[God Quest] torrent of devotion

When the Temple was empty, Noah bowed himself before the images and idols of his patron that he had brought in. The rain poured outside and the thunder shook the building, but Noah prayed to a god with no shrine in this land, before the effigy that he and Sah had built.

Noah knelt in the dimly lit chamber, his head bowed and hands left palm up and reverent. The flickering candlelight cast shadows on the rough-hewn walls as he began to speak in a voice barely above a whisper. [say]"Vi, mighty and merciful, hear my plea. I stand before you, burdened by the weight of my failure, my heart heavy with remorse. In the pursuit of your will, I stumbled and faltered, straying from the path you set before me."[/say]

His voice trembled as he continued, [say]"I sought to be the vessel of your divine purpose, but in my weakness, I faltered. Forgive me, Vi. Grant me the strength to rise from this inadequacy and continue to carry out your sacred mission. I am unworthy, but beg for you to bestow upon me the redemption I seek."[/say]

Noah's words hung in the air, the silence broken only by the soft echoes of his own whispers. As he waited, he clung to the hope that Vi would see the torment and emotional roiling that Noah endured the last seasons. [say]"I have done what you've asked of me. I will continue to do what you ask of me. In the temple I have left images of you, representations of your goodness and mercy and love. Twice I lead people to fortify the medical wing. My friends and I wiped away the dirt and grime in the Barracks. I helped facilitate the building of a courier's station, for easier transport of knowledge and kinship between lands. I helped fortify this temple to house displaced citizens and worked against the floods. Vi, I poured all of what you gave me into the very earth of this place."[/say] He felt tears sliding down his cheeks. [say]"I have helped save. I have done it."[/say] His shoulders racked with a sob.

[say]"I know now that I was not surrendered to you alone. My own heart was still guiding me. It was easy to fight a war for you, to destroy what I hated. It's harder than what I can describe to give everything to you. But now,here I am."[/say]

---

Noah has finished his quest!

1. Host or participate in three (3) PQs within the Hollowed Grounds to help better the region.
- [thread=8906] :: Refurbished the medical wing in the Temple with Alys, Talyson, and Asra (This is a follow up PQ of the same nature as the incomplete one here: [thread=8751])
- [thread=8852] :: Improving the Military Barracks with Fox and Deimos
- [thread=8900] :: Helped build a courier station with Talyson and Alys
BONUS~ [thread=8855] :: Helped in the PQ+ to clean and assist the HG with all of the seasonal bad weather

2. Explore all areas of the Hollowed Grounds.

3. Complete a thread using demigod magic to assist in bringing life to the Hollowed Grounds. (This can also form part of the exploration for 2.)
- [thread=8897] :: Used Divine Opposition to bring life to the land and Talyson used his mending ring.

4. Complete a thread ensuring that Vi's presence is adequately represented in the Temple.
- [thread=8907] Built a statue and offering place, hung canvases filled with praises, and filled it with flowers, and removed the old Voice statue with Sah

Noah won't see it, but the Temple sits up and pays attention. The thunder purrs overhead and dormice peep from their hideyholes in the crevices of the stone. Snoozing flowers turn their faces to a sun not yet risen, and the earth takes a breath.

[say]"And not a moment too soon."[/say]

If the Forsaken had been expecting tearful reunions with his deity or to be lavished with praise and forgiveness, he will be sorely disappointed. Mercurial as the night and with trouble creasing his eyes, Vi stands before the man he made half a god and bids him rise.

[say]"I need not tell you that the Grounds are far from healed. I hope that now you have seen it you will see fit to stay, not out of duty but out of choice."[/say] Regardless, though, Noah has completed the work set out for him, and he will find himself free to roam once more.

Noah didn’t expect Vi to reciprocate how he was feeling, and how he had walked through this. Because it wasn’t about Vi. It was about Noah.

When the earth turned and silently sang its own praises, the Forsaken could feel the air around him change. He could feel it lighten, and for there to be more light in the temple only brightened by candles. When his deity spoke, the Forsaken lifted his head. He stayed settled on his knees, reverent before Vi.

[say]”I will continue to do work here, in your name,”[/say] Noah said with sincerity. He pulled his sleeve slightly and used it to dry his cheeks. [say]”But I believe I will need to do more in your name across Caido.”[/say] Noah knew he didn’t have to explain to the god what was happening — certainly he knew. He must know of the shooting stats and the empty craters, and of all the manner of flora and fauna that were changed.

Even with that, though, Noah had to ask. He couldn’t stay silent, couldn’t stay confined. [say]”You have blessed me greatly. I feel that now more than ever. But I have been a warrior for you, now I must be a mender.”[/say] Noah looked to the statue of Vi before turning his eyes back to the real thing. [say]"I believe I still belong in Halo, but I will not forsake this land. If you would have it, I will still pour into it and heal it. But I believe the rest of the world needs some healing, too."[/say]

[say]"Good."[/say] For the first time Noah might be able to interpret Vi's words as a true compliment, though the deity remains stone-faced as ever, as if his mind is only half on their meeting. (And it is, truly).

