Thomas
The God and his Prophet
The Hecate Gardens, Rikolto, Akno, Terresol


The air was cooling rather quickly, and the shade made by the 8 large canopy trees gave the entire patio an almost brisk atmosphere.  The setting sun made the shadows grow and block out any resistance of light that had managed to peek through during the day.  It was calm and peaceful, despite the constant hum that came from the plaza outside the temple.  Demetri walked through the cobbled pathways, Tiny Vik sitting atop his shoulders.  The pair resembled a parent offering his child a better view of a parade.  Demetri held onto his Lord's shins, and Vik gripped the egg of the Visionary's crown as a sort of makeshift set of reins.


"The air is dry tonight."  Vik observed, attempting to start a conversation, but Demetri had retreated into his head.


"Are you alright, Demetri?"  He said, after a moment.  The Visionary perked up at the second sentence.


"I'm sorry, My Lord, I was lost in thought."


"Were you thinking about Francis?"  Vik leaned around Demetri's head to look the boy in the eyes.


"No, My Lord."  He averted his gaze.  "You have not reprimanded me for my failed task."


"Why should I?"  Vik responded simply, raising his left leg over Demetri's head, and leaping from his shoulder to the ground.


"I failed you, and in doing so the Magistrate has sinned against you.  I matched her in words, but only that, I failed to bring in victory.  I failed the Pilgrimage."  Demetri knelt before Vik, bowing his head in shame.  Vik placed a finger under the lad's chin and raised it gently.


"Tiddlywinks?"  Vik turned slightly and called to a nearby rosebush.


"*Mraow*?" A black and orange tabby stretched under the bush and came trotting out at the call of his master.


"What would you do, if your troops attacked an objective, did everything in their power, even gained a foothold and pushed it, yet failed to complete the final objective?"

Tiddlywinks sat down at the edge of the cobblestone, preferring the feeling that grass gave to his feet, and let out a large yawn before replying.


"*Mraoow*."  Came the reply after the cat looked Demetri up and down.


"You mean you wouldn't execute the soldiers on the spot for failing ultimately?"


"*Mraow*." Said Tiddlywinks, before starting the tedious process of licking the grime from between his toes.


"'I'd try again from a better position.' Thank you, General."  Vik quoted the cat word for word and turned back to Demetri.  "You gave us a start, Demetri.  My instructions were to throw the festival, getting permission was the secondary objective."


"But... My Lord-"  Vik raised the finger on Demetri's chin to his lips.


"Don't let your own ambition outweigh your accomplishments.  You did everything you could with what was given you, and despite your point of view, we didn't fail."


Demetri was confused, protesting the logic.


"But there was a riot!"


"And my child has delivered the perpetrator to the jail."


"The Wisdoms will say we started the riot."


"Then we'll have to tell them we didn't do it."


"They won't believe us."


"The evidence is all there, if they don't it's their own fault."


"And that will also rest on my shoulders."


Vik sighed, turning away from the boy and shaking his head.


"I once had a beehive."  He began, a fable for his legend no doubt.


"Well, technically I had three.  When I started the first beehive, I lured a number of workers from a natural hive to one of my own creation by relocating the queen and the birthing chambers, the workers naturally followed.  After a few years there was a sickness in the land, and it killed much of the vegetation near my farm.  The bees did everything they could to repollinate the vegetables, working day and night to try to bring life back to my garden."  Vik paused, looking around at the garden they stood in now, the butterflies and hummingbirds buzzing about.

"They failed.  The sickness was brought on by forces outside of my control, and their losing battle eventually ended, but the queen survived.  My second hive started with her.  She retreated and birthed an entire colony using only the small patch of land I had brought back to life, starting completely anew.  Something was different though, for the first time in my life I saw the queen outside gathering nectar with the workers.  For the first time in evolution a queen did the same work as the worker.  It was a miracle of life, but doomed to fail.  The queen spent so much time out helping the workers that the colony eventually went into decline without her constantly birthing the next generations."


"And that was how the second hive failed?"  Demetri finished the story himself, and Vik nodded.


"Don't let yourself be blinded by the job you didn't do, Demetri, it keeps you from noticing the job you're meant to do.  My colony cannot survive without you, and everything you've done is exactly what you needed to do, what I asked you to do."


It made sense, but Demetri still had questions.

"Did you plan the riot?"

