Stepping Into The Fold|Darkthrone, New Morilanta

[Kender Bard]

The children of Grandisle had been weeded. It had been a gradual process. Many of the remaining children hadn't even really noticed after a while. A child was around one day and then suddenly not there for breakfast the next. There wasn't a pattern that their young minds could grasp. In truth, some of them were found 'undesirable' and simply removed while others had actually been quite promising and had been given away to middle class families looking for part slave, part investment.

The original group had been narrowed down to six children in this way. Their routine was unvarying. Each morning they woke from their pallets of straw to eat a plain breakast of mashed oats. Then the children were herded to the temple where they were given lessons. These lessons touched on a few things necessary to all young children fortunate enough to be schooled--letters, sums, and the such. But the emphasis was on the Morilanta culture. Some of it was quite frank and a little shocking in its cruelty, but other parts had been given a special spin. They were reasonable, they made sense.

After this, the six (who were all favored in some way) were allowed to roam the temple at their pleasure. By night time, they were gathered up again to be taken back to their shack. Once or twice a child ran away during their free time, never to be seen again. The remaining children were told in rather grisly detail what fate awaited these runaways. Slavery by the poor, at the best.

"You are clothed, fed, and, most importantly, kept safe in my care," Melissa would tell them. "So be thankful. You could have ended up in the slave auctions and then Forces only know where you'd be now. Dead, probably."

And so the days went. This morning was greeted a little differently. As the children ate, their caretaker announced, "We'll be moving into much nicer quarters soon. Isn't that grand?"

[Skittlebug]

Pallab had taken well to the daily routine, it was something solid and comforting he could hold onto when nothing else was. He'd even found a growing curiosity about the way they saw the Forces here. Maybe, just maybe he had ended up here for a reason.

At Melissa's announcment he blinks and looks up from his breakfast curiously, "Will we be closer to the Temple?"

[Kender Bard]

"We'll be living in the temple," Melissa answered with pleasure. "From now on, the rest of you serve Morilanta. You'll have a choice--be inducted as young acolytes and begin your new life in service of the temple, or take the more menial route and work as temple servants."

Charity wrinkled her nose at the word 'servant.' She knew well that the Morilantan idea of servants and their old Firegem servants were nothing alike. Servant was just another word for slave. But then, wouldn't they still be slave if they were acolytes to the temple? She glanced curiously at Pallab, the only one of the group she considered a friend.

[Skittlebug]

Pallab notices her look and leans in toward her, "It could be a lot worse right? And it will probably be more comfortable than this place."

[Kender Bard]

"That's true," she agreed reluctantly. "Are we going to be Soahcian acolytes?"

"No," Melissa told her. "You will work for the primary church. Perhaps later, if you find and seize the opportunity, you could become a Soahcian acolyte. You could become whatever you like. Morilanta is your pearl, children, if you know how to snatch it up. Are you all ready to go?"

[Skittlebug]

Pallab hastily finishes what's left of his breakfast and stands, looking around at the other kids.

[Kender Bard]

The children did likewise and soon the group was being led back to the temple. Rather than head for the room that was more or less their schoolroom for the time being, they were brought into another room that seemed to be a smaller, less ornate version of the primary altar room, sans benches.

A severe looking priest glared over the children. "So. You've brought more acolytes. As if we aren't drowning in them."

"I think it'll be fascinating to see how they thrive amidst the little brats that are brought to us on a regular occasion," Melissa noted. "They certainly have more to gain than most of the children that we bring here."

The priest just grunted, clearly disinterested in Melissa's scheming. He held out a hand and measured roughly how tall each of the children were before going to a chest and pulling out a simple black robe with absolutely no embellishment at all for each of them. Handing these out, he said, "Put these on."

Charity marveled at the material. Fresh, clean, new clothing! She slipped the robe on hastily. "It's big."

"You'll grow into it if you last that long," the man told her. "I trust you children have learned the rudiments of our faith?"

[Skittlebug]

Pallab puts on his robe with a grin, feeling much the same as Charity. His is big too, but he plans on lasting long enough to grow into it and then some.

"Yes sir, we've been having lessons in the temple." Those hadn't covered much of course, and he was curious to learn more.

[Kender Bard]

"Recite something to me from our holy text," the man ordered and pointed at Charity.

"All men are born with Evil in their hearts," she responded.

The man nodded, satisfied, and pointed to Pallab.

[Skittlebug]

Pallab meets the man's eye, "The path to absolution is through acts of Evil." He still wasn't too sure about that one, but it was a line that stood out to him.

[Kender Bard]

"Good," the man said with emphasis and went down the line to each child who in turn repeated their own phrase from the holy codex. "Well you lot aren't pig ignorant at least. I suppose you'll do. Go to the hall of the acolytes. Melissa will show you there and then that'll likely be the last of her you ever see." He leveled a look at the other woman. "If she knows what's good for her."

Melissa said nothing and just stared calmly back.

The man glanced back at the children. "Your new mistress will deal with you there. Her name is Sigrun. She'll assign you chores and tasks as well as making sure you've a pallet and all those other fiddly details. Thrive or die, children."

[Skittlebug]

Pallab glances at Melissa, a little upset at the prospect of not seeing her again. She hadn't exactly been kind, but she'd taken care of them since they were shipped here. He knows better than to say anything though.

[Kender Bard]

"Come children," Melissa instructed and led the group to another room, this one filled with small, cramped beds all pushed together against the walls and stacked atop one another to form bunks. "And here is your new home. Sigrun!"

A tall, pale woman with severe black and grey hair pulled back into a bun turned. She had a lined, pinched face and an expression of perpetual scowl. She walked over. "Fresh blood?" She looked the children over. "I am Sigrun. You will refer to me as Mistress Sigrun, however. From now until you rise in the ranks--IF you do--you are mine and you do as I say, unquestioningly. Do you understand?"

[Skittlebug]

Pallab finds himself wondering if all of the people in charge of them from now on would be as mean looking as Sigrun and that old man. At least the room looks warmer than the shack they'd been kept in before. He straightens at the question, "Yes, Mistress Sigrun."

[Kender Bard]

"Yes, Mistress," the rest of the children echoed softly.

"Very good, you're at least disciplined," she murmured. "Very well then." She pointed out which of them would be sleeping where. The boys where kept on the left, the girls on the right. At night, a curtain would be drawn between the two halves of the room. "And your duties."

They were menial, drudge chores. Pallab wound up being assigned to carry wood from the giant wood pile in the basement to sides of all the fireplaces around the temple. It was a laborious, time-consuming job.