[Temple of All Gods] So we pray (Cathan)

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Season of Winter, Day 50, 510 AV

As Jaelyn entered through the doors to the Temple of All Gods she took a slow deep breath. While she liked to visit the Stone Gardens to focus and clear her mind there was a certain peace and balance that she had only ever found here at the Temple. Perhaps it was because this place, in all of Syliras, was the most familiar to her. She could remember coming here as a small child with her Mother, staring with wide-eyed wonder at all the different things contained in the large building, and while most everything else in her life had changed over time the Temple had remained constant and solid.

She felt a small twinge in her chest at the memories, a faint longing to go back to the simpler times when she could come here with her Mother and return home to her Father, but she quickly pushed those feelings aside. She could not dwell on the past like that, she had to devote her mind and efforts to becoming a Knight!

Careful to not cause much noise she sat on one of the pews towards the back of the Temple, away from others, and let her eyes wander around the building slowly. She had come to worship Tyveth, as her Mother had taught her, but she needed to calm her mind first. Focusing on breathing deeply and slowly she did her best to calm her mind down.

[Cathan]

Gods. Cathan knew fairly little of them. What he had learned of deities and their worship he had heard in passing, from silent prayers and not so silent swearing, neither ever meant for his keen ears. Gods were no more than names to him, respected, frightening names other seemed to find comfort in. The kelvic did not fully understand why.

It was curiosity which had led his way to the temple of all gods, curiosity and the fact he had too much time at his hands now their traveling party had reached the safety of Syliras. Sniffing the Kelvic starred up the sanctuary's front, eyes scanning over the colorful windows, the large gates. Slowly he climbed the steps to the entrance, pushing the door open, slipping inside. In the quiet of the temple his steps rung out loud and dead. He stopped to look around. The main aisle had to be one of the largest rooms he had come to see since entering the city, but he had not yet explored the entire fortress. Tall stone pillars carried lofty ceilings and the area was ruled by pious silence.

Early in the afternoon the place was almost empty. Cathan could make out a handful figures sitting on polished pews, their faces lowered in prayer. They were few and far in between and no heads turned when the Kelvic slowly wandered along long rows of benches. Around him the air smelled of dust and age and little else. He was unsure on how he expected a god to look like, yet the vague picture he had was more impressive than any of the seated humans. Mortals looked up to their deities and paid them due respect. The entities they worshiped had to have something awe inspiring about them. How this would manifest exactly, the shapeshifter was unable to tell or even imagine.

Amber eyes came to rest on the stained glass bathing stone and wood in all shades of the rainbow. They clearly posed the most impressive aspect of the temple and even he couldn't deny there lay a certain beauty in the cast of color playing over floor and ewes.

After a second he tore himself away from the sight. Following the example of more experienced believers he moved to sit on one of the benches, one row behind a young woman he did not know. A moment he watched her, before he leaned forward. His chin came to lay on the backrest before him, considering. At loose for words the Kelvic merely watched her. It wasn't until minutes later he quietly cleared his throat.

"Are you... praying?"

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Focusing on her breathing and thoughts Jaelyn did not pay much attention to the others around her and what they were doing. So when someone cleared their throat quietly just behind her it was a surprise, and she gave a faint startle at it. Slowly letting out the breath she had gasped in she turned to look at the man who spoke behind her.

The man looked human at first glance, but that was before Jaelyn noticed his eyes. She knew her own were certainly not a common color, but she had never heard of anyone having eyes like this man did. They almost looked like those of an animal. Combined with his question, which seemed unusual, the man certainly seemed a bit odd, and Jaelyn gave a surprised blink at him before she responded, "Well, I was not praying yet," she spoke softly, so as not to disturb any others nearby, and gave a faint smile to the man, "Is this your first visit to the Temple?"

She figured her question was fairly obvious in its answer, but she thought it would be best to ask rather than assume. Perhaps the man had just asked if she was praying to make sure he did not interupt before speaking to her? Either way, it was best to know for sure before speaking further.

[Cathan]

"My first time, yes."

The Kelvic's eyes rested on the woman intently, not starring, but with the determined attention only animals managed. Like her he spoke with quiet voice, his words barely above a murmur. It was not only her example urging him to speak in whispers. The overarching silence of the temple was weighting down on him, more comprehensive than the tranquillity he usually came to experience out in the woods. A forest was never truly silent. Leaves rustled and branches creaked in the wind and there were always birds, squirrels and other small or not so creatures adding to the ambient noise. Within the sanctuary there were no such sounds and even the rare coughs seemed strangely out of place.

Out in the wild silence meant danger. What it indicated in a temple in the shapeshifter was unable to tell. The men and women seated around them were calm however, entirely focused on whatever prayer they directed towards their gods. Their poise put him at ease.

"Can I ask you something?" Two, three seconds the question lingered between them before Cathan continued without having waited for an answer. "Who are you praying to?"

