[SHRINE+ORP] Shrine of Leanna'En-I'Elen

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

They'd been on the road now for five days, and Hunnie was ready for a warm bed, a warmer bath, and hot food. It might be Spring, but the mornings were still chill, and the nights even more so. They were trying to find the shrine of a god who would hear their prayer for a child. They'd been trying now for a while and had not yet been blessed, so this was their next avenue. They were currently headed to the home of one Octultus, a knight of the realm. It was said his home was open to any travelers headed to the shrine that was nearby, and it was the only place to stay in the valley. They weren't exactly sure if this was the shrine they were looking for or not, but they would keep on in the hope that it was.

"How are you holding up dear?" Bubba asked his wife. He'd worried about her taking this journey, but she would not hear a word of staying behind.

"I am ready for a warm bath, a hot meal, and a soft bed, in that order," she replied. "Do you think it's much farther?"

"No, it should be just around that bend in the road," he said, as he pointed ahead of them. "I'm sure we'll find exactly what we need when we arrive."

She hurried her pace at this news, and Bubba had to increase his to keep up with her. Seemed she was finding her second wind, now that they were nearing their destination. Twenty minutes later they saw the house in the distance, a plume of smoke rising from the chimney atop the roof. It was a quaint house, not at all what they had expected for a knight of the realm, but it had four walls and a roof, and that was all they asked for. Bubba knocked on the door, not knowing if they should simply walk in or not.

DieKraft Fe-Amon

I've updated the entry.  

[DieKraft Fe-Amon]

Shanra the Dragon Bard

The Door Opens...

There is a pleasant looking bar-maid ahead and a kindly old tavern-keeper at the bar, shining glasses and cleaning the counters. The area is open and smells of food cooked not too long ago.

There is a stairwell up to the second floor and places to sit are abundant.
...
"Welcome to the Lodge--" the barmaid asks, her face is kind and worn as she has obviously been around this place for a great while. She gestures you in and shuts the door as you enter behind you.

"What Do you need today folks?" she asks gently, gesturing for the two to sit.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

DieKraft Fe-Amon

Bubba and Hunnie entered the house, grateful for the chance to be inside. As they glanced around at their surroundings, they noticed that they seemed to be the only ones there besides the barmaid and the old man at the bar. Hunnie was glad for the solitude. It meant there wouldn't be a lot of people vieing for their attention, and they could focus on the task at hand. The smells coming from somewhere also did not evade her notice. Her stomached rumbled and Bubba took that opportunity to answer the barmaids question.

"We would like a room, a bath and some food to start", he replied. We've been traveling for some days now, and would like to rest. Can you accomodate us?"

As the barmaid gestured for them to have a seat, he held out a chair for Hunnie and after she was seated, he took a chair opposite her for himself.  

[DieKraft Fe-Amon]

Shanra the Dragon Bard

The barmaid nods..

She gestures to the bartender who goes into the kitchen. He brought out some stew and a loaf of bread made in the morning.

"You can stay on room 5," she nodded.

"Were ya'll planning to visit the shrine?" the barmaid asked, not sure if this was their reason for coming or if the Red Lake was their destination.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

DieKraft Fe-Amon

As the man set the bowls of stew down before them, their cavernous stomachs both rumbled in unison. They looked at each other and laughed. The smell was overpowering, and they could hardly find the will power to refrain from diving in immediately.

"We are very grateful to you", said Bubba. "Room 5 will be greatly acceptable, as is this wonderful smelling stew." He looked over at Hunnie when the barmaid asked them what their plans were. He wasn't sure if she wanted others to know where they were headed.

Hunnie caught the look in his eyes and knew he was feeling conflicted about answering the woman, so she took the lead and replied for him. "Yes, we are looking for a shrine, however we are not entirely sure if the shrine you speak of is the one we need. Are there more than one nearby?"  

[DieKraft Fe-Amon]

The barmaid nodded,

"There is a shrine--Leanna who watches over travelers." she looked down, she had been stationery so long--but it was her calling so she happily tended to travelers. That is part of traveling afterall..finding a warm bed and a nice meal.

"That is the only shrine near here I am aware of," she took out another loaf of bread and set it by them in case it was needed.

