Place of Worship

EDIT: Okay, this thread is going to be closed on Wednesday, because that is officially when we will land. Feel free to finish up your conversations. This thread was a little all over the place. I plan on making a similar thread after we land, if there was any feedback you want to give feel free to PM me or to post in this thread using the OOC at the end of your post.       There are many people of faith on this Journey, and many different outlooks of religion as a whole. Below deck Prytania had set up her place or worship, a makeshift alter in a large room. Oil lamps hang from the ceiling as the young girl sit's and prays. Many of the passengers passed this area but chose not to enter... despite being on a ship it felt more like a spiritually charged place.       People will enter with their own beliefs and their own ideas. Their own systems and their own gods. Enter expecting those inside to share their view, perhaps you will leave changed in perspectives.  NOTE: Because some have asked. This is still on the Iron Kelpie.  Place of Worship  Prerequisites: Post at least 1 time in, "Journey of the Iron Kelpie"  Timeframe: Until we land.  Rewards: NONE. Just have fun. 

Finally a quiet place. Rusty pulls out a book, titled "the bones land in a spiral" and begins to read.

Prytania was about to  finish her morning prayers when a familiar face entered the chapel: He presented himself earlier as (" Vi... Vinro... No it wasn't that.... "). Anyway, the man was reading pharasma's holy book. She knew it too well, her cult actually follows the first part of the book without many changes. It's the second part, the one about undead where their beliefs conflict... (" He seemed confused about Pharasma, this can be a great opportunity to make him see Mardev's light! "). Rusty seemed focused on the book, so Prytania, pretending to check on something passed by him and, quietly said: " Welcome to the chapel. Enjoy your stay, if there's anything I can do for you, just ask ". Then shuffled some items on top of a crate and sat back, leaving the man alone.

Zordlon was trying to find his room due to the fact that the ship is very confusing when he heard some sort of talking in one of the rooms he passed so he decided to see if it was anyone that could help him. He immediately realized he probably shouldn't have opened the door when he saw that religious zealot lady....... Prytania or something? ( oh this is clearly going to go well)

The door opened, and Prytania couldn't stop the smile in her face. She quietly stepped up, and whispered at his ear: " Why Zordlon, that's a wonderful surprise! Please come in" - she said, making a signal to sit down in a chair -  "Have you come to pray to Ketephys, or do you have something else on your mind? "

"I was.... does it really matter?" ( I had to choose this door I just had to...)

Agela did not want to disturb anyone in their worship.  She had gotten up to do her Dawnwalk but she was curious about the newly erected chapel below deck.  After her prayers were finished she made her way below and entered the large room.  She did not wish to interrupt anyone's prayers and stood quietly in the back.  She noticed a small donation box in one corner of the room.  The community really had come together making donations towards starting up the economy of the new world.  Many had been happy to exchange their hard work for a small days labor.  She felt a tug on her heart and knew it was the voice of the Dawnflower who spoke to her.  Removing a small pouch from her side she began to remove a few coins I know Prytania has a pure heart .. she wants to make a place for all on the island.  I believe it is Sarenrae's will .  .. then stopped .. feeling a voice inside her stir.  She new what she had to do - placing the entire bag in the offering box.  She snuck back out the door as quickly and quietly as she entered, returning to prepare her shop for the days transactions.

Waiting for a good time to ask a question that has weighed on his mind. "How can Pharasma teach prophesy and still judge someone when they die? How can we be responsible for fate?" pausing  "Sorry, The ship is crowed let me reintroduce my self, I am Viggo Stigsson Rustbeard but other humans call me Rusty. We met briefly on the deck."  "I want to be judged well in the afterlife, which may happen sooner that later on this expedition, and as one of Pharasma's chosen you must understand her well, how can I exceed her expectations?" 

The screams of fear began to echo over the ship.  Startled out of his quiet meditation Almand ran to the source of the screams......the new chapel onboard ship.  Rushing inside the chapel he is started to see Zordlon trying to hide in the corner and cover himself with his cloak.  Standing over him almost glowing with righteous fever stands Tanis.  Shaking her holy water over him in a a blessing and waving her sword. REPENT SINNER REPENT The ghost of a smile on her face telling Armand that she once again was teasing the poor elf.

The tengu outdoorsman Pezzack finds the door into the chapel while wandering the ship, looking for signs of surviving rats. He looks around with an interested eye. "Well, this is... something. I'm more used to worship in open air temples, but at least I can say there are woods all around me right now. I don't suppose any of you pray to Erastil or Gozreh? The later has been protecting us as we travel, and the former will hopefully give his blessing when we arrive in the new land."

