Discussion of Deities and Demigods

The snow is piled up outside of the Soldier's Defense. The steps have been carefully cleared by hard working apprentices to make sure that the infirm that are on their way here or whom are leaving will not injure themselves further. There's sun in the sky and that's something though, a beautiful day to be outdoors and yet... Zeke is inside, bustling about busily. The sith-makar has his hood pulled down so that his blue-scaled face and black horns are visible, but his cloak drawn tightly around himself to hide his artificial limbs. Nothing can entirely hide the peek of crystal foot or the gleam of crystal arm now and again however. Both of his left limbs draw attention where the sith-makar might otherwise not.

In fact however in spite of his unobtrusive presence he is the one directing much of the flow of traffic today. People come and go, asking him about this or that patient and he patiently explains what needs explaining. It's a bustling day in here, but one that's not as crowded as the recent plague has been making the Soldier's Defense of late. The blue-scaled sith-makar directs his most recent questioner to their destination and sighs in the sudden lull that he has, green eyes shifting around the Defense.

Durgash is helping out, temporarily, as a blacksmith for the occasional tasks that are required by the hospital. Sharpening scalpels, repairing armor when the injured come in, that sort of thing. It's not a super frequent task, though, so they tend to let it accumulate and then hire a fellow for a day to come in and take care of it all in one day's work. Durgash has completed maybe half of it by now, and he's taking a break, eating a sandwich he'd brought with him and watching the goings on.

Compassion. Duty. Empathy. These words and similar have been hammered into the teachings and trainings of those who sought ordination as a warrior in the service of Daeus and Ignis is among such numbers even if his personal path and journey has taken him far from The Holy See, his family and the corrupt nobility and agenda driven clergy that still influence matters. But he's here now, in Alexandria, and those words ring in his memory as he steps into Soldier's Defense and pulls his hood back to begin studying the place and gauging the current situation.

Though a long jacket and a cloak over top that hangs about his form, his sweeping movements reveal armor and weaponry, including an ornate sword and a simple medallion with the symbol of the Platinum Dragon hangs about his neck..so identifying him isn't necessarily difficult even if he seems to be more or less wandering and exploring versus here with a precise purpose.

"Well, well..what have I gotten myself into here in this city.." he muses thoughtfully as he studies the frescos and then moves towards the small fountain.

Immediately noticing a new face to the Soldier's defense, Zeke observes the stranger entering the soldier's defence from a distance. Then, with great care taken in his slow steps, moves toward the man. Zeke has not failed to notice the platinum dragon hanging around the man's neck, and though Zeke himself has no such holy symbol emblazoned upon his personage his robes are not dissimilar from those of a priest. A staff is held in his right claw, and he uses it as a walking stick though it has the bearing of a weapon. "Peasssce on your nesssst, and greetingssss of the Dragonfather upon you." He offers his words warmly and with a thick accent that does nothing to hide his welcome. "Can thisss one help you?"

Durgash looks up as some who's pretty clearly a warrior comes in. Warriors need his skills most often, so he'll rise from his seat as well, though as he goes to introduce himself, he finds Zeke has beaten him to the punch. So he'll call a simple, "Good afternoon," in gruff Tradespeak, which it seems is not a language he's entirely accustomed to.

Ignis looks to the massive oruch and then back to the sith makar and he then bows his head in greeting and clasps his hands in a type of a salute. His manner is easy going enough but he seems embarrassed to have attracted the attention.

"Greetings to you both as well. I'm sorry, I'm a newcomer to Alexandria and I was looking for the Temple of Daeus in order to present myself to the leaders there. My name is Ignis and I'm a.." he pauses as if looking for the words and then just says outright, "A Paladin in his service. I noticed Sunblades present and thought I'd investigate. I see this is a place of healing."

