Stavroula Consults Shepherd Caduceus

[DM - Playing CADUCEUS and DANIEL]

Stinky's hooves click lightly across the stone floor of the Temple of the Pantheon. The words of Habbsberry weigh heavily on her mind as she searches the healing ward for a man named Caduceus, Shepherd of Asclepius. These halls smell strongly of iron and alcohol. Caduceus has been kept busy performing his healing duties as of late, so as long as he has patients, he's unlikely to be found anywhere else.

Stinky's eyes focus as she spots the small, bird-like man stepping through a draped divider. Short, groomed blonde hair sits atop his bespectacled head. He's wearing a red gown and long black gloves, designed to hide stains. Caduceus meets her gaze and smiles politely. "Stinky, it's good to see you home safely!"

[STAVROULA “STINKY” KYARI]

"Bweh!" Stinky's strange exclamation echoes through the hall. The satyr seems startled by his appearance, even though she came here to seek him out.

"Sorry, you look different than I remember." She tucks a loose lock of platinum hair back into her veil, recomposing. "I am home safely, thank you. It feels like it's been a long time since the Temple was this busy. Everybody fled Fenside when the Blight and zombies took over, then we had to travel lots."

"Actually, if you aren't in the middle of something, I had some questions about Asclepius doctrine. And before you ask, no, I'm not thinking about converting. I want to know all about how you guys handle marriage!"

[DM - Playing CADUCEUS and DANIEL]

Caduceus winces briefly when Stinky mentions conversion. "Don't speak too soon! Marriage is as complex a subject as it is sacred, so you'll have plenty of time to change your mind!" His tone is playful.

Caduceus' removes his gloves as he recalls the scriptures. "Marriage, at its core, is meant to mirror the bond between Asclepius and his brother Abednego. You see, they began as one soul, born into the world as two men in very different circumstances who led very different lives. When they returned to Mobius they were reunited, but their experiences had caused their one soul to become two. Thus, rather than melding together completely, they instead became intertwined," he says, clasping his hands together for emphasis. "Their unique paths in life enriched the other."

Caduceus's voice is muffled briefly as he pulls the heavy red robe over his head to remove it. "You see, Stinky, we too are born of one soul. Our paths through life are what make us distinct. If you had been born as me, and I you, it would be you explaining all of this to me. When two people make the decision to converge their paths, both are enriched by the experiences of the other."

He hangs his garb on a wallhook nearby. He's wearing a simple, beige, long-sleeved linen tunic upon which hangs the symbol of Asclepius: a crutch with a snake wrapped around it. "Have I managed to answer your question?" he asks with a squeak in his voice, turning back to Stinky.

"And is this a professional inquiry, or are you looking to have a ceremony performed for you and that large satyr boy?"

[STAVROULA “STINKY” KYARI]

"Oh... n-no... I'm not getting married soon." Being rounded on with such a direct question gives her pause. With the threat posed by Aresgate and her impending ascension to high priestess, the prospect of marriage couldn't be further from her mind.

"It's a professional question. I know everything about how priests of the other Gods might do a funeral, or what they teach about death, but I don't know a thing about marriage! Just like you probably don't do a lot of funerals, I don't do a lot of weddings." A casual overstatement - the number of weddings she's seen Denizen priests perform in her lifetime is a solid 'zero'. "That's what's so great about a place like the Temple of the Pantheon! We can all learn things from each other."

"So, the way you see it is... all souls come from the one same source, and branch out and become different... and the paths run along each other and criss-cross as people interact with each other... and when they get married, their paths intertwine... and that's like, symbolically, its like when Asclepius and Abednego returned to Mobius as two different souls that became a pair working alongside each other, instead of like... merging together and becoming one thing again." Stavroula regurgitates her half-correct synthesis of the information she's received and seems blithely unaware of how tiresome she's being.

"But hang on, you guys also allow people to un-marry. How does that work? If the commitment mirrors the bond between Asclepius and Abednego, isn't it sacrilegious when people divorce?"

[DM - Playing CADUCEUS and DANIEL]

Caduceus smiles again, displaying a pronounced overbite. "Yes, you do indeed get the gist. And that is a very astute question, as I would expect from a cleric of your stature."

He pushes his glasses up his nose, crosses his arms, and looks up at the ceiling while answering. "Yes, it is true that there are sects of the faith that operate under the belief that marriage is predetermined by Asclepius and permanent, lasting to death and beyond. Divorce would only be granted in exceptional circumstances; for example, if one partner were fooled into marriage by the other. Here in Oswia however, it was decided during the reign of King Oswald the Second that we would adopt the theology of our current denomination."

He uncrosses his arms and focuses his eyes back on Stinky, gesturing now as he recounts the history of his faith.

