Side Story:  World Lessons:  The Gods

-Duvessa-

Duvessa was looking at her own reflection in the mirror while her maids adjusted her dress.  “Why do I have to do this?”

“Because your mother is busy and a member of the Varlane house must be present at the dedication of the temple.  I know it is still a few months until your debutante, but appearances must be kept up for the household.  Having a representative that hasn’t had her debut is better than having no representative at all.  Besides, I heard that your uncle will be there.”

“But I hate the gods, and I hate my uncle even more.”  

All of the maids suddenly froze at her declaration save for one.  The one maid continued to work and smiled as she looked at the others.  “Perhaps you should let me finish up for the lady, the rest of you can take a break.”

The maids bowed and filed out of the room, and Duvessa looked at the one that stayed behind.  “Solier, why are you dressed like a maid?”

“To help you of course.  Your mother and grandmother are gone right now and I couldn’t just leave you alone with the servants.  Don’t worry about your little outburst, none of the maids remember it anymore.  I scrubbed it from their minds as they left.  Don’t you think it is a bit much to say you hate the gods?  I understand if you are angry at them, but saying you hate them is a bit much.  And this is coming from a demon.”  Solier tugged at the dress and tightened it in a few places to accentuate her youthful beauty and smiled in satisfaction once she was finished.

“You should attend to me instead of one of the maids.  It's going to be boring and you have a way of making things more fun.”

“Yes, but part of the dedication of the temple is a blessing and blessings make me...uncomfortable.  They can also make me burst into flames.  I can at least walk you to the entrance and will be waiting for you when you return.”

“Oh…” Duvessa looked at the ground, obviously disappointed as Solier took her hand.  The two began to walk down the hallway to the carriage that awaited them.  

“Listen, I know you have been feeling down since...since what happened.  You need to…” she paused and scratched her head.  “You know I honestly want to comfort you, I know death is a terrible thing for mortals.  I have watched many of my sisters die over the millennia but I never felt grief.  In fact, even empathy is something that is impossible for my kind.  I know you feel sad but I don’t know how to fix you.”

Strangely that did cheer Duvessa up a little, “Thank you, truly thank you.”  It wasn’t until they were both seated in the carriage with Duvessa’s attendant that she spoke again.  “Do you know what they are going to do for the temple dedication?  How long will it take?” 

“Usually they simply give a benediction for the god which the temple is dedicated to, but in this case, they are dedicating a new grand temple.  That means they have to honor every Scion and Loheim in the pantheon instead of just one.  At least they leave out the ascendants or you would be there until sunset.   

When the carriage arrived, Duvessa's attendant helped her out of her carriage.  She bid farewell to Solier and walked into the temple where she was guided to her seat in the middle of several other nobles.  She was the youngest in attendance by far.

She tried not to fall asleep during the slow procession of clergy and finally the dedication began.  The priest gave introductions and began his “praise” of the gods.

“We give praise to the three who sit above all.  The Daughter of Light, The Dark Mother, and the Wise Matron.”

“We give praise to the five Scions of Creation, whose power shaped the realms.” 

“We praise Celeste, the Scion of Life, who gives life to all things and nourishes it with her sacred waters”

“We Praise Agram, the Scion of Nature, who gives the world growth and shelter beneath his mighty woods.”

“We praise Marson, the Scion of Chaos, who gives endless change and prosperity through the seasons.  And whose fire brings us prosperity.” 

“We praise Calista, the Scion of Death, who maintains the great cycle.  We return to her earth so that life may begin anew.”

“We praise Forstas, the Scion of Order, whose laws are the foundation of society, and whose metal and architecture are the foundation of our kingdoms.”

“We give honor to the fifteen Loheim, the great gods who watch over creation and bless us mortals with their gifts.”

“We honor Ashran, the Father of Dynasties, who blesses our leaders and provides them with wisdom and grace to rule with his acumen.”

“We honor Waer, the Blessed Union, who blesses our families and the love between them, binding them together in her name.”

“We honor her sister Sandira, the Lover, who blesses the lovers of the world ,she whose beauty is unmatched and who ignites the passion in all mortals.”

“We honor Orin, the Philosopher, who blesses our scholars with knowledge and our mages with magic.”

“We honor Merrick the God of War. who blesses the soldiers and warriors with strength and honor.”

“We honor Syllanar, the Judge of the Dead, who reminds us that we will all one day face judgement.”

“We honor Paras, the Sun and Sky, the lord of life bringing fire whose gaze watches over all living things.”

“We honor and fear Yavva, the Moon and Stars, who gives light to the darkness, who will both reveal and hide things in the dark shadows.”

“We honor and fear Gram, The Night Hunter, who blesses those who seek prey in darkness and shadows, and revels in the hunt”

“We honor Tintilli, the Trickster, who blesses the whimsical, and whose merriment brings both joy and misfortune to mortal kind.”

“We honor and fear Kastel, The Sword of Vengeance, who seeks only the harshest punishments for those who break the law, and blesses those who take justice in their own hands.”

“We honor Pathos, the Hammer of Justice, who blesses the courts and judges and gives strength to those who seek to enact his divine will” 

“We honor and fear Nyxie, the Thief, who reminds us that nothing that we allow to be easily taken, is truly ours.”

“We honor Brynne the Songstress, whose divine melodies soothe the creatures of the realms and bring joy to the masses.”

“Lastly we honor Tobias, the Coming Storm, whose portents and flowing waters guide us through the troubling times we must all face.”

“In the name of the three, the five, and the fifteen, may this temple be blessed.  Exzn carot vuld ner ghaust vein.”  The priest tapped his staff down and a wave of energy spread through the newly dedicated grand temple.  Duvessa felt uneasy as the holy energy flowed through her.  She now realized why her mother didn’t come.  Her blood may be diluted, but her mother was still a cambion.  Enough to be called a true demon.  Coming here for this dedication would be quite painful for her.

She hurried out, skipping the greetings with the priests and grateful that the ceremony was over.  Solier was waiting for her at the carriage.  “There, that wasn’t so bad was it?  You look like something is troubling you though.”

“Where is he?  Where is my uncle?  I want to know what he looks like.”

“I’ll point him out when he comes out.  Did the dedication bring any burning questions to mind?  Hearing from the gods is only getting one half of the story after all.”

“Why do they all have titles except for Merrick?  They all had fancy titles but he was just called the God of War?”

“Oh, that's because he is an idiot.  When he took up the mantle from the previous god of war they asked him to pick a title and that was all he could come up with.”      

“You’re joking.”

“Perhaps.”

“What was said at the end of the ceremony?  It was in a language I had never heard before.”

“Let me guess…’Exzn carot vuld ner ghaust vein’?”  Duvessa nodded and she continued, “It is from a language never spoken in the realms.  No mortal knows what it really means.  Ah, there he is.  The king's entourage, the five most important nobles in Rhaetia.  Your uncle is second from the left.”

She looked upon the man she hated the most in this world for the first time.  There he was, her enemy, the one that killed her father and half siblings, and him…  The man she would one day kill.  The man didn’t even know she existed, but one day that would change.  “You didn’t answer my question about what was said at the end.  You said no mortal knows what it means, but you are not mortal.”

Solier sighed, “It means…” she hesitated.

“Tell me”

“It means ‘May the chains that bind the unmakers never break’”