The closer we got, the more imposing the church became. Now that I got a closer look, the gothic architecture had little hints of what could be described as classical Greek thrown about here and there. It may have sounded a bit crazy, but I also could have sworn that the statues of the various gods were staring at me whenever I looked at them out of the corner of my eye. That was probably just paranoia though.
Both the priests that had been leading us stopped at the set of large double doors that marked the entrance before giving it a hard shove to open them. The entrance as I saw it was rather classic when it came to churches. Rows upon rows of pews stretching from near the back to a few meters from the front. Tall candelabras were placed intermittently on the outside of the pews to provide light with large iron chandeliers on the ceiling supplementing them. A plethora of candles decorated alters on either side of the main room, two on the left, two on the right, each set aside for representing their respective gods. Naturally, the bitch gets her place as center of attention and the largest of the visages depicting the deities right behind the podium the preacher works from.
Honestly, despite her visage being the simplistic form that she had shown me, a robed featureless figure, the whole scene was practically garish. Attention was immediately drawn to her statue as it was framed by a multitude of large pillars that stretched all the way up to the vaulted ceiling where it merged with the design present there. Many twisting works of metal, stone, and wood were around her statue's feet, all merging into different depictions of life and death. If it was looked at in a purely artistic fashion, it was certainly a creative and impressive piece, but the subject matter simply rubbed me the wrong way.
The temperature difference between inside and outside wasn’t too dramatic, probably because of the large open-air design of this part of the building, but it was still warmer here. There weren’t many people loitering inside, just a handful sitting near the front in the pews either praying or having quiet discussions with those closest to them. I was grateful for the lack of potential diversions or interruptions as being swarmed by believers, if word really had spread about me, would throw things into chaos.
As it was, we continued along the left side of the pews while heading towards a small door in the back corner of the room. This door in turn led us to a series of hallways that progressed deeper into the inner cloister. Despite my distaste with the reason these churches were built, I couldn’t help but admire all the work and detail that went into it. It was a begrudging sort of admission, but one that I accepted as just being praise of the masons and architects.
We walked for a minute, passing by a few priests who dipped their heads and made their prayer circles in the air before continuing with their duties. At the very least it seemed like all the priests in the city were aware of my identity and defining characteristics. Perhaps it would be considered some form of blasphemy to be ignorant of such things, even though I wouldn’t care in the slightest if people just didn’t know who I was.
Eventually, we did stop at one of the doors that seemed random, but upon closer inspection of the area I noticed that there was more space between this door and the next closest one, meaning that this was probably one of the larger rooms that were set aside for people of importance. The guides turned towards us, and the satyr relayed some instructions.
“I beg your patience for just one minute, divine one. I need but inform the bishop of your arrival so that he is properly prepared to receive you. Is that acceptable?”
“Well, I am a guest in your house, so I don’t mind waiting a minute if our host needs to compose themselves.”
They both bowed their heads to me. “We thank you for your understanding.” With that, they knocked on the door and received permission to enter just a second later.
After they disappeared into the confines of the room, I was left to simply look over the decorations and the small garden that was in the center of the cloister. They grew many of the incandescent flowers that I had seen in the wild here and a few that I had not. The garden had an X shape to it, divided by paths that allowed people to walk from one corner of the cloister to the other.
It turned out we didn’t even need to wait the full minute because the two priests exited the room barely even thirty seconds later. “The bishop is ready to see you. Please come in.”
Taking the invitation, I proceeded towards the open door that was waiting for me. Taking the chance to look around inside as I stepped in, the office-like space was neatly organized and rather sparsely decorated. There was a desk, of course, made of dark wood and carved with simple inlays and designs to make it look nice. On top of the desk was a small pile of paper and a richly bound book that may have been their version of the bible.
Other than the desk, there was a sorting cabinet on the right side of the room that contained letters and notes that were probably being stored before their sending. The last bit of furniture in the room was a simple table with a small shrine on top of it. There was a plain white cloth below a set of candles and a small statue of the goddess in all her simplistic bitchy glory.
As for the bishop himself, the man was a satyr, something that I had noticed that a lot of people around here were. Perhaps this was one of their cities? Whatever the case, the bishop was of a more elderly disposition. His face was aged with deep wrinkles and a full beard that stretched down to the center of his chest. Most of his hair was white with bits of grey mixed in here and there. The horns jutting out from his head were quite large, at least more so than any of the younger satyr that I had seen. He wore the same minimalist robes that the priests under him did, but his had a small silver badge pinned to it over his left shoulder. The badge itself looked like a twisted band of metal formed into a circle, the sign that they all use for prayers and worship.
