Solo Prayers to the Monolith

[Rhydian Lamoze]

3rd of Summer, 522 A.V.

After having spent his first night in Syka, the morning of the third had begun to roll around. It wouldn't be long before he was going to have to go to work for the first time but Rhydian had something that he had wanted to do beforehand. From the rumors that he had managed to catch the night before, at the Protea Inn, there had supposedly been a monolith that had seemingly appeared within the center of the Syka Commons without any rhyme or reason. This stone monolith was carved with blooming jungle vines and animals and held a golden yellow watchstone above it. This was just about as much as the Eypharian had known about the monolith and as such, he had decided to go and inspect for himself. Something that had seemingly appeared from out of thin air.. It had to be the work of the gods. Either that or a very fit group of individuals.

Either way, this was going to be Rhydian's second time in the Syka Commons. When he had passed through this destination the night before, it was simply for tour purposes and as such, he didn't have a ton of time to really explore to location. Once he had managed to get around to the commons though, he would immediately take in the sights. The various gathering areas that had sat upon the vast deck, the roofed portion that held even more seating areas, and each of the crates that had been filled with various meats and fruits. Out of everything that had been located within the Syka Commons though, it was the stone monolith that had been the most eye grabbing to the Eypharian. This was exactly what he had come out here for. Already there had been several individuals inspecting the monolith and some that seemed to be... praying?

Figuring that there must have been some reason that these individuals would find themselves praying, Rhydian had decided to head directly towards the monolith. Once there he had begun to take note of the carvings that had marked the monolith itself. There had been a multitude of animals that were carved into the outer layer of the monolith, each one with a gleaming set of gemstone eyes that had also seemed to be made of watchstone. Whoever or whatever had placed this monolith here had clearly put a vast amount of work into it. If this was the work of a mortal than it must have taken quite some time to gather each of the materials needed. If it was designed and created by a god or goddess though...

Upon further inspection of the monolith, Rhydian would come to note that there were multiple symbols carved into the its design as well. Although he hadn't quite known what each of the symbols had meant, there had been one that he had immediately recognized. The symbol of Laviku, the God of the Sea. "I... is this some kind of reliquary?" Having thought aloud without even having recognized it, one of the individuals that had been beside Rhydian had chosen to speak up. "I was beginning to think the same thing."

Not wishing to be rude, Rhydian would turn his attention towards the voice. As he had done so, his gaze had ultimately fallen upon an elderly human woman. Naturally she had been quite a bit shorter than the Eypharian, so Rhydian would have to turn his gaze downwards to see who it was that had been trying to grab his attention. "Oh, my apologies ma'am... I hadn't seen you there. Do.. Do you happen to know anything about these symbols? From what I am seeing, this one right here is the symbol of Laviku." As he would speak on this, Rhydian would brush one of his hands against the symbol. "Precisely. It isn't the only holy symbol that resides upon this monolith either. From what I am seeing, the symbols of Tanroa, Kihala, Caiyha, Eyris, Izurdin, Laviku, Zulrav, Yshul. Of course there seems to be another marking upon it but.. I'm not quite sure who it is that it belongs to. You see it there?" The woman would than point towards a strange but god-like symbol of a slash of three huge claw marks that were made by a massive predator. "Those don't seem to have been made by any creature that I am aware of... I assume that it is some new god that must inhabit these lands."

If he were to be honest with himself, Rhydian would have to admit that he had known practically nothing about any of the gods and goddesses that had just been listed. He had considered asking about them but would wait until a bit later to ask. For now, his attention had been mostly focused on the symbol in which the elder hadn't known. One hand still upon the symbol of Laviku, Rhydian would begin to move another of their hands onto the mysterious claw mark symbol. I'm... not quite sure what it is about this but I feel almost.. drawn to it? His fingers would begin to slowly trace the claw marks before he would place a single hand upon each of the claw marks. I don't know anything about you yet but.. I'll come to know.

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[Rhydian Lamoze]

Although she had hesitated to admit it, this woman had immediately begun to feel uneasy as she had watched Rhydian place his hands over the claw marks. She hadn't known really anything about that particular symbol and as such, hadn't really known if it was a good idea to possibly begin praying to whatever god or goddess this symbol had been denoting to. The fact that the symbol had appeared just after the symbol of Yshul... Well it was possible that this wasn't the most well intentioned god. "Young man.. Would you like to learn about the gods and goddesses whose symbols are upon that monolith? If you would like, I am willing to pass along the information. Of course... I wouldn't recommend that you dig too deeply into that last symbol. It would be best strive away from it.

