[center]Atalee Vayshalum
Mustering Hall

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The Chasm of Decay, Atalee recalled her teachings. In the World Before, the intelligent races worshipped a pantheon of gods and goddesses. Each one of these gods and goddesses derived from images on the windows of the Chasm of Light. Thus, only mages could “communicate” with them, ultimately leading to the foundation of number of churches centered on these mages “communicating” with these gods and goddesses. Admittedly, Atalee knew almost nothing about the Chasm of Decay, though she inferred it was associated with either Icthus, the God of Shadows, or Cynid, the Goddess of Life and Death. The latter, she figured, was more likely than the former, and given the supposed powers of Cynid, Goddess of Life and Death, a mage attuned to her chasm, perhaps the Chasm of Decay, could wield power over life itself, creating and destroying it on a whim.

Heathen.

[i]“The Gods and Goddesses of Amaroth are False Gods.”[/i] She heard the words of her Matron. [i]“They are the first to have opened the Chasm of Light and absorb its powers, the greatest and most powerful mages to ever exist. They are not Gods or Goddesses. They are men and women, mere mortals with dreams of grandeur. Remember! There is only one true Goddess, the Mother Goddess, and she does not draw her power from the Chasm of Light. She is infinite, she is eternal, the creator and destroyer of all that was, all that is, and all that there will ever be. It is important to remember, however, that the worshippers of the False Gods, they are not our enemies. They are heathens, ignorant to the truth, but they are not to be condemned for their ignorance. Remember! The Mother Goddess teaches empathy and trust without prejudice or resentment, unselfish love and kindness without bias or spite. It is compassion – benevolence – that one should show, regardless of who or what they are or what they may believe…”[/i]

The initial reaction to the other woman came as a surprise to Atalee. The Wood Elf snapped his quill, and the Dwarves immediately turned their attention to her upon hearing that she was attuned to the Chasm of Decay. On their way out, they spoke with disgust, stating that she would find little welcome in Underdeep, calling her a witch. The Orc quickly defended her, which she found equally surprising. He stood for the first time, several heads taller than anyone else in the room, bar maybe the Half-Giant, and then swung his mace, slamming it into the stone floor. He growled angrily at them, reminding them that this woman came to help [i]them[/i] and then demanded that they leave before he turned them into a blood stain on his blade.

Not exactly the most diplomatic way to handle the situation, but this [i]was[/i] an Orc…

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The bard-chef spoke to her. “A young woman engaged in the religious servitude, her faith leading her into practice. There are no nobler and purer souls than those whose full faith in a God. Truly, no more powerful. May you be served in kind for your kindness.”

The entertainment was also paid to compliment them? She recalled that inns and taverns across the land would sometimes provide entertainment, usually somebody playing an instrument or singing a tune. Maybe afterwards, the entertainer would enjoy a drink with the guests, converse with them, get to know them, hear their stories, so on, and so on. They rarely, if ever, showed such unrelenting kindness. It seemed like Dain Lionbeard [i]paid[/i] this man to compliment them, maybe boost their morale. Though, Atalee reasoned, it was also possible that entertainment in Underdeep was [i]always[/i] like this. Instead of just being entertainers, these people were expected to be unconditionally friendly, rolling out compliments like some kind of conveyer belt of kindness.

The Templar gave this some thought.

…but she didn't quite know how to respond to the Elf and his kind words.

“My name is Atalee Vayshalum, a Templar of the Order of Vexa.” She finally decided, introducing herself with a friendly smile. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Atalee recalled a story told by a Matron. Long ago, a Maiden turning Matron stopped at a tiny little inn on the outskirts of a great wood. She brought with her little food, and thus, had to ration, dividing already small portions into even smaller ones. When she happened upon this tiny little inn, the first thing she was sit down for a bite to eat. However, her hunger got the best of her, and she threatened the chef, demanding that he hurry, for she was growing tired of waiting, having not eaten a proper meal in days. The chef simply nodded and went off to prepare her meal. He returned with cooked meat, potatoes, and vegetables, the proper meal that she had been hoping for. However, the chef hadn’t taken kindly to her harsh words, and when nighttime came, she found herself to be the unfortunate friend of the outhouse where she spent the duration of her stay at that tiny little inn.

Always be kind to the people who prepare your food, something Atalee hoped she'd never have to learn firsthand.

The Templar spoke more generally, “It is indeed a pleasure to meet you all. I took forward to working with you.”