It was her first time outside the convent in…well…….ever. She had been holed up in the Temple of the Sun since her dad had shipped her off, and she had finally earned the right to venture into the city! Excitement vibrated her bones as she wandered the streets, cool breezes billowing her bright white vestments behind her. Even before the seminary had ensconced her life, she had never been given as much freedom as this. The streets were filled with all manner of city dwellers, merchants, travellers, and… a clown?



“COME ONE COME ALL TO THE SUMMER FESTIVAL, HERE IN SOL CITY”



Some sort of festival was going on, and it sounded like just the fun sort of thing to get involved in! Serena’s jewelry jangled as she jogged towards the fairgrounds, hands gripping the hem of her skirt so she didn’t trip. The courtyard of the festival was massive, and the crowds were incredibly overwhelming compared to the relatively quiet temple she had gotten used to.



The pressure of indecision led to Serena taking shelter in the closest amusement, which just so happened to be Gerard Dumond’s Travelling Tavern. A very large barrel on wheels that sat just by the entrance of the fairground to lure in customers. She would sit at one of the barrels-turned-chairs by the bar, and grab a drink to calm her nerves just a bit.



“One uh….One drink please?” She ventured to an unimpressed looking bartender.

Sarne was sitting watching who came and went. He was taking a break from being bothered by his duties as a noble. People always think that noble families have it easy. Sarne knew that was not a true story. The work can be overbearing through a Lord of the land and a Knighthood. Then, there is no time to relax and enjoy life. Gerard Dumond’s Travelling Tavern was one of his hiding places in Sol city.

In the Tavern he could act like any other normal person. He had nothing to prove nothing he had to show off. Sure People there knew he was a noble. but did not mess with Sarne and he could just be himself. He was sitting at the bar when

A well-dressed lady with radiant red hair and golden eyes. Her skin appears as if she has never seen sunlight. it was smooth and well taken care of. She was tall and had a delicate build. She was decorated with gold and jewels. Sarne hoped she would not go into the wrong part of town. She looked out of place to Sarne not that Sarne did not stick out a little himself.

She sat and ordered a drink. Sarne looked at her one more time. Then looking around many of the men in the tavern were eyeing her taking account of her looks.  Sarne smiled and then chuckled. Sarne moved over one seat next to her. "My Lady, I can see you do not get out much. Watch where you go Sol City can be ruff. You give your status away with the gold and jewels." Sarne said not looking at her but directing his suggestion to her. Then he took a drink of his Ale.

The man you see has soft features like an elf with a husky build. He is physically impressive full of might and prowess. You can tell he is a nobleman in the way he presents himself and his clothing. His piercing green eyes shine in the light. He stands almost 6 feet. His dirty blond hair is neat and well-kept. His skin is slightly tan showing the time he spent in the wilderness. Sarne is attractive and charming, knightly in his actions.

Wearing a full-body cloak with long wide sleeves and a hood, made of canvas is a flat, matte grey color, His cloak is large enough to fully cover his body, his clothing and cloak has a crest that could be seen on his front and back, The coat of arms is a Scroll-eared top, lobed base shield divided lines making four parts with Red, gold, and White parts. with a crow at the top To the right is a griffin to the left Pegasus. With a holy rune over it and a fire rune under it.

The sword at his side is made of white gold and silver a long sword of beauty. A Kukri Dagger handle could be seen at times sticking out from behind him. He is a man who looks to be an experienced knight a man to be reckoned with.

Ambika had carried herself to Gerard Dumond's Travelling Tavern to relax and get away from all the ruckus... As much as she could bring herself to relax, anyway. There were way too many people to be wary about and her preferred seating areas were either occupied or had blind spots in the form of other people, so she resigned herself to a seat by the bar instead. Maybe this would force her to relax a little better.

Hearing the nobleman sitting near her giving the pristine-looking lady a word of advice, Ambika could not resist chiming in either.

"The man is correct. You would have already been robbed three times over if the people who were close enough to you had been opportunists." She spoke, not looking at anyone in particular. She was certain the nobleman would've stepped in had that happened - he seemed quite the capable fighter, and not one to shy away from trouble -  but that was beside the point. The lady was carrying herself far too carelessly and it was a matter of time before her behaviour would bite her in the rear.

A sangria blanca was placed in front of Ambika. Her drink had arrived, so she began drinking without waiting for any response.

The man and woman who had flanked her had nearly made her jump out of the barrel seating, their words of banditry and theft causing her to consider a few things. A long nervous swig of ale followed close behind, giving her a few moments to think of a proper response.



Was proper convent vestments not welcome in a place such as this? Surely the common folk of Sol City were reverent enough of their clergy to not follow the path of covetousness? These two were obviously cynics, with no faith in their fellow man! Halfway through her drink, she placed it back on the counter with a long sigh of relief, and a sort of smile on her face. This is the kind of situation the abbess had been training her for!



