awaicu » Hibernal Den » Elias

Elias

(#15865794)

Now, repeat after me. . . | he/him

Familiar

Marble Lightweaver

Energy: 50/50

Personal Style

Apparel

Skin

Scene

Physical Attributes

Battle Stats

Measurements

Length

5.21 m

Wingspan

5.05 m

Weight

438.48 kg

Genetics

Obsidian
Vipera

Gold
Facet

Gold
Glimmer

Hatchday

Aug 14, 2015
(8 years)

Breed

Adult
Wildclaw

Eye Type

Light
Common

Level 1 Wildclaw

EXP: 0 / 245

STR

AGI

DEF

QCK

INT

VIT

MND

Lineage

Parents

Bau
Yanara

Offspring

Biography

E L I A S^♫

THE ARBITER

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I N F O
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Mate: Exclusive
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R E L A T I O N S

_MASTER

MATE

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". . ."

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From the moment Elias was born, he was conscious of a great light burning in the distance, outshining the very sky: it looked as if the sun had descended to the earth. His mother explained to him, “It is the Beacon of the Radiant Eye. Our deity resides there, watching over us all.”

Elias blinked his bright gold eyes. “What is a ‘deity’?”

His mother could have given the usual explanation: “The forces of nature and magic made flesh, an all-powerful ruler over dragonkind.” But she did not think her little one would understand yet. So instead, she answered, “A deity is a force for good. Indeed, all deities are good dragons....”

In time, Elias' understanding grew, and he received the more nuanced explanation of what a deity was. The explanations given by priests and scholars were incredibly detailed, almost tiresome, and Elias preferred his mother’s earlier answer. It was exquisite in its simplicity, as all things should be.

Elias' father was not often present during his son’s formative years. He nonetheless loomed large in Elias' perception of the world, for he had an earthshaking responsibility: He protected dragons who were to be exalted. Although he, too, had been born in the Sunbeam Ruins, his duties took him abroad, where he directed would-be warriors to the gods. Elias' father...His very own father...He had seen the gods! He served those magnificent beings; he was devoted to the forces of good. He was a hero!

Elias wanted to be just as good, heroic, and pleasing to the gods. He decided to become a priest so that he, too, could direct dragons to their deities.

As a priest, Elias would be expected to answer questions about ethics and morality. His studies were supposed to help him learn more and become secure in his devotion. But for Elias, a curious thing happened: The more he studied, the more he began to doubt.

While he did not doubt the deities (for really, who could understand the gods?), he became unsure about the criteria for exaltation. He saw infirm elders sent to serve the gods; he saw children given up by their families, sometimes mere hours after they had hatched. It was not the gods who chose who would be exalted; the gods welcomed and protected everybody. But it was other dragons who chose their exaltees. Elias began to hear terrible stories about dragons being forced into exaltation. About how some clans treated exaltation as a punishment...And those who did volunteer—what if they were unsuited for the task? What if they were too weak; what if their devotion was lacking?

Elias studied these cases intently. He kept them catalogued in his temple, so that he could quickly refer to them. Alongside them he kept treatises on ethics and morality, lofty tomes of religion and law. He even reached out to his father at one point.

Bau did not seem to understand Elias' concern: “Dragons are exalted, or else they are not,” he said with a dismissive shrug. “It matters not to me what their reasons are, only that I see them safely to the gods. Whether or not they wish to be exalted is their problem and their clan’s, but once the decision has been made, it is my duty to guide them to their deity. And that is all.”

Elias' doubts continued plaguing him as time passed. Even when he was finally ordained as a Light Priest, the doubts smote him, for many dragons besought his aid in matters of exaltation: “I have chosen to exalt this member of my clan....Is my decision just?”

“All decisions to serve the gods are just,” Elias answered automatically. But inside, he questioned himself, “How can we mortals be sure that our decisions on who is worthy of the gods or not are just?”

Elias had by then been the High Priest of his temple for many decades, but had not yet found an answer to his questions. He would have to search elsewhere.

He left his temple in the care of his subordinates and started on a long and arduous journey. He was in search of knowledge, and as he had learned from his years of fruitless study, it was a difficult thing to find. Nonetheless, the same devotion that had spurred him to become a Light priest now spurred him to justify one of his greatest duties. And so he came to the Cathedral of Eyes.

It was dusk when he arrived. He lifted his fist and banged on the great door. It opened a crack, and a great black Imperial peered out, his expression cold and unwelcoming. His name was Sebastian, and he was the Cathedral’s doorkeeper.

