Raymesin, already sitting near the back, offers polite nods to those new arrivals he recognises. He appears to be clad in his black-and-purple best, and quiet.

Haakon has sat generally forward, but toward the outside end of a long pew. Setting his helm on the ground between his boots, drawing off gloves and seeking to blend in as much as a plain Prodigal in shoddy armor can blend in among the grand finery of others.

Darren enters along with Princess Marian, the pair heading for the pews near the front, talking quietly. "..yes, whatever assistance we can offer the Eurusi refugees the better," he agrees quietly. Darren is dressed much as usual, nodding in greeting to those he recognises as he makes his way to the pews.

Darren has joined the pews nearest the front.

Marian has joined the pews nearest the front.

Victus' entrance is muted. He's alongside Alarissa, with a few of his retinue in tow as well. The Prince and co. make their way to the front pews, where he settles in for the ceremony.

Marian accompanies her liege, as his Voice and friend as they make their way to the pew, "Thank you for supporting my efforts in this." She spies Ailith, giving both her and Preston respectful nods. Victus and Alarissa are given solemn nod as they arrive at the pews.

Right arm entwined in Victus', Alarissa moves with him to the front in the same quiet fashion and eases down to sit and settle in for the ceremony, a dip of her head to Darren in respect and then a smaller one for Marian.

Dame Rosario Nevarre of the Oathlands, Anouk Ardennes, Anais Ardennes, Triage, The white dove of Mercy, 2 Valardin Knights, 1 Templar Knight guards arrive, following Sophie.

Preston has joined the pews nearest the front.

Ailith has joined the pews nearest the front.

6 King's Own Guardsmen, Narses arrive, following Eleanor.

Sometimes, the best place for an ex-Archlector to stay out of the way is by sitting in the back, and so that's where Aleksei settles. There's a wistfulness to his expression -- that complicated recognition that he is glad to see the event take place, even if he grieves the reason for it.

Eleanor has joined the pews nearest the rear.

2 Kennex corsairs, Jane arrive, following Catalana.

walking into the Shrine of the First Choice, the tall Blackram takes a quick look to see the number of people that have already arrived and heads to the an area that has the least amount of people. It appears that Gaston is content to just listen for the time being.

Eleanor makes a quiet entrance, slipping into the first open spot she finds in the rear pews with a solemn expression and shining eyes.

Catalana steps into the shrine quietly and her mood somber. Trying to be discreet she walks towards the front of the shrine and slips into a seat and bows her head in a quick silent prayer.

Catalana has joined the pews nearest the front.

Orion, a healer's surly Assistant, 2 Redoubt Buccaneers arrive, following Azova.

Dal, a jumpy and introverted bookworm arrives, following Bhandn.

Sophie enters quietly, almost somberly, or as somber as Sophie gets. She sits quietly, folding her hands in her lap and closing her eyes for a moment before they open. She then opens her eyes and looks around, giving a nod to the eyes she catches.

Sophie has joined the pews nearest the front.

Ailith murmurs into the Carnifex's ear before nodding solemnly toward the front. Upon reaching the pew, she carefully removes her arm and dips her head to the assembled nobility then sits in quiet contemplation.

Azova slips in just a moment or so late, and finds herself a seat wherever she can, hands folding in her lap and eyes lowered a bit as she endeavors to listen.

5 Silvershields, Jeeves, a sophisticated valet arrive, following Rook.

Sitting in the front pew, it has not escaped Sorrel's attention that there is no Legate as yet. She sits near Victus and Alarissa, not far from Preston and Ailith, nearby Darren and Marian, and yet, there's still the sense of people just coming together. There's nothing to listen to. Nothing to focus on. The mood is somber, reflective of those lost, with respect from the high nobility and the religious. And so she makes a choice: she starts to sing.

Now, Sorrel has a beautiful voice, and she has written several songs about freedom and broken chains, and that is what she starts to sing here and now. Just sitting on her bench, she just lets the sound flow out into the room, beautiful and inspiring and utterly full of hope.

