Ludvig Prinn
Guest Of Cove
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« on: July 19, 2007, 05:26:34 pm » |
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(About the Eight Shrines of Virtue, is based on visits to the shrines on the order of Father Godfrey, my mentor).
Compassion:
The Shrine of Compassion was the first one I started with. It was natural for a first choice as it was relatively close to Cove. I thought it was most compassionate to find the shrine infested with scorpions when I arrived there. I noticed that before I arrived they acted in peace and harmony minding their own business. After they saw me they started to become restless. I did not hesitate to clear the path up to the Shrine. Foul beasts occupying the Shrine of Compassion could not be allowed. I calmed my mind and without a thought cast the foul beasts down and cleared the area. Rest of them scattered and hid where they found shelter.
So there I was, standing at the Shrine. The air had got warm and wind gently moved over the sands. Studying the area around me the wind lifted sand and the area changed shape. The area where the shrine was remained unchanged and calm. I kneeled at the shrine and closed my eyes in meditation. I opened my mouth and whispered, "MU". At that moment my mind was filled with peace and love. All that is non-evil which lives or grows must be allowed to live. Be there for thy brethren and brother for compassion leaves no room for doubt. I do not remember how long I sat there thinking the way of the world and feeling that I was in harmony with the world. Slowly I stood up and left. "Thank the Avatar for this visit" I said.
Honor:
The Shrine of Honor. It was relatively hard to reach, but after meeting a mage somewhere between Britain and Trinsic the rest of the trip went swiftly. He also gave me eight runes for a small fee which I learned were runes to the eight shrines. Occasional black panther walked in the woods and watched me as I moved towards the shrine. The Shrine of Honor. As I neared it I felt proud. It is hard to explain why it was so. I sat down watching around me feeling righteous in my own right. Three times I said "SUMM" with a strong voice and the world surrounding me disappeared. When I recovered my senses it was already dark and I decided to stay there till morning. I pondered what I had learned in the trance and kept wondering how it happened and why I ended up in a trance. It is not an honorable thing to strike down an innocent being or take what another owns. Follow this path and you shall accomplish Honor..
Honesty:
With the runes I had acquired I could move fast between the shrines and this made me happy because I got the chance to spend more time at the shrines. If I had walked the vast distances from shrine to another it would have taken a decade I tought. I clutched to my robes as I arrived to the Shrine of Honesty. "Orcs!" I whispered to myself and they saw me. I concentrated and calmed my mind filling my fingers with energy. It was over before it started. I felt honorable. My visit at the shrine of Honor still fresh in mind. Like I did before I moved closer to the Shrine. It was cold and it was beginning to snow. I repeated the word "AHM" three times and first I felt nothing happened. It was getting colder. Then I heard a voice in my head. I do not know what it was, but the voice said: "Be true to thyself, deception brings corruption and corruption brings dishonesty. Be true to your heart and thy will accomplish Honesty." It wasn't cold anymore. A polar bear sat by the shrine and scratched its ear. The funny thing was that a small walrus was sitting right next to him.
Justice:
I found myself standing next to a huge white pillar and it was pouring with rain. The forest around me was silent. The shrine was built of strong stone which could not be broken. After touching it I knew that not even the hardest of hammers could break that stone. I smiled as I entered the shrine through a gate. It had no roof and though it was pouring with rain the water did not stay on the ground creating pools of water. It seemed like the earth swallowed it. Suddenly I felt humble..in the eyes of Justice one can only be humble..no other I thought. I kneeled and yelled "BEH" three times and the stone walls and pillars around me went to dust..like the sand in the desert where the Shrine of Compassion was. It was dark and in the dark I heard: "Kill not a non-evil beast for they deserve not death, even if in hunger they attack thee!", "Attack thy brother and brethren and you will be punished and purified". I raised my fists in the void where I felt like I was floating. "Justice is to be served by the righteous!" I yelled. I opened my eyes when the sun was rising. Everything was dry and the rain had long gone. How long it had been? I leaned to my right arm to stand up when I felt it hurt like it was being stuck with a knife. I looked at it and saw a large burn mark in a shape of scales. I was bewildered. "Justice for the Righteous I yelled!" Something ran and hid himself under a near tree which I found out to be a rabbit. What had happened and where had the mark come from?
