The Virtues on Foot: A Pilgrimage

[Ouroboros]

A Pilgrimage

by Edward the Churl

afternoon meal.

Today I set out on a journey to visit and meditate upon the eight virtue shrines of Sosaria. 
I have left the protective walls of Trinsic behind, heading north toward the shrine of Spirituality.
With me comes my one travelling companion Viscount - My horse.  I'll make the journey on foot,
unless necessity dictates that I take to the saddle, but I'll be damned if I leave Viscount behind.
I'm the one who spurred him on through the gate into this realm in the first place, and I won't
be leavin' him behind unless it's by way of grievous wounds and death.

Somebody's got to make sure I keep out of trouble anyhow, right?   Right.


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Evening camp.

The virtue of Spirituality, as I understand it, represents truth, love, and courage, as well
as the reverence of all eight virtues. 

I figure it's shrine then should set the tone, as it were, of this journey.  Spirituality,
according to the reckoning of the Lord British, is the direction that I aim to point myself in,
so this is where I shall start.

As fate would have it, the shrine is not far from here.  Hopefully the map I acquired is worth
the ink it's penned in.

[Ouroboros]

Afternoon Meal.

Well, this map is accurate enough.  I've found the shrine of Spirituality.  Stumbled over it,
more like.  Ivy has begun to overgrow the place.  I tripped over a vine and caught myself
short before cracking my teeth on the steps of a sort of low platform  plinth  Dais with a sturdy
green flagstone, perhaps marble, inlayed with a golden ankh as they call it.
A sort of cross with a hoop at the top like so.

>crude sketch of ankh<

How it's survived bein chiseled away I do not know. Witchery Magic maybe?

My gypsy friend was right about the somewhat neglected state of these shrines. 
Human nature, I spose.

The gods have long since abandoned my home land, I wonder if this is how it starts?
Perhaps we abandoned the gods first, and they just left.

Also, as I lay with my face up agin the dais, I found a curiosity.  A necklace with a
small ankh pendant made of heavily tarnished silver.  I am not sure if somebody left
it as an offering, dropped it, or what ever.  I may keep it and wear it through
my pilgrimage.

The shrine itself is a beautifully carved marble platform standing in the center of a
pond, with a very large and finely carved stone Ankh a little taller than a man.
Apparently there was a bridge at some time, for there are steps at the bank
near the dais, maybe it was wood long since rotten away.

It looks a little too far to jump, and I can't bring myself to disturb the
pristine waters.  I will begin meditation here at the green dais.
From my studies I have learned that each virtue has a mantra that
goes with it.   The mantra for Spirituality is "OM" and one is supposed
to chant it, allowing it to help focus the mind upon the virtue.

Well, I best get to it now.  I'm not used to meditating and the like,
but I believe I've read enough to give it a good attempt.  I will
continue when I am through and have taken some time to
think about the experience.

[Ouroboros]

[Ouroboros]

Meditation on Spirituality.

Strangest goddamn thing just happened.  I knelt over the spirituality tile, wearing the ankh, and began to clear my mind.  Breathing in a calm and measured manner as described in the books, allowing the mantra to grow and fill my mind as well as my voice.  After a few recitations I began to feel all tingly, like walking through the gates.  I kept my eyes closed and tried to open my self to the wisdom of the shrine before me.  I felt as if I had become a conduit for some kind of vital energy.  It felt as if this energy shone down like a beam of light upon the crown of my head and flowed through my entire body, pouring out through my fingers and toes.  Suddenly I opened my eyes, and I had moved!

I was standing on the marble platform a mere inches from the stone ankh in the middle of the pond!

If I didn't know better, I would suspect some witchery, but my only companions are Viscount and the critters moving about in the brush.

The feeling was like that which I felt through my body when Faeryl the elf lass used that healing witchery on me.  I wonder if there is some connexion here.


The power of spirituality has shown itself to me.  It has the ability to bridge the unbridged chasm.  Forward movement. 
There is a great rift between the person I am and the person that I would rather be.  I have found the beginning of a new path, and I shall see where it leads.

After I had an afternoon meal, It dawned on me that the gate-movement I experienced with the meditation may be useful.
I dug the recently acquired runebook out of my pack.  I paid to have it charged with the power of magery instilled so that I only had to concentrate upon
a particular rune to transport me there.

Expensive, but handy. I placed my hand over the rune of Trinsic and began to meditate. I attempted to return to the state of mind I had acquired
at the shrine and.... I felt the flowing beam of light again, and momentarily I found myself standing at the gates of the city of Trinsic once more, and Viscount was at my side!

Perhaps I shall visit my friends before I return to my pilgrimage.  I have much to think about!