------------- Ironwood Tales – The Priest

The morning was muggy, a bit too muggy for most of the residents of Gryphonmyr, but still pleasant compared to his last post. Xandrocles Torvinis had been at the Temple of Athena in Dient for almost two years, teaching basic weapons skills to young acolytes. The posting was not challenging or particularly dangerous. And he had begun to lose faith, certainly not in Athena, but definitely in the wisdom of some of her mortal servants. Then, out of nowhere, and for no particular reason, he’d been reassigned to Gryphonmyr. The change in weather, from the humid, moldy lowland river valley of Dient to the dry, thin pine scented air of Gryphonmyr, was welcomed, even if the change in assignment proved disappointing.

The only Carellonian Temple existing in Gryphonmyr up until a few months ago had been the Temple of Zeus, located south of the Gryphonmyr River, adjoining and overseeing the Gryphonmyr cemetery. To the side were the Elven and Dwarven temples, smaller and with far smaller congregations. That was, up until a few months ago. The Sisters of the Pearl had recently purchased land, and through magic, money and guile, had constructed a Temple of Aphrodite right under the noses of the other three temples, so to speak. It was located in the Eastern Woods, down the south road a bit and nestled within a large mountain glade.

The Sisters of the Pearl established themselves quickly and made covert arrangements with Arobelle Selvas, owner of the Sylvan Tavern, and the most prominent Madame in town. And though they were running their own prostitution operation to support the Temple, they had apparently made a deal to aid Arobelle’s girls’ looks and talents, in exchange for a small percent of her take. The end effect was to triple the prostitution business in the town in under a month. Obviously, their construction schedule had not coincided with the Gryphonmyr Bimillennial by happenstance.

Xandrocles had been sent to aid the young resident Priest of Zeus, Ephesius Perinor. Ephesius was only a few years his senior, but was significantly more skilled in clerical magic. Xandrocles wondered as to the true reason for his reassignment, until he found out about the Sisters of the Pearl and their leader’s attraction for the priest. It would be only a matter of time before they had a scandal on their hands, though such things were normally not part of the religious tenants of the worshippers of Zeus or most of the other Gods of the Carellonian Church. No doubt, the Sisters of the Pearl would find some way to embarrass or discredit Ephesius anyway. Obviously, a celibate clergyman, a War Priest of Athena, no less, would have the resolve and restraint to deal with any such threats. It became his implied task to keep an eye on the Sisters. But he appreciated being a chaperone and spy even less than being a drill sergeant.

Father Ephesius certainly had no idea why Xandrocles was there. He hadn’t asked for any help, and he had nothing with which the young War priest could occupy his time. Add to the woes of church intrigue the presence of several thousand temporary residents of Gryphonmyr in the faire-like atmosphere that now surrounded the two-thousandth Founder’s Day celebration and Xander, as his friends called him, was feeling a bit put upon and overwhelmed. His time was spent mending fences around the church property and seeing to the upkeep of the graveyard, though it needed little.

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