Deucalion
Wanderer
"May Creation embrace another in her tender arms."
Posts: 2
|
Post by Deucalion on Nov 30, 2014 21:28:52 GMT
The man stood outside a grand set of tall, solid gold double doors with a straight face and determined shake in his fists; just moments ago he had left the cemetery where several of his friends were recently buried, and now it was time to speak with the Keeper; while he wasn't aware of exactly why he'd been summoned, he knew it to be an honor to meet face-to-face with the Voice of Creation. All notion of guilt and regret would have to wait until later...the Keeper detested all forms of fear, regardless of if she were lecturing or punishing. It was distasteful.
So he pushed open the doors and stepped inside. It was a massive chamber lit brightly on all eight walls by radiant silver flames rising from large oil pools. As he advanced, the center of this sanctuary became more prominent, and it became obvious he was in the presence of thd divine. At the center of the white marble floor stood a large statue of a beautiful woman in the middle of a shallow pool; the woman cradled a baby in her arms and both stood nude. This depiction was dedicated to Creation making Human life.
Many women circled the visage, kneeling outside the pool in prayer. Each of them were bare save for a long thin cloth draped over swollen stomachs; another set of women sitting waist-deep in the water wore thin white robes, though their flatter stomachs lay exposed. The latter group were those praying for children, while the former chanted for them.
Behind the outer ring consisted of a third circle of men who knelt in nothing but short loincloths, and each man had one hand on the small of their respective woman's back, the other lay over their chest.
Directly below the statue of Creation stood a lone woman ready to give birth, though she wore immaculate robes of white and silver. Her eyes were closed, but when she heard the man's footsteps she smiled.
"This is our temple. We pray to Creation for Her loving hand to bless us with life, and to watch over that which She has created within us." Her eyes snapped open to reveal all white, and she nodded for him to approach the pool. "This is a very sacred ritual, one you are lucky to view."
As he lifted his leg she shook an ornate silver staff at him. "Please, stay on the marble and out of the water." It came in the form of an apparent afterthought, but the man knew better. He was unclean. Again, though, the Keeper smiled his way. "Creation has chosen to bless your visit to this temple."
When the man heard this, any dry blood or grime left of his armor dissolved in a bright blue light, leaving the man sanitized and sparkling in the silvery light.
"You must be special in some way, perhaps destined to create something amazing. Another being? Something else, that is yet to be seen."
"Please excuse my interruption, Great Keeper..." said Deucalion, dropping to one knee and bowing his head in respect. "I haven't been informed as to why I've been summoned."
The Keeper gave him a knowing look, one that truly understood the torture of losing friends and loved ones. And as if in response, the eyes on the Statue shifted lightly, and even the Chanters went silent.
Approaching from closed doors on the opposite of the grand chamber came a younger lady carrying an infant; they, too, were nude as the day they were born. The young woman strode into the pool before taking a knee at the side of the Keeper--perhaps her mother, Deucalion noticed as the likeness of both women was striking. She held the child up for all to gaze upon.
The Keeper eyed the child pleasantly, and addressed the whole congregation. "Today we honor the birth of another Daughter of Creation." Next she drew a specially selected dagger off the statue's base and brought it just above her own swollen stomach; she pierced the flesh, enough to loosen some blood, and quickly gathered some with her middle and index fingers. The dagger was set back down and the woman collected the infant into her arms, traced with her fingers the symbol of fertility on the child's stomach, and handed her back to the younger lady.
"May she be fertile and loyal."
The Keeper's daughter backed away and set the crying infant in the water and took a seat beside her. The Keeper turned to face the Statue. "We ask Creation to bless this day, make it fertile and fruitful. May we walk always in Your good graces."
Deucalion's lips parted as the child fell silent, but the Keeper spun fast and tapped her staff into the water, and a burst of white light halted him.
"Deucalion Ariadne, Champion of the Church. May your sins be forgiven, and shall your emotional wounds heal. Today you have been granted the Gift of Creation, and it is the hope of the Church you do well in Her name. I bestow the title of Paladin on you, young man. May your endeavors always succeed, and bring glory to Creation!"
A warm rush overcame the young man, and he was enveloped in an aura of silver-white light. He could feel a gentle embrace wrapping about his form, but no one was at his back; when he could stand, his vision instead faltered and he slipped out of consciousness.
|
|