[The Sanctuary] It's Time To Add One More God

by **Kavala** on February 28th, 2013, 8:39 am

Timetamp: Late Winter, 512 AV

She meditated surrounded by fire. It had started out as a long introverted thought process about what the Gods had planned for her and what benefit the magic had brought to her life at what cost. Things were heavy on her shoulders and Kavala had needed a place to quiet her mind and in retrospect give herself a moment to relax and regroup. And so rather than light candles or build smokey fires down in the sacred circle, she instead laid out near twenty clay pots and filled them with a mixture of 1/2 a cup of Epsom salts 1 cup of rubbing alcohol. She carefully lit them on fire with a long bunt brought down from the kitchen and beautiful rainbow flames sparkled above each pot, casting off no smoke and giving her the perfect place to meditate.

In the middle of the pots she laid out a pillow which she carefully sat down cross legged on, slowly removed any thought from her mind, letting them burn away with the fire, and cleared her head. The process took time, energy, and by the time she'd fully gotten her body to relax and chased the thoughts from her mind, close to a full bell had passed. The absence of relief was a real soothing experience and as her eyes blinked and she stared straight ahead, the fires caught her and she felt herself wanting to dance in them.

First earth had came... when she'd taken her Reimancy Initiation. Because of the walls surrounding her, she could see why it had happened. Next came air - needed to defend The Sanctuary and to ease the building that had once been so laborious. She knew, without a doubt fire would come next. She knew it had held off in her life because she would be given this opportunity later to meet Leo and through him perhaps would get a chance to understand fire better. Water she already knew... already loved... and there was less of a need for it in her life at all.

So as she stared, mind blank, she started feeling fire - its properties, its heat, its sustenance. And she knew, thrust into that blind canvas of her mind, that it was time for an Ivak statue and to thank him for all she'd learned of the Gods. Maybe through getting his champion to assist her, she could indeed find a way to get Ivak's Champion to assist her. It would be nice, finally, to have one consecrated by a real priest.

by **Leo Varniak** on February 28th, 2013, 9:04 am

I place, therefore I hold.

by **Kavala** on March 4th, 2013, 6:56 pm

There was something to be said about Kavala's Sacred Circle which was The Sanctuary's actual religious temple. She added too it as her knowledge of the Gods increased or the denizens requested additions. Growing up Drykas, she was raised on lore of Semele and Zulrav, though being marked by Rak'Keli and Konti she knew the healer and the seer as welll. Others came afterwards - Ajakia and Wysar for one upon her fated trip home from Mura to Endrykas when she'd wound up in Riverfall. And her subsequent encounter with Eyris and Nysel. She also knew of some of them from studying as well and often had worked reinmancy reminders and basic nods to some of the gods in the circle such as Aquaris' key above the doorway.

There were statues of Semele, Zulrav, Nysel, Eyris, Rak'keli, Wysar, Akajia, and quite a few others encircling the outer walls like stoic vigilant guardians over those that prayed inside. The alter in the middle held tribute to other deities like Avalis' Seer Lily and a Torch to Priskil. The goddess of rain and waterfalls held her own place in the Sea Cave so she wasn't represented here. Kavala had a Laviku statue planned in the future as well, but it was nothing she had time for at the moment. Once the Dreamcatcher was completed, there would be a healthy dose of Laviku in her life to go along with the small alter to him she already had on Reverie Isle.

But one thing that was truly missing was a statue to Ivak. Now that Leo was staying with them and she'd seen the story behind the God's Release, it was personal to Kavala that they create a statue in his honor to add to the Sacred Circle. But to do that, Kavala wanted Leo's input. So it was for that reason she went to find him. Lately, he'd been haunting the stables and area, so that's where she started looking. Perhaps he was riding his new horse, practicing as he should

by **Leo Varniak** on March 4th, 2013, 11:02 pm

"There is nothing to fear," Leo whispered, leaning into the Firemane's neck. "Fire is your friend. Fire is your friend." The mare was undergoing the Champion's unique sort of custom training. Leo was leading her on calm laps around the arena while maintaining a reimantic flame in front of her snout - not close enough to sting or hurt, but definitely close enough to feel some heat. All the while he was gently releasing her fear through his Gnosis, letting it out in a constant stream and inducing a more positive form of excitement - wary, but not panicky. This would take time, given the experimental nature of his approach, but ultimately he wanted Ember to become intimately familiar with the flame. Even in the middle of spellslinging and conflagration she must not flinch. This was of the utmost importance.

