I placed my feet into the blessed water poured out of a small fountain, and into a wide bowl that emptied out into a trough leading down to the temple garden's. I dipped my hands into a smaller bowl beneath the mouth of the lion where the water poured out from. It had been a few days time since the trial of the thieves that turned out to be a mix of feelings for me. Was there really justice? It felt incomplete, but we did return the items and the sick were finally being healed once more. Sister Sarah and Sister Rose-Mary were able to be healed and were walking these halls as I stand here approaching the confessional curtains.
I put on the black veil and it swallowed my body in its sheer swathing cloth. The curtain was crimson red and inside was pitch black. It took a long moment before my eyes adjusted but still it was hard to see anything through the thin cloth. There was a chair and next to it was another curtain separating myself from the higher priest or priestess that I would give my confession to. Being in this dark allowed me to feel the shame of stepping out of Pelor's light and I would not feel his light again until I gave professed my sins.
"Brother or Sister of the Light, I have come today to confess my wrong doings and witness there of. Do you walk with me in my darkness and will you guide me to the light, for I am blind?" I waited in the darkness for a response.
"I will guide thee from the dark and into light, state your sins Sister." A monotonous male voice came from behind the curtain and I tried not to place his voice with the round face I knew it came from.
"I- I well I'm not quite sure where to start its all so terrible."
"At the beginning Sister start at the very beginning." He urged me on and I took a deep breath and was ready to pour it all out.
"It started when my companions thought to celebrate our victory a few days ago upon bringing justice to the people and for returning the stolen items from this temple. We were given quite the reward probably more than we really deserved, I donated ten percent to the orphanage as it badly is in need of repairs."
"That was kind of you sister." He interrupted to reassure that I had a good heart, but he was about to discover another side of me.
"Yes, um thank you." I continued. "Any way they decided we should all head down to the Gregarious Goblin to have a few rounds in celebration."
"Pelor does not care if one has a few mugs of ale Sister I have a few myself here and there." My brother must think I am extremely pious, however, this was not my sin.
"Yes, well you see, it started with the bard. We went in and were greeted by cheers for returning the Tear of Pelor and there was a dwarf with a great bushy flaming red beard that wanted to know how big the spiders were that we had slain in the orphanage. Such gossip spreads fast I suppose, and somehow the spiders were as big as the trees themselves. Mind you they were still large enough to be ponies but they weren't elephants, how ridiculous really. So the bard broke out in song telling our tale of the spiders. Well the dwarf laughed and challenged my bard friend to a drinking match. Instead the bard put up the large dragon born friend of ours to the task, saying he could out drink anyone in this room. Jörg seemed quite shocked to find this out but the dwarf already ordered the rounds.
Then before they started, Caerulean, our former pirate, decided to put down a wager and make it all a game. Throwing daggers at a mounted bull's head that was on the wall. If you could pierce the eyes or the snout, the other would have to drink and the one who lost would be passed out drunk. This was when I knew I should leave, but then the bloody bard saw my attempt to escape and scooped me up rudely making me the score keeper. Well as you can imagine this went one for some time, and all the while the crowd would make a mighty roar whenever a dagger sunk into an eye socket or nostril of the beast. After some time the dwarf rose his glass and toasted to our victory for the sixth time that evening and every one drank with him just as he sunk to the ground and began snoring and hiccuping. The dragon born named Jörg had won and became A fierce fan of playing games with drink.
