Project: TheirWorld - Chapter 011 - Part 2

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The Believers and Their Lady

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TheirWorld

With her quest complete, Guin ran back to the church. It was quiet. It was empty. Furrowing her brows, she walked in. She found Pastor Jormund sitting in a front pew.

The set up struck her as odd. Jormund was staring up at the statue of the lady - not as a one might think a priest would. Rather, he reminded her of the way she had left Alta Noin. Guin stood just in front of him, watching him in her peripheral vision as she too, took to staring at the marble statue.

It was a beautiful statue. Guin knew there to be upwards of ten known religions in Uldarin; the Lady was simply the official religion of the Imperial Court. It was a religion that was not far from the human’s Christianity, though it was mostly based upon the Valkyrian’s religion of Uram. For that, the statue resembled their only Goddess, the great Ur, right down to the red flower she carried in her hands.

The statue stood at about six feet, carved from smooth, white marble. To Guin, she looked like an angel, with a beautiful, peaceful face with delicate features, and a pair of wings outstretched. In her hands was a single flower, painted a vibrant red, with each of its seven petals tipped with gold. It was a very classic piece; beautiful in it’s modesty.

Other screenshots of churches from around Uldarin showed many different statues of the Lady - most moving or eliminating the flower from her depiction - but this was the most common image. There were a variety of theories about the Lady and how she is depicted. Many who had delved into the more church-related storylines spoke of differing accounts of who and what she was - very similar to those told of Ur.

After a while, Guin turned her head to look at Jormund, still sitting. She wasn’t sure if she should be worried about him or not; he showed no signs of ever even noticing that she had been standing there.

His lips twitched, then pursed. Still in silence, Guin decided to sit in the pew in front of him. Surely he had to have noticed her at that point.

Time passed, and they sat in silence. Guin looked around, but her attention was always drawn to the peacefulness of the statue.

“Do you believe in the Lady?” Pastor Jormund’s gentle voice came from behind her. Glancing behind her, she merely shook her head. She saw his lips curl into a smile. “Do you know of her?” he asked. She shook her head again. “Ah. But is she not beautiful?” Guin looked back up at the statue, unsure of how to feel about what he was saying. More time passed. Guin wanted to leave, but somehow it didn’t seem appropriate to bother him. He had barely moved since she found him in the pew. “Oh - I’m sorry! I seem to have kept you waiting. You were the one I sent to Alta Noin’s, correct? Did the package make it there safely?”

Guin looked back at him with a smile, glad for the change in the atmosphere. “Yes!” she told him. “She sends her thanks.”

“That’s good,” he said. “She’s been lonely ever since since her husband passed last spring. I worry for her, but I don’t get to see her as often as I like.” Standing up, he added, “Wait here while I get you a little something as a reward for your time.”

Watching as he walk back toward the pulpit, Guin’s curiosity about him grew. She turned attention back to the statue. The polished marble glittered in the lights.

“I’m sorry,” she heard him say as he walked back toward her. “I seem to have forgotten your name.”

“I don’t think I told you - It’s Guin,” she answered. Pastor Jormund nodded and handed her a small bag.

“Here you go Miss Guin. It isn’t much, but I’m sure you will use it well,” he smiled as she took it. “I do very much appreciate what you did for me today. Mrs Noin means quite a lot to me. Be careful on your way back to school!”

Guin nodded as her quest screen popped up.

You have reported your success to Pastor Jormund and have received your rewards. Report back to Teacher Grimhai about your success.>

>

Guin fiddled with the bag in her hand as she willed away the quest screen. She looked at Pastor Jormund, who went back to his seat in the pew.

For that he said, it really didn’t look like he didn’t have the time to visit the old woman.

“Pastor Jormund?” she went, still sitting in the pew in front of him.

“Hmm?”

Guin fiddled a little more with the bag of coins in her hand. She wanted to ask, but it didn’t seem appropriate. Instead, she asked, “Who is The Lady?”

“The Lady herself, the daughter of our Goddess sent to us to be our leader in a time where our faith alone was not enough,” he answered, his eyes shifting to the statue. His smile was wistful, but his eyes seemed to be full of sorrow. “Scripture tells a grand story of her fight against the Dusk Lords of old, led by their leader, Grukai. The Lady was a brave woman, who fought for what she believed in. She fought for our humble souls, that we might be free. She was strong. She did what she thought was right no matter what trials she faced.” His voice faded as he spoke, as if he wasn’t in the present moment. “Would that I had half her courage.”

Guin looked at the statue curiously. “She doesn’t look like a fighter…”

Pastor Jormund chuckled behind her. “Perhaps not,” he said. “Not here, in this place.”

“Other places then?”

“Other places. I grew up in Cryvaria - the Imperial city,” He told her, leaning forward to rest on the back of her pew. “There, there are dozens of temples devoted to The Lady and all of them have grand, painted statues of fine stones and metals, sculpted by the finest hands, decorated with the finest materials. In the Temple of Her Legacy, the central temple in Cryvaria, she stands, sword in hand, pointed to the sun. Crying out a battle cry, skirts fluttering, wings outstretched like an eagle going for it’s prey - each wing the size of this small church - she stands against the night. Is it not marvelous?” His eyes lit up like a child as he spoke of the image.

Looking from him to the statue though, she had a hard time imagining they were talking about the same individual. “Maybe,” she tilted her head. “But here… She looks… Sad.”

“...Doesn’t she just,” his voice was quiet, and once again silence fell between them. After a few moments, he leaned back in his seat. “My wife used to say that in these parts, they told a very different story than the Imperial Court. Mrs Noin, too.”

“What kind of stories?” Guin asked. “How were they different?”

Jormund laughed. “A curious little thing aren’t you? How about this - I’ll make a deal with you,” he said.

“What kind of deal?” she asked with suspicion.

“Come to me again some time, after you finish with Teacher Grimhai’s lessons, and I will teach you more about the story of The Lady. In the meantime, if you want to know the stories they tell in these parts, go ask Mrs Noin.” Pastor Jormund smirked.

Taken aback, she gaped at him a moment, then laughed out.

“Well?” he pressed in an amused tone.

You have been offered a quest!>

This is a “Crossroads Quest”, and will only be ended at the discretion of the assigning NPC.

This quest is optional. >

> > >

Crossroads? She wondered. It didn’t ring a bell. Still, she wanted to know his story. The Pastor had struck her as odd at first, but something about him drew him to her. Plus, she had to respect his intention.

“Deal!” She answered, holding her hand out. He shook it with a smile.

“Good!” Pastor Jormund gave a very genuine smile. Oh, she thought. It was a nice smile - but it made it all the more obvious that something was wrong with him before. “You really should get going - It’s going to be dark soon!”

“Oh no!” Guin glanced at the top of screen. It really was going to be dark - it already was in the real world. “Shoot!” she exclaimed. “Forget the school, I have to get home!”

“Go! Be safe on your way!”

Rushing out of the church she tripped and nearly fell, but caught herself. She ran back to the house, where her mother was standing outside the door with pursed lips.

“Sorry!” she said, panting heavily.

“In!” her mother said shortly, pointing. Guin followed her finger and went inside where dinner was waiting. Guin ate it up, and went to bed.

After logging out, Dassah turned off the power to the game and undid herself. Looking at the clock, she saw that she had time to hop in the shower before bed, so she did so. She check her phone for massages and nearly choked on the 150+ missed messages on her KITTalk app. Happy to see that none of them were important, she plugged in the phone and crawled into bed.