Author: Isaiah the Younger, Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2019 2:27 PM, Post Subject: Grand Opening [P,R]

Isaiah, in short, was in awe of how marvelous this church was. While their own church, the ones that were soon to be built and the grand one that was housed back in the Bastion were by no means small nor cheap, it seemed as though Angela went above and beyond with her own. But heavens knew how they operated and organized, which Nemesis had trusted fully onto Reaver to see the whole operation ran as he saw fit. Either way though, they seemed busy and much more business would be coming soon for the Churches of Dusk. Vilpamolan was especially good breeding grounds for them since many of the inhabitants were reclusive and seedier individuals that would pray to such domains that their lord held. However, it went without saying that not all of the people here were like that, hence the churches that the goddess held also. 

He paid close attention to Angela as she went over how things ran in this particular church, but as soon as another beautiful woman appeared, it didn't take long for his brother to be drooling like a dog to a bone. It was embarrassing as he covered his face with a hand as Fraeya finished with her blessing before coming towards them. It didn't get any better when Anemone came in and he was starting to think that perhaps most of her clergy were women. It would have been a smart bet since he couldn't fathom men being able to work and not…get distracted. Then again, as he looked to dimwitted Elijah, he had to confess that his brother's will wasn't exactly strong when it came to the opposite sex. 

"Sounds intriguing. Couldn't say that I could have seen her as Death now, but I can only speak for the present time", Elijah spoke to Fraeya, "But either way, loyalty is loyalty that you showed. Guess it comes with the territory of High Priestress." To Anemona, he leaned back and laughed a little. "You also seem plenty busy, and I wouldn't have thought of you being anywhere near that age…"

Elijah was having a jolly good time because the ruckus began and the entire place seemed to be shaking. Reaver, having been silent until now, looked a bit confused when the alarming voice came, cursing who he could only assume to be Angela. He was…familiar with the fact that she had produced many children, but for one to be so brass? Not to mention, it also brought out a side that he hadn't seen from his soon to be sister-in-law. After she took her leave, he looked to Isaiah, who gave him a similar look. 

 "Furtuna? The name is definitely familiar…" 

When he heard the reason why and he grimaced. 

"Hm, maybe she just needs an ear to listen to her, or perhaps…chew on", Elijah joked as he drank. It didn't help the glaring look that the younger cardinal gave him. 

Reaver cleared his throat, "I was a priest in a land and time far from this realm. To preach and spread the word of higher powers has been my calling since I was growing up. Things haven't changed despite it occurring to myself a few times now. It will also be in my blood."

"Isaiah went to speak, but Elijah beat him to the punch, "Well, funny story. Our family was one of the first to accept Nemesis as a God and we provided much time, devotion and coin to him. Father offered us as clergymen and Reaver over there wanted Isaiah to be the sole cardinal. Unfortunately, he's about as boring as stale beard and I can draw in a crowd…"

Isaiah slapped the back of his head roughly before he regained his composure, "Yes, well. My brother is better at being the face of the church while I can spread the word alot better…"

"And so I made the decision to make these two incubuses both cardinals of the church we are about to open up", their leader chimed in. He was still worried about Angela and her daughter. What was worse was that sooner or later his own brother would meet the girl and he had far less patience than he had.   

"Yeah, it's ironic though since we both have basically the same face", Elijah snickered, stroking his smooth, clean face while Isaiah had facial hair. The older one, every now and then, kept glancing Fraeya's way. She was a damn pretty elf, one that he never had the pleasure of meeting with before and was interested. "Forgive my brother, he's a dolt", Isaiah spoke without hesitation. "I'll be in charge of preaching and overseeing collections and bestowing blessings. He will be in charge of overseeing duties of the other clergy members and will co-preach."

Author: Angela Rose, Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2019 7:21 PM, Post Subject: Grand Opening [P,R]

Angela waved her hand at the younger twin with a smile. “All walks of life. My duties to that bird are every bit as important as my duties to you or a tree. There is a cycle and if it is broken all hell will break lose. We must keep the cycle going for our world to continue as it is. That’s the way I see it.” She gave him a bit of her wise knowledge before they moved on.