"Unlike Asclepius and Abednego, mortals sin, and when two souls intertwine, one takes on the sins of the other." Caduceus again clasps his hands, weaving his fingers together. "When Oswald the Second's wife was unable to bear him an heir, it was found that her sins had rendered her barren. Oswald was granted the divorce on the grounds that he could not bear their weight. Over time, this idea became the law of the land among all the provinces of Oswia, and it's now quite common abroad as well. It seems to have struck a chord among the noble classes."

Caduceus freezes for a moment, glancing away and back quickly. "I don't want to sound like I disagree with this ruling," he rushes to clarify. "I believe that Asclepius wants us to create our own paths, including the mistakes, so that when you do find the right person you are both enriched all the more. And what could be more antithetical to the shining example of the twins than an unhappy marriage? It was a good change, and there are very few situations in which I would not permit a divorce between two members of my flock."

[STAVROULA “STINKY” KYARI]

"Mm, mortals take on each other's sins when they're wed, huh... but some sins are just too much." Stinky murmurs to herself more than to Caduceus, as if she were writing something down, but she has no writing implement to speak of. It seems she's grasping to commit these disparate pieces of information to memory.

"Yes, I get it... it would actually be more sacrilegious to force the couple to stay together if they're poisonous to each other. That doesn't reflect the spirit of Asclepius and Abednego."

"I think it's a good change too, I was just wondering what you thought about it from a cleric's point of view." Stavroula confirms, finally looking up at him with her shining dark pools. She'd been staring at his garb as he changed from one outfit to another. "Still, you just said there are a few situations where you might not allow a divorce. Like what?"

[DM - Playing CADUCEUS and DANIEL]

Caduceus scratches his chin absentmindedly. "Hmm, well, there does have to be a reason for the divorce. That's not usually a big hurdle, but..."

He suddenly cranes his neck to look down the hallway behind Stinky, as if searching for someone. "Hm, come with me. This will be easier to explain with Danny here," he mumbles, referring to Daniel, Magi of Abednego.

During the short walk to his chambers the shepherd begins his explanation. "You see, in his later years, Asclepius would roam Glade using a crutch on his right side, stopping at homes along the road to ask for lodging each night. If the owner was kind enough to let him in, the crutch would transform into the serpent Shadrach, whose venom could burn away any ailment."

He stops at a door and raps on it lightly with the back of his hand. "Danny, I've got Stinky with me! Are you decent?"

Stinky hears a grunt through the door and Caduceus swings it open. Inside is a desk, two chairs, two beds, and one very large human man she recognizes as Magi Daniel. He too was a product of Mother Kyari's tutelage. The man is approximately five years her senior and she remembers him for his happy-go-lucky demeanor (and his amazing ability to reach the molasses shelf). He's become quite stoic since getting the tonsure, although it all feels a bit forced.

She sees him sitting on his bed, which could more accurately be described as an undecorated wooden bench, wearing a long beige tunic and reading a tiny book. His area stands in stark contrast to Caduceus' side of the shared room, which is much more comfortable-looking and quite a bit messier. Daniel looks up from his book as the two enter.

"Danny!" Caduceus exclaims, "Get up for a moment. I need to show Stinky something."

Daniel does so, and Caduceus, grinning now, orients himself so he's standing to Daniel's left. The two holy men are now facing her and holding hands. "Notice anything?" Caduceus says to Stinky, expectantly.

[STAVROULA “STINKY” KYARI]

"Umm...." Stinky knits her brow and focuses on the two as if looking at them really, really hard could force an answer to emerge. "Other than the fact that you're very different and you don't look good as a couple, not really."

"Oh, maybe... is there some reason you went to stand on his left side? Danny's on your right, like the side Asclepius used a crutch on."

[DM - Playing CADUCEUS and DANIEL]

The muscles in Daniel's neck flex as he stifles a laugh. Caduceus's grin widens. "You got it!" he exclaims as he lifts their shared hands into the air, allowing his tunic sleeve to slip down past his elbow to reveal a deep red burn scar that snakes up his arm from the wrist in a spiral.

"Shadrach is Abednego! Or an aspect of him, or possibly just a metaphor. The scriptures are not specific. What matters is that the serpent's burning venom is equivalent to Abednego's purifying flames. Those with the courage to withstand the pain are cleansed of all prior sins!"

He releases Daniel's hand and extends his scarred forearm towards her, allowing Stavroula a closer look. It does indeed look like it was painful.

"In the distant past this ritual of purification was expected of all men of the faith, but it created an extra barrier for new converts, so now it's only required of the clergy."

Daniel sits back down on his ascetic bed. "Asclepius was with Abednego too, in life," he says in a deep and dramatic voice, "in the form of an eagle named Panacea." He returns to his book.

