The Lord blesses Salvos!

[drtrollado 267]

 

The Lord blesses Salvos!

 

 

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“How would I know if I’m worthy?

Would the skies shine brighter?

Would my plants grow greener?

Would my pockets fill with money?

 

No, obviously not

The Lord does not appear to those who seek Him out for material gains

He appears to those who having lost everything they had for their faith in Him

Still seek Him out

 

And, in response, He doesn’t shower them with gold

Nor He gives them what is mundane

The only reward for a diligent faith

Is Him

 

Forgive me, then, O Lord

For all the time spent praying for what is not mine

For wasting my precious time with envy of what I’ve had not

When truthfully

All I need is You.”

- Unknown Salvian Poet

 

 

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Prosperity of wealth, for a town, comes from acquiring gold, prosperity of safety comes from having few crimes, what about prosperity of Faith? Well it can’t come from nowhere but from the piety of its inhabitants, but what shows the piety of the people? 

 

For a long while, primarily in my years studying as an acolyte, I’ve tried to seek the answer to the question of how are we to be pious, as a city? And how does the Lord show us we are in the right course?

 

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(Salvian Canonist Tree of Knowledge)

 

I’ve prayed, prayed, and then prayed some more and yet got no answer whatsoever… That was until last saint’s day, which happened to also be the day of my ordination into priesthood. 

 

Salvos has been my home for a few years, and though the swamps that surround it can be quite the problem for a decent life, nonetheless its populace thrived economically, and where there once a few houses, now exists a whole town center, with a sheriff’s office, a saloon and a keep, and primarily, the chapel of St. Edmond.

 

It has suffered attacks from bandits, saulicians (darkspawn) and even frost witches, and yet, through all of these setbacks, the people have not given up on their dreams nor their faith. And it saddened me, for all they prayed and seeked out His Holy Church, I couldn’t help them out, being a mere acolyte, but, by finding strength in their strength, I completed my studies and was ordained as a priest by my tutor Cardinal Ivan Lotharia and Cardinal Clover Mount Lemon.

 

I had left Salvos while the Sheriff’s elections were happening an acolyte and returned to it as its parish priest. On the trip back I was struck with the same, unanswered, question I’ve had for a while “Are we faithful enough?”. The moment I set foot in Salvo's saloon, I was approached by Marrin Wyrmwood, a fellow halfling Salvian who was running for the Sheriff position, who asked me to be baptised under the Lord’s Holiest Church.

 

And at that moment I realized the Lord had rewarded me for my patience and faith in Him and answered all the questions I’ve had till now.

 

. . .

 

After a lengthy conversation about the importance of baptism in our path to reconnect with Him, and what it truly meant, she, certainly guided by His Holy Will, accepted to be baptised.

 

Salvians’ lifes are extremely influenced by the swamp surrounding their lands, so it's only fair that all of their baptisms are to be done in the swamp’s water. So we walked through densely packed patches of marshes until I found the perfect place for the rite to occur.

. . .
 

“Do you come as a seeker of God, faithful, penitent, and reverent, obeying the path of Virtue?”

 

“Yes, I do”

 

“Do you put your faith in His truth, the Holy Scrolls, the Exalted, and the Church?”

 

“I do”

 

“Then as the Book of Horen says ‘I cleanse you. And you join God’s servants’. I baptise you in the name of God. Be cleansed by the waters of Gamesh and be free from all sin and vice”

 

“Rise, Marrin of Salvos, not as a sinner who cowers away from Him, but as a faithful who seeks His light!”
 

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. . .

 

I sit here now, writing this missive, after all that happened, and I can answer the questions of how are we to be pious, as a city? And how does the Lord show us we are in the right course?

 

It is through acts of piety to Him, be it every prayer, every baptism, every mass, every marriage, every funeral, all of those acts demonstrate the prosperity of Faith in a city. And what of the Lord’s guidance? Well, after today I finally understand, we demonstrate our love to Him THROUGH our rites, and He demonstrates His eternal love to us BY our rites.

 

To all of those struggling with their faith, do not give up, He is always with you, guiding you to what is Good and shielding you away from what is Evil. Seek your nearest priest and ask them to help you in your life of worship. 

 

And, if you are nearby, come visit Salvos, have a drink in our saloon, be baptised in our marshes and talk to our citizens, we all love a good talk here.

 

 

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Ending Prayer:

 

Bless us, Good Lord. Bless our rites. Bless our Virtues. Bless our hearts.

Punish us when we sin and grant us your infinite mercy when we repent

Good Lord in Heaven. Protect us from harm.

Blessed be the pious, blessed be the mothers, the daughter, the fathers and the sons of God

Who deny Evil and accept Good.

Who in troubled times pray for You.

And in thriving times seek You.

May the pious people of Salvos live in Your Light from this day to their last breath.

And may those are lost find their way back to You.

Amen.

 

 

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Pastor of the chapel of St. Edmond, Salvos.

 

[DizzyGrey 1229]

The nearby Lubba, upon reading this, wonders if they'd be for or against some druidic aid in ensuring the knowledge tree was truly special.

 

Perhaps once he found time between kidnappings he couldn't remember.

[Cheese 8896]

A certain voidstalker considers sitting next to the tree for two hours. Surely her voidal presence would have no effect.