She chuckled a bit and shook her head. “I know it’s hard to believe. I did tell him if he wanted this to work I was going to make him work for it though. He seems content to do so even going so far as to formally court me like he did Andrea. He was rusty but still charming as always.” There were a few more chuckles from her before she was congratulated.

“Thank you. Our twins are excited… Well, our daughter is but our son is still at a loss for words. You could say they were born out of social obligation, yeah let's call it that and leave it there. Our daughter Nerezza has always tried to get us to be married since she was four. She is almost thirty now… and she was still excited about our courting.” Angela loved the small talk and she was so easily comfortable in most situations.

“Should see Elysia. I pride myself on making sure that you know who the cathedrals belong to long before you step foot inside.” Angela looked up at Isaiah and nodded. “Life and Love are two of the biggest domains a god can have outside of a few. They are prayed to constantly throughout the year. A good harvest, births, marriages, and lots of other little things you don’t really think about. Because of that, it has a large following. In bigger cities with less seedy crowds, I can draw hundreds in daily.” She educated them a bit. “Your church might be a bit more busy than my cathedral here because of the location though.”

Fraeya thought about his question once they were sitting still. “…Seven hundred years?” She looked at Angela who nodded. “Just before Furtuna was born. I was the High Priestess of Death and Earth long before Angela shifted spheres. I stepped down from such a high honor to run the cathedral here in Vilpamolan until I could reform my ways to Angela’s domains. We burned the old Cathedral down when she became Fertility and Earth and we built upon the ashes.”

“Like a phoenix,” Anemona exclaimed as she looked amused with the story.

“Exactly, people like symbolism. It helped with the transition from my more shady past. I did it to all of my churches and cathedrals in the land. I built bright ones in their places that were like guiding lights. In fifty years, no one called me a murderer anymore… At least not in public.” Angela sipped on her tea. “You have to know how to sell yourself.”

“Anyways, Angela saved me from frostbite in Itjivut. I’m from a small tribe of snow elves. I went with her back to the mainland and have been serving her ever since.”

Anemone thought about it and she looked up at Isaiah and Elijah. “I’m…” She held up her fingers doing some math with a thoughtful look on her face. “In tree years I’m one hundred but I’ve only had a physical body for five years now. My main place is in Elysia tending to the star berries for weddings. I make sure to make rounds to the cathedrals since Melina can’t leave Elysia without help. We have crystals set up to alert when the cathedrals need something so I don’t have to check all of them at once.”

Angela held an annoyed look on her face and Fraeya acknowledged it as she attempted to stand up. Angela put up her hand before a booming voice from the first floor happened, “Where is that bitch of a redhead. I KNOW SHE’S IN HERE. She took my stash again! MAKE HER COME DOWN HERE AND FACE ME! You no-good thieving bitch of a mother!”

Angela slammed her hands on the table and yelled back. “If you don’t stop that obnoxious screaming I’m going to come down there and rip your tongue out you ungrateful brat. You should be happy I took that alcohol if that’s what you call it. It was eating your insides.”

“NO ONE ASKED YOU! COME DOWN HERE AND FACE ME, YOU COWARD!”

“Coward?! I’m going to beat that blue ass of yours black!” Angela screamed but she looked at Reaver with an apologetic look. “I’ll be back in ten minutes.” She opened the door slammed it. More screaming was heard, the building shook, and the priestesses looked at each other and shrugged.

“This happens every time Lady Angela comes to Vilpamolan.” Fraeya chuckled. “You would think Angela ‘spared the rod spoiled the child.’ but I remember Furtuna getting her butt handed to her growing up. Angela was really strict with her and she still turned out rotten. She’s a famous air pirate in these parts. Until recently, no one even knew Furtuna was Angela’s daughter. Now they go at it on the regular whenever Angela is in town. If you ask me… I think Furtuna enjoys her mother’s attention as much as Angela likes giving it.”

Anemone shifted in her seat and looked at Reaver and the twins. “SO! What made you want to be a priest Reaver? AND TWINS! What made you want to be part of something like this? I always like to ask because I was created for this purpose so it has always been one of my desires!” She was adorable compared to the calm and stoic Fraeya next to her.

