"Where shall your Wisdom guide you?"

The Cosmic Sanctuary.
This location is flooded with shallow, crystal clear water. Elegant white coral arcs up in great, curving spires, all pointing towards the fore of this small sanctuary, high atop the Lodestar Athenaeum. While the structure above has opened up to reveal the heavens, the Star of Celest high above so that its radiance might rain down into the location during the darker hours of the day. To the west the balcony parts slightly to reveal the tumbling waters of the nearby falls, rushing past in a celebration of life and the fluidity of the azure element. Rich pearls lie entwined in networks of coral, their surfaces radiating effulgent starlight reflected from the stars above, while the coral themselves hold aloft small basins formed from large seashell halves, shimmering, pure water held within. An elegant statue of Saint Tresalyne, the Starlit Saint towers at the fore of the sanctuary, eyes upon the heavens with his hands cupped before him. Her expression calm and measured, the impassive statue of a priestess holding a fallen warrior purges nearby shadows with her zealous light.
You see a single exit leading south.

[probe shrine]
This regal statuette has been carved from white alabaster to depict the impassive features of a veiled priestess, her arms gently cradling a fallen warrior. Countless scars and wounds mark the warrior's beaten body as the statue bears silent witness to all he has suffered, having at last having found peace beyond the battlefield as his blade slips from his lifeless fingers. As she reaches for the sword's hilt with a solemn reverence, the priestess takes up the mantle of what he has left behind as a white halo radiates from the sword in her hand, purging all nearby shadows with its brilliant, zealous light.
It weighs about 375 pounds.
It has the following aliases: shrine.

You let loose a long breath from your lungs, exhaling slowly.

You think to yourself: ...do not be a wilting flower.

Kneeling humbly, you press your palms together before you and close your eyes momentarily as you pray devoutly to Lantra, the Empyreal, "Hail, Lady Empyreal," their soft voice is respectful, the dark sea that makes up their mind stretching on for seemingly infinity; calm, unmoving, reflecting the shrouded sky above. "I have a question, or several, if You are willing to humor me... I understand if You do not wish to answer. What is the symbolism of Your star lotus? Is there a reason in particular that You chose it?" There is a pause, ribbons of flickering light and darkness dancing in the sky of their mind. "There is a phrase that has come up with members of Your Order: 'as above, so below'. A member of Your Order - Alarin - has given some insight into how they interpret it: 'as They do, so shall we do'. I was curious to know Your own standing, or views, upon it. Thank You.".

You have emoted: Esei considers the shrine for a moment longer, dark eyes slightly narrowed.

There is a gentle flicker in the aether, pulsing with soft curiosity, as a feminine voice asks, "Yours is a curious request, child of the shadows."

You have emoted: Esei's shoulders stiffen, eyes flicking to scan the room even as their head tilts curiously.

"Does your patron, the Lord Silent, know of your interest in My affairs?" the Goddess continues, Her voice breathless as a sigh on a soothing wind.

It is now the 13th of Tzarin, 594 years after the Coming of Estarra.
There are 13 days until the New Moon.

Softly, you whisper, "He does not."

Soothing winds blow in with a calming sigh, drawing a veil of water and light that reveals a hazy figure standing alone in the mist.

[probe figure]
Barely discernible in a haze of mist, this veiled figure possesses a feminine silhouette that is at once here and not, as if her true being is beyond true comprehension. She moves with the mystical grace of water; at times, her very existence ripples like the reflection of a gazing pool, while other moments, she blurs like a mirage dancing in the light. Starlight shrouds her in a white mantle of sidereal radiance, twinkling to reveal countless constellations that form and reform to robe her in the full panoramic vista of the stars. Within her hands, a single star lotus radiates a celestial glow, blossoming in eternal bloom.
A veiled figure shrouded in starlight does not even register your presence as a threat.
She is strangely weightless.
You cannot see what a veiled figure shrouded in starlight is holding.
It has the following aliases: figure.

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "You choose the right place to speak to Me, I note. The city of New Celest is more to My liking than speaking among the Wyrd and shadows."

You have emoted: Esei turns to face the figure, bowing their head respectfully.

A veiled figure shrouded in starlight cups her hands together in offering. Motes of light unfurl to reveal a single star lotus in her palm, lingering there with radiant beauty.

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "You wished to ask Me of the star lotus. Why?"

You have emoted: Esei's head tilts the other way, black eyes alighting on the lotus in the figure's palm. "I only sought knowledge," they say quietly, clasping their hands behind their back. "And I know rather few in Your Order who would likely be willing to answer if they knew, Lady Empyreal."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "It is a curiosity, not a rebuke. For I had not thought those who serve your Lord to be overly fond of flowers."

