Niena was abandoned on the doorstep of the Svastra temple before her first birthday.
She barely remembered her parents; they were dark, shadowy ghosts, flickers of partial recognition in the back of her consciousness. After all, in Apitus, the capital had a luxurious temple, full of women who all prayed to the old gods, the gods of air, land, and sea, the slumbering, powerful beings that could destroy just as they could create. At the time, Niena sensed a comforting essence about the place, a security she could hardly describe, and so complied with her fate completely.
All Svastra prayed for the kings and queens, the peasants, those who gave them supplies or gold. In Jerilor, there was a state of tradition and age-old practice, unlike the new, …show more content…
Elegant Niena felt content to be within the temple walls, for she was not an orphan at all when within the Temple; her numerous sisters had protected her, taught her, enlightened her. Shown her the ancient ways of prayer, belief, and power. They wore earrings and necklaces of heavy gold and glittering jewels, sparkling prophets isolated in a land of heresy.
She was no lowly peasant; no pathetic, dirty farm worker. Ascending through social ladders is what she accomplished, with the simple act of her abandonment; she walked on the backs of the poor, she guided their spirits and their souls. Having such purpose, she almost wished she could meet her parents today, solely because she could thank them.
The temple she resided in with her other Sisters was a four sided, enormous stone creation, the housing at the peak, a large stone room where six other priestesses lived. Luxurious curtains, gauzy silks, numerous cushions, and soft rugs covered nearly every inch of the clay abode, the outside decorated with blazingly bright tiles of azure, scarlet, and …show more content…
Then, they dressed in bright feathers and revealing clothing, suited to the heat of the Jerilor coast. It was a ritual undertook with the greatest care and utmost respect, as the sun’s rising was not promised to Niena, her sisters, or her people.
The Svastra’s purpose? To bring forth rain, to enrich crops, to seek the favor of the gods. Often, they would sacrifice lambs and calves, as the gods favored living offerings the best.
Resting lazily on one of the pillows, a younger girl named by the Sisters as Mirea sat motionless before her. Absent-mindedly braiding her Sister’s hair into the customary tiny strands, she considered the problems of the year; the viners were in trouble with the summer’s grape crop, and it would mean less wine, and a downturn in tax collections and the market. In addition to the grapes, linen and pottery production had been decreasing as well. The very earth rejected cotton plants and the miner’s shovel; these were events that told of the god’s disfavor
She barely remembered her parents; they were dark, shadowy ghosts, flickers of partial recognition in the back of her consciousness. After all, in Apitus, the capital had a luxurious temple, full of women who all prayed to the old gods, the gods of air, land, and sea, the slumbering, powerful beings that could destroy just as they could create. At the time, Niena sensed a comforting essence about the place, a security she could hardly describe, and so complied with her fate completely.
All Svastra prayed for the kings and queens, the peasants, those who gave them supplies or gold. In Jerilor, there was a state of tradition and age-old practice, unlike the new, …show more content…
Elegant Niena felt content to be within the temple walls, for she was not an orphan at all when within the Temple; her numerous sisters had protected her, taught her, enlightened her. Shown her the ancient ways of prayer, belief, and power. They wore earrings and necklaces of heavy gold and glittering jewels, sparkling prophets isolated in a land of heresy.
She was no lowly peasant; no pathetic, dirty farm worker. Ascending through social ladders is what she accomplished, with the simple act of her abandonment; she walked on the backs of the poor, she guided their spirits and their souls. Having such purpose, she almost wished she could meet her parents today, solely because she could thank them.
The temple she resided in with her other Sisters was a four sided, enormous stone creation, the housing at the peak, a large stone room where six other priestesses lived. Luxurious curtains, gauzy silks, numerous cushions, and soft rugs covered nearly every inch of the clay abode, the outside decorated with blazingly bright tiles of azure, scarlet, and …show more content…
Then, they dressed in bright feathers and revealing clothing, suited to the heat of the Jerilor coast. It was a ritual undertook with the greatest care and utmost respect, as the sun’s rising was not promised to Niena, her sisters, or her people.
The Svastra’s purpose? To bring forth rain, to enrich crops, to seek the favor of the gods. Often, they would sacrifice lambs and calves, as the gods favored living offerings the best.
Resting lazily on one of the pillows, a younger girl named by the Sisters as Mirea sat motionless before her. Absent-mindedly braiding her Sister’s hair into the customary tiny strands, she considered the problems of the year; the viners were in trouble with the summer’s grape crop, and it would mean less wine, and a downturn in tax collections and the market. In addition to the grapes, linen and pottery production had been decreasing as well. The very earth rejected cotton plants and the miner’s shovel; these were events that told of the god’s disfavor