[Tibet]

The moon, which his people had named Selene, hung high in the sky like an ominous beacon. Its pale glow reflected in a set of blind emerald eyes.

It was believed to help the pagan zealots scattered beneath it to perform godly acts, to separate the innocent from the guilty damned during court, to bring them all just that much closer to the unearthly power and righteous judgment of their Rosa. Perhaps, should it be kind tonight, it would as well help him find the truly devout, those precious few wolves who deserved one of the highest and holiest honors Oukoku-Kai could bestow upon them. Quite a simple thing, to preach with one side of the mouth, and reveal one's true self with the other. Quite an easy thing, to choose your baser nature over a higher calling. Evil was far more tempting than good.

Tibet would not be tempted. The war, though it shook loose the loyalties of the handful of warriors who had used the opportunity to abandon their vows, had only steeled his resolve to do right by his deities. They'd burned his wise, beautiful Chinensis. They'd forced him into doing... something he wished he could take back, in a part of him that was still weak. They were just like Eschaton; that old anarchic stronghold could have been the face of infidelity. What a thought, that he might have grown up just like them had a certain dark prophet not intervened!

The hellion called to them, screeching birdlike into the dead of the night. He waited serenely for their arrival. And when they showed --

"Tell me why you returned from the isle of glass, brothers and sisters, when you had every chance to flee."

---

OOC: Quick priest recruitment. Anyone can join save for slaves.

[Sphinx]

Sphinx's arrival onto the scene was quiet. She was not coming for any attention, not coming to choose the next generation of priests, and--surprise, surprise--not coming to overthrow the High Priest. She was here to watch. She wanted to know what the future of her rank might look like, wanted to know what Tibet's ideas were for the priesthood he was running. Lithe, feminine form moved until the social butterfly was standing a few feet from her snake-like distant cousin. A silent showing of support for her leader was what it looked like, and she convinced herself that that was what it was. Of course, she wouldn't have been herself if the thought of lunging for him right then and there didn't cross her mind. It was tempting, the idea of taking that cream-colored throat in her jaws and latching on. Feeling the lashing of his tail get weaker and weaker as she choked the life out of his body.

He was a holy man, appointed by the Red Rosa herself. Sphinx forced that thought into her mind, pushing it to the very top so that the other, more murderous intentions drowned under the weight of it. He was chosen. He was righteous. He was her rank lead. She repeated that mantra ten times, then the Warden Priestess, no longer able to drum up enough fight, sat down.

"I'm here to assist and learn, High Priest, should you allow." Her greeting was soft, and perhaps for the first time while talking to him, genuine. It didn't hold the warmth she had when speaking to absolutely anyone else... but it also wasn't spoken with anger or through a growl. For now, it was the best she could manage. It would take time to do better than that, but she was trying. Trying really hard, that long slender tail wasn't making this any easier.

She listened carefully as Feizin introduced herself, and couldn't help but smile at the girl's dedication to beginning her journey into the Priesthood. She was the first to arrive, and Sphinx had to give her credit for outshining the adults with her punctuality. Still, punctuality did not a priest make. The girl may have known much about their culture, their laws, and their religion--and she should, with a Rosa and Seour as her adopted parents--but what experience did she have? Their rank was a lofty one, weighted with extreme responsibilities. It took a devout soul, a practiced tongue... it took a very special heart--or a strong enough mind to fake that kind of heart. Had she spoken to any slaves? Did she know what words it took to turn them from heathens into righteous brethren? She was asking a lot, skipping a lot, for someone so young.

And yet, Aglacea had chosen her to be his true bond when she was this pup's age. She herself had entered the priesthood not long after. There were steps to be taken in Oukoku-Kai, true, but Sphinx would be lying if she said she had moved through the system as designed. But did that mean it was unfair to ask that of this child?

The warden glanced to Tibet, trying to gauge his response to Feizin’s desires and the replies of the other adults--if they arrived. She was here to learn after all.

[tessa]

ooc: 
Tessa’s here to stir things up a bit! c:< (assuming this is not closed & you’re alright w/it, ofc)

The tacticians had lost their captain to the war, and with it her interest. She could’ve stepped up to the plate, try to rally them like Tenkiame once had. But honestly? Tactician was her last choice. An opportunity to springboard herself to better, not something she was interested in committing to long term. No, she’d devote her newly found free time to a completely different world: the priesthood.

With time the blonde had more or less come to accept her mother being replaced as an inevitability, and when Kanji had been appointed her, albeit short lived, successor she'd grumbled but made no move against her. Since then, she’d heard whispers that someone new had taken the reins, but had never found the opportunity for a proper introduction before the war. Now that the dust had settled she decided to see how they, her mother’s legacy, had fared in the upheaval.

She’d heard that their new high priest was ‘different’, but no one had ever mentioned exactly how so to her. And that was probably for the best. A stunted limb, extra toes, blindness… She would’ve been more easily able to accept anything but the truth. That, no, what she saw before her was not some harmless shadow trick, but a living breathing monster.

The valley had managed to catch her off guard a handful of times, but never had she trembled like she was now, strings of saliva falling from her maw like a rabid dog. Really, it was a miracle she was able to answer his question at all. 

“The outside's a cesspool,” she spat. “I was prepared for heathens. What I wasn't prepared for was to witness wolves, our own species," — she wasn't afraid to let him know he'd never be included in that 'our', that by design Oukoku would never be for  him [i]—[/i] "knowingly working hand in hand with hellish beasts against their best interest... I have too much pride as a wolf to ever be complicit in such sin.” 

She hadn't made it out of one hell to find more of the same back home. One way or another she'd have his throat. It was just a matter of how she'd go about it. Her niece was too young and soft-bodied to be of any help to her. Which left her with Sphinx as her only option. Sphinx who she’d now hated either outright or quietly for the greater part of her life…

Her gaze flashing from Tibet to Sphinx and back again, she never thought it’d come to this, but if the other would assist her she’d let the past between them die here and now.

[Hayley]

i’d like to post in here next when i wake up please!!

[Tibet]

Could a mod please delete Feizin’s post for me? He was never here.

More recruits plz.

[Cooper]

Gonna post yo. Other people should post toooooo

[Kotake]

anyone still interested in this

[Hayley]

i am!! i’ll try to post asap