[Temple] To Wish Upon a Silver Star (Venn, PM to join)

[Straylor Leonard]

Timestamp: Mid Brightening of the Second Brightening of the First Month of Spring. The Season of Spring of Era XIV Post Fractum. A Starry Springtime!

It was not uncommon for armed figures to traverse the hilltop lair of the knights and healers of Natura. Typcally, armoured paladins dotted the area -- some on horseback while others enjoyed lighthearted conversations with rangers and druids. It was a brotherhood, one forged with faith and steel. Perhaps it was this that drew another figure upwards, towards the lone structure.

He wore no metal around his vest, but a simple hard leather armour that has proven itself in several battles. Against his right hip was a swift shortsword, sheathed of course, but a trusty blade nonetheless. And trapped neatly against his back was a round shield made with wood and reinforced with two pieces of steel that ran across its face to form a cross.

It was Straylor, the Medonian who overstayed his supposed vacation in the quite township of Natura. He met a elflord named Venn the previous brightening, and his former sparring partner S'Lon at the festival. And Stray mentioned visiting the temple to learn first hand from one of its resident paladins.

Arriving at the main entrance, Stray approached any attendant who appeared to be a healer or a paladin and asked for Venn. "My name is Felix", he added with a friendly smile, "I believe he's expecting me."

[Venn Drega]

Syl’lyth was a young woman training as an acolyte so she might one day join the priesthood of the Temple. She wore the simple white robes of her order and her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders. The young woman smiled at the visitor. “Ah, I’ll have someone inform Commander Drega that you are here,” she said, waving to one of her brethren who approached. She whispered something in his ear which caused him to look up a Felix before nodding and disappearing down the hallway.

“Serale and welcome to the Temple of the Blessed Hands, Felix,” she said in a form of welcome. “I am Syl’lyth of the Order of the Chalice,” she introduced herself with a nod. “Perhaps you would like to wait for the Commander in the Sanctuary? It is very quiet there at the moment and visitors often come to appreciate the representation of the Aetherian Pantheon.” She indicated the large domed area just beyond the large entryway.

[Straylor Leonard]

"Ah, yes", Stray replied with a curt nod, "that would be nice."

Following the woman knight, he arrived at the sanctuary and allowed himself to enjoy the stained glass that never appeared to loose their luster. It was a beautiful place indeed, and one that emitted such a peaceful aura. Looking around, Stray couldn't hep but wonder how it must be to live and serve under such a place. Perhaps Venn, their commander evidently, would answer some questions he had about the knighthood.

Either that, or he'd try to convert him. Chuckling at that, Stray thanked the female and proceeded to study the structure's architecture himself -- though in a quiet fashion. He didn't want to disturb any worshippers if any were there. Otherwise, the Medonian would begin to hum curiously to himself.

[Venn Drega]

It didn’t take long for the tall partial sea-elf to enter the hall. He wore a simple embroidered tunic that was cream colored and belted at the waist over his brown trousers that were tucked into his high boots. Except for the scabbard at his side that held his paladin’s blade, he looked like a commoner come to visit the temple.

“Ah, Felix!” he said as he entered the great sanctuary of the Temple. His eyes went up to glance at the Aetherian Pantheon that looked down upon them. “Admiring the divinities are you?” He extended a hand in welcome before stopping to affably inquire, “So, are you an adherent to one of the Aetherians in particular or are you more of a… generalist?”

“So what would you like to see? The library, the infirmary, the gardens, the towers…?”

[Straylor Leonard]

Straylor recieved venn's warm welcome with a firm handshake before responding appropriately. The Paladin's query was one Stray never came across, though the grin that quickly made its way on his features probably revealed his amusement. "Oh, I'd like to consider myself a follower of Carmelya", he returned with a curt bow, "thanks to Dhwae." He paused a moment, smiling. Then he added, "the Archdruidess is a woman of divine wisdom, if I may say so myself."

"As for our tour", he continued with a nod, "I think we can just go along as we walk towards the towers? I saw the spires on my way up, and I wasn't expecting to see such structures, especially here." It was true. His entire stay here was filled with trees, woodlands, and more trees. He didn't expect to find hard, cold stone rising from the earth in the Nature-filled township.

[Venn Drega]

"I've not been up to the towers of late," the paladin started wistfully. He had once enjoyed a regular walk along the walls and their connecting stairs and tunnels up through the various towers, but his duties now prevented him from doing so. "A good choice, though. You'll be able to view the entire valley from there."