Spinning around in her chair, and taking a relaxed posture with one elbow still on the counter, she addressed the worried patrons. “I have no worries among the fair citizens of the city. Even were I to be robbed of all my possessions, the charitable people would band together to help one in need! To be so cynical must be a burden.” She says very assuredly, grabbing her flagon to finish it off. “Nobody could see a person dressed in vestments and try to get one over on Solaria himself, surely?”

Sarne chuckled at what the Priestess said. He took a drink of his Ale. Sarne was now thinking she was a Priestess. He had known it when she walked in. His mother used some of the same vestments. "You are right dress in your vestments will give you some protection," remarked Sarne. He had seen that the Priestess's Ale was gone. "Give her another, on me," Sarne said as he tapped his finger on the bar.

The man behind the bar nodded to Sarne and got her another Ale. "Now I have known a High Priestess from the faith of Solaria." Sarne paused. Sarne closed his eyes took a deep breath let it out slowly. "She was smart, beautiful, and faithful. Her name was Lady Showna Sequoia of Silvermyist. Lady Sequoia was a part of The Grey Citadel. She would tell you that some people or things have no respect for your vestments," pointed out Sarne looking at her vestments. "I say this because you are a beautiful young lady. Some could look pass the vestments or your faith," Sarne remarked. He drank the last of his ale then taped on the bar.

"I am sorry I have been rude to you Lady Priestess. I am Lord Sarne also a follower of Solaria. Most call me that anyway," said Sarne introducing himself. He was not sure if he wanted to give his full name he knew some got angry when he did not do it. But Sarne was here to be a bit less formal.

Where Ambika was from, religion was not taught as something to cling onto, rather, to trust in yourself first and foremost. Hoping was reserved for people who had no more recourse.

"Where I am from, we were taught that at best, the gods help those who help themselves. To believe the gods would help, was to have the luxury of assuming someone else would save you if anything happened. Rather than placing the onus on others, should you not help yourself by understanding people may not view the world the same way you do, and keep yourself safe so that you may help others in the future?" Ambika felt herself turning into the stereotypical preachy grandma as the words left her lips, and hoped the priestess did not peg her as one of them and tune her out.

Noting that Lord Sarne had introduced himself, Ambika decided to follow suit as is common courtesy.
"Ambika Shanti Phairot. Travelling bard. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lord Sarne." Ambika stood up and did a light bow directed at Lord Sarne before sitting down once again, refraining from commenting about the fact that he omitted to mention his surname. "And you are?" She gestured towards the priestess.

With a slightly exaggerated bow, Serena accepted the second flagon with a flourish from her free hand. Normally she wasn’t allowed to drink at all, but who could resist at such a festival! Though, things were already starting to become a bit blurry. She sipped on her ale as her two new acquaintances both made their points. A finger stroked her chin in contemplation as the name came up. “Lady Sequoia…I remember hearing about her in seminary, but can’t quite remember what…” Serena muttered, her mind beginning to slowly fog. And then of course bowed her head as each of them introduced themselves, but was somehow caught off guard mid-sip when asked to return the favour.



“Se- Oh my goodness~” A free hand slipped down to catch herself from falling off the seat. Telltale redness was beginning to seep into her nose and ears, truly a lightweight amongst lightweights. “Sorry… Serena! I’m Serena, pleased to meet you both! No worries or rudeness at all!” She spat out, desperately trying to recover. Whatever insinuations being made were sort of lost, though it did feel a bit like being lectured by the nuns.



She took another deep gulp while coming up with a good response, thankful for the time to think.



“And anyways, what issue is it of mine that others might be envious! Perhaps it could be used as a lesson, the gods own way of teaching “Covet not thy neighbor”.” She parroted one of the particularly studious nuns in both manner and tone. “Were I to be robbed, then it must be a lesson of its own, “All things material are all things immaterial” right? No matter either way, a woman should be allowed to enjoy her things while they last after all.”

Sarne smiled at the comment about his mother. He reached over in a gentlemanly way and made sure that Serena did not fall. He chuckled a bit. "I should fully introduce myself, Priestess Serena. Most of the time people get nervous when I do, well in Sol City. My full name is Lord Sarne Sequoia of Silvermyist. Lady Sequoia was my mother. I do remember her lectures She made me sit through them too." explained Sarne with a warm smile. "You do not need to go look for trouble. Life has it way to let truble find you." said Sarne with a smirk.

"You should slow down a bit on the drinking, Priestess Serena." suggested Sarne "Have no fear I will make sure you are safe here and Mistress Phairot will probably make sure you are safe too." offered Sarne thinking that the bard is a nice so far.

