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The Education of Kala Leukos, ii: Meditation and Prayer
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 8:00 pm
by Kala Leukos
63 Ash 120
The Temple of the Fallen Skies
When the sky taxi crested above the clouds, Kala gasped. There were works of art dedicated to and describing the ancient Orkhan temple, but for all their virtuosity, the experience of it with her own eyes was something else entirely. The small craft bobbed along, keeping level with the clouds as though they were merely a ship upon the sea. Even the steady buzz of Kaus' thoughts ceased to spout facts about eberrite to her inner ear as he looked on in wonder. There were stately ruins, but also an impressive array of buildings that remained miraculously unfazed by the passage of time.
The seats of temporal power in Kalzasi had been impressive, but this view gave her a shudder, her soul recognizing the numinous, perhaps. What esoteric whispers still lingered in the halls of this place? Would the Crystal Lady hear her prayers more clearly from within? This was the first time she had felt true awe since leaving Starfall. She could feel the same from Kaus mirrored back over the bond that remained both of their foundations in life.
It was a simple thing to take things for granted in life. The Academy taught the science of magic. The Gods had reached down and given their ancestors transformative wings. For Kala, however, there was a draw to the mysticism of it all. Magic, the Gods — they may be things reducible for mortal consumption, but in her reality, they were too great, too complex, and so while one must use the cognitive skills one was born with, one must also acknowledge the unknowable, the ineffable, and she wanted desperately to know the mind of the Gods insofar as she could. Some had called it hubris; perhaps it was. But for the tiny girl whose brothers could fly, she had always sought to keep up with those who had been given greater advantage, while also recognizing the advantages of her birth. It was a strange tightrope walk, her life. She would fly as close to the Sun as she could, being mindful that her wings were only as good as the wax and wishing of her heart.
Her reverie abated somewhat at the gentle tapping of the skyship's wooden frame with the stone quay. So high above the ground, this place felt more real, more solid under her feet than the ground below did. She wondered what life would be like here, as high as she might go without wings. Of course, she could always buck tradition, purchase a skyship of her own and live the life of a buccaneer. But no...
Dressed soberly for their small pilgrimage, they availed themselves to the directions of a helpful novice, and found their way inside. Perhaps they would take a more formal tour; perhaps they would wander. But first, she lit a candle for her father's departed soul in a small chapel for the veneration of ancestors and lit a stick of incense for the Gods. They knelt side-by-side but cloistered their minds from each other. Sometimes, even though they knew each other's every secret, such a division was a good thing. They were not alone. One could reach out and touch the other for reassurance, but the soul did require isolation at times in order to meditate properly.
"Prayer to speak," she murmured.
"Meditation to listen," Kaus replied.
Time passed. They weren't keeping track. All the same, Kala was a mite surprised to find Kaus still meditating when she was finished. Patient, she waited for him to finish, still kneeling. She watched the faintly blue smoke of her incense and the meandering trail it took toward the open air through a window. Incense, a stand-in for Air. Though she did not engage with her aether, she did pray to the personality she sensed when she worked with Air that it would be the element that answered her when she met her arche.
Her smile was sweet when Kaus looked her way. Their minds opened to each other again, fitting like a hand in glove. They rose and walked out of the chapel to see what there was to be seen.
The horizontal is the line of reason, the vertical is the line of prayer.
Don't worry about your horizons.
Someday, you won't even know it, they will disappear.
Re: The Education of Kala Leukos, ii: Meditation and Prayer
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:21 pm
by Paragon
She was walking. The clouds drifted around her like the gentle waves of a misty sea. Her gown was as black as the midnight skies, with plum violet hues that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. Though her eyes were clouded with what many would believe to be blindness, she could see clearer than most. Her hair was as the color of twilight, or perhaps the pale morning dawn, a rosy contrast to the smoky tones of her dark skin. It glowed with the radiance of the sun or perhaps it was with the soft light of an evening campfire. In her right hand she carried a black staff that bore a mirror-like shine and in its surface there seemed to be a thousand stars. Cradled in her left arm was the slumbering form of a small wyrmling, with scales as black as the eberrite staff in her hand. Gently she thumbed over the scales of the wyrmling as he purred softly in his dreams.
