The Dawn of a New Sage [VUARI EVENT]

Sage Induction Ceremony Overview:

The rushing sound of winds common to the summit of Oblique found its sound broken for the first time in many months when Neru alighted gently on the floors of the Temple Kuwan. She glanced around, widening the toes of her back feet to help her grip the smooth stone of the temple floor. Since the last Sage, Dapple, had died, it seemed even the most rambunctious of the tribe had feared to visit their tribe's most sacred location.

They weren't wrong in their thoughts. Without a Sage, Kuwan seemed fundamentally wrong, in so many ways. It was like a mountain without snow covering its peak. Not to mention, the lack of the familiar stench of herbs, and the door to the inner temples being firmly closed made it seem... cold. Sages certainly didn't live in Kuwan, but the care the past Sage had put into keeping it had always made it seem to feel like a home. Sighing, Neru wandered over to the door, turning and sitting down in front of it. She arranged her body appropriately, draping her wings correctly and curling her tail around her body. This was an important event, and she knew the elder draconiformes of the tribe would have her head if she didn't treat it accordingly. The entitling of a Sage was something she'd never even seen, let alone done, but she'd been drilled well enough on how it was supposed to go. For now, all she could do was wait for the arrival of the council and the Emara, as well as any members of the tribe that chose to attend the ceremony. Though, she doubted there would be a soul that wouldn't show. It wasn't often the tribe threw a party, and when they did, it was something that went all out. There would be time to let loose back on Dufourspitz, however, after the ceremony. For now, Neru straightened her neck, trying her best to appear as worthy of the position she held as her father had.

Hyruu cursed as a strong blow of wind sent him away from his trajectory. Despite a few years being among the Vuari, high altitude flight was an art he didn't master. It wasn't surprising considering flying to almost the summit of the mountain range wasn't an activity he was doing often, especially when the only building there was an eerie and sacred place for the Tribe.
Readjusting his trajectory, the grey dragon finally made it to a calmer place. He landed on the hard ground, his claws clicking at his steps despite the fur softening the sound. He shook himself slightly, trying to get his fur to behave before stepping forward.
The only dragon that was there at the moment was Neru. The grey dragon headed toward the leader, as he didn't really know what else he was supposed to actually do. It was the first time he was invited to such an event since his arrival among the Vuari, and to be honest the seriousness of the event was scaring him a bit.
"Good morning Neru." he greeted the leader.
If only Sapphire was already there so he could know what to do...

Fate landed softly on the mountain of Oblique, shivering. It was freezing out, especially with the wind. Despite living in the high mountain peaks his whole life, he still wasn't a big fan when it was too freezing. Not knowing how serious the event was going to be, or what to expect from it, he had brought a blanket, so that he wouldn't be shivering from horns to tail the entire ceremony. He walked slowly inside the temple, holding the blanket in his front talons and walking on his back legs, not using his wings for support.

Something definitely felt off about this place. Fate couldn't place what it was, though. He knew about the Sages and how there wasn't any to protect the temple anymore. He guessed that was it. It just felt... off. Cold. Almost a little foreboding. He spotted Neru by the door and felt a little more comfortable. Hyruu was the only other dragon besides Neru there. He walked over to Neru, not sure what to do.

"Neru," he said, dipping his head respectfully. Suddenly feeling foolish for bringing a blanket, he set it down behind him as he sat down next to Neru. She looked so regal, sitting in that position, and Fate felt out of place sitting next to her. Honestly, he didn't even know if he was supposed to sit next to her. Wow, he felt embarrassed not knowing what to do. "...So I'm not sure where I am supposed to be sitting," he stated to Neru, a small, embarrassed smile alighting on his face.

Iwaizumi landed at his destination in as composed a manner as he could muster, trying not to show how winded he was. The winds, not blowing in a favourable direction today, had tossed him around, slamming him from side to side as he'd flown towards this temple, where a ceremony was to take place, or so he'd been told. He calmed his panting breaths and folded his wings, then looked up and made eye contact with Neru, giving her a smile before bowing his head in greetings. He remained in that position for several seconds, before finally raising his head and looking around at the temple uncertainly, unsure of who to join: the fluffy dragon, or Neru?

