"The gods have been silent for too long," proclaimed Alyssa, Oracle of the Fiery One.
"You are foolish, woman. The gods will answer when they are damn well ready," replied a coarse old man. He was called the Prophet of Worms, and he served the most vile of the Revered Ones.
"Hold your tongue, Prophet. If I had it my way, you would not have been invited to this Gathering," replied Alyssa, a young, beautiful woman with feathery auburn hair and strikingly green eyes. She wore a wispy tunic of spring green, clasped over her shoulders by pins shaped in the symbol of her goddess, a sword piercing a bleeding heart.
I normally don't talk at these Gatherings, or really anywhere. If I truly feel passionate about a particular topic, I may offer my opinion, but this certainly isn't the time. Sometimes I wonder why the Bloodied God choose me in the first place. I can't say I represent him well. I'm too shy and compliant to really make a difference. I guess it is as they say, 'the gods work in mysterious ways'.
"What say have you in this, Acolyte?" inquired the Prophet, calling me by my ceremonial title.
Actually my full title is Acolyte of the Silent One as I serve the silent god of the moon, blood, and innocence. Then of course, that isn't even my real name. I'm called Ithuru, after the wolf companion of the Bloodied God. As Acolyte, I'm the leader and representative of the cult of the Bloodied God, the Innocent One, or the Silent One if you prefer. Ramaeesh goes by many different titles, but his true name should only be called upon in times of dire need.
"Sir, I serve the Silent One. It is not disconcerting if I do not here from my master for lengths of time," I replied respectfully, although it took every ounce of my being not to roll my eyes at the old man. I adjusted my thin black hood over my head, the silky material rustling softly.
"If I may, I do believe the gods have gone silent. It has been two months since we have communicated with Mahazen" said a mousy older woman called the Speaker. She was the head of the cult of the sea god, Mahazen. Unlike most other worshipers of the Revered Ones, cultists of Mahazen freely used his name rather than a respectful title.
"Which is my point exactly," exclaimed Alyssa. "You can not deny the absence of the Revered Ones, Prophet! We must solve this immediately," cried the young woman. Her and I are the youngest here. The Fiery One, goddess of beauty, war, and fire, demands young, beautiful woman as her servants. Similarly, the disciples of Ramaeesh must be young men because the god himself takes the form of a young, innocent youth.
"And how exactly do you propose we do this," asked Trysta, Priestess of Respit, the Burning Sun. The gods we serve are bitter rivals, as well as twins. Often the proclamations of the Innocent One and the Burning Sun contradict, making our jobs all the more difficult.
"If the Revered Ones are displeased with us, how are we to right it without knowing what the source of their displeasure is," asked the Speaker of the Void Goddess. Most mysterious of the First Gods, the nameless goddess of the Void and Sky was an enigma to even her own servants.
"Only time will can tell. We must be patient and attentive to any signs the gods may give" I said, speaking up more than I originally intended. A few of the assembled priests gave me inquisitive looks. I ignored them as best as I can, fidgeting with the clasp on my shawl, a silver pin shaped in the image of the Silent One's icon: a burning heart.
After my comment the Prophet of Worms argued with the Oracle a little longer, then the Gathering was ended. Most of the priests and priestesses looked distraught. Although many of the representatives had not spoken, they too shared the concern of the more vocal leaders. The gods had gone silent. Although this was nothing new to me, the others always had received messages from their masters. Normally when a god wished to convey a message to his followers, he or she would posses the Mouthpiece of his or her cult. Every temple had a Mouthpiece, a special priest or priestess whom the god would speak through.
But now the gods had gone silent. Not since the rise of humanity had the gods been silent. This was cause indeed to panic, though I can't blame people like the Prophet who deny anything is wrong. They cannot cope without the Revered Ones.
As I make my way home, I can't help but shivers little, both from stress and from the rising chill as the moon rises over the dirt road. Normally the sight of the moon would comfort me. The Bloodied God created the moon to light the darkness for his followers. Now that the other gods had gone silent, the moon glowed harshly on the valley, bathing the world in a bitter silver light.