He knew the names of a few gods, yet little more. When he had still been nothing more than a pup he had heard of Caiyha from an old hunter and in at the dog fights, the gambler had relied on Ovek's help as much as on their luck. Although the late gods blessing and good fortune could as well have been the very same thing, the Kelvic couldn't tell the difference. He had also heard of Kelwyn and Kendall had mentioned Ivak, the night Sondra had found them in their camp a day outside of Zeltiva. Both seemed to possess quite some faith in the deity. Cathan on the other hand preferred to rely on himself rather than on others and he preferred someone he knew over an obscure power he could not quite fathom.

Still, other race's believes made him wonder if there was not more to it, that what met the eye.

Quietly he scanned the young woman's features. A scar ran over her cheek and overall she seemed stronger than the average young woman he had come to know so far. Her skin was tanned from the sun, hinting certain amount of time spend in the open. To him she did not seem the kind of woman who would need the help of someone, god or not.

Rising his head from the backrest, the Kelvic sat up straight. Resting his underarms on the back of the bench before him he leaned forward. "My name's Cathan by the way."

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Jaelyn gave a small nod at the man's expected answer. She waited for him ask or say something else after his answer, but instead he simply looked at her. It wasn't really a stare, but more a very intense and penetrating gaze. Like that of an animal. Combined with his strange eyes Jaelyn was beginning to wonder if perhaps he was a Kelvic. She thought that Kelvics normally traveled with their bond mate though. Before she could think longer on this the man spoke again.

Jaelyn opened her mouth to say that she did not mind answering a question, but before she could get out the first sound he had asked his question. Taking a moment to regain her composure she gave a soft smile as she replied, "I came to pray to Tyveth, Lord of Honor."

Again the man silently watched her for a few moments, and his actions only reinforced the idea in Jaelyn’s mind that he was a Kelvic. When he introduced himself Jaelyn nodded and gave a soft smile, “It is a pleasure to meet you Cathan. I am Jaelyn Baroth,” still keeping her voice low so as to not disturb the others present in the temple she asked, “Might I ask what has brought you to the Temple? Are you wanting to learn of a God?”

Normally she would guess that someone at the Temple was there to pray, worship, or perform some ritual, but Cathan’s actions and questions so far gave Jaelyn the impression that he was not one very knowledgeable in the ways of Gods and worship.

[Cathan]

A long moment he was quiet. Tyveth, Cathan thought to himself, repeating the name once, twice – with the same result. He did not recall the name or any stories might connected to it. Honor was not one of the things most his old acquaintances had concerned themselves and the Kelvic's understanding of the concept was shaky at best. He shook his head, more to himself than to anything Jaelyn had said.

"I am not sure to have heard about him before," he said honestly, amber eyes still resting on the young woman. Cathan did not feel shame nor concern over his short comings. He felt lightly curious, but little more than that. Had the woman told him she had just seen a two headed deer roaming the woods around Syliras he had been as interested. He might as well have asked where he would be able to find it, just to have ha look himself.

So he just tilt his head to the side. "Does it make him happy, when you pray to him?"

It did seem like the most logic reason. He had children do it in Zeltiva when they wanted something. They would just beg and beg and beg until their parents got them what they wanted. Or they were ignored. Gods seemed to ignore humans mostly in Cathan's experience and was not praying much the same as asking for something? Help and assistance they wanted and the wishes as some where as material as those of the children screaming for toys and sweets.

The Kelvic thought himself quite capable of acquiring anything he wanted, but he had to agree it would be easier if someone just gave him what he desired. Still, waiting for the rare chance to get said things from a good seemed lazy at best.

"I... don't know." There was no Kelvic god, he did not think. I would have heard about it if there was one, wouldn't I? He continued to think to himself, his attention belated turning towards Jaelyn again. She prayed. To a deity he did not know, but she prayed non the less. The young woman was better suited than some other people to ask his questions, was she not? He could have asked Kendall or Sondra, yet he did not want to annoy either of the two. With strangers he did not know such qualms.

"Never been to a temple before, so I wanted to come and see for myself what those coming here do." There was not as much to see as he had imagined. Like magic praying seemed to be an activity mostly happening in someone's head. Cathan was not sure he liked the circumstance. It made it had to fathom why others did what she did. Or why.

"Do you know much, about the gods?"

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Jaelyn was a bit surprised by Cathan's first question. It wasn't something she had ever thought of before. After a moment of thought she responded, "I suppose it does make him happy. Part of what we do when we pray to him is tell him of our actions, and if our actions have been honorable then he is pleased. Although," she paused a moment in thought, "with that same reasoning I suppose a prayer of someone who was not honorable in their actions would make him sad, or possibly angry. I don't think many people like that would pray to Tyveth though."

When Cathan said he didn't know his reason for coming, and then further explained it was curiosity Jaelyn gave a small nod. She'd seen a few people come into the temple before that looked curious, but she had never had one approach her before.

"I know some," Jaelyn said with a soft smile in response to Cathan's question, shifting her position in the pew so she could talk with the man a little easier, "not as much as a priest would know, but I have studied them. I will do my best to answer what questions you might have."

