genessia | [Video/Action]

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[When the feed clicks on, the view is of an elaborate and oppulent cathedral, with an older man in robes addressing the camera with a warm smile.]

These are troubling times in the city. Tragedy surrounds us on many levels, from the individual tragedies of the poor, to the more widespread. It is for this reason that my brothers and I have decided to formally establish the Temple of the Triune here in Genessia. Our doors are open and all that seek asylum and shelter will find it within the walls of the temple. Please, do not hesitate to join us.

[Throughout the day, the cathedral will be manned by three men, with each man spending a large amount of time kneeling at the foot of one of the three statues that are placed behind the pulpit, though one would instantly attend to any that required their attention.]

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A temple curiously silent about its creed. I trust that will be forthcoming.

My apologies, sir. My age is showing and I am woefully unfamiliar with these contraptions. I would be more than willing to elaborate, though I would prefer to do so in person. Should that not be feasible, I'm sure Balthazar or Arihan would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

[What an elaborate-looking temple. Azalea studies it as well as she can through her video screen.]

So...it's my understanding that these temples are built in honor of a higher being? If so, what sort of deity do you revere?

[The response comes from another priest, as the first simply does not seem to like technology.]

We serve the Spirits of the Triune; Bala, Spirit of Creation, Mefis, Spirit of Love, and Dialon, Spirit of Determination. These three spirits brought order and life to all realms of existence, and all are welcome in their presence.

[Azalea nods, intrigued by these spirits, even if the claims about the creation throw her off a bit.]

All realms of existence, you say? That's interesting...because our world of Sornieth has a very different history regarding its creation.

That is what we are taught. The spirits also go by many other names, and it is not beyond reason that you simply know them by another name.

"No worries; I'd prefer something personal myself. Tell me your name, please, so I can figure out the rest of your riddle along the way. Where can I find this temple?"

[Yep, he's at the names again. Balthazar meant "Lord", supposedly one of the three wise men, and Arihan meant "destroyer of evil" in Hindu. Eclectic mix so far; maybe the last piece of the trinity would make sense of it. Ted's eager to hear about this new faith, daring to hope it's sister to his own. He'll meet this austere yet polite hierophant soon.]

I am Malic, Priest of Mefis, Spirit of Love. I will have Arihan send you directions. He is far more adept with these devices than I.

[And indeed directions will be forthcoming after a moment.]

...It is true that that deities can be known by different names. But what's also different is than number. Are there more spirits than that ones you've named? In my world, there are not three deities, but eleven. And it's hard to deny their existence when they live among us, even today.

That is something that has been a subject of great debate among the people of our world. There are those that have named 108 gods, but one thing is for certain. Regardless of the governing deities, they all serve under the three great spirits. Before Mefis, Bala, and Dialon, all were caught in a never-ending cycle of war without reason. Mefis bestowed love and compassion, Bala bestowed life, and Dialon gave them purpose.

Ah, I see. So the histories of our different worlds may align after all. I had always been curious about that...

I know terrible things have happened lately, so it's good to offer guidance from our higher beings.

[Any name that begins with "Mal" puts up a few flags. Upon further research, Ted found it to mean a couple of things. One was king, or ruler. Another was a figure in the Qur'an; an angel who never smiled, for he had the heavy task of administering hellfire to those who abhorred the truth. He'd be pretty busy in Genessia, then. Finally, there's the dictionary, which defined it as "having to do with apples." A forbidden fruit reference, perhaps? It made Ted laugh.

One other thing stuck out: Balthazar, Mefis, and Arihan had uncanny resemblance to Baal, Moloch, and Adon, which were three references to Lord. The first two were diabolical; the last was the nearest, which made sense, as it was the furthest stretch.

A superior bunch of names, at least. Ted doubted the priests' humility. The first thing he did upon arrival was ask for Arihan, then ask him one question.]

"Excuse me, which spirit are you for? Which is the most superior?" He'd thank politely, then ask for Mefis, whom he'd conduct the bulk of his inquisition with, if only because fate put him first.

"Hello. Which spirit reigns supreme, in your view?"

[Arihan perked up as he heard Ted enter the cathedral. The person he was talking with, he gestured to join the group gathered around Balthazar.]

I serve Dialon, Spirit of Determination, but there is no 'superior.' Dialon, Mefis, and Bala are all parts of a single whole. Together, they provide order and peace.

Yes, I have heard of the tragedies visited upon the people here. It is times like this that we must find strength and solace in the divine guidance of the Triune.

[Strike one, Ted thought. Love was clearly the alpha and the omega. Despite the vaguely trinitarian themes going on--actually, that reminds him.]

"Sorry, got a bit lost with all the names. Malic was the one I wished to speak to. I'd like to ask him whether all three are called something else when they're one, if indeed they are part of a single whole."

