The day at the temple had been much like any other. He quietly went about his duties, trying to stay out of the way, doing his best to be ignored. He understood his role here, “Do not be noticed and keep everything tidy”. He spent his time thinking and listening to the world around him. He moved over to a table where a patron had left a pile of scrolls and parchments scattered everywhere. He sighed and began to organize the items to be shelved in their proper places. As he did so he reminisced about his life in this place.
The temple of Ioun was more an immense library than a temple proper and he had spent most of his life here. The temple was dedicated to the god Ioun, the god of the mind, truth and knowledge and as such it was the largest public collection of information in the city of Zarcharis. It was a rather easy life in the temple; the number one rule was easy enough for him to follow, “Be QUIET”. He had never spoken a word to anyone in the temple, or outside of it for that matter. In fact, he had never spoken a word in his life.
He had wandered into the temple as a young child. The priests saw him wandering around the many shelves and levels of the library and questioned him; “Who are you” “What is your name” “Who are your parents”. The boy looked at them with understanding in his eyes, but could not form the words to answer their probing. After some time, the priests discerned his ailment, the boy was a mute. Barrin, a rather eccentric priest, took a particular interest in the child. Indeed, it was Barrin who had decided to give him a home in the temple, and gave him his
name: Ricin. Barrin provided Ricin an education that far exceeded any other child’s in the city. Unlimited resources were at his disposal and Ricin proved to be an insatiable learner. So Ricin grew into a young man and spent his life there within the walls performing mundane tasks and reading anything he could.
He finished placing the scrolls and parchments in their correct places. The temple library was closing soon so he hustled about making sure everything was in its place for tomorrow’s patrons. That night, just like every night, Ricin took an armful of scrolls to his room and settled in to read them all before he went to sleep. He had done this ritual every night since Barrin had taught him to read. Recently, he began to catch Barrin staring at him intently, watching him read, and studying him and tonight he had made plans to ask what it was that Barrin was looking for. He settled into his chair, lit some candles and began to read another scroll on the history of Zarcharis-Taoul. Not long into it, he heard the door open and Barrin stepped in. He turned to greet the priest kindly and saw that Barrin was again staring at him intently. He furrowed his brow, asking with facial features what Barrin was doing. Barrin never moved, never blinked; he just stood there, eyes fixed on Ricin. In his hands, he held a small orb that Ricin had never seen before. It faintly glowed, giving off a pale blue light.
Ricin froze, unsure of how to react to this strange behavior.
“What do you want?” he thought to himself, aiming the question towards Barrin.
“Just that Ricin”, the thought came screaming into his mind, a voice not his own. Barrin’s voice!
Ricin jumped up from his seat, confusion and excitement building in his mind. He turned to Barrin, facial expressions demanding answers to the exchange. Barrin looked at him with equal excitement and motioned for him to sit back down. Pulling up a chair beside him, Barrin began to explain, “I had always though you might possess capabilities that are seldom seen in the human race, indeed, in many races on the surface world.”
“What capabilities? What do you mean” Ricin thought to himself.
Barrin looked at him sternly; his demeanor emulating the same of Ricin’s learning years, that of the insistent teacher.
“It is perfectly acceptable to aim your questioning thoughts towards me Ricin! There is no need to be impolite”
“Sorry, Master. I am just… unsure of all of this. How did you know?”
“The day you wandered into the temple I knew there was something different about you my lad. Call it an old man’s intuition, or the faint hope of an eccentric fool”, he chuckled audibly to himself.
“This”, Ricin paused, “This is amazing! I can talk to you; in a manner of speaking”. The pun was not lost on the bright young scholar or his master. His eyes beamed with joy at the thoughts of his new found abilities.
“Oh, Ricin, you can do so much more than that my lad. Come now, it is time for another series of lessons. You know about the history of this city; now I shall teach you of its current situation. Not only that, it is time we trained you to use this wonderful gift”.
