Godly Gossip

Motes of twinkling starlight draw forth a path to the Fulcrux of the Empyreal, dizzying in their
sidereal brilliance.

You think to yourself: "Ah. At once, my Lady."

You part a sparkling veil of white mist, leaving your surroundings in a bright shimmer of water and
light.
The Fulcrux of Lantra.
The rush of running water echoes throughout this alabaster sanctuary, its white pillars surrounded
on all sides by shimmering waterfalls. Breathtaking stars twinkle across the misty falls as they
collect into a luminous gazing pool, its rippling waters clear and sparkling as they reflect the
open expanse of the celestial sky above. Caught in a graceful dance of duality, an immaculate white
koi fish circles its dark twin in the glittering depths of the basin, continuing in a silent push
and pull as their silhouettes form two halves of a whole. The white, blue and pink petals of
assorted lotus flowers crown these starry waters with their regal beauty, standing at the feet of
several stone priestesses who guard this place. The statues bow their veiled heads in silent prayer,
each bearing a tilted celadon urn that overflows with the boundless light of healing waters.
Shimmering over with water and light, a sparkling veil of white mist draws a starry curtain here.
Impossibly still at the centre of this luminous pool of water and light, a single star lotus flower
blooms brighter than all the others, its heart radiant as the dewy petals unfurl to reveal a
beautiful, enchanting light.

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "Light's blessings upon you, My Avaris."

Sinking to one knee, Avaris adopts a posture of reverence immediately upon entering
the Fulcrux - Head bowed, and all four hands clasped over his heart. "And to You, my Lady. It is
good, as ever, to hear Your voice."

The star lotus blooming at the centre of the celestial pool sparkles at your words, as if heartened
by them.

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "It has been a tumultuous few months, has it not? I received your most recent prayer
unto Me."

The pointed tip of Avaris's angular chin lowers a fraction in a minute gesture of
assent. "It has, my Lady, and yet I fear the worst is yet to come." A pause, and then, a tinge of
uncertainty colouring the myriad hues of his layered voice, "Did it...Displease You, my Lady?"

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "From what would I derive My displeasure? That you would express concern for My
Avatar, Aeldra, or that you would wish to speak with the recently freed Li-varili?"

You think to yourself: "Ah, that is a perilous path to send the mind upon. What could not one derive
displeasure from, if so set upon finding it? But that was not the question. Hm."

As gentle as a feather, a single mote of starlight drifts from the pool to rest upon your brow,
soothing and calm as it places your mind at ease.

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "You have not incurred My displeasure on either count."

A faintly metallic sound emanates from the slight tapping of Avaris's uppermost
hand's middle finger as he considers the question - Though it slows as the calming point of light
descends upon him, his antennae loosing a subtle tension at the contact. "Ah. You are endlessly kind
to me, my Lady. Thank You." Dipping his head yet lower in gratitude, the spray of his pristine white
mane frames the ridges of his jawline as he offers, "I had thought that taking such action upon
myself without first asking Your permission may have been overstepping - But I also do not wish to
consult You with every little matter."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "You know My Will and the Tenets I expect of Mine. You need not ask permission to act
upon them as you desire, for I trust in your Wisdom. Though I fear I share your concerns regarding
the Lady of the Lagoons' temperament, being..." There is a pause as the pool goes silent, save for
the falling of a single lotus petal on its waters. "Volatile, so to speak."

The mass of gently lambent feathers that cloak his back stirs with the susurrus of
a quiet breeze as Avaris's wings shift in place. "You frame it delicately, my Lady, but yes. She is,
if You will forgive the comparison to one of Your Cousins, much akin to a beast in pain. She lashes
out at the slightest motion, well-intentioned or ill."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "The Lady Carakhan shared as much of Her efforts to speak with the Goddess. It appears
great resentment and pain is held for not only the Enchantress, but also strangely the Sculptor. It
feels misplaced, somehow, and concerning that Li-varili would so rebuff the affection of one who
might truly understand Her pain. For if any Elder living aside from Her knows of the pain of
imprisonment, it is the Lady Carakhan, and if any save the Lady of the Lagoons has reason to
mistrust the Enchantress, it is likewise the Sculptor."

A lull, in which Avaris raises his head to regard the pool with some surprise, the
quartet of red lines that sweep up from behind his crest twitching aside. "My Lady. Do You not know
of the source of Lady Li-Varili's resentment towards the Sculptor? I do not endorse it, but I feel
that I can, at least, understand why She views the Lady Carakhan with bitterness."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "In truth, I knew Carakhan very little prior to the Elder Wars. Much of My time was
spent with Her sister, Amberle, one of the Firsts of the Hamadhi. It is only now in the modern era
that She and I speak, and I find there is much She prefers to keep to Herself, whirling just beneath
the surface."