She was walking. Through the clouds and over them until in her path there stood two pilgrims, entering the quiet sanctity of a small chapel. It was a quiet place, a place where she had heard many prayers and seen many vigils. It was a place of peace and a place of mourning all in one. These things she understood. These things she was given to understand. The black wyrmling nuzzled in closer, seeking out her warmth. She gave it. She could not say what bade her to stay where she was, there among the cloud-sea of the daylight skies. Perhaps it was because she was supposed to be there. Perhaps it was because she enjoyed watching the pilgrims as they payed respects to their departed loved ones, loved ones who were never truly gone, merely waiting for their next journey. These things she knew. These things she was given to know.
So it was that she still remained, there in the cloud-sea, watching the pale pilgrims as they stepped out of their chapel. She watched them as they embraced their hearts and their minds. She could see the bond between them. Just as she could see many things when it was time to see them. It was a beautiful thing and she was glad for it. The little wyrmling, cradled gently in the crook of her arm, opened his eyes and mewled softly as he stretched his wings. The little one peered curiously at the pilgrims as they exited the chapel and she knew he knew what it was for. Black dragons always knew the realm of death for it was given to them to know such things.
She did not hide. She did not move to speak to the two mortals as they came into plain view of her and the young dragon in her care. She merely watched. Would they speak? Would they stare? It mattered not to her. They had prayed. She had heard them. Perhaps that was why she was there. Only Vicis, the Mother of All Fate, would decide if that were true. So she waited. She had waited for many things in her time. She waited for many things still. But she would find them in time or they would find her. Fate, was sometimes funny that way.
Re: The Education of Kala Leukos, ii: Meditation and Prayer
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:54 pm
by Kala Leukos
The sunlight was bright here above the line of clouds, less guarding them against the Sun's rays. All things in nature could be beneficial or not given the right circumstances. The Sun could warm the earth, tease new life out of it, or beat it to death like a brutal overseer's whip. Neither extreme was true just then, but Kala shaded her eyes with her hands as she took in the view again, wondering where their feet would lead them today. Kaus had less of a problem with it, his body made for flight, after all. It was more than wings—his eyes, their blue the same as her own, narrowed to slits, pupils constricting to nearly nothing, and he could see.
For a moment, she wondered if it was Air's answer, that up here where the air was rarefied, her mind would reel. But then, this was a holy place, was it not? She daren't open her senses to the aether? If anything, it would only show her more without telling her anything she couldn't see with her own, mortal, mundane eyes. Something in the shape of a woman trod the clouds as though they were a snowy, misting plain, a young dragon cradled like a child. There was a Presence that she sensed with senses she didn't know she had. Catching her drift, Kaus blinked and his sharper gaze swung around to fix on the not woman.
They bowed in tandem. It was lower than any obeisance they would show the Shokaze, but they did not grovel. If the Gods wanted slaves, they would have been born enchained. The twins did not know what—or Who—they saw, but they deferred politely.
It was Kala who spoke. Of course, it was Kala who spoke. But Kaus remained staunchly by her side in all things. If the Entity had not wanted their attention, She would not have bothered to be seen. Or that was the logic she was able to muster.
"Good day, Spirit," she said, though the honorific implied many more layers of meaning than it would in Common. The older languages were like that. "Is there aught You require?"
Companions the creator seeks, not corpses, not herds and believers.
Fellow creators the creator seeks -- those who write new values on new tablets.
Companions the creator seeks, and fellow harvesters;
for everything about him is ripe for the harvest.
Re: The Education of Kala Leukos, ii: Meditation and Prayer
Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2020 8:54 pm
by Paragon
The wyrmling wriggled in her grasp. She adjusted her arm so that he could unfurl and inspect the two mortals that had captured his attention. The young dragon let out a curious trill followed by the makings of a hiccuping snort. She smiled at him.
“Go on, little one. It is safe.” The wyrmling propped himself up, wiggled slightly and then extended his wings. He flapped them, teetering in the air for a moment before slowly making his way over to the twins. The wyrmling dipped a few times along the way but there was a determined effort in his path toward the two mortals. She had no fear of the little one falling. She would not allow it but dragons were independent creatures and it was best to encourage that independence. After a short distance, the wyrmling landed on the ledge of the cliff. He scrambled to pull himself up. After pulling himself up onto the solid earth, the wyrmling was panting slightly but looked pleased with himself. He looked back to her as though to say, Look, I did it.
