Blessing the Harror Fields

From FiranMUX

Phillida came and blessed the Harror fields for Zin. I @fyi'd and promised a log since I think staff has been hurting for religious/themey logs -- and THAT JUST WILL NOT DO!

Starring: Ladonna, Karish, Emee, Phillida, and some really exciting child objects.

East of Anarinuell: Solan Harror's Land (villa)

Karish is waiting idly a few yards away from the porch. He is looking up into the sky and out across the fields in quiet communion with the dryness that is nature.

Emee comes in from the north.

Ladonna steps out of the villa all swathed in ..more appropriate clothing. Her hair is pinned perfectly, her palla is laid delicately across her head, and the young woman cuts a rather dark figuer in all that black. When she spots Karish, Ladonna smiles brilliantly and gathers her skirts to descend the steps. "I'm so glad you could come, Mer Karish; we're having the fields blessed." After a moment, the rest of the household NPCs begin to shuffle from the villa and fields. *Firan*

Phillida comes in from the north.

Ladonna steps out of the villa all swathed in ..more appropriate clothing. Her hair is pinned perfectly, her palla is laid delicately across her head, and the young woman cuts a rather dark figuer in all that black. When she spots Karish, Ladonna smiles brilliantly and gathers her skirts to descend the steps. After a moment, the rest of the household NPCs begin to shuffle from the villa and fields.(a reset for Phillida, sortaish)

Karish turns and smiles warmly. He gives Ladonna a gallant bow. "Mes Harror, I'm glad I could come. Thank you for inviting me." He stretches out a hand and waves it across the fields, "Perhaps a good word from me will have Lord Zin glancing over these fields again, hmm?" He says, clearly kidding, and winks jovially. *Firan*

"We'll ask Mer Ezekeus if the duck doll needs to be dropped in the baths next time...okay?" The Harror Nanny comes back into view with Saelus perched on a hip and the other baby on her back, all freshly bathed and smiling softly as she smooths down her stola and murmurs softly to the little boy. She falls silent when she catches sight of everybody else, nodding politely in greeting.

Phillida arrives, carrying a flask of water and smiling cheerfully. She's dressed in linen as a shield against the unending heat; droughts mean more than just no rain, after all. "I hope I'm not late," she calls ahead to the people by the road. "Good day to you all." *Firan*

"No, not at all," the mistress of the house calls out, sweeping past Karish and his gallant bow, Emee and her child... To greet Phillida rather enthusiastically. "Thank you very much for coming; you look very nice, Priestess." Ladonna turns around and looks at the assembled people. The farm hands look especially hot (and thankful for Phillida's arrival!) -- one of them even bows to her. The house servants, on the other hand, look more relieved than anything else. They whisper amongst themselves about how it took Mes Harror OH TOO LONG and THE WRATH OF ZIN and other such loveliness. When the actress asks shyly, "C.. could one of you get drinks?", they summarily ignore her.

Karish turns, when Ladonna sweeps past him, and bows his head to Phillida. "Sister Phillida, how nice to see you again." He falls silent, but turns and shoots very intimidating daggers at some of the unreactive servants.

Phillida smiles at Ladonna as she reaches the group. "Thank you! And it's no trouble. Rest assured that we of the temple are only too willing to help the people to propitiate Lord Zin's will, and hope to bring his blessings back upon us all. From here, with your kind assistance, mes, we'll go to the first of the lands. Whenever everyone's ready, of course?" Karish receives a small smile, as does Emee. "Everyone may participate if they choose; the more the better, so that Lord Zin knows of our sincerity." *Firan*

Emee frowns slightly as she watches the other household servants, lips setting in a grim line as she bounces Saelus and just watches the ongoings from a safe vantage place...nodding politely to Phillida and offers a small smile as she points to her and then whispers something softly to the baby she holds.

"Oh, yes, we'll alllll participate," Ladonna replies with some enthusiasm. She gestures for the servants to come along! -- Karish and Emee included. "This is one, you can see the grape vines," she gestures to (!) grape vines that extend as far as the eye can see. One of the maids on the porch glares back at Karish and stays rooted to her spot. The other rolls her eyes at Emee, makes a rude face to Ladonna when her back is turned, and disappears into the house. Eventually, she returns with wine.

Karish points briefly at his whip, and points at the maid glaring at him. He makes a circular gesture, indicating that they'll be having a word later. Then he turns back to Phillida and smiles sweetly, content now to remain silent.

