As the sun set, Cyrus prepared to continue his voyage. He needed to patch a torn spot on his clothing. At one point, his clothes were relatively nice travelling wear fit for nobility, but the wear had since taken a toil on them. He noted the many differences between the prairie and his homeland in the highlands. Using a simple tool, he carved out details into a wooden slate in an attempt to make a map. It was difficult as the flat grassland offered few landmarks. However, navigation was surprisingly simple, ever since the bizarre stranger told him about this pilgrimage, he could always follow the stars with confidence. He was originally hesitant to walk along the giant leons, however, not once had they given him grief. As he continued to travel, the stars shifted their direction from south to north. They began to reveal something else that he had noticed before, the coming of winter. He had not realized the signs in the foreign place, but as he returned to the highlands, the signs of fall were evident. After wandering for some time, he reached a series of fields economically ploughed between the rocky terrain, in between which were scattered small huts. A path cut between the fields and led to increasing concentrations of huts until he met the open gates of a low palisade wall, through which flowed a two-directional river of peasants, merchants and druids. Inside, he could see a busy market place, as well as more huts, though the majority of these were made of stone, as opposed to the wooden huts outside the walls. Wandering through the streets, he came upon the temple grounds. There were several large statues carved into megaliths, walking in front of one reminiscent of an old man in front of a starry field, he closed his eyes and tilted his head up and began to silently pray. “P-pardon?” came a voice. Nearly instinctively, Cyrus turned around and did the proper greeting, “Stars guide you. I am Cyrus, a traveler paying respect to his patron.” The voice, belonging to a white-robed woman in her twenties, did a confused hum. “O-oh! I see. Gods’ peace upon you, then, traveller. I’m Aewyn, caretaker of these prayer grounds.” She failed to hide a frown. “I, uhm, I noticed your attire indicates you have been travelling far and further than far. Would you, would you perhaps like me to direct you to a nearby resthouse for pilgrims? They are certain to have new clothes for you, too.” “I would appreciate that. Though, I am presuming you are a druid?” he replied. “Apprentice still, technically,” she said with a curt bow. “I’m studying under the great Kaer Pinya. How about you? You mentioned you came here to pay respect to your patron. Are you a mapmaker, perhaps?” “I have some experience with cartography, though none of my lessons really seemed to apply to the grasslands. Though, I guess you could say I am a sort of apprentice too.” he said. “O-oh, is that so?” She eyed his attire up and down again. “U-uhm… Are you perhaps from a foreign circle?” He paused, seriously trying to remember back until it came back to me, “Yes, she did say something to that effect. The circle of the guiding lights. Though I have yet to meet another member.” Aewyn’s frown hardened. “Circle of the Guiding Lights? That one’s… New. Which part of the land do you hail from?” “A small kingdom in the far north.” he said. “Huh… That so?” Her glance seemed to drift. “Say, would you like me to show you to the resthouse?” Cyprus raised his eye, and then for a split second, he smirked. “As I said, that would be nice. But I have one last question, when you look at the stars, what do you see?” “W-what I see?” came an unexpecting reply. “W-well, I see Seeros’ grand tapestry of stars and constellations. It fills me with hope and safety knowing that, no matter where I go, I will have those same stars to guide me and others’ back home.” She made a small smile. “You can see the tapestry?” he said, smirking again before quickly reverting to a neutral expression, “Then you should it is the time of the leon, a time to be kind to strangers.” Aewyn blinked. “W-why, of course! Please, let me escort you to the resthouse. I’ll have Arn prepare a leek and pea pottage post haste!” She started leading Cyprus away from the prayer grounds towards a large stone house. Cyprus followed her to the resthouse, receiving a bed and as much gruel, bone broth, and pea pottage as he could eat. He accepted the simple white robe for while he was in town, though it would be a poor choice to continue his journey with, though that is a matter of spring. With