Sir Bhandn isn't far behind the Mother Mercy. It's to her that he goes when he's inside the shrine proper, moving to seat himself next to the woman and give her a tiny smile when he catches her eyes and nod. There's a deferential nod from his seat, but he keeps his mouth closed out of not wanting to interrupt.

Bhandn has joined the pews nearest the front.

Marian focuses on the altar before her before lowering her eyes to quietly thinks upon their reason to being there today. There is glance as she hears the song fill the room, giving a gentle nod to Sorrel in greeting before turning back to her prayers. Her fingers move over her rings, first Gild and then Gloria, as she quietly reflects.

Azova can feel her eyes fill when Sorrel's song surrounds the shrine. Such a beautiful, hopeful sound, deserves at least that much admiration even if she is being quiet about it.

Sophie glances toward Bhandn as he seats himself next to her. She gives him a brief smile, and pats him on the hand before she looks back toward the altar, listening to Sorrel's song.

Raymesin continues to lurk quietly near the back, and offer polite nods to figures he recognises. And then the song starts, and he looks down to focus on his hands in his lap.

Darren remains silent once he takes his seat, just listening to Sorrel's song, his eyes fixed on the altar in thought.

When Aureth arrives, he is greeted by Sorrel's song, and she has stood up from the pew in the front so that she can better project her sound through the shrine. It is a lovely song, familiar if one has attended her recent concert, and it resonates with the power of hope, freedom, and choice. Even spontaneously performed, without accompaniment, it is a pleasant way to begin a service.

Aureth arrives, dressed more humbly than he usually might be at a service. No grandeur and glitter, no elaborate wardrobe: simple, white robes. Not a large man, the pale sweep of robes and the absence of shoes mean - as he carries what appear to be wooden boughs, by hand - that he has made of himself slight and humble figure. It may all be theater, but Sorrel's acapella performance only lends to the drama as he walks, picking his careful way through the root-broken floor to find a space of stone on which he can lay out what strongly resembles the roots of a fire. A few priests and disciples hurry after him, and their procession is slightly less dramatic, like maybe they were just trying to make sure there's enough fuel for this.

Marian finishes her silent prayer as Aureth arrives. She opens her eyes and focuses on the procession as they move into shrine. Her solemn eyes take in the Faith as they fill the altar.

Catalana attention was entirely on Sorrel until Aureth arrival, and her gaze refocuses to take in his movements. For now, she sits silently, letting the scene and music carry over her.

When Sorrel finally fades her song, she then bows her head to the congregation, turns and bows more deeply to the Legate Aureth, and finally retakes her seat. Nothing like a bard for spontaneity.

Once the base of the pyre is laid, Aureth kneels before it with his back to the altar, facing the congregation. His hair falls unbound around his shoulders, and his hands scrub against each other, half-conscious in their shed of dust and bark. "Thank you," he says. His voice is pitched to carry across the open-air structure. "And thank you all for coming. We are here today to pay our respects to some lives laid down in the cause of freedom. One of the first principles in the new canon that has been written in honor of the Queen of Endings and Mother of Beginnings is that Death wove all souls, and that all those souls are worthy of respect, to be cherished. I do not have exact numbers of those who fell at Sungreet. I cannot tell you how many of those people that returned to the embrace of the Mother Who Began them will have funerals elsewhere, have families and loved ones, have Houses to hold up their names and weave a legacy in their honor. But I can tell you that each one was a living, breathing human, whose soul was granted by Death, and who returns now to Her for their next turn upon the Wheel."

Raymesin too focuses on Aureth when the Legate arrives, but otherwise he continues to lurk quietly in the pews at the back. His expression reveals nothing, but he listens as Aureth speaks.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Victus before departing.

Aleksei has left the pews nearest the rear.

Keso, a totally legit assistant have been dismissed.