Phillida's been a little less observant ever since her tangling with that lion; she doesn't appear to notice the maid refusing to join. "Excellent. Then if you'll be so kind as to lead the way to the lands you want blessed? I'll ask everyone's participation at that point, while I bless the land itself. Oh, if this is part of your lands, then yes, we'll begin here. I'll ask everyone to just take a sip of wine, or water if you prefer, while I find a position." She moves carefully and slowly forward, examining her surroundings again as she heads down into the field. She crosses about halfway, then calls out, "If everyone's ready, I'll begin!" *Firan*

Ladonna totally misses all of this! Blissful idiocy. The former Eagle immediately reaches for some wine and stands at some distance from Phillida, letting her bless the land without disturbance. It's like watching a play! A play that might please a god! Slowly, Ladonna makes her way to stand closer to Karish and gestures for Emee, the servant who outranks all the other servants, to come closer. "He should probably see this," she says absently in regards to Saelus. "Put some fear of the gods into his noisy head."

Phillida carefully takes her flask and opens it up, tucking the top in the top of her boot for the moment. She then lifts the flask to her lips, taking a tiny sip and swallowing before then lifting the flask up to the sky. "O mighty lord of the river and the ocean, he who leads us into adventure and through it, I, your priestess, ask you hear my plea. Here I spill your sacred water upon the thirsty earth in praise of you, in recognition of you and in recognition of the need we, the Firan people, have of you! Let this land be blessed; let your rains come and fill the fruitful ground, that the farmer has his corn and the cattle his kind; that every living thing that walks under Zutiv's eyes on Mother Soli's back remembers full well that you and you alone are the bringer of the rains, and may rejoice. We praise your name, Lord of the Storm, and honour you here today. May these lands be blessed in the name of Lord Zin!" *Firan* (prayer)

East of Anarinuell: Solan Harror's Land (near the villa)

Emee just narrows her eyes slightly at some of the other servants before she shuffles closer to Ladonna, holding Saelus securely and pointing to Phillida and then tapping his cheek lightly with a small smile before she bows her head after listening and she does her best to keep the little one quiet and paying attention to what's going on before she bows her head again.

Ladonna bows her head in prayer and whispers something to Saelus, something Emee probably hears. Then, the young woman looks up and takes Karish's arm, "To the next field?" she inquires, not really waiting for a reply. She, the staff, and all the field workers truck off to Field #2, preparing to make another prayer session and ask Zin to stop being all mad. *Firan*

East of Anarinuell: Solan Harror's Land (fields)

Karish follows, praying silently all the way. My that's a long prayer.

Emee senses "Ladonna whispers to Saelus, "Listen, boy, because you need to learn to pray. And pray well."

Karish answers a messenger bearing Chimera Royal colors, and then shuffles his feet a little.

Ladonna glances up at Karish and lowers her voice to whisper to him as prayers continue. As they go, Ladonna drinks.

You whisper "What's the matter?" to Karish. *Firan*

Phillida finishes her plea to Zin and pours a small amount of water onto the ground and watching it soak in, then serenely moving to follow Ladonna to the next field. Here, she again repeats the process; she sips the water and lifts the container upwards to the sky, as she declares her blessing. "Great and courageous are you, oh lord of the storm and the rain. We come together before you, asking that you hear my plea as your priestess. Here I again spill your blessed water upon the ground in praise of you, in acknowledgment of our need of you in every day and every moment. Where without the rain and the river would we be, we Firan people? Our crops would die and our herds melt away to thinnest bone. Here I ask again, let the land be blessed by your rains; let the rain come and fall upon this earth, that the child may have his milk and the workers of the field their wine, that every living being remembers truly that you are the source of these blessings and praises your name. We petition you, Lord of the Sea, and honour you here today. May these lands be blessed in the name of Lord Zin!" *Firan*

Karish whispers "Just a matter of Chimeran Royal Security. Nothing interesting." *Firan*

Phillida spills the water all over the floor. Phillida closes her eyes momentarily as if in prayer.

Karish whispers back, and waves a hand dismissively.

Emee is quiet, bowing her head from time to time as she watches and makes sure the babies are watching as well, quietly!

Ladonna mimics Phillida in prayer, lightly squeezing Karish's arm with the hand that laces between his body and arm. When her prayer is done, she looks up and offers the guard a slight smile and nods encouragingly to Phillida. "That's a lovely prayer," she says earnestly. "You're a very eloquent woman." *Firan*

Karish is standing tall and strong, like a hired bodyguard should. He could serve as a coat rack or a bookshelf if you wanted to hang things from or stack them on his big, brawny shoulders. As it is, he's serving as a leaning post for Ladonna. Also, he seems to have such long prayers that he's muttering under his breath.

