The Lower City Majai Hath
Nihere Rahal
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The Nihere Rahal is also known as Temple Street, and represents the true power of the Majai Elite. It functions as both the religious and administrative center for pretty much all of the lower city, and is firmly in control of the so called True Majai. The Rahal is a small street that crosses diagonally from the Loir to the Dev Rahal. At the very middle of the street there is a large plaza, designed as a rhombus where the two sides of the Rahal connect to the east and west corners. On each of the sides of the rhombus stands the core of the four temples of the elemental spirits. Majai worship is very unstructured, as they believe the spirits to be mainly unconcerned with the goings on of humans down in the frozen world. Spirits are forces of nature and the way the temples are organized in the Nihere rahal reflects that. Each 'temple' is actually a circuit of loosely organized shrines and places of power, with their main core located in the central plaza. In truth, the priests are as much rulers of a makeshift theocracy than spiritual guides for the people.
It was a bit late to be leaving the temples, but
Dhevan promised the head priest he would return before the evening bells tolled. Although he had every intention of returning, one could never truly foretell where one would end up at the end of each day. Dhevan hoped, however secretly, that he would find his calling somewhere outside of the temple, out of the lower city itself. That a higher duty was awaiting him somewhere. With the small companion of his hidden well inside his robes, he limped slowly towards the streets, lifting the right side of his long garment as to not step on it or expose his disfigurement as he went. People reacted differently to priests, even more so when they were as marked as he was.
Even outside the temple, Dhevan looked right at home in the Nihere Rahal, as several other priests were walking the streets as groups of pious Majai began to leave the temples and make their way home. In olden times, the Great Majai cities had whole avenues dedicated to the great Spirits that dwarfed the Royal Avenue, and whole cities were consecrated to particular temples, producing enough spiritual and magical power to tear the world assunder with mighty spells. Those times were lost, though, if they ever existed, as most Majai youth now doubted the veracity of such a past. Lost in his thoughts, Dhevan completely missed the first time he was called. The second time, the voice of a woman came from right behind him. It was Reva Kaur, daughter of the high priest of Ighina in the Royal City, she had apparently chased Dehvan as he left the temple and was now breathing a bit heavily with her arms crossed over her chest and her red locks falling like a waterfall over her shoulder. "Dhevan! For Ighina's sake I've been chasing after you for a whole city block." said the Majai woman with a snarl.
Stopping suddenly as he heard his name and
Dhevan almost overbalanced on his false leg as he tried to turn and look at who was calling him. A ghost of a smile flickered over his face when he saw the woman running up and he tried to appear innocent. "My apologies," he said, giving her a nodding sort of bow. "I did not hear you. And really, it would take you less time to catch up with me than the other way around." He was both teasing her and being self effacing, attempting to get another rise out of the fiery woman in front of him.
Reva stopped and breathed heavily for a couple of seconds, her hands resting on her knees before she stood back up and wiped some sweat from her brow. A couple of red hairs still clinging to her chocolate skin. "Molepiss! You are one fast cripple when you want to." she said. It was always somewhat comforting to hear her talk like that, as no one else got to see this side of Reva. "Anyhow, you left the temple, all and all, you could've been head priest in a few years but you got me stuck with it, what are you planning to do now?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Dhevan actually smiled at her, his face softening quite a bit as he looked at her catching her breath. She was a dear friend, and he had thoughts of her being more at one point. But the odds of a beautiful woman accepting a man who was missing parts of himself was relatively low. "Wherever the fates may take me is where I plan to go," he said, being purposefully vague. He really didn't even know where he wanted to go. Maybe he would give he an item, a gift, a promise, something to tell her that he was not abandoning her. "We all must find our proper calling. And I feel it deep within myself that mine may be elsewhere." His eyes softened further as he looked at Reva. "Do you fear for my safe return?"
"Always so proper." huffed the woman as she shook her head slightly. Her mind had always been somewhat inscrutable and her mood wild and unpredictable, very much unlike Dhevan who had rarely reflected the destructive and transformative nature of Ighina. "Well, as long as the fates don't decide you'll go to Ordon or Grall or, Ighina forbid, Ajdanen or Shah, we should still see plenty of you." she sighed, shaking her head and making the dark red locks around her head bob up and down a little bit. "You know the lower city, so as long as you don't do anything stupid or go anywhere dangerous, we have no reason to fear." she continued. "And you are tough to kill and tough to get rid of, I know better than to ignore that." she added, lifting her eyebrows a bit as her honey colored eyes narrowed. "In any case, I had almost forgotten why I chased your laconic ass down." she added as she did a half turn to look for something she had stashed in her belt, right below the small of her back. "Here." she added, pulling out a small metallic object and holding it out to him between her index finger and thumb. Dhevan recognized the small brass ring with inlaid veins of a fiery red quartz, the symbol of Ighina pressed into the band of the ring.. It had belonged to Reva since she was a little girl, and were usually only issued to important people in shrines. When one held the ring up to the galvanic lights, the crystals it looked faintly as if the inside of the ring was made of fire and one could see its glow through cracks in the metal. The effect was said to be much more impressive under the actual light of the sun, but other than the Amiri, Majai rarely ventured under the open skies anymore.
"My ass is not laconic,"
Dhevan started to say before Reva continued and pulled out the gift. He knew what is was the moment it was held up and he almost didn't take it. But prudence won out and he reached out with a steady hand, his eyes locked on her. "Why?" was all he asked, still holding the ring up so if she suddenly changed her mind, she could take it back. That wouldn't surprise him too much even if he doubted she would do such a thing. Reva was a creature of fire and passion but not someone who would typically give in to her sudden impulsive whims. This kind of gift required something to reciprocate. Maybe he could find something to bring her back while he was gone. That would be nice. Or maybe he would go on a quest to the upper quarters and check the shops there. Nothing was determined yet.
"Sure it ain't" replied Reva, shrugging before she tilted her head a little bit, pulling back her hand after dropping the refulgent ring on Dhevan's palm. "I need a reason now?" she added, one of her eyebrows lifting a bit. "Just thought you'd want something that can open some doors for you and remind you where you came from. I know you don't really think Ighina has any favor for you but... maybe she'll prove you wrong, who knows?" she added, shaking her head a bit. "I ought to go back to the temple, didn't tell my father I was going out. Don't go getting mugged or anything, i'm going to be pissed if you lose that!"
"As if anyone would mug me,"
Dhevan said with a small shrug and a grin as he put the rind safely on his finger. At least he was less likely to lose it, as snugly as it fit. He really needed to bring her back something. "I will return, you know." Maybe not right away, but he would eventually. For her anyway. "I will see you soon, yes?" He would wait for her to turn and leave, because walking away always made him self conscious of the fact that he didn't walk like anyone else. Reva probably knew that anyway.
"Honestly I think you're extremely muggable." replied simply Reva before letting out a long sigh, accompanied with a slight shake of her head. "I figured you would, but we can't know anything in the future. We can hope though." replied the woman, the priestess in her shinning through her and a bit more serious now. "Change is Ighina's gift..." she quoted, her honey red eyes focusing on Dhevan for a second, as if expecting him to complete the verse.
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Accessible areas:
Head west to the
WoW - Loir Rahal
Head east to the
WoW - Dev Rahal
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WoW - Majai Hath
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