While I expected the bishop, there was another person in there right next to him, standing respectfully with hands clasped together in a resting but at attention pose. They were of the same species as the bishop but younger, probably around late twenties early thirties. Their hair was a light shade of brown and they had a medium length beard that was neatly arranged into a soft downwards point. If I had to take a guess, I would say that this person was most likely an assistant of some kind.
I would find out eventually during introductions as the bishop stood to greet me. His rise from the chair was slow and measured, a byproduct of his advanced age making such simple movements a challenge in and of themselves. It seemed getting old sucked no matter who or what you were.
Upon standing, the elderly bishop drew a little circle in the air before offering his hand and an introduction. “Lord James, chosen of the goddess and liberator of Yol’vastume, it is an honor.” His voice was slightly airy, another indicator of age.
I approached and accepted the handshake as it was only polite to do so. “It seems my reputation has proceeded me, which leaved me at the disadvantage of not knowing much about you.”
“Ahh yes, forgive me for being rude. I am the bishop of this church, he who leads his flock to kinder pastures, the one who heals the sick and those of former masters. It is not as lengthy a name as some, but it is one that I am proud of nonetheless.” My hesitation in my reply as I tried to commit the title to memory made the old man chuckle. “But, to those of other races, I go by the simple name of Yolder.”
Thank fuck for reasonable people. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Yolder.” My attention turned to the assistant now as he still stood quietly by the side. “And might I ask the name of your friend there?”
Yolder took a seat once more. “The upstanding man you see standing behind me is my assistant and current trainee for position of high priest. Adder here is receiving my instruction on various duties and responsibilities that he will have to perform in the event that he passes his test and advances in rank. I do hope that his presence is not a problem for you as I thought this might be a good learning experience as well as a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet one as venerated as you.”
The amount of kissassery still threw me for a loop at times. The fact that people would consider meeting me to be the highlight of their whole life above things like their wedding day and the birth of their first child was just crazy. I guess interacting with the avatar of a literal god has that effect on people.
Adder, though, seemed a little bit different from the nameless masses that I’ve had to deal with up to this point. His eyes did not light up with signs of hope or desires for prayers to be answered. If anything, it felt more like the man was scrutinizing me. Honestly, it was a refreshing feeling as I couldn’t recall if anyone had ever not revered me for my connection to the bitch.
The man simply nodded his head slightly in a reserved but respectful manner. With introductions completed, we could move on to the meat of the conversation, that being why I was here.
“Well, your church is lovely, and I can see that a great deal of care and attention was put into its construction, but I doubt that you invited me here for the sole purpose of having me tour the grounds. Would you care to elaborate on why I received such a sudden invitation upon my arrival?”
“Of course, an explanation is the least we owe you.” The old man began. “The reason for the suddenness of the invitation was mostly a practical one on my part. There was no real reason to delay introductions and if I had waited a day or so you may very well have been caught up in conversations with the council for who knows how long. It was simply easier for us to get in contact with you first.”
There are probably other motivations behind that as well, probably making a statement the church holds most of my interest first and foremost, despite whether that is true or not.
“The second reason, and the why behind the invitation, was I had hoped to present to you an opportunity of a sort.”
That got me a bit curious. “What kind of opportunity?”
He smiled and leaned forward in his chair slightly. “I would like you speak before the people of this city in this church as part of a sermon.”
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That elicited various reactions from not only me, but Adder as well. “Sir, I must protest this. He is not an ordained priest and has none of the formal training required to be qualified for such a thing.”
I was somewhat in agreement with Adder. My knowledge of their religious texts and how they interpreted the actions and words of their gods was essentially nil. If I got up behind that podium the outcome might not be pretty. On the other hand, it was a fantastic opportunity to kickstart the whole plan behind this visit. Drumming up support from the masses was the main goal after all.
Yolder gained from this as well though. Having my first action in the city to be giving a sermon at the church would cement my connection with them and give them a lot of influence to peddle by flinging my name about. The old goat might not know exactly what my plans are in this city, but he can most likely infer enough to make this plan and present it knowing that it had a high chance of success. I came from the front lines, we won the battle at Yol’vastume, it wouldn’t be such a big leap in logic to assume that now was the time to gather support.
Perhaps it would be wise to probe him a little further before committing to an answer. “Well, that is certainly an interesting proposition, but it does beg the question of why you want me to do this. I am quite new to this city and my days ahead look to be full of meetings with different people of all walks of life. I’d like to start on that as soon as possible, and while this meeting may be considered a part of that, holding a sermon is a little beyond what I expected to do as well as outside my current skill set. Why would this be a good idea for me?”
