Traveling through casual space past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns

[baedalites.livejournal.com]

Who: Brendig, priest of the Twelve Point Divinity, and YOU.

What: Just an afternoon at the Mog Hill Divinity Temple

Where: Twelve Point Divinity Temple, near Votarysgate.

When: Newdi Monday. If anyone wants to come along later, just put the date in the comment subject.

Notes: There's an OOC post for all your discussion needs.

From the outside, the Mog Hill Temple is a unprepossessing building with a plain wood door and walls clean of graffiti or signs. Upon entering the building, there is a wide, airy hallway with a lone, elderly man sitting in front of a shoerack and a collection of pillows. A sign reminds visitors to ensure their shoes are clean or to leave them behind and that cushions can be borrowed so worshippers can sit in comfort in front of their alcove of choice.

The centre of the building itself is a rectangular room made of unpainted sandstone ringed by twelve, equal sized recesses in the walls, each one containing a symbol of a different god: a collection of parrot feathers in a handthrown clay vase, a mirror, a black stone bowl with a collection of badger's teeth, a decorated katara resting on a patch of lion's skin, a golden ram's horn wrapped in pale blue silk, an almost organic looking metalwork tree, an empty alcove, a dish of candy, an unusually large dragonfly wing suspended in midair, a blue glass bottle filled with some sort of liquid, a banana leaf bowl of rice, and an obsidian knife. On the floor in front of each recess, there is a collection of offerings: incense, votives, and various other items as preferred by that specific deity.

Comments

Side Trip: Coardi Evening

[ironshodboots]

The voyage on the boat had left Nazca a bit oddly shaken. She tucked that down and away - showing uncertainty was weakness, and she was in a position where weakness could be very dangerous indeed.

The upshot, however, seemed to be that she wasn't going to be leaving Baedal for the forseeable future. And if that was the case, she'd resume systematically exploring. In the meantime, it would do to pay respects to the gods; the Twelve didn't have the names she expected, but that was no reason to disrespect them.

Nazca sheds her boots, and enters with a small sack of coins. She hasn't much in the way of capital yet, but one doesn't visit a new god empty-handed. She figures beginning with all twelve at once would be prudent; once she knew more, and could determine who was who, she could be slightly more specific.

sorry to have stalled so long on this

[hehaseatenthepancake]

Hellboy, meanwhile, isn't really here to make offerings. He has some cash on hand, and some of it may go to the temple itself, but he only really expects to chat with the priest, not the gods themselves.

(Of course, especially in such matters as these, what he expects and what he actually encounters are often two very different things.)

When he arrives at the temple, he briefly considers trying to just kick the dust off of his half-boots, then sighs and unbuckles them anyway. (Look, the backs of his hooves are kind of a bit sensitive, okay.) That takes up most of his initial attention, but once they're off, he notices Nazca along with the old man. He tentatively waves and quietly says, "Uh... hey."

Not a problem!

[ironshodboots]

Nazca lifts her head, and inclines it respectfully. "Hello. I trust I'm not intruding." She didn't know if he was here to perform a rite, or just a visitor like herself.

[hehaseatenthepancake]

He gives a wry little smile and a shrug. "I think that's my line, since you were here first. I'm new in town, figured I'd do some research on the local pantheon." He offers his left hand to shake. "Name's Hellboy."

[ironshodboots]

She takes it, more a clasp than a shake. "I'm Nazca. I am new as well; I thought it best to offer my respects, as it seems we're not going to be leaving any time soon."

[hehaseatenthepancake]

It takes him a moment to adjust to the clasp, but he's used to people taking a moment to adjust to shaking on the left, so he rolls with it.

"Nice to meet you, Nazca. And hey, while I have business back home I need to get back to eventually, this place is actually kind of nice compared to the kidnap city I was in before this one."

It's like finding an upside.

[ironshodboots]

"You were in another as well? I've heard a few people mention that this was not their first stop." It was interesting; she hadn't yet anyone else yet who volunteered that they arrived the way she did, but then, she wasn't sharing either. Who knew?

"May I ask where you were last?"

