A Visit To The Shrine

Entering the Veiled Shrine, Shy would find the place much changed. The circular pool would be the only thing consistent. The walls would be a sandy-colored stone marked with pictographs in a foreign language. Torches in wall sconces provided illumination, and many decorative items, from urns to tapestries and small statues would be everywhere.

And centered would be three creatures. The two were an Athid and a Lepicerin, seated before and to either side of a gaunt, shadow-dripping bird who was settled upon a dais like some kind of ruler. It was the avian who who studied Shy before giving a nod.

Yes, she said, her voice a soft, sepulchral whisper. We have waited long for you. The bunny hesitated no longer, bounding forward happily to dance around Shy.

Waiting long! he said in a broken sentence. Asar! Me! The Athid approached with his feet clicking lightly against the stone floor, coming to stand before Shy.

I am glad to meet you at last.

From the dais the bird spoke again.

I will meet you outside. What you see here is but an image of my true self. And with that his form would fade away in a swirl of shadow.

When Shy departed they would see quite well what the bird had meant, as instead of a normal-sized Sacred Ibis it would be a Roc Sacred Ibis, towering over the Shrine from a nearby ledge where it perched, awaiting its own name.


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A Little Ray of Sunshine Male Pygmy Lepicerin, Asar

Mindspeech: Bold #9effd0

It's never a hard thing to know when Asar is around.

Just listen for the happy 'singing' and look for the dancing rabbit.

Asar is a joyful sort of Lepicerin, always seeing the bright side of any day and throwing a willing heart and set of paws to any task. Though true he can't sing lyrics very well - his grasp of Mindspeech words being limited to one or two word sentences at a time - he can mindvocalize a solid 'do do do' or 'la la la di dah,' with quite a good ear for pitch. He's a champion digger as well and if you need a garden dug look no further! (Just watch out for flying dirt.)

As the day winds down however Asar becomes a quiet snuggle bug, wanting little more than to cuddle with loved ones and hum a peaceful tune as he drifts off to sleep.

Physically Asar appears much like a Baladi Rabbit, and like the desert rabbit can tolerate quite a bit of heat though he is considerably smaller than the actual breed at barely six inches long. His short fur is dusty brown, giving him good camouflage in such environments, and his eyes are blue.


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Blessed are the Peacemakers Genderless Solar Athid

Mindspeech: Color #3e35d0

When they were a young Athid Blessed saw something that would forever impact their life: They saw the aftermath of a brawl gone horribly wrong. What began as a simple argument that they couldn't de-escalate due to their inexperience exploded into blades, blood, and death. While left unharmed Blessed made the decision to not only learn as much as they could to prevent such an incident in the future but that they would refuse to use violence for any reason.

In short, Blessed is a pacifist. They Mindspeak in a quiet, steady voice never lifted in anger and move about in such a manner that gives the impression of serenity. They feel anger, of course, as well as all other emotions like any living creature but have mastered their ability to control their emotions and themselves. They are a wellspring of legal and cultural knowledge gathered so that they more fully understand every nuance of disagreements. They also have a habit - call it bad or good at your discretion - of physically getting in the way of that first blow when they are able. Oftentimes they've seen that when the one pleading with others not to fight takes a hit it stops the aggressions for a minute or two, which can give them the time they need to get others to see reason.

When there is no arguments to deal with, Blessed is a warm, friendly individual who willingly listens to others problems to offer what advice they can, though they sometimes struggle to give voice to their own troubles.

In appearance Blessed is a two-foot long scarab battle with a charcoal-colored carapace. While some may worry about them overheating it's actually quite a handy coloration as literally their entire body is their solar panel, absorbing sunlight for conversion to energy. Their eyes are two multi-faceted amber gemstones and the tips of their antenna match.


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Fear Not; Death is but a Sacred Gateway Female Hope Giver Night Roc

Mindspeech: Bold Italics #cec11e

It is a simple fact of life that everything dies. Plants, animals, and every being that is born will eventually die. Even those deemed immortal can die, either by injury or by simply the end of everything. The only thing uncertain about death is how it will come: disease, injury, simple old age, tragedy or gently. And it is this inevitability, thus unpredictability, that frightens people.

But there is nothing to fear. Death is but a portal, a doorway to another place. It is neither good nor evil, it simply is. And Sacred Gate is one of its many Gatekeepers.

Sacred Gate is a repository of final and funerary rites from many cultures, though her favorite are ancient rites. She can both assist at beside and graveside, answering many questions save for what exactly lay upon the other side. She's very calm in the face of death in any form, and surprisingly compassionate for a rank known for their lack of social graces. However she does show a temper towards those who desecrate funeral grounds or funerals in process, flying against them in a fury of curses of the ancient, tomb-protecting kind. Death, after all, is sacred.

Sacred Gate strongly resembles a sacred ibis save for her coloration. Like the bird her head and a bit of her neck are featherless showing the black skin beneath. The ebony coloration shadows her plumage as well including the wispy feathers along her back. When she lifts her wings dark red lines that seem to trace her wingbones are visible, as are the soot colored tips to each primary wingfeather. Her long legs, perfect for striding along the other sands or in water, start black and fade to the same dark red as is under his wings. Like other Night Rocs, while her more mundane counterparts appear quite robust, Sacred Gate appears rather underfed and thin, regardless of her fine health and appetite.