[Cathan]

"Might not be a good idea for me to pray to him then," Cathan said after a moment of consideration. Not only did he not know how it was done or what the god would expect him to include into his prayers, but the Kelvic was also uncertain if the deity would appreciate conversation with someone not gasping the concept of honor. He had the vague idea that angering Tyveth would prove a bad idea. It did not seem worth the risk in the end. And the procedure deemed rather complicate as well. Others were better suited to venerate the gods the shapeshifter decided. People with too much time at their hands maybe.

"My kin does not usually pray," he continued offhandedly, glad no one expected him to trust anyone but himself. Dozing in the sun seemed a far better past time than sitting in a lone temple talking to someone who may or may not be listening to what you had to say. Still, there were so many things Cathan felt like asking, it was just hard to make a start somewhere, to pick the one of his myriad questions he was most curious about.

Finally he leaned forward, amber eyes searching the nearest pews and wandering down the aisle before settling on Jaelyn once more. "You are here pretty often are you not?" The Kelvic was not sure why the thought had come to his mind, yet from what he had seen devotion required a certain amount of consistency from the believer, like praying more or less regularly. Unless one was cursing, it seemed no one took offense when you did not use a god's name that way on a regular basis. Cathan tilt his head to the side, trying to formulate his actual question. "So... have you ever seen him?"

It seemed a legit question to the shapeshifter. Some men and women had seen gods in the past and his newest acquaintance could as well be one of them, could she not? Again he looked around. Had he had to guess he would have said the temple was void any immortal presence, one or other Ethafael aside maybe, but those were as odd as a god in the Kelvic's eyes.

"And if not - do you think you would recognize him?," he added in, realizing he had no idea how a god even supposed to look like. Impressive for sure, intimating eventually, but neither concept encompassed any details of how one might imagine a deity like Tyveth to look like.

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Jaelyn wanted to ask what Cathan meant with his comment, but wondered if maybe that would be rude. Just because someone wasn't focused on honor did not mean they were a bad person, but asking about it the wrong way might give that impression. So she simply gave a quiet nod in response to the man's words. His next comment pricked at her curiousity, and after a moment of hesitation she asked, "You kin? Might I ask... Are you a Kelvic?"

Smiling and nodding in response to Cathan's question Jaelyn answered, "Yes, I try to come here at least every seventh day, but there are times I cannot make it because of my duty or training. When I was younger I used to come much more often with my Mother," thinking back on those times brought a touch of a nostalgic smile to Jaelyn's lips, but it faded after a couple moments. She couldn't indulge long in the memories of the past, especially those that could never be again.

Cathan's next question was not one Jaelyn had expected, and the surprise was evident on her face. After a moment she gave a shake of her head, "No, I have never seen Tyveth myself. Someone simple as me does not warrant such personal attention from the Lord of Honor," after a moment of thought she responded to the additional question with a nod, "Yes, I believe I would recognize him. I have seen many portraits, and have heard that a God is hard to not notice, unless they wish otherwise. Tyveth is not one that would hide and play tricks, unlike some of the other Gods and Goddesses."

[Cathan]

"A Kelvic, yes."

The woman's question had come as a surprise, yet still drew a smile on the man's face. Not so long ago his appearance had had left no doubt he was either a shapeshifter or at least a man with little clue on how to dress appropriately. It seemed he had gotten better since. The circumstance did fill him with a not small amount of pride. Too often others had told him he had little chance to be confused with a human the way he behaved. Now he was inclined to say he managed it – at least for some minutes.

"I came from Zeltiva not so long ago. With two friends," he continued with a nod. "There were not many of my kind either." Most Kelvics he had met up north, around Avathal and in the northern reaches. He could not have said why his breed was more rare in the warmer south. Maybe it has something to do with the weather, Cathan mused to himself as he watched the woman. On the other hand I saw this parrot Kelvic back home...

Amber eyes settled on Jaelyn again. He could not imagine to come to the temple as often as the young woman did. It seemed she had a lot communication to do with her god. The shapeshifter could only admire her endurance. Cathan tend to grow bored when he was the only one talking or his questions remained unanswered. Calling on the gods seemed a rather one sided affair in his mind. When the deity would not concern himself with a woman who went to his temple so often he doubt one would waste precious time with him. Some humans might have upset the thought, the Kelvic on the other hand was even a little glad about it. He took a liking to his current lifestyle and saw no reason to change it.

"No gods crossed my path so far, I don't think," he confessed the obvious. "Have heard of Caiyha and Ovek though." The Kelvic leaned forward a little, his voice dropping just a little. "The later might be of the tricky sort, could not tell for sure." If he shared any characteristics with his followers, Cathan would have guessed it well possible. But then, it was just that, assuming and theorizing.

A long moment he thought about his next question. "Are there any impo... are there gods one should know about?," he rephrased after a careful moment of reconsideration. Within a temple he better watched his words. Although his conversation with the woman led him to believe it was unlikely a god would listen in, he rather not risked their irk with careless formulation. The thought almost made him scowl. So much prudent thinking and phrasing and consideration – rather complicate for the few answers he had hoped for. Instead the answers just bred others of their sort, much like a rabbit colony in spring. Just considerably less tasty, in the Kelvic's eyes.