The airborne flame wiggled around, flared and dimmed and twisted to get the mount accustomed to all the sights and sounds of fire. Was this an act of manipulation or a necessity of life? In theory, he knew animal training revolved around associating things with feelings - but that was pretty much all he knew. He could only hope he would not be hurting the horse in the long run. If it worked, he could repeat the training on Eosi's Ice - neither of them had been particularly original in their naming schemes. A fall from horseback in the midst of a heated battle was one of the nightmare scenarios he played and replayed in his mind. Especially with the newest enemies being powerful wizards, he needed to get Ember used to the unusual. Fast.

"Good girl," he patted the Firemane once as she froze for a moment, giving a low whinny before meekly resuming her walking. "You're making progress! I'm proud of you." He dispelled the flame, also suspending the gnosis at the same time, and stirred her into a comfortable trot around the arena. Half a lap later, he caught sight of his gracious hostess staring his way with that kind of intensity suggesting she was not merely taking a break from her work. When Kavala Denusk walked in with purpose, she could not have concealed it to save her life. She seemed lost without that drive. Perhaps she would even catch Ivak's attention some day. Leo dismounted as gracefully as he could - which wasn't very, as of yet, but slowly getting better - and led the mare by the reins to where the Konti was standing and watching.

"There's something on your mind," Leo squinted and gave a curious half-smile, all the while nuzzling Ember with his free hand. He was getting used to the idea of trusting a horse with his life. In a way he had been undergoing special adaptation training too. "And I am either a part of the solution or a part of the problem. Which one shall it be?"

by **Kavala** on March 10th, 2013, 11:40 pm

Kavala smiled, shy suddenly, not sure what to really say. How does one say one wants to begin to learn about a deity over carving on one in stone? She looked at Leo, really looked at him with her crystal blue eyes, and then offered him a smile. It was a sheepish slightly embarrassed weak smile, one that was not often seen on the Konti's face.

"We have a sacred circle here Within that serves as our temple. And while it houses statues and offerings to a multitude of deities, it has none for Ivak. And while I have good reasons for not knowing much about him, that is still something of an embarrassment to me that his Champion is residing here and he is not represented. I would like to remedy that, Leo. And I can. But I was wondering if you'd like to help with the process and educate us a little on Ivak and his place in the world. There is not much known about him, much less in the religious texts other than some claim he caused the Valterrian and that he ruined the world with his rage and madness. I know now that is not true. But I would like to add some work to our library on him if that is possible, written or spoken from your own experiences so that others who study religion here can know the truth as well." Kavala offered.

The Konti healer knew Leo's experience was going into the Valkahal library, but what she was asking for was a more personal insight into the divine god of fire and his motivations and religion. She didn't want any trade secrets or sanctimonious things. Instead she just wanted a personal view of the core of Ivak's followers beliefs. "We have room. And it feels like the right thing to do. So I would like to add a statue of Ivak to the Sacred Circle for all he's sacrificed and been through. But in doing so I would like the means to know about him more as we offer up prayers." Kavala added, then stood back waiting for Leo's reaction.