Having realized that now might as well be a good as time as any in the moment, the woman would begin to introduce herself. "Ah... Right, before I forget, my name is Lily. Lily Hess. I suppose that you could say that I am Syka's Taxidermist and Maladictor." A simple nod was all that Rhydian could really offer in this moment as his mind had begun to wander back to that last symbol that had remained upon the Monolith. "Right.. It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am."

Rhydian's desire to understand just what that last symbol had meant had been great indeed.. Even with that being the case though, he had known that it would be best to learn as much as he could about all of the gods and goddesses listed. It is for this reason that he had begun to nod slowly in response to the words that the elderly woman had given him. "I... would greatly appreciate it if you could teach me, ma'am. I have much to learn about the world and I feel as though knowledge of the gods would be a good start. Even if my primary worship is centered around Laviku." Believing that the Eypharian had been speaking the truth, the elderly woman would speak up once more. She had an interest in teaching the youth of Syka and had easily picked up the lack of common knowledge that the Eypharian had held.

"Well in that case, let's jump right into your lessons, yeah?" The woman would than gesture towards one of the benches that had been nearby. Seeing what it was that she had wanted from him, Rhydian had decided to take a seat upon the bench. His size had been quite large but he had decided to try and sit in a way that would allow for him to leave room for the woman. Once she had taken her seat, she would begin her lessons. "I suppose that we should follow the order that the symbols seem to be going in. With that being the case, we are going to be starting with Tanroa, the goddess of time."

"You see, Tanroa is a goddess most sacred. It is she who presides over and charts the movement of time's river. She exists both as time and as its guardian. Her symbol is an hourglass and a river under wings. She sees where time has been and where it will go and is never moored to one point in its course. It is said that when Tanroa moves among mortals, she is a woman that might be of middle years. It is difficult to tell as her dark blue eyes are old and her hair is an ageless white. She is neither young and fair nor aged and infirmed like other deities. As she walks through the stars and worlds, she wears the colors of heaven and a long train.

The next symbol belongs to that of Kihala. Kihala is the goddess of life and one of the major gods of Mizahar. I must admit that I am a little surprised to hear that one as old as yourself hasn't heard of her. As far as deities go, Kihala is quite approachable. She appears as a young, vibrant, beautiful adult female of a race consistent with that of the person she is appearing before. She and Dira worked closely with Caiyha to ensure a balance of life and death throughout Mizahar. While she regrets the necessity of death, she accepts it for what it is - if there was no death, there would be plenty more suffering, after all. Those who embrace Kihala and worship her as the Mother of all Life, wander Mizahar working to encourage life in all its forms. These people are known as Marassa.

As I have just mentioned, one of the other goddesses that reside upon this monolith is Caiyha, the Goddess of Flora and Fauna. Some call her the First Witch, and her Gnosis marks are known to gift the bearer with Phylonura. All animals and plants, whether they be from land or air fall into her domain. Unsurprisingly, it is Falyndar that she is said to be one of her favorite places. Given that this is the case, many of our own kind here in Syka worship her, as well as Laviku.

The Goddess Eyris is considered one of the true 'ancients' because she is indeed the source of all wisdom and knowledge. The queen of learning, Eyris holds the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned well within her grasp. Her symbols consist of a silver book and a mobius strip. In the times that she had been seen, she is perceived as a young and beautiful woman. Her form seems to change depending on the race of those that see her though, according to the rumors. The people who follow Eyris tend to be naturally gifted with acute clarity of thought, higher intelligence, and a passion for knowledge. I actually consider myself to be one of her followers, if you can believe it."

Needing to take a break for a moment, the elderly woman would take a deep breath. It was clear that the summer heat was starting to get to her but she had just been too darn stubborn to step away from her storytelling. Noting the signs of dehydration, Rhydian would step away for a moment and grab her a mug of fresh water from nearby. Once that had been in hand, he would return to the elderly woman and pass the drink along to her. "Here you are, ma'am. You need to be careful when it comes to being out and about in this kind of heat and humidity." It wouldn't be too surprising to say that the woman had known the things that Rhydian had been telling her but for the sake of allowing him to save face, she had chosen to remain quiet at the moment. Instead of speaking on the matter, she would take a deep sip of the water that she had been given. After having caught her breath for a couple of moments, she would jump right back into things.