"What do you say Mistress Phairot are you willing to help her and keep her from too much trouble?" asked Sarne with a smile. He thought this was going to be more exciting than he would have that day. and he was sitting with two attractive women who could not ask for more during a festival. Sarne was happy at the moment and starting to feel the ale himself.

By the gods, does this priestess have a death wish, or is she such a genuine fool to the point it might be lethal? Ambika was sorely tempted to leave her be and let life take its course, but of course the nobleman had to be a gentleman. It wouldn't do her well to draw the ire of Lord Sarne, and well, she did promise her partner she would strive to be better so many years ago. Even if she found Serena utterly impossible to help.

So Ambika relented. "Very well," she replied, finishing her sangria blanca. She could see that the alcohol was starting to get to Lord Sarne too, and decided to refrain from drinking any further. Sure, imbibing more alcohol would make this situation less of a headache now, but Ambika's been around long enough to be painfully aware that she'd just be kicking her headache cans down the road. And she'd rather stay sober for other reasons as well. Alcohol has an unsavoury tendency to unshackle people's inhibitions.

Tears begun to well into Serena's eyes. Emotionally, she had never felt this free, nor vulnerable. Years of seminary schooling, and even upon her first taste of freedom she was greeted with kindness. “You two… are so kind and thoughtful!” She cried out, stares from the other patrons now being gathered as her volume began to creep up. “To think, the gods have sent a nobleman and a lovely bard to comfort me. How shall I ever thank them!”



She reached her arms around her two new compatriots, bringing them in to an embrace. “A thousand blessings be upon you, and you kin Lorde Sequoia and Mistress Phairot. In your honour, I shall be picking up the tab, OF EVERYONE HERE!” Serenas jubilation was matched with a wide grin as she raised her arms up high.



Looks of annoyance and confusion from around the bar were soon exchanged with similar jubilation at the decree. Glasses were raised all around looking for refills, a poorer looking man even came to kiss her on the forehead.



Serena loved this new vibe, and was glad that Solaria was indeed of infinite fortune! She whispered to Ambika “Man, why don’t clergy do this all the time? The church could afford this a hundred time’s over! Glad I’m not the one who is paying…” Her head slumped over with that statement, silken red hair dangling loosely over her face.

Watching Serena's eyes begin to tear Sarne knew this was going to be some drama. Sarne Just grinned and played along. He knew Serena was getting more than tipsy with the drinking. Serena's arm went around Sarne He blushed some it made his heart skip a beat he was not used to being that close to women. "Oh.. boy" commented Sarne. He knew it was nothing but fellowship But he was a man.

When she said drinks for everyone Sarne winced. He hoped she had the coin to pay for that. If she could not pay places like this would use her until she broke for all kinds of duty. Use Serena for a server to even Prostitution. This did bother Sarne. He wondered if it was time to go to another place.

Sarne watched the crowd of people around her carefully. When Sarne saw a poorer-looking guy come to kiss Serena on the forehead. Sarne shifted in his seat in the direction of the man. The man looked at Sarne and made the kiss quick. He moved back into the crowd fast moving away from Sarne. Others started to approach to steal a kiss probably not on the forehead. They stopped when Sarne gave them a hard look. Things started to calm down as Serena's head slumped over her silken red hair dangling loosely over her face. She was still cute even in this state.

Sarne then realized what he heard. She was not the one paying? Sarne heart skipped a beat. The Bartender's eyebrows furled "What was that!" said Bartender angrily.

It's official. Ambika never wanted anything to do with this lousy excuse of a priestess ever again. That nobody ever put Serena through a controlled drinking session so that she would know her limits was likely an indictment of the "teachings" of the temple. Or worse; Serena is such a horrible drunk she doesn't even remember her drunken ventures, and nobody saw fit to not enable this terrible trait.

Either way, the temptation to just slip out of the tavern amidst the chaos was rapidly increasing, and the only stopper keeping those urges at bay was Lord Sarne and him alone. And that Lord Sarne was clearly lost on what to do at the moment, leaving Ambika little choice but to step up to the plate.

"Listen well, all of you! Tell me your orders, and know that no new orders shall be honoured." Ambika barked loud and clear with a piercing glare. "Bartender! Verify their orders, and know that I shall not accept any falsities."

"What-" The bartender was taken aback, trying to find a way to steer away from the ludicrousness of the situation currently unfolding that all but screamed of lost profits.

"You dare take the names of the Temple of the Sun, and Lord Sequoia of Silvermyist in vain?" Ambika quickly interjected, unleashing as much righteous indignation as she could as the words left her lips before the bartender could get a word in edgewise. Do not allow your target any room to think. Keep them occupied elsewhere, misdirect them if you have to. Make them fear you, and the winds shall blow in your favour for that moment. The mischievous grin of her silver-tongued partner flashed as she recalled his chilling explanations for his unrealistic-sounding exploits. Ambika silently hoped Lord Sarne would forgive her invoking his nobility in such a manner, but time had to be bought by hook or by crook lest the situation devolved into further chaos.

