Thread: For the Love of a Goddess (MilitairyWalker X LeatrixSage)

Sands as smooth as silk and pale as milk were warm beneath her bare feet. The cool breeze that came in with the gentle waves along the shore kissed the sweat from her skin as she walked. A pair of plane and tattered sandals were hung about her hips, their shape lost beneath the many loose folds of thin fabric that clung to her damp skin. Even when wearing cloth that was nearly transparent, it did not breath enough to keep her from sweating. The only thing better would have been to rush into the crystal-clear, blue waters naked and go for a swim. Senua smiled at the thought. That was all she needed, for a stray fisherman or villager to find her swimming about in the ocean like a wanton nymph. Shed lose her position in the temple before the day had ended. Being a priestess of the Merciful Goddess came with certain restrictions, and responsibilities, but Senua found joy in serving the small fishing village that had become her home. She was their physical embodiment of Inanna, their midwife, their doctor, their religious leader, their judge, and their councilor. She married young people, past sentencing on the accused, blessed new homes, mended broken bones, and prepared medicine for the sick. She had spent her entire life learning to be a Matriarch, and yet Senua was much younger than those that usually served in such a position of freedom and prestige. Granted, it wasnt strictly her skill and ability that had won her the unique opportunity, but also the fact that her elders didnt want to be tucked away on a remote coastal island with nothing more than fishing villages. While they could never be wives, mothers, or lovers, many of her sisters preferred the rich life of major cities centers of learning and philosophy to offer their skills. The temples of Inanna thrived in such places, and so did her virgin vessels that channeled her power and authority to better the lives and communities they lived in. Senua, however, had never had much love for the crowded streets and packed ghettos. She would much rather enjoy the fresh air, the salty sea spray, and the quite and polite nature of the sparse villagers that lived there. The temple that stood on the island was both light house and a place of worship, as well as Senuas home. Senua crossed a short sand bar from the beach out into the ocean to reach the structure, a path that would vanish in high tide. The main body of the stone and marble structure was typical, the same as any other temple of Inanna, but a widening and rocky path led up from the sandbar up the steep outcropping of sun-bleached stone to the towering columns and domed ceilings. Within was cool shade and many massive arche ways that allowed the ocean breeze to swirl unimpeded around the circular room. At its center stood a statue of a woman without a face, she was dressed as a matriarch, but was left featureless to represent all of Inannas many vessels and servants. At her feet was an alter that was covered in a white cloth and set with a dish of abalone that Senua filled with fresh water every morning, and wine every night. A long, shallow, circular stair led up from the wide floor and into the upper level of the dome where a small catwalk circled the entire building. It was a private place for prayer and study that led to access to a short bridge that ended at towering lighthouse, built on the highest point of the outcrop island. The lower level was Senuas modest home, and the tower was an exhaustively tall spiraling stair that led to a pyre. While she lit the pyre at dusk every night, the villagers brought her wood and oil every morning so that she did not need to chop the wood herself. The day before she had found something unusual on the beach. Even as she walked along it now, there was still debris scattered everywhere. Broken bits of wood mostly, broken pottery, even bits of metal from barrels had been found. But, what had been unique, was the battered man that had been laid out over the black, volcanic rocks at the southern end of the beach. Shed found him late in the evening on her way out to mend a childs broken arm. Gestipo, the little girls father, had helped her retrieve the man and carried him to the temple while shed patched up his little girl. He hadnt been comfortable with cleaning the man up for her, nor was he willing to stay after nightfall to watch her do it to verify her chaste behavior. So she had been forced to leave him in his rotten and fouled clothing, able only to keep him warm and hope that he woke soon. Hed been running a fever, it still hadnt broken that morning, and she doubted that it had gotten better while she had been away. She found him still resting on mat on the floor in a small prayer room below the temple main. It was a place of meditation but had served as a room for his rest. Shed covered him in woven blankets to ward off his shaking, and shed gotten a little bit of cool water down his throat a time or two, but if he did not wake soon, Senua feared her might not make it. Shed prayed for him, burned incense, and had channeled the Merciful Goddess to no avail. It was unlike Inanna not to answer her, and Senua could only wonder at what terrible lesson the man was suffering from. Senua reached down to press the back of her hand to his cheek. He was still warm, and his skin was still clammy. She tilted his head back and rubbed his throat as she poured cool water past his parched lips. The massage helped him swallow, but it only worked for water and broth poor sustenance for a fever. There was little else she could do for the man, so Senua knelt down on a pillow and closed her eyes to meditate and pray. After a few moments of silence, she began to mutter, which grew into a throat chant, and then a soft song in a long dead language believe to be the words of the Gods themselves. She sang her prayer and her praise to Inanna and hoped her devotion would be enough to allow the man to live a little longer. Last edited Mar 12, 2019