Wynessa held her customs paper rolled tightly in hand as she pushed the door open and stepped back into the sunlight. It was a nearly cloudless afternoon and the sudden light burned while her eyes adjusted.
The cart, Brute, Timias, and Miklian were all pretty much right where she had left them in front of the building, and her belongings were also right where she had put them. With half of their travel rations used up, she made no attempt to take any with her beside what she already had stored in her rucksack the night before. She gathered up her belongings quietly, ignoring the heartache of the men as she walked past them both, patted the ox on the side of his neck and gently pet his nose, and walked off down the street.
All she had was her rucksack, a second bag with travel supplies and food, and an apple crate under one arm that was about halfway full. Ideally, she would be able to find a jeweler or a smith of some kind to sell some of the gemstones she had found back in Horseshoe Village, but she first needed to find a place to stay the night. Somewhere without giants.
Miklian watched her disappear around the end of the street at the edge of the water and sighed heavily. He had betrayed her, he had kept this hugely important information from her, but it wasn't his place to tell her without permission from Timias. The giant had agreed to housing for their ox and cart with the assurance that both would be well cared for until he came to collect them.
Timias, on the other hand, seemed twitchy. He kept glancing over his shoulder as though expecting someone to sneak up behind him.
"If I were to venture a guess, I'd say you left some unfinished business the last time you were here." The giant stooped down to whisper his assumption to the elf who continued his uneasy motions.
"You would be quite right with such a guess, my friend. Riviera was my home for less than half my life, and yet the only other place I could call my home is now ash. That which I neglected to mention is that here, the great and grand city of Riviera, is not, per say, a place kind to persons such as myself. And, if I may be so bold as to state, it may be safer for us both if we were to part ways for a time. At least until we are suited and prepared to continue our joyous voyage." The shorter man fidgeted where he stood watching the crowd from the front bench of the cart, but he did catch his friend nodding his head in understanding.
"Where would you suggest someone of my stature find lodging, then?" Miklian stooped to pick up a pair of barrels after slinging his own pack across his back.
Wynessa wound her way through the throngs of people as she walked along the riverside. The stone walls that raised the city away from the waterline must have been in case of flooding, she assumed, but the bridges that stretched across the great river were a sight. At least a dozen could be seen within the city walls, and she was certain there were more outside the city. Sailing vessels glided along the waterways as she moved towards the central island, heading nearly directly for the temple of the Thousand Gods.
Her father had never been a spiritual man, but she remembered her mother prayed to a goddess before each fight. Wynessa hoped to find some semblance of that goddess in the temple, but her hopes were not high.
The temple was easily found, the courtyard in front of the monolithic building was made of multi-coloured stones inlaid in the pattern of the twenty-one-pointed star that was the generic for a place of worship. The eleven smooth stone steps up to the open doors of the temple were exhausting, and she had to pause at the edge of the doorway before stepping through. As she caught her breath, a small group exited the temple talking amongst themselves.
"Thoguh watches over you, it's obvious!"
"I really don't think any deity, let alone the god of confusion and magical mishaps has time for lowly people like us."
"Oh yeah? Then how else do you explain it?"
"There are plenty of explanations."
"And Thoguh is one of them."
Wynessa smiled listening to the friends bicker before moving into the colourful temple. Immediately, a young man stepped towards her wearing a light tan robe with a black and blue sash around his waist.
"Welcome. I see you travel well-laden. Would you like to borrow a storage trunk while you worship?" he motioned towards a set of five doors nearby that each had a racial marking and were sized appropriately. She nodded and set off towards the door marked "Human" wherein she found a series of storage trunks with locks on them with keys in the locks. The process was simple enough; pick a trunk, store your things, use the lock and take the key with you. After setting her belongings inside, she tucked the key into her pocket and stepped out to see the same young man waiting just outside the door, smiling.
"Is there any way I can assist you with your worship?" His voice was monotonous but kind, dampened in a way as though he had very little mind for emotions but he wasn't unkind or heartless.
"Actually, I think there is. My mother used to worship a goddess called "Belutia" but all I know of her was that she was a goddess of female warriors. Is there a book or a specific area I can pray to her?"
"Belutia is not a common request, but we do have a book dedicated to her worship. Please, follow me, the library is just this way." He motioned towards a large pale-wood door behind which lay a vast library of religious texts and histories. Mythos, organised religions, safe worshipping guides for blood-focused worshippers, there were so many books all in one place. It was beyond anything Wynessa had seen in her memory.
After a few moments of searching, the young man, most likely a monk of the chantry, produced a thin but well worn book titled "The worship of Belutia: Woman Warriors" which he offered to her.
"Please, do not remove any books from the library, but take your time. We have candles if you need to stay beyond sundown, and translators or orators can be found at the large desk just there." He motioned to a desk similar to the counter at the customs office before bowing respectfully and returning towards the front door.
Wynessa spent the rest of the day reading and rereading the small book in her hands, and before she knew it, dusk had already began to pass.