Peanut, an oversized mountain dog have been dismissed.

Aleksei has joined the pews nearest the rear.

Azova has joined the pews nearest the front.

5 Silvershields, Jeeves, a sophisticated valet leave, following Rook.

Aureth watches the congregation thoughtfully for a moment as the priests and disciples each come up and add their fuel to the unlit fire. He keeps an eye on it, and at one point spoils his own theater a little by getting down on hands and knees to shove at some of what threatens to be spillage. Gotta make sure the solid surge of tree roots that are wrought through this floor are safe. Then he straightens up, and nods at someone in the back of the room. While an armored templar approaches with a lit taper, Aureth speaks again:

"The thralls who fell died because they chose death over returning to the yoke. Their ends were violent and came because those who named themselves their masters refused to submit to the demands of Faith and Fealty." He tips his chin up. "Mother Ailith, Shield of Concepts, bears an offering of destruction that we lay on this pyre to their memories."

Ailith has left the pews nearest the front.

Sirra, a very quiet maid, an indeterminate number of cats, 3 House Mazetti Guardians arrive, following Alessia.

Sophie has left the pews nearest the front.

Dame Rosario Nevarre of the Oathlands have been dismissed.

Anouk Ardennes have been dismissed.

Anais Ardennes have been dismissed.

Triage, The white dove of Mercy have been dismissed.

2 Valardin Knights have been dismissed.

1 Templar Knight guards have been dismissed.

Alessia has joined the pews nearest the rear.

Head bowed, shoulders straighten as the Legate of Concepts rises from her seat at the pews. Her fingers lower from the prayer beads along her chain and gently she motions oft to the side. As pair of Templar guards approach from the rear, carrying a chest between them, Ailith draws in a breath and takes her place alongside Aureth.

The heavy clatter of metal meets ground echoes in the shrine and the lock falls before the guards open the lid.

"I apologize for my lack of composure." She takes another sharp breath and straightens. "In the weeks before the arrival of the fleet and the templars, Sungreet knew of healing and peace. Those in my company came to know our parishioners -- the people of Sungreet. That includes the thrall servants for they came to share in song and sermon. They all came to the Shrine to listen as the Baroness Lucita's song was heard on the streets -- Hope."

Ailith wipes the edge of her forefinger to dab at her glistening eyes. "This is important to know, to understand what was in their hearts, that for a short time in their lives, they knew peace. Many of the non-combatant thralls escaped, being smuggled out of the city before our Grandmaster's arrival. -All- the others sought refuge at the shrine while their family, trained by the blade, fought in the streets for everyone's lives. They rebelled. They defended."

She pauses, her eyes glazing over, struggling a moment, and giving all time to consider before she speaks anew. "When the battle was over, we went to the streets to tend to their families. There have been very few times I've had to care for so many, pray for their return to our Queen of Endings, that I apologize for not knowing their number. I will speak the names I heard cried by their families, the names they shared in grief, the names of those I came to know. I will honor their choice for many of us would have perished in that battle. They were former Abandoned of the Mourning Isles, taken on raids."

She nods to Aureth solemnly. "In this chest are the chains of burden many carried. I bring them to the Legate of the Lost so that their memories be told to the Queen, that she may know of their choice to rebel and that they knew of hope, peace, and freedom."

Darren has left the pews nearest the front.

6 Last Watch Sentries have been dismissed.

Nils, an aging Northern steward have been dismissed.

Aureth kneels in respectful silence as Ailith speaks, and as she offers the chest. He murmurs something to her very quietly as he accepts it from her hands, rising to his feet as fluidly as he can - not as fluidly as once he might have, maybe. He's not as young as he used to be, here. He rests his on her back for a heartbeat, and then steps back, resting his weight on his naked heels.

"Their sacrifice shall not be forgotten," he says. "In honor of their choices, in honor of their loss, we will cast these memories of their servitude upon the pyre. Let them crack and blacken as our offering to the gods, to Death and to Skald, lit from the light of the Eternal Flame, representing the will of our spirit, to change, and to the future."