The temple of Ramaeesh rose up ahead. Four towers stretched into the night sky, illuminated by the light of the moon. Our priests did not believe in lighting torches or braziers. Instead we survive by moonlight only. Every roof in the temple has a gap, allowing the sun and moon to illuminate the altars and pews of the holy house. The priests living quarters are under the temple, in a sprawling underground complex. As Acolyte, I have the largest room, a warm space dominated by a large sleeping mat, draped over with wispy curtains. Unlike in the actual temple, the chambers of the priests were lit by brass braziers and elegant sconces.
I undressed from my ceremonial finery and washed my face in a silver basin. I looked myself over in a bronze mirror. My caramel brown hair was disheveled from being covered by a hood all day. My slim face looked tired, dark circles ringing my eyes. My ceremonial khol was smeared a little in one corner of my eyelid. My bright blue eyes were half shut from exhaustion.
I slipped under the cover of my sleeping mat and finally fell asleep. I was walking down the center isle in the main chamber of the temple. A young man stood in front of the altar, his tanned flesh inked with red an silver runes. He had a kindly, young face, one that girls would dream of. He wore a simple tunic of black and grey with dark baggy pants, his feet bare.
"Dear child, kneel before me," commanded the stunning youth. I did so, sensing that this indeed was the god I served. "As you well know by now, the gods have gone silent. There is strife in the heavens. Both Bellamoria, the Fiery One, and Acemis, He-Who-Rots, have shown their displeasure with Man. They claim that the mortals have stopped paying us the respect we deserve. I agree with them, but many others do not. My brother, Respit is chief amongst those who stand for the humans. I cannot say my allegiance is with the mortals, however I can not just stand by and let them all perish. You must warn your companions. War is coming. They may stand with me and live, or they can follow Respit and die. Save your friends dear child. Warn them, and come to me. Have peace," said the Bloodied God.
"But Silent One, how can we be affected by war in the heavens?" I asked, still kneeling.
"Dear child, Bellamoria and Acemis wish to fight not only the gods, but the entire human race as well. If they had it their way, the entirety of humanity would be eradicated, but they have allowed me to intervene. I can not promise you immunity from what is about to unfold, but I can try my best to ensure that you and your companions survive."
"But I must ask a favor. You must save at least one priest from every god. If the human race is to survive, we must have representatives. You and the priests you rescue shall be blessed and inducted into the new age as leaders of men. If you fail, you will die. I wish there were another way, dear child, but there is not. Find the priests and save your friends. War shall come, and you must be ready to survive. Now wake up my servant."
I woke up with a start, sweat dripping from my bangs into my eyes. I was shivering, despite the overwhelming heat of the room. What am I going to do, I asked myself. The Silent One visited me in a dream! In all my readings in the temple's archive, I have only found one account of the Bloodied God appearing in a vision to anyone.
So this will be another SYOC, and there should be quite a few slots open to begin with. First, I'll need to lay out the rules:
• PM me your submission
• I will need guys as well as girls, so if I receive too many females, I will reject them
• be creative and thoroughly! I may PM you questions about your character if need be
• be realistic! No Mary or Gary Sues!
• please review the chapters. If I make mistakes, tell me!
Now then... Each of the characters will be a priest to one of the gods in my original pantheon:
•Bellamoria: Goddess of love, fire, and war
•Respit: one of the two first gods, God of light, the day, and revels
•Acemis: God of insanity, dreams, and death
•Mahazen: God of the sea and storms
•She-of-the-Void: Goddess of the sky, stars, and space
•Tahadis: God of victory, athleticism, and competitions
•Ellah: Goddess of art, history, and knowledge
•Ramaeesh: God of the night, the moon, blood, and innocence (taken)
•Ekoorb: Goddess of nature and animals
the character form will be on my profile. Thanks for submitting!