You think to yourself: "Much of the Ladies of the Light is hidden - Be it beneath cold, steely
armour, churning waves, or beautiful veils of mist. Ah. How I mourn the necessity." A muted, far-off
feeling of sorrow, far behind the walls of a glinting bastion of bladed light.

Avaris nods slowly, lifting a hand free to gesture towards the pool, turning his
palm upwards in offering. "Perhaps it best that You ask Her? I do not wish to gossip of the Divine,
my Lady, but nor do I wish to see You go unarmed with knowledge that may be useful."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "I have, shall We say, more confidence in My abilities to tend to My cousins' wounds
upon a healing mound than I do in evoking such a conversations of pain and loss."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "Such was Rhapsody's gift, not Mine."

You think to yourself: The distinct impression of a mental grimace, limned by commiseration.

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "I shall take the blame, then, and admit My curiosity. It may indeed prove useful to
know the origin of Her anger, should I get the opportunity to heal Her wounds."

A stirring breeze caresses your exposed skin, sending shivers through your body.

Lowering the outstretched hand, Avaris shifts it to place long, shining fingers
lightly against the lacquered surface of his scabbarded blade - The right uppermost, white, polished
and smooth as marble. "I confess that I feel much the same, my Lady. But You know this, for You have
experienced my clumsy treading upon Your feelings firsthand." Breathing a heavy sigh, the air
vibrating subtly as it passes through the indiscernible seams of his plated mouth, he nods. "I will
not see You go to Her without this knowledge, for I feel it the wellspring of much of Her pain." He
holds up a single, gleaming finger, the sharp point catching the gentle radiance of the Fulcrux. "On
one condition, my Lady. I will take the blame, and whatever repercussions may arise - Not You."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "You make Me a generous offer, and thus I can think of no reason to refuse it. Though
I, too, shall have something to offer you when your tale is done."

Flickering light reveals the luminous shape of a star lotus blooming within the depths of a glass
ampoule of bottled starlight, its immaculate petals beckoning for your attention.

With a decisive nod, Avaris affirms, "Then the bargain is struck, my Lady. Thank
You for indulging me. A moment, to gather my thoughts on how best to frame this - Though I feel it
can be summed up rather succinctly, if...Baldly." The leftmost antenna pivots, bending down at such
a steep angle that it points directly out and over the slop of his head, the tip questing towards
the ampoule that rests upon his hip. Absently, almost reflexively, he runs a long, chitinous hand
over the cherished item, the gesture clearly one of heavily ingrained habit.

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "I shall not hold you to the expectations of the Fourth Circle, fear not."

You think to yourself: The sensation of orderly files being summoned to mind and leafed through with
rapid, clinical precision - The mangrove, the nereids, the kelpies, and finally, the visions
imparted from the token bestowed upon him for his efforts.

A soft, rich laugh hums forth from Avaris woven from a harmonising chorus of
voices, warm and light as sun-struck honey. "That is well, my Lady, and magnanimous of You."
Sobering almost immediately, he lifts his hand from the ampoule and sets it against the broad
expanse of his armoured thigh, idly rubbing the angular edge of his thumb against the curving,
gleaming armour. "You are aware of Elder Keltari?"

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "Yes. They were an Elder known for the awakening of the kelpies, and I believe took
part in the partial awakening of the Sea Spirit. Such details beyond this I do not know, save for
that They were lost, I believe, with many of the Elders who so doted upon the sea."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous poo

The curving blades of Avaris's layered crest glint like the signal-lamps of a
distant shore as they catch the light with each slow, thoghtful dipping of his chin as his Lady
speaks. "That may change, though they will be hurtful darts flung out of pain, not with any
accuracy, I feel." Exhaling quietly, he disengages his lower right hand from those that rest above
his heart, lowering it to join its mate upon his lap, the fingers entwining. "If I interpreted the
visions correctly - Which is no guarantee - Then They and the Lady Carakhan were lovers." A third
hand descends, apart from the other two, yet the sharp, grasping fingers reach for them, straining
but never touching. "The Lady Li-Varili loved Elder Keltari, and did not know of Their feelings for
the Sculptor."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "...I see. That is a most unfortunate predicament to find oneself in, I imagine."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "Those who tended the oceans, seas and shores held tight bonds. It would be no
surprise to find many held bonds tighter than those of mere friendship."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "This much I know. When wandering the Void for eons of silence, it was My memories of
Rhapsody that gave Me strength, even knowing She had been long lost to Zenos. There is a certain
calm in returning to memories that grant one joy, comfort, or solace -- it can be an obsession to
cling to that light in the darkness, when all other lights are no more."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "I cannot begin to imagine the ways that the Lady of the Lagoons preserved what
remained of Her sanity during Her ordeal upon the Morokeche Seat."

