Erik Vullgrad
From Reydala
Already it has been ten long years since Erik first made the voyage across the vast ocean to land in nuln. He was sent at the behest of the the Mulinite temple in Solgorn to help the budding temples in the region to continue to prosper. The Kaltian temples were overflowing with new clergy as the worship of mulinel had spread like wildfire over the past few decades. Erik was one of the many volunteers for a "missionary" program, helping the faith spread in more neglected corners of the world.
He arrived at the port of freehaven only a few months after he was ordained into Mulinel's service, thrust into a strange new world from his monastery of study where he had spent most of his life. To Erik, it was like stepping into another world. In terms of mechanics, Nuln was still light years ahead of Kaltia, everywhere there were elevators, automated carriages, and of course the railway! He was a bit curious as to what machines had been created for healing the sick.
When he arrived at the Mulinel temple at Freehaven he was at first disappointed, it was far smaller than most of the Kaltian temples, and tucked away in a tiny substreet on the far northern end of the town. There was little to draw attention to the front of the building, and it seemed civilians rarely passed it. Most Kaltian temples were on main thoroughfares and crowded most of the day with people in need of help.
Nontheless, he pressed on into the temple, finding the main temple area empty. "At least the interior seems to be in order" he thought as he examined his new surroundings, resplendently carved with images of his Goddess. Immediately he felt a warm inner peace, but the emptiness of the temple troubled him. He waited for some time before one of the temples priests finally emerged from the rear of the temple. He had expected such a large city would have a strong cleric leading it's temple, but the one before him was an elderly elven male... Not exactly what he had expected.
Erik arose, nervously, bowing in greeting to what he thought might be his new superior. He began to speak a hello in his native Kaltian before suddenly stopping himself and reverting back to the common tongue.
"Mulinel's blessings upon you, Father.. I am Erik Vullgrad, from far overseas, sent from the Kaltian mainland to assist temples in Nuln"
"Ah yes, Erik.." The elf spoke with a distinctive accent, that Erik would later learn to place from the Walstad Region. "We have been expecting you, welcome to Freehaven... You will likely find this country very different from your home, if there is anything the temple can do to help you to adjust, feel free to call upon our services... I am the high cleric of this temple, Faenor Ellshia"
"Thank you, Father... Has the temple here befallen hard times?..."
The old cleric gave a toothy grin, a small laugh escaping his lips. "Already you are disappointed, many from Kaltia think the same.. They are used to their grandiose temples, preaching on the streetcorners, the populace cheering for the love of Mulinel.. I'm afraid you'll find all of those in short supply here.."
Erik seemed disheartened. "I see... The people do not know of the love of Mulinel?... then we should go and spread the word!"
The old priest laughed again. "Young cleric, you truly have not been in Nuln long. Most of our congregation here are old elves from Walstad continuing on in their faith... The people know plenty well of Mulinel, and perhaps when they have need they will come to request it... However from the humans here you will rarely get more than that. The prayers of the Nulns are seldom different from a child's "I want it", and if one parent does not provide they will quite willingly move to the next.."
Erik could scarcely believe what he was hearing, their two countries were both largely human... could they really be that different? "...How did this come to be, father?... It seems so strange.."
"You must understand Erik, that Nuln was founded in the name of freedom from those escaping from a then, and some would say now, tyrannical country. The spirit that came with those first men is one that still resonates in the streets and alleyways of this city. Freedom to worship whatever one wanted became one the first tenets of their creed. One could say that that same strong dedication to freedom manifested itself in a desire to be free from ties of temples and deities. Many new creeds rose and fell over Nuln's history, to the point where the common man pays little heed to the prophet or the priest.."
"They do not believe in the works of the gods?... Do they not remember who saved us from the clutches of darkness a century ago?!"
"...Oh, they believe that the gods exist, well, perhaps the gnomes are more skeptical, however... The gods are quite more distant from their minds than our own, Young Erik, and they seem to well prefer it as it is... The spirit of Nuln is one of independence, not of union... Most of those that do worship do so privately, in their homes, in their own way.."
Erik seemed confused. "..but no man is alone, they are all our brothers... We should walk together!"
"So Mulinel teaches, they are all our brothers. In our brotherhood, we also must remember the tenets of tolerance.. We cannot force others into our doors and restrain them in our sermons."
"...So we must accept this how it is?... I do not wish to sit idly by... yet I want them to come to Mulinel of their own will! How can I fill their hearts with the spirit of the waters?..."
The old priest looked suprised, giving another small chuckle. "After hearing that entire story, many that have came before you hung their heads and gave up. They didn't last very long in Nuln... If you rush to the streetcorner and talk to the people, I fear you won't last long either... You will be ridiculed, harrased, avoided, but mostly you will simply be ignored, as if you never existed."
Erik sighed deeply, searching his mind for what they could do to change the situation, to set the hearts of Nuln on fire with passionate faith. He was still young and had no experience with the people of Nuln, every solution he would immediately have tried seemed like it would just fall on deaf ears. He shook his head. "There must be something I can do... Please, if there's anything, allow me to help... Though an ocean may have seperated us I do not believe our hearts are that different...!"
The old cleric placed a hand upon Erik's shoulder. "...I sense that you are a bit different from the ones that have come before, Erik, maybe you have that flame that will inspire others toward the waters... but the Nulns do not find much value in words or boasts... They respect those with initiative, drive, ambition... Show them be actions, not by words.. If you wish to impress them, be a true example of Mulinel's grace.. Even if they do not take notice, you can still help them.."
"A true example of Mulinel's grace..." Erik thought that over to himself, he was still quite unsure of his own abilities... could he live up to such an ideal?... "I...Shall try father, but I do not know where I should begin..."
The old cleric simply smiled. "There is an organization in Nuln known as the Adventurer's Guild, or simply the guild... They do many good services for people all around Nuln, though not in the name of any of the gods... Members that excel there become well known heroes of the people, if one in service of Mulinel were to arise toward that height, maybe the people will begin to take notice... To understand that they can have their freedom as well as love for Mulinel, it would suit a young cleric like yourself far more than wasting your evenings here in this empty temple... You'll be out there saving lives and making a real difference..."
The old priest looked off into the distance, a slight wistful tone to his voice. Erik was simply confused, but seemed to be getting the jist of what the priest was saying. He slowly stood up, nodding as the information he just received sunk it. It wasn't really an ideal solution in his mind, but it was at least a path to follow.
He has been following since that day, ten years ago. Has he made strong steps for mulinel across Nuln? Even he would acknowledge that to be a boastful claim. Nontheless, he had touched many hearts during his work, gotten to know the heart and spirit of Nuln in turn. He was stronger, as was his faith, and he only expected to grow stronger.
Character Sheet
| Level: 7 | Class: Cleric | Paragon Path: N/A | Epic Destiny: N/A | |||||
| Race: Human | Size: Medium | Age: 31 | Gender: Male | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 170 lb. | Alignment: Good | Deity: Mulinel | Origin: Kaltia |
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