Neru already had a companion - another nebula wyvern, seated next to her - and Iwaizumi wondered who he was. He had never met or seen anyone who would sit so casually next to the leader. Maybe he was a relative, or a high ranker? It was possible, but that was none of his business. His eyes travelled from the dragon next to Neru to the neatly folded blanket on the ground, and amusement twitched his lips upwards in a smile. He had never seen anyone bring a blanket to a ceremony before, either. But that was none of his business, and Iwaizumi turned to the fluffy dragon, hesitantly moving to his side. "Hello," he greeted the shorter dragon politely, turning onto him the warm smile he'd given Neru earlier.

// Bump? Are there specific people we are waiting for?

//As far as the info blurb states, all members of the Vuari are to be present.\\

A gentle glow greeted the chamber, the winds almost seeming to calm at the calming sight. A shimmering slender form soon was sighted entering the room, a dimmed pink light shining from their hide as they gracefully glided across the room, settling down in a seat near, but not next to, Neru. Feluxious had practiced that entrance, and it showed in the execution. She knew exactly what was to happen that day, as heavy as the thought sat in her heart. Dapple was kind to her always, and she was now being replaced. The thoughts were scattered as the rest of the glow from outside began to trickle in, as the numerous other members of the Proud Eastern Lightbringer clan entered the temple, mostly choosing to congregate together near the entrance. They too, knew what was to come, and awaited it with what seemed to be a mix of anxiety and triumph.

Feluxious nodded to all who had already gathered, pausing slightly on the blanket that had been cast to the ground. She did not linger on it however. It was not important to her day. To the ceremony. It did not change that Dapple was gone. It did not change that Dapple was a large standard to live up to. She took a deep breath, and watched the rest of the room curiously. Now was not the time for hesitation. Now was the time for strength, real or perceived. Words would come later. For now, she mutely gave a calming smile. This was the time for her to be strong. With her entrance complete, she lowered her healing glow, relieved at the reduced magical strain.

Hyruu looked as some new dragons arrived in the room. Every time he carefully looked to see if his mate would be among those who arrived, but it seemed Sapphire took more time to prepare herself than he expected. He sure was feeling a bit nervous now, with no one he really knew...
One of the dragons in particular walked toward him, greeting him. The grey dragon decided to return the greeting, as it was the best thing to do.
"Good morning." he politely said, waiting for them to introduce themselves if they wanted to.

Fate pushed the blanket under his wing so nobody would see it or mess with him for it. He got a bit more nervous as more and more dragons from the tribe filtered in. He smiled at everyone who passed a glance his way. They are probably wondering why I am sitting next to our leader, he thought, wondering if sitting next to Neru was the right thing to do.

Waking up as she realised the time, thinking to herself as she widened her eyes 'Crap I'm Late!' Quickly dashing around her den she grabbed the necessaries making sure she was tidy for the event. It wasn't long before she was running slightly up towards the event, panting as she arrived speaking out nervously "S..sorry I'm late..." lowering her look only to spot Hyruu blushing slightly.

It didn't take long for others to begin to arrive; she'd barely settled in before Hyruu was sweeping into the area. Relaxing slightly, she waved her tail tip in a quick and polite greeting. "Good morning, Hyruu," she responded. Fate came soon after and she repeated her earlier greeting, leaving out the verbal portion until her clan member had strayed closer to her. She was slightly surprised that he'd chosen to sit next to her but allowed no indication of this to appear in her expression. Neru didn't want to embarrass him. Besides, if he didn't know what to do, it was her fault for not making sure the whole tribe knew the exact actions in which they were expected to take.

Leaning close, she twitched her earflaps happily in recognition of his statement. "Out among the others," she replied, her voice low. "If we get technical you're in Feluxious' spot, though she won't take it until later." She glanced out among the new arrivals at that moment, just in time to catch his eye and the bow of his head. Neru returned the action, waving her tail once again in greeting.