[STAVROULA “STINKY” KYARI]

"Ooh, this one!" It's a strange way to proclaim her interest in the subject as Stavroula, slightly wild-eyed, trots closer to examine the twisting forearm scars. The satyr has no compunction about grasping his arm so she can make a close study. "So, getting these markings shows commitment to Asclepius and forgives any sins that happened before it? That's very interesting. If a normal person - not a clergyman, just a regular guy - committed a really grave sin, could they go through the ritual of purification?"

"It reminds me a little of the mortification rituals some people in my faith practice. But those guys are heretics and have a bunch of extreme beliefs that aren't in any of the texts. There are reasons people call them 'death cultists' instead of grave stewards or followers of Denizen."

[DM - Playing CADUCEUS and DANIEL]

"That's exactly right! If someone was serious about avoiding a divorce, they'd have to be fully cleansed so that their partner could not cite any sins to use as justification. The ritual doesn't prevent one from sinning in the future, however, so it's a temporary solution at best. It's an interesting intersection of our oldest practices and more recent philosophies."

Caduceus turns his back to her and starts searching under his bed. "The purification ritual is quite simple, if physically unpleasant," he says as he pulls out a flask and a round container made of tin. "You simply create a healing poultice by grinding burdock root, goat sage and bark from the asp tree," Caduceus explains while opening the tin, displaying a mottled green and brown paste, "then you mix in some very strong spirits, like the cleansing alcohol you sometimes use after preparing bodies for burial services." He mimes tipping the flask into the herb mixture. "Finally, you apply the resulting compound to your right arm in a spiral pattern and set it aflame! The ointment will heal the flesh of your arm as fast as it burns."

The shepherd is clearly enjoying himself.

[STAVROULA “STINKY” KYARI]

"Hahah, wowee!" Stavroula seems to be vividly imagining immolating flesh on the heels of his miming. "Burning is one of the most painful things a person can experience. If someone was willing to go through all of that, that must mean they were really, really sorry."

Suddenly, her eyes narrow to slits. Her face takes on a dubious, scheming look. "So... is this a rite that any shepherd of Asclepius would be willing to do, if one of their followers asked for it?"

[DM - Playing CADUCEUS and DANIEL]

"Oh yes! Absolutely," Caduceus says with dreamy look in his eyes. "I would grant that request in a heartbeat. The heights of piety and the depths of remorse required to partake in a ceremony like that..." he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, face turned upward, "well, that person would be more than worthy of a taste of Shadrach's venom."

His eyes open and his expression sharpens as he looks back down at the satyr. "We don't have to wait any longer, Stavroula. Let us make for the courtyard and we can perform it right now! Let me see your arm!"

Daniel looks up from his book. "Cad, not her." He says. "She does not need it." He then turns to meet Stavroula's eyes with his steely gaze. "Yet."

"Oh..." Caduceus says, sheepishly. "I seem to have gotten ahead of myself."

[STAVROULA “STINKY” KYARI]

She meets Daniel's eyes from across the room with an inscrutable look and, to her credit, shows no outward reaction to that rather pointed rejoinder.

"Not me!" She echoes in confirmation. "But I've been told about someone who might want this ritual. He was wed under Asclepius and is having marriage problems. I was asked to come up with a remedy, so that is why I asked you."

"You seem very happy to do it, though, so I think I will have him travel here to have the rite performed instead of telling him to seek his local shepherd." Internally, Stavroula reasons she can attach whatever stipulations to the edict she wants. A noble of his caliber shouldn't have any trouble making arrangements to travel to Fenside. "If that is okay with you."

[DM - Playing CADUCEUS and DANIEL]

Caduceus grins and nods enthusiastically. "It would be an honor!" He begins to pace in the cramped and crowded dormitory, unable to contain his energy. "We shall do it in front of the entire congregation! This man's faith will inspire dozens! And what bride wouldn't swoon at such a romantic, rapturous gesture? I'm sure they'll be honoring the god of life with a new child before the scars even set!"

Caduceus digs around underneath his bed again and pulls out a white robe with a red trim that he quickly throws over his head. He struggles to put it to rights even as he skirts past Stavroula to reach the door.

"I'm sorry, Stinky, but it's time I take my leave! I simply must commit myself to prayer, and I don't have much time before I have to return to my patients. If you have any more questions, ask Danny or find me later. It's been a pleasure!"

The door closes behind him. After that flurry of activity the room seems deathly silent. Daniel is still looking at Stavroula over his book, completely still but for the flicker of candlelight reflected in his eyes.

[STAVROULA “STINKY” KYARI]

"Okaaay~ thank you~" Stinky's light, sing-song tone follows the shepherd as he leaves.