Author: Elijah the Elder, Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:53 PM, Post Subject: Grand Opening [P,R]

Up until recently, Reaver couldn’t fathom how the lord of darkness and lady life were able to stand to be in the same room together, much less actually being together. But it seemed like opposites attracted one another and they were pushed onto the other by fate it seemed. In any case, it worked out for the family as a whole and now she had volunteered herself into aiding him with overseeing the first of many churches. While he wasn’t worried about Isaiah behaving, it was his brother that he was concerned about. When he put his mind to it, Elijah could accomplish plenty and then some. His weakness though was the sore subject that he had witnessed quite a few times before, especially whenever he was skipping out on his duties and would be found beneath some woman’s skirt. By the time they made their way in and introductions were made, he had forgotten about how the older twin would take to her.

His eyes were glued onto Angela and did little to shy away from it. Only when it was expressed that she was Nemesis’ fiance did he start behaving. “Yes, I am Elijah and Isaiah here is my younger brother.”

“We will both be sharing the responsibilities as the heads of this particular church”, Isaiah quickly chimed in. That was if his twin pulled his head out of his ass more. Both were garbed in robes of black with red trimmings, fitting colors of the Church of Dusk. Reaver glanced over her way and thought for a moment before nodding and looking to the other men. “Sounds like an excellent idea. It’d probably help them in preparation for when the church opens it doors to the poor souls of the city.” Having lived here for a brief time, he knew of some of Vilpamolan’s activities and surely there were those that prayed to continue onward with them. Hence, where they would all come in and oversee that their faith would be placed into the right hands. “I agree, a wonderful idea, Angela!”, Elijah hopped at-the opportunity while Isaiah wished he would be more serious about the business.

The younger twin did look at the goddess a bit perplexed but apologized all the same about the bird and its nest. “I am sorry about your friend. For what’s it worth, we didn’t have any clue about our doings. It must have been knocked down by accident.” the trio watched her leave the bird in the company of another before departing with her into the carriage.

It was no surprise that if anyone had to marriage the deities, it would be placed onto Reaver’s shoulders. “Old fashion? Doesn’t seem like we are talking about the same Nemesis. But he is an old soul, so I guess he wants to do it right this time.”

“Congratulations on the engagement when it truly happens. We look forward to the union of your houses in due time”, Elijah spoke as he looked outside and watched the people get on with their daily lives. There were some lookers out there, but it wasn’t until they reached their destination that his eyes would have their fill and then some. But first…the twins would look on in shock at how the cathedral that held her faith was like. It was huge and brought so much color into the city of greyness. They weren’t even sure if they were in the same city anymore. Reaver looked around and shook his head with a chuckle. “Always so extravagate. Guess it can’t be helped.”

“And this is the small one?”, Isaiah spoke in disbelief.

He was able to pry himself away enough to help his brother assist the lady out of the carriage and followed closely inside. Elijah paid enough attention to where everything was but soon lost all track of knowledge when he saw the pretty, tall elf as she partook in a blessing. Red flags flew in Isaiah’s head and he smacked his brother’s indiscreet. Things only got worse when another woman came into the picture and despite first impressions, he felt as though he had died and gone into the blissed sleep. “Pinch me…I have to be dre….” Without fail, his brother was there for him and took a bit of glee in giving him exactly what he asked for.

“Bastard”, he whispered carefully through gritted teeth.

Reaver gave them a quick look before bowing himself. “A pleasure. I am Reaver, Head Priest of Darkness and Fear. These two are my cardinals, Elijah and Isaiah.” He made sure to point out the two and they offered the same manner of respect. Elijah still couldn’t’ believe his luck though he kept a cool face. His brother surely wasn’t fooled though and his eyes cutting at his brother made certain to tell that tale. Before long, the six of them were in private quarters, enjoying a fresh pot of tea. “So how long have you been in this city?”, Elijah asked Fraeya and then went to ask Anemone.

Isaiah sipped on his tea and continued where the other left off. “We hail from Adeluna, at least that’s the place where brother and I have stayed the longest. We’ve been known to have traveled up and down the continent for quite some time before settling down in Vipamolan. Been what, twenty-six years already?” Elijah kept his eyes on the beautiful women but complied, “Yup. Time blinks right before your eyes, no?” He took quite a sip of the tea, mentally acknowledging how strong this particular brew was compared to what he was used to. “We do look forward to learning all that you could provide us. Although we have earned Reaver’s trust, we are inexperienced in this field. But we are ready and willing to learn”, he grinned.