"You take the mountain path and may leave offerings and prayers at the shrine." she nodded again and toddled off into the kitchen leaving the bartender, now sweeping the floor, to tend them.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

As she left, Bubba said, "Leanna. Was that the name of the Goddess we were told to search out? For the life of me, I can't remember now." He chided himself silently for having such a poor memory. Perhaps he should pray to this Leanna for a better one while they were there.

"I don't think it is Bubba", said Hunnie in reply. "The name does not sound at all familiar to me." She broke off a piece of bread, dipped it in the stew and placed it in her mouth. After swallowing she said, "This is so good! Let's just eat, get washed up and get a good nights sleep. We can ask more questions in the morning before walking to the shrine. If it's not the right one, perhaps the barmaid will be able to direct us to the correct one."

Bubba shook his head in agreement, since his mouth was full of stew, and together the two of them emptied their bowls and finished off all of the bread provided. It really had been a long time since they had eaten so well. Luckily they had enough money saved, from not having spent every night in an inn, to be able to pay for it. When they were done, they gathered their few belongings and made their way up the stairs to their room. It was pleasantly furnished, with a bed large enough for the both of them, luxurious carpeting and bedding, and over in a corner, behind a screen, they found a large tub for bathing. There was a bucket on the floor next to it, which Bubba took downstairs and had filled with water. Back in the room, he placed it over the now roaring fire, and when it was hot enough, poured it into the tub so Hunnie could bath. Meanwhile, he went back downstairs and out to the waterpump, where he washed the dust of the road off of his body with the icy, cold water. Feeling refreshed, he went back to their room, found Hunnie already dozing in the bed, and climbing in beside her, fell asleep in no time at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the morning, they awoke to the sun, shining in through the curtains over the window. They both stretched, kissed each other, and gathering their things, made their way downstairs to the smells of a wonderful breakfast being cooked. They sat down at the same table they had used the night before, and waited for the barmaid, or the bartender to come and take their order.

"We had best find out if the shrine she spoke of last night is the correct one," said Hunnie. "It would be a waste of time and effort to walk to it, only to find that it is the wrong one."

Bubba agreed, and waited for someone to come to their table.  

[DieKraft Fe-Amon]

Only the barmaid was up at this hour,
and she toddled about cleaning and sweeping and setting up chairs when she noticed the lot who had rejoined them for breakfast.

She went into the kitchen and brought out sausages and eggs and a fresh loaf of bread, setting it all on the table gingerly.

"Sorry--I have been distracted. Anything else?" she asked, not sure what else they could want, the couple seemed happy enough.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

As the barmaid laid their breakfast on the table, Bubba said, "Actually yes. This shrine you mentioned last night, the one nearby, we're unsure of whether or not it's the one we are looking for. Could you tell us what prayers the Goddess Leanna is likely to answer? It would be pointless for us to visit it, if she is not bound to consider our request."

He was still uneasy about telling strangers what it was they were going to ask for. After all, he was a stallion, and it was embarrassing to have to admit that up to this point in their relationship, he had been unable to get his wife pregnant.  

[DieKraft Fe-Amon]

The barmaid looked confused
How did they come here not knowing of Elen? She blinked a couple times then answered.

"The Goddess is a guiding light--she points those in the direction they need to go and expedites quests with knowledge and skills. I have heard that she once granted a power to a non-miw!" her eyes were wide by this point, she had heard the story many times and remembered it fondly.

"If you seek her help she will point you in the right direction--the guiding star and the first light on the path--she keeps watch over travelers and the like, let me know if you need anything else." She toddled back off behind the bar, prepping the remainder of the morning for the evening when hunters and the like would return. She wished a traveling salesman would get back up the mountain as she was in need of supplies...  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

Bubba and Hunnie looked at each as the barmaid left, and both started to speak at the same moment.

"I don't..." said Hunnie.

"Perhaps we..." started Bubba at the same moment. They both stopped and laughed, the first time they had laughed since beginning this journey. "Go ahead dear, what were you going to say," he finished.

"I was going to say I don't think we have traveled to the right shrine," said Hunnie.

