The Immortality of Wisdom

[Ini'ra]

Emea
16th of Zi'da, 716

A young woman, barefooted with long dark hair and a thin frame pushed through the wooden doors of the blue building and realized it was not the Bakan Isorosi like she had anticipated, but a library of a different sort. Inside, shelves as tall as jungle pillars faded into the distant ceiling, so high that their tops were shrouded in shadows and mist shimmered over the stone floor. Books upon books lined the walls, the spaces between the shelves feeling so vast and open, “Hello?”

Her soft voice echoed, and Ini'ra reached a hand up to touch the snake that was hanging from her neck in the most contented fashion. Her footsteps resounded down the hallway and she pushed further into the room, the door fading behind her as the iyo lamp in her other hand glowed with gentle protection. Her footsteps sounded so loud, the energy of the room feeling ancient and untouched like the deepest parts of the forest of Desnind. A few opalescent orbs of white light hung suspended in the air like clouds, basking the surroundings in a dim and magical glow.

“Wow,” she whispered in awe, turning a corner and lifting her lamp to better illuminate the tomes on the grand aisles. Each shelf was intricately carved and made of deep ebony wood – the built-ins pieces of glorious art in their own right. She had never seen anything like it, and couldn't help but brush her fingers against the decorative lining. It was warm under her touch, her hand running up the spine of a book. Its title was written in a language she did not know, but a soft beating played under the gentle lining and she pulled away in shock.

It had... It had felt like a heart beat. A living thing.

“Oh, Rafik'ki,” No fear gripped her, but there was definitely something strange about this place, “We're not in the forest anymore.” The energy of the room was heavy – pressed down by the sheer knowledge it contained and the young Sev'ryn felt both equal parts excited and nervous. It would take a lifetime to even begin to comprehend how valuable this place was, let alone to take a piece of it for herself. With a determined expression, Ini'ra pushed onward. If there was anywhere that would tell her about the immortals – it would be here.

Specifically, she searched for a recipe for an offering of devotion – and in return, she hoped to learn of their domains. She sought wisdom for her path, something not easily found. Given her choice of quest, she wondered which one she had a better chance of discovering first. With a great sigh, she began to look for any clue as to what section she might be in and where she needed to go.

Was there not a librarian for such a place? Someone to guide her through such a maze?

“Hello?” she called again, rounding another corner.

[Faith Augustin]

She was in the library, sitting cross legged on the floor and looked down at the pile of books there. She was looking for a prayer to Famula and she was sure that these were the one which she needed. The bit of the library that Faith was in was lovely, there were just a lot of books and a lot of shelves and she liked it here. It was quiet and peaceful and, right in this moment in the waking world, Faith was was asleep in a bed in an Inn experiencing more and varied emotions than she had words for.

As she realised that she'd left behind the book she had most wanted, Faith stood and she smoothed down the long white dress which she was wearing. She turned and moved, barefoot, to the shelves where her books were and as she did she ran a hand over the texts already on the shelves. They were alives, the books here, and sometimes when she came they spoke to her and told her wonderful stories. She loved the stories that she told and so, the young woman skipped along, shelves of books either side of her and contentment in her soul.

"Hello?!

There was a person here? That was strange, she thought. Normally there was just her and the books. Maybe one of the books was calling, but Faith turned the corner and there, turning the opposite one, was a woman. Dark of skin with long sleek hair, Faith saw her and thought how very beautiful she was. Faith's own skin was pale as snow in comparison, her white dress accentuating that. Her long black hair was long but far from sleek, it fell in tumbles of waves and almost-curls here and there. The short human stood at only five foot four but she looked at the darker skinned woman with eyes which were such a pale blue that they seemed to be almost silver.

"Hello!" She smiled and stepped forward. Her pale skin was marred, though, by the slave brands. One on each shoulder, one on her neck. But her smile was almost child like as she recognised that it was another person "I thought it might be one of the books talking. They do, sometimes. I'm Faith." She held out a hand, on which she wore a white lace glove. Her wrist had an intricate, beautiful tattoo which glowed white though the ink was black. "Is it your first time here? I can help you if you'd like. What are you looking for?"

[Ini'ra]

Emea
16th of Zi'da, 716

A echo answered her call, and it was not of her own voice, but a stranger. Ini'ra turned her head and saw a woman whose body was like fresh cream – white and smooth. A sudden excitement gripped her. Was this the librarian? She took a friendly step forward as the foreign woman approached, leaving the Sev'ryn to admire her appearance. She was short, like herself, but her eyes were a stunning powder blue – so unlike the dark features she was familiar with.

The woman spoke first, the words quick and eager; Ini became distracted by the marks that became so apparent the closer she came and a look of shock absorbed her features before she smiled and nodded, trying to think. This woman was speaking Common – not Xanthea. Had she heard correctly? Books talk? She remembered how it felt to touch them – to feel them beating.