Phillida waits until the water has again soaked into the earth, then offers a smile to Ladonna. "Well, it's not so much that I'm eloquent, or not for myself, mes. But I want Lord Zin to /want/ to hear me; and it'd be silly to say things I don't mean, especially to a god. So I just try to make the words mean what I want them to. I think I brought enough water; you've two more fields, yes?" *Firan*

Ladonna nods and gestures to the east. "There's one that lies that way, yes," she says pleasantly. *Firan*

East of Anarinuell: Solan Harror's Land (fields)

Phillida unhurriedly moves into the center of the field again, again taking a sip of the water before she lifts the flask in both hands up to the sky. "O magnificent Lord Zin, whose virile seas teem with life, hear my cry! I, your priestess, come before you as humble supplicant, leading these who ask your blessings. Again, your water is offered to the dry and helpless earth in your name. Help us! This cry is loud upon my lips, my lord god; without you, we will suffer and we will die. Let your blessings cover us, with the cool shade of the cloud and the falling rain upon our upturned faces; let the grass remain green and not brown and dried even to the very door of death, let the trees not wither in heat and drought. Return to us your favour, o mighty storm lord, we beg of you, that fear and famine will not rise to slaughter us all. We beseech you, Lord of the Tempest, and honour you here today. May these lands be blessed in your name!" *Firan*

Phillida drops the water. water has left. Phillida spills the water all over the floor. Phillida closes her eyes momentarily as if in prayer. (more praying)

Ladonna watches Phillida with no small amount of interest. In fact, she even points her out to the baby and mutters something to Saelus. It doesn't matter what. Ladonna straightens again (that's enough parenting!) and looks up at Karish. "There's one more, Priestess. If you don't mind?" *Firan*

Phillida smiles, looking a little tired but seeming willing enough. "I don't mind, mes. It's what I'm here for, after all. Shall we?" *Firan*

East of Anarinuell: Solan Harror's Land (hills)

Phillida comes to the last plot of land, and this time it's not a field; she instead moves about halfway towards the hills, coming to a stop under a tree. This is a good place to escape the sunlight. Here she once more sips the water, lifting the flask upwards. "O great and inspiring Lord of Adventure, here we have come once more in seeking of your blessing. Hear the words of your priestess, I ask, and bless these lands. Though we are far from the field of the farmer, here, too, your rain is needed; the hunter cannot cross the stream, and he will find no game, for all will have fled in search of your blessings elsewhere, or have died from the exhaustion of its lack. Return to us! We beg of you, my lord, that your rains will fall again. O Lord of the Sea and the Swell, may your blessing be upon us all, and upon this land as we honour you here today!" *Firan*

Phillida drops the water. Phillida spills the water all over the floor. Phillida closes her eyes momentarily as if in prayer. Ladonna closes her eyes momentarily as if in prayer. Emee closes her eyes momentarily as if in prayer.

Karish claps, suddenly. "Bravo, Sister Phillida. Fine work, and ever tireless, may I add. You are a credit to your craft." Karish is rich with flattery!

• Firan*

Phillida carefully spills the water onto the ground again, then straightens, turning a bit pink at the compliment. "Thank you, mer. It's very kind of you. It is my hope that Lord Zin will hear this request and answer it. Our temple will be blessing the lands of anyone who asks, of course."

• Firan*

Ladonna glances into her purse and then looks at Phillida. Quietly, Ladonna whispers something to the priestess and then steps back. "Can I interest anyone in a drink? Escape the heat, perhaps? Or maybe just sit out here? Is he," Ladonna turns to look over her child, "alright? or is it too hot for him?" Look! CONCERN?! Maybe. *Firan*

Karish glances in the babies direction and shakes his head. "I bet he's fine out here..." *Firan*

Emee chuckles softly and says a soft 'yay' with the babies as she bounces Saelus and then blinks several times and looks to Ladonna then to Saelus. "...I think he'll be okay for now." Then Karish is speaking and she just nods again and bows her head, falling silent. *Firan*

"Really?" Ladonna asks, crossing to the tree under which Phillida sits and buckling her legs. She slides to the ground, seated under the shade, and begins to softly fan herself with the edge of her palla. "I need one of those new fans they have; the fashionable, pretty ones. Are you /sure/ it's not too hot for him?" The young woman continues to stare at Saelus as if he is an oddity, a curiosity to be studied.