She'd carved the other statues in the room. Some were formed from personally meeting the deities and some just from the lore or from spotting the Gods far distant like Akajia and Wysar off in and around Riverfall. But iwth Ivak it was more personal, more in depth... and she wanted more than just the fact he was the God of Fire and some sort of long standing cosmic victim in the power play of evil gods..

by **Leo Varniak** on April 6th, 2013, 9:51 pm

Leo's head acquired a curious tilt at Kavala's sudden shyness. It looked slightly out of place on the Konti, who thrived on quiet confidence in her wholly unusual life, and he could only assume she had approached him with something of a personal nature. He owed her a great deal, for all that she seemed to believe the opposite. He hoped he would be able to accommodate her request whatever it might be. She had never been anything but reasonable in her demands, only requiring a token amount of help around the Sanctuary in exchange for shelter, care, lessons and counseling. Leo had come to view his own nature as normal, and as such the things he had done for her - like roasting the Zith bent on destroying the Sanctuary - tended to fade into the background. Business as usual.

He nodded lightly as she went along, remembering the sacred circle all too well. He had initiated Eosi to the art of Reimancy in that very circle, and they'd left the statue of Akajia a few secrets richer than when they'd walked in. All in all it had been a glorious day in more ways than one. And as soon as Kavala mentioned the circle and the lack of an Ivak statue, he knew what she was getting at. Of course it would be a source of embarrassment for her; not so much because of Leo, who couldn't have cared less if such a statue was there or not, but because Leo was the walking avatar of Ivak who looked at things through his dark eyes. She owed it to Ivak, and she owed it to herself in her quest to be flawless.

He picked his response carefully, his hand still stroking the Firemane's coat. Eosi had been shocked by his indifference to religious symbols, and she was his lover. He risked offending Kavala if he used similar words with her. "I'm game," his lips curled, "just give me a moment to escort this lady back to her apartments." And he started towards the stables. It wouldn't take long to remove the riding gear and congratulate Ember on a job well done - she had done more than enough training for today at any rate. Leo began illustrating his thought as he walked. "I did notice the lack of an Ivak statue in the circle, and if I'd known your feelings on the matter I might have approached you first. But as for me, I've never been big on... external signs of belief. I see how people feel their convictions strengthened or glorified by their presence, but it never seemed to work for me."

It was, in a way, Leo's greatest strength and most glaring weakness. To be able to see a rock and call it a rock was the power to shatter lies and self-deception... but sometimes it chained him and kept him from flying higher. The only shrine he needed was the one in his heart, but that pride blinded him at times. "It's not going to be easy crafting an image of Ivak in stone, either. Like a flame tongue, he is constantly moving. It will take some good artistry to convey that fluid quality of his in the stone. Perhaps I can help with that." He knew Kavala was good at Reimancy, if somewhat reckless. He'd never doubted that the other statues were the product of her magic. The stone seemed so perfect, almost too perfect for something out of Semele's bowels.

"So you're interested in more than just the facts." This pleased the champion. He'd recorded the facts as truthfully as he could, but she was asking for his personal interpretation too. This he had been reticent to fully write down in his account. "I'll be glad to help. I've long found that things make more sense to me the more I try to explain them." And then, abruptly, as if having just caught the words on the wind: "I'm afraid I'll have to take leave of the Sanctuary quite soon." He had to admit he'd grown to like this place, and it would be best to leave before he grew to like it too much.

by **Kavala** on April 21st, 2013, 4:45 pm

She walked with him as the took Ember back to the stables where she made her temporary home. The horse had been removed from its herd that was usually out grazing on the grass at this hour and put into training with Leo in mind the minute he needed a mount. So she was stalled now rather than running with her kind, and while she didn't exactly mind it, she was restless being confined and not on the move.

Leo's words sank into Kavala's consciousness and she nodded, listening. A small smile played across her features and she relaxed loosing the awkward shyness that really had no place in her expression. "That's very Drykas of you, not needing symbolism or representation. They are like that too, as an entire people, holding concepts close to their hearts without needing material things to back up their knowledge and desire. It is not such a bad way to live, but for all my Drykas blood, I think in this facet I am more Konti than Drykas. I need something to represent, to reach out too, a statue to lean on when I wish no one else to see the weakness inside that I cannot hide from the Gods." She said this without a sense of self pity, as if it was something she thought true of all men and women.