Zeke blinks at the fact that he is not the only one to greet this new individual, but he is not truly surprised, merely startled. He takes a small side-step to give Ignis and himself some space as the man introduces himself. "Thissss one isss known as Zeke." He says his own name oddly, as though it starts with a different letter than it does, his accent getting somewhat in the way of his speech. "Thisss one ssservess the Dragonfather asss well, and can take you to the temple."

He pauses briefly and looks around the Soldier's Defence with a mixture of emotions that is difficult to read on a sith-makar face. It seems however to be pride and pleasure however. "Thisss isss indeed a place of healing. It ssservesss the people of thissss scity well."

Durgash hrms and nods at Ignis's greeting. Not that guessing the man to be a paladin is any great stretch. "You're not far," he says. "Though if you came from the air station, you took the wrong road or you'd have gone right past it to get here." He thinks about that. But people come in by land and sea as well, so who can guess? When Zeke offers to show the way, that'll beat any directions he might be able to give. But since names were offered, he gives his own: "Durgash Skullsmasher, at your service."

"Not by the Airstation actually. I came overland but before I could get my bearings I was almost immediately pulled into assisting with work from the Adventurers Guild. A village that was in need of some aid so..I didn't exactly have a good grasp on the city before having to head out with some companions." Ignis' smile becomes moe relaxed and easy going. Perhaps not the picture of the stereotypical stuffy Paladin-Knight.

"I'd appreciate being taken there but directions will be good enough as well. I don't want to take either of you from your work here. "

"Peasssce on your nessst." Offers Zeke toward Durgash as the man offers his name. He is unfamiliar to Zeke as well, but familiar in the way that his work had been noticed. Zeke misses very little of what happens in the Soldier's Defense. "Thisss one hassss engaged in many misssssionss with the guild. It too doessss good work for the people."

To some degree this thought seems to be restrained, but he holds up a gentle claw - still holding his staff - against Ignis' concern about pulling him away from his work. "Thissss one was jussst about to take a break for a meal, ssso taking you would be no problem. Thisss one issss ssstill new to Alexandria asss well, and would not trussst to give directionsss."

Durgash nods about not having come by the airstation, and looks thoughtful about having done Guild work. "I need to see about doing some work with them, myself," he says. He admits, "Well, yes, I'm pretty new. But it's not like the Temple District is hard to find. The Temples to the good deities, anyhow," he says, maybe a bit tense at that.

The young paladin offers Zeke an accepting nod and friendly smile but then turns his attention to Durgash at that. His easy going expression remains but it's clear he picked up on the tenseness of the comment..and he just chuckles with good humor in his eyes,

"It's true that many of the major human settlements can be a bit..focused and choosy on what they decide to place emphasis on. My understanding is that Alexandria has been through alot so..this isn't that surprising to me. Plus not all faiths mix well side by side. I imagine some degree of separation is to control traffic and keep the peace."

Zeke's eyes linger on Durgash for a long considering moment and then the sith rolls his right shoulder in a sort of half-shrug. "Isss there then, a god or goddessssss that you find ill-repressssented?" He seems genuinely curious, and it seems that he has caught onto Durgash's tenseness as well. He nods in agreement with Ignis' sentiment that not all gods and goddesses can be equally represented; and might have added more onto the subject, but is clearly awaiting a response to his own question first.

Durgash nods to what Ignis says, and smirks to Zeke. "It's true, you daren't put the Korite temple next to Angorons if you want to keep the peace," he says with a smirk in his unsteady Tradespeak. "And ... the thing is, maybe there's some elements at the Korite temple you don't want in the city..." he could see that. The occasional evil priest or parishioner would be a huge problem. "It makes me feel less welcome, but making me feel welcome is noone's job or requirement, and I can make do."

"There was a time when the evil faiths were allowed in the city - or so I learned with some study before I made my journey. This was years ago.." expresses Ignis, "I understand there were just restrictions on what they could and could not do and that they were not exempt from city law. You can imagine why that didn't last forever and is no longer the case.."

