RP:Compact Contract
This is a Devout's Guild RP.
In this RP: Xiem has a (one sided) personal discussion with Arkhen, but is happily interrupted by Zahrani and her follower. He’s now got his second project underway for those seeking refuge away from Larket.
Arkhen's Forgotten Temple
Through a nigh impenetrable tangle of vines, you come across a place that has not been touched for many years. A stone temple hidden by the vast expanse of forest, you are overcome with the feeling that this was once a beloved sanctuary. The wide entrance is almost invisible behind the greenery that covers it, and the high steps leading up to the archway have been entrenched by the roots of giant trees. Between some timeworn cracks that streak through the stairs, one can see occasional rare flower sprouting. Even the air here smells primeval, and the atmosphere gives you the strange sensation that you are stepping into another time, an era that has come and gone in centuries past. For those who venture onward into the temple, its beauty only becomes more awe inspiring, for you may now lay your eyes upon a great statue of Arkhen. Unlike the ancient walls that surround him, the stone that built this God remains pristine and smooth. His body is strewn in vines and twisting weeds, almost as if they are protecting him from those who would wish to disturb the peace of this shrine.
The patient Priest of Arkhen is here.
Xiembantointh decided to finally pay the temple a visit. Even though he just woke up, there was a good fifty years prior that him and Arkhen were not on good terms, but he did not expect the place to look so overrun by the vegetation. His heart ached again even though he presses forward and makes quick work of slicing away the tangle of vines with a dagger. He looked different this day; hair freshly washed and left to lazily wave just passed his shoulders, his dress pants smooth and tan colored, his navy blue button up shirt even pressed. He wasn't dressed to go temple raiding, but he didn’t really expect his place of worship to have gone this way and tentative dress shoe clad steps make their way under the archway. As soon as the tall man with a beard enters with a menacing look while brandishing a dagger, the priest left here cowers and probably wonders why a thief is dressed so nice! Xiem quickly put the dagger away in his messenger bag and pulled free a white candle which made the priest visibly relax again before lighting the candle for the dragon. The White smiled kindly to the man, but there is no twinkle in his eye this day and with a deep breath he approaches the statue before pulling the tight cloth of his pants up a little around the thighs so he can kneel down. The silence is deafening as the man only seems to stare up at the statue with his jaw clenching under his beard after he left the candle at the base among the other melted white candles. “She wasn’t yours to take…” he said softly, but the words travel in the silence of the vast temple.
Zahrani || Armored feet crunch softly against the leaves outside. Winter is beginning to consume the autumn landscape of the forest. From around the corner, Zahrani approaches the Temple, the woman wearing her more pantherlike form in hopes of staving off the cold with a coat of warm black fur. Following closely behind is a young feline lass with tiger stripes, physically built like a ten-year-old version of Rani. The panther feline is taking her young apprentice on a small informal pilgrimage to the temples nearby, that she might better learn some of the motivations of different peoples. Cyan eyes rest on a familiar presence already in the temple as the two cats cross into the threshold. They offer a polite bow to the priest, who bows in return. To the dragon, Zahrani quietly says, "Good to see you again." her voice also echoing through the chamber.
Xiembantointh didn’t expect anyone else in the temple with the state it’s in, but recognizes the voice as not a threat and stands up slowly like a middle aged man would. His smile easy to find again as he looks to Zahrani, “and you. What are you out here doing, Zahrani?” His question genuinely curious and then his charcoal gaze fell on the child with her, “and /who/ is this?!” His jovial bass voice echoes in the temple and he extended a hand down to the little feline to shake her hand, “I am Xiembantointh the White.” This was a good distraction from the old habit he found himself in, which now feels so empty without his late wife. The bohemian hair, beard, myriad of rings and hints of old tattoos peeking out from the rolled up sleeves of his shirt look out of place with his nice attire - the man is a conundrum!
Zahrani smiles at the dragon, before answering, "I have some Paladin's Guild business, but I'm also taking my student here with me to visit some of the old temples." The tiger lass takes a half-step back at the man's extending hand, before realizing that hand-shaking is a common greeting among non-felines. The 10-year-old confidently approaches, providing a firm handshake before saying in a clear alto, "Nice to meet you, sir. My name is Raahin, of the Isran Collective." She invokes the name of their feline colony at the end of her name. The paladin looks from the lit candle and back to the dragon, before asking, "So what brings you here, Xiem?"
Xiembantointh mumbles with a good humored grin to joke at his expense, “very old temples and very old men it seems.” He glances at the candle and the statue as well when Zahrani does, “just having a talk with the big guy, but I feel he stopped listening a long while ago.” He chuckles heartily and says to Raahin, “very well spoken Raahin of the Isran Collective.” A bow of his head, “pleasure to make your acquaintance, friend.” He pulls free something from his bag and starts to unwrap the cloth as he kneels down again to be at Raahin’s level, “you know… I ordered this treat and I have lost the appetite for it. Would you want it, Raahin?” He holds out the delectable looking large cinnamon roll which is just oozing with glazed icing on the top, offering it to the kid.
Zahrani nods in understanding, "It can be hard to hear the Gods sometimes. I don't think I've ever heard one speak out loud, using words, even in my own head." The paladin pauses as Raahin does her best to maintain a neutral face when the old man offers her a very sweet-looking pastry. She politely accepts it, holding it with her fingertips before placing it in an empty food container that she had in her satchel. To the kind white dragon, she says, "Thank you, Xiem. I...can't eat this myself, but I can give it to someone who can." Large amounts of wheat and sugar don't sit well in feline stomachs; however, she knew of a human child who was currently finding shelter within their collective. After placing the sweet roll in her satchel, the tiger cub pulls out an orange, offering it to the dragon in return. "Would you like this, for next time you get hungry?"