"I've seen Ivak's face, thanks to your memories. He is beautiful and terrifying all at once. And in profile, he looked just as any other man could look... but his eyes, the whole way he held his form... even looking through a champions' memories... I know as a mortal I could not look into his eyes and walk away unaffected. I see him... bare chested and barefooted in that prison staring at you as if he were unsure of your existence in his reality or if you were a figment of his imagination. He looked so human in that moment. And then he became a God again." Kavala shuddered. It wasn't that Ivak's divinity was frightening to her. It was the rawness about Ivak that was something she couldn't translate into stone.

"I can't hope to capture that. But I want too." She said, as Leo lead Ember into her temporary stall and began untacking her. Kavala grabbed a cloth and began wiping down the leather removing dirt and horse sweat.

She only nodded when Leo said he was leaving soon. Kavala hadn't expected him to stay. But what she had expected was that he'd change Riverfall being here, and in many ways he had. There were debates going on even now, and he was something of the talk of the city. The Council had allowed so much from him. Not everyone, folks like her lover Riaris, was happy with that. But Kavala suspected the ones that objected to Leo's presence or even his actions were the ones that had very little contact with The Gods at all. Those the Gods touched saw things differently.

"Shall we go down to the Sacred Circle when we're done here? Or is there someplace you think would be better?" She asked.

by **Leo Varniak** on December 21st, 2013, 10:20 pm

Leo gave Ember one last pat before turning to Kavala. She was a good horse, probably a better one than he deserved, smart and loyal. She’d suffer from just being by his side, as did everyone who walked with him, and all he could ever do was make sure that they wouldn’t suffer in vain. He found himself frowning in concentration as he mentally reviewed Ivak’s appearance and realized that people truly viewed different things even when they looked at the same scene. There were things Kavala had seen in Ivak that he’d never really paid a lot of attention to. Human for a moment… Leo had to admit that may very well be the case. Being uncertain and surprised was definitely a human trait. One he did not often enjoy, either.

”Human is as human does, most likely,” he murmured, head turned towards the Konti. ”Ivak has experienced so many human emotions that they eventually became a part of him. I think it takes courage, even for a god, to step outside that boundary and embrace beings of such frailty. Of course, there are just as many who call him a fool for the very same reason… but he wouldn’t be Ivak if he kept his distance. He wouldn’t be fire but the picture of a fire.” He gave a light shrug. ”At least, this is what I believe. You and I do not always see the same colors, but I realize now neither of us is necessarily wrong.”

The Champion stretched his neck, still unused to riding a horse for prolonged periods. The saddle sores had more or less stopped, but the activity had not yet entered the realm of comfortable. ”The Sacred Circle will be perfect, I think.” The place seemed to matter a lot to Kavala, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she thought of it as a womb of sorts. ”I am going to miss this place, and this comes from the guy who’s never felt at home anywhere. I didn’t quite think something like the Sanctuary could still exist in this day and age. You may not think of it in these terms, but you are making an inspiring statement here. It’s a good place.” He was not sure if he was talking to Kavala or himself there.

The Konti’s presence could be felt everywhere. Sometimes Leo could have sworn there was more of her oozing between the rocks and boards of the buildings than what was left in her own body, that for every new addition she was diminished accordingly in some way and by the same amount. He worried at times - for he worried all the time - that it may have gotten too big to defend effectively, or that it may be understaffed and undermanned in the event of a real attack (the Zith raid hardly seemed to count.) He worried that, upon returning to Riverfall with Eosi a year or three from now, he might find dirt and rubble where these walls had once stood. And as usual, he worried about things he had absolutely no control over. But he was who he was and he wouldn’t be Leo Zaital, but rather his picture, if he didn’t worry over such things.