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[Rhydian Lamoze]

Taking the opportunity to speak whilst the woman is drinking her fill, Rhydian would jump right on into the conversation. "Y'know, I actually happen to know about Laviku myself. Although that is really the only god that I know about... I really love the ocean and honestly believe that there is something that is drawing me to it. I only wish that Laviku could take note of that fact... but I am sure that someday, when I prove myself to him, I can become a priest of his. That is the hope anyways."

Interested to hear what the Eypharian has to say on the matter, the elderly woman would simply begin to nod. She could appreciate a young man that is devoted to the gods. As a priestess herself, this was something that had made the elderly woman quite proud. "I can understand that logic. I am sure that in time, the truth will be revealed to you and we shall see where this path takes you. Just know that whatever road you take, I'll be keeping a firm eye on your future."

The older woman would wink at the Eypharian once before continuing on with her story. "For the time being though, young man, allow us to continue on with our lessons. We are almost done. After that, I shall leave you to your own devices. The next god whose symbols are displayed upon the monolith is Izurdin. Izurdin is the undisputed Lord of Industry and his symbol is that of a hammer. It was Izurdin who passed on the skill and knowledge of advanced craftsmanship unto Izurith, the first King of the Isur and his first mortal child. Though many acknowledge Izurdin with several paying homage to him, the Isur are his primary followers. They incorporate Izurdin into every aspect of their lives. Many a craftsmen choose to worship him in hopes of him bestowing them with his gnosis. It is said that those that are his followers grow to become the best craftsman around.

As you know, Laviku's symbol is the one that follows afterward but we shall skip that one since you seem to know about him. That being the case, the next god that we are going to move onto is Zulrav. The God Zulrav controls the weather on Mizahar, especially in terms of the winds. All the winds belong to this God. Zulrav often appears as a windswept figure made of the storm clouds themselves. Their symbols are a hurricane, a gust of Wind, a blowing Tree, and a tornado. Being that he controls all winds, Zulrav is worshipped all throughout Mizahar.

Now last but not least, we shall be moving onto the goddess Yshul. Yshul has no morals or ethics. She allies with no other gods. Her territory, she claims, is every shadowy alley, street corner brawl, and within every coin purse. Yshul is not greedy, however. She is the goddess of thieves and her symbols are a cut purse and a silken mask. If I were you, young man, I would refrain from finding yourself under her ever watchful eye."

Having taught as much to the Eypharian as she could, the elderly woman would now begin to stand up. Thanks to the fact that Rhydian had currently been sitting upon the bench, the woman would reach up and softly rub the sides of his cheek. "I have taught you all that I can for the time being but I am sure that we shall meet again. For now..." Her hand would than drift towards his eyes before slowly dragging his eyelids closed. "Just take your time and pray to the gods that have caught your attention." The elderly woman would than depart from the Syka Commons, disappearing further within the city.

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Total Word Count: 2,602

[Rhydian Lamoze]

Decidedly keeping his eyes closed, Rhydian would begin to dwell on the which of the gods and goddesses that he should reach out to. Additionally, his mind had begun to branch off onto what the best ways to reach out to each of these deity's could be. After a bit of thinking on the matter though, the Eypharian would come to a simple decision. Out of each of the gods that had been listed, there were four gods that had caught his attention. Caiyha, Eyris, Laviku, and whatever deity those three predator claw marks had represented. While it would have been quite difficult to pray to a deity that he hadn't even known the name of, there was nothing that was preventing him from attempting to do so. That all being said, Rhydian would begin to take a few moments to himself before dropping down from the bench that he had been sitting upon and directly before the stone monolith, down on his knees.

"Laviku, I beseech thee, please here my prayer. I understand that I am not directly within the ocean and as such, quite possibly not close enough to your domain, but I am hoping that my prayers reach you. I would like to start off by stating that I appreciate everything that you have done for me up to this point. Even if it wasn't through your direct intervention, it is thanks to you that I was able to live a fruitful life. My mother, Lyel, has taught me to love and embrace both you and your domain since I was young. She is a Charoda, as I am sure that you are aware, and I hope to join her in her home someday... It is going to take plenty of time and effort but I intend on increasing my capacity of swimming and surviving within your lands. I hope to someday find myself capable of not only spreading your word but sharing the experiences that I have had in this world thanks to you... I hope to strengthen our bonds with one another, not only for Lyel's sake, but my own as well. You are all that I have known since I was a child... and I hope to live up to your expectations moving forward. Thank you for everything that you have brought to this world and done for me in this cycle... Words cannot express my appreciation."

