came. A small smile touched his lips as the realized that he was probably wasting his time; he didn’t know what he expected. He had never given much thought to religion, so it came to no surprise that it did not give much thought to him. He had only resorted to this out of frustration. It was getting colder out and without the proper equipment he had to spend more of his time within the walls of the city, only adding to his anxiety. I need to get a winter coat, he thought to himself. With that at least he would be able to spend some time outside of these confining walls.

Shaking his head as if to dislodge such thoughts from his mind, he took stock of the temple itself. True to the style of Syliras, it was simple. Yet that did not detract from its elegance. The ceiling was high, and the walls spacious enough to allow for the placement of various statues in different poses; all the various gods Balian assumed. He did not recognize the vast majority of them, which was not surprising. He really only knew of those most closely related to the order. He began to wonder if perhaps amongst this vast pantheon existed one that would accept Balian as a follower. Probably not, he thought to himself. Being a follower required being devout, and that was one side that Balian had not explored about himself. Of the little gods that he did know, none inspired anything within him.

The Temple seemed to have filled as he had prayed. More citizens stood next to the statues, leaving small offerings and prayers. More still sat at the benches or knelt at the pews. There were also more than a few Knights as well, and not all of them seemed to be on guard duty, prayed right alongside those that they were tasked with protecting. The Knights… He wondered if any of them had gone through what he currently felt. Surely this was a common phenomenon amongst the ranks. Those that do must have some way to get through it, right?

He was slightly jealous of the self-assuredness that he often saw in the Knights and squires of the order. There was little doubt in their minds that this was the right path for them. For Balian the answer wasn’t as clear cut as he would have hoped.

The knights of Sylir… A thought entered his mind.

They had said the Sylir had risen; the once dead god had once again come to life during the Djed Storms two years past. Sylir, the god whom the knights were names after, who governed peace and civilization. Perhaps if he prayed to Sylir the very god from which the order had gotten its namesake, he would receive an answer?

Balian Martell

[Balian Martell]

It was worth a shot. Balian once again knelt down on the pew infront of him, clasping his hands and placing his head upon them. He was hesitant. He was about to address Sylir himself, the God that gave his name to this city and to the men and women that protected it. For some reason he felt as if he should tread lightly, yet at the same time, of all his prayers, he felt that this one should be the truest. He took a moment to calm his nerves and clear his mind.

What...qualities do you look for in a Knight?” he began, “You are the god of peace and civilization, and in no place is this better represented than here, the city that bears your name. Yet I feel trapped here, and not just by the stone walls. I do not know if this is the right path for me. I feel as if I have not found my purpose yet, and I fear that I do not belong amongst the knights. I see other squires, like me, and I see their dedication. It is unwavering, unflinching, absolute. I cannot find it within me to match that, no matter how hard I try. I do not wish disappoint my family, whom have been knights for generations, yet I am not content with living my life the way I have seen my father live his, tied to one spot, unable and unwilling to expand, and be content with that. I do not know what causes such doubt in me, nor do I know how to settle it. In truth, I do not know what I want, and that might be the cause, yet I have no way of knowing. Please Sylir, I ask that you help guide me along this path, and put my doubts at peace.

Balian held his position for a few moments, letting the soft murmurs of the temple envelop him. Again, he did not know if he had been hear, nor did he know what to look for even if he had. He sat back up, unsure of what to do next. He attempted to keep his mind thought free, should Sylir, or any god choose to answer his prayers, but as the ticks, followed by chimes ticked by without an answer he grew more frustrated and downtrodden.

Balian Martell

[Balian Martell]

He was not surprised by the silence that met him; he had come to the temple expecting just that. The gods were too busy, too great to take notice of the whimpering prayers of one such as he. He had not done anything noteworthy to gain their attention, so he was afforded none. Reining in his thoughts, and bringing himself back to his surroundings, Balian let out a one final sigh before standing and making his way to the exit. He exited the pew on the side closest to the wall, along which were alcoves that housed the statutes. The young squire did not heed them as he walked; there was no need. If any god wished to answer his prayers they would make themselves known, not that he expected anything. And so it was, with his heart slightly heavier and his eyes down glanced that he made his way out of the temple. That is until he spotted something that made him stop.

There. Right off the side of his foot, were three tiny blades of grass growing through a crack of the stone. He would have missed it were it not for the stark contrast of green against the stone gray of the floor. The sight amused him and held his gaze for a few ticks. For a brief instant a memory flashed in his mind, of a young woman with interesting ideas about the world that he had met a few years back. Here, in this fortress of stone built by men to keep to protect against the wilds, was the very thing that was supposed to be kept out growing. The stubbornness of nature would not yield, it would seem. The thought amused Balian. He was sure that soon enough some caretaker would pull the grass and cover the crack, but at least for this brief span of time, nature would have its small victory against the will man.

On a whim, Balian looked up, and found himself near a statue of a goddess. He had never seen such a visage before; the stone depicted a slender woman with an attractive face, yet what stood out was that her feet and legs seem to be growing from the ground, as if they were the trunks of slender trees from which the rest of her body grew from. A crown of flowers and other plants grew from the head, as if to take the place of hair, and her arms and hands appeared like branches, with the small forms of animals seemingly scurrying across and playing at her feet. Balian had to admit that whoever had crafted this statue was indeed talented. The artist had certainly captured his interest in this unknown goddess.

As he examined the statue, a small man, approached and knelt before, offering a short prayer. Balian let the man pray, but once he was finished and got up to leave, he asked the stranger a question. “Excuse me, sir, but, who is this?” he asked as he motioned towards the statue. He gave Balian a brief glance, his dull brown eyes taking him before turning back to the Statue. “ ‘tis Caiyha, the goddess of nature and animals. I pray t’ her often t’ keep the animals from attacking me’boy when he’s out on patrol. He is a squire, ya’see.” Balian nodded, acknowledging the man’s words, but replying back. He barely noticed when the man shuffled past, back into the beating heart of the city so lost in thought was he.

…Could it be? he thought to himself. He shook his head abruptly. No, there was no divine intervention here, the grass grew because it had been neglected. It would soon be cleared as a routine part of the upkeep of the castle. It would do him no good to let himself become delusioned into believing otherwise. He pushed those thoughts aside and continued towards the exit, his mind already on other matters; his step lighter than when he had entered.

Balian Martell

[Sayana]

Your Grades Have Arrived Balian Skills: Skill EXP Prayer +3 Observation +2 Philosophy +2 Meditation +1 Lores: Location: Temple of All Gods Is squiredom the right path for me? Tyveth: God of Truth, Virtue, and Honor Eyris: Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge Sylir: God of Peace and Civilization Unanswered prayers Caiyha: Goddess of Nature and Animals A divine sign from Caiyha? Comments : I must say that I positively squeed when I read just enough of the foreshadow to realize it was Caiyha’s statue and then I quickly scrolled down and realized that it was indeed Caiyha. It was quite an enjoyable thread and captured a lot of Balian’s inner thoughts. (I personally hope that he becomes a ranger of sorts but then again, he’s not just “the guy with a bow”). Great job. Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request in the grade request thread. If you have any questions or concerns about your grade please feel free to send me a message. Enjoy.