”I must confess I am something of a failed artist. Well, if painting teacups and saucers counts as art in your book.” He let Kavala set the pace, but followed her steadily as the moved away from the stables. ”I haven’t done that in years, but… there was this one pattern I learned as a child. It was abstract, all swirls and curls.” His fingers traced some of said swirls in the air, the shape of it vaguely circular, as if intended to run all around a plate. ”I found it mesmerizing. That kind of design usually sells well with old ladies in Syliras, but that particular one felt masculine, if it makes sense. And given I’m exceedingly poor at drawing the human figure, if I had to represent Ivak… I’d probably use that abstract pattern.”

He had to smile at the proposition of drawing a god - his patron, no less - as a teacup decoration. ”So, what’s the plan for this statue?”

by **Kavala** on June 25th, 2014, 7:49 am

Leo had a way of speaking, Kavala noted, that might have indicated he constantly anticipated the worst or expecting pain or unpleasantness. There was a soft tragedy to his words and even his gaze that made her wonder if he didn't see the whole demise of the world without seeing any of the beauty of life folks lived before their demise. It saddened her, for his responsibility as Ivak's Champion would be tremendous and for people such as him, it was doubly important that he experienced the joy life had to offer instead of anticipating the worst. It was like that for new riders too. Those that could embrace the wind streaking through their hair and the mount's powerful body beneath them carrying their weight effortlessly often had a far better experience in life than those that mounted, didn't feel the joys of the wind, and anticipated only the falls. Falls could be bad, true, but if one trained to handle them, one lost their fear. That's what she tried to do with new riders. She got them prepared so a fall was not the unknown, and in that preparedness, she gave them joy they could not otherwise have gotten pasted.

She wondered how she could help with Leo's life or if it was too late for the human. Had he experienced so much pain that he looked for it now as an old friend rather than utilized it and discarded it as something best not paid any mind too? Kavala wanted to ask him, but the timing was still off.

So instead, she lead him into the Within, past the common room, past the weapons training area, and through an arched doorway carved with stone flowers that reminded one of a watchtower before the fall. The door lead to a circular room of black stone that had a deep gold fleck imbedded into it. There was an alter in the center of the room, set off to the north, and each compass points housed a deity in the form of a statue of a standing god. Some where easily recognizable, like Rak'keli and Laviku. Others were vastly different, more obscure, though the items they held were just as much clues as anything else.

There were blank spaces in the walls as well, room for other Gods, and smaller symbols that took up less space as if hte Gods or Goddesses they represented meant less to Kavala than the statued deities did. A key, for example, in opal hung over the doorway, shimmering for Aquarius. A seers lily formed a candle holder on the alter, decidedly a nod to Avalis. There were other touches, even finer details. And the place in the south, representing fire, was empty. No statue filled that elemental position, and it was there Kavala gravitated.

If Leo looked closely, he would see her patron Gods and Goddess' were Rak'keli, Eyris, Akajia, Wysar, and one that stood before the alter against the wall in the north - Nysel. Caiyha was also present, and Priskil was represented in the torch holders as a feminine hand lighting holding the lights aloft. Kavala took a candle she'd carried with her and lit all the torches about the room. The smoke traveled up and away, obviously the ventilation of the room having been paid close attention too when it was constructed. The use of the candle told Leo a few things as well. She was a reimancer with no fire yet, and though she lived in an Akalak world, the low light still did bother her so she hadn't found away to adjust her sight to the dark like others could.

She walked to the south. "He deserves a statue here. Shirtless, barefooted, wearing his serene expression and wrapped in fire. I would give him molten orbs if I knew how to do it, but I do not. Otherwise, carving with the stone is the best we can do. What do you think? Perhaps the patten you spoke of can be added to his flesh, his cloth pants, or even the wall where he will stand." The Konti said, looking thoughtful.

Then she backed up, letting Leo get a good look at their blank canvas and the faith that filled the room all around him.

by **Rosela** on February 28th, 2015, 5:00 am

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Congratulations! You've Been Awarded:

Kavala :

Leo :

Notes :

If you have any questions or concerns about what was awarded, don't hesitate to PM me. When you're finished, please edit or delete your grade request from the grading queue.
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