The Silver Sphinx

 

“Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.”

Hippokratos, Olympian healer

 

 

Third Hive Day of Mortis, 126 HR

Terrance stood at the window of his quarters and looked out over the Athar's Circle. The destroyed city blocks, silent witnesses to the Lady's long past wrath, surrounded the Shattered Temple like memorials and guardians at the same time. All day long, the sky had been the dark gray color of wet stone. Thin, low-hanging shreds of clouds had sailed through the Ring, like cobwebs caught by a sudden gust of wind. Under the frequent rain showers, the City of Doors had seemed cool and dreary. A normal day, in other words. Now darkness had fallen over the Ring, and at this time of day Terrance would usually be sitting in front of his fireplace with a book and a glass of wine. But today he was expecting a visitor, his longtime friend Elyria. The lupinal was a priestess of Mishakal and, like him, had long been active in her monastery Conclave Fidelis in Elysium. Terrance knew her from there; she had been the archivist of the Conclave when he had been patriarch. The memory of Elyria was like a warm ray of sunshine breaking through the gloomy fog of Terrance's thoughts. He could still see her in his mind's eye, weeding the medicinal herb beds in the peaceful gardens of the Conclave. He had helped her and they had talked. Rarely about their faith or Mishakal's principles. They had agreed on those anyway, back then. No, they had exchanged information about various medicinal plants and potion recipes, about books and stories, about life itself ... Now, many years later, he stood here, in the heart of the Shattered Temple, Factol of the Athar, a man who questioned the legitimacy of the gods. And yet, the warmth of their friendship had endured all these years, a silent promise that some bonds ran deeper than the gulf between ideologies. A soft knock jolted him out of his thoughts.

Jaya, his right hand in clerical matters and like a daughter to him, opened the door to his chamber when he gave the permission to enter. “Factol,” she said, curtsying slightly. She usually observed this remnant of etiquette even in familiar company, although he did not expect it. “You have a visitor.”

Behind Jaya, Elyria entered the room. Her silver-gray fur turned bright white at her throat, and she wore an elaborately embroidered dress in shades of turquoise and blue. A silver and malachite tiara adorned her forehead. “Greetings, Terrance,” she said in a warm voice. The sparkle in her emerald-green eyes seemed to dispel the evening shadows that had crept into the factol's chambers.

“Elyria,” Terrance replied happily. He embraced her warmly, a gesture of familiarity he otherwise shared only with Ambar and occasionally with Jaya. “It's good to see you.”

“I'm also glad to see you, my friend,” said Elyria, her gaze wandering briefly around the room.

 

 

Even though they usually met outside the Shattered Temple, this wasn't her first time here. She was therefore familiar with the sight of the desecrated religious artifacts that adorned Terrance's chambers, but she confidently ignored them. It was one of the rare moments when Terrance felt a brief sting of guilt about the furnishings. But he quickly shook off these feelings. The friendship between a priestess of Mishakal and the Factol of the Athar could not be entirely without rough patches. He motioned to Elyria and Jaya to take a seat in the armchairs in front of the fireplace. The lupinal sat down while Jaya went to the nearby shelf to fetch a carafe of water and a bottle of Bytopian white wine. As she placed six glasses on a tray and uncorked the wine, Terrance sat down next to Elyria and eyed her thoughtfully. She had been a good friend for many years, but her role as Keeper in the Ring Prophecy was still new to him - and to herself as well. After the fateful proclamation of the Prophecy, they had met again in private and, of course, discussed the mysterious verse that Elyria had revealed to him personally: Who called you to inherit the seal? In darkness you shall twist and turn, and sighing for a light to reveal, grow deaf, mute and blind as you yearn! Knowledge begins with death's ordeal. The end is fading in light in return. However, they had agreed that there was little point in racking their brains over it. They simply knew too little to be able to draw any meaningful conclusions from the mysterious text.

But Elyria had told him a little about her and Sir Lorias' role in the Prophecy. The gift of Keeper and Proclaimer was apparently difficult even for the two of them to explain and understand. It began with the fact that it was the only ability shared by two people. When the two learned something, Elyria had explained to Terrance, it was as if long-hidden memories were reawakened. At first, this knowledge existed only in Elyria's mind where it seemed to lie hidden and secret, guarded and protected. She knew secrets such as the Prophecy, but could not articulate or express them. Through a mental connection that existed between the Keeper and the Proclaimer since the awakening of their gifts, Sir Lorias was able to put this knowledge into words after it had awakened. Only then Elyria could also express what she had already known in her mind. This had happened when they had read a part of the Ring Prophecy for the first time. Suddenly, the knowledge of the entire Prophecy had awakened in Elyria. This had been all the more confusing because the two had only met by chance in a library in the City of the Star, where they had stumbled upon the fragment of the Prophecy. Elyria seemed to sense Terrance's thoughts, for she smiled knowingly as he looked at her. He cleared his throat apologetically, but she waved it off. Apparently, she understood the questions running through his mind all too well. Finally, Jaya returned to the fireplace, set down the tray with wine and water, and sat down as well.

