Land Tiller's State - Fortress City of the Phoenix

Service was going well today. The sky way clear and sun peaked through the window opening, casting a more benevolent feeling upon the congregation. The people were on their knees on top of a mat with their flag on it.

"...We are here today because of the will of Amun Ra. As our Shepard he watches over us, guiding us across the lands for his will. In his name, peace has come to many lands and prosperity with that. It is our faith that gives us the strength for this, for without the gods, man would die, and without man, the gods would die. Let the crops of these lends be plentiful and the people remain in peace, Lord Amun Ra, and we will shine upon the world as a proud pendant crafted by your will through our strength..."The service from Achrio was about the union of the lands and how it was the will of Amun Ra.

The services of Amun Ra would go one periodically all day. He was devoted to the Kiraxo Scrolls and would make sure any ear could hear his will at any time. As for the services of the Six Faces from Demitius, they were private and guarded. This side of the religion was more of a popular cult than anything.

Unless invited, nobody would know what these messages were, as they were all normally involved in dark magics of some kind. The Phoenix State was founded with both and Demitius lead a group that had their own way of keeping peace even though their religion wasn't the best. Still, they used portions of the Kiraxo Scroll, but twisting them for their wants.

Both of the Grand Phoenixians, Achrio with the head of Ra, and Demitius with the head of the Second Face, Ja'uul the Wolf. Their religious magics were phenomenal. They could convert most anyone to their religion the moment they hear their first word. They didn't control their mind, but somehow their magic has found a way to pull on the religious part of the brain. It was even more effective when people had the 'God Gene' in them. Despite being about peace, don't be a fool, they fight as a team, a duo of Light and Dark fighting as one.

When their services were over, the two got together, Achrio speaking, "Service was good... It is promising land here. The Phoenix State must have high hopes for these people and their land, they sent us to lock down on the religion. Amun Ra must smile upon The Phoenix State every day... Since the return of Zaltos Kiraxo, we have been free and almost what we could consider a Nirvana."

Demitius would respond firmly as he took his seat in the Prayer Hall between the two cathedrals for both religions to congregate and pray together; This helped keep them united instead of brewing up hatred because one worshiped another, "Brother, even you know war will come... When it comes and we are still sitting here, you can celebrate. But eventually, our mighty people will be in war somewhere... And we will see how Amun Ra smiles then. Speaking of which, I wonder when the Pharisees and the others will arrive. It should be anytime."

Raynor was being accompanied by several warriors, including his wife, Ying-Na. As a member of the Land-Tiller's main council and head of the Celadine Clan, Raynor felt responsible for monitoring the Phoenix State's activities in the region. The first thing he wanted to do was ensure that religious freedom would be respected in his land, and so he had been sent to talk to the two high priests and see precisely what they were about.

He was a powerful looking, middle aged man who wielded a war hammer. He was also well versed in elemental magic as well as healing. His wife was an archer, an incredibly skilled one at that. He was riding on a standard horse. But his wife, of course, could not be torn from her best friend, a blue Wildebeest named Indigo.

"It's too bad things didn't go well in Katashima. At least you didn't antagonize anyone." Raynor smiled.

"We really should go back and visit some time. They have the best insect market, not to mention a decent weapons cache. Thanks for helping me enchant my new bow." Ying-Na punched her husband lightly on the shoulder. Despite also being middle aged, she tended to act like an aggressive teenager with a natural disdain for formalities. This behavior however was typical of the Acacia Clan people.

Ying-Na was extremely proud of her two bows, one a short bow enchanted by her daughter Jun, and one long bow she purchased in Katashima. Arrows fired from both bows contained a touch of elemental magic which made them more resilient and imbued them with special properties. The short bow's arrows caused a paralyzing effect, and the long bows' a tranquilizing effect. This is important as she likes to consider herself her husband's bodyguard... Although one would do well not to challenge either of them in combat.

"So, we are looking for two priests, Acrid and Diminishes?" Ying-Na said.

Raynor grimaced. "Just let me do most of the talking."

Ying-Na grinned. "Hey, I heard they need a State Representative."

Raynor sighed. "One clan is enough for me. But we'll see. Ah, Achrio, Demetius!" They finally spotted the two priests. "Forgive me for intruding on your conversation. I am Raynor, leader of the Celadine Clan and a member of the Land-Tiller's high council. I'm hear on behalf of Elder Havador to speak with you and discuss matters of faith-"

"Oh, I'm the wife. Don't mind me." Ying-Na waved immaturely.

"Yes, this is my wife, Ying-Na, an ambassador from the Acacia Clan and my bodyguard. I apologize for missing your service, but I was told it was being held periodically throughout the day, and I have every intention of hearing another one if possible-"

"What's with the animal faces?" Ying-Na pointed at their faces.

Raynor grimaced slightly.

Raynor smiled while Ying-Na kept resisting the urge to poke at the high priest's head dresses. They dismounted from their steeds and encouraged their entourage to join in on the feast.

"I'm glad you think so. Yes, this land is very special to us. The truth is our tribes have lived here as long as we can remember, and we have always tried to live peacefully with nature. However, about 60 years ago we experienced a terrible civil war. Our people have an above average affinity for magic, and a class of dark wizards emerged which converted the expanse into a dictatorship. Much of our old history was lost, but since then we've striven to maintain a democratic republic, where our people are elected based on their age and wisdom."

Ying-Na was enthusiastically gorging herself on the bread, but saw fit to interrupt. "Are you sure he didn't mean about us personally?" Raynor rolled her eyes and gestured for her to speak while he helped himself to some bread. "Raynor was elected as leader of his tribe because of his skills in healing and defensive magic, which just goes to show he doesn't take after his mother at all. You've probably heard her name get dropped a lot. Lynx of the Celadine Clan. She and Elder Havador are among our more important historical figures, since they lead the rebellion against the dark necromancers. I'm sure that helped you get elected too by the way."

