The Oracle

[Tarot]

Chelseanna was, for the most part, still an untamed island. Port Chelseanna occupied but a corner of it, and organized settlements aside from the town could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Castle Chelseanna upon Mount Tuli was one of those, and the Oracle was another. It rested deeper into the island, perhaps three or four miles from the Port and its coast, in the middle of a relatively wild landscape. No vines nor olive trees were to be found here, but a plethora of evergreen trees and large, thorny bushes growing without a regular pattern. The uphill road leading here could hardly be called that, as it was more of a wide path flanked by small pillars placed at regular intervals.

The temple itself was a very simple thing, literally. Little more than four walls and a flat roof made of rough square blocks. This was no precious Ieffreonian marble however, but rather old granite stolen from the sides of Mount Tuli. It was a dull and unattractive shade of grey, with a small and entirely unprotected doorway. There was no door to speak of, and the opening was barely large enough for the average human to pass through without bowing one's head. It was certainly a shocking break from the extremely elaborate and fancy Chelseannan city layout. It also seemed ancient, far older than the port. And there was nothing indicating which deity the building had been raised to.

The temple was almost bare inside, light barely streaming through cracks and small openings in the rock, and one could never know whether they would find the Oracle there. Legend had it that only those in real need of an answer would get the opportunity to ask a question, and for this reason the place was mostly shunned by tourists, though always mentioned with the utmost respect by the usually religiously-indifferent Chelseannans as the Oracle had saved the community several times with her predictions. They provided for the Oracle themselves, delivering food, offerings and supplies several times a cycle. It was known that the Oracle had not left the island with the evacuation; no-one could even find her, let alone move her away from the island.

The Oracle... she had been a child for as long as anyone could remember, though some claimed that there had been several Oracles over the centuries. Three things were known about her. First, that her words were always truthful. Second, that her prophecies were prone to being misinterpreted. Third, that a few of those who visited her never came back.