Elyria reached for a leather shoulder bag with a flap shaped like a large ginkgo leaf. “You asked me for something,” she said to Terrance.

He nodded seriously. “You brought it?”

“Indeed.” She took a small object out of the bag and handed it to Terrance.

It was something thin and narrow, wrapped in soft, light-colored fabric. The Athar's factol took the package and opened it carefully. Inside was a bundle of dried stems with pale blue flowers. The petals were delicate and translucent, exuding a light, sweet fragrance. Terrance nodded gently. Elysian Moonweed. This plant was only to be found on the layer Amoria, so he had asked Elyria to bring him a few of the flowers to Sigil. Jaya had apparently recognized the flowers as well, but he hadn't told her what he needed them for. She probably assumed that it was nothing more than the routine brewing of a potion, of which Terrance made many, even now as a factol. Elyria seemed to suspect that there was a little more to it, but she was discreet enough not to ask any questions. Someday, Terrance might tell her what he needed the Moonweed for on this particular day. But for now, it had to remain a well-kept secret.

So he wrapped the blue flowers in the cloth again and placed them on the table next to his wine glass. “Thank you, Elyria. Did you get them from ...?”

She nodded gently. “From the gardens of the Conclave Fidelis. Cebulon sends his regards, by the way. He hopes you are well.”

“Thank you.” Terrance smiled warmly. “Please give him my warmest regards as well. The gardens of the Conclave are a part of my past that I remember fondly – just as the conversations I had with him.”

There was a moment of silence, interrupted only by the soft crackling of the fireplace.

Elyria gazed thoughtfully into the flames, then turned her gaze back to Terrance. “Do you miss Elysium?” she asked gently. “Do you miss the peace and certainty we had there?”

Terrance was silent for a long time. He thought of the green hills surrounding the Conclave, the balmy winds, the scent of Amorian wild roses. He thought of his friendship with Elyria and Cebulon and the feeling of unshakeable belonging. “Yes,” he said finally. “I miss it. Sometimes very much. But I can't go back, Elyria. I have chosen my path. And I don't regret choosing it.“

Elyria nodded. ”I understand,“ she said. ”I always include you in my prayers, Terrance. I hope you don't take offense. But I can't shake the feeling that there's something else besides the Prophecy that's bothering you, my friend.”

He sighed. “You know me too well. To be honest, it's about Jana. I'm ... worried about her.”

Elyria poured herself a glass of white wine and eyed Terrance intently. She knew about the recent events concerning Jana: that she had desecrated the Io Shrine and that she had had certain difficulties in her relationship with the other Chosen since she had revealed that she didn't trust them. The disagreement about how to proceed immediately after the capture of Lereia, Yelmalis and Garush had not been helpful either.

The lupinal nodded thoughtfully. “Her mind is in turmoil. But I believe, my friend, that you have experience in these matters.” Her gaze wandered over to Jaya, an apologetic expression in her green eyes.

But Jaya only smiled. She had made peace with her past and was not ashamed to talk about it openly. “When I came to Sigil back then,” she replied, “I was in a state that certainly justified putting me in the Gatehouse. Terrance had heard about me through one of our athaons who had met me in the Outlands. He visited me, wanting to see what kind of desperate young woman I was and whether the Athar's philosophy could help me. At first I was suspicious and withdrawn, but then I opened up more and more. For half a year, Terrance visited me every day, talked to me ... and slowly my mind became clearer again. In the end, I was able to leave the Gatehouse and follow him to the Temple.” She smiled warmly at the factol, her eyes showing the trust and affection that spoke of the deep, trusting bond they had developed since then.

Terrance returned her smile. “Today, Jaya is a capable priestess of the Great Unknown with firm faith and a strong mind, even my right hand in clerical matters. And yet ...” He sighed and became more serious. “And yet, here I sit again with a young woman whose mind is as confused and dark as Jaya's was back then. I've been observing Jana for a while now. She has told me some things about her past, but she has also kept some things to herself. Especially the dark things. She's an unusual young woman, not always easy to get along with. But she's grown dear to my heart, and I can see that talking alone may not help.“

Elyria nodded understandingly. ”What does Jana herself say about it?”

“She says she's fine. Better than she has been in a long time. She says the path ahead of her is clear, she feels liberated and full of devotion.”

Terrance saw Jaya shake her head at his words. Yes, as someone whose mind had once been in a very dark place, she knew only too well that the sorceress was deluding herself.

Elyria smiled gently, though she too looked concerned. “I think there is a lot of darkness in Jana's mind and a lot of confusion. It seems more like she is repressing it.”

