Plot 003: Where Loyalties Lie

Lukan || Guardian

Lukan walked through the rain towards the temple with his head down but his ears pricked high and alert even with the storm going on around him. The thunder claps made him want to flinch but he held tight to his composure; it would not due for a guardian to show fear at a storm, even one such as this. He expected the gods, if no Cascade herself, had something to do with the horrid weather Aquore had been subjected to this last week. The dark stallion had walked throughout the city, doing what he could to break up fights and keep those horses he could in their homes and away from the conflicts; there was little he had been able to do, making him feel more helpless than he had ever felt before. Seeking some solace, and hopefully a bit of peace, he set out with dripping mane and tail through the rain to Cascade's Temple.

When he had seen the little Pegasus lead towards the cliff's edge, he had to look away. Although he respected the tradition of the sacrifice as long as it was done in such a way to give the sacrificial pegasus some dignity in death, seeing a child taking up that place had been too much. Lukan was beyond thankful he had not been given the task of guarding the sacrifice this solstice - he was absolutely certain he would not have been able to do it. No matter his loyalty to the emperor, the herd, and their traditions, nothing could persuade him to assist in the death of a child, especially not one that reminded him so much of their young empress. He had not voiced his protest at the time, and kept silent about it since then, but now as he approached the doorway to the temple he had to pause, wondering if he should ask Cascade why she had chosen the filly for the sacrifice. It only took a few moments for him to decide against it, shaking out his soggy mane as he lifted his hooves to step inside quietly, unwilling to disturb the peace of anyone inside.

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Nahum | Talori | Agriculturalist

The Seal bay stallion held his head low and ears pinned to his skull. He hooves carried him swiftly through the streets. He wanted to run to the temple, to get out of this storm, and away from all the evil in the streets, but if he ran, there was the risk of seeming suspicious and a fight could happen. Normally his tail hung loosely and relaxed, but tonight is was held still, rested upon his rear. The past few days he has wanted to stop the fights around him, but he is so shy and scared that he has just hung in the shadows. 

His mind drifted to the sacrifice. It was sad to see the young filly jump, but she had such an honor to be so pure at such a young age for Cascade to pick her. He envied her in a way, but he felt like if it was him, he would never be able to realize the point of the honor. The fact that his herd was split on this matter baffled the stallion. Did they not trust their goddess? How could they even think to doubt her will. She gives all their blessings and happiness in life. It was obvious the goddess felt disappointed in her followers. Her tears poured down over Nahum.  

His hooves moved at a faster as he saw the temple through his water soaked forelock. Once his hooves hit the dry ground, he breathed a sigh of relief. There was a decent amount of horses around him, causing the stallion to tense again. His eyes drifted to the coral ascents around the temple, and then they closed in prayer. After a while the thunder clapped and Nahum shuddered and nodded, as if it was a lash of desperation from the goddess. He lowered his gaze again and continued around the temple. 

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Sinclair absolutely did not startle him. That was what Eden told himself after her voice had sprung him awake, legs scrambling, his face nearly made to eat stone. He caught himself, just barely, and managed to snuff a yelp before it could dear leave his mouth.

"Sinclair." He greeted, and if his tone was a little irate, it had nothing to do with being startled. Because he wasn't. "Good to see you in one piece."

And it was. These last few days, he'd seen far too many familiar faces twisted with pain, blood smeared across their coats. He worried for his family, his friends. How long would it be before they too were caught up the madness? The Talorians were on the cusp of civil war, and when the true fighting broke out, the real deal, none of them would be safe. The thought made him shudder, throat going tight.

But at least there was a distraction from such musings. Eden could hear voices just around the bend. A group, by the sounds of it. None angry. Hopefully that meant they'd come to pray rather than ransack.

Leaving Sinclair to her prayers, the buckskin edged forward to peak around the corner, eyes falling on the three stallions gathered in the Temple doorway. He recognized only one of them, but that recognition was enough to soothe his anxieties. "Lukan," He called, stepping out of the shadows and into plain sight. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

Seafoam eyes glanced over the other two. "Everyone alright?"

Nahum | Talori | Agriculturalist

Nahum just glanced at the horses who now appeared in front of him. His body readied for another altercation, until he heard the relief in the horses voices. As a sign of attention, Nahum's head jerked up to the buckskin stallion. "Uh, yes sir. I stayed away from the streets, fighting is not my forte. " A smile should have appeared on the stallions face, but he was not one for showing emotion. His ears pinned slightly in unease. "This is absurd in how our fellow horsemen had acted. Their fighting and anger is so unnatural. Cascade is not too happy."

He moved his dark hooves up towards the pool and dipped his head into the water, like the white mare had before him. He offered an apology to the goddess, hoping to heal her wounds of this betrayal and show that she still has some strong followers.
A sound of more thunder from outside and the slight gallop of hooves and squeals made the stallion quake. All the bloodshed almost made the stallion sick. He glanced at the few horses near him, laying with blood smeared on their lovely coats. How could the god be cruel in some's minds while their own neighbors could attack each other. Maybe if he helped more there would be peace quicker

He lifted his head and backed away some, his attention turning back to the stallions. "Is there anything I can do to help?"


