Citizen

[Amaril Torrun]

As they neared the temple, Amaril noticed that it wasn’t decorated as much as he had expected. Built with the thickest of wood, it appeared to boast of power rather than elegance. It didn’t stand as tall as the Suthainn Library, but it was longer, taking up a larger area. He supposed a larger space was necessary if a lot of Draconians were to honor the twin gods at the same time. Two lifelike statues of The Twins stood on either side of the entrance, as if to guard their temple of unwanted guests. The half-dragon felt wary passing by them, feeling as though they might turn their stone weapons on him at any moment.

I’ve never shown them my respects after all. Thoughts of the two gods kicking him out and humiliating him played on his mind, but the statues stayed still.

Um, they’re statues. And I thought I was the baby between us… Naryx playfully skipped inside, ignoring his tired and weakened state for the time being.

A Draconian child similarly skipped out of the temple, humming a cheerful tune. Following were his parents, hand in hand, watching their blissful child. They bowed to the statues before continuing home. Amaril realized Darith had bowed to the statues and departed to begin his prayers a few moments earlier, leaving the half-dragon behind. He stepped back to the sculptures and bowed as well, wondering how many missteps he could afford before angering the gods of war.

Geez, Amaril. Can you please stop worrying all the time? Do you really think they care about what you do? It’s not like they pay attention to everything going on here all the time. If you ask me, I’d say this whole mass worshipping of all these gods is a little redundant. Just be good and live your life. Deal with the gods once you meet up with them.

Somewhat cautiously, Amaril nodded. Naryx did present a valid point. We should still be respectful though.

Naryx responded with a snort and trotted off, passing through the empty first chamber. Amaril wasn’t so quick to continue on. With the baby dragon out of the room, he was free to dwell on his recently found interest in the Draconian deities. He looked around at the barren chamber, noticing that the lack of elegance on the outside meant little compared to the golden walls now surrounding him. Still modeling a simple design, the large expense of such a vast amount of gold proved the love the Draconians had for their gods. Maybe it is foolish to waste so much time on worship.

He continued on into a larger chamber, walls still made of gold. On the outskirts of the room, a large chunk of Suthainn’s wealth seemed to lay, exposed and unprotected, before him. Silver and gold trinkets of all sorts and sizes lay on long tables. Small rings and necklaces decorated larger pieces such as silver plates, bowls and dishes of odd shapes he didn’t recognize. Even armor and weapons were left behind. They were all gifts to The Cupla, sacrifices by the Draconian community to show their affection. If the temple had been placed in any other city, the lucrative showcase would have been unsafe. In any other city, looters could be found even in a place of worship. The chamber was the purest example of Draconian loyalty.

The wealth was so vast, he could actually smell the countless precious metals, awakening his dragon-like lust for such items. A twinge of greed bit at him, but he quickly shunted it. Disturbing the items seemed to be the worst form of sacrilege he could perform. In that chamber, he realized a desire to join in the Draconian worship and their religious devotion. The gods gave the Draconians a purpose, a sense of self worth. He wanted to share that feeling. Naryx’s comments be damned.

Looking ahead, the path showed a place of worship as the third and largest chamber. Several simple, wooden pews took up most of the room. At the time, all were empty save for the one Darith knelt down in, with Naryx resting beside him. Two windows on either side were cut in a diagonal designed to push any daylight forward, toward the altar made of gold. He wished it weren’t night, sure that the light would enhance the already magnificent object of prayer. A few columns, wooden but lined with more gold, bordered the room.

Not wanting to disturb his Draconian friend’s prayers, he made his way to a different row. Here is where I will begin my faith. Naryx looked back and rolled his eyes, but remained silent.