" Pleased to meet yoy Rusty, name's Prytania, Tania for the friends. Yours is a tough question, and a very common one too. You see, Pharasma can see what's going to happen. She has already judged us " - pausing for a second to place her hand on Rusty's shoulder -" but the fact that we have been judged doesn't mean we cannot live our lives as best as we can, pursuing our ideals ". Prytania paused for a second to let it seep into him, and offered him a seat. " Yes, sometimes she sends us prophecies, yet those prophecies aren't always what's bound to happen, but what we need to hear to fulfill our destiny ". Armand came bursting through the door. He always manages to sense when she's with Zordlon... Strange - Hi armand! Nice to see you here. I'll be with you in a moment if you need me" " Sorry for that, Rusty.   As an example, suppose you get a recurrent vision in your dreams. The vision shows you commiting great acts of evil, yet you reject those visions, and scared, dedicate your life to the greater good. What Pharasma did was just guide you to your true destiny. Same as if you had chosen a life of violence and murder, guided by your dream. Your reaction is already known to her, and in the end, you will be sent accordingly to wherever you deserve to be ". Pezzack just entered the chapel asking if someone worshipped his gods, interrupting the conversación once more, but at least it gave Viggo some time to think. " I believe we don't, but feel free to come in and pray with us". -said Prytania as she turned to Viggo again. " It is a lot to take in one go, I know, Pharasma is not always easy to understand. Destiny cannot be changed, you can fight to build your destiny exactly how you want it, or not fight at all. It doesn't make a difference, but one cannot escape who he is.  - Prytania smiled with confidence: - Dee p inside you there's a fighter Rusty, and unlike Azariah, he actually fights for a cause. I can see that in you, in the way you behave. You will fight to get the destiny you want, and I believe that's your destiny ". Prytania finished her speech, hoping that her message was conveyed. A few seconds later she asked: " What do you fight for, Viggo? ".

Zordlon is happy that Prytania stopped focusing on him though he feels pity for viggo and wonders if he'll be converted to Prytanias cult. 

At least I'm not involved in that spectacle of a religion over there...what do I fight for?  "I fight for my self. To test my self, to prove myself as worthy, to gain a new name." Sigh, why do I keep talking "I'm called Rusty not because of my hair or family, it's because everyone thinks I will fail. That my tools will rust and break and I will die here, a failure." Determined, " I will prove them wrong and find who I am, my name."

As NARRATOR (not Ren)       It is late afternoon outside, the sky turning dark. People started to move into the ship's interior and the temperature was slightly lower than in daytime. The donation box at the front of the room saw it's first coin. Many people started to wander into the makeshift chapel, out of coincidence or divine guidance.      The lights in the room, produced from small candles and such, illuminated the room and gave the it a warm feeling. Perhaps that was why people started to come here. 

Azariah entered the room. This will do nicely . The tiefling thought to himself. He had discarded his coat, and shoes, dressed only in his fine dress pants. The tiefling found a quiet corner of the room, between two candles, and sat down cross legged. His eyes shut, and his breathing slow.

Ren got to the front of the room. Is this that temporary church? As he walked up Ren noticed a box for donations. Ren took two silver pieces and dropped them inside before entering. As he entered he saw the two clerics, the half bird, tiefling and 2 humans.  The clerics, Prytania and Armand seemed to be speaking with a human named rusty, and Azariah seemed to be resting in the corner. It was a large room illuminated by candlelight, making his way to the other side of the room Ren sat down and leened against the wall, crossing one leg, and placing his hand on the other. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply. 

Zordlon slowly tries to leave without alerting the two clerics 

Climbing down the ladder on his way to the hold to check on his gear, Issachar sees Azariah step quickly step into the only room with light on this deck.  Wondering what it may be, he steps to the door.  Zordlon slips out right by Issachar, looking furtive and... hunted?  Stepping into the room, Issachar sees it appears to be a makeshift altar.  Knowing these people wouldn't understand his worship of The Waybringer, Issachar quietly steps back out before anyone notices him.

" I'm sure you will, Viggo. If you have some more time, I'd love to speak with you on a later date, I have to look after the rest for now. And keep reading that book! ". - Prytania turned to the rest of the chapel only to see the door closing. (" And there goes Zordlon... Oh well, he has no remedy "). She noticed Ren and Azariah had gotten inside while she was with Rusty. They were meditating so her attention came to the... Bird?..Person? - She coughed a bit to attract attention " Hi, thanks for coming. I'm a bit curious about Gozreh, I haven't read much about him, maybe we could do some ritual to help us get to our destination without more issues. If you have some time I'd love to hear about him. Name's Prytania, by the way " - She whispered before sitting back on a chair.

Zordlon wonders if everyone here follows some strict religion as he wanders around the ship again

Finally, how did she get me to say so much...maybe the others will talk about something that helps me think...

