146 Superstition (1/2)
High up in the sky, the sun shot its rays onto the crew and captain of the Homeward, the flagship of Atau's fleet. Although the celestial mother did its best to ease the icy grip of winter, a constant wind blew from the east and carried with it the dreariness of the open seas. Beyond the horizons in the east would be the serpent cliffs, an inauspicious place that had almost killed their great ancestors, if the old legends rang true.
Despite its source, the breeze was fresh, and the direction was good enough to let them move south, back to Port Ulta, their destination. There was a prickling in his fingers, as the cold winds wormed their way into his flesh, but Atau had always loved the cold. Whenever icy weather encroached around him, he could feel his body fight off the invaders, fight for every inch of warmth. To him, the cold made him feel alive. All in all, it was a beautiful day for sailing. Even so, the words of the old priest never let him go.
”The snake and monkey stand in the fox's shadow. The stars have told of a storm that brews in the east, and of rough seas on your journey.”
Of course he knew it was delusional, but as a sailor, superstition was his bread and butter. After all, superstition was the belief that their trivial actions could influence the mighty forces of nature. In the face of high waves, low tides, storms, sandbanks, earthquakes and Doldrums, it was the only thing they could do to stem the tide of insanity. Any sailor who believed themselves powerless in front of destiny wouldn't sail the seas for long.
However, when superstition dealt with fate, it became dangerous. What the Grand Seer had told him had made him feel weaker in front of fate, not stronger. With a frown, Atau thought back to his meeting with the priest back in Port Ulta.
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When he met the bald-headed boy in the gray linen robes, Atau had been surprised. However, the youngster's next words caused a downright shock.
”Young master Saqartu, my teacher wishes to meet you.”
”...the Great Seer invites me?” Atau's brows drew together. On any other day, the seers wouldn't meet anyone on their own accord, be their mortal or cultivator. Even the emperors of Medala would only be called into the shrines of the priests on the first day of their coronation and then on the winter solstice every twelve years.
Apart from those meetings, the seers would keep their door open for guests, but they had to pay good coin to have their fate read, or the fate of their dead relatives. Like most Yaku, Atau had heard rumors that the seers would sometimes invite people from all walks of life. According to the rumors, this would happen whenever they read an issue of importance within the stars and needed to relay important messages from the Divines among the stars to the humans below. Of course, the captain put no stake in these stories. Why would the seers undermine their own business model?
If Brym had been here, maybe he would have considered that the priests had spread the rumors themselves, to increase their own reputation among the common folk and legitimize their pointless hobby, but right now, it was only Atau by himself. Not only had the captain been raised Medalan, with a decent fear of the deep dark sea and the force of the stars, he had also become one of the best navigators in the known world over the past few years. He knew just how important knowledge of the stars was for a civilization, and no one knew more about the stars than the priests and seers of the Pacha faith, not even Corco.
While he thought about this and that, the young servant had led him into the inner city of Port Ulta. Although Mason had ruined their relationship with the local lord before, Atau had done his best to repair the holes their cannons had left in the prideful coat of the local lord. At least young master Pahuac Villca had been a great help in this regard.
Thus, after some hard negotiations and many greased palms, he had been allowed inside. At last, he and his crew were free to use the ports of the city, even though the tariffs were outrageous compared to most other estates. Despite his best efforts, Atau could still feel the hostile stares all around him. At least for a while longer, all the warriors in the city would consider him a threat.
Though of course, once their trade route between southern and eastern Medala was established, Port Ulta would become so rich off of their business that they should change attitudes right quick. For now, getting the local priests on his side would be a good next step. Thus he was glad to follow the young priest through the inner city, towards a portion where the walls reached into the bay of Ulta itself, the quarter of the priests. Although the placement of the walls made the city easier to attack from the sea, the halls of the priesthood were worthy of protection more than anything in the port town.
”Here it is, young master Saqartu.” Although he young priest had called him by a title he hadn't worn since his exile from House Saqartu, Atau didn't really care. His mind was occupied by his view upon the Great Caverns, the local temple of Pacha within Port Ulta, and one of the seventeen great holy sites of pilgrimage upon Yakuallpa.
The caves of Qyuluramacai might have been a natural formation of sandstone and feldspar several million years ago, the kind of stone much of the Sallqata mountain range was made up of. However, here the special current within the Bay of Ulta had caused water to rush under the stones. Over a time span his mortal could could not comprehend, the waves washed out the sandstone layers. At least that was the theory Atau had come up with in his head, based on what Corco had taught him about geology.
The result was a stunning system of caves, half underwater and half in the open air, full of holes and snaking tunnels, smooth as glass. Within this beautiful construction of nature, under a giant round hole in the cavern's ceiling, stood the round complex of the local Pacha shrine. Though the buildings were huddled in a circle like in other shrines, here the building materials had been taken from different parts of the cavern. Within the dim light, the small, crooked houses looked like they had stood in this place since the dawn of time. Just like all the other holy sites of Pacha, here as well, the local Grand Seer sat all day to stare at the water and the stars, in the hopes that the Divines would reveal the mysteries of the universe to him.
”Young master Saqartu, the Grand Seer will see you right away. Please step inside.”
”Right.” After a deep breath of the salty air, Atau stepped over the rounded steps and deeper into the murky shrine.
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