Raynor sighed. When his wife was right, she was right. "Yes, my mother also lead the fight against the dragons which happened after the civil war. An unfortunate incident where dragons sought refuge in this land, but for some reason were overcome with the desire to wipe us out instead. From what I remember it was almost like they were infected with something. The truth remains a mystery."

"Are you going to tell them about the chaos?" One of Ying-Na's soldiers, a young girl with a short-bow, spoke up. Ying-Na nodded. "Mmm, yes, that is an important part of our history, though the details have been lost."

Raynor nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's one of the mysteries of this land. It's interesting that you say Amun Ra smiles upon this place, because one of our more prominent religious beliefs states that the Expanse is a nexus of the conflict between light and darkness. There wasn't a lot to support this belief until Lynx became a chaos mage. A chaos mage is a being that appears whenever the balance between light and darkness is broken, and acts as an equalizer. Lynx happened to be good, although supposedly evil chaos mages have appeared in the past. My daughter Jun has Lynx's diary, so she probably understands the phenomenon better than I do. But it would seem that the universe essentially chooses a chaos mage based on their understanding of both light and darkness. They must have an intimate knowledge of both within their heart, and from there are guided to pick that which is necessary to the world. Thanks to Lynx's efforts, the Expanse's balance has been shifted away from darkness towards the light."

Ying-Na took a swig of wine and added, "Yah, Lynx was a good person but she was into some nasty stuff I'll tell you. And she could be a terrible smart ass." Raynor growled somewhat at this. Ying-Na shrugged and grinned mischievously. "What? She was my mother-in-law too you know. Jun's into some dark stuff too. I once caught her and her boyfriend-"

The same guard that brought up the chaos smacked her master in the shoulder. "You'll have to forgive her. An intolerance for alcohol runs in both our clans." Ying-Na smiled, red-faced. She wasn't actually inebriated... yet. "Oh, and one more thing. My husband is a master agriculturalist. Our tribe often combines magic with agriculture to get the best results."

Raynor was still trying not to think about what kind of dark stuff his daughter might be into. "I think we've hogged enough of the conversation. Tell us about yourselves and your history, whatever you think that means." This last part he added somewhat snidely towards Ying-Na.

"..." Raynor and Ying-Na suddenly grew very grave. So much so that the air around them changed.

"I don't want my daughter to become a chaos mage." Ying-Na said flatly.

Raynor spoke. "I don't even know if it's possible. The phenomenon isn't well understood by anyone. I'm not even sure there's such a thing as multiple chaos mages. From my understanding, chaos mages aren't neutral at all. They understand light and darkness and are able to use both equally, but one doesn't just become one. They're supposedly chosen by nature. What you just said doesn't make sense..."

Ying-Na pinched the bridge of her nose in angst. "Chaos mages are called chaos mages because they destroy order. If light or darkness take too much control over the world, the world becomes orderly, but also stagnant, which usually only happens every few hundred years. I don't know why too much light would ever be a bad thing, but there must be a reason. They're..."

Raynor completed Ying-Na thought. "Soil breakers. They rotate the soil, oxygenate it so that life can grow, I suppose is how I would explain it."

"She would suffer so much." Ying-Na continued. "It's her own stupid desire. She's... I don't wanna say she's jealous, but she envies Lynx's power. She lusts after it. But even Lynx herself almost went mad because of it. The immense power and responsibility. I don't think Jun knows what she's asking for."

"We always talk about how powerful Lynx was, but we don't talk about how much she suffered. How many battles she had to face or how many times she was almost killed. Or the psychological trauma she endured that lead her to understand darkness that deeply." Raynor almost seemed belligerent.

The remaining soldiers and guards were silent. They'd never seen Ying-Na and Raynor so passionate and unnerved.

"As for your offer... We'll need time to think about it." Raynor sighed.

Ying-Na got up. "Forgive me. I need to go for a walk." She got up and stretched.

"We did our best... Jun is pretty strong. Again, it's not an issue of whether she can master it, but rather is she supposed to. And like we said, the possibility of multiple chaos beings is even more disturbing. Lynx's powers were terrifying... I can only imagine what a fight between her and Zaltos would be like. It'd probably devastate everything for miles."

She thought for a moment. "I just hope she realizes how much we love her, regardless of her strength. She never needed to become a mage. She was a talented herbalist and agriculturalist too, and quite the diplomat. You don't need to be powerful for your existence to mean something. You three could probably kill me rather easily. Does that make me of less value as a human being? Most kids are helpless when they are born. Do their lives matter less? Are the homeless and poor of less worth than the rich? I... I don't think Jun understands she doesn't need to be powerful for her life to matter."

She turned to Raynor. "Raynor can handle being a medic commander of a fort for sure. As for me, well, I'm not a politician. Truth is I'm a warrior more than anything. And..."

She looked towards her warriors, who were still watching their conversation.

"The state representative position should really go to Elder Havador. He knows this land better than anyone and is head of our council. Speaking of which..."

She turned to Raynor.

"The Land-Tiller State needs a military coordinator, and Havador can't do everything. I'm also the best archer in the Acacia Clan, and we have the strongest mounted archer corps. So... I've decided to accept Havador's request, making me one of the Elder Council's appointed War Chiefs."

She grinned devilishly as Raynor. "He's also promoting you to war chief as well. I forgot to tell you." She handed a number of documents to Raynor. "That's what we were talking about in the back tent. We each have command of several hundred warriors, mages, and archers from all the clans! Of course, we're not going to use our authority lightly." She continued to drink.