Chapter 4: History Lesson
“Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the 'hero' within us is revealed.” - Bob Riley
Avery stood before the great temple of light and stared up at the spire that rose into the sky. The temple was circular and sat in the very center of the park. Around it, the park was separated into 8 slices, each partition illustrating 8 of the 10 primal elements: fire, earth, water, wind, ice, thunder, life, and thought. Along the outside was a temple to each of the elements and the gods that identified with them. Each god in Galanthrial had a portfolio that included at least 1 primal element, though most gods had two elements, and a few had even more. The temple of light that stood in the center of the park was dedicated to the 9th element - light. Avery knew from Tales of the Everblossom that the 10th element - darkness - had a temple beneath the center of the park that mirrored the temple of light. That is, instead of rising up into the sky, it dropped down deep into the ground.
None of the elements were necessarily good or evil, nor were the temples devoted to them. Some gods of Galanthrial were noble or selfish in nature, cruel or merciful, but the elements themselves were recognized as simply the building blocks of the universe and had no moral weight. There was some discussion about why the temple of light held the center spot in most divine parks across Galanthrial, but others argued that it was more of a statement about the core of the universe than anything else. Ancient legends said that the universe had been created out of a distinction between light and darkness, and that differentiation was what drove everything else that had happened since. It wasn’t a metaphor, either, or some symbolism of the nature of the soul. These legends said that the universe had literally been created when light was separated from dark, and, in fact, both elements needed the other to exist.
Whatever the mythology or the theology behind it, the 10 primal elements were the core of existence in Galanthrial. Some people eschewed worshiping the gods entirely and instead revered the elements themselves for their power, as if they were sentient and could grant their blessings to mortals. In the game, Avery knew there were coastal communities that held ceremonies to appease the wind and the water in hopes that they would be shielded from major storms. There were mages who spent their entire lives devoted to a single element, or combination of elements so that they could become a master of them with their magics, and some healers did the same thing, remaining more devoted to the pure element of life than any actual deity of healing.
It was to the temple of life that Avery went towards now. She entered the lushest part of the park, with vines that climbed the walls on white trellises and giant flowers the size of Avery’s hand that grew on stalks that reached up to her waist. Moss grew over the path, making it springy to step on. As she moved past a tall bush, lovingly cared for, Avery was startled by a rustling and a small gray mouse darted out to run across the path, disappearing into the base of a low stone wall. Chuckling, Avery moved on towards the edge of the park where the temple of life stood.
The building was a large ziggarate that reminded Avery of images she had seen of the hanging gardens of ancient Babylonia, with plants filling every level of the structure and vines flowing down over the side. A trio of brightly colored birds sat in a tree near the front entrance and they eyed her as she passed beneath them. Inside, the air was cool and damp. The wide atrium was ringed with trees, and pathways of mossy stone criss-crossed through the open area. A bark caught Avery’s attention and she turned, noticing an old mutt laying on a bed of soft fleece. Its gray muzzle sniffed at her as she dropped down and offered her hand to him in greeting.
“Hey, there, sweet boy,” she gave the ancient dog a scritch behind the ears and smiled, “Are you the greeting committee? You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” The dog’s tail thumped once on the ground in agreement and Avery laughed softly as she stood once more.
Turning away from the entrance, Avery found a tall lizard-like humanoid standing a few dozen feet away, watching her. The cleric wore robes of soft rose and stood barefoot with his hands covered in silver-blue scales, with simple laws at the end of each digit, clasped calmly before him as he waited. Around his neck, the lizard-man wore a small amulet with the symbol of a bird in flight, holding the sun in its claws. Avery recognized the amulet as a holy symbol of Pendric, god of rebirth. He was one of the ten great deities in Galanthrial and his clerics were some of the world’s most skilled healers.
As Avery approached the priest, she glanced around the atrium. Benches lined the paths that took on the feel of a wide garden, the glass ceiling letting in the broad sunlight. The space was occupied with a couple dozen clerics and worshipers, though Avery assumed more congregated down the side passages in private areas.
The lizard-man dipped his head towards Avery as she reached him. “Greetings, young miss, to the temple of life. Have you come for healing?”
“I have,” Avery agreed, glancing down at her leg. “I seem to have run afoul of some rats.”
The cleric let out a soft hiss that Avery took for a sound of amusement. “So it appears. Come, sit. I am Castrel, junior cleric of Pendric. I have some small healing power and should be able to help.”
Castrel led Avery to a bench and she sat, arching an eyebrow in surprise as he knelt before her. She had assumed healing magic would involve little more than a touch and an incantation, but healing seemed to be a bit more intricate than it was in the video game. Castrel carefully pulled Avery’s bloody leggings away from her wounded leg, glancing up apologetically when Avery hissed softly at the pain. The leggings weren’t torn like her flesh, but Castrel ended up having to cut away the fabric before he brushed light fingers over the wounds with a few murmured words. Immediately, Avery felt a cooling sensation in her burning calf and she craned her head to watch the bloody gashes close, leaving only dried blood in its wake.