“We are not expecting visitors,” he hissed. He squinted at Elias' clothes. They were tattered from months of hard travel, but the four-rayed crest still shone true. The Imperial had been instructed to get rid of intruders. But this dragon was a priest of the Lightweaver, and Sebastian reckoned it would be unwise to anger her while they resided on her territory. So he added grudgingly, “My apologies. Seek board and lodging elsewhere.”

“I am not here for board and lodging,” Elias shouted back, for the door was already closing. “I come in search of knowledge, in search of wisdom.”

“Bah,” answered Sebastian, and he shut the door. He twitched his tail and went deeper into the vastness of the Cathedral.

He soon came to the room where Cipher resided. The golden demon leaned forward, a smile on his glittering face.

“There is a traveler at the front door: a High Priest of the Lightweaver.” And Sebastian, previously so solid and implacable, now shifted uneasily. “He claims he is searching for knowledge and wisdom.”

“Wisdom?” It was nearly a whisper. A dry, crackling noise rippled around the room, and Sebastian stepped back, for Cipher was laughing.

“Ahh, that’s rich! A priest with a sense of humor is a rare and wonderful find.” And the Spiral’s jaws parted in a sword-sharp smile. “This priest, is he still at our door?”

Sebastian could hear Elias continuing to knock, the echoes reverberating from above. Hesitantly, he nodded.

“What a persistent soul he has. Sebastian, you should not keep this guest waiting—for indeed, he is now our guest.” Cipher continued to smile, though his eyes now glittered coldly. “Let him enter, and make sure he is not lost any further than he already is. Bring him straight to me.”

Elias had not ceased knocking, and soon his patience was rewarded. The door creaked open again.

“I have been instructed to allow you entry. Cipher wishes to see you,” Sebastian explained. He stood back to let the Wildclaw enter. Beyond him, Elias saw soaring halls of gold, mirror-bright walls and a dazzling floor.

The sun had already set some time ago. Elias shivered, but not because of the cold. He resisted the urge to look back as Sebastian shut the door. And then he followed the doorkeeper into the Cathedral’s depths. His reflection peered back from the polished walls; self-consciously he reached up, adjusted his mantle. Underneath the dust, he could still see the Lightweaver’s rune.

At last, Sebastian stopped beside a portico of sculpted gold. “You are to enter,” he explained, and he strode away again.

The room was filled with manuscripts. Battalions of books marched upon the shelves; scrolls peered down from above. And at the center of the room was a Spiral. The plinth stop which he was coiled looked to have been made from solid gold, but it paled next to his glittering yellow scales. If not for his inquisitive eyes, Elias would have thought him a statue, melded with his plinth.

“Welcome to the Cathedral of Eyes,” the Spiral greeted him. His voice was soft and warm. “Come inside, Elias. Sit down. It doesn’t look as if you’ve had a short or easy journey.”

“You know my name.” Elias was not surprised. He surmised that by now, everybody had heard of the ragged priest hounding other scholars on matters of law and exaltation.

“You’ve arrived in search of knowledge, Sebastian tells me. Perhaps I can be of assistance. I am Cipher.”

The Wildclaw did not take a seat. Instead, he sketched a rune in the air. It quickly dissolved, and his eyes went wide—now he saw what Cipher truly was.

“You are a demon!” He’d heard the rumors but hadn’t believed such a thing could exist here....A demon...!

Cipher was unfazed. The extra eye between his horns held Elias' gaze, its slit pupil contracting. “I understand your concern. But I am not in league with the Shade.” He smiled gently. “Is that not enough for you?”

Elias clutched his mantle nervously, almost as if it were a shield. “I am the Lightweaver’s servant,” he reminded himself. “No demon can harm me while my devotion is secure. And my mission is just. I will prevail.”

He finally sat down.

The eye upon Cipher’s brow blinked lazily, looking about the room. “It is a matter of morality that plagues you. Would you care to elucidate?”

Elias explained how others chose dragons to be exalted and he, as a High Priest, was expected to give them his blessing. Yet he could not with good conscience bless those he judged as unfit for exaltation. He would ask himself: Were these dragons really suitable or unsuitable? Who was he to judge them? Who were other dragons to decide? He eventually concluded, “If there is an absolute criteria by which exaltees may be selected, I would gladly have it—it would show us the best way to serve our gods!”

The demon nodded. “It’s intriguing....Those who come here are concerned with earthly matters, yet you wish to untangle the threads of morality! I am sorry to say that the criteria you seek does not exist.”