The door of the room creaks softly and a freckled face pops in the opening. The shiny blue eyes of the redhead roam the room, looking at the occupants, and the setup of the room in general. She smiles softly to those that look her way, gives a tiny handwave and says in a quiet voice: "Hello there. Is this the place of workship? I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Prytania stood up and approached the door, where a woman was standing there shyly. With an honest smile, Prytania greeted her " By any means!, please come in and get yourself comfortable. If you need anything just ask". A lot of people had come to her improvised chapel. She didn't expect that level of religiousness in the ship, but at least people seem to respect each other, and the donations jar had grown over the night! (" I wonder what should I do wih it ")

Pezzack patiently waits for Tania to interact with others and welcome them into the sacred space, until she is able to sit by him and hear what he has to say. "Gozreh is the god of storms, and the god of the sea. He represents nature as an impartial force, as wind and water. He is probably the most commonly worshiped by druids of the 20 gods most recognized in the Inner Sea. I would not be surprised if there were an alter to Gozreh hidden somewhere in this ship, for He is often worshiped by sailors and those who make their living on water. Gozreh also is neutral, like your own goddess. "Another common nature god is Erastil, god of hunting and farming, of family and community. He is commonly worshiped by commoners and peasants, and those who live surrounded by woods full of game. Erastil is nature as a reliable and orderly force, both the stag and the hunter, predator and prey. Erastil is also a force for good, and paladins who fight with bows may draw their holy power from Him."

Zuryana steps just inside the the altar room, accepting the reception the blonde priestess gave her. She stands next to the door, trying to not be in the way of anyone, and listens quietly to the crow-man talk about the gods of nature. She figets a little in her place, holding a small roll of cloth between her hands, waiting patiently for the priests to finish their conversation

Zordlon somehow wanders back to the place of worship "How did i get back here?"

Daleira wanders the below deck area of the ship. One room seems to be getting lots of attention and many visitors. She quietly walks over sliding the door open. She is surprised to see an alter set up and many of her fellows gathered inside. She pauses before starting to turn " sorry to disturb, I was just getting my bearings"  the small framed girl shakes her head walking to the door " I'll leave you to it. Enjoy your...ah...worship. "

As the young girl leave the Room Ren is distracted. He looks up and notices the different parties talking to one another. Dammit, I'm still not able to meditate deeply enough. In order to be able to harness Ki, I'll need more practice.  Leaning back Ren one again closes his eyes, trying to focus his mind in one point, letting all distractions drift away.... Ignoring the group the two discussing their differnt gods, filtering out the women standing around waiting, not regestering the other man in the corner.... 

Zordlon sees everyone has somehow managed to find there way here so he steps back in. "well i guess this is where everyone decided to go." Zordlon looks around to see what everyone is doing

" Ah, A... -Pritania doubted for half a second here- man who knows his religion. It's quite a sight on this ship, to be honest! Thank you for the explanation, I'm always glad to learn more about the gods. He's not too popular in the countryside, you know... Read his name and not much else...  Feeling that she was talking too much, she decided to end the conversation with a smile(" He seems really nice, but   those still eyes are giving me the creeps ...") Either way, sorry that there's not much nature to watch here, but it will get better in the island ". After speaking with the.. Bird-person Prytania took a look at her chapel: It was bubbling with people, most of them too busy praying to chat a bit, but there was this young woman standing near the door, and she seemed... worried?... Embarrassed? Prytania decided to go and see if she could help: " " Hi, name's Prytania, nice to meet you, take a seat, please " She said while pointing Zuryana to the chair she just left. " Can I help you with anything? "

Daleira stops and watches as the priestess approaches her. She shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head before saying " No, I don't think so. I was just exploring the ship abit, I noticed many people coming and going from here. I just wanted to see what everyone was doing, but I see it's a chapel of sorts. I don't want to disturb anyone, so I was just going to leave. "

Zuryana smiled to the young priestess, realizing for the first time that the blonde girl was as young as her, maybe even younger; certainly her armor masked her youth from a casual observer.  The rehead took the seat gratefully and spoke in a soft tone, so as not to disturb the men meditating in the corner: "Yeah, thank you. I was wondering if this place you built is only for your God, or if this is a general place of workship? You see, back home we had a small chapel where there were altars to several gods, and I was wondering if this one is like that." Zuryana fidgeted a bit in her seat, like a child that is confessing he got his hand in the cookie jar, and continued: "I'm not a very religious person, you see, but Mama was; she made this and I think she would have liked it if this was around for the faithful to pray" Saying that, she unrolled the cloth she was carrying, inside it had a homemade embroidery of the Angelic Ankh, Sarenrae's holy symbol. "It's okay if this is not proper, I was just wondering, that's all" She finished, looking at Prytania, trying to guess if she had messed up or something.