And so Venn led Felix down a corridor and up five flights of a wide spiral staircase. He then led him further to a narrower set of stairs that saw them emerge on the lower battlements of the Temple wall. The wing gusted up from the valley toward the mountains to the north, but they could easily see south to the Dolwoods directly to the south while the Great Basin lay a little toward the west. "Quite the perspective isn't it?" commented half sea-elf. "We are above most of the tree tops simply due to the fact that the Temple sits higher up at the base of the mountains. Come, we can go even further up." It was true. behind them the temple continued to rise and there was a promontory that towered much higher above them. It seemed to jut out from the top of the cliff behind the temple itself.

From time to time they passed a paladin patrolling the wall, but this was still relatively infrequent. As they walked through the series of connecting stairways, Venn spoke. "So, you mentioned that you had a conversation with Dhwae. Was your conversation fruitful? You mentioned she directed you more toward Carmelya?" Venn was naturally curious, perhaps it was because it involved Dhwae or perhaps it was because of his Thelyri blood.

[Straylor Leonard]

Straylor only nodded at Venn's mention of his good choice. Was there really a bad choice when touring the temple grounds? The entire place was the least ordinary place Stray had ever been to, aside from the copse Dhwae showed him. That was magical, to say the least. Nevertheless, the Medonian followed his new tour guide along a series of walkways, stairs, and along walls of sorts before they arrived at the spiralling staircases of the main spires.

As they walked, Straylor found himself thinking about Natura and what being a Paladin here meant. It was not like in the story books when knights with magical powers ran into battle each brightening with their blazing swords. No, these men and women were more calm, collected, and purposeful. They were not always slaying dragons and fending off fiends of darkness; take Venn for example. Whenever Stray regarded him, he couldn't feel but admire the fellow -- and not just because he was a paladin. There was an air of confidence, of higher calling. Reluctant or not, he was a hero. Perhaps he was even Carmelya's own Champion.

"Breathtaking", was the only thing Straylor could say when shown the view. It was as if Natura suddenly shrunk beneath them as they towered over the land, seeing as far as an eagle would thousands of paces above them. Though Stray could hardly name each landmark in the area, he was sure that one could live in Natura yet never truly experience everything it had to offer.

Upon touching the subject of Dhwae, Stray merely smiled then nodded. "It was fruitful in a sense that the Archdruidess has a way of saying things so that one cannot grasp it fully at first", he said grinning, "Her words paint a picture, which at first glance appear simplistic. But it may take eras to truly capture and understand its meaning."

[Venn Drega]

"Indeed," the Silver Star laughed. "That certainly describes Dhwae," he said as they mounted the final set of stairs that accessed the promontory. "She has saved my life more than once. There is a delicate balance of strength and fragility about her." It was all he said about Dhwae although they had been through the most difficult experiences of Natura together. He spoke wistfully, his tone alluding to the tales that lurked behind his comment.

They reached the foyer that opened through double doors onto the promontory. Pushing the twin portals open, They stepped onto a massive grassy terrace that jutted out over the Temple grounds and provided an even more spectacular view of the valley than the vistas they had passed earlier. Venn led Felix down the length of the terrace that narrowed as it extended away form the cliff behind them. They stopped at the high battlements to survey the lands to the south.

"Sometimes I imagine being able to see all the way to the Bellenic Sea from here. Perhaps that is why I've not been up here for a while. It makes me long for my old home." He was silent a moment, his silver irises flickering upon a sea of darkness as he peered out into the distance. "But Natura is my home now, this temple. Is there such a place for you, Felix? A place you would call home?"

[Straylor Leonard]

"Bellenic Sea", Straylor mused more as an afterthought. Again, he wasn't Telath's best geographer but he was familiar with certain aspects of the Known Worlde; for one, he knew that the location Venn noted was probably a large body of water. And from that, he immediately assumed that the strange elf was one that was born of the sea.

He hadn't really noticed ... aside from the pale complexion and generally extra elfishness that Venn radiated with. It was probably his lack of contact with the Thelyri and other specific species of elves. Thankfully, Straylor did not remain ignorant for too long. And with a smile he nodded in response to Venn's query.

"Medonia", he said with an air of pride, "the Emerald City, as some like to call it. I'd like to think of it as the city I'd return to some brightening when I can give something back to its populace."

[Venn Drega]

"The Emerald City," Venn repeated, musing upon Felix's words. "It sounds like a beautiful place. Is there a particular reason you want to give back to Medonia's people? And what would that be?" HE waited for the reply and then suggested that they continue on their tour of the Basilica.