the cloth change, the number of looks and glances in the streets decreased considerably - Cyprus appeared much like any of the other pilgrims flooding through town in fluctuating numbers. One day when he was eating at the resthouse, another had shuffled up to him and inspected his attire with a bit of a frown. It looked to be a traveling merchant, the usual druidic robes of the other patrons being replaced by a large fur cloak over simple linen and wool shirts, a pair of hide pants and bark shoes. He wore a small fur hat. “Say, friend, did you lose your clothes on the road? It’s not often we see someone donning the alm robes these days.” “They are more or less in one piece, but trekking through the woods can wear out clothing rather quickly.” he replied. “Huh, that so. Where do you come from, stranger?” The merchant gave his drinking horn a slurp. “Judging by your accent, I would say somewhere north of here.” “More or less.” he replied, “It seems you are no stranger to the road either.” “Oh, no, wouldn’t say that. Although, most who pass by here are either from the north or around Ketrefa, and you don’t sound Ketrefan. You’re a druid, aren’t you? Long Stride?” “I have not tasted the [i]Hir[/i]’s waters, but I guess you could say I am an apprentice for the circle of the guiding lights.” he said. “Guiding Lights, huh?” went the merchant. “Not one I’ve heard of. Are they newly formed? What do they do?” “I was informed that to join, you need to go on pilgrimage to the [i]Hir[/i] and do druid stuff on the way. I was skeptical at first, but the first time I saw the stars after starting the journey, there are no words to describe it. Everything just made sense.” The merchant frowned. “That doesn’t sound too different from the Long Stride. They’ve got pilgrimages, too; they help people, too. At least the Red Leaves teach their members to remain in their villages. What makes you different?” Cyprus took a minute to think about it for a moment, “Well, other than the person who told me about this circle, my only guide has been the stars. So far they have not led me wrong.” “Huh, that so…” mumbled the merchant. [hider= Post Summary] Cyprus is informed about the Circle of Guiding Light off-screen, and we see him in the Prairie of Sol several months into his pilgrimage. He is then guiding north to Ha-Duna as winter approaches and traversing unfamiliar terrain would become more dangerous. He prayers to a megalith depicting Seeros, when he is interrupted by an apprentice who tends to the area. Through their discussion he reveals that he is a travelling cartographer from a kingdom in the far north who is a druid hopeful in the circle of the guiding lights. He informs her that the current zodiac period is that of the leon, telling her it is a time to be kind to strangers. She escorts him to a rest house where he changes out of this travel-worn clothes into a robe, where he talks to a merchant. They also discuss where he is from, and after some light prodding he gives some of his thoughts about the circle of the guiding light. [/hider] [hider= Might Summary]Sirius Starting: 3MP / 5DP Ending: 0MP/ 1DP Claimed Port Guidance under the Star Domain (-3MP) Desc: For as long as stars shine down upon Galbar, they have guided its people. Guidance is concerned with knowing physical and temporal location. It is associated with maps, compasses, calendars, hourglasses, navigators, and associated people and objects. MP Used to Unlock: 1 from Nicolas’ stargazer titles, 4 from the Circle of Guiding Lights titles. Created Holy Order, Circle of Guiding Lights, Spending 4DP on titles: Starlit Pilgrimage I: In order to become a druid, one typically must summon the Hir to them through prayer. For this order, people who have a sincere and informed desire to join this circle are guided by the stars to the Hir for as long as they freely provide some service to the region they are traveling through. These pilgrimages can last for years, even decades, but they have all benefits of being a member of the order for as long as they are on the pilgrimage. Sirius' Assurance II: A member of this order can never be lost for as long as they can or otherwise perceive the presence of stars, being able to easily find their way to a friendly settlement if they ever needed to. Time of the Zodiac I: Using the stars, members of this order have an impressive sense of time and are always able to tell the current zodiac period. [/hider] [hider= Prestige Summary] Circle of the Guiding Lights: +3 for Post Length Starting: 0 Ending: 3 [/hider]