“Yes. You did.” She closed some of the distance between herself, the wyrmling and the two mortals. Her gait was slow but purposeful.
“This one requires an answer, if they would be so inclined to give it.” She quirked her head at the two mortals, an indulgent smile on her face as she watched the wyrmling inspect them. The little dragon hobbled around to Kaus’s back in order to sniff at his wings. The feathers tickled his nose causing the wyrmling to snort and sneeze. He then moved on to sniff at Kala. This made her laugh. Young dragons always made her laugh. She turned her eyes back to the mortals.
“Your prayers, they were given in good faith and mourning. She would ask them, to whom did they pray? For whom did they pray? She heard them but they were as whispers on the winds. She is curious.” The gods always heard the prayers of mortals, far clearer than she ever would. She heard clearly only what she was given to hear. So it made her wonder, what had drawn her to these two? She had heard the soft murmurings of their vigil so it must have meant she was meant to hear them. Sometimes the gods answered prayers. Sometimes they were silent, encouraging mortals to discover the answers themselves. Sometimes they sent ones such as herself to act in their stead. She surmised that this must have been one of those moments.
Re: The Education of Kala Leukos, ii: Meditation and Prayer
Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2020 7:45 pm
by Kala Leukos
When the young dragon flew toward them, it seemed only right to approach the balustrade separating them from the sky. Kaus wanted to leap, to meet the creature halfway. As a boy, he had dreamed of a dragon companion. He was technically still a boy, his Warren March incomplete, though physically, he was grown to adulthood. His patience was rewarded by its curious climbing. The slight Avialae's laughter was pure delight, and Kala grinned as well at her inspection, though there was, perhaps, a hint of sadness to it, whether because the Spirit began to speak of their losses or something else was open to guessing.
"To Wraedan," he said, "asking that He watch over Father's soul. To Raella, thanking Her that she helped him give us life."
"To Malgar," she added, their minds often working closely in tandem, "that our suffering lead us to Keela rather than bitterness. It is always too early to lose a parent, I think, and years have passed. Our years with him were treasures." She paused, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, suddenly diffident. If anything, she had learned that this was a loss everyone eventually shared in if they knew and loved their father, if they outlived him—or a mother, or some other person who nurtured and protected them.
"We were brought up to respect all the Gods and Mistlords, whether or not we devote worship or service to them." Kaus looked thoughtful. "I may have asked Father if he could put in a good word with Zedros for me. Soon I have to prove myself a man, and the trial is dangerous."
Kala looked for a moment from the Spirit and the wyrmling to her brother, for ultimately he was more important to her than anything else. Perhaps the Spirit got a sense of what lengths she would go to in order to keep him hale and hearty. If she could bear up under the loss of their father when they were young, she might not long survive the loss of her twin. The thing that connected them was a foundation. If it was severed, the remaining twin would bleed out, or so they imagined.
"And I may have asked him to put in a good word for me with the Crystal Lady," Kala added begrudgingly. Sometimes the twins were so in sync, she could feel wings like phantom limbs. She had always tried not to be bitter, but it was a desire that would not go away. If she spoke to Malgar, she often asked that that particular brand of suffering lead her somewhere other than bitterness. She wanted to be wise and enlightened, but she was also very young.
"For Mother," Kaus continued; then Kala, "and Aquilios. For our people of the Mountain. We have come here to learn and grow, but our duties will return us to them eventually. To serve."
Re: The Education of Kala Leukos, ii: Meditation and Prayer
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 1:14 pm
by Paragon
The little wyrmling seemed to perk up at the mention of the Dragon God of Death. He sat down on the ground in front of the twins, peering up at them curiously. After a moment, the dragon let out a trill and a coo, it was a peaceful sound. It was a sound that held within it the boundless wonder of a youngling fascinated with the world but with insights that elders sometimes lost sight of. Wraedan was a god that every black dragon knew instinctively. He was their patron, their maker and in some ways, he was their ancestor though not in the sense that mortals would understand. She smiled at the young dragon, happy that he was unafraid and bold in the face of his curiosity. As the twins listed off the deities that they were paying homage to, she nodded.