The templar lowers the taper to the pyre and the flames, carried from Lagoma's shrine, ignite the dry wood laid there immediately. It doesn't take long before the pyre is a searing heat from which Aureth must flinch back. Wincing, he licks sweat from his upper lip, and opens the chest to cast the manacles into the blaze.

Catalana quietly bows her head and prays quietly when the pyre is lit. As it flames consume the material beneath it, Catalana exhales softly and excuses herself discreetly from the group she's sitting with

Catalana has left the pews nearest the front.

2 Kennex corsairs, Jane leave, following Catalana.

Aureth raises his voice to speak over the crackle and roar of the flame, as the metal chains slung across the boughs of the bonfire begin to heat. Aureth stands silent for a moment before the fire, and then takes another step back as the heat only seems to grow. The Eternal Flame is not a fire that is kidding around, and this pyre shares that trait. It's hard to stand too close. "Faithful, I call on you to remember them. To remember their sacrifice, to honor their worth. I call on you to join in this offering. If you have something you want to throw upon the pyre, or words you wish to speak to honor their passing, please join us, and step forward."

Marian has joined the line.

Shard has joined the line.

Quietly slipping into the shrine, Alessia settles into the rear pews, keeping herself alert to the legate's words.

Darren has joined the line.

Turn in line: Marian

Ailith solmenly nods to Aureth's whispered words and once the very chains strike the flame, the tears falter to run down her cheeks. She stands straight, focused on flame, and respectful as others approach with offering, words, or both.

Marian steps forward, being the first in line to stand up and give words for those that have fallen, "House Redrain honors the sacrifices that these warriors of broken chains made so others could make it home to their families." She takes the hairpins from her hair that depict a red dragons, "And I offer a gift given to me by Princess Alarissa Thrax to honor their house, our ally for the road ahead in support of the Faith and His Majesty. We are all in this together. This is not an issue for the Mourning Isles. This blight of heresy can not be let to take root and grow in the hearts of my people." She then takes out a blade and makes thin marks on her cheeks and hands as she then mixes her blood with steel and brings them to the flame to be consumed, "I bent on knee and accepted the Compact. I know what it is to be Abandoned and found. I do not know your names but I recognize your heart and spirit. And I thank you for your sacrifice."

Victus has joined the line.

Marian has left the pews nearest the front.

Haakon rises at about the same time many others do, but as others step forward, the Prodigal recovers his helm and steps quietly toward the back, and the door to the larger city.

Haakon has left the pews nearest the front.

Shard stands immediately from the back benches. There's not even any hesitation there, no sign of shyness or uncertainty. Her expression is still mostly unreadable, but there's a firmness to it now, purposeful, some strange mix of energy and temper and...something else in the way that she moves and the tensing of her muscles. She brought a small sack with her that seems to be full of something and yet light enough that it might as well be empty. And when she reaches the fire, she opens it, she stands close enough that it must be very uncomfortable, and then she begins feeding feathers to the fire, a few at a time. All of them are black--raven, for those with the knowledge to recognize them--and she does not hurry. She stands there, feeding every last feather to the fire, unhurried, and with every single feather she has a name. There aren't nearly enough feathers. There aren't nearly enough names. But when she's emptied that sack she slips a smaller bag from her belt, and lets a few more feathers drift into the flames, fall slowly, and vanish into brief, tiny orange sparks. She hasn't looked at anyone else, but now she does, she looks back at everyone else sitting in the pews, and says with flat, quiet, seething anger, "Death to every slaver." She drops the empty sack and bag roughly into the fire, and returns to her seat.

Turn in line: Shard

Marian takes a moment to clean the marks she made on her skin, put away her blade and then returns to her seat.

Marian has joined the pews nearest the front.

Preston has joined the line.