The older man leaned back in his seat. “You seem to me like a very efficiency minded person, Lord James. You ask me why you should do this, and why I would want you to? Well, the easy answer is why wouldn’t I wish for the chosen of the goddess to speak in my church? Such a thing would be a rather nice feather in my cap, one might say. I’ve lived a long time already, yet this is a situation that doesn’t come about in a single lifetime, or several for that matter. To have it happen in mine, well, I'd be fool not make the most of it.”
He raised a casual finger to point at me. “Why you should do it, well, that’s not a difficult question either. Now, if you were to ask the average citizen why they thought you were here, they might not know, but anyone informed enough would realize the situation for what it is. Yol’vastume, a cornerstone of the Thrainian empire, was conquered by the action of the goddesses chosen and the good General Durdan. A single war camp taking such a place was a miracle brought about by divine will, but holding it, making something of the victory, for that you need men, and supplies, both of which require support to muster. So, this is your opportunity to gather some of that support, as I am sure you are here to do.” He looked rather pleased with his explanation and dissection of my presence in the city.
I poker-faced as best I could to not give him any more ideas or leverage in this situation that could be used against me. While it was true that accepting the proposal as it was would be beneficial to both of us, the nature of politics urged me to push for just a little bit more.
“I can certainly see the benefits of what you are proposing.” The old man smiled which added more crinkles to his face. “However, I could accomplish the same thing without all the ceremony, couldn’t I?” His smile disappeared into a neutral expression again. “Given my reputation, if I started to speak to the people on the street a crowd would be certain to form and then spread my message from there.”
“There is a lot to be said about an official proceeding.” He argued.
“Perhaps.” I said with a shrug. “But it still feels more like I'm doing a favor for your reputation while receiving little in return. Perhaps if you would do me a favor in turn the scales of this agreement might balance out a little more in my mind. As you said, one needs support to elicit action, and having yours when the time comes would help save many lives in the future.” I really disliked having to bargain for something as simple as this, but taking every inch I could was a necessity if we were going to save everyone at Yol’vastume and bring a swift end to this war.
Adder took exception to my negotiating as his face formed a sneer like he just smelled spoiled milk. “Sir, you can’t be thinking about even humoring this charlatan’s words!”
“Adder! You are being disrespectful.”
“Disrespectful?! He is treating the honor of speaking in our church like bargaining for a cut of meat. A true chosen of the goddess would be overjoyed to spread her message in her house of worship. Is this man really who he says he is, or just an imposter?”
Well damn dude, you are literally the first person to question me on that. Granted he hasn’t witnessed my recovery from death yet, but having a skeptical voice with spine enough to openly scrutinize my relationship with the goddess was really a nice change of pace, though perhaps poorly timed.
“That is enough! I am sure I informed you that news of Lord James came from the General himself and collaborated by several other officers who wrote similar reports. There is no reason for the General to lie about such a thing considering his impeccable record of service and even less so when it comes with the news of such a major change in the war.”
“But he-” Adder tried to start again but Yolder interrupted him.
“He may not be exactly as we might have imagined, but it is not our job to question the decisions of the gods. Besides, there is no denying that he was instrumental in the liberation of Yol’vastume as well as the miracle recorded therein. If you cannot conduct yourself respectfully during this meeting, then please leave now.”
Adder looked conflicted, but remained silent enough that Yolder took that as his answer. With a weary sigh, Yolder turned his attention back to me. “Forgive him Lord James. He is a devoted soul, but he has yet to learn the benefits of flexibility in one's way of thinking and acting on the principles the church has made to guide us.”
“It’s understandable. Everyone has their own opinions and if someone says that they agree with you on everything, they are either lying to you, or to themselves.”
“Wise words indeed. Thank you for accepting his shortcomings in this matter. Now, regarding your request, can I assume that you mean to have me lend my influence to leverage support with the council?”
“A few words in support from you certainly wouldn’t be misplaced. The quicker I can convince them to send their armies the quicker this war might finally end.”
Yolder adopted a very pensive look. “You know, I was a younger man when this war first started, alive to see how the continent fractured and was plunged into an ocean of blood. The pain and death never get any easier to see.” His stare drifted off into memory, something far away from where we currently were. He snapped out of it though and returned to the conversation at hand. “I would like to live to see the end of this war, and if you are the best chance of that happening, then I will lend my voice in support.”
I gave him a gentle smile and a grateful nod. “Thank you.”