“She has met the Grimlord. She has not had the pleasure of meeting many other gods but she has met a few. She knows this, Wraedan is a kind god to those deserving of kindness. Of the Mistlords, she knows…” She searched her thoughts. She knew some things. She knew a sacred charge, a promise and an oath made. “...she knows what she is given to know of them.”
She nodded as the twins continued on their explanation of whom they prayed to and for what. It seemed to her that these young ones were hungry for purpose. It was a good thing and she wanted good things for them. Her attention grew focused however, when the young woman spoke of the Crystal Lady. At the mention of her, the little wyrmling hobbled back and curled up as though in fear.
“You seek the Crystal Lady?” There was a hollowness to her voice. She knew of the Crystal Lady that the Avialae so revered. It was a reverence she understood but it was one she approached with the utmost caution. The attention of that goddess was as dangerous as it was glorious.
“Pray, you are wise in what you ask of Her. She may just give it to you. If she does, you may find yourself asking if it was something you truly needed or just a fantasy you only wanted.” Her words were not spoken in mockery. They were honest and born from her knowledge of the gods. Mortals were free to make their choices. This she knew. This she encouraged. It would have been unwise for her to not give caution to two so young, when they so eagerly reached out to the powers that be. Stepping forward, she reached down and scooped up the wyrmling who made a squawk of protest. She chuckled.
“Come, little one. We must get you to the others.” She looked upon the twins then. “She thanks you for your time. In exchange, she gives you a gift.”
Reaching up, she took a single strand of her radiant hair and plucked it from her head. Extending it to the twins, she smiled at them.
“In darkness, it may yet provide a light to guide the way.” She spoke nothing more about what they might discover with a strand of her hair. If it was enlightenment that the twins sought, they would be able to uncover its secrets for themselves. Once the strand was taken, she gave them both a slight bow.
“May the road you walk, lead you to curious places.” A parting or perhaps it was a promise. If she didn’t know better, she thought she might have seen the shimmer of red wings in the distance. Vicis was a curious goddess, always weaving a story that never ended. To see a red dragon, well, it was a portent for change. She wondered then, where would the story of the twins lead? Perhaps that would be given to her to know.
Re: The Education of Kala Leukos, ii: Meditation and Prayer
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 5:12 pm
by Kala Leukos
Kala tucked her skirts under her knees as she knelt, putting herself on the wyrmling's level while he sat down before them, unperturbed by creatures bigger than he was. Kaus remained standing. There was something to that stance of a boy playing at being a man, a reaction to a culture that required he prove it by defying death rather than just accepting it as they did his sister's maturity. But it wasn't a thought, only something deeper. Kala held a hand out, visible and available, but waiting for consent to pet him as she would a cantankerous cat, for the wyrmling was surely more dangerous if upset.
"We all know what we are given to know, Lady," she said with a rueful smile up to the Spirit.
The both of them listened to the advice of the Spirit, noting the wyrmling's reactions. When he sought the Spirit's embrace again, Kaus offered an unthinking and unnecessary hand up to his sister, who took it without thought to stand at her modest full height. Indeed, her admonition was taken to heart, though Kala could not quite wrap her head around the idea that her greatest desire might be the desire of a tragic hero. She would meditate upon it in future, but she was too young to be wise even in her own estimation. But she could only listen to her heart and attempt to apply her mind to what she felt.
"Thank you," they said in unison as Kala accepted the fragile-seeming strand of glowing hair. She held it carefully to her chest, not sure what they had done to deserve the attention, let alone the gifts, of a sacred entity. They bowed in return.
Kaus thought he saw a flash of red wings in the periphery of his vision, though he couldn't pull his attention away from the Spirit.
"Ought we to... remember you in our prayers, Lady?" he asked. Feeling a flush of approval for the question from his sister.
