Temple - Nimuë

She had been searching for a temple dedicated to the Fae deity for some time, now. Nimuë knew, in her heart, that it couldn’t simply be any temple. It had to be the one that called to her, much in the way that the wisp had called to her and led her to the Fae totem. It was, quite honestly, the longest that Nimuë had been away from her farm since she had established it. It was okay, she knew - she had asked some neighbours to watch over it for her, and had agreed to pay them with veggies (or, rather, the fruits of their labour). They had seemed perfectly happy with this deal, and Nimuë herself was, too. After all, she might not have time to harvest and eat all those fruits and veggies. Not now that she was taking part in the Mage’s Academy. 

There had been much rumour chasing so far. Arriving in town, asking about temples, then going off to try and find them… Some were easier than others to locate. Some were the centerpieces of the towns, elaborate temples that stood out - not necessarily like a sore thumb, though, for the buildings were, truly, beautiful. Sometimes she’d go on the hunt for one just to realise it was a temple to the wrong divinity. Divine, Beast, Arcane… she saw them all, but they weren’t what she was looking for.

In all honesty, she was beginning to feel a bit disheartened in her search. Perhaps she ought to have settled for one of the Fae temples she had already found…? And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they weren’t the right ones, that she just had to try a little bit harder to find the one she was looking for… 

Nimuë sighed. The quiet inn around her turned to look at her, and she could feel a blush spreading across her cheeks. She had forgotten where she was, forgotten that other Faians could hear her. 

The barkeep, an older looking Candle Noodle, frowned as she returned to pour more boiling water into Nimuë’s teapot. For a moment, the fragrant scent of the herbal blend washed over her - it really was a good tea. Probably the best that she had found in an inn yet. 

“Thank you,” she said with a slight smile. She might have been disheartened in her search but, she had found, tea always helped.

“Are you looking for something?” the barkeep asked, an eyebrow raised. “You seem like a Ruptour on a mission.”

Nimuë laughed slightly - she supposed she must have, really. “Yes, I am, actually,” she said. “I’m looking for a Fae temple… but not just any Fae temple. It has to be the right one.”

“And how will you know it’s the right one?”

“I just… I just will, I think. It’s hard to explain.”

The barkeep nodded, clearly considering something for a moment. “Look, there is a Fae temple around here,” she said, “it doesn’t get many visitors, though. It’s overgrown and difficult to find but… here, give me your map. I’ll mark it down.”

“Really? Wow, thank you,” Nimuë said, practically scrambling to pull out her map. When she did, the barkeep studied it for a moment before drawing a little trail on it, circling a spot in the forest nearby. 

“Here,” she said, “that’s where it is. It’s easy to miss, but… I’m sure someone with an affinity can find it. Good luck, I hope it’s the right one.”

Smiling, Nimuë resisted the urge to go running towards the temple. Instead, she finished her tea. It really was nice, and she needed to remember to savour the little things in life. If the source of Fae magic was whimsy, pure love, and creativity… well, it seemed proper to enjoy a little thing like tea. 

Once she was finished, the Ruptour practically burst out of the door in all her excitement. Could this be the temple…? Could it be the one…? She had a good feeling about it in her gut, which was more than she could say about any of the previous temples. Something within her was urging her, spurring her on. Something in her simply knew, she thought.

The trail towards the temple wasn’t a particularly easy one to traverse. The forest started off light, but it soon became dense and heavy - much like it had that time she had found the totem. But that… how real had that even been? At least she could be certain that, this time, the forest around her was completely real. That, she supposed, was something. 

The trees wove themselves together, and it was difficult to avoid tripping on the snake-like roots all around her. Even the bushes were thick here, she noted. She paused, checking her map once again - squinting to make it out in the dim light. It was a bright sunny day, but the sun that managed to filter down through the tree branches was very little. If she was reading the map correctly, she had to be getting close. The barkeep hadn’t been kidding, though - it was difficult to find, and Nimuë imagined anyone not a student of the Mage’s Academy would have given up by now. 

She pushed aside more of the brush, ducked beneath a branch, turned, and, when she did, her eyes went wide. Oh… oh wow.

The temple had clearly fallen into disuse some time ago, but that didn’t mean it was any less beautiful - in fact, looking at it now, Nimuë was nearly stunned by just how gorgeous it all was. The walls of the temple were cracked and falling apart, but they seemed to be bound together by vines and plant growth. Though it should have been a rather dangerous place, structurally, it seemed… perfectly sound. The grand archways of the building had long since been covered with plant life, the flowers blooming on the vine, stretching upwards, towards the sun. What wasn’t covered by vines and flowers was carpeted by a soft, pale green moss. Once, she noted, there had been stained glass windows - and they must have been beautiful! Now only small shards remained, but it was enough for the sunlight to filter through and catch on, creating dancing pools of bright colour on the forest floor. 

This… this was it. She knew it. She felt it deep within her bones. This was the temple that she needed to reach, that she needed to be at. Here… here she could commune with the Fae Deity, she knew, and they would hear her. 

And so she pressed on, climbing up the moss covered stairs, staring up at the grand archway as she passed beneath it… Inside was just as beautiful, she discovered. There were flowers everywhere, plant life in every nook and cranny. This… this, she thought, was exactly what the Fae affinity was about. What was more whimsical than the growth of the flower, more beautiful? She felt… she felt strangely at home here, beneath the high ceilings and amongst the flowers and colourful pools of sunlight. It felt as if she belonged here, as if she had always belonged here. Maybe, she thought, that was the true power of an affinity, after all…

Now… she needed to do something in order to learn from her experience, she thought. Perhaps commune with the divinity, perhaps… meditate? Yes, she could do that.

Nimuë found a spot towards the center of the room that was cleared out entirely, and sat lightly on the blanket of moss. It was surprisingly soft and cozy! Right. Meditation. The Ruptour closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, reaching out across her connection…