We Stand Proud

[Kender Bard]

The current Head of the Proud, a young Mind/Earth (blessed, he says, by Soahc himself though there are many who don't believe this), headed for where he had heard the High Priest currently was. Behind him came running footsteps and the priest called Prophet tried to move ahead of the Proud but with a low growl of anger, Cai backhanded him roughly aside and strode in to speak with Fiest. "High Priest Fiest!" he barked. "I will have a word with you on behalf of the Proud."

[Darastrix]

Fiest was reclining comfortably on a cushion in the Lustful wing. He heard the Proud priest, of course, but he didn't acknowledge the man. By that point, Fiest couldn't recall precisely why he'd taken to ignoring the Proud, but it'd been going so long, he couldn't see a reason to give in and stop. It was a matter of pride, so to speak.

[Kender Bard]

The proud messenger had expected this much. He glared around the room but most of the other Lustful were following Fiest's example and ignoring him as well.

Undaunted, though angered, the priest went on, "If you do not cease this ridiculous... war on the Proud and acknowledge us - and have the temple acknowledge us - it will go very hard for you Fiest. We are the Proud and we deserve, if not the respect, then at least the acknowledgment of the temple. We are Soahc's children and we will not be ignored! You may consider this your final and only warning on the matter. If the Proud cannot live welcome in Soahc's home, then nobody can."

Prophet slunk into the room, rubbing the side of his face and scowling.

[Darastrix]

Fiest thought that he might ought to be concerned, but he had less than three months of being the high priest left. May as well be memorable, for good or bad. Besides, none of the Proud had yet resorted to what Fiest had decided would make him drop the ignoring act. Too bad Nyx hasn't swung by in a while, he thought. He would know.

"Run-in with a Wrathful, Prophet?" Fiest asked, patting the space beside him. "I can kiss it and make it better."

[Kender Bard]

"No, actually, he did it," Prophet replied, pointing at the Proud's retreating back. However, he accepted the invitation and sat down near Fiest. "I was on my way to tell you something very important when he slapped me!" Prophet sniffed with indignity, then looked around the Bower and with a wistful sigh, added, "The Lustful have such nice things. Why can't the Envious hall look like this?"

[Darastrix]

"Because they're not Lustful," Fiest said, stroking Prophet's cheek with the backs of two fingers. "Now--" he kissed the reddened area lightly "--what is it that you had to tell me?"

[Kender Bard]

Prophet smiled, enjoying the attention, but his smile wilted and he looked very serious. "I had a prophecy," he announced.

This drew some attention. Prophet had only ever had one foresight. Oh, true, many priests through the years have had prophecies and visions and visitations, but most of them were too nonsensical to be any good and others simply were lying.

"It was disturbing," Prophet murmured. "Very... dark. You see, in my vision I was running around the temple, and all around me was fire. People were laying on the floor, dead or hurting, bleeding. But the real disturbing part is that priests stood over the bodies and, and..." Prophet grew a trifle pale. "Were eating the dead, tearing off body parts and chewing on them. And there was a red mist or fog and people breathed it in like it was the sweetest perfume but it smelled like blood and rust to me."

[Darastrix]

If the Proud cannot live welcome in Soahc's home, then nobody can.

Coincidences happened, of course, but Cai's threat, warning, whatever and Prophet's vision.... Fiest frowned. Would the Proud go that far? Maybe not on purpose, but things tended to get out of hand in Flux rather easily.

"Did you recognise anyone in particular?" he asked, stroking the back of Prophet's neck. "Were priests among the dead as well, or were they citizens?"

[Kender Bard]

"No," Prophet answered. "There were faces, but I didn't recognize them." Still shaken but feeling Fiest's touch soothing, the priest leaned against Fiest and added, "I saw expressions. They were so frightening! Joyful, but... evil almost. Sadistic! Yes, that's the word!"

[Darastrix]

"all right," Fiest murmured after a moment of thought. "Given the nature of this vision and the fact that you actually have had one to come true before, I think it warrants looking into. First, I'm gonna get some incense and aphrodisiacs and spend a few hours trying to see if our Lord wants to elaborate. Anyone else is welcome to try, too, however they want. If that doesn't bring any revelations, Prophet, you and I are going to take a little trip into Talen'sul."

[Kender Bard]

"Talen'sul?" Prophet sighed. "It's winter. That place is going to be colder than an Ice's tit. But all right - as our lord commands, aye? Do I get to join in the commune?"

"You already talked to Soahc," another Lustful objected playfully.

[Darastrix]

"Then maybe Soahc will want to talk to him again," Fiest said. "And it could be worse. That Soahcian-Etafian priestess I'm thinking about seeing could live in Khelek instead. Talen'sul won't be so bad."

[Kender Bard]

"Ugh," was Prophet's only response to that.

The Lustful didn't seem to really care about Prophet's presence but they were eager to get things underway, and so scattered to gather up the materials that Fiest had requested.

"Do you think it will really work?" Prophet asked.

[Darastrix]

"No idea," Fiest said, and shrugged. "I'm not a mystic by any stretch, but it can't hurt to try."

He figured that even if you didn't know all the mumbo-jumbo mystics used, if you were trying to get a Force's attention and they already had something they wanted to let you know, those two things combined would result in the message being delivered. Maybe. At any rate, his attention had been caught and now he was going to see if any more information would be forthcoming. At worst, they'd have a nice send-off orgy.

[Kender Bard]

"Well, all right," Prophet agreed and waited eagerly for the return of the other Lustful.

---

Despite their best (and exhaustive) efforts to capture Soahc's attention, it wasn't terribly useful in enlightening the situation, although several priests claimed they felt Soahc's presence. Then again, that was the usual consensus after these large gatherings in Flux at any rate.

"So if you're gonna go to Talen'sul, are you only taking Prophet?" a drowsy, sated priest near Fiest asked curiously.