You whisper "Thank you, Priestess." to Phillida. *Firan*

Phillida smiles at Ladonna's whisper, shaking her head and murmuring something in response before then moving back into the shade herself. "Babies can be very resilient, though it's good to keep them out of the direct sun. I have to avoid direct sun myself, because of my skin; my son takes after his husband, so it's a /little/ easier, but not much, for him. Though he cries terribly at the slightest provocation, so we're trying to toughen him up a little." *Firan*

Phillida whispers "You're quite welcome, really! Thank you for the donation."

Karish folds his arms across his chest and tries his best to look soldierly and guardian-like. Tough. Stern. Ever-watchful.

Ladonna glances at her son a little nervously and fingers her pale skin. "He... doesn't favor me at all," she says slowly, wrinkling her nose. Ladonna stares for a little too long, clearly thinking SOMETHING -- and whatever it is, it isn't good. Eventually, her gaze is captured by Karish's stoicism and she lifts a brow at him, "What are you doing?" she teases.

Emee finds a shady place to stand as she smooths down her stola once more and adjusting her hold on Saelus with a wrinkle of her nose. She looks back towards Alael from time to time with some concern as she squints at the sky and turns her attention back to her little charges.

Phillida glances up at the sky, but of course it's far too early; no sign of rain clouds yet. Alas! "My husband's hoping to try for another soon. He wants little Zinuell to have lots of brothers and sisters. I told him to give me a little more time to recover, but you know how it is." She looks tolerant. "Of course, I'll be going away on temple business for a little while, soon, so he's going to have to wait, isn't he? How old's yours?" She glances over to Karish curiously, seeming a bit puzzled. *Firan*

Karish startles and looks around, almost guiltily. "I'm... Guarding. I'm a bodyguard, remember?" He waves a hand, almost comically, across the land. "Nothing escapes my watchful eye, and anything that does will meet the sharp end of my... cutful... chopping... my sword!" *Firan*

Ladonna stares blankly at Phillida, looking more and more glazed as the woman talks about children. Eventually, she blinks back to reality and rubs her eye, "Wo--oh. Um. I don't know, a ...a year? a little o-- Emee, how old is it?" Ah, back to 'it'. The young woman looks at Karish and bites her bottom lip then glances at Phillida again. "Really? more than one? Is that... I see. Mer Harror hasn't bo-- um. I think my ...duty was fulfilled with the birth of Saelus." There. She turns to Karish again and lifts a brow, trying to look playful but only managing 'rattled'. "I think you can relax."

Emee smiles softly to Phillida as she speaks about children before she points to Karish and murmurs softly to Saelus. Mostly Alael is just squirming slightly and hiding in the shade of Emee's bun or something (what? it's alot of hair!). She blinks at Ladonna. "-He-'s a little over a year now I would think, Mes Harror." She smiles politely and manages not to twitch before looking back to Saelus. *Firan*

Phillida's lips twitch a bit at the ... cutful ... chopping ... thing. "I'm sure nothing does escape you," she agrees gravely. "Though hopefully there's nothing out here to threaten us! Unfortunately, I'm afraid I'd best be getting back to the temple. I need to attend to some records, you see. I hope Lord Zin will indeed bless your fields and make them fruitful, though." Unlike other things bearing fruit, evidently. *Firan*

Karish sags a bit and frowns. He mutters, almost petulantly. "Don't need to relax. Don't look tough when I'm relaxing..." *Firan*

Phillida stops following you.

Phillida has left.

Phillida heads west.

Ladonna rakes a hand through her hair and watches Phillida leave. She senses ... something. Oh, she does. There's a dryness, an undercurrent of sarcasm that she picks up on... but the priestess is gone before Ladonna can comment. Thankfully, it seems that with Phillida's departure, there comes a departure from the subject of children -- for a moment. Ladonna begins to pick at the dry, scorched earth for a little while, wrinkling her nose at it. "I wonder why Lord Zin is so angry... I would hate not to have the income from the land this season." *Firan*

Emee glances towards Karish. "Oh...you always look um. Yeah even when um. Relaxed." She...reassures maybe? Then she's quiet again and sighing softly, shifting again to readjust her hold on Saelus with a soft chuckle and a wrinkle of her nose. *Firan*

Karish smirks. He evidently considers Emee's reassurances somewhat amusing. As to the land, he has no answers. "I'm sure something will grow. Lord Zin wouldn't starve us all, would he?" *Firan*

Ladonna widens her eyes and looks at Karish. "I wouldn't presume to know what a god would or would not do, I think," she whispers to him. Her skirts begin to pick up the dust from the dry dirt and Ladonna begins to dust them off half-heartedly. "Mes Emee, can Saelus walk yet?" she asks, distractedly picking at a little stick that has attached itself to her palla. *Firan*