Aureth raises his eyebrows at one point during Marian's sacrifice, and they stay up as Shard speaks. He retains gravity in the weight of his nod as Shard returns to her seat, and then clears his throat, lifting his glance to find High Lords coming next. He nods to Darren, folding his hands neatly before him as he stands there.

Turn in line: Darren

Alariss sits quietly, watching and listenin, observing the offerings placed in the fire.

Darren stands when it is his turn. He has brought nothing to burn except his words, though they smoulder with their own banked fire. "Skald blesses us with the freedom we are born with. To take that freedom away, nay, to *steal* it, is an affront to everything that Skald asks of us." He nods back towards where Shard stands. "Death to every slaver." And he retakes his seat.

Gaston has joined the line.

Sorrel has joined the line.

1 Templar Knight guards, Sir Daniel the Beardless, a somewhat hapless Templar arrive, following Hamish.

Bhandn, too, remains sitting quietly, though his silence is born from a lack of words and a lack of movement only. His face remains largely composed, but his eyes are troubled, staring at that blazing pyre and flickering from one part of it to another.

3 Last Watch Sentries, 3 Redrain Guards, Lady Arabella, Lady-in-Waiting arrive, following Donella.

1 Templar Knight guards have been dismissed.

Sir Daniel the Beardless, a somewhat hapless Templar have been dismissed.

"Indeed," Aureth says, glancing from Darren, to Shard, and back. His mouth kicks up at one corner and then he restrains the impulse, turning his gaze to Victus.

Turn in line: Victus

Aleksei has joined the line.

1 Culler Boatswain, 2 Culler Brutes arrive, following Raja.

When Victus stands, he's immediately reaching into the pocket of his coat. From within, he draws a small and beaten dagger. The steel has lost its shine and the handle is worn. It carries the motif of a sea serpent, engraved to appear as though the beast was circling the bearer's hand. Bits of the sculpture have chipped away with time, leaving glaring blemishes on its surface. "We have venerated sacrifice since this Compact was forged. To sacrifice one's life for another. For an ideal. For a future that one will never see with their own eyes. Those who sacrificed everything for the world are standing tall in the Hall of Heroes, among legend. I did not see the faces of these souls who fought and died. I did not look into their eyes and see their suffering. I cannot begin to understand their pain. But I understand that they made a choice to rise, fight and die for their freedom. So that their family and their world can move beyond slavery."

Victus places the blade into the fire. Or perhaps 'tossed' would be more apt. "They are worthy heroes. They are something to aspire to." With that, the Prince returns to his seat beside his wife.

Haakon lingers at the door long enough to hear Victus, before the Eswynd steps outside.

Raja is late, but she steps into the temple, sliding into the back, surrounded by a few Cullers. She is silent, her dark gaze shifting to observe.

Turn in line: Preston

Aureth bows his head to Victus, as the metal from the blade he tossed into the fire joins the heating chains. He turns, then, and nods to Preston.

Donella steps into the shrine respectfully and lets her eyes move around the building. When there is a right time, she will move towards where her husband is as she gets a feel for the honor and remembrance of the occasion.

Preston steps up to the front and looks into the fire before he reaches into his sling with his good hand and removes a broken shaft of an arrow that he tosses in "Because of the sacrifices of the Thralls, that is all that made it through my armour that day. If any one group had not been there all would have failed." Preston pauses "They fought to destroy the world they knew, a world of chains, and forge something new in its place. A world of choice. The same world we fight to defend against slavers and invaders, against ghosts of our past and sins of our fathers. They seized choice, and they used it to choose to defend the innocent." Preston lets out a short sigh and shakes his head "Even those who died with their names unknown except by those who died beside them, even if we cannot speak their names, I am confident their names still whisper into the ears of the Gods and make them smile." And then he moves back to his seat in the front pews quietly, his head bowing in small prayer.

Raja has joined the pews nearest the rear.

Hamish has joined the line.

