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"I present to you, Elena and Kāma Súndari," Ashram declares. "Feel free to come up here and offer the newlyweds your congratulations. There will be food and refreshments at Asha and Priya's shop afterwards."
"By the power vested in me by Nethys and by Amanurata, whom we do honor this day, I now pronounce you wedded," Ashram says. "You may kiss your bride, Kama."
"And you, Elena, take your ring and place it on Kama's finger. Speak your vows before her and those who witness your marriage," Ashram says.
Ashram smiles as Kama takes her place across from Elena. "We come together under one roof, diverse in many ways, but united in our desire to see Kama Sundari and Elena Mehul joined in holy matrimony." He glances at Elena and then Kama before continuing. "Marriage is the culmination of the journey each of you have made alone. From this day forward, you shall go with each other and create a life that is uniquely your own. There will be good times and there will be bad times, but your perseverance shall see you through them both." The priest produces a set of two gold rings set with rubies and sapphires. "Kama, if you would place your ring upon Elena's finger and speak your vows."
Ashram takes his place at the pulpit, dressed in robes of white rimmed with red as a sign of respect to Amanurata. He beckons for Kama to approach the altar.
Ashram shrugs. "She's a bit...defensive." He leads Derika and Vishanti to Jexxa's room, knocking on the door before opening it. "You have some visitors."
"Ah, yes," Ashram says. "She had multiple contusions and a couple of nasty knife wounds. The paladins guessed that she had been attacked by brigands. Anyhow, Ulli healed her completely and she seems a bit better than when she was brought in. Would you like to see her?"
"As we gather at twilight, the divide between night and day, we remember that magic too has two sides. Neither can exist without the other," Ashram exhorts. "We practice balance in all we do, but we must be careful that we do not practice evil to balance the good that others do nor must we simply do good for the sake of balance. We live in a town of acceptance and kindness. We must be worthy of that kindness. "Hence, when good is done unto you, so you must do good for another. Goodness, like magic, cannot be inert. For, in the wilds outside of our walls and the countries beyond our borders, evil spreads with almost no effort. Your fellow men take the evil done unto them and bestow that upon another and another in a vicious cycle. When evil is done, we must correct that with virtue. It takes more effort, more practice and more patience to do good than it is to do evil. You who study magic from tomes know how much time and effort you must expend to gain even the smallest grain of knowledge." He looks at the congregation, giving Derika and Vishanti the slightest of nods. "You who pray to spirits and to the gods know that your devotion must be unwavering, lest your power be taken from you. Thus it is with diligence that we must be people of good, lest we become as base as the wicked. May Nethys bless you and guide your hands to produce gifts of worth."
Ashram knocks on Vaeri's door. "Your friends have come back, Vaeri."
"If he's not wild, it's not a problem," Ashram says, leading the way back to the rooms.
Ashram comes up to Chris and Gashka. "Welcome back. Here to see Vaeri?"
Ashram smiles. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you both. I'm afraid you'll discover that I'm a 'people person'." He goes through one door and turns left. Ashram then stops at a simple wooden door and knocks. "Vaeri, you have visitors."
"Certainly," Ashram says. "I'll take you to her room." The cleric leads the way to the back. "By the way, I am Ashram. If you need anything in the future, I am usually here."
"Yes, I know her," Ashram says before sighing. "Parthenia and Anton did bring her here, but they are planning on leaving soon. I'm...not sure what their plan was for Vaeri."
A cleric sweeping the floors approaches Gashka and Chris. "Ah, you are some new faces. How can I help you?"
Ashram stands at the temple doors and smiles at the trio. "I'm afraid this is as far as you go." He then laughs for a moment. "As single people. Come on in." Ashram opens the doors for Cyna and Sienna.
"I know it will be," Ashram says with a kind smile.
"We're all set," Ashram tells Arista. "It's up to you now."
Are you going Barry Allen this?
You do this to yourself, GM.
Ashram nods. "I'll go get Ulli." He heads through the dormitory door with all haste.
"What...what's going on?" the bewildered cleric asks Fae and Pandi.
Ashram waves back. "You as well."
"He's in meditation," Ashram answers, turning to face Arista. "He should be done shortly."
Ashram smiles and politely takes Jin's hand. "Likewise. Feel free to stop by at any time you please. Our doors are always open, even in the middle of the night. We have a lovely young woman who takes care of the temple when Ulli and I are asleep. Her name is Aliethia."
The man smiles. "Yes, my name is Ashram and I am a cleric of Nethys. I preside over the evening services."
After a few minutes, one of the men walks up to Jin and Hitome. His kind face is framed by a soft beard. "Excuse me. I don't mean to disturb you, but you look like newcomers to Valwick and I wanted to introduce myself."
"There's usually a list by the temple doors with people who need help during bad weather," Ashram says, stifling a sneeze.
Ashram opens the door, looking a little pale. "I think I just need some rest today, Alethiro. What brings you by?"
Ashram waves at Alethiro as he heads to the next house.
Ashram nods. "I'll be fine and you should spend some time with your family while you can."
"I've got this last one," Ashram says. "Why don't you head home?"
Ashram nods knowingly. "Yep. Pulled my back once lifting it. She had a good laugh over it."
Alethiro finds Ashram standing outside. "I was beginning to wonder if she was going to cook you up and eat you."
Ashram nods and hurries off.
"Then the next house too," Ashram says, heading toward the market.
Ashram pockets the list and the money. "Right over there." He points at a house two doors down.
Ashram nods. "Of course. Anything we can do to help."
"Good morning," Ashram replies. "I am Ashram and this is Alethiro. We are from the temple and were wanting to see if you needed anything today."
Ashram shrugs, knocking on a door. "It's just busywork and giving back to the community."
Ashram nods and heads toward some of the houses. "Bored today?"
Alethiro runs into Ashram as he's leaving the temple. "Oh, morning, Alethiro. Ulli decided to close the temple for the day, so I'm going to go visit with some of the elderly and tend to any sick folk. You're welcome to come along if you like."
Ashram then addresses the audience. "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Andimus."
"By the power vested in me by Nethys, God of Magic, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Ashram presents a pair of gold and silver rings. "Now, Michael, take the ring and place it on Jelks' finger. Repeat after me: 'I give you this ring as a reminder that I will love, honor, and cherish you, in all times, in all places and in all ways, forever.'"
Ashram clears his throat. "Well, we've survived another disaster and we're all gathered here to witness Michael and Jelks first step toward a lifetime together. I believe the kraken and that white tower have already voiced their objection to this union, so I'll just skip that part." He smiles then continues. "Marriage is a journey, not a destination. You both must carry your torch of love through the good times and the bad. You must fan the flame when it threatens to go out. You must nurture the flame of your spouse as well as your own. After today, you will be one in flesh, in mind and in spirit. Each of you must humble yourself before the other and, while you may have conflicts now and again, you must seek harmony with each other. You must strive to bring the best out of each other." Ashram then nods at Michael.
Ashram returns with a hot meal for Ulli. "Just a few more minutes, I promise."
Charity, Tesia and Rhadaya arrive at the temple to see Ashram approaching. "Ah, you're back. I've got to fetch Ulli some food and he'll be ready to see Charity." He gives the threesome a nod before heading out the temple's doors.
Ashram nods solemnly. "The only one able to do that is off with Barclay right now."
"What sort of injuries are they?" Ashram asks.
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