High Priestess Naian - Notes from a Coronation

An exclusive article by Rumer Tattler for
celebrity and society magazine, Scoop!

The event started earlier than this reporter thought necessary on the first day of summer, in the thirty seventh year of the reign of King Augustus and Queen Delencienne. The morning was still dim and the sun had not yet risen on the enormous crowd assembled on the slopes of the Verdalis Hills, that gorgeous expanse of green lushness north of the trade city, Profunda. Some asked, and rightly so, why the event could not have been held at Chalice, or at least somewhere more accessible within Spectra, and perhaps at a later hour. But the word came back that both time and place had been chosen specifically by the incoming High Priestess, so who are we humble soles to argue?

Discomfort aside, and despite the cold and dark (and a special thank you to the squirrels of Verdalis who kindly organized an early morning snack of hot chestnuts and chocolate passed out amongst those assembled) the sun finally began to rise over the hills and the ceremony commenced! Through the dim of the new day, Priestess Naian - said to have been residing in close proximity to theinaccessible Vaults of Verdalis -came floating on a raft down the river which threads between the multiple hills. And what a lovely girl she is! Rumored to be approximately seventeen years of age, the Priestess Naian has stunningly beautiful long, golden hair that fell over her shoulders to her waist. Her skin was lightly tanned from countless hours outdoors, and if one might wish for something a tad more imaginative than the plain white robes of the priestesses, this reporter could hardly complain about the flowers and feathers braided into her hair and the garlands of flowers roped over the raft.

Once the raft had arrived at the river's edge where we all stood waiting, Naian stepped off elegantly and walked the short distance up the nearest hill to the pinnacle where stood King Augusta, Queen Delencienne, and Navarron - king of the lions and all animals, and chosen of the outgoing High Priestess, Isabeau - herself standing with the group on the summit. Isabeau retires after a long, and illustrious career as High Priestess, to join her chosen at Gras Uir, where she will see out her days in the home of the lions. Prism has seen considerable peace and prosperity under her guidance, and we thank her for her contribution.

On reaching the summit, Naian was greeted by the king and queen who each kissed her on both cheeks, then retreated to the base of the summit. Although the role of the High Priestess involves uniting man and beast, it's primary responsibility exists inrepresenting the Alellii within their creation and, as such, the roles of king or queen are of only minor significance. Navarron, too, bent his head to the young priestess, surrounding both of them with his breath - an unnerving experience for most of us! - and descended the hill. In their place, emerging from the back of the hill, came two of those mystical beings, the centaurs, whose specific gift is their ability to read the stars and prophesy the future. Not known to ever dress for any occasion, the centaurs were bare-chested save for the garlands of laurel leaves they each wore. Ysabeau took both of these and placed them over the head of the young priestess, who had knelt before them. Ysabeau then untied her sash of the four colors, signaling the end of her service, and asked Naian to rise, at which point she tied the sash around Naian's waist. This is purely symbolic, as we all know that Naian was in fact the youngest priestess ever to attain all four sashes, but a fundamental part of the ascension service. There had been a hush over the crowd up to this point, but looking around, I saw many damp eyes and many a paw wipe away covert tears.

The centaurs then bowed to the new high priestess, and Ysabeau, also, kissed her on both cheeks before they, too, descended the hill.

Naian then addressed the crowd and a selection of her comments has been included below.

"People of Prism - man and beast alike - welcome. I stand before you this morning as your servant, wholly aware of my youth and inexperience. I look to myself and I see a shortage of years and maturity that nothing but time can address. And I see an inadequacy of ability that perhaps nothing will ever change.

But as I look out at you, rather than at myself, my heart is filled to overflowing for this land, and for you, its people. I am inadequate to speak for the Alellii. And I am not worthy to serve you. And yet I have been chosen. So I will not ask you for your patience, or begin my service with a long list of my failings. Rather, I will say that I am humbled beyond words and that my role now is to look to the depths of my being and to find what is best in me, what is most honorable, most efficacious, most useful. It is not up to me to judge myself. That is your role. My job is to serve, and that I will do heartily and honestly, all my days.

As the vessel between the citizens of Prism and their creators, it will be my sole goal to empty myself of all that could hinder, and replace it instead with wisdom and grace. And that is my reasonable service. That is my calling. And that is my offering.

Alellii creators - hear my prayer! Bless this land and its people and see - not my inadequacy - but their goodness of heart and the health of their spirits. Grant us the red of your courage and strength, the yellow of your joy, the blue of your love and the green of your wisdom and peace. And we will give you our thanks and allegiance, in lean times and in rich, in joy and in sorrow, in celebration and in battle. And allow me, your servant, to decrease ever daily, that you might increase in me and your blessings flow, ever more purely, to the people you love."

After this lovely prayer by which, of course, we were all very moved, a strong wind picked up and swirled around us, blowing away the clouds above and allowing the dawn to shine clearly on us all. The surrounding trees then began to quiver and shake and thousands of sprouts of color appeared which proved to be fruits of all kinds, ripe, and ready to eat.

The animals of Verdalis then set to, plucking these fruits, and whipped up for all the guests a sumptuous breakfast of oatmeal with thick cream, every baked item possible to imagine, and fruits of every kind - served both hot and cold. This was followed by cheeses and ales, all forms of grass and new shoots for those whose taste buds and digestive systems dictate this menu, and fresh spring water. One might have wished for the occasional glass of wine after so moving a service, but one was on the whole pleased with the breakfast served. Music was provided by the Piping Players who, readers will be interested to note, have added both a mandolin player and a harpist to their line-up. Dancing followed, after which a nap was in order, till more feasting and general merriment continued into the evening. As the sun set, we experienced that strange and magical phenomenon which can only be described as the Alellii singing (and what wonderful voices they have!), which ended with a long and coordinated fireworks display by the dwarves.

Notable guests, apart from the King and Queen of Prism and Navarron, King of the animals, were various council members - most notably Origon, current head of the council, and the dwarven king, His Royal Highness, King Spayde. One should probably note that 'highness' is not a word most commonly attributed to his majesty. I was informed that the dwarven queen was also in attendance, but as it is virtually impossible to tell the male from the female dwarves, I can't say for certain that I saw her, or describe what she was wearing. The Prince Pompilius Nautilus made an appearance on behalf of Undersea - an unprepossessing young man, sadly given to portliness and over-dressing. More interestingly, various flower and tree spirits traveled from the Woods at World's Edge, most of whom were dressed in flowing diaphanous gowns or, in some cases, quite inappropriately in leaves. The strong breeze provided by the Alellii led to some concern for the modesty of these beings, but the difficulty was navigated by having the various squirrels sit on the hems of those wearing light or flimsy fabrics, while the leaf issue was solved by organizing the affected flower spirits to stand behind the horses. This caused an inability for said spirits to actually see the ceremony, but will perhaps lead to a wiser choice of outfit in the future.

All in all, a good time was had by those present and hand done drawings of the event and key attendees by Scoop!'s resident artist can be had by contacting the office.