---

Now armed with a veritable list of names and orders, Ambika was poised to leave, signalling Lord Sarne to join her and demonstrate genuineness, but the bartender, finally out of the artificially induced lull, wasn't about to let them just leave.
"I demand collateral! If your names are genuine, then surely I have the right to your proof," the bartender shot glares at the trio, barely restraining his anger for fear of retaliation.

There was alot of shouting going on. Serena winced as one hand covered an ear, whilst the other hand reached out towards the bartenders lips.



“Shhhhhhhh, too loud. Trying to sleep” She whispered. It was to no avail, the bartender had even reached under the table to grab a bat before Serena saw fit to quiet the situation down herself. The jewel of the staff that was loosely strapped to her back illuminated, the light filing the dank bar and grabbing the attention of all.



“That’s betterrr” Serena slurs as the crowds shouts die down into mutters. Orderly, even politely, they began to form quaint lines to wait their turn. The bartender relaxed significantly, shaking his head as though she were a mischievous rascal of some sort, before lining up several glasses. He graciously accepted the list that Ambika had gathered, bowing his head in thanks. “God bless ya, going through all that trouble to help me out. Don’t know what came over me, getting all heated in front of a noble as well… My deepest apologies. This is meant to be a celebration! Drink’sll be on the house.”



The crowd gives an enthusiastic cheer as Serena spins gaily in her stool. “Dont’cha see! Errythin always works out…” She says to her compatriots, before resting her head once more on the bar.



Vestige of Light
-Blessing of Harmony



If your Vestige of Light is in effect, you can activate this blessing, calming and subduing anyone inside. For the next two posts, anyone inside of the Aura will be charmed and become non-hostile, having no desire to fight or engage in conflict. For as long as they remain inside the aura or until damaged, they will cease any offensive or violent actions until the Aura is ended.

As the crowd relaxed, [1] Sarne's eyes turned to the color gold. The change was subtle but apparent. As his celestial powers started to manifest. The light would not affect Sarne as it did the crowd. Sarne looked at the barkeeper. "There was no offense barkeeper," replied Sarne. Sarne thought about what Temple of the Sun. Would they pick up this tab or is she from a wealthy family? Thought Sarne. He looked around and saw his deputy Nordic in the crowd his backup was here.

Sarne had told his fallows to take the day off. But Sarne also knew that they would stay close just in case. If things did get out of hand Sarne could clear this tavern in a minute if he had to. Sarne looked at the Barkeep. "I will vouch for the tab," said Sarne with confidence. "But this is where the free drinks end no matter what this young priestess says," Sarne said sternly to the Barkeep. "Priestess Serena's tab is now closed." with that comment Sarne raised his hand in the air snapped his fingers and made a hand jester. A dwarf walked out of the crowd tall and intimidating. He walks over next to Sarne almost being rude and pushing the crowd out of the way. "Lord Commander, My I be of serves," the Dwarf inquired.

Sarne gave a smile. "Deal with the tab I will settle matters with the Temple of the Sun.," Sarne explained and ordered. The Dwarf gave a nod in reply. Turning back to the Priestess. "Ok, Priestess time for a change of scenery before things get out of control." said Sarne with authority and hint of annoyance.



[1] Unwavering Virtue

SPOILER: Click to show

The celestial has instilled its sense of honor within in, building your resolve and strengthening your will. You can no longer be affected by spells or skills that would attempt to force you to do anything against your will. You cannot be turned against allies, forced to flee, or even injure someone you wish not to injure. You have become a bastion of goodness that no one or nothing can influence you otherwise.

That settled one issue, at least. Snapping out of magical lulls was never a pleasant feeling, and Ambika begrudgingly re-evaluated her image of Serena - her behaviour may be absolutely infuriating, but her powers are entirely genuine. She ought to invest in means to resist such control one of these days, Ambika thought to herself. Ambika gave the Dwarf a respectful nod as she followed Lord Sarne and Serena out of the tavern.

So now the three were now on the way to the Temple of the Sun. Lord Sarne seems to have snapped out of his inebriation, which was probably for the best. Ambika, too, did her best to keep to her word, keeping her eyes peeled for any prospective troublemakers, though luckily it turned out to be unnecessary.

Soon, they were at the ornate steps of the Temple. Upon seeing Serena with Lord Sarne, the clergy members sprang into immediate action, inquiring about his business here.
"What pleasure does the Temple of the Sun owe for the one and only Lord Sarne Sequoia of Silvermyist to grace your presence here?" A clergy member did a deep bow as she inquired politely. She was dressed in glittering garments woven in fine silk, suggesting that the member was someone of high standing within the clergy.