On the holy day, you come to the Temple Barge and join the throng of riverbeings eagerly anticipating the first river holy day in Free Pavic history. The crowd sings and dances in your honor as you proceed through them toward your places with the other high-ranking cult initiates, river servants, and priests. Che'en is there with his acolytes, and then you get your first look at Shurahka, the "new" river priestess from a distance; many eyes are focused on her wondering who she is.
FYI, here's what you know so far from previous e-mail:
"Her (not his; my bad) name is Shurahka the Steady. She is an Old Pavisite by birth, and widely-traveled. She has actually been a priestess of the river cult for many years (age 33 now), but was off in Dragon Pass and Prax visiting other rivers for the last 15 years (conveniently leaving shortly before the fall of Prax at Moonbroth). She knows the rivers from Kralorela to Dragon Pass's Creekstream River (The Dragon River, or just The River; said to be the first and largest of all rivers), and has come back with much knowledge from these waters. She is also a scholar of Lhankor Mhy, specializing in River Lore, and an old friend of Shennin Ashal. You've all heard her name mentioned before, but have never met her. Che'en tells you all this, and that she has already passed the rites to become a Cleansed One cultist. Yes, she'll be a new priest of the Cleansed One subcult, stationed here in Pavis!
When and where can you meet her? How can you learn more?
Che'en says that she is buried away in research for the heroquesting that the cult will undertake to bring more food to the people of Pavis. The main quest is "The Pact with the Fish Tribe." It has not been conducted since the trolls took over Pavis centuries ago, so it needs to be rediscovered and prepared for. Except for prayer support lent by the common people of the cult, it is a single-person quest meant for priests only, so your help is not needed. Che'en says that she sends her best wishes to you and will meet you later this year once she is installed as Reverend Shurahka of the Temple Barge. You sense some tension in his description of her, maybe jealousy or contempt?"
Shurahka is a tall, thin, imposing woman with prematurely greying brown hair curled up into a bunch on top of her head in the Pavic style, and deep grey-blue eyes with a serious, piercing and unwavering gaze. She seems like she can look through people. Angular facial features and thin, stern lips -- she means business! Most striking thing visible is that she wears a stout square greyish beard in Pavic fashion, as befits even a female follower of Lhankor Mhy. She wears a simple grey scholars cloak over a light bue silk blouse and trousers, which are adorned with strange Eastern symbols that you do not recognize. Today she carries or wears nothing else except a ceremonial reed-thatched bowl.
Shurahka remains in the background for some time as the ceremony begins, and you do not speak to her until later. Che'en leads the main worship ceremony with his usual flourish, and omens that he sees in his scrying pool bode well for the river. The holy day in Dark Season mourns the troubles of the river, and the Cleansed One is a prominent figure in solving the more dangerous problems. Shurahka plays the role of the Cleansed One in the ceremonies as part of her induction into the subcult, and does her job well, moving smoothly with great grace and peaceful focus even in the scary moments where she confronts her own warped nature, finds solace and purity in the river, and then duels chaos to cleanse herself and her river. Hope spreads through the congregation, and eyes turn to you, Che'en, and Shurahka as the ceremony ends and the traditional speeches begin. Che'en speaks first:
"Friends of the River of Cradles, Zola Fel. We meet at a time of great change. Nothing is the same any more. People are frightened, as we no longer know our world or our place in it. In times like these we need guidance to help us through the disorder. Few of you know this, but the guidance you have come to rely on from me will be ending today. [gasps and worried looks] I leave you today to join my elders in their sacred pools down south. But you will not be cast adrift when I leave. We welcome the return of one who has come at the perfect moment to lead you through these times of despair toward hope. Her name is Shurahka the Steady [oohs and ahhs, some of recognition now], and we are all confident that her life has prepared her for this transition in the cycle."
"My parting words to you are these.... ahh, yes. Well, my predecessor Reverend Amina was a good woman, and suffered many trials in her tenure, which ultimately wore her out. I had different goals... yes, and I have worked hard to serve the river and help you." He stumbles for words. "I confess that I have little stomach for what Sa'ar calls the Right Hand of Vengeance. I have endeavored to avoid it, and have focused my efforts on the Left Hand of Harmony. Harmony with all peoples of the river. Some of my actions may, ss... well, hmm, they might, ahh... seem repellent to some of you. As you know I cooperated with our Lunar occupiers and found friends among them whom I was sad to see pass onward from this world. I tried to integrate our cult more tightly with the city people of Pavis, and worked with them and the Lunar government to establish more steady trade along the northern part of the river. I made concessions only to better our lives in the long term, and although you may not ever recognize it, our lives today are indeed better for it. But my way and my time are passing; this world is not fit for me to guide its common people. I fear we have been shown that we are in a violent time, and we need leaders who know how to deal with forces that listen to no parley or talk of harmony. The Cleansed One subcult was once our best defense against disorder, but I have never felt comfort with its violent ways, and so it is well that I leave you now. Shurahka, Caernak and the River Voices.... I, well... I wish you well. I wish the blessings of Zola Fel to protect and preserve you and our river in these tortuous times." He bows deeply, then submerges in the water and his new gills take in their first breath, and Che'en is transformed. He lingers nearby to listen and say goodbye to a few individuals.
The crowd is dazed and knows only to look at Shurahka, who barely pauses as she swims forward to take Che'en's place. She speaks with a powerful, confident, crisp and clear voice: "Evil and despair stalk our land and we will not suffer it any longer. It will be driven back with hope and determination. I have taken up the mantle of Cleansed One priest because, as honorable Che'en said, I know we live in times of trial and conflict. I seek two goals. One, the river will organize new defenders, revitalizing the River Voices back into the great peacemakers and warrior-protecters that they were in days of yore. Caernak Riverborn will lead this effort under my guidance. [cheers!] Two, the river will restructure the ways it does commerce and whom it deals with. We will lead the mission in the valley to bring peace to all of its peoples. Here in the northern river, I will work with the new leaders of Free Pavis to fix shattered old bonds that once helped our peoples work together in harmony. First, we will not let them starve nor will the trolls devour them. After today, I head into the land of myth to seek solution to the first problem, and others have already set into motion things that will help this effort, and also contribute to solving the second problem. Already the peoples of our land are starting to knit themselves together in friendship and mutual assistance. I have seen it work before under worse conditions, trust me. We are in good shape, believe me, in years to come we will drink of the joyous freedom and contentment that we have long thirsted for. Although our lot may seem full of doom now, the current will shift and the flood will turn from blood and flame, confusion and destruction, to healing and renewal, lucidity and synthesis. Just as the Cleansed One found himself in a sorry state but persevered to find bliss and completeness, so shall we. That is the message I have to bring you today. The practical matters will be settled later; the focus now is on the big picture, which I present to you as a vision of hope to light these dark days."
Wow, people are floored by the speech and don't know how to respond except to breathe deeply and smile, relaxed. Their left palms instinctively extend in a gesture of serenity. She has worked quite an enchantment over the crowd, but it is not magic, just the words she knew they needed to hear.