"If I had a plan for every person's emotions I would be a god of control, not desires, all we can do is redirect the desires of people.  Humans are like a river, you can't stop them, even if you put up a dam you need to redirect the flow.  We are Boatswain at her mercy, and all we can do is ride the flow."  Vik helped Demetri up, offering him a small hand he graciously took.  The pair walked hand in hand to a nearby stone bench that was placed in memoriam to some lost hero.  They sat, and the fat cat leaped into Vik's lap in search of cuddles and pets.

"What will happen to the witch?"  Demetri asked after a moment.

"I haven't decided yet, but Jarah has requested an audience as soon as he wakes up."  Vik idly scratched the cat's head.

"My lord.  Sir Demetri."  A black and purple robed Invvisi appeared and knelt, offering up a letter,  "Word from the South."

Vik opened the letter and gazed at it's contents, giggling after a moment.


"Why, he's absolutely insane.  I love it."


"My lord?"  Demetri inquired.


"Take care of things here for me, Demetri, I have some meetings to attend."  Vik pulled a large black bundle from his pack, threw it on the ground, and leaped into it with his orange tabby, leaving Demetri and the Invvisi alone in the gardens after it closed behind the unusual pair.


"You're dismissed, but please, ask the Lord Regent if I may speak with him."  The Invvisi nodded and rose to his new task.

——

Visionary Denes Hanover
Rikolto, Akno, Terresol


With the Head Visionary preoccupied, Denes was the next person the Pilgrims looked to, he was the voice while Demetri was the face.  After the false prophet was chased from the plaza, Denes began the long process of calming the people down.  The main antagonists of the riot seemed to disappear once their spokesman fled, and luckily there hadn't been any cause for casualties with the Red Guard in the temple.  Denes finished his "Soothing Speech," And began to walk amongst gte crowd, blessing people and letting them touch his hands and mask.  When there was a break in the crowd he noticed another attendant that didn't quite fit in.


"Good day, my friend, are you new to our fine city?  You've certainly dressed the part, and I have no doubt our Lord, Tiny Vik, appreciates the enthusiasm for our festival."  He paused, noticing the colors, "Interesting choice of color, though.  Nevermind, what can I do for you?  Do you seek counsel after such an ordeal?"
George
Jericho Heinrich
Rikolto, Akno, Terresol

"If you mean counsel as in an ecclesiastical meeting, it's exactly what I need after a spectacle such as that." Jericho had chuckled "But in all seriousness, I am indeed new to this city. I work with the H&R Merchants Club, the name is soon to change though... That's besides the point. See I have a proposition for the Pilgrimage, I couldn't help but bear witness to the speech given earlier and I must say that I may be able to help your cause..."

Jericho had put his hands together, tapping his finger on the top of his hands as he talked with the Visionary. "I have come to learn more about this religion and have noticed that it may need more ties... It doesn't seem to have many connections with any benefactors, otherwise the speech given earlier wouldn't have been made. What you need is someone on your side, and I can be that someone if you'd hear me out... Would you like to meet somewhere more formal so I may give you more details on what I mean?" He continued to tap his fingers.
Thomas
Visionary Denes Hanover
Rikolto, Akno, Terresol

"That would be preferable, I have some business to attend here after that fiasco. I'm interested to hear what this new Merchant's Club can bring to the table." Denes was distracted briefly by a wailing woman who begged to know Visionary Demetri's fate. Denes did his best to calm the woman, but in an attempt to not seem rude, produced a small piece of paper with his seal.

"I have an office in the keep, show this to the guards and they'll let you in to see me."

He was pulled into the crowd after that, the wailing woman no longer taking no for an answer.
George
Jericho Heinrich
Rikolot, Akno, Terresol

Jericho now with the paper in his hands sighed, this mean't he had to go back from where he just came but this time with a paper, that really spiced things up. He would remount the horse and look over the panicked populous and shook his head... If magic was real, he didn't know what to think of it. Clearly powerful stuff. He had no interest in dabbling in it himself. 

He began riding the horse back to where he came once more, the trip wasn't far and it was a calm and quiet ride there. He never realized how much he liked to ride his horse but as he rode it more it was a soothing thing, a calm before any coming storm. He stopped at the gates where the guards were, he was sure they weren't too happy to see him back but that though went away as he brought out that glorious fold of paper with the wax. 

"Gentlemen, I come back bearing this document. It was given by the Visionary himself. I require entry to this Keep... If that's alright with you two..." Jericho looked at the two expectantly through the mask, leaning forward an inch as he waited for them to respond. His eyes glistened under the near-featureless black mask.