Avaris's vast shoulders lift, sending the white tufts of his man rolling up and
down like the swell of waves within a luminous sea. His tone gentles, striving to soften the words
that come next. "I would imagine so, my Lady. Heartbreak, well. You need not have I tell You how
that can be painful beyond enduring." The outer hand flees, diving down past the curve of his thigh.
"I fear that Her love for Elder Keltari was poisoned even before the Seat. Unlike You, She was not
strong enough to persist without turning Her pain outwards, to use that lost love as a touchstone to
remain true, and good. She took up company with the Enchantress, and They must have been close,
for....Well." He spreads his hands wide, tone souring, "The nereids."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "Their song does have a peculiar familiarity. It is not uncommon for Keepers of Song
to bestow Their gifts upon creations that particularly gave Them joy. Such it was for Rhapsody and
the doves, and Lyreth and the lyrebirds."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "Even fae, indeed, can sometimes be so favoured."

Avaris nods sharply. "That was my thought as well, my Lady. I cannot imagine that
the Enchantress' influence upon Her was a benign one, as She had nothing but hurtful words for Elder
Keltari when They sought to coax Her to Awaken the Sea together, rejecting Them and the offer both."
Sighing, he lifts a hand to grasp a thick tuft of white, fur-like fluff between forefinger and
thumb, picking at it. "The Elder Keltari wished to wait for the Lady of Lagoons to calm, to mend
matters, but...That never occurred." A sad note enters the melody of his voice, as he remarks, "They
thought They had an eternity to make things right. If only They had known."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "I believe I understand. It is a tangled tale, but one that holds a certain simplicity
to its truth and its pain."

"Indeed so, my Lady. The anger of a jilted, would-be lover that sought comfort in
the arms of another, while simultaneously seeking to use that as a weapon to spur jealousy and hurt.
It is, sadly, not an uncommon scenario." Avaris confirms, though he adds, "Though, as with much that
pertains to You and Your Cousins, my Lady, everything is on a much grander scale - Including the
consequences, and the stakes."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "Weaponize. That is an apt word."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "I believe Elders do, to some extent, feel more deeply and keenly than mortals, in the
sense that We are less malleable. Our grudges last and Our ideologies rarely waver in the absence of
great adversity. We love fiercely and loathe as intensely."

You think to yourself: "And Your hurts cut more viciously, and bleed pain for millennia. Ah, I
wonder - How many would choose to live as we do, fleeting, shallow things that we are? More than
One, I feel."

A stirring breeze caresses your exposed skin, sending shivers through your body.

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "I thank you for sharing this with Me, My Avaris. Gossip though it may be, it is
knowledge nonetheless, and I shall safeguard it. I shall momentarily release you from My company
that you might assist the city's present endeavors."

Avaris agreed, "That seems to be the case, my Lady. Which makes the intensity of
Lady Li-Varili's anguish and rage so concerning - For it will not calm itself." A pause, and then,
faintly embarrassed. "Ah. Present endeavours. Yes."  (((100% had ct off to stop spam))

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "For one aspect of your prayer rings true to Me -- that your death may be a
possibility in such an interaction with the Lady of the Lagoons. And thus I wish to offer you some
protection, as I may."

You feel your soul cleansed of all impurities as Lantra, the Empyreal blesses you with Her Divine
protection, instilling within you the Fortitude to resist all corruption.

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "When next your mortal coil meets its end, know that I shall be there to guard you."

In a level, calm tone that displays not a hint of uncertainty, Avaris says, "I
believe it is almost a guarantee, my Lady, given my lack of deftness with words, and Her being so
quick to take slights." He falls silent, kneeling with the perfect stillness of a monument to
fealty, stunned for a long moment. He rallies, bowing his head low, his voice hushed, ringing with a
thousand notes of subtly different feeling - Gratitude, reverence and utter adoration clearest of
all. "I do not know what to say, My Lady. Thank You. I will not waste this gift."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "It is a gift freely given. Use it as you may. I trust your Wisdom, My Avaris."

Ripples of celestial light radiate out from the centre of the luminous pool as a soft, feminine
voice echoes, "And should the Lady Li-varili mistreat you... I shall know."

A sparkling veil of mist descends upon the Fulcrux of Lantra, bathing you in water and light. When
it is gone, only echoes ripple in the luminous pool before you.

You think to yourself: A surge of brilliant light, a blazing beacon of joy and love for his Lady -
Tempered by the humbling knowledge that this is a gift that is not without cost. A resolution, the
same, familiar one that he held when first sworn into Her service, taken up once more, and
sharpened. He would be the one, someday, to ward Her from danger, and repay Her immeasurable
kindness. He would make it so.

Avaris clasps his hands to the natural breastplate that forms his chest once more.
"Yes, my Lady." Once certain that She is no longer expecting a response, he rises to his feet,
inhaling deeply, and turns on his bladed heel, striding back through the veil.