He considers Durgash again and then shrugs lightly as he looks to the massive warrior and then back to Zeke, "Well to be completely fair..even the faiths that call themselves good..some may have practices that would not be appropriate for a city based temple. Or have followers that know the god by other names and means of worship. This is very true of Daeus."

"Thisss one wasss not aware that Alexandria onsce allowed the worssship of evil dietiesss." Zeke shudders to himself, and clutches his staff more tightly. "Thisss one can well imagine why they do not allow this anymore. Thisss one doesss not know if one could live here if there were sssuch."

He leans his staff against his arm briefly so as to tug his cloak around himself as if suddenly cold, though he is not. The sith seems more comfortable when the topic changes slightly, and his eyes twinkle slightly and his tail swishes behind himself. "Thisss one findsss the godssss mossst interesssting. To think that sssoft-ssskinsss do not worship the Dragonfather asss sssuch - though sssome recognize him." He nods to Ignis' medal around his neck. "Thisss one hasss met even priessstss who did not know of his places asss the father of goodly dragonsss and wassss sssurprisssed."

Durgash shrugs to Ignis, and looks alarmed at the presence of actual evil temples as well. As far as practices not suited to cities, he says, "Well, they let the Angorites in, and the Tarienites, they're both as rowdy as anyone in their own ways, so the city seems pretty tolerant. But I can't picture Daeus being worshipped by the villains in Charn at all. A few rebels, sure. Those rebels tend to find their way here if they're not crushed, I understand." He smirks to Zeke, and says, "We're not too familiar with dragons except as myth and legend, and their father ... well, that's not something that concerns us day to day. But the Sun rises every day, and that's much more of a thing here."

"Thissss one sssupposssess ssso." He peers at Durgash and seems about to ask a question that he thinks better of before settling back. His tail curls around his right leg and rests there. Ignis' words bring about more thought, and for several long moments Zeke is silent on the subject. "Thisss one hass never consssidered that the worssship of evil godsss might be... tempered. Perhapssss becaussse we of the People have been treated ssso harssshly by thossse deitiesss. Thisss one can not imagine them in a favorable or even neutral light. Thisss one knowssss and underssstands that there are sssome who twissst the teaching of the godsss to their own underssstanding. The death-singing dragon isss often one ssssuch. However to believe the godssss of evil to be benificial issss as wrong ass to worsship the Dragonfather to evil means." He shudders again. "Thisss one doess not know which would be more sssso."

Ignis studies Zeke thoughtfully and then simply nods his head, "I wish things could be more simple.." he then nods to both, "I think I will take some time to look around more before seeking the temple. I appreciate the offer from you both." He nods his head and then reaches up to pull his hood back up, "Take care."

Durgash has to nod slowly at what Ignis says. "I can see where that would be a thing," he agrees. "But it'd make me feel uneasy to walk by a Temple to Thul on the street no matter what their public face professed. Promises to obey laws in exchange for not being shut down seem like just the sort of deal the Seller of Souls would enjoy. Meanwhile, his agents in the shadows doing their nefarious work out of sight. I can only imagine that's the sort of thing that got them purged from the city and good riddance." He sats to Zeke, "I can't imagine Daeus granting power to evil priests no matter how they beg. And though there may be priests of Thul who are not evil, they certainly support his evil ways by worshipping him. There are bad men in the temples to Kor, they revel a bit too much in the fighting and the pain and slaughter. But they're not -actually- wrong, theologically, so they're tolerated in some places. Not here, though, and that's a better all around, I think."

The very name of Thul causes Zeke's tail to wrap more firmly around his leg and his eyes to grow hard. There's a tensenes to his posture that does not evaporate even after the name has faded, but he does not shudder a second time when the name is uttered again. He merely shakes his head back and forth slowly and sadly. "Thisss one can not think of any priessstsss who have evil in their heartsss who worship the Dragonfather, and like you this one has trouble imagining the Dragonfather offering them power if they do. Though this one can well imagine a god of evil giving power to one of good intentions in the hopesss of dragging them into evil. Thisss one hasss heard a sssaying - that the road to the hellsss isss paved with good intentionsss. Perhapsss thisss iss what that saying iss meant to encompasssss. That one can not merely be of good intention, but musssst alssso /do/ and /be/ good."

