2021 VOK/HW Event-- The Scribe's Shrine

[Frisco]

Username: Frisco
Pride/group link: Night Watch
Day 1 Prompt: 353 words

- Is this a riddle? Do we get a prize if we answer correctly?

The little cat waved her long, fluffy tail in excitement, but the old lioness just smiled and slowly shook her head, explaining that she’s just curious of their opinion. Nahi seemed a little disappointed by that, but figuring out what the ancients might have thought still sounded like fun. The place reminded her a little of her old home. There too were many statues made of stone and inscribed with carvings of religious messages. She never really appreciated them, even though her mother tried her best to spark her interest in them by telling her all sorts of old stories. Now that she could no longer go back and see her home or her mother, the pillars appeared nostalgic and beautiful.

- I think they valued honour, bonds and kindness.

Aris’s voice made everyone suddenly look at him, as it woke them up from deep contemplation they were in, looking at the pillars and the sand and wondering what lives people that made them might have led.

- Really? Why so specific?

- Look at this scribble here - he walks over to one of the stones and points at some ancient writing. - See that little swirl at the end? Sye does the same one when writing his “g”s. So, if they like the same swirls they were probably similar to Sye and he’s kind, gentle and generally lovable.

He smiled with satisfaction of a man who just solved a great mystery. Sye looked away embarrassed, as he often did when complimented.

- That doesn’t even look anything like a “g” - he mumbled.

Nahi gazed at the script, her head turning to the side a little bit.

- I think you might be right. People who like this sort of stuff are very good people who love their family. They would do anything for them, even at the cost of their own safety.

For a moment there is silence until Hickory breaks it with a casual comment.

- Well I think they had to be very strong to put all those boulders in a circle like that.

[StormSerpent]

Username: StormSerpent
Pride/group link: ever
Day 1 Prompt: 461/300 words

[Raptocidic]

Username: Raptocidic
Pride/group link: Arch Empire
Day 1 Prompt:
Angus looked around. The shrine area seemed extremely old. It was beautiful; although it was a shame that the meaning of the withered decorations had been completely lost to time. He wondered what they meant. Many thoughts passed through his mind. Perhaps it was meant to help connect with the land around them? Or perhaps it was some sort of shrine to worship a long forgotten deity? No, neither of those seemed to be the answer to this strange place.

He looked at the ground, brushing dust and broken rocks away to reveal the stone floor. It was covered in symbols and pictures he didn’t know the meaning of. He moved his paw over the cold floor, feeling the bumps and grooves of the carvings. The texture was smoother on the pictures than it was on the symbols. It seemed whoever carved them cared a great deal about the images.
Maybe this is was telling a story, Angus thought. He followed the circle around clockwise, and then anti-clockwise. He couldn’t tell which direction it was supposed to be read in, if any. Looking around the surroundings for clues, Angus found himself staring into the distance. He hadn’t seen anything quite like these white pillars anywhere else in the valley, and pondered where they came from. He had seen black sand somewhere before in far, far away memory, but didn’t appear to be common in this realm. Perhaps the shrine was made from materials sourced from elsewhere- perhaps it was placed into this world to mean something.

The pillars seemed to stick in his mind, taunting him with knowledge long lost. In his mind he could see something, but it was foggy. Whenever he tried to reach for the memory it evaporated, leaving nothing but steam in his sunset eyes. Frustrated, Angus concluded that whoever created this place valued something important, and whoever it was had hidden it away in plain sight.

(321/300)

[Firedancer77]

Username: Firedancer77
Pride/group link: Isle of Roses
Day 1 Prompt: Here!

[Runnersback]

Username:Runnersback
Pride/group link: Realms of L’Oasis Lo
Day 1 Prompt:[301/300]
Perseus stared at the stone blinking with his damp hair, his mind refusing to acknowledge that it possibly just spoke to him about lions of the past. He gulped before returning the small smile and shaking the water droplets that was beading up in his mane. His eyes meeting the ageless ones of the lioness before slowly spinning with him to draw in sights as the sun started poking through the clouds. The moss covered lion chuckled at him so he sheepishly stopped before following her closer to the stone carvings.

“They must have passed feeling like they were on top of the world or at least knowing that this was going to last for future generations.” He murmured as he tried focusing on the symbols, but his eyes started moving the shapes around for him every time he attempted to read them. Percy gritted his teeth as some started switching positions and reading right to left in the foreign language. He snapped his eyes shut due to the instant migraine before he started to focus on what the scribe of stone was asking him. His mind wandering as waves lapped and slapped around the island before he opened his brilliant sea foam eyes to meet hers.

Perseus chuckled softly as he sat down curiously watching the scribe,“You know what I think… I think they held the four cardinal virtues and more. Obviously they were wise, courageous to leave even the most scarred parts of their history behind them, justice for the good and for the bad, and well they upheld the skills of moderation. I don’t think they were overzealous with what they built or how much they hunted for their lands.” He gave her a polite smile seeing as the sun was setting and dipped his head to her.

