I<\/span><\/p>\n left Irori\u2019s church when I was fifteen. I want to say that it was not an easy decision, or that I struggled with what to do, or even that I felt guilty about it afterwards, but in all honesty none of those are true. It <\/span>was<\/span><\/i> an easy decision and I knew I had done the right thing. Irori\u2019s path was not right for me, and I probably stuck with it far longer than I should have because I felt giving up was an admission of failure.<\/span><\/p>\n The thing is, mom and dad never pressured me, that I remember, when it came to religion and worship, though I am sure it pleased dad to see me follow his path. When I turned eleven, we traveled to Jalmeray, one of the earliest trips to see <\/span>dadi<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>dada<\/span><\/i> that I remember, and for the first time I really felt connected to my Vudrani heritage. Obviously that was only on dad\u2019s side, but I <\/span>looked<\/span><\/i> Vudrani and that is what mattered to me. I stood out in Varisia, specifically in Sandpoint but in Korvosa as well, and I came home from that trip taking pride in looking and being different, and in identifying with a completely foreign culture.<\/span><\/p>\n It also made me a little more arrogant, a little more obnoxious, and probably a lot less tolerable. It\u2019s embarrassing thinking about what I was like a decade ago, but what kid isn\u2019t awful in some way at that age? Though with all that was going on back then, this sort of thing obviously did not help. But that\u2019s another story.<\/span><\/p>\n At first I found Irori\u2019s teachings to be enlightening and inspiring (confession time: I actually still do, mostly) but ultimately I was fighting my own physical limitations. The diet, the mental and physical exercises, the emphasis on discipline and control\u2014I could manage those. But when it came to \u201cstrength of body\u201d, at least in the <\/span>literal<\/span><\/i> sense, I struggled. Struggled and failed, whether I wanted to admit it or not.<\/span><\/p>\n Why bring this up? Because I always get asked how a Vudrani came to Shelyn. I mean, it must be pretty unusual if it keeps coming up. Either that, or people just genuinely don\u2019t know, and all they have to go on are stereotypes about Vudrani, Irori, and the pantheon of a thousand gods.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDo you ever get tired of having to tell that same story, over and over?\u201d Ameiko asked.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to talk so openly about my flaws, especially with strangers. But it\u2019s where I ended up that matters the most. So, I guess I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The thing about Shelyn is, she teaches the value of appreciation. Appreciation for what is around you, for what you can create, for what others create, and for what you can build together. I feel like I\u2019m a part of something.<\/span><\/p>\n We came to the shrine today in part to donate to the reconstruction effort, but mostly we just wanted to have that shared, communal experience that only Shelynites can provide. They were renting a temporary space just a few doors down to serve as a place for worship and gathering. Colored silks and other fabrics draped the walls and entrance, small but dramatic floral arrangements and greenery added splashes of color and a pleasant fragrance to the air. And then there was the music and dancing.<\/span><\/p>\n We were there most of the day. I needed to purge Ravenscraeg and Kimandatsu out of my head. Ameiko probably did, too.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s the thing: Shiro stood out, and I bring this up because meeting him has become a sort of turning point for me. Most of those who are active in Shelyn\u2019s church, the ones who aren\u2019t clergy? They tend to be performers or artists of some sort. But like me, Shiro didn\u2019t fit that mold. I couldn\u2019t put my finger on exactly what his place was.<\/span><\/p>\n He apparently sensed something in me, too, because we talked for a couple of hours. The whole time, I had this feeling he was trying to take the measure of me in some fashion. It wasn\u2019t rude, it was just\u2026it was like he was probing for something without really coming out and asking what. Like he was testing the waters. Whatever it was? I guess he found it because out of the blue he asked, \u201cHave you ever wielded the glaive?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I almost opened my mouth to blow him off. I mean, are you shitting me? How did I possibly look like \u201cglaive\u201d material?<\/span><\/p>\n When I was twelve years old my dad tried to teach me how to use the khopesh and it was a disaster. It was heavy and clumsy, and I was barely strong enough to <\/span>hold<\/span><\/i> it much less swing it with any purpose. I would eventually start wearing one strapped to my back, but that was just for show (because it looked wicked, and in Magnimar I needed the deterrent). But actually use it? Hell, no. So, the glaive? Me? Really?<\/span><\/p>\n But I figured he was getting at something, and maybe it was important that I actually listen for once, and wait to hear what it was. So instead, I answered politely and honestly. \u201cNever. I doubt I could even hold it properly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n By this time, Ameiko was off playing her samisen, accompanying a couple of other musicians. The melody filling the space was light and playful, and the tempo upbeat; music that was perfect for dancing. So I was only a <\/span>little<\/span><\/i> surprised when he abruptly changed the subject again, and asked, \u201cDo you dance?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Mom and dad\u2014mom, especially\u2014were not going to raise a daughter that couldn\u2019t dance. So, yeah. \u201cI can. Are you asking me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He smiled and said, \u201cSomething like that. May I?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I nodded and stood up with him. And, I kid you not, he picked up his glaive that was leaning against the wall behind us. And he proceeded to teach me how to swing and even twirl it in time with the music.<\/span><\/p>\n I am still more or less in shock. The pole alone was over a foot and a half taller than <\/span>me<\/span><\/i>, and yet he was swinging it gracefully. I remembered seeing something like this before, back when we visited Andoran several years ago. Dad called it the Color Guard, but while that was mostly for show what Shiro started teaching me went beyond that. He could swing the pole and the blade around, fluidly, into what was clearly a strike. My motions with it were less polished and confident, but I was amazed at how swiftly it moved in my hands, at first under his direction, and then on my own. This was most definitely <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> the heavy, clunky khopesh,<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDancing and fighting are not that far apart,\u201d he said. \u201cAt least, not with this. The glaive is a weapon of grace and beauty in the right hands.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Except for the part where it kills people. But of course I didn\u2019t say that.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou would make a good missionary for Shelyn. Her church needs more than just clergy and artists: it needs faithful from all walks of life to serve as role models. It\u2019s something I think you should consider.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This, too, took me by surprise. \u201cMe? I never considered myself to be a role model for anything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He smiled at me. \u201cMost role models don\u2019t.\u201d After a short pause, he went on. \u201cYou should look the part, though. It\u2019s important. Come back tomorrow, around noon, and I\u2019ll show you some more.\u201d He tapped the pole of his glaive with his right hand. \u201cIf you are interested, of course?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I said yes.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Arodus 17 (Kalsgard, Night) I left Irori\u2019s church when I was fifteen. I want to say that it was not an easy decision, or that I struggled with what to do, or even that I felt guilty about it afterwards, but in all honesty none of those are true. It was an easy decision and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_import_markdown_pro_load_document_selector":0,"_import_markdown_pro_submit_text_textarea":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[32],"class_list":["post-2494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-journal","tag-kali"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2494"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2494\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5652,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2494\/revisions\/5652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}