Durgash is not so much affected by the mood, but he can see ... no, he's trying, but he can't see. "What you say is like offering bait to a fish, and reeling them in when they bite. But people are not fish, and make their choices. I think the good intentions you describe in that old saying are not really as /good/ as all that. Just a subterfuge. It might be better to say the road to hell is paved with misleading intentions, or false pretenses. Because if the intentions were -really- good, they wouldn't lead to hell."

Zeke's tail flicks just slightly, mildly uncurling from around his leg so that it can perform said action. "Not all are asss wissse asss you may think. But thisss one agreesss. Good intentionsss ssshould come from a place of goodnesss, and sshould come with good actionss. Ssso if they do, then they are not onesss that lead to perdition." He nods once. "Thissss one isss not however overly-familiar with sssoft-ssskin sssayingsss."

Durgash shrugs at softskin sayings, and admits, "It's mostly humans who say that in any event. Among Oruch, we're more direct. Do, And Be Judged For What You Do." He can only guess what other cultures might say. "I'm not hugely comfortable talking about that in any event. I want to get along here, I'm not afraid of conflict, but there's trouble, and there's getting run out of town at spearpoint, if you understand what I'm saying."

The blue-scaled sith emits a low thrumming noise in the back of his throat and nods his head. It's a very human-like gesture, but it's one that he seems quite familiar with. Something that he likely picked up from those around him a long, long time ago. "Thisss one belivessss sssso. This one noticesss your hard work repairing and sssharpening. Thisss one would thank you for your effortsss."

Durgash hrms as the topic changes abruptly, but it's a good change, and he says, "You're very welcome. I'm glad to help out. And glad for the gold, of course. A fellow's got to eat. And there's some stuff I'm looking to buy, as well. A forge that can be put on a wagon, that'd let me practice anyplace."

Zeke blinks at Durgash. "You can put a place of fire and sssstone on a wagon?" He seems utterly surprised by this statement, his eyes slightly wide and his tail flicking at the very concept. "Would not the fire burn the wagon to the ground?"

Durgash hrms? "What? No, of course not," he says. "Not if you've got a solid foundation of stone bed under it, that is. Bricks, even. The wagon's slow at that point, but you can't really use it while you're moving anyhow. A forge -can- be dome just with an open fire on the ground, but it's not usually done that way."

This seems to satisfy Zeke and he nods in understanding. "Thisss one would have thought that ssssomething ssso heavy would be unweildy to move, if it were possssssible. Thissss one believes you when you ssssay that it can be done however." He shakes his head slightly. "The feats that ssssome people have achieved. Invention issss amazing isss it not?"

Durgash admits, "It won't be -easy- to move. It'd take a team of stout horses, and it'd be slow. But buying land here is beyond my means, but I may be able to afford a cart." He shrugs about invention, and says, "Better to call it resourcefulness and good use of things that exist."

Zeke's eyes twinkle with amusement and he shakes his head again. "Thisss one thinksss it is quite amazing. Come, let us ssshare ssssome tea while we wait for Ignis to finissssh looking around. Thissss one mussst eat, and thisss one would welcome ssssome company in the waiting."

Durgash nods about tea, and says, "It's my lunch break as well, so I'll sit with you," he agrees. "It's not hard work, really, here. And it's pretty ... varied. Repairing armor and weapons was my usual thing, at home, but you had a bed that had a broken strut, and the surgical tools are very small compared to a sword."

The sith-makar leads Durgash slowly to a waiting tea pot, which has patiently stood by for the moment that Zeke would take his break - though of course here there are others that enjoy tea, or whom use the pot for medicinal teas for those who require them. He checks the water and pours out two cups before refilling the pot and replacing it where it had been before. The water is warm, and he adds some tea to it; a soothing and yet wakeful blend which he prefers during the day. "Thisss one hassss no capacity for the making of things." This is said slightly wryly, and he adjusts his cloak and sets his staff aside before handing Durgash his cup of tea. Only then does he take up his own.