Emee looks to Saelus and then to the ground and then to Ladonna and blinks several times. "If I hold his hands he usually can walk along a little bit, just slowly...Mes Harror. When we're playing though..." She quickly just shakes her head. "He's big enough." *Firan*

Karish waves a hand. "Pretty soon he'll be running around like a little hellion, I bet." Karish smiles, "Just in time for his first wooden sword, yeah? Or maybe he'd like a nice toy whip." *Firan*

"Toys?" Ladonna says with a certain level of disenchantment. "How many toys does a boy need, really?" She gestures for Emee to take Saelus. "Lead him around then, would you please? He should run around or something while we're outside. Not too far, but just..." Ladonna points a few yards away. "There and back, perhaps. A few times?" In the process of swiping at her skirts, Ladonna moves a little. It so happens to place her closer to Karish and she quite vigorously takes her stola, shakes it out, and wrinkles her nose. "It's so /dusty/."

"Children should have toys, Mes Harror. It helps them find things to do, learn, grow, think..." A pause. "And it's fun for them." Emee looks to Saelus and then down to the ground again before sighing softly. "You wanna walk around a bit hmm?" She speaks to him softly before adjusting a strap of her baby pack to check on the baby there for a few moments before she carefully lowers Saelus down, kneeling down to help him get situated before taking a hold of each one of his little hands, tucking a thumb into his grasp as she quietly speaks to him. "Annnd...there we go." She smiles brightly to him as she carefully starts waddling along behind the little boy to keep him from falling.

Karish glances down at the ground, and toes some of the dry dirt quietly. "It is a little dusty." He looks restless, still. "How long does it take the land-blessings to work, anyway. And if it doesn't work, do you get your money back?" *Firan*

Ladonna watches as Saelus begins to gleefully toddle, making all sorts of noises along the way. She looks mildly disturbed by these sounds but doesn't say anything. Instead, Ladonna just recoils, looks away, and focuses on .. Karish. He'll do. He is not a child. Delightful. "I ... don't think I can really hold the priestess fiscally responsible for the whims of a god," Ladonna tells the man slowly. "I didn't pay for instant fixes; I paid for her attempt. And, really, what's a hundred thousand stenis?" Says the little rich girl. "Especially if it saves the crops for the season. We need these grapes to live." *Firan*

"There you go! Hm?" Emee responds to his noises as if he's actually saying something. "Well when Alael is big enough /maybe/ but for now...mmhm, such a good boy. Onnne...two!" Toddle toddle toddle.

Karish frowns. "They really charged? A hundred thousand stenis, by Zutiv that's a fleecing. How outrageous, really. It should be a public service, after all, it's their fault he's not more happy in the first place. Isn't that what we endow Temples for?" *Firan*

"No!" Ladonna says, eyes widening. "Karish, my goodness, first of all, they /should/ charge. Second, no, that's what I chose to give them." Pause. "Um. /Mer/ Karish."

Emee hesitates for a moment before continue to help Saelus walk to the point gestured towards before turning him around carefully to head back, blinking many times and sighing softly. "We'll have to get you some little sandals soon, hmm?" *Firan*

Karish reaches up and scritches his face. "Oh. I still don't think it's so proper, they should just do it for free." *Firan*

"They did," Ladonna explains, one eye on Saelus and Emee as they make their way back. "I donated." When Saelus is close enough to take, Ladonna bends forward and drags her son onto her lap. He wiggles and talktalktalks. Ladonna covers his mouth with her hand. "What did you say, Mes Emee? Sandals? What?"

You feel sick to your stomach.

Emee blinks several times as she makes sure Saelus doesn't fall over and then takes a step back when he's taken and she worries her bottom lip, hands pressed together as she watches Saelus and then looks to Ladonna. "...well if he's to start walking more um, sandals would be good for his feet...I think." Emee looks a bit sheepish. *Firan*

Ladonna suddenly looks a little gray. The color drains from her face and she puts the now-emptied glass of wine on the ground. It tilts over and rolls down the hill -- but Ladonna doesn't pay attention to it at all. She looks ill. A mixed blessing, however, comes from this onset of quease beacause the actress agrees, "I.. yes, that's fine, I guess. Whatever." *Firan*

Karish takes a few steps forward, reaching down a hand. "Mes Harror, perhaps you should go back inside. The heat can make you ill, you know." *Firan*

Emee sighs and moves forward to offer to take Saelus back, biting her bottom lip. "I can take the little ones back inside now..." *Firan*

Ladonna holds her stomach and takes the offered hand. She lets Karish hoist her up and leans against him heavily. "Yes, alright, thank you," she says haltingly. Outing over. *Firan*