Faith can be a funny thing in the Corners of Khorvaire.
One of my first stop as I visited the city of Korth, which is somehow both ancient and new at the same time, was the newly constructed Cathedral to the Sovereign Host in the Temple District.
Belying the normally utilitarian Karrnathi aesthetic, the soaring architecture of the Cathedral was certainly inspiring enough but I soon found myself more intrigued by a group of workers who were carting a load of water, brushes, mops, and ladders to the gate northeast of the city.
I briefly recalled that it was called Holy Gate and that it had been magically fused shut a few decades ago to defend against a Cyran siege during the Last War. As I trailed along behind the workers, I began to see why they were bringing cleaning supplies.
A rather well-organized group of vandals has painted all over the fused gate in various hues and pigments. The word "open" was the most prominent, though there were a great deal of octograms, other holy glyphs, and even one ornately painted prayer to the Host that beseeched them to unfuse the gate.
As they set about their work, I spoke with their organizer, Karola Sattler. I inquired if she happened to have any idea who the vandals might have been.
"Ha! It is the priests, of course. About once a month or so they'll get all worked up in a religious fervor and come out in the night and paint all sorts of things on the Gate. We come out the next day and clean it all up. Next month, we'll do it all over again. Not bad, from a steady work standpoint. It's not like they're painting anything salacious or doing any permanent damage. Most people think Holy Gate ought to be clean and shiny anyway."
I then asked if there had been any talks about having the Gate unsealed.
"Well, His Majesty has bigger concerns. So I wouldn't think he'd bother himself. I did ask the Civic Minister why he thought the priests were doing this once. He said 'If the question is why, the answer is almost always money'. Apparently the priests are concerned that petitioners aren't finding it easy having to go all the way around to East Gate or West Gate and they're worried about those who may not be making it into the Temple District to make their offerings."
"I heard the Temple Council consulted with House Kundarak about getting the Gate unsealed but weren't too happy with the rate they were quoted. So, there you go. They paint the Gate and we clean it up. Who knows how long it'll go on?"
Well, what else could I do dear readers? I snugged up the buckle on my hat and set to helping the effort.
Two hands at work are better than a hundred clasped in prayer in the Corners of Khorvaire.
Genbo Santor d'Sivis.