All right. Where can we find this temple? Perhaps I should learn more.

[Especially since they don't have their own deities here.]

Also, do you think your temple is big enough for a dragon? I mean...I'm smaller than most humans, but one of my comrades is fascinated with deities, and I'm sure he would like to visit as well...but he's much larger.

[Arihan smiles and nods, calling over Malic as he rejoins Balthazar with the group of worshipers.]

Ah yes, you are the one I spoke to before, correct? How may I help you?

I will send you our location.

[He pauses as he sends directions over the device.]

I must admit I'm unsure as to how large a dragon may be. There are no dragons where we are from. However, should your kind not be able to enter, we will gladly move outside you you.

Well, we dragons vary in size, so I can't really say either. I'll just have to bring my friend and find out. We'll be there soon.

[And she will bring the Tundra dragon, Amadeus. Azalea leads the way, following the directions given to her until they arrive at the temple. They land just outside the entrance; Amadeus waits outside while Azalea enters.]

Hello? We're here...

[Good Lord, they got a flock already? Ted strains his neck to see if any of these guys have necklaces or not.]

"Oh, um, yes that's correct. I'd like to hear your creed, or whatever points you think most pertinent, and then ask a few questions afterwards."

So you're basically a church, right? What happens if we bring a vampire or demon or other creature of darkness in?

[ Legitimate question. She really wants to know if they'll catch on fire, for purely scientific reasons. That's what she's been told churches do ~~on tv, thanks fiction~~ ]

We believe that the Spirits of the Triune brought order and peace to the chaos of creation. Bala shaped the worlds, and brought life to those worlds. Dialon gave that life purpose, and Mefis bound creation and determination together into compassion, and brought peace to all. We teach that one cannot exist without the others.

[Blathazar moves to greet Azalea, bowing low.]

It is our honor to have you. I must admit, you are unlike anything I have encountered before.

[Arihan chuckles as he starts the feed.]

If you're wondering if the building itself holds any power, I must be the bearer of bad news. The place does not hold any power, however, my brothers and I are no mere men of the cloth that have locked ourselves away from the world. We have been empowered by the spirits we serve, and are obligated to protect the temple and those worshiping here from such creatures.

[A philosophy you can put on a page with plenty to spare. Aquinas they ain't.]

"That's...much shorter than I was expecting. All right, might as well get on with it: what, precisely is this purpose of Dialon's?"

[Azalea bows her head in return.]

Thank you. And don't worry...before I arrived in Genessia, I wasn't familiar with humans either.

[She gestured towards the entrance.]

I brought my friend Amadeus as well. He's a Light dragon, and a scholar, so he likes to learn as much as he can.

So if someone dragged one in you would do something about it?

[ She's just curious. Like if she ended up finding some demon jerk she could just trick them in there and play a sob story up. She's good at that. ]

How do you tell if someone's possessed?

Indeed. Malic and I may not look it, but we are accomplished mages, and Balthazar is a swordsman of impeccable skill.

As for possession, we have our ways, however the Primus is usually the first to know. He leads the order, and is usually found in communion with the Great Spirits themselves. Still, he would likely be the first to alert us.

If I were to recite all of our scriptures, we'd both be here for the next year. That's just the short version.

[He chuckles a bit before continuing.]

Dialon is the Spirit of Determination. He is what gave all creation the drive to live. The instincts in animals, the urge to reflexively inhale, and up to the lofty goals of finding one's purpose in life, these are all Dialon's gift to Creation.

I would love to meet him. It is my honor to serve all of Bala's children, even those from other worlds.

[He begins to move toward the entrance, seemingly eager to meet Amadeus as well.]

[Listening to the bearded man fills him with DETERMINATION]

Ted chuckled. "Thankfully one can read faster than either of us can talk; I wouldn't mind looking into any holy books you have. So, the purpose is to live and to...find purpose." Come to think of it, there was one question that would probably see whether they were serious or not once and for all. "What would you say is the greatest spiritual disease?"

[Azalea leads the way outside and looks up at Amadeus, the furry orange dragon with blue wings. Along with the shabby waistcoat, black fedora, and cobalt glasses, there is also a large tome with the Light flight symbol on the cover hanging at his waist by a leather belt over his shoulders.]

Amadeus, this is...

[Azalea stops awkwardly as she realizes that she hasn't even gotten the priest's name.] ...One of the people from the temple.

[Amadeus bows his head with a smile.] It is an honor to meet you. I would like to learn more of these spirits that you serve, and how their history aligns with that of our world. And perhaps, in return, we would be willing to share the history of Sornieth as well. Or at least what is known of it.

[Color Cipher curious. Despite his distaste for gods in general, he's curious enough to investigate this new temple. Maybe it's because of an internal paranoia about the Cardinals, or simply morbid curiosity. Maybe even to see if the priests of the temple could spot a demon in disguise. Who knows.