Aureth bows a little to the Grandmaster, and says, "Thank you for your aid in working for this new world," before glancing back to the line, and nodding to the next congregant.

Turn in line: Gaston

When it is his turn to speak, Gaston steps forward and offers not an item but a salute to chains that are surrounded by flames as to him, they signify the Thrall that had broken the very shackles to gain their freedom. There is a respectful bow of head from the tall Blackram as he closes his eyes for a moment. When they reopen, he speaks, "For most that have sacrificed themselves, it was the most difficult but also the most important choice they had made in their life. But it was /their/ choice to throw off the yoke that their overlords had bound them against their will. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten nor will they have been made in vain as those who fought bravely to the very end had given their brothers and sisters a chance at freedom." There is a brief pause as Gaston looks into the flames before he ends with, "Their old enslavers will be found and put to the sword. Death to every slaver."

"Prima Shard, I believe you have coined a new phrase, and one with which it is hard to disagree," Aureth murmurs. "Thank you, Lord Blackram. It is a sentiment that the Faith shares."

Turn in line: Sorrel

Sorrel has a fistful of something when she stands up to take her turn, yet when she opens her hand above the fire, she throws in nothing. Nothing? "My gift is my song, and my song is my sacrifice. Slavery is a tradition that we will not permit to continue. We will break chains. We will melt ice. The people will be free. They will choose to be free, and they will know a new world of change and of choice. It is better to die free than to live a slave, but it is better yet to live free! Let us remember those who have died for change! Let us celebrate those who have thrown off their chains! Those who would freeze us in chains on a singular path will never know victory!"

"Thank you, singer, for that and for your hymn to begin the service," Aureth says with a lift of his chin. "May our adherence to tradition never freeze us in our tracks."

Turn in line: Aleksei

Raja has joined the line.

Aleksei rises from the pews, making his way slowly to the pyre. He stands near it a long moment, his eyes on the flames, and then he turns back to the crowd. "They didn't fight for us," he finally says. "They didn't die for us, or to help our cause. They fought for themselves. And they died--" He stops, his voice tightening, and he takes a moment to breath. "It shouldn't have taken the threat of a foreign invasion for us to help them. We owed them more. We owed them the gift Skald gave all of us." He falls silent. And then, quietly, he says, "They died because we failed them. For hundreds of years. The responsibility for their deaths doesn't simply fall to Duke Ivan, or invading Eurusi. They fall to all of us." His gaze shifts, finding someone in particular in the pews, and he says, "Their lives were worth our recognition before they died, not just now when it is easy. Please don't forget those they fought for and with. Those who will still need our help. Those that deserve more from us." And then his chin lifts, a fierce conviction in his eyes, and he says, "Death to all slavers." And then, his moment taken, he moves back to the pews.

"Thank you, First Liberator," Aureth says. He stands for a moment before inviting the next person up, turning something over in his mind. "We will bring death to those who enslave others," he says, "but we will pray for their redemption. We will pray for another path. Because as Death comes to all, so there is always a choice." He smiles faintly and says, "Blessed," with a nod to Hamish.

Turn in line: Hamish

It is, perhaps, kismet that Blessed Hamish comes in when he does, late as he is. Though he is definitely wearing shoes, he's otherwise left his vestments behind and wears simple blacks. As the procession of speakers come up to offer words he waits for a break he can make his turn and steps up to the pyre. There are words, but they're for him and the flames alone, a momentary conspiracy with Death. A moment passes after his brief prayer where he just looks into the pyre, then he fishes a pendant on a silver chain out of his pocket and tosses it in. "Few will ever know," he says the way some might say amen. When he turns back he gives Shard the slightest nod and adds, "Death to all slavers," sounding beyond exhausted when he does. Then he makes his way back to stand with the rest.

1 Crimson Blades Sergeant, 1 Crimson Blades Lieutenant, 1 Crimson Blades Private, Akkar arrive, following Cillian.

Raymesin has joined the line.