[say]"Do not be so hasty. You may yet need to be a warrior,"[/say] he rumbles, turning his gaze out of the windows of the Temple, seeing much more than the storm. [say]"The rest of the world needs defending. Something has taken root here and I do not like the way it grows."[/say]

Narrowing his eyes, he gazes back to Noah. [say]"The meteorites that fell over Longnight. I do not believe they burned away on impact. I believe they persist, an infection in Caido's creation."[/say]

---

Noah has paid 300MP for Plot Information.

If he had the time, Noah may have beamed with the compliment. But, there wasnt time. The words that Vi said had Noah’s heart dropping. The world needed defending. With tension in his brow expressed by deep rivets, the Forsaken followed the gaze of his deity. Without much control over the reaction because of his focus, Noah stood from his kneeling position. The rain battered the window and another rumble of thunder shook overhead.

[say]”They got past Safrin.”[/say] Noah says with a settling fear in his tone. [say]”Sah the Wild Thunder was right to be so when he told me he was worried.”[/say] Noah’s eyes moved to Vi, and he swallowed. [say]”He did also say that the craters they created were empty. That means that whatever is persisting is traveling.”[/say] Noah’s mind whirled, but there was a spark in a memory woven into each and every fiber of his history. [say]”Which means then they need to be tracked.”[/say] His brow furrowed deeper. [say]”I will go; what should I be looking for?”[/say] Whatever the god could give him would be helpful. Noah knew from his life as a hunter that you could track all the signs in the world, but if you didn’t know what you were looking for, you’d wander forever.

Vi doesn't look around, but there's something unmistakeably stormy in his gaze that makes the downpour outside seem balmy in comparison. [say]"I do not know,"[/say] he says, his voice tight with frustration. [say]"The changes to the flora and fauna are unmistakeably connected to the meteorites that fell overhead. I suggest you go to King's End and begin your search there."[/say]

Perhaps others had seen and taken note of any further happenings near the crater. Given that it had all taken place during Longnight, Vi is infuriatingly sparse on knowledge of that time anyway. Blinking away from the window, the deity's gaze lands upon Noah at last. [say]"Safrin is not yet returned. Until she does, the picture remains incomplete."[/say]

Vi’s words left Noah in stunned silence for a minute. While the hunter knew that the meteorite crash had happened over Longnight — he had seen the two streaks in the sky and sent word to Halo the moment the sun rose — for Vi not to know what Noah should be looking for made the demigod fumble. Noah kept his eyes on Vi to watch his eyes darken and dampen the torrent of storms outside. There was no stopping the chill that ran to the man’s core from the points of his limbs. He squeezed his hands into fists and he felt the ice settle in to his stomach as Vi’s eyes finally moved towards him.

[say]”Do you know if any other mortals have tried to reach out to gods or heralds?”[/say] The rest of the world was not as confined as he had been the last seasons — and certainly not since Longnight. [say]”I can convene with those I know here, to find out what they’ve encountered.”[/say] Deimos, Evie, Sah, Talyson, the other demigods… Noah swallowed again. [say]”Is this…is this as big as she was?”[/say] He asked, emphasizing the she to indicate their last dead rival: the Voice.

[say]"A few have. The answer is the same."[/say] Vi frowns - if he does not know, why would any herald? But the moment passes like a cloud over the sun, and the deity hums a note of near-approval that Noah should convene with others to find out more. [say]"I do not know,"[/say] he repeats, and even the near-mention of the Voice is enough to make him bristle, star-hard and absolute in his fury at these lack of answers.

[say]"Go. Convene with who you must, and eradicate any instances of this new flora or fauna you encounter."[/say] Vi might be a god of life, but there is nothing in these new species he considers worth saving.

The ice that settled in Noah’s stomach cracked and an icy wave shot up through him. He felt the depth of VI’s repeated words and knew that asking more questions was not the next right answer. He felt the way the god hardened at his previous question as much as he saw it, the god becoming more stone than even the effigy created behind them.

[say]”Before I go, may I ask something of you?”[/say] There is a hesitation in his voice that only comes from his Forsaken place before the deity. [say]”My spirit stag ability is good and strong, but by your grace, could you make it stronger? I can burn every diseased flora and fauna and destroy their existence in this world, in your name and your power.”[/say]

---

Noah is asking to quest to upgrade his Spirit Stag ability.

Whether it's the may I ask something of you or something else, Noah will never know. Regardless, Vi's gaze suddenly turns skyward, and a frown like a coming storm passes over his face. He neither responds to Noah nor acknowledges his presence any further, the deity's attention clearly focused elsewhere.

Gone in a few motes of light and the fluttering heartbeats of mice in the walls, the Temple is left quiet and tranquil... and yet somehow ominous all the same.

~FIN