[hehaseatenthepancake]

"I don't know how many others there are out there," he says, quietly noting the distinction that she apparently was brought here straight from her world, "but I was in a city called Bete Noire. So were most of the others who've gone through this twice, as far as I can tell. Less rustic charming Old World, more dark urban concrete metropolis. Also, apparently, the Apocalypse was on, supposedly with consequences for the whole multiverse, but I get enough of that crap back home anyway, so." He makes a gesture intended to be both dismissive and aggrieved.

[ironshodboots]

"Multiverse - I assume that is a collection of many universes?" she asks, thoughtful. "I wasn't aware that an Apocalypse could cross between, though I suppose it stands to reason in some ways."

"Either way, I am glad you find it an improvement."

Cassandra, Sebastian, Apollo, Ianto, and Jack

[cassie_of_troy]

Cassandra didn't say much on the journey to the temple. For the most part, she stood beside Sebastian and pretended to be very interested in the pattern of the clouds in the sky. The truth was that she wasn't sure how comfortable she felt with this particular party. Sebastian she liked well enough, and Ianto too, even if she had to get to know him all over again (for the third time). As for Apollo...well...she still didn't know where the two of them stood and could only hope to avoid any kind of display in public with him. And Jack...

Well...

Cassandra wasn't sure she had the energy to go in for a third round with him.

When they arrived at the temple, Cassandra was completely underwhelmed. Really? This was a temple? A temple? Everything about it seemed so...ordinary. She wondered what kind of gods these people could worship. What kind of gods didn't exalt in luxury and beauty and grandeur? A kind she needed to know more about, that much was certain.

"Well," she said quietly, looking at the others (avoiding eye contact with two in particular). "This is it..."

[truthsandlyres]

"This isn't a temple," Apollo immediately said, casting a sweeping glance around the room. "This is a shack."

Elitist? Maybe, but also true.

Frankly, Apollo's pride had been a little wounded at the idea of having to hand over the reins of adoration to another group of deities, but right now, he was just amused. No truly powerful gods would have settled for this sort of house of worship.

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

Sebastian frowns at the both of them and reaches down to skritch Velcro in order to hide his disapproval of their rude behaviour and to buy time while he decides what to do.

"In my experience with religion, it's really only the main temples or churches that are showy. You can see all the things that people've left behind and that shows they believe," he says plainly. "It's not right to be so dismissive of the local faith."

[51stcentury]

Jack nods. "I'm with Sebastian on this one," he says, "you'd be surprised what kinds of trouble you could get into, even if it's only with the natives. You'd be surprised with how much people take offense to you upsetting the societal norms." Is he speaking from experience? Yes. Is he going to explain himself further than that? Absolutely not.

He's vaguely aware of some sort of tension between Cassandra and himself. He's only just met her, and as far as he knows he hasn't done anything out of the ordinary to upset her. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that she'd known him before? Well. Another him. Different universe. God, this is confusing. At least he knows Ianto and has met Sebastian before, so it's not half as awkward.

[coffeeking]

"Besides, looks can be deceiving," Ianto chimes in diplomatically, though with a solemn note in his voice. "Just because it isn't a grand marble hall gilded in gold doesn't necessarily mean anything. Perhaps they're practical gods with a healthy respect of economy."

If there's a dig at Apollo in there somewhere, he's very careful not to be overt about it.

[cassie_of_troy]

Cassandra watched the four of them a moment, then turned around, leaning over to take off her sandals, one at a time. As she did, she glanced into the main sanctuary, or what she assumed was the main sanctuary, at any rate. They were called the Twelve Point Divinity and sure enough, she could see twelve little alcoves, dedicated, she assumed, to each of the twelve gods. Well, at least it was an organized religion.

"I suppose," she mused, "we figure out which god or goddess has jurisdiction over travel. Perhaps that's where we start, being involuntary travelers ourselves.

She set her sandals on the shoerack, turning to look at the gentleman sitting before them. Cassandra didn't want to frighten him, but she had chosen to bring a knife with her. She took it out very slowly, to show that she meant no harm, and swiftly cut one of her curls off. That would be her first offering. A piece of herself. And with that, she set the knife on the rack, beside her shoes.