Bubba reached over and took her hand in his as he said, "But she said the Goddess points travelers in the direction they need to go, so perhaps that is why we are here. I think we should go to her shrine, and ask her to guide us on our next leg of the journey." He hated to see disappointment on the face of his wife, and if he could keep her hopes up, he would say whatever he needed to say. "Why don't we get directions to the shrine, and see what we shall see?" He squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes, waiting for her answer.

Hunnie knew her husbands tricks, but she wasn't one to let on that she knew. She really did hope that the Goddess would direct them, but she couldn't help but think that they had traveled all this way by mistake. That the shrine they wanted was miles in the opposite direction. But since they were here, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to visit the shrine anyway. "Very well dear. Ask the barkeep or the barmaid for directions, and I will go up and pack our things for the journey. But let us eat this wonderful food she brought us first, and then we can go." Bubba laughed at his wife's request, for she was never one to let good food go to waste. They ate their fill, and then Hunnie went back upstairs, while Bubba got up and walked to the bar.

"Excuse me, but could I get directions to the Goddess's shrine please?" he asked the barmaid, who was still working behind the bar.  

[DieKraft Fe-Amon]

The maid looked up and came from behind the bar, her hands opened the side door to the path.

"Simply follow the path. it is not dangerous this time of year. You're travelers so you should do just fine." she nodded, going back behind the bar to finish her work.

((Go ahead and post your prayer in your next post if you'r ready ^^. ))  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

Bubba thanked the barmaid, and then headed upstairs. He met Hunnie on the stairs as she was coming down with their packs, and relieving her of them, he said, "We're in luck. There is a path that leads from here, directly to the shrine. We'll find it without any trouble." He led her to the door the barmaid had shown him, and left her there as he went and paid for their nights food and lodging. Ten minutes later the inn was at their backs, and the path lay ahead of them, winding its way deeper into the mountain.

The path was in constant shadow, as the walls of rock on both sides kept the sun from reaching the ground, so they pulled their cloaks closer to their bodies, and continued on. As they rounded a turn in the path, they saw the shrine before them. When they reached it, they stood there trying to figure out what their prayer should be. Bubba said, "I think we should each make our own prayer. I will ask for virility, so that I can get you pregnant, and you can ask for fertility, so that you might become pregnant." Hunnie agreed with his suggestion, and they each took turns kneeling before the shrine, and voicing their prayers.

Bubba went first, so that Hunnie would have time to formulate her prayer. "Goddess Leanna, I come to you today to ask for your blessing. I have been unable to get my wife pregnant. If you could see it in your mercy to grant me virility, I would be eternally grateful." It suddenly occurred to him that perhaps he and Hunnie should offer something to the Goddess in exchange. They hadn't brought anything with them which they could leave. Then he realized he was wearing the flower crown he had been awarded during the Hunt for the Stag King. He reached up, removed the crown from his head and placed it down upon the ground in front of the shrine. He then stood, and made room for Hunnie to pray her prayer.

Hunnie watched as Bubba placed his crown of flowers on the ground, and knew she would do the same. She moved to take his place before the shrine and began. "Oh beautiful Goddess, it is my dearest desire to have a child, but I have been unable to do so up til now. If it be your will, I know that you will guide me down the path I must walk, in order to become fertile, and be graced with a child." She then placed her own flower crown, which she had received after the Bearing the Crown event, on the ground next to Bubba's. She then stood and walked over to Bubba's side. "Now what?" she asked. "Do we wait here for an answer?" Bubba had no idea himself, so he said, "I say we go back to the inn. If necessary, we can wait there. Perhaps the barmaid will have some suggestion for us."  

[DieKraft Fe-Amon]

As the two turned to leave a ray of sunshine broke clear through the temple. Their prayer had been heard...

Upon the steps the flower crowns placed there ebgan to turn a bright white and glow as they became one. The singular sphere was radiating light and faded, falling to the ground. Where they had previously been a piece of paper lie.

Upon unfolding, it can be read to indicate the Potions Master's Tower in the southern fields of Meardhon.

In runes at its edges is a repeating phrase:
"Seek only for those who seek to bind and leave all worldly things behind.
A child is what is often desired your love's truth will tested be by fire."

Your Quest is before you; use the Gift of Elen to find what it is you seek in youre heart of hearts.

Shanra the Dragon Bard