I need it all; I don't know where to begin
I carry more than you see; my dreams are bigger than me
Please bring me light; I bear a shadow
I call them back to me so they could feed me
Re: The Education of Kala Leukos, ii: Meditation and Prayer
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:57 pm
by Paragon
When Kala reached for the wyrmling he quirked his head curiously at her. Leaning his head forward, the little beast sniffed at her hand before leaning into her touch. His scales, a vibrant obsidian, while possessing a rougher texture were not a barrier to enjoying a healthy dose of petting. The wyrmling seemed to have little in the way of fear when it came to interacting with them. Whether that was because he was a dragon or because of the presence of the spirit it was unclear.
“Young dragons, they are wondrous things. Filled with curiosity and an eagerness to learn. This one is on her way to return him to his Fang. He was lost to them during a recent storm. He will be eager to return to his mother here in the mountains.” After the spirit had scooped up the wyrmling and gifted the twins with her strand of hair she paused before moving on to continue her journey.
“She is not a goddess. You needn’t pray to her. But if you would seek her, she goes by the name of Saedene, called the Lady of the Midnight Mourning. Call for her and if your need be true, she may answer if it be the will of the gods.” With that, the spirit gave the twins a slight bow and began once again making her journey through the clouds. She had some way yet to go, for the den of the dragons that lived in the mountains was well hidden and well guarded but they would rejoice at the return of one of their children.
Re: The Education of Kala Leukos, ii: Meditation and Prayer
Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2020 5:04 pm
by Kala Leukos
"Thank you, Lady Saedene," she said. "My Lady," Kaus chimed in. They bowed and watched her stately departure along with the young dragon.
Their minds somewhat lulled by the presence of a divine, albeit not a God, there was silence between them for some time even after they could no longer see her. Call it awe. Call it something else if there was a name for it. Eventually, their minds shook off some of that as they became more awake. Perhaps the mortal mind needed to dream in order to filter the immensity of the Divine into mere mortal terms. They looked around, remembering where they were, marking it as the place where something, someone, larger than themselves had seen them and spoke to them.
Midnight Mourning had come in the middle of the day, curious about their prayers and meditations. Was she an omen? Ought they to tell some priest on the premises about their experience or keep it to themselves? How best to honor the gift and keep it safe? They even silently conversed about the nature of their visitation. Kala thought, perhaps, an Annai for her poetic title. Kaus thought, perhaps, an Ara, but he was more liable to find things and people grander than they were. In most cases, it was merely a matter of perspective. In this, however, it was perhaps less helpful and—Kala interjected—less likely. The more august the divine personage, the less likely to deign to speak to them.
Unless they were special.
Were they special?
They had been treated as such when they were very small, their people remembering the twin birth whenever Mother fell ill afterward. A core bond from before birth was strange to everyone except for those who experienced it and knew nothing else. They had never felt special, not in the way people had sometimes looked at them before they got to know the little lord and lady as no different from any other children.
In the end, they elected to keep the visitation to themselves for now, at least. They were silent mostly for the rest of their tour of the Temple, familiarizing themselves with what was open to them, respectful of those places which were barred to them. Then, they descended from the clouds to return to their home, still higher up than most of the city's denizens.
Later, at midnight, the strand of Saedene's hair braided into her own for safekeeping, she lit a candle in the open casement window. Kaus lit the incense that would waft out more lazily than the flicker of candlelight in the autumnal breeze. Knowing she would hear, they thanked her for her time, wished her well in her efforts, and remembered her. They would not worship the Lady of Midnight Mourning, but they would not forget her either.
Ever high, never fall; you can do no wrong at all
In this heaven up above filled with everlasting love
To the light
Re: The Education of Kala Leukos, ii: Meditation and Prayer
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 9:01 am
by Mirage
Kala
Lores
Religion: Saedene, the Lady of the Midnight Mourning
Meditation: Still the Mind
Meditation: Observing Thoughts
Meditation: Listening to the Divine
Meditation: Prayer Is Speaking
Meditation: Revisiting Old Losses
Meditation: Releasing Old Pain
Biology: Wyrmling Anatomy Basic
Biology: Wyrmling Behavior Basic
Etiquette: Speaking to Divinity.
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Points 8
Comments: Curiouser and curiouser. What was Saedene doing there? Why now? Most interesting indeed.