He scoffed a bit. “Don’t thank me yet. While I have my connections there are those who would stubbornly refuse to act even in the face of all that you have accomplished. There is still plenty of work to be done, but first...” He grinned at me, “we have a sermon to organize.”
My own smile was tinged with a little bit of cringe. Things were set in motion at that point as I was given a brief overview of what I was expected to do and what would be happening. The bells of the church rang loud to signal to the people that a sermon was about to be held.
As the plan for the sermon was formed, I was relieved to find out that Yolder did not expect me to read scriptures. He would take charge of that as well as everything else that the beginning of the sermon would require before introducing me. What I would end up doing is speaking for the goddess, being her voice and will in the flesh. While loath to invoke her name in any regard, I was prepared to push past my anger for the good of the mission.
The pre-speech jitters were coming in full force now as I waited in one of the back rooms that connected to the main hall. I paced back and forth while listening to the muffled voice of the bishop as he addressed the crowd of people in the other room. Trying to manage my stress was a challenge, and I tried to equate it to something like speaking in front of a class.
Eventually I caught the words that signaled my entrance. “And now I would like to welcome a special speaker to say a few words. You may have heard rumors about him; talk of another chosen of the goddess after so many centuries. I can confirm now that it is true. I have invited him here to talk to you about the state of the war, the world, and the mission that he is undertaking in the name of the divine. Please lend your ears to Lord James.”
There it was. I took one last deep breath before opening the door and entering the main hall. Every eye in the building turned towards me, a couple hundred people at least had shown up and filled almost all the available space. My anxiety peaked, especially as the whispers and murmurs spread throughout the crowd. There seemed to be a mixed reaction to my presence, some looking on curiously, others with some skepticism, and then those who believed the bishop and looked upon me with reverence.
The bishop met me halfway to the podium, grasped my hand with both of his and bowed his head. Technically I did outrank him in terms of the hierarchy of the church considering my direct connection to the goddess, so he was displaying his deference to a higher power by bowing to me. I gave him a respectful nod of the head in turn as we swapped positions, and I took my place behind the podium.
The weight of the air in this room was suffocating. I knew I couldn’t just stand up there and stare at them forever though. So, taking one last breath, I cleared my throat and addressed the mass of people.
“Good afternoon, everyone.” My introductory statement echoed in the open space. “Thank you for coming here today, and I would like to extend my thanks to Bishop Yolder for hosting this meeting.” There was my part of the deal, giving him credit for me being here and showing us to be on friendly terms. The people, however, seemed largely disinterested in my words thus far. I needed something to capture their attention.
I cracked a small smile and chuckled a bit. “You know, I never imagined that I would be standing here, in a situation like this. It is true that the goddess chose me to complete a task, a task that some might see as impossible. She charged me with ending the war that has ravaged Valthrain and sundered its people. Such a simple thing to ask, yet so complicated in scope that breaking down a mountain with nothing but a hammer could be considered comparable. But now, I have reached the limit of my capabilities.”
The statement was left to hang in the air for a second or two so it could sink in. “With my help Yol’vastume was taken by General Durdan’s forces, the people who were enslaved there freed, but this victory is fleeting without the support of the citizens and the armies of the coalition. That is why I’ve come here, to plead to your leaders to lend their strength to our own so this nightmare can finally end. I cannot do it alone, and the brave soldiers, who even now may be fighting the Thrainian armies, need a swift response. So please, lend your voices to my own, call out for action alongside me, for a better opportunity to see peace in our lifetimes may never come again. It is up to us to seize a better future for ourselves, one where we may all live our lives free of fear.”
I know I didn’t have a lot of time to come up with a speech, but I just hoped that it would be good enough to get even half of this crowd to support me. The silence that came after as the crowd processed my words felt like an elephant sitting on my chest. The most that could be heard was soft murmuring that filled the room with a dull roar of conversation.
That roar was interrupted when the sharp sound of clapping broke the silence. It started as a single person, but the first domino had been pushed which resulted in a slow cascade of clapping that began to thunder in the enclosed space. Maybe it was just the crowd mentality, or that most people aren’t brave enough to be the first person to support something, but now it appeared that most of the room was on board.
There were now cheers for the end of the war, cries for saving their families who were enslaved, protecting their children, all things that would come from a successful attack straight to the heart of the Thrainian empire. There were of course a few people who weren’t as eager to join the cheering, maybe they weren’t convinced or just didn’t trust me, but considering that most of the room was with me I could call this whole endeavor a success. This was a good first step, now I just had to hope that I wouldn’t stumble over the next hurdle and land flat on my face. My next meeting would be with the council, after all.