Whatever his reasoning, he would enter the temple as Liam with his hellhound general at his side. Something seemed mildly humorous to him about bringing her along, but no one ever said he had a good sense of humor.

The two would stop halfway into the temple, Cipher's eyes glancing around the structure before speaking.]

Quite the extravagant temple you have here. I would assume your gods are pleased.

What do you do after you've been alerted?

We subdue the affected person and then bring them to the Primus who then performs the exorcism. It's a simple process really, with little danger to the affected person. The magic Malic and I wield is more focused on containment than outright battle. Balthazar's blade is a last resort.

[As Cipher enters, Malic perks up, bowing before the man and his companion.]

I am glad you approve of our humble offering to The Spirits. Our Primus has spoken very highly of you and would wish to speak with you.

[Malic motions to a door off to the side of the great hall, and attempts to herd Cipher and his companion in that direction.]

He is very eager to discuss matters with you.

[Malic makes an apologetic face and gesture at the first request.]

I would gladly allow that however, we do not have access to the tomes of our faith in this world, I'm afraid. As for spiritual disease, the most severe that we have known is corruption. Demons stalk our world, corrupting good and honorable men into apathetic and sadistic shadows of their former selves. The Temple of the Triune battles this corruption tooth and nail.

[Balthazar bows low, filling in the gaps that were left.]

I am Balthazar, priest of Bala, the Spirit of Creation.

The story of the Triune is one that predates most worlds, actually. They came to be when all of Creation was still in a primordial state of chaos. They brought order to this chaos, giving shape to the shapeless, love to the mindless, and purpose to the lost, and spread their gifts to all of Creation itself.

[Amadeus mulls over the story, seeming to fit it into the history of their own world.]

It might be possible that these spirits may have had a hand in helping our deities reunite. Things were indeed chaotic for them in the beginning, as they each had their own visions for the world. But...it was the threat of the Shade that got the deities to unite and repel it from the world.

The role of these spirits does have a sound logic, but there would have to be some sort of written record or physical evidence to be accepted as truth in our world. I would ask if you had any books on the subject, but I imagine they'd be far too small for my tired old eyes...

[Azalea just lets out a sigh, as she's used to Amadeus's complaints about his "old" age when he's actually younger. But in this case, he may have a point, as human-sized books really would be too small for him, and his vision really is poor.]

[Cipher raised his eyebrow in curiosity, exchanging glances with Fulco briefly before he looks back to Malic.]

He's spoken of me? How curious. Very well then, I would be interested in speaking with him.

[He heads for the door, while Fulco looked briefly uncomfortable before she followed him. Cipher was quite intrigued by whoever this 'Primus' might be. After all, he certainly doesn't exactly get along with gods and deities.]

Ted isn't sure if that's sinisterly convenient or merely bizarre. Isn't that what monks are for? Tirelessly memorizing scripture and verse and putting it to page? His face fell into neutrality, bordering on disapproval, at the answer. Both for its severity--rampant demon possession? A rare thing on Earth--but largely because he knew it to be incorrect. While Ted would always respect an honest exorcist, he couldn't feel the same for a mediocre religion. If they had the truth, they didn't have all of it. He spoke somewhat discontentedly.

"Thank you for your time. I hope you'll discover more enthusiasm for this kind of thing than I have."

Good to know. So if I brought you someone I thought was possessed or reported someone...?

First, I would advice you not attempt to apprehend the individual in question yourself. Demonic possession is a very dangerous thing. A report, however would prompt one of the three of us to visit the individual in question, ascertain the truth of the matter, and in the case of a false-report, offer guidance to avoid such confusion in the future. Those that are possessed, however, would be apprehended and brought before the Primus.

[Malic guides the pair down into the winding catacombs of the cathedral, where the shadows rarely stay consistent. Whether it was the flickering torchlight or something else was hard to ascertain. Eventually, however, they came to a large chamber with multiple candelabras casting an eerie look over the various occult artifacts and trappings within. A single cloaked figure was kneeling in the center of the room. A simple hand motion was all it took for Malic to quickly withdraw, and once the priest had put some distance between him and the chamber, the cloaked figure seemed to balloon into a more recognizable form to Cipher.]

I see you've found my playground.

[When the figure began to change shape, Fulco had immediately taken a defensive stance, only for Cipher to calmly hold an arm infront of her so she would stand down. Once its form was clear, a smirk slowly came to Cipher's face and a shadow took form around his body, changing into his true form in a flourish of feathers.]

Well, well. I hadn't realized this would be your doing. You did not strike me as the sort who would lurk in the confines of a cathedral.

Absolutely. I mean, I'm a helpless girl so I definitely couldn't handle a fight on my own. I'll make sure to report them to you right away.

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