Slowly, you say, "...there are few of His who do, I imagine. We all share a distaste for the snapdragons, but that does not automatically include every flower."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "I see." There is a pause, rippling in the aether with the quiet consideration of a measured thought. "Your patron did not always despise flowers so, either. But you know that better than I, in truth. His affairs with the Bloom are new knowledge to Me, and admittedly have surprised Me. In the time before Our exile to the Void, They were much... different, than They are now." Then the statement is briskly turned aside, like a thought that has occupied too much space and too much time. "What do you know of the star lotus, then?"

You have emoted: Esei's left ear flicks, eyes lowering briefly to the floor to study a single point on its surface before looking up once more. "In truth, very little, Lady Empyreal," they reply. "It is a flower You claim as Your symbol, as I recall, and is generally waterborne."

Shadows swirl around your arm as the Fingerblade of dha'Wyrden-cree digs itself more painfully into your finger.

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "Yes. It is a flower that is found flowering in the darkness of water and underground, flourishing bright in the shadows of adversity."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "It is a light in the darkness, even all other lights have gone out."

You have emoted: Esei pulls a stray blackthorn petal from their crow feather mantle as they listen, tilting their head in understanding.

A flash! Another! And another still! The storm clouds above shudder from the onslaught of lightning, their silvery down woven with hidden scripture illuminated from within.

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "I presume your Lord has His own thoughts of Me, child, just as I have My own thoughts regarding Him. But know this. The path of the Hamadhi has ever been a difficult one to press upon, and I have known My share of doubts, despair, and strife while I have trodden upon it. When the world offers you no kindness and no recourse, you must know how where to find the source of your convictions -- to look for the light that shall lead you through your trials, even in the coldest and most unforgiving of places."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "This is the significance of the star lotus."

You have emoted: Esei nods slowly, even as their face remains expressionless.

You whisper, "Thank You, then, for answering my question, Lady Empyreal."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "I would ask you a question in return, however."

You tilt your head curiously.

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "You have spent much time in company of My Cheliyi. May I ask what your intentions are regarding her?"

Great waves crash over one another as they pour in from the south, finally swirling together before solidifying into Tridemon.

You have emoted: For a moment, Esei remains motionless as though they were a statue, not even breathing. Then, they say, voice no louder than a whisper, "She is one I once called sister." They pause for another long moment, eyes flicking up to gaze past the figure. "But now... she's little else than an ally in the city of the Light, whose perspective is helpful in regards to others who reside here."

Tridemon looks at you for a moment, noting that you seem busy, and turns to leave the room.

Tridemon turns towards the south and steps forward, instantly collapsing into a torrent of water that rushes outwards with a thunderous crash of water.

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "I see." A long, almost uncomfortable silence descends as the figure considers your words, the mist churning in shimmering waves of cosmic light. There is a familiarity to these mists, as if you have seen them elsewhere, in another manner, clinging to a different Elder with nascent shadow. "I suppose you have much in common with your patron indeed, then."

You have emoted: Remaining in their own silence, Esei bows their head, as though in acknowledgement of the statement.

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "You had another query, did you not?"

Softly, you say, "Aye. It is a common phrase in Your Order, I understand. 'As above, so below.' I was curious to know its meaning, if You were willing, Lady Empyreal."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "It is not a phrase that belongs to Me alone. It was commonly spoken among the Hamadhi of the Third Circle."

Gently pressing three fingers to her brow, then drawing them down to rest upon her heart, a veiled figure shrouded in starlight intones, "As above, so below." As the words leave her lips, a bright aura suffuses her form with a calm, soothing white light.

A veiled figure shrouded in starlight says, "What is seen above reflects that which is within."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "Such was reflected in Fain's betrayal, when His mask became His true face."

Despite the soft voice of the figure before you, there is a quiet undercurrent of a threat as the Traitor's name is spoken aloud, suffocating in its calm statement.

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "What will you do with this knowledge, I wonder? Where shall your Wisdom guide you, as a child of the shadows and a servant of the Silent Lord?"

You have emoted: Esei inhales and then exhales slowly. "I could not yet say," they reply, quietly, after a moment of consideration. "There are always many branching paths in the future, and I will simply have to see which one I will take, Lady Empyreal."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "It can be difficult to see a destination from the shadows, yes, and without a light to guide you to a place beyond the darkness. Perhaps you will be like your lord in that way, too -- content to merely wander, aimless, in the murk and the gloom."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "All I ask is that you not lead My Cheliyi astray in such a manner. Consider this the only warning you shall receive in that regard."

You have emoted: Esei nods once, silent, their black eyes finally gazing directly at a veiled figure shrouded in starlight for a moment before looking away again.

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "May this knowledge grant you Wisdom, child of the shadows. And may My warning not fall upon deaf ears. Your lord is many things, but He is not unobservant. In this regard, I hope you resemble Him, also."

A gentle rain whispers into existence, bearing with it a passing veil of mist; when it vanishes, the shimmering figure is no longer to be found.

You let loose a long breath from your lungs, exhaling slowly.