Castrel took out a cloth and wiped away most of the blood before mending Avery’s leggings with another simple spell. The spell seemed to clean the fabric as well as mend it, so that when he stood, Avery could find no sign that she had been injured at all.
Avery gaped for a moment, reaching down to press her own fingers against her leg. “That’s… amazing.”
“You have not experienced the gift of magical healing before?” Castrel asked and Avery chuckled, pushing to her feet.
“Not like this,” she admitted. “What is the cost for your services?”
The priest shook his head. “Healing should not be restricted to those who can pay for such things. We ask for nothing more than a donation to the temple, should your heart feel such is appropriate.”
Avery reached for the pouch at her waist, feeling the weight of the coins there. She didn’t have much, and she felt guilty as she pulled out the measly 20 copper coins that were her entire wealth. She knew she should give more, but it was all she had, so she offered the coins to the cleric.
The lizard went still, blinking at the coins, then at Avery, before accepting the donation. “You are very generous, young miss.”
Avery flushed, getting the distinct impression that he knew she had given over all of her money. Still, she shrugged, trying to dismiss the compliment. “It’s nothing.”
Castrel shook his head. “It is everything. And I thank you for it.” He bowed low. “You are welcome to stay as long as you wish. The temple of life is always open.”
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“Thank you,” Avery nodded, and her eyes flickered towards the far end of the atrium where a series of shrines were set up under limestone statues of the various gods who included the element of life in their portfolio. As the premier god of healing, Pendric held a place of prominence among the shrines, but there were a few others who stood tall among them, including the goddess Huli. The kitsune goddess of hearth and family was also known as the Everblossom, and in fact was the namesake of the game that Avery was so addicted to. Even so, Avery had never played a character who worshiped the Everblossom; it had always seemed too obvious, too… mainstream. But now, she studied the statue of the goddess and considered the quest that she had received. “Priest Castrel, before you go… what do you know of the Champions of the Everblossom?
Castrel paused and tilted his head, thoughtfully. “The term… doesn’t have any significant meaning to me. Usually one would expect a god’s champions to be their paladins or unholy knights, but the Everblossom does not recruit martial worshipers as such. I’m sorry I cannot be of more help. Perhaps a priest of the Everblossom can help you.”
Avery nodded. “Of course. Thank you, again.” She smiled and the cleric bowed one more before moving off.
Avery took her time moving through the atrium towards the shrines. She took in the pleasant atmosphere, the feeling of sanctuary and peace and couldn’t hide a smile. As she approached the shrine to the Everblossom, Huli noticed the same old dog from the entrance to the temple was laying on the base of the statue. He lifted his head to watch her and she couldn’t hide a laugh. “Keeping an eye on things, are you?” She leaned down to give the dog another scratch behind the ears.
“He takes his job very seriously.”
Startled, Avery straightened and found herself facing a man that looked as ancient as the old dog. He leaned on a rough hewn walking staff and he looked like a bundle of sticks in the long robes of light bronze. He was bald and his face was craggy, but his green eyes were bright and vivid as they stared at Avery, the light of humor dancing in them. He wore no holy symbol around his neck, but the color of the robes gave him away as a priest of the Everblossom.
Avery couldn’t hide another smile as she glanced down at the dog, then back up. “He’s very good at it.” Then she bowed to the cleric. “Good morning, sir. My name is Avery. I came here in search of healing.”
The old man nodded. “Which young Castrel was able to offer you. That is not why you are here, though.” He emphasized the word ‘here’ with a tap of his walking stick on the ground. “You want to know about the Everblossom’s Champions.”
Avery’s brows furrowed and she started to ask how this man knew so much, but she was cut off when a breeze, surprisingly cool in the warm atrium, rose up, causing her to shiver suddenly.
The old man glanced away and frowned, then nodded. “Come, child. Let us walk.” He turned without waiting for a response and made his way down one of the side paths out of the atrium proper.
Avery hesitated only a moment, especially when she noticed the old dog rising up with a groan and beginning to follow the priest. Her hesitation was more born of surprise than any actual concern, though, and she quickly moved to catch up to the man and the dog. She soon had to slow her pace to match the pair’s slow shuffle and the three of them meandered silently through a tunnel under a series of branches that were woven into arches that let the sunlight shine down in narrow shafts. When they stepped out, Avery and her guides were standing in a small courtyard surrounded by tall hedges of brilliant yellow flowers, with a wide circular fountain in the center, and several benches ringing it.
The old man moved towards one of the benches, while the dog shuffled to the fountain and helped himself to a drink of the clear water. “Now, then,” the man said with a sigh as she settled down. “That’s better. Some conversations just aren’t right for having in public.”