"Now that they had moved on to another game; the pirate was very good at coming up with these games, this one was called liars dice. I thought that since I should never lie that I should slip out of the tavern unnoticed right away. After all, the bard had broke out into song and some other bloke with a fiddle had joined him making the people in the tavern start to do a jig. Admittedly, I wanted to join them because it reminded me so much of home back in Buckle Berry Hill. Halfling folk are known for dancin' you know. They are very jolly, we halfling folk are, and we down right know how to jig. I had to hold my knees still so they would stop bouncing to the rhythm you see. Well, I was just about to head for the door when they lifted my chair, high in the air, with me still sitting on top horrified. They did so upon getting to the part in the song where a 'burned the spider to the ground' or so the song went. They chanted this dancing and prancing about, almost dropping me thrice times, as they were not very steady on their feet by then. Now, being high up, I noticed that there were some women scantily clothed and were involved in most atrocious behavior. It didn't dawn on me that these ladies weren't ladies at all but rather night wenches, until I saw the pirate, our dear captain Caerulean, passing one of the fairer gals that sat on his lap, a silver coin using only his tongue!" I shuddered slightly and signed Pelor and forced myself to continue after hearing a distinct gulp from my brother on the other side.
"As I was saying I was trying to leave this den of darkness when the ranger, Rolan produced the most potent Teak Leaf I've smelt since leaving my village. I must confess that the Teak Leaf was a comfort of mine back home and though I knew it was wrong, the sweet odor of the leaf brought me home in an instant, and well.... I profess that it is without a doubt a folly of mine. He must have seen my desire in my eyes because he offered his pipe like he was the tempest of Assai with her witch's song to lure me into sin. I thought one huff and puff would not be so harmful and thus my confession begins. For it was not like the younger years when I had a robust taste for the Leaf and it took a whole pipe for me to feel its effects. No, I had laid my pipe down for Pelor years ago, and so when I took but a single huff out of that bloody ranger's pipe I floated towards Pelor himself. The tavern swirled before me almost as if the room were receding like waves upon the shoreline."
"Sister you are confessing to me that you partook in this um jubilation?" He seemed lost for words and slightly out of breath and I knew I had overwhelmed him.
"Yes, there is more-."
"More! I mean, please continue, I am here to walk you out of darkness." He sounded as if hanging onto my every word. He was blessed with much patients, I thought.
"Yes, this is when I started seeing all manner of things. First the mage swirled something around, over his head that I could only imagine to be a ladies garner strap, but what was appalling about it is that I found it belonged to the barbarian woman known as Maleficent, the other dragon born among our party. He stood up on the table and hushed every down to make what appeared to be an important toast. I thought it must be another toast of our victory or some mock of a touching moment about our new friendship. It was neither as he simply placed the garner on his head like you would a bandanna and blustered out funny sounding words saying, "I fancy Lizard legs are the toothsome in all the Realm!" Everyone hollered and cheered at this even though I was sure I was the only other person in the room that knew what the word 'toothsome' meant and its inappropriateness made me dizzy. The mage jumped into the bulky and scaly arms of the barbarian and drank up. Sometime later, as the male dragon born was relieving himself in the smoldering fire place, I finally could feel my legs again and started to saunter towards the door. Having to step over the bard holding a broken mug half full of ale and his harmonica was clutched in his other hand, I made my escape. It was near dawn and I knew that Pelor's light would soon come out to only reveal the shame of my sins on my face so I hurried here for my confession." I drew a deep breath having finished my confession and braced myself for the punishment. I just knew I would have to give myself at least twenty back lashing with the chain whip.
"Is that all Sister?"
"Yes, I'm finished what must I do to return to Pelor's light?" He cleared his throat and said in a soft weak voice,
"Well uh- since it seems that you did not actually take part in your "friends" vulgarity, save the huffing of the teak leaf, I think ten Prayer's of the sun and a weeks worth service in the temple should remind you what company to keep and to free yourself of your past habit of the teak leaf, ten more prayers of the sun and purging yourself once should mend your ways so that once more you will walk in Pelor's holy favor. Thank you for your uh um confession Sister." Relieved to know I did not have to whip my back, I thanked my brother and left. Taking off the veil and pulling back the curtain allowed Pelor's light to sting my eyes, letting me know that judgement has been passed and I can go forth no longer blinded and see once more. I hurried, already saying my first 'Prayer of the Sun,' as I went to purge myself. For the rest of the week I avoided my companions and dove myself into service in the temple helping where ever I could.
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