“That's what I told her.” Terrance nodded. “She asked what would be wrong with repression if it gives her peace. I told her that repression only gives the illusion of peace, but not real peace. That it just blocks things out. But eventually, they will inevitably come back, and then they will be even angrier and more powerful, pulling one down to a dark place.”

Elyria examined him seriously with her emerald green eyes. She knew he was speaking from personal experience - and he was aware that she knew. The path that had led him from the Conclave Fidelis to the Shattered Temple had been long, winding and not without pain. However, his longtime friend was tactful enough not to bring it up.

“Terrible experiences shape the minds of mortals and immortals alike,” she replied instead. “Sometimes the soul heals - and sometimes it doesn't. But just like a broken body, a broken soul must be cured for the pain to go away.”

“We are all shaped by our journey,” Terrance agreed. “But Jana is damaged. She doesn't have scars. She has open wounds.”

Elyria set down her wine glass almost silently. “There are ways to face the hidden horrors that lurk in the mind and soul. And I know that you, my friend, are not only a masterful healer of physical ailments. You also know a lot about curing the soul.“

”I offered to help her,“ Terrance explained. ”But she believes it is her destiny to bear these wounds. She said, she is not just any person, she is the Prophet. She thinks it is the will of the Great Unknown.”

The lupinal sighed. As a priestess of a goddess of healing, it always saddened her when someone refused to accept the prospect of recovery. It was a sentiment Terrance shared, even now as factol of the Athar.

“I'm glad she finally recognizes her role in the Prophecy,” Elyria said. “You said it was a difficult path. But that makes it all the more important that her soul is not wounded and her mind is not confused.”

“She thinks it may be the pain that enables her to see certain things,” Terrance replied seriously.

“As a priestess of a goddess of healing, I doubt that.” Elyria's tone was more emphatic and energetic than usual.

Terrance nodded in agreement. “And as a man who remains committed to the principle of curing the body and the soul, I also have my doubts.”

“So she thinks her condition is the will of the Great Unknown,” Jaya said. “Forgive me for asking, Factol, but why does she believe she knows the will of the Great Unknown better than you? And if she trusts so much in the power of the Great Unknown, why does she have so little confidence in the high priest of the Great Unknown?”

Terrance smiled a little. Jaya's words left no doubt that Jana's lack of confidence in his healing arts confused the young woman. But he knew there was more to it than that. “I suspect the core problem is something else,” he explained. “She doesn't want to remember all the things she has repressed.”

“But remembering is the path to healing,” Elyria stated calmly. “We cannot escape our past. It catches up with us eventually, sometimes sooner, sometimes later. We can only try to face it and accept what happened. Lorias and I ... we are learning that right now.”

Jaya eyed the lupinal sympathetically. “Terrance told me what happened to Sir Lorias. I'm so sorry, Elyria. I ... can't even imagine what it must be like.”

The priestess of Mishakal nodded, and although she was clearly trying to appear confident, it was obvious that Sir Lorias' accidental transformation into an undead was weighing heavily on her. “It's not easy for him. For the past five months, he's been trying to come to terms with his ... condition. Some days are better than others. But I'm trying to be there for him and give him the strength to keep going. To make his peace with it, if that's even possible.”

Comfortingly, Terrance placed a hand on her arm. “Jaya is right, we can't imagine what Sir Lorias is going through. And since you two are close, you too. But I'm sure he'll get through this difficult situation, especially as you are by his side.”

Elyria gave him a grateful smile. “I hope I can be helpful. The fact that his god Nobanion has not abandoned him, that he is still a paladin of Lord Firemane, also gives him strength. I know this isn't necessarily the right place for such a remark ... but that's how it is.“ She made an apologetic gesture.

”No, it's fine.“ Terrance smiled reassuringly. ”I can handle it. Just like you can handle the interior design here. Otherwise, our friendship wouldn't have lasted this long. As for Jana ... There's too much fear in her life. You can face your fears and take away their power, but it's easier when you don't have to do it alone. I promised her she wouldn't have to do this all on her own. I think she will open up, but she needs a little more time.”

“No one can argue with that,” Elyria replied. “When the time comes, I'm sure you will be there for her just as I am for Lorias. And you will be able to help her.”

“Thank you for your kind words, dear friend,” said Terrance. “I hope so.”

The rest of the evening passed with conversations on other topics, such as the political situation in the gate town of Excelsior, the new exhibition of the medusa Magnum Opus at the Musée Arcane, and Sangariel, the newest of the four companions of Lebes, the lammasu mayor of Heart's Faith on Celestia. But Terrance's gaze kept wandering to the moonweed lying on the table. He hoped with all his heart that it would serve its purpose.

 

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Terrance's observations about Jana are based on the role-playing session with Jana's player on April 14, 2013.