Prytania paled a bit when she saw Sarenrae's symbol, but quickly recomposed. " Sure, we're all welcome in the chapel. I'll make a bigger place when we disembark, but for now this is what we have. We don't have many Sarenrae's followers around, to be honest. Only Agela that I know, but feel free to leave it around if you want, or give it to her, I'm sure she'll appreciate it greatly". - She paused for a second to change the subject - " Since you aren't a religious person, would you mind some discussion?"  It's perfectly fine if you don't tho - Prytania said as she backed off a bit, amicably. (OOC In case she accepts)  So tell me, w hy don't you follow a god's path, what made you stray off your mother's pious ways? Maybe you haven't found the right god for you..."

Bakir passes the door to the alter room  from the hallway  evryone praying and relaxing he says to him self been a long time old friend and continues down the hallway of the ship with a blank stare on his face while lost in thought.............

Zordlon continues standing inside the room nearby the doorway watching everyone

Seraphina is walking around the ship and sees a room, a room that looks like a lot of her fellow shipmates are in. She notices it is a chapel and decides to check in out. She stands quietly in the back of the room observing those around her. She enjoys people watching and this seems to be the place to do just that.

As the half-elf enters Zordlon looks at her with some degree of pity but other wise watches the others -particularly prytania- do there varias spiritual ritiuals to there own god or goddess

Seraphina notices an elf in the doorway. She isn't sure if she imagined it or not but he seemed to give her a look. She can make a guess or two about why but she just decides to stare at him for a moment and then observe the others in the room. 

Zuryana's smile grows wider, and hands over the goddess' symbol to the young priestess. "No, it's okay. If you can just put it in a corner, that's enough." She turns her gaze upwards, not looking at the ceiling of the rom, but at a memory of long ago. "As for your question, it's not as if I don't believe in my goddess. Mama taught me the prayers, and the precepts, and I follow them to the best of my abilities. It's just that I've always felt... Like I'm meant to do something other than be a seamstress all my life, you know? Mama understood, and I think the Fire Lady does too. I doubt a simple seamstress' daughter would have been able to get Magic lessons without her providence, yes?"

" Well as you may know, we build our own destiny, and at the same time, it is already decided. What you didn't choose doesn't really matter, because it could not have been. Build your future in a way you aren't ashamed of it". Prytania paused for a second to let her speech sit in her mind " You can worship more gods than just one. Maybe there is another one who's ideals you better identify with, since you haven't devoted your life to a god like I did, that wouldn't really hurt Sarenrae" - She stepped back, in order to leave the young girl alone, but with a smile, she added a last phrase - "We have a good deal of religious people, as you can see, and there's a lot to learn from them. Feel free to chat with anyone you are interested in!" Prytania walked up to the makeshift altar and layed the Sarenrae symbol next to on top of a smaller box

     Ren got up. Well, looks like I'm not going to be able to perfect everything in one day, but that's normal. Looking around as he walked he realized there were a few more people here than he had first expected. As he left he waved towards Prytania, "Thanks for letting me use this place, it's quite nice." Dropping another silver into the donation box as he walks out.  (OOC: Okay, this thread is going to be closed on Wednesday, because that is officially when we will land. Feel free to finish up your conversations. This thread was a little all over the place. I plan on making a similar thread after we land, if there was any feedback you want to give feel free to PM me or to post in this thread usuing the OOC at the end of your post.)

Zuryana stood from the chair where she was talking with the blonde priestess, smoothing her skirt with her hands, she shot a smile to Prytania and said: "Well, thank you for listening to me, miss. I'll try to talk with everyone in the coming days, though I reckon we'll be quite busy for the foreseeable future, yes?" The redhead walked to the door, putting a silver piece in the donation jar on the way out, and once she was past the door, actually outside the room with the doorknob on hand, she turned around and her smile turned mischievous: "You know what? I like you Prytania. I've decided we're going to be the best of friends. And a friend needs a nickname, so I think I'll call you Pri-Pry. See you around, Pri-Pry!" Then, the redhead closed the door, and her giggling could be heard through the wooden walls of the improvised chapel while she left, going back to her "mending corner", down in the bowels of the Iron Kelpie.

//NOTE .. Sam please send me a list of participants in this thread when you close it and I will award them a little something for their participation.  Measure their participation as Full (F) or Limited (L)

Your patron deity smiles on you.  the following people gain the following benefits +2 circumstance bonus to knowledge religion -  Viggo, Prytania, Zuryana +1 circumstance bonus to knowledge religion -  Ren, Azaraiah, Zordlon, Armond, Pezzack, Issachar, Deleira, Bakir, Seraphina, Agela (NPC) 83 GP in offerings.