[ToxicShadow]

Username: ToxicShadow
Pride/group link: Oddities of the Celestial Heavens
Day 1 Prompt:

Ghost honestly didn't know much, or maybe she did, truly, but just did not know it because she could not remember what it was that she knew. Either way, now, she was probably a ghost of her former self.

Arriving at the Scribe's Shrine, and encountering the curious question on what she thought about those that made such a shrine, she wasn't sure what she thought. But more than that, she was taken by surprise when she came to realize, perhaps a moment later than she should have, that what she was looking at was not a statue at all. It seemed to be... alive. The eyes of the scribe were so strangely soft while peering back at her that Ghost could not look away. Instead, she was mesmerized.

"I suppose... Those that made this shrine... Find value in the stories and knowledge of the world and do not wan to lose them. Perhaps, it's a matter of preserving the truth, but that is also... doubtful, in a way." Ghost found herself more willing to speak to the scribe than she did toward most others, even airing the parts of her thoughts that she may have otherwise kept just to herself, such as her doubt. "I think more than that, though, perhaps what they really valued was peace and harmony amongst all of the different groups?" Thinking about it, if they were given snippets of knowledge and stories from different places, it would be because all of the different stories from all of the different places were valuable. If it was dedicated to one, then that would make it seem as though they thought that one was more important than the other, but including them all did the opposite, making them appear to be equal in importance instead. If they were equal, then, there was no reason for strife, but, instead, they needed to find harmony and mutual respect, even if they had their differences.

[325]

[Sunlitsecrets]

Username: Sunlitsecrets
Pride/group link: The Wanderlust
Day 1 Prompt:

Alessia looked between the shrine and the stone - like lion, deep in thought. "It's ancient. Special. Places like this carry the will and wishes of people, cats, lions - everyone who passes by. Surely whoever built this place, kept it working and alright, cared a lot about it and what it represented."

"Silvarum is an old continent, and a lot of its history has been lost to time, hasn't it? But I've heard that in the early days of the land there were dragons that roamed here. The captain of that sailing ship I was sent to, Spiri - she said as much. Do you reckon the people here valued dragons?

"Colossal creatures, I've heard, with broad wings and bold spirits. Not all, of course, but they were special. All gone now, of course. None of the natives here know where. All this time, and they've just vanished. Only things like this to remember them by. Wings carved out of stone and shining gems left in the grass.

"The dragons betrayed the three kingdoms, or so I've been told. One day, in the early times, they arrived before a great meeting of the leadership and burned down the entire capital city of Sunglow. It's talked about in such hushed voices, with such mystery. No one knows how it happened, but everyone can tell of the fire that spread, and how the dragons were hunted, chased away, cast out. I wonder if everyone came to hate them after that, if this shrine was forgotten then.

"Actually, I wonder if the dragons were at fault at all, or if it was just one or two of them that caused such chaos. Even someone entirely different, seeking to frame them, or perhaps a dragon looking to cause chaos and trouble." Alessia sighed. "All speculation. The past is the past, unfortunately."

[MySpoons]

DAY 1 CLOSED, DAY 2 STARTING

[Sunlitsecrets]

Username: Sunlitsecrets
Pride/group link: The Wanderlust
Day 2 Prompt: It was Nyx to whom Alessia posed the question to that night, while they were docked at shore. Alessia had spent the time needed to observe all the crew members, and it seemed to her that Nyx was the most knowledgeable - though her knowledge was also hardest to get, buried beneath a prickly attitude and a hesitance to help. Still, the approach was planned - a few choice compliments on Alessia's part, about Nyx's bravery in battle and knowledge of the world. And then, when Nyx didn't chase her off, she asked:

"I want to be a good warrior, too, Nyx. I've heard you're the best, but I've also heard of other warriors of old. Can you tell me about them? What can I learn from them? From you?"

The old cat smirked, then, drawing on her memories and experience. "There's been a great many fighters in Silvarum, what with the constant conflict in the land. But to find the best of the ancients, you have to look to the ones that show up again and again, in legend after legend." She stretched, yawned, and looked up to the moon.

"Some warriors are so great it seems they transcend the boundaries of time. They appear in stories hundreds of years apart, even in stories of recent times, if you look hard enough. The endless battle between the winged one and the shadow, the wolf and the otter, never seen apart, and the Creator, of course - if you look hard enough, you'll see what I mean. They never age, they never grow tired, and they never die. Either they've figured out time travel when the rest of us haven't... or their combat skills are so good they've up and gotten themselves immortal. Now, if I'll ever get there..." a wry smile. "I don't need unlimited time to prove my worth. But if you wanted legends, kid, there's your legend."

[StormSerpent]

Username: StormSerpent
Pride/group link: ever
Day 2 Prompt: 897/300 words