Xiembantointh glances up at Zahrani, “uh huh. I’ve never really heard one talk to me either,” but his late wife had a strong connection with the god and he’s only here to honor her wishes even if he is late in doing it. “That is very thoughtful of you, I bet you have many friends,” he chuckles again at her offer. “That is too sweet of you,” a hand reaches out to pat her gently on the head, “but I couldn’t possibly accept. Would you honor me by keeping it?” As he stands all the way back up, he brushes the bit of dirt off his pants and looks to Zahrani, “do these Paladins keep you busy?”
Zahrani || Raahin nods, placing the orange back into her satchel while Zahrani answers with a wry grin, "Well, seeing as I am a paladin, I do keep myself busy. I might actually have need of someone who can build things. There are families from Larket looking to resettle elsewhere, in light of some decisions the king has made there."
Xiembantointh becomes interested now that he may be of some use, “you do?!” He says excitedly with that wide grin cracking over his whole face, “do tell me more, please.” When the discussion goes political he glances down at Raahin and narrows his gaze, “you’ve got something behind your ear…” Slyly sliping a gold coin from his back pocket and palming it in his large hand as he said, “hold on, I’ll get it.” Then the back of his hand disappears behind her feline ear and with a swiftness he flicks the coin to his fingertips and pinches it there between his forefinger and thumb to show her, “how did you not feel that Raahin? Here,” he gently places the coin in her paw with a chuckle. Yes, he was that embarrassing dad, but hey! Free gold! He takes a deep breath, “is this the trouble with witches you spoke of?” His gaze finds Zahrani again and a look of compassion mixed with empathy shifts the expression on his face. This man may appear to be like a big bad and intimidating guy, but it’s obvious he’s just a big teddy bear that wears his emotions on his sleeve…. Mostly.
Raahin isn't one to turn down free gold. The tiger lass smiles and shakes her head at the silly man, accepting the coin and responding, "I dunno. I guess my ears are stronger than I thought." She moves her ears back and forth a couple times, as if you show off. At the dragon's question, Rani responds, "Yes and no. The king has sanctioned witch hunts in response to an earthquake last year and a curse that affects the city's children. I'm not convinced it's the witches; they're just being scapegoated." The panther paused before continuing, "The king and his city have turned to a cult of Vakmatharas for aid to stop the curse, and not everyone is convinced. Many families have turned to us at the chapel of Cyris. They wish to leave the city, and they will need homes to resettle in."
Xiembantointh dawns a look of surprise down at Raahin, “color me impressed!” His hands runs through his hair as if to mess it up again and it makes the man look more woodsy and rugged, “an earthquake?!” His eyes narrows and he took a deep breath to calm himself, but he shown a rare side at the expense of innocent beings, “I’m sorry… It’s just idiotic to think that mere mortals could control the weather. Powerful witches or not - that would be a ritual that /someone/ would have seen. You and I both know that the only beings that inflict such a catastrophe are…” his hand then smoothed down the hairs of his beard as he looked up to the pristine statue of Arkhen. “No… something happened that displeased the gods and someone is hiding behind anything. Seems the witches were just in the wrong place at the wrong time because it probably could have been any class of people,” he cuts himself off. “I sort of went off on a tangent… Um… I would like to help in any way I can and I’ll give you something to think about. I can build compact homes every fast and they are easy to move once they are built. This way we can get them a home as soon as possible and move their homes whenever they need to flee. It is also a lot easier to bless with protections on a house so small, but I will be happy to work with whatever you had in mind! Do you want to take me to the site and start on plans now?” He couldn’t make sense of charging for people in need, so he offers, “now, between you, me and our secret keeper, Raahin,” he grins down at the little tiger as if they are all about to partake in a huge secret. “I’ll do this for volunteer work, but if you want to donate any food for my workers - that will be great. If anyone asks, I charged a reasonable rate,” he winks.
Zahrani offers a warm smile to Xiem, finding his rugged look quite endearing, and his offer to work on a volunteer basis pleased her even more, "That is a very kind offer. As far as location goes, we're still not entirely certain, as I need to get with some colleagues and friends to flesh out more details. The fact that they're mobile and small will make things much easier though." The panther looks out the window of the temple, taking note of the sun's position in the sky and deciding it was time for the two cats to move on. As if on cue, Raahin offers a wave goodbye to the dragon and rejoins the paladin, who says, "It is time for us to move on, my new friend, but I will send word of more details as they arise." She approaches one final time, offering a hand to shake or a warm embrace (whichever Xiem was more comfortable with). The athletic panther is a good hugger.
Xiembantointh giggles, uncaring of how goofy it sounded coming from a man like him, when Raahin waves goodbye and he ruffles the fur in the space between her ears as he says, “it was nice to meet you Raahin! You stay out of trouble.” Then he regards Zahrani, “I can’t wait! Stay safe, Zahrani.” The panther may be a good hugger, but it’s a competitive sport to Xiem and when she opens her arms he looks visibly joyous as his own arms open up, “get in here!” He bent at the knee and wrapped his arms around her middle to pull her up in a pleasantly tight bear hug before motioning for Raahin to join, “c’mon! Group hug.” Another hearty chuckle after letting them go and waving goodbyes, but sneezing into the crook of his arm shortly after. Darn allergies!
Zahrani's eyes widen, the panther making an ~oof!~ sound before laughing at the dragon's enthusiastic embrace. Alas, Raahin is a little more shy about hugging strangers, and she patiently waits for Xiem to let her teacher go before waving goodbye in return. The paladin guides them both into the forest and out of sight.