Lenta — Shrine Of The Wind
1627
Context
At harvest time, Lentas Second visit to Blue Tree clan [[[s02:session-54|Session 54]]]
Events
Lenta looks at Berra who is using Haran as a hat and disappears discreetly on the side. She asks one of the guards a question quietly and after hearing the answer heads towards the Vingan shrine.
Arianatha is just where she should be, before the shrine, arms making a spiral as she meditates. In deference to her age, and with a certain realism about it, she is seated on a high stool, rather than kneeling. She lowers her arms, with a cracking of joints, as Lenta approaches.
“Am I disturbing your prayers , Aunt?” Lenta asks, her Heortling foreign with its soft intonation.
“Of course not, little green woman.” Arianatha stands up. “I was just clearing my mind.”
Lenta nods and looks around the little shrine.
What can be seen is a screened area and an altar with a bowl of wine on it. The altar is open to the winds, of course, but the area is bare. By Esrolian standards it is poor, but then again, it is also Orlanthi, and therefore wild and different.
She looks at the bare altar.
Ariantha says, “Mostly, this place holds the things that are used in the wild,” as if she has made that explanation many times before.
She nods. “Aunt, Dogva said the ring discussed killing Danaril. Can you tell me who made the suggestion it should be done?”
A well tutored Esrolian can read a sudden flash of defensiveness, a quick anger, and then something that comes through in the voice; challenge. “I did. What of it?”1 Lenta rolled 01 on insight human
Lenta puts her hands over her mouth. It is pretty obvious the news upset her. “You did, Aunt?” Her voice seems to tell this is not a question, just a repeat of unbeliavable thing.
“He was touched by the Lunars,” Arianatha says. “Of course I did.”
The younger woman seems to slowly regain composure. “I see.” She thinks for a while. “But I do not understand. Can you explain to me, aunt? Did he need to be punished for having been their prisoner?”
“He was more than their prisoner. He’s their convert. He stopped being one of us – became one of them.” Arianatha has a good line in frown. She stops at suspicious, quite a way short of thunderous.
“Did he? So you say he was no longer one of the clan, no longer kin?” The young woman sounds, if anything, a bit sad.
“He broke one of our taboos. But more – he did it to become a new thing. He’s not one of us.” Arianatha says it like it is obvious.
Lenta nods “That may be as you said. But does that mean he needed killing? What kind of threat was he to the clan, aunt?”
Arianatha looks Lenta up and down. Despite the ravages of age she is just tall enough to do that. “The Lunars are more threat than you know, child. His loyalty is to them now. He could have been any kind of threat – their goddesses are powerful and terrible.”
“I can not make judgement of his loyalty. But could have been a threat does not sound like a reason for just killing” Lenta looks back at the Vingan “Though people are sometimes killed for less…”
“When the clan is at stake, you don’t mess around. You’re a woman. You know pragmatism.” Arianatha leans down a little to pick up the stool.
Lenta nods and looks at the Vingan with her green eyes. “Thank you for answering me, aunt. I think I understand what happened a bit better.”
Arianatha nods. “Run along, little green one,” she says, almost indulgently.
The younger woman does not make a move to leave “I think this did make some people unhappy. Do you wish me to keep this matter between us?”
Arianatha smiles, definitely indulgent now. “I am a daughter of Orlanth. Do you think spoken words can hurt me, after all I have seen and done?”
“Is that a yes or no, aunt?” Lenta says with a smile.
“I do not care if you feel you must tell. I stand by what I say and what I believe, until the last breath of Air in me.”
She nods. “Fare well, aunt.”
Arianatha goes to put the stool neatly in the shrine, beside the altar.
====
Lenta talks with the Vingan initiate at Blue Tree Shrine of Vinga. Spoilerish for Varanis.
- 1Lenta rolled 01 on insight human