The cessation of movement in the room is keenly felt as the satyr lingers in the dormitory, apparently in no special hurry to leave. The soft, cheery expression she saw Caduceus off with fades, giving way to that slightly unreadable expression she was wearing a moment ago when she exchanged glances with Daniel.

After a prolonged pause she speaks, voice so flat in affect it almost doesn't sound like her own. "What is it?"

[DM - Playing CADUCEUS and DANIEL]

"You bear the scars of one who has been forced to make difficult decisions. One who has had to compromise her morals to serve a greater purpose. Not just now, but always. You've become very experienced at it."

He pauses for a moment, looking now to his icon of Abednego, hanging from the wall over his bed. It's in the shape of a flaming sun framed by the wings of an eagle flying beneath.

"Abednego teaches us to cast light in the shadows. There are no gray areas; only what is right and what is wrong. I would never compromise."

Daniel's eyes return to his book. He licks his thumb and turns the page. "But you do not follow Abednego. You follow the god of hard choices. He trusts you. As do I."

[STAVROULA “STINKY” KYARI]

"Experienced at it...?" Stavroula murmurs, rendered off-balance by that assessment. Talk of black, white and shades causes her to look down at her own grey habit with a renewed understanding, perhaps.

The fight has left her once Daniel's said his piece and she no longer seems primed to argue. "Right, trust... well..."

The satyr's face falls and she suddenly looks small and out-of-place in the dormitory. A profound silence hangs between them, only the sound of an occasional turned page, until Stavroula considers her words and speaks again. "Having lots of money and nice things, being famous and respected, wielding loads of power... I don't care about these sorts of things at all."

"What I care about is my friends and everybody in Fenside." At long last she crosses the room and comes to a standstill right in front of him. It almost sounds like she's apologizing for something. "And honoring Denizen and spreading his Truth. The best way to do all of these things is to raise the profile of the church."

"Of course, you don't understand what that's like. There are temples to Asclepius and Abednego everywhere you go, all over the world. When you walk around town, people are happy to see you and talk to you and ask for help. I can heal just as good as you can, but nobody asks me."

[DM - Playing CADUCEUS and DANIEL]

Daniel puts down his book and looks back at her with a little less certainty in his eyes. "Yes. I am big, and you are small. I am human, and you are satyr. I am man, and you are woman. When people see me, I evoke thoughts of justice, and when people see you, you evoke thoughts of mourning." He rubs the bald section of his head.

"But unlike the others, that last one is no accident of birth. When I became a Magi, I was asked to give up a part of myself. We are reflections of our gods to the people we serve, and justice doesn't tell jokes. Justice doesn't laugh. Justice leaves no room for compromise. The Daniel of your childhood is dead, cleansed by holy fire, so that the people can witness the glory of Abednego when I take the pulpit."

His eyes meet hers again. "And for my part, I was granted eyes that can see guilt in the hearts of men."

He looks her up and down. "Denizen did not ask this of you, as far as I can tell. You're still Stinky where it matters, at your core. Perhaps you've always been a reflection of him, or perhaps the gods are not immune to your charm."

He's silent now for what feels like a long time. He seems to be struggling to find his next words.

"I suppose my question is then: what are the aspects of Denizen that you would have people see in you?"

[STAVROULA “STINKY” KYARI]

When the question comes the satyr remains silent to order her thoughts. When she eventually speaks it's with a rare, absolute clarity.

"Clerics are called to shape themselves in the image of their Gods." Stavroula agrees, pinning her hands behind her back and standing taller than her small stature seems to allow. "You say people see you and feel inspired, because you're the light of Abednego. People see me and feel grief, because I'm the shroud of Denizen."

"And that's not wrong," she concedes, "but you're missing something! Something very important! When they see me, they look away! They get scared thinking about what it means for them, or they get sad remembering their loved ones, and they look away instead of facing it."

Stavroula approaches him, wearing a coy expression and slight smile. She slowly presses an unfurled finger to her mouth, a hushing gesture. She pitches her voice such that only he can hear even though they're alone in the room. "I'll tell you something really good - a fun secret, but it's also not really a secret at all. You were taught by Mother Kyari and you've lived with grave clerics your whole life, so you've probably heard all sorts of stories about what the 'Truth' is. It's that Mobius is where souls come from and where they return. It's that all the magic in the world comes from there. It's that life and death are two sides of the same coin, that Gods and mortals are one in the same, that everything is one big cycle we can't see. All of these things are true, but the real Truth is something that everybody already knows without anyone telling them, and it's the reason they look away from me."

"Everything ends." Her wide eyes are lambent in the low light. "And that it ends is what gives it meaning."

"So... you asked what I'd like people to think when they see me, Danny? When people see me, I want them to remember that they will die."