She found herself distracted by a scent she recognized well, no matter how aware she was that, perhaps, the reasoning behind it might be for reasons other than proximity. Neru turned her head to look at Feluxious as she arrived, her ear flaps perking up happily.  It seemed most of her clan had arrived with her, thankfully cutting down on Neru's mental list of draconiformes she was expected to wait for. She waved her tail happily when Felux strayed close enough, smiling brightly. Now that more dragons had arrived, however, Elders were around as well, and so she restrained herself, tucking her body back into its appropriate position. Sapphire had arrived as well, it seemed, with other stragglers not far behind. She did a quick count, finding herself at fifty-nine heads. Shudaar... she winced internally, looking around hopefully for any indication that it was, perhaps, somebody else that was missing. Seeing none, she shook her head and untucked her body, getting to her feet.

"Nearly all have arrived," she announced, raising her voice over the gentle din of the others. "A few more minutes will be allowed for stragglers. If none appear, we'll start. Please take the appropriate seating; all Emara seat yourselves in front of me, and the rest of the tribe may disperse themselves behind that point."

Fate felt his face go red in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize," he explained, knowing that Neru was trying to make him not feel embarrassed or be rude. He brushed his wing against her kindly and to say that it was fine before moving a little distance away so that he wouldn't be in the way of anyone. He took his blanket with him. When the Emara sat down in front of Neru, he made sure that he was not in their way and sat with some other dragons a little bit away.

A frigid wind blew in from the entrance and Fate was tempted to wrap the blanket around him, but he restrained himself. After the ceremony was over, he would do it, but not yet, no matter how cold he was. He spotted Hyruu a little distance away from him and he walked over and sat next to him, finally sitting down for the last time. "Hello," he greeted. "I know I have only met you once, I believe, but I would like to sit by a familiar face."

It felt extra cold today. It was the sort of cold that seeped into your bones and made you want to curl into a ball and just sleep. And that is exactly what Shudaar did in his small nook in the mountain, protected from the wind. There was some sort of ceremony going on, and everyone was supposed to go, but it was just too cold and was making himself feel even more lethargic than usual. Maybe he was coming down with a sickness again. Standing to the sound of creaking joints, having gone stiff from inactivity, he poked his head out and into the wind. The wind sapped the heat from his face almost instantly, an involuntary shiver running through him. With a heavy sigh, Shudaar forced himself out into the cold wind, and took flight towards the meeting area. Taking care to not just appear and cause a commotion, he landed a bit away, and slowly navigated his way to the area, seeing dragons already having gathered and what not. Migrating himself as best he could unseen behind everyone, he found a solitary area where he could see them from a distance, and curled himself back into a ball of black scales. Propping his tail over his head, he closed his eyes, mainly listening to what was going more on less he doze off before then.

"Good morning," Iwaizumi echoed Hyruu's greeting, matching the grey dragon's polite tone with an equally polite one. Unsure of how to proceed, he lapsed into silence, taking a few moments to gather his composure and ask for the dragon's name. When he did, though he was interrupted by another dragon - a female this time - rushing towards Hyruu with a blush tinging her purple cheeks pink. It was clear from the was she was panting that she had arrived in a rush, thinking that she was late, and her first words to the grey dragon confirmed Iwaizumi's guess.

The two dragons were clearly familiar with each other, and, not wanting to make them feel awkward with an unfamiliar dragon among them, Iwaizumi turned his attention towards the nebula wyvern that had previously been sitting next to Neru. The one with the blanket, Iwaizumi remembered, the thought bringing a faint smile to his lips. Moving away slightly from the two, he inclined his head towards Fate, and greeted him, "Hello," with the warmest smile he could muster, hoping that no one was about to come in and greet the nebula wyvern like they were familiar with him the way the female had done with the grey dragon.

((Don't feel required to stick to posting order here; it's mostly a simple dialogue until the ceremony is done, at which point it'll be a jump back to Dufourspitz for the party, where the posting order can be regular again.))

A brush of guilt went through Neru at the embarrassed look on Fate's face. She would normally have no problem with him sitting with her, she simply wanted to keep to what she was taught to do for this ceremony. The brush of his wing calmed her slightly, but she still hoped that he truly hadn't taken offense to her gentle admonishment. For now, however, she turned her attention away as soon as he'd wandered off, going through another quick headcount, thought it was more a simple search for Shudaar's presence than anything else. Luckily, she found the little Night Fury at the far back, by himself. Repressing a small sigh and the urge to get him to at least attempt to socialize with others on occasion, she stood, letting out a squawk to gather attention once more.

