The journey towards the port of Azure was uneventful. Azure Heart told me that the ships were plying the seas now and it would be a little late to get a shipment of food. I wonder how long before our own ships start launching and we can get crews apart from the Western Trade Alliance. I will have to ask Drifter that. Naar and Drifter are to meet me after some time in Azure as they were procuring some items in Drifter's list and a shipment of steel for working in the island.
We docked uneventfully and I paid the wharf master the fees. I requested for cages to transport the dismembered Lintha to the temple of Siakal and it appears the man was totally shocked and horrified when he recognized, possibly from some prodding of his assistant, the ship we towed in. It was difficult between stuttering, looking at me like I'm some animal or a dead man walking, to get the required transport.
We settled on wagons since the Lintha had no hands and feet anyway. The convoy was a bit slow due to the number of people following. It looked almost like a procession of sorts. In the end we reached the temple itself. It was a rather imposing cliff face made all the more impressive by its stark simplicity. A spiral stairs was carved into the cliffs themselves decorated with what looked like huge shark teeth.
I was greeted at the black iron doors by a terrified underpriest saying that the High Priest himself would perform the prayers and sacrifices. He guided me through straight paths decorated with shark motifs and weapons of war. They were the kind that was used to rend and tear and each were sharp. Siakal was not fond of bludgeoning weapons it appears.
We went to the main cliff face, the Altar of Sacrifice where these hapless Lintha were about to be thrown into the waiting sharks. The "altar" itself was a hole in the wall shaped like the mouth of a shark facing the reef where huge shapes swam.
As the high priest did the prayers, I disemboweled the first sacrifice and threw him to the sharks. Soon the underpriests were following suit cutting open gaping wounds with serrated knives to bloody the sacrifice before throwing them into the waiting sharks.
The waters turned pink and then red, and still the sacrifice continued. The priest was chanting and soon the sharks were giving way to 40-foot siaka who each took a Lintha whole without stopping to bite or chew. Afterwards, during the climax of the prayer the siaka were replaced with smaller seeming specimens that were clearly not mortal. The Children of Siakal themselves have come to gorge in the sacrifice.
I picked up the last sacrifice, Lintha Roojag Ritha, looked him in the eye, grinned, and opened his belly. I threw him as far as I could and a War Shark jumped up out of the water to catch him. I felt more than saw two merciless eyes on me and a raspy disembodied voice said "You have my favor..." it hesitated and then asked, "What boon would you have of me...?"
I replied simply, "That I call upon your Children during my quest to annihilate these inbred, demon, cannibal maniacs. They will handle the behemoths and demons while I take the crew and sacrifice the whole lot of them to you..."
She replied, "Then you shall have them..." again the hesitation. I believe she used her Charms and realized I was a Lawgiver but did not want to say it aloud.
We docked uneventfully and I paid the wharf master the fees. I requested for cages to transport the dismembered Lintha to the temple of Siakal and it appears the man was totally shocked and horrified when he recognized, possibly from some prodding of his assistant, the ship we towed in. It was difficult between stuttering, looking at me like I'm some animal or a dead man walking, to get the required transport.
We settled on wagons since the Lintha had no hands and feet anyway. The convoy was a bit slow due to the number of people following. It looked almost like a procession of sorts. In the end we reached the temple itself. It was a rather imposing cliff face made all the more impressive by its stark simplicity. A spiral stairs was carved into the cliffs themselves decorated with what looked like huge shark teeth.
I was greeted at the black iron doors by a terrified underpriest saying that the High Priest himself would perform the prayers and sacrifices. He guided me through straight paths decorated with shark motifs and weapons of war. They were the kind that was used to rend and tear and each were sharp. Siakal was not fond of bludgeoning weapons it appears.
We went to the main cliff face, the Altar of Sacrifice where these hapless Lintha were about to be thrown into the waiting sharks. The "altar" itself was a hole in the wall shaped like the mouth of a shark facing the reef where huge shapes swam.
As the high priest did the prayers, I disemboweled the first sacrifice and threw him to the sharks. Soon the underpriests were following suit cutting open gaping wounds with serrated knives to bloody the sacrifice before throwing them into the waiting sharks.
The waters turned pink and then red, and still the sacrifice continued. The priest was chanting and soon the sharks were giving way to 40-foot siaka who each took a Lintha whole without stopping to bite or chew. Afterwards, during the climax of the prayer the siaka were replaced with smaller seeming specimens that were clearly not mortal. The Children of Siakal themselves have come to gorge in the sacrifice.
I picked up the last sacrifice, Lintha Roojag Ritha, looked him in the eye, grinned, and opened his belly. I threw him as far as I could and a War Shark jumped up out of the water to catch him. I felt more than saw two merciless eyes on me and a raspy disembodied voice said "You have my favor..." it hesitated and then asked, "What boon would you have of me...?"
I replied simply, "That I call upon your Children during my quest to annihilate these inbred, demon, cannibal maniacs. They will handle the behemoths and demons while I take the crew and sacrifice the whole lot of them to you..."
She replied, "Then you shall have them..." again the hesitation. I believe she used her Charms and realized I was a Lawgiver but did not want to say it aloud.
Apparently, gods can still be surprised, I did not want ot offend this one however. I still am an ardent follower of the Western War Goddess of Sharks and Slaughter. "My thanks, great mistress." I replied genuflecting towards the eyes.
I heard a surprised and shocked intake of breath from the high priest who seemed to realize something was amiss, when I realized myself I had addressed her formally in Old Realm. I gave him a baleful look and cocked an eyebrow. He shrank back and decided against whatever he was thinking to do.
I left the temple and paid the wagon drivers and walked towards the temple of the Ocean Father. Raging Snowstorm left my side for a while grunting something about a short side trip.
I took a deep breath and continued to the Ocean Father's Temple.
I left the temple and paid the wagon drivers and walked towards the temple of the Ocean Father. Raging Snowstorm left my side for a while grunting something about a short side trip.
I took a deep breath and continued to the Ocean Father's Temple.
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