3 years later…
Barrin had showed him much in the last few years. Day after day, night after night, he would take him out into the streets to see the true face of Zarcharis. He would take Ricin to the Tribunal courts to witness the injustice; they would comb the dregs in the dead of night and see the squalor and poverty of the masses. Upon returning to the temple from these forays he would demand that Ricin train and hone his new found abilities. So it went for years, until the day came when Barrin could no longer make the trips with him. The old priest had grown older, his body failing.
Ricin sat alone in his room. Scrolls lay strewn about his desk from another nights reading. His desire for knowledge, for truth, was as insatiable as ever. He sat on the floor, calmly meditating, easing his mind. He directed it out on the streets of Zarcharis, probing them, an invisible eye in the dark alleys. He passed many places his Mind’s Eye could not penetrate, shadows too deep for him pierce; no not shadows… smoke. The city was burning, smoldering in a pile of ashes of corruption, greed and malice. There was pain, so much pain, and grief; he could sense it, threatening to overwhelm him. A scream cut through the still night, the flames of the city grew hotter and Ricin was thrust back into his own mind. He took a moment to survey his room. Through the window he saw the same dark night that was present earlier. The city was not truly burning; the smoke was not real, just figments in his mind.
Ricin looked down to the orb in his hands, a gift from Barrin; it was still shining a brilliant blue, casting his entire arm in a bright blue flame. Ricin waited until the orb faded back to its normal state and lifted himself off of the floor. He made his way to Barrin’s room hoping to catch the old priest before he went to sleep for the evening. He slowly cracked open the door just to see if his master was awake. Across the room he could see Barrin lying on his bed, his back towards the door. Ricin began to slowly close the door back until he heard a familiar voice in his head, “Come in my lad. I am not yet asleep”.
Ricin walked into the room but his senses told him something was amiss. He looked to Barrin who had managed to turn over and sit up on the bed. Barrin was old, the years of service to Ioun in the temple and the relentless training and education of his protégé had taken their toll on the man’s body.
“Ricin, my boy, tell me: What did your meditations show to you this evening”?
“I saw the city aflame, smoke filling the streets and alleys, obscuring my sight. I heard a scream and then I was back here”. Barrin thought long about the response, his head nodding as he digested the information.
“Ricin, I want you to listen to me my lad. My time here is coming to an end. Soon. I have one last lesson for you”.
“What is it? I am ready”
“I wonder if you are. The lesson is simple, Ricin, but its significance will not be fully realized for some time. I want you to answer this question: After everything you have seen, experienced and learned; from your own unknown origins to the daily decay of this city. You have seen it Ricin, you have seen its flames, it burns and the flames are growing. What can one person do about it?” Barrin paused, giving his pupil time to contemplate this question. “Well? What is your answer”?
Ricin thought about his master’s question. He ran it through his mind, searching for any extra meaning, hidden riddle, anything in the context to arrive at the correct answer. His mind could draw nothing but a blank.
“I do not know, master”, he replied, embarrassed at his failure.
“Hmm. Well, Ricin, when you learn the answer to that, you will unlock a power that no force in this city or beyond can match.” Barrin slumped back to his bed, laying his head back on the pillows as his breathing became shallow. “Ricin”, the connection between their minds grew weaker, “search out the answer. Do not be afraid, do not hide. This city needs you... how long will you wait?” With this last question the connection broke off. Ricin struggled to reestablish the communication, but he watched helplessly as Barrin’s chest rose and fell for the last time.
Ricin sat in silence, holding the hand of his mentor. No tears were shed, no break of composure. His mind, though distracted from the loss of his dearest and only friend, was consumed with finding the answer to the last lesson. So it was that the other priest found him the next morning. Funeral plans were made and soon the body of Barrin was placed upon the pyre. Ricin watched as the flames consumed the body of his mentor, releasing his spirit to Ioun’s keeping. He left the site while the flames still burned hot, returning to his room to gather his things. The temple was no longer home without Barrin and Ricin knew it was time to move on. It was time to go answer the question.
