//------------------------------// // Interlude: Religion // Story: Thorned Rose // by Salty Alty //------------------------------// The old, but still spry, white-clad griffon looked at the mass of Gryphs gathered before him. Mare and Stallion. Hen and Tom. All of them gathered here, every Sunday, to hear his sermons. Every week, without fail, at least half of them showed up to worship and to pray. As he looked over each and every one of them, he felt his gaze soften. His heart fluttered. These individuals, who by Gott's grace, existed. Individual existences, with unique experiences and feelings. Different views and tastes. The spark of intelligence within their eyes alone was something to marvel at. Within each face he saw a vastly different future. A baker. A carpenter. A sailor. A soldier. A blacksmith. A farmer... A Bishop. A Priest. A young soul, who devoted their life to worship of the divines. Father Grayson was an old bird. He had experienced and seen many things. Love and loss. Joy and Happiness. Pain and strife. He was not innocent by any means. He had seen things he would not wish upon even the most heretical. His broken wings were proof enough of that. Though even to Father Grayson, apostasy was not heresy. To turn away from the light of Auri and embrace of Gott was not in and of itself a heretical act, unthinkable as it may be to reject their love. True heresy was disrespect to those same gods' principles. To turn away from morality and ethics... That was truly heretical. A tugging at his sleeve interrupted his reverie. Looking down, a small chick was sitting at his feet, her big eyes placing a pleasant warmth in his stomach, and a small smile on his beak. "Don't worry Aerie, we are about to start.", nuzzling the smaller bird with his beak, pushing her back towards her parents. Clearing his throat, he closed his eyes in contemplation for a few mere moments. "Greetings, Ye Children of Faith, both old and new." A cacophony of voices rose to respond in kind. "Greetings Father Grayson!" The sun caressing his back, he opened his eyes, giving a hint of a smile to his flock. Noticing the open book in front of him upon the pedestal, he closed it as he began. "It is often that we go over our Lord and Lady's teachings from after The Great Betrayal. Indeed, it is good to learn of what our progenitors experienced, and the lessons they learned from those experiences. Yet, it is equally important to go over from before The Betrayal. For, as many a general and politician have stated, to scorn history is to repeat the failings of the past.", the crowd nodding slightly at his words. "I am glad you all agree. Before we begin, let us take a moment of silence or prayer for those departed." The shift was nigh instantaneous. Almost as if a fire had been extinguished, though for a brief moment, the room died. What was before light chatter and upbeat candor turned to courteous and respectful silence. Even those who were youngest among their peers dared not speak. The silence persisted for but a brief few minutes, but the silence spoke. Those who resided within the Confederacy's borders were no stranger to loss, but those who resided within Auri's Cradle knew loss far more than most. It was only due to a miracle that even the Eye of Auri's temple still stood tall and unblemished, for even a longboat cannot pierce the wrathful storm that was the Pantheon's fury. The outlying island villages were not so lucky. Those left without a garrisoned unit or airship fell quickly, and even those towns that were guarded needed repairs and reconstruction. The loss of life was astounding. Once beautiful and vibrant hovels and houses were burned to the ground within a day, the islands scorched in the flames of war. Entire villages slain in hours. And when the flames died down, they turned to the temple for guidance still. Father Grayson craned his head up, and spoke. "Faith is a funny thing. With faith, the powers that now make up the Gryphic Confederacy waged war on each other for decades. To prove that their faith was the correct path to follow..." "Only when they all faced annihilation, they found the light of Auri. They found the Truth." Pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts, he resumed. "In the beginning, there were two of our kind. It is from ancient text inscribed on crumbled stone we learned their names. For what we called them mattered not, when we realized that all of our 'true' gods were one in the same." "It is from these same long dormant slates we learned how we came to be. Of what caused our creation; The Great Betrayal." "Auri and Gott. While it is true that in the beginning 'twas only them, Auri soon began to yearn for more. Soon, she bore 9 children. The Great Hunter, Hernhe. The Lord over Leaves, Cranus. The Healing Spirit, Sirona. The Brothers of War, Divano and Dunatis. The Mistress of The Harvest, Alauna. The Sea's Jewel, Caticatona. The Forge Lord, Bel... And the Great Betrayer, Vidkun." "Together, they carved a home for themselves among what we know today as Auri's Cradle. Hernhe, Cranus and Caticatona endeavored to bring home food to their family. Alauna planted the first of the trees, while Divano, Dunatis and Bel forged the First Blade. But Vidkun grew jealous of their work, and so, he hatched a daring plan." "In the dark of the night, Vidkun fled home. He knew his mother would chase after him distraught, leaving his father to care for the others. And when she arrived above open ocean, he struck her down with his own claws." Licking his lips, Grayson gingerly took a drink from his water skin. "As she fell from the heavens, so too did her cradle. When she collided with the sea, she expended the last of her divine power. In an act of spite, she became one with the earth, and gave birth to 300 more children. The first mortal Gryphons. And from her death, Aurighast was formed." "Distraught, Vidkun attempted to flee, but was struck down by Hernhe's mighty arrow. The Father and The Children agreed to banish Vidkun to the Great Abyss, where he shall bring harm no more." Looking at a clock in the corner of the room, he coughed. "That is all for now my followers. We shall reconvene in another weeks time. May you all be merry!" If one listened close enough, you could hear a spectral scoff.