[truthsandlyres]

Well, wasn't this a fun group?

Apollo sighed. It wasn't as if he was about to go up to the priest and mock the temple. If it hadn't been for the fact that leaving Cassandra in a foreign temple with three strange men seemed like a bad idea, he would have left.

After casting a quick glance at his shoes, he slipped them off and set them beside the others. If one stray little comment was going to cause an outrage amongst the travelers, he'd sit back quietly and observe.

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

Fun or not, Sebastian isn't comfortable with the way this meeting has gone and does a poor job of hiding his relief as he checks his CiD.

"I'm terribly sorry, I should've turned this off before entering the temple. You'll have to excuse me," he says with a polite, but sheepish smile as he bows to the old man watching the shoes and takes his leave.

Rachel and Sebastian, Misdi afternoon

[gotbottle]

Nothing pleases Rachel quite like reliability.

Sebastian had told her, before, that he'd call to arrange a meeting at the temple. He'd done just that this morning, and she'd agreed to meet him here in the afternoon. She was delighted that he'd followed through and pleased that she wouldn't have to come to the temple alone.

Just before the agreed-upon time she approaches the temple, studying it with a curious eye. She's Catholic, so her first thoughts of houses of worship are cathedrals, large and rather opulent places. This... doesn't look like that. But she knows every faith has their own ways and no one way is any more valid than any other.

Maybe, in such a modest setting, there's more faith to be found, less show for its own sake.

She lingers outside, watching people come and go.

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

Shortly after she arrives, Sebastian and Velcro come walking down the street. He walks slowly, but steadily and with a visible limb, looking around in a sort of subdued curiosity that manages to take in a great deal of information without looking too much like a tourist. Over the few short weeks he's been in Baedal, Sebastian has already learned to dress and, in many things, act like a native.

Some people find this unnerving.

"Hullo. I hope you weren't waiting long?"

[gotbottle]

Rachel looks up at him, smiling. "No, not at all. I just got here. It's nice to meet you in person."

She'd spied the dog as they'd approached, and her attention goes to Velcro now. She's heard you never bother an assistance dog while they're working, so she doesn't try to pet him, instead only greeting him. "Hello. You're a very handsome guy, what's your name?"

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

"Shake." Velcro wuffs and sits, offering a paw. While he is working, Sebastian doesn't mind going through the usual new person pleasantries. "And his name is Velcro. He sticks like. I hope he doesn't bother you?"

As they enter the temple, Sebastian leaves his shoes and a couple of coins with the guardian.

[gotbottle]

Rachel crouches, and affords this handshake all the gravity and respect she would any other. "It's nice to meet you, Velcro," she says. "And he doesn't bother me," she adds as she straightens up. "I love dogs and I don't have allergies or anything."

She follows Sebastian inside. Noting what he does with his shoes and the coins, she does the same, wanting to make sure she affords the temple and the gods honored here the proper respect.

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

"He's well-behaved and won't jump or anything like that," he says with real affection towards the dog. Privately, Sebastian is pleased that Velcro is allowed into the temple; he's always been a bit put off by places of worship that deny entrance to animals.

"I suppose this is as good a place as any to ask what faiths on your world are like."

[gotbottle]

"Oh, even better." Not that she'd mind if the dog misbehaved; a dog is a dog, Rachel's not going to be put out.

She pauses a moment, gathering her thoughts. "I'm from Earth. 2007. There's so many different religions. But the major ones, many of them are, like, monotheistic with reasonably similar basic moral codes. And there are others, in different parts of the world, that are less concerned with worship of a god and more concerned with recognizing the interconnectedness of existence and finding enlightenment through daily practices. But they all have their rituals, their places of worship or reflection. And you?"

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

"The same world, but a few years earlier." Or, to be more precise, the same sort of world. "And that's a far better description of how religion works than I could've come up with."

"I was raised nominally Anglican," he says without overly emphasizing the past-tense, but the fact remains that he's no longer Christian.