Maybe they did.

'I'm Faith', she had said. Wasn't faith for immortals? Or... was that her name? When she reached out her hand, Ini took it and hoped she wasn't about to embarrass herself. Ini'ra cleared her throat and tried to imitate the woman's language, desperately pulling from her limited vocabulary and mentally translated the words she knew. “My name...” she introduced, her accent evident but not crippling, “Ini'ra,” she finished proudly, taking the offered hand and looking down when her fingers brushed against lace.

How lovely!

She gave a small gasp, leaning down to look at the beauty of the clothing. So pretty – everything she was wearing seemed so mundane in comparison – a black top with a simple crisscrossing of string and fitted pants. The tattoos on her feet were perhaps the most noticeable decoration besides her snake, and she tried to answer the woman's question, “Yes,” she began confidently, blushing, “I need recipe for...” What was the word for offering? She said it once in fluent Xanthea, before trying a different approach, “Gift to Moseke,” The word popped into her mind and her eyes lit up, “Off-offering... And learn of all immortals.”

The more she talked, the more aware she became of her own communication faults and felt her cheeks grow warm, and a hand lifted to cover the side of face. She thought it unlikely this woman knew her language, but was curious as to if she was from Desnind, “Where you live? Here?” she motioned around as if the library was this woman's home. The place felt so large, perhaps she really did.

Anything felt possible in this place.

[Faith Augustin]

The beautiful woman saw the brands and Faith watched as her face showed her suprise, shock and dismay. The former slave was more than used to this so she said nothing and just waited. It would be a brief shock and then she might be one of those who pretended there were no brands, or she might be curious and ask about them. Whatever it was, it was fine with Faith.

"Ini'ra. That is beautiful." It was a beautiful name and the pale young woman considered that Ini'ra had a beautiful and exotic name, which matched her outward appearance, also. Faith loved it in the library, it was a lovely place and now, she thought to herself, there were other people here too and interesting ones at that. It was a good trial, all in all. Ini'ra seemed to be quite taken with her gloves and Faith smiled in pleasure. "I made them", she explained. It wasn't hard to do and if they had the things with them she would have been happy to teach Ini'ra. Maybe next time, she thought.

But when Ini'ra explained what she wanted, Faith's face lit with absolute delight. "Immortals? I am here for prayers, too. Moseke?" Her hand reached up and touched her cheek in an unconscious gesture. "Yes. I know Moseke. I met her. I can help you? I have books over here?" If Ini'ra wished to, Faith would lead her back to where she had just been. Books were in piles on the floor, some lay open and there was parchment for notes. "She is beautiful. Truly beautiful. Gentle but strong." Faith knelt on the floor, her back straight as she did so. She rummaged around for a little while and then found the book she had been looking for, the one on Moseke specifically.

"Why are you making offerings? Is it prayer, worship or for something specific?" It seemed to be a sensible place to start, she considered, offering Ini'ra the book she had found and making sure there was room for her to sit, if she wished it.

[Ini'ra]

Emea
16th of Zi'da, 716

Ini'ra smiled at the compliment, assuming she understood correctly by the tone and her eyes widened when Faith admitted to creating the gloves, "Made?" she repeated, her hands moving as if using an imaginary thread and and needle to emphasize her understanding of the word's meaning, "They are beautiful." She lowered her eyes to admire them for a moment longer, intrigued by the craftsmanship when Faith spoke of the life giver.

Just as the branded girl's eyes lit up, so did the Sev'ryn's. This girl knew of the immortal? It was no secret that Moseke moved around Desnind, but this woman spoke as if she knew her personally. Ini beamed, finding it difficult to contain her excitement. What were the odds of meeting someone like this, here? "Moseke is beautiful," she gushed, excited by memorizing another addition to her vocabulary, and how often she was able to use it,"Her heart is big. I want..."

What was it? "To live as Moseke." Loyally she followed the other dark haired woman with the bright eyes and watched carefully where in the library she lead them. The walls were illuminated by the suspended lights and the glow of her iyo lamp, the little worm inside casting a ethereal glow on the sacred knowledge. Or, it felt sacred to her. So much written about the world in one place; it was mesmerizing. As Faith rummaged, Ini'ra trailed her fingers gently along the spines of the books, their power buzzing beneath her touch.

Faith seemed to locate the tome with efficiency, and she turned quickly in eager anticipation when the girl asked for the reasoning, "I make offerings for Aiséirism," and she wondered if the other woman knew of it, "It peace religion of Desnind..." she sat next Faith, scooting close and taking the offered book. She flipped open the cover with reverence, and carefully opened the cover with bated breath, "Aiséirism follow Moseke and do not harm any, only heal. Her eyes scanned the first page, and she began to flip through the book, unable to absorb the knowledge fast enough. Her reading was slow and admittedly she was looking for pictures, and she continued her thoughts, eager to promote her ideas, "You like Moseke, maybe you join? You follow any immortal?"

