Long ago, there were two brothers in the order, Rynok and Horim. They were born and raised on Akopos, and were as close as any two brothers have ever been. They entered the order together, ate meals together, and fished together. Some would say their Syl ebbed and flowed the same between them.
But devotion to the Bluemother demands solitude and inner contemplation, so they had to make a compromise when it came to meditation. So they made a pact to find spots for meditation close to each other, but not to tell each other exactly where they were. They would swim out together a certain distance, then separate at a specific rock, and make their way back to it at an agreed-upon time.
The rock the brothers chose stood at the edge of the Abyss. In this way, they could follow the edge of the canyon back to it if they lost their way, but of course even at that time the Abyss had a bad reputation. Strange sounds that would emerge from the depths, monastery staff or trainee monks who would venture in and come back... different, somehow. There are plenty of mind-changing revelations to go around on Akopos, but anyone who went into the Abyss came back... there's an Emulan word for it that doesn't translate very well, but the closest word is Dimmed. Like their Syl had forever ebbed, just a little. The brothers knew these stories and, naturally, had agreed to find their meditation spaces in the caves or coves near the Abyss instead of within it. After all, prolonged exposure to whatever lay within would surely lead to nothing good.
One day, after meditation, Rynok didn't return to the meeting stone.
2/3 or 4
But devotion to the Bluemother demands solitude and inner contemplation, so they had to make a compromise when it came to meditation. So they made a pact to find spots for meditation close to each other, but not to tell each other exactly where they were. They would swim out together a certain distance, then separate at a specific rock, and make their way back to it at an agreed-upon time.
The rock the brothers chose stood at the edge of the Abyss. In this way, they could follow the edge of the canyon back to it if they lost their way, but of course even at that time the Abyss had a bad reputation. Strange sounds that would emerge from the depths, monastery staff or trainee monks who would venture in and come back... different, somehow. There are plenty of mind-changing revelations to go around on Akopos, but anyone who went into the Abyss came back... there's an Emulan word for it that doesn't translate very well, but the closest word is Dimmed. Like their Syl had forever ebbed, just a little. The brothers knew these stories and, naturally, had agreed to find their meditation spaces in the caves or coves near the Abyss instead of within it. After all, prolonged exposure to whatever lay within would surely lead to nothing good.
One day, after meditation, Rynok didn't return to the meeting stone.