Sacrifice:
I found the shrine on a clearing which was filled with flowers of different hues. I took my time studying the area and the area was peaceful as it had been at the shrines I visited before. I walked to the shrine, first kneeled and then lied down on my stomach. I whispered "CAH" three times. It was like a gentle dream which then turned sad. In a dream I saw three friends who were enganged in a battle against 4 ettins and they were getting pinned. One of the three started to retreat casting down his sword leaving his companions behind. I turned to look at the remaining two companion what their reaction was, but the ettins and the companions were gone. Woman, white as snow stood there in her white silvery hair eyes blue as the sea..she was so close to me I could feel her heart. She whispered to my ear: "For thee to flee and leave thy companions is a self-serving action to be avoided" Suddenly the woman was gone but I heard her still, "To give of thy life's blood so that others may live is a virtue of great praise!" I opened my eyes and I was still lying on the spot where I lied down. My eyes were hurting. I wiped them and realised that I had been crying. I had not been sad or anything of the sort but I had cried and I had not been aware of it.. Greatly puzzled I stood up remembering the womans words, turned around and left.
Spirituality:
On a small lake there were long white pillars and on the top of the pillars was the shrine of spirituality. There were six steps going upwards next to the lake..only six. At first I wondered if the stairs had broken long aog, but soon learned that I had been wrong. I found out that taking few steps and saying the word "OM" again three times I found myself standing on a platform. My first guess was that I had been transported to the platform which I had seen from the ground, but after I had looked around a bit I realised that there was no ground to be seen...like the platform was in clouds. I wanted the meditation to succeed and if one was not calm and peaceful in mind it wouldn't work. Nothing happened. I could not help it. I watched over the edge and saw a glimpse of land under me far far away. Hours passed and I waited...it got dark. I closed my eyes and fell asleep. I woke up some hours later and wiped my eyes. I was still in the same place, but my mind was in ease. I closed my eyes and right at that moment I felt that I had succeeded. A man in form of blue energy stood before me..he looked like he was casting lightnings all around him, but he wasn't...pure untamed energy he was. "Seek ye to know thyself, Visit the seer often for he can see into thy inner being!" He paused for a moment. "Meditation leads to enlightenment, Seek ye all wisdom and Knowledge!" Then there was lighting and thunder and I found myself back on the ground. Instinctively I reached to scratch my burn scar that was in form of scales when I noticed something under the mark. "Ankh!" I gasped.
Valor:
My thoughts on the marks in my arm I arrived to the shrine of Valor. I was soon infront of a real deal as I was being approached by alligators and several mongbats. Instictevly my hands ingnited and I began casting fireballs. It felt like what I did they kept coming, one after the another. I saw the Shrine of Valor infront of me and with an explosion spell I ran through the horde to the shrine and surrounded the shrine with firewalls, "RA" I yelled three times. The alligators and mongbats scattered and ran to seek a place to hide. "Victories scored over evil creatures help to build a valorous soul!" a strong voice said! Then the voice laughed and continued, "To flee from battle with less than grievous wounds often shows a coward!". I wiped my hair and smiled faintly. The beasts that had attacked me did not come back.
Humility:
The area seemed barren though there was life. Trees grew and fish were swimming in the nearby pond. I felt strong after my visit to the Shrine of Valor. I felt bold when I entered the shrine of humility, I was ready for anything. I repeated the word "LUM" three times. The boldness was soon stripped from me. I felt naked, without weapons without ability to protect myself. I sat down shaking my head cursing myself that I had been so bold. Suddenly I opened my mouth and said, " Strive not to wield the Great Force of Evil for its power will overcome thee!" I pushed my hand to my mouth and looked around. It was not I who had spoken. "Claim not to be that which thou art not. Humble actions speak well of thee!" I heard a childs voice say beside me. I turned to see who it was but there was no one there. Somewhere a newborn baby was laughing happily and then it was silent. I had come to the end of my road. This was the last shrine. Experience had been tremendous and I felt strong in mind. Strong to share my wisdom and help those who need it. I moved my hand over the marks on my arm remained there a long while.
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