Avery had to pull herself out of her awe and followed the old man to the benches. She started to sit beside him, but the man waved her off. “No, no, child, sit there,” he motioned to the edge of the fountain, where the marble rim was wide enough to serve as a seat if one was uncouth enough to presume to sit on the fountain. “Something tells me this conversation will go on,” he said, “And my neck will get a crick if I keep having to turn to look at you.”
Grudgingly, Avery sat on the edge of the fountain where she could face the old man, and he nodded to her. The dog, having finished his drink, shuffled over to curl up at the cleric’s feet. “There,” the man nodded again before continuing. “Now then. My name is Dustri, and I’m the High Priest of the Church of the Everblossom here in Isonar. And you came here for healing, and for answers.”
“The Everblossom’s Champions,” Avery nodded. “Priest Castrel said that a cleric of the Everblossom might be able to tell me about them.”
“Castrel is quite wise for his young age,” Dustri nodded. “Though I suppose it was the obvious answer, wasn’t it? Ah, the Champions of the Everblossom…” he smiled wistfully, “It’s a name I haven’t heard in a very long time.”
Avery straightened, her eyes narrowing. He didn’t just… did he?
But the cleric continued, his gaze distant as he stared into the past. “I was barely more than an acolyte when I heard the story of the Everblossom’s Champions, from a priest who was older than I am now. Now? I suppose I must be the last person alive who still knows of them.”
Avery leaned forward, intent on the old man’s words and he smiled at her. “I will tell you what I know, what I remember. In return, will you tell me where you heard them mentioned?”
Avery nodded. “I will.”
“Very good, then. To understand the story of the Champions, you first need to understand some of the ancient history of the gods, specifically the Everblossom. Did you know that despite the goddess being one of the most powerful and respected among the pantheon, she is actually one of the youngest?”
“I… did not.”
Dustri nodded. “She is still millenia old, mind you. In fact, the Everblossom and most of the other gods are actually older than Galanthrial itself. They hailed, as did the ancestors of almost everyone on Galanthrial today, from an ancient world very different from this one. Very little is known about that other world, except that ages ago, it was destroyed. The gods could not stop their world’s destruction, so they gathered their people together and combined their godly powers to create a bridge, allowing their people to travel to safety. To Galanthrial.”
Avery blinked, but stayed silent. She had enjoyed hearing about the lore of the world of Galanthrial when she played Tales, but this was a story that she had never heard before.
“Building a bridge between worlds is no small feat, however,” Dustri continued, “and the Everblossom knew that it would take all of their power to maintain it long enough for everyone to pass through. When it was closed, the gods would be exhausted, and that was those who even survived the ordeal. So, in her wisdom, the Everblossom selected a group of heroes and gave them the charge of protecting the mortals when and if the gods were unable to do so. These heroes became known as the Everblossom’s Champions.”
“They were her clerics?” Avery asked, and Dustri chuckled, shaking his head.
“Oh, not at all. There may have been one or two among them who worshiped the Everblossom directly, but that was not the criteria. The goddess simply chose those with the power and the will to protect the people - all the people. It did not matter their faith or their conviction. Only their devotion to the purpose.”
“And did they? Protect the people?”
Dustri nodded. “It all came to pass as Huli had predicted - for the bridge had been her idea in the first place. She had been among the youngest of the gods, as I said, but she was highly revered for her wisdom and power. When the bridge was complete, all but a few of the weakest gods followed their people through to Galanthrial, but in the closing of the gates, the gods used up the last of their powers and fell into a deep sleep. For generations, they could not be heard or felt. Clerics who received powers from their gods were suddenly without that gift, though many discovered ways to connect to the primal cores of their deities and gain some of their powers from there.”
“You mean the elements.”
“Just so, just so. Even the clerics of the Everblossom were without their goddess’ presence and could only maintain some of their powers by tapping into the raw potential of life, light, fire and thought. And that, I believe, was the start of the troubles.”
“What do you mean?”
“The clerics could not hide the loss of their gods forever, and the people came to realize that they no longer had the support and protection of their gods. Whether the gods were dead or had never made it across the bridge at all, no one knew, but they were gone. All that the people had left were the champions, gifted with the power that the Everblossom had known they would need to help the mortals settle on this new world. For the first dozen generations, mortals settled Galanthrial without the aid of gods, relying only on the power of the Champions, which were near to godlike themselves. Not all of the Champions were selfless protectors, mind you. Power does what it will do, after all. But as a whole, they were the driving force that kept mortalkind alive and flourishing.”
The priest fell silent for a moment, and Avery hesitated, feeling the tonal shift coming in the story. “So… what happened?” She asked, anxiously.
The old man raised his eyes to the sky, looking thoughtful before answering simply, “The gods woke up.”