[Faith Augustin]

She smiled at the woman when she complimented her on the gloves. "Thank you. It is my job, to make clothes. One of my jobs, anyhow. Not hard though, just needs patience." She was quick to add, as she always would be, "I'd be happy to teach you, if you like?" But the talk of the Immortals was fascinating to her and Faith was more than pleased to listen to what Ini'ra had to say about Moseke.

"Desnind? What is that?" The young woman asked, raising an eyebrow. "A.. place? I do not know a lot of places. I was a slave in Athart until an arc ago. Then, Andaris. Now, I am free, so I am here. Desnind." She tried the name again, it sounded pretty, she thought. "It is a place?"

The reverence with which Ini'ra touched the books was no lost on Faith and it was something she wholeheartedly approved of in face. "Do no harm, only heal? That is good, a good thing to do. " But did she follow that religion? No, Faith shook her head and tried to explain the best she could. "I met Moseke, she healed me. I am very grateful to her and I pray to thank her, every night. But I am Famula's." She held out her right arm, revealing the beautiful and intricate tattoo on her wrist. "This is Famula's mark, Her blessing. You know of her? She cares for the souls of the dead, when first they die." Faith tilted her head and waited to see if Ini'ra knew of Famula, or if she wanted to know more.

apologies

Sorry for short post! Didn't want to take the conversation too far!

[Ini'ra]

Emea
16th of Zi'da, 716

The idea of learning how to make clothing sounded fun, and Ini'ra's smile said as much. But before she could comment on it, she realized that this woman had no idea what Desnind was. If that were the case, where were they? She looked around, once again in awe at the wonders around her. Rafik'ki slithered around her neck, his head bobbing as his tongue flickered to taste the air, "Desnind is my home. City of trees, where Moseke lives."

Her dark eyes lowered to look at the book, flipping through its delicate pages. They were smooth and heavier than she was familiar with, suggesting a sturdiness to them, but the Sev'ryn would never forgive herself if she was the cause of its destruction. Knowing Faith had met Moseke sparked excitement within her eyes, "She heal you? Bless."she grinned, her heart filled with peace. Wasn't her immortal wonderful? Moseke loved her children, but also others. Even with the other woman's pale skin and light eyes, who didn't have same racial blood flowing through her veins - it didn't matter. Moseke still cared. It gave the young woman hope and she cocked her head at a new word.

Famula.

"Famu-la" she repeated slowly, the last syllable bouncing from her tongue,"She cares for dead?" Ini'ra had heard of a few of the immortals, but never of this one. It sounded female, and tried to piece together a mental image,"How?" What does she do to the souls? Where do they go? She pondered this carefully.

"Sev'ryn reborn. Into... new life. To learn new things. Death not...always for us."

Death was very important to her people, and the cycle of it was intriguing. Did Moseke and Famula have an agreement? Or were Sev'ryn different? Up until this point, Ini'ra had never really given much thought to the death of others outside her own race and was learning very quickly things were much more complicated than they seemed.

[Faith Augustin]

The city where Moseke lived? Faith smiled and her smile lit up her face at that thought. "I would like to see her again. She was so very kind to me, I would like to thank her. Maybe I should go there. I can, now. I can go anywhere." It was a strange thing to her to think of that, to know the truth of it, but it delighted her. To be free, to be able to do what she wanted and when. It was still very new to her, very new indeed, but it was a wonder.

Her new friend asked her, though, about Famula and Faith smiled. "We all have a soul in us. Our soul, when our body dies, it does not die. Vri comes, and he takes us to what is next." Faith smiled a little and she breathed in, looking around. "But death is like life, full of choices. If you choose not to go with Vri, then your soul remains."

Faith looked around and her gaze was rather sad. "Those souls become ghosts and have to remain here. Famula offers them a second chance. People tend to stay if they have unfinished business, she helps them." Sev'ryn resurrected? Faith smiled and nodded. "Famula is the Immortal of souls, service and resurrection. She understands."

With a frown, though, she turned around and looked at something which seemed to be nothing at all, yet Faith knew that someone was calling her. "I slept too long. I'm sorry. Look, it's not night time any more." She spoke the quiet words Padraig was speaking to her to wake her and in the library she disappeared even as in the waking world, her eyes opened.

[Pash Raj'oriq]

Thread Rewards

Faith

Skill Knowledge:
N/A

Other Knowledge:
N/A

Loot: N/AInjuries: N/A
Fame: N/A
Devotion: N/A

Points: 15 | These points cannot be used for magic.

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Comments:
Nice little dream thread. Faith’s dream personality is always extra quirky and interesting, and I love that.

If you see anything I’ve missed or have a question, please feel free to drop me a PM!

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