Durgash accepts the tea with a nod. Tea's not his area of expertise - beer's more his speed - but when in Alexandria, do as the Alexandrians. So he sips the tea, and says with a smirk, "Well, I can't get any response out of the gods, so I suppose we'll have to stick to our respective crafts."

Zeke's tail thumps seemingly of its own accord, and it seems to startle him because he looks back for a moment briefly. Still, he seems greatly amused by Durgash's statement. "Thisss one thinksss that everyone is capable of... getting a resssponssse from the godss, but not ssso sssurely asss thossse chosssen by them." He nearly thumps his tail again, but stops just shy. "What sssort of thingssss do you make? Or do you sssolely repair?"

Durgash actually follows Zeke's glance until he realizes he's looking at his own tail. "It's as you say, I'm told, that they listen to everything I say. But they won't grant me spells or powers without a bit of extra effort that I'm not suited to." As to his craft, he says, "I'm just a journeyman right now. I -could- make swords and armor, but not particularly well just at the moment. I'm learning."

"To be learning oness craft issss an adventure of ssssortsss iss it not? One learns all sssortsss of thingsss about onesss ssself." Zeke's gaze becomes a touch distant for a moment and he nods. "In thisss way perhapsss thisss ones... craft, and yourss are not ssso different yesss?"

Durgash looks amused, and says, "Oh, I'm not going to say it's like an adventure. Going to fight bandits or monsters in the sewer, that's an adventure. The smithing is just something to do so I've got the tools to adventure -with-. This sword," he pats the hilt over his shoulder, "Took me six months before I finally got it done to my satisfaction. I didn't learn about myself in doing it, though. I learned a lot about how metal works, though."

There's another low rumble in Zeke's throat and with it the realization that he's laughing gently to himself. "Perhapsss more different then. Thisss one hasss found ssservice to the Dragonfather ssendsss one on ssuch adventurerss. Or to do even more dangerousss thingsss in sssomess mindss; to tend a plague." He nods and drinks his tea slowly. There's no sign of food for him, but then he had been about to leave to get some before the conversation started and now his stomach rumbles quietly. He ignores it but his tail flicks in response. "In a way however, doesss not your quessst for money to make things with sssend you on sssuch adventuresss? And there-by your craft isss the reason for your adventures yesss?"

Durgash has to think about that, and he does, pondering for a while. "Well, it's a two-part thing," he explains. "I take money from the Guild so I can buy a forge. And then I'll buy a forge so I can make better weapons. And then I'll have better weapons so I can do better adventuring. It's a circle, I'll admit, and so it's hard to say where it begins or ends. If I wasn't a warrior, I wouldn't have needed to learn smithing. So." He shrugs. "I prefer just to take these things as they are, though. Thinking too much just makes your brain hurt."

Zeke blinks at Durgash slowly. "It doesss ssseem convoluted. Perhapsss time will tell which isss more important to you. Or if either are. Sssoft-sskinss do not have casste asss the People do." He seems sort of sad about this, but also more thoughtful than another sith-makar in his place might have been. "Thisss one knowsss how confusing life can be without cassste to center it, and does not envy a life-time bereft."

Suddenly he coughs, realizing that this may be considered rude, and continues on a different vein entirely. "Thisss one mussst eat, perhapsss we might talk another time. It wasss a pleasssure to meet you Durgash."

Durgash is not offended. If anything, he's amused. He says, a bit gleefully, "I'm not offended. And don't be offended when I say I'm pleased not to have a caste. I decide what I do, and what I want, and what I value, and how I fit into the world, and anyone that doesn't like it can shove it." When he rises to go, he rises also. "Back to work for me. Have a good lunch."

-End