Contents
Chapter 3. Before: Maris
Overview
On the First Feast, Maris brings an offering to the Illyrium and assists Priestess Ophelius with the godsblood rite. Ophelius recounts a parable of betrayal between gods and quietly prophesies Maris will soon hold her mother’s seat. She directs Maris to assess Magistrate Matius’s hidden heir at that night’s feast and deliver a message to the Philosopher Vitrasian.
Summary
Maris rushes through the Citadel market on the First Feast, purchasing rare honey as an offering to Eris before hurrying to the Illyrium. Amid citywide preparations, she follows temple customs and enters the inner chamber, where Priestess Ophelius has begun the ceremonial godsblood rite without her.
Maris takes over, carefully tending Ophelius’s bleeding wrist and collecting the shimmering godsblood. As Maris works, Ophelius compels her to recount a tapestry’s tale; when Maris cannot, Ophelius tells the parable: Aster sends doves to Eris as a wedding gift, which kill Eris and her party, provoking Toranus to destroy Remillion for Aster. The lesson’s meaning is left unsaid, but it warns that divine favor can be perilous.
Ophelius, wan but resolute, critiques the decadence surrounding godsblood and pointedly asks if Maris is ready for that evening’s Feast, when Magistrate Matius will present his long-hidden heir. She urges Maris to gauge the heir’s character, hinting at political stakes as factions vie for control of the Forum after Matius’s impending death.
Ophelius then delivers a rare prophecy that Maris will hold her mother’s seat sooner than expected, and instructs her to meet the heir, learn what she can, and carry a sealed message to the Philosopher Vitrasian. Maris departs with the collected godsblood, unsettled by the warning threaded through story, prophecy, and mission.
Who Appears
- Maris CasperiaMagistrate’s daughter and temple novice; assists the godsblood rite, receives prophecy, and is tasked to assess Matius’s heir and deliver a scroll.
- Priestess OpheliusGodsblood-bearer; oversees the rite, tells a cautionary divine parable, prophesies Maris’s rise, and orders her to evaluate Matius’s heir and visit Vitrasian.