Before Elias could protest, Cipher waggled a finger. “There is another way: It is possible for us to know a single dragon’s life in full—and thus we may judge if they were fit to be exalted or not.”

Elias understood. They would know if a dragon would remain forever devoted to their god; they would know if the dragon had ever been Shade-touched or not...It wasn’t an all-encompassing criteria; it was even better. A pinpoint-precise way to determine if a dragon could be exalted—and, if not, how they could still serve the gods.

Cipher uncoiled himself. He indicated the room around them. “Each of these manuscripts is a dragon’s life. Find and peruse the manuscript of a dragon’s life, and it will help you judge if they were worthy or un-.”

Elias barely heard him. He had found the answer to his questions! “Let me read,” he begged. “Help me find those who will be worthy....” He trailed off, for Cipher was now shaking his head in refusal. Refusal...!

“Knowledge is precious. I cannot surrender such a treasure so lightly—and after all, we’ve only just met.”

Elias' objections died in his throat as he heard this. “You want my soul,” he realized. Cipher was a demon—his kind fed on souls.

“You’re hesitating? I’m not surprised, but it is a pity. I had thought that you would value this knowledge above all else.”

Elias had thought so, too. Why was he hesitating?

Years of indoctrination nudged him: “The Lightweaver will protect me. My cause is just. I shall acquire this knowledge and be free of torment; I shall prevail!”

“Let me read the manuscripts,” he said to Cipher, “and you may have my soul.”

The demon’s smile grew wider. And thus the High Priest signed away his soul, secure in the belief he was armored against such thefts by his god.

He was wrong. He had forgotten that his soul belonged to him alone, and so what he did with it was his own affair. The Lightweaver could not undo the decisions he had voluntarily made, even if they concerned his soul.

Immediately after forging the pact, a great many voices fluttered into his mind. They were like moths against a windowpane, whispering....

“Welcome to the Royal Council, Elias.” Cipher’s voice was loudest, no longer as warm as a candle flame, but crackling, painful, like a wildfire tearing through trees. “We are pleased to have you. I offered you this opportunity because I think you can help me with something....”

As Cipher had said, most dragons who had come here had been bent on worldly matters. Elias' concerns had been entirely new, and so Cipher had grown curious about them. The hunger for knowledge that had plagued Cipher now returned in full force, burning deep inside him. It was no longer exclusively his, though—he also felt the demon’s thirst, for now he was bound to Cipher.

“What is this ‘law and order’ you speak of? This ‘ethics’, this ‘morality’? Can a demon like me truly know?” Cipher stared at Elias. “I must know,” he whispered urgently. “You have read...case studies....It’s a case-by-case basis, then? No wonder you were so restless in your pursuit of knowledge. I can respect that. Let me share that burden with you....Point the way to the manuscripts that failed to reassure you in the first place. Perhaps, working together with all of us, you may find the peace you seek....”

The High Priest strode back towards the door. He now knew the way. He undid his mantle as he went; he trod on it carelessly as he walked on, leaving a dusty footprint upon the Lightweaver’s rune.

Months later, the temple was broken into. The thieves made no effort to conceal themselves; they were protected by forces beyond the ability of the priests to combat, and they walked in and out unharmed. They took several manuscripts, treatises on law and order. Records. Case studies. They were led by a Wildclaw with blazing wings, and though the priests hesitated at first, they eventually admitted he strongly resembled Elias.

He was no longer Elias. He was a part of Cipher now, another appendage for the demon to use as he pleased.

Cipher kept his word. It was indeed possible to know a dragon’s life in full—if they were already dead. All the books Elias read contained the lives of dead dragons, who could not have been exalted anyway. If he’d paid more careful attention to Cipher’s tenses, he might have been alerted....

Nowadays, it doesn’t matter to Elias if those dragons are dead and gone. He reads the books for a different purpose. Guided by the Council’s whispers, he selects a book. He peruses it and then nods.... “Yes,” he agrees, “this one is worthy.”

The dragon’s life is then turned into a play for opera-goers to enjoy. These productions are always magnificent and invariably move the audience to standing ovations. Everyone agrees that the story was great, and there is nothing but praise for the dragon whose life they have just seen.

It is exaltation, in a way.

~ written by Disillusionist (254672)
all edits by other users

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Exalting Elias to the service of the Lightweaver will remove them from your lair forever. They will leave behind a small sum of riches that they have accumulated. This action is irreversible.

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