Author: Angela Rose, Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2019 5:46 PM, Post Subject: Grand Opening [P,R]

“I can help you with the cathedrals,” Angela was all too willing to give her experience to Nemesis and Reaver. Since Nemesis was busy and Angela was kicked out from the Rosenite Mansion again she had the time to invest into Reaver.

Angela was sitting on a bench inside the Church of Dusk. On her finger was a little what snow bird. It was chirping away and Angela was nodding her head at it. “And it has been to your liking yes? The trees outside are sturdy enough for you?” Again the snow bird answered her. “How lovely. You must be so proud of them.”

The goddess was wearing a deeply cut sweetheart dress with sleeves that bellowed to the floor. There was a split up her leg all the way to her high thigh and the fabric was a plum color. It tightly wrapped around her waist separating the skirt from the bodice. Her long red hair was in perfect curls thrown over one of her shoulders.

Once Reaver approached her and the twins she stood up and the bird hopped onto her shoulder. “It is wonderful to meet you both. Reaver told me your names were Isaiah and Elijah. You both can just call me Angela. I’m far too old for titles at this point.” She let them take her hands and she studied them quickly. “Oh I always have pleasant things to say to Nemesis.” It was a joke as she flashed them a coy smile. “I think, that in order to prepare you both that you should come see my own cathedral here in Vilpamolan. My cathedral here is one of my smallest in Canelux but that’s mostly because of the type of people in Vilpamolan. Though when disease, famine, and other life tragedies happen… Who do you think they run to?”

Her little bird friend hopped all around her shoulder go onto Reaver and back to her. “Oh?” The bird made more noises at her. “Well, I’ll make sure that your tree is taken very well care of. Just make sure you don’t try to make your nest in their window again.” She looked up at them. “She says you knocked her nest out. Please, do be careful, she’ll be laying eggs soon.”

Once they were outside, the goddess pulled up her skirts and sleeves before she went elegantly into the part of the church yard that could not have the snow removed and put the bird up onto the branch near her nest. “It was no trouble at all. It’s cold but I can endure it.” The bird whistled at her before another bird joined her and snuggled up. She flashed a smile at Reaver before making her way back to them. “Young love. It’s her first nesting.”

She realized it must have looked weird with her talking to birds and she chuckled. “I manage more than just the love of people you see. The walk of life is wild and love even more so. All sorts come to seek me for advice… even plants.” She took them into the city once her carriage arrived.

“I’ve been thinking about our wedding you see…” She looked at Reaver who was besides her, not afraid to talk in front of the twins. “And I realized that I can’t quite marry us. The goddess of marriage cannot marry herself.” It was a joke and she chuckled towards the twins. “I think Nemesis is going to ask you to do it.” It was pointed at Reaver but she shrugged. “Still early planning though. He wants to get engaged formally first.”

Looking through the carriage window she smiled at the boys. “We’re here.” Like the goddess who protected it, the cathedral was grand in every way. It was on the small end but to a commoner, it wasn’t small at all. It was white stoned with gold etching, tall stained glass windows of flowers, and even the courtyard was full of winter flowers. There was a large water fountain before the entrance. The water was running at full force as if it didn’t care about the frigid cold. “As I said, this is my smallest one.”

They helped her out and she took them inside. “There’s a healing clinic off to the right, a sick ward to the left, upstairs are the rooms for the staffing, the kitchen is out back with its own private indoor garden for fresh food… and AH! There she is now.” There was a tall snow-skinned elven woman just as curvy as the goddess she served. She had long white hair and the dress she wore was like gold. Angela went silent as she watched a blessing on a newborn.

“I, Fraeya of House Holcene, bless this child in the name of The True Mother Angela. May she grow beautiful and healthy.” The white-skinned elf kissed the child’s forehead and the parents were sent on their way. “My lady, I didn’t know you would be visiting or I would have made an effort to clean up more.”

“Please, this place is pristine.” Angela waved her hand. “I wanted your help actually.” The common area of the church was full of children getting meals. Most likely the little ones who were homeless and waiting for an orphanage to take them in. Fraeya made her way across the cathedral to join them and bowed to the men with Angela. “This is my… Well, I guess you could say she is the same rank as you boys. She answers to my high priestesses… Speaking of which is Anemone here? I heard she was going to be bringing the berries.”