Venn led his guest down now into the bowels of the large complex of finely dressed stone. The stonework was obviously the work of dwarves but the refinements and tastes, whether they be carving or added woodwork was markedly elvish. They visited the refectory, the library, the scriptorium, the infirmary, the magical ice-house, the eastern gardens as well as the western gardens before ending up at the Temple's outdoor training ground.

It was located within a copse of trees. Weapon racks with all manners of blades, pole-arms, flails, axes and exotic weapons could be found here. The sunlight illuminated every corner, but the foliage provided some shade and a refreshing zephyr would keep the area cool. The grass was dry on the surface but the earth was moist half a foot down, which gave the ground a solid yet cushioning quality.

"This is where I spend a great deal of my time, training squires as well as Naturans in the art of the sword," Venn commented. He looked the ground over, familiar with every inch of it, as if examining and evaluating to ensure that all was in order.

[Straylor Leonard]

"Definately not politics", Straylor chuckled as they ventured further into the sea elf's fortress. It was certainly more spacious than he anticipated, and the resources that were available to the paladins were seemingly infinate.

At each location, Stray found himself enjoying the tour a little more. The magical ice-house was a beautiful place, only second to his favorite locale: the library. There, he brushed his fingers against a row of books as they walked, attepting to speed-read their various titles at once. He nearly jammed his finger as a fairly large, leather-bound tablet popped out of the neatly-stacked tomes but it was well worth it.

Arriving at the training grounds, Straylor followed Venn until they paused along the edge of the area. It was very asimilar to the arena back in Medonia, which was full of sand, metal, and dead wood. This place had more 'life' about it, and something about its construction almost hid its purpose: to train young men and women the heart behind the art of the sword -- the art of killing.

With that thought, Straylor approach the rack of weapons and glanced at Venn before he grabbed a mace. "Do you know how to use these?", he asked, "I happened upon a few orcs who delighted themselves with such weapons. Nearly lost my head." He grinned as his eyes shone brightly as the memory of his victory ran past them. "But I'm more of a swordsman, like yourself."

[Venn Drega]

The paladin noted Felix's appreciation for books in the way the man touched them with a fondness shared only among those who appreciated them. The Naturan commander himself could often be found here reading late into the night. "You're always welcome to use the library Felix," the paladin offered. "The Naturan library holds more popular volumes, but here you will find the more obscure and rare items."

"Pure crushing power," Venn said, touching a flanged mace that rested in it place on the rack. "Very effective in stopping an armoured opponent cold. The problem is that it is a slow weapon. Our ranks use both the mace and sword and in combination we find them to be very complimentary. So, to answer your question, although I know how to use the mace I am far from adept at it."

"Hmmm, yes, orcs seem to revel in the use of blunt weapons," Venn commented, remember his own protracted engagement with orcs on the field of Zerdargia. "Indeed, the sword is a weapon of finesse and speed, having a more precise and focussed strength of its own." The paladin spoke fondly of the weapon. It was not merely a weapon of choice for him, but a way of life.

"I see you have a sword of your own. May I see it? How long have you had it? Have you used it much?" The questions flowed quickly before the holy knight stopped to apologize. "I'm sorry Felix, its just that I am always interested in other swordsmen. I find that each person develops a particular style if they are experienced enough with the blade and I enjoy observing and learning from them."

[Straylor Leonard]

"It definately didn't seem slow when the orcs used them", Straylor replied as a soft chuckle escaped his lips. Venn appeared to be in agreement about the beasts, though, so that was a good sign. The sea elf was beginning to be more aimiable the more time Stray spent with him. Perhaps it was that charisma and respect that won him the morale of his men. As a commander he must have the trust of his soldiers lest they decide that defending their leader was no longer worth it.

"Of course!", Stray said as he carefully unsheathed his sword and handed it, with both hands, to the Silverstar. He learned this bit of ritual during his military training. Simply waving off his sword to an officer was dishonorable and showed great disrespect. Thusly, Stray was sure to hand it off in a way fitting military ceremony.

At Venn's apology, however, Straylor couldn't help but grin and wave his hand in a friendly manner. "As am I", he offered with a nod, "I've tried to mingle with other swordsmen in Medonia but found mainly mercenaries." He shrugged, dismissing the thought. "Nothing against them, of course. Gotta make a living right? But I find it difficult to understand that men can simply use their swords and be content at that."

"We think similarly then", Stray added after Venn finished his comment, "one cannot possibily be legendary with one style. I see swordsmanship as a lifestyle, a passion."