That said, Rhydian would take a moment of deep breaths before continuing on. It felt... strange to begin to pray to other deity's. Even with that said though, he was sure that this was the correct thing to do in this moment. Unless prohibited by the god that he had primarily worshipped, he would quite possibly continue on. This act in and of itself would never affect his level of devotion to his primary deity.

"It is now that I call upon thee, Caiyha, goddess of creation. I would like to thank you for each and every one of the multitude of creatures that you have brought to this world. Not just them but the plant life as well. It is thanks to you that I can not only make and meet new friends, whether they be mortal or animal, but that I can enjoy delicious meals. You are the goddess of creation and yet to me, you are so much more. I vastly appreciate you and everything that you have done. Thank you."

Moving onto the next deity in his lineup, Rhydian would begin to send a prayer out to Eyris. From what he had come to understand, she was the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. It is also said that she was the one that had invented the written form of language. That being the case, there were many, many things that this Eypharian would have to thank her for. Not wishing to take up too much of her time though, he would be sure to keep things short. "Eyris, the keeper of knowledge, I simply wish to inform you of my appreciation. It is thanks to you that I am capable of growing each day and coming to understand the world bit by bit. I know that it will take a great deal of time before I am as well versed as some of your disciples, if I ever reach that point, but I intend to further my skills and knowledge with each passing day. The day that we encounter one another in the great beyond shall be a wonderous one. Thank you."

And finally the Eypharian would move onto the final deity. The one in which he had known the least. Given that he had no true way of even reaching out to this god in any proper way, Rhydian would open his eyes before standing up fully. He would than reach out and place a single hand upon each of the claw marks, just as he had done so before. "As for you.. I am not sure who it is that you are but I aim to learn as much as I can about you. Oh mysterious benefactor who likely represents the creatures of the Fandylar Region, or the predators at the very least, I sent up my prayers to you. I can both see and feel the power in which you hold and hope to exhibit it in my hunting. If you were ever to reach out... I hope that if such a time comes, that we can come to understand one another. You are raw and mysterious and I am quite keen on discovering more about you. It will take time but I shall get there... so keep an eye over me."

Each of the prayers that he had wished to send up to the gods had now been completed and with that being the case, Rhydian had accomplished his task of the day. As far as he was concerned, he had come out to visit the mysterious monolith and had even gone as far as to reach out to the gods and learn a bit about them. With time, he would likely learn more about each of them... but it truly is only up to time to tell. Nothing else having been on his mind at the moment, the Eypharian would finally decide to head on out to work. He would likely be berated for showing up to his first day of work late but.. For this experience? It was worth it.

Word Count: 1,083
Total Word Count: 3,685

[Gossamer]

Rhydian-

Investigation +2, Observation +5, Interrogation +1, Socialization +4, Logic +3, Hostessing +1, Psychology +1

The Monolith: Location & Appearance, Lily Hess: Appearance & Mannerism, Monolith: Has Symbols of Tanroa, Kihala, Caiyha, Eyris, Izurdin, Laviku, Zulrav and Yshul. Monolith: Has Mystery Marking - Claws, Monolith: Mystery Marking Might Be New God Inhabiting Falyndar, Lily: Syka’s Taxidermist & Maladictor, Tanroa: Goddess of Time, Tanroa: The Hourglass Is Her Symbol, Tanroa: General Appearance & Influences, Kihala: Goddess of Life, Kihala: General Appearance & Influences, Marassa: Followers of Kihala, Caiyha: Goddess of Flora & Fauna, Caiyha: Known As The First Witch, Caiyha: Phylonura Is Her Gnosis, Falyndar: One Of Caiyha’s Favorite Places, Eyris: Goddess of Wisdom & Knowledge/Queen of Learning, Eyris: Symbol is Silver Book and Mobius Strip, Eyris: General Appearance & Influences, Izurdin: God of Industry, Izurdin: Symbol Is The Hammer, Izurdin: Brief History, Zulrav: God of Weather, Zulrav: General Appearance & Influences, Zulrav: Symbol Is A Hurricane/Gust Of Wind, Blowing Tree, Torando, Yshul: Goddess of Thieves, Yshul: Symbol Cut-Purse, Silken Mask

Mod Note: Lovely thread. It was a very nice read.



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