“She is… No doubt she has sensed you,” Fraeya folded her arms behind her back and watched a very short but curvy woman came running down the steps.

“I’m right here!” Her bare feet stepped on her long flowing fabric and she took a tumble. She had long brown hair that reached her hips and purple eyes. “Ow.”

“Lady Anemone, I told you not to run. Your feet they work against you,” Fraeya was worried as she helped the high priestess up.

“Don’t blame me. Lady Angela made me this way,” Anemone got up and she dusted herself.

“Don’t you pin this on me. Everything I create is flawless. The only things that have ever been rotten have been birthed by me and I don’t ever recall making that decision,” Angela pointed her finger and the women laughed. “Nor do I claim them. Anyways! Reaver, you’ve met Melina who is my High Priestess of Life… but this is Anemone my High Priestess of Love. She was created from a myrtle tree and she is a nymph.”

Anemone bowed to them. “How do you do? It is a pleasure to meet you all.”

“Anyways, now we can have a spot of tea and discuss everything. I would like to get the boys acquainted with how busy we are and your schedules." They were taken up into a private meeting room and all given cups of tea. “This tea was handpicked from my garden this morning. Hopefully, you all like it. I was trying something new.” Angela seemed pretty proud of herself.

Author: Isaiah the Younger, Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2019 7:33 PM, Post Subject: Grand Opening [P,R]

It had been some time since Reaver had pitched his marvelous idea to the God, and after some convincing, Nemesis had agreed to it. Why not spread the word of his gospels and gather more followers throughout the land? All it took was the rasing of churches in different locations on the continent and a select few to head them and pass the word around. The new head priest had his work cut out for him in choosing the correct individuals that could be trusted. That's where the twins came in when it came to leading the Church of Dusk in Vilpamolan. While Isaiah would have been preferred out of the two to lead the Church, his brother was equally qualified if not just slightly aloof. That and Elijah could handle the visitors alot better than Isaiah.

Initially, the younger brother was pissed about the decision, but there was little say in the matter. Eventually, he warmed up since although Elijah was a fool sometimes, they were loyal to one another and always had the other's back when it counted. The two helped with the construction of the citadel in the downtown district which took several months of hard, dedicated work but the fruits of labor came in drones. With that out of the way, they were to seek out and hire their staff while at the same time, they were to adopt the doctrine that Reaver had sent them.

They were in their office, studying up (or at least Isaiah was) as the hour grew closer for Reaver to come and visit them. His chestnut eyes lifted away from the piles of parchment and saw his brother snoozing with a paper over his face. "Elijah! Have some decency, man!" He threw a book at his older brother, which caused him to stir a bit wildly before holding a toothy grin. "Relax, brother. I am just the pretty face to draws the fireflies inside. You are the voice of our leader, that voices the lord. You study and I will keep up with my beauty sleep so that we both are ready."

"You dolt."

He would have thrown another book at him except for the fact that a servant came and retrieved them for the visitor that arrived. Reaver was in the midst of looking around the grand hall when the cardinals came in and bowed their heads. "Looks like things have gone well. You did well so far, House Lo'vada. Oh, by the way, I have brought another guest with me."

The two brothers exchanged looks amongst each other before looking back to Reaver. “Sir? You brought him here?”

Reaver cocked a brow before shaking his head. “No, no. Lord Nemesis couldn’t make it. He sent someone very trustworthy in his stead.” He pointed over to a certain redhead woman whose beauty held no bounds. “The Goddess and his soon to be wife, Angela. We figured it would be best to clue her in on the idea as well.”

The twins humbled agreed and each took a hand of hers to kiss lightly. “Our pleasure, Madam Angela”, they both spoke before releasing her. “We hope that you will send good word to the lord”, Elijah spoke, though his eyes spoke a different tale as they trailed about her curvaceous figure. A swift slap of the head from the younger brother set the elder straight. “Yes, we hope to open in the coming days once we completely get the staff properly prepared.” Unlike Elijah, Isaiah was all business right now, making it obvious how different the two really were.