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As Lukan spoke, Eden's ears pulled forward, black-rimmed tips perked and quivering. The Guardian's whispering made his fur prickle... and he didn't know why. It wasn't odd to lower one's voice in the Temple. On the contrary, it was the polite thing to do. Yet with all that had gone on- the bloodshed, the riots, rebels pulled from their homes and beaten- Eden couldn't help but react nervously, worried, for more than a split-second, that Lukan kept his voice low so as to avoid prying and dangerous ears. Silliness, yes, but his anxious mind was eager to spit paranoia.

Froth and bubbles, you're losing your mind. We're not spinning hearsay, for Cascade's sake. He thought, giving his head a shake. Clerics were meant to keep the calm, not shatter it. He forced himself to focus.

"It's safe here, relatively speaking." He confirmed, seafoam eyes shifting to Sven. "No one's felt sacrilegious enough to wage war on holy ground. That could change, though." He stomped a hoof, an equine's semblance of a shrug. "I wouldn't let my guard down."

His attention swung to Nahum, and for a second time Eden was completely-not-at-all-surprised as the yearling addressed him with a rare 'sir'. The brink of civil war was hardly the time to consider gender politics, but whether the title was accident (likely) or intentional (not so likely), the cleric was endeared to the thoroughbred nonetheless. "Well," He replied mildly, "she's certainly pissed about something."

As the odd little group clustered near the fountain, Eden momentarily broke away, his hooves carrying him to the Temple's door-less entrance. Outside, Cascade continued to weep for the broken state of her people, the wind none too gentle, and the rain unseasonably cool. Eden peered down the steps, recognizing the marked coat of his brother, Taishen, surrounded by what was quickly becoming a sea of other horses. Eden squinted uneasily at the sight, but, well. No one was yelling yet, and if a scuffle broke out, Lukan was always available for backup. Trusting Taishen to handle his own business (but still having every intention of keeping an ear out), Eden turned back to face the group within the temple.

"Sven, let's have a look at those scrapes you mentioned." He called, his tone implying he would accept no excuses as he drew near to the paint.

Outside, thunder crashed against Alya's sky. The buckskin resisted the urge to shiver. "I'll be happy when this is all over." He told them all. "If indeed it will ever be over."

Nahum | Talori | Agriculturalist

Nahum's eyes flashed to the small crowd outside. The stallion moved a further away from the entrance. He noticed the white mare still laying by the pool. he thought of asking if she was alright, but he noticed she was still murmuring some prayer. His hooves carried him over to the wall and he lowered so his stomach was on the hard floor. All the noise and tension in the area freaked him out. All he wanted was to go home and wake up to a nice sunny day. His nostrils gave a slight snort and his ears flicked towards Eden as he spoke. "How could they even dare think about spilling blood in here. I may only be a trader, but I will guard her temple with my life it need be."

His words were true to his heart, just the matter of his courage matched it. He refused to think about it much and just shook his mane out, flinging little water drops that still clung to him. The horses outside still stood around, but Nahum could not hear anything from them. As long as it stayed that way he could try to be at ease. All because of a sacrifice, he thought. Cascade told the Divines the right one, so why was there hatred towards them? The stallion remembered seeing them being rushed away from the scene. 

 "Did anyone hear what has happened to the Divines since they were escorted away? Or even Hawkeye. Surely they have to be trying to do something more to stop this. " His looked directly at Lukan, thinking the guard would know what was going on.


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Lukan || Guardian

Once again Lukan grew tense, this time at the thought of anyone attacking such a sacred place, whether their faith in Cascade was shaken at the moment or not. Clearing his throat he causally turned away from the rest of the gathering inside the temple so that he could look outside, watching the path that lead up to the steps with eyes narrowed slightly in focus; not ignoring the horses around him but keeping all of their safety in mind. He could not yet discern someone's intentions from such a distance but being able to see anyone approaching would be better advantage than none at all. There was a nervousness in the air and he hoped his presence would help calm some of the temples patrons somewhat. The dark stallion turned his head back to look at the younger one, sensing a pair of eyes on him and a question directed towards him once more.

Before he could speak an answer of sorts came from the pristine coated mare walking towards them from the fountain, having apparently finished her payers for the time being. He cleared his throat and pricked up his ears, feathered hooves spread apart just a bit as he stood up straighter. "They're all being kept safe, I can assure you." He answered, raising his voice just a little to be heard over the distant crack of thunder before returning his voice to a hushed mummer. "It would be a terrible thing for one of our own people to attack them, but after what's been happening all over the city there's no such thing as being too careful." He added, nodding his head Nahum before returning his gaze outside, ears still turned back to listen to the conversation around him.

At one point, during the first of the chaos, he had even considered asking his own fiance to take refuge within the palace walls as well, sequestered away from the violence and fear filling the streets. After some time pondering it as an option he had eventually tossed it away. The mare would likely be far safer in her own home than the palace; if anyone were so determined to get to the Emperor, the young Empress, or the Divine and do them harm, they likely would not blink at taking down anyone else who might be in the way. The guardian would never say anything like that out loud of course, especially not surrounded by civilians as he was at the moment. All they needed to know what the palace was as safe as it could be for the time being.

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