Cillian has joined the pews nearest the rear.

Aureth follows this quiet with more quiet, thoughtful; then he glances back at the congregation and nods gravely to the next.

Turn in line: Raja

Inspired by the actions of others, Raja decides to stand in line. She makes her way forward when she is called. "There are so many things we take for granted every day. There are so many things we do that we don't even think about. We enjoy a meal with friends. We walk through the streets without any worry. We joke. We dance. We laugh." She pauses. "We even have names. Some of these people had none of this. I live in splendor. I live in riches compared to the least of these." She brings out a small object wrapped in a bit of tattered cloth. "I received a gift from a grandmother that I had helped to smuggle out. It was just a bit of stale cookie. But, it was the only thing she could give me. She gave it to me, insisting. She wanted to provide thanks." The tiny bundle is set in the fire. "In spite of having so much less than all of us, these people still stood up and showed /true/ bravery. It is a clear inspiration." There is a pause, "It is us that should be thanking them."

While the chains and other metal sacrifices are heating to a glowing smithy's blazon, the bundle is incinerated to ash altogether quickly. Aureth bows to Raja no less deeply than he did to anyone else. If anything, the gradation of his bow looks steeper. He says, "Thank you."

Turn in line: Raymesin

Raymesin rises to his feet when he's called; he pulls something folded into a piece of linen from a pouch and adds it to the flames, then turns to look at the congregation, his pale eyes sweeping over the crowd. "Let's send the slavers back to the Queen," the tall man with the truly terrible Lowers accent says. "An' let's build a better world for Thralls an' slaves an' slavers to come back to. Because if we don't do that, it'll just carry on." And then he offers Aureth a nod, before heading back to his seat.

Cillian slips in moving to sit at the pews nearest the rear, he is quiet and listens.

Darren has joined the pews nearest the front.

Donella has joined the pews nearest the front.

Aureth returns Raymesin's nod and then stands for a moment in stillness. The pyre roars with heat, crackling, with the quieter tinks and plonks of burning wood and heated metal. Then he says, "We pray for the souls of the thralls who returned to Death. We pray for the souls of all the slaves who remain in servitude. We pray for those who would be free."

Then he steps back from the pyre. "Let these offerings burn, and with them go our prayers to you, Mother of Beginnings, and for you, First Choice, and all you represent."

Aureth looks out at the congregation, then, and says - more simply than some signoffs, "I release you to your lives, Faithful. Remember them, and carry their choices with you."

Then he nods to Ailith, and turns to walk back up the aisle, murmuring to one of the other priests as the slow murmur of a people released from a service begins to rise from the pews.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Aureth before departing.

Cornelius, a studious looking attendant arrives, delivering a message to Aureth before departing.

Azova has largely been quiet through the service, merely listening. But as Aureth releases them from the service, she closes her eyes to say her own silent prayer and just as humbly slips out.

Azova has left the pews nearest the front.

2 Redoubt Buccaneers, Orion, a healer's surly Assistant leave, following Azova.

Guy, a hunting kestrel arrives, delivering a message to Aureth before departing.

1 Culler Boatswain have been dismissed.

2 Culler Brutes have been dismissed.

Marian finishes her vigil and stands as the service ends. She gives a signal to Darren to let him know that she doesn't plan to linger. She then makes her way out of the shrine, thoughtful on the words given today.

Marian has left the pews nearest the front.

Ender, a Silver Gyrfalcon, Ursa, 2 Redrain Guards leave, following Marian.

Darren has left the pews nearest the front.

Eleanor scrubs her hands over her thighs and exhales a stuttered breath. Her eyes are red-rimmed when she rises and slips out of her pew at the back. She pauses to nod at the others sharing her pew before she quietly exists the Shrine.

Eleanor has left the pews nearest the rear.

6 King's Own Guardsmen, Narses leave, following Eleanor.

Donella has left the pews nearest the front.