Re: Festival of Journeys - Aerial Pavilion
As Vanileth's vast skyreme comes into view, floating at reduced speed toward the Aerial Pavilion on Essence-powered turbines, High Priestess Laelia steps forward and activates her own pectoral. Sophia, Falcon and Lonan stand aside, giving room for her robed acolytes assemble to form a choir in a V formation, like wings opening outward with the Priestess at the center.
Laelia begins by facing toward Vanileth, extolling the virtues of his purview, which allows humans to touch the sky, triumph in aerial combat and exult in the glory of flight. In the name of Anthegenia and her guests, she gives thanks for every form of artificial flight, from the simplest kite and gliding harness, to the personal artifacts that give its wearers wings, to the panoply of flying ships that represent every nation present for today's Festival of Journeys, which would be greatly diminished without Vanileth's presence.
Both she and her choir activate their wings: Laelia's a pure white tinged with gold, while her choir members sprout Essence wings of every color of the rainbow. Together they rise, so they float high above the stage, and Laelia directs her gestures downward, toward the City. She gives praise to the Handmaiden of the Sun, for her beauty and her purity, for the flowers that are her gifts to the world, the morning glory and the daylily. She leads a hymn of Vesperna's blessing, which protects Anthegenia from the brightest and hottest rays of the Sun, from the fury of storms and lightning, from the enemies who would wish the City or her people harm.
For every cardinal direction of Creation, Laelia utters a prayer and leads an answering refrain for Mercury, the Maiden of Journeys. Here she praises not only aerial travel (North), but sailing upon the vast ocean (West), crossing sand dune and savannah (South), riding across grassy plains (East), and scaling the highest of mountains (Center). Though Vanileth provides the means of flight, the Journey between one point and the next is guided by the Maiden's own hand, Laelia proclaims, and thus everyone present today is Her passenger. She asks that Mercury watch over the races and demonstrations today so that they are both safe and fair.
Then High Priestess Laelia's face tilts up toward the rising Sun, her arms spread wide as her wings hold her steadily aloft. Her paean for the Unconquered Sun is one of the peaks of the ceremony, rising from alto to glorious soprano as her choir serves as harmonic accompaniment. Her golden anima blossoms in an array of sun-touched lilies as she glorifies the Celestial body that Exalted her, for without Him shining over Gaia there would be no light or warmth on Creation; all plants would wither and all life and vitality would fade; all those who mean ill for Creation would grow strong in the shadow of His absence!
In conclusion, the Priestess floats back down to the stage, and returns her attention to Vanileth. With words both humble and gracious she prays that the city, nay, all of Creation flourishes from his generosity, and expresses hope that with his continued guidance the technology he has gifted them will continue to progress in leaps and bounds, so that all mortals, Exalt or otherwise, may navigate the skies in his name.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:03, Tue 06 Oct 2009.