"Welcome to Kuwan," Neru began, bowing her head slightly. "For thousands of years, this temple has been a vital piece of our culture, both a place of safety and healing, and a place of freedom and understanding. As you all know, it is the Sage's job to keep this temple in working order and to be its host.  Not all that long ago, we lost Dapple, a Sage that many of us knew from birth. She was known for her gentle nature and patience, even for those  who might not be equally as respectful." She thought of Zalamoro then, heart falling slightly. It had been sad that even Dapple had been pushed to the point at which she'd agreed to banish a tribe member. "Through this ceremony, I ask that you remember her in fondness, even as we welcome the one who will follow in her footsteps. I now introduce you to that very dragoness. I have no doubt many of you have been healed by her at least once. An Emara of the Eastern Lightbringer Clan, Feluxious, please step forward"

It was at this moment that Feluxious knew she had to deviate from her script. She had planned this too meticulously to have prepared for unforeseen difficulties, yet they were rising up anyway. Emotions. She smoothly glided to stand next to Neru, and faced the rest of the tribe, her coils neatly falling behind her. "Dear fellow members of the Vuari. It is an honor beyond honors to be given the chance to speak before you on this day, and an even greater privilege to be considered for this position." Her words flowed in a graceful manner, making the normally short and guttural  language seem elegant. As she spoke, she surveyed the crowd, trying her hardest not to read in to the expressions that her clan wore.

"There however, can never be something gained without something lost. Dapple was near and dear to us all, and I wish this ceremony to be as much about her as anyone else. She was the kindest soul in creation, with a mouth that could make Dufourspitz itself blush. She always meant the best by it however, no matter how early in our lives we were educated about meanings. When it came to care, there was no equal. If you required assistance, the only questions asked were those to allow her to better help you. She never spoke a word of any uncomfortable or embarrassing situations to anyone, no matter how funny she found them at the time." Feluxious' eyes found the ground, and the unexpected guests of tears found their way to her eyes. Dapple was one of the few who knew her secret, and no others were any the wiser. "She acted as a great mentor, and even a friend to me in her years with us. She always knew exactly what to say it seemed like. One such time sticks in my memory even now. I was young, and a member of my clan had passed on. I had never considered death in that way. Do you know what she said to me? 'You musn't be so selfish young Fel. You are not owed tomorrow. You are not even owed tonight. To keep experiencing them is a treasure like no other. Sometimes you receive it as a gift, others you earn it yourself. But you cannot bemoan that a gift you received is gone. You must take it gracefully, and when it is gone you must be grateful that it happened at all.' And so it is with all my heart that I give thanks to her, and celebrate her for what she was. I hope that you all do as well, perhaps share some stories of her afterwards." Her speech continued strong, despite the tears now freely flowing.

"Now for what has been gained. I know that I have a lot to live up to. I know that I plan to do exactly that. I accept this title knowing full well its weight and I will carry it for the rest of my existence if need be, for the prosperity of the Vuari!" She finished with a triumphant flick of her tail, shortly followed by a silencing gesture. "So without further ado, let us embrace the memories that drive us as we welcome in a new light to Kuwan." With this, she floated past Neru, not without a sidelong glance, and pushed opened the stone doors to the true interior of the shrine. A thick layer of dust had settled, coating the stone with a sense of eras past. It almost hurt to see. Once inside, she took a glance at the torch she had prepared, and elected to leave it by the wayside. The tradition was only to bring light of course. So with a spin, the glittering crystal orbs in orbit about her flickered to life, emanating a soft, nurturing, healing light that spread throughout the temple, filling every crack with its warmth. "Go now. Eat. Drink. Be merry. This is a time for us to celebrate the gift of life we all have. Use your time to its fullest." She announced, hoping that it was the proper way to end the ceremony and begin the revels to follow. She already felt like collapsing from keeping up a facade of strength through her speech. To be alone in cleaning the shrine, that sounded nice.