Plowing and Planting in Eden

[Kadavro]

It was a wonderful day, even by the standards of the Adonai. Trade was brisk, the water was flowing, and clouds had come overhead, courtesy of the weather itself currying favor with the Lady. Gods had come and gone, but the one place they did it the least was here. The city had hundreds of names from all of Babel and beyond. Auqifiers brought water from springs deep in the desert, pouring out of statues on nephrite pedastle, soaring into the sky. They showed men facing the central ziggurat as if bringing tribute as the waters spilled from the jugs of oil and wine hung from their backs. Phosphorescant lines around the zigguarat and the layers of villas, gardens, and roads kept the paths lit at night for the cavorters, artists, and others who prefered to keep their skin pale instead of dark. The Lady had many tastes and they could only hope they fit her palate for the day if paths crossed. Most of them had her blood in them, no doubt. Many of them had the blood of othes as well, though. The kings, heroes, gods, and spirits of that world converging upon a fertile land filled with peace and prosperity, if only because of the men trying to make a good impression on one certain woman. Why wouldn't they? They had the chance of paradise on earth. The city was a marvel, no doubt, and the son was strong and cool winds blew from the ziggurat, but they could do so much better. To earn there way up to their Goddess, to get a chance serving her in her palaces, in her pools, in her moist nether regions... They meant the mountains off behind the city of course, a grouping where anything grew, where the water was sweet, it could be hot or cold, the paths seemed to be made of granite marbled with gold ore... But who could earn there way in?

 

[Terentatek]

As it neared midday, the Lady, as quite a few of her worshippers called her, no doubt because they had gotten so used to calling her that in her presence that they had forgotten her name, was in need again, her most recent child now almost a year old. None had proven worthy since the child's birth, and she was determined to have another within her soon. Smiling over to one of the warriors who felt it his duty to stand guard over her, she coyly brushed her hand across the front of his pants and rose. "I am going into the city." she announced, some of those gathered immediately silent, having never seen her leave her home within the oasis. Then, just like that, she as at the edge of the oasis and taking her first steps into the city in 200 years.

 

[Kadavro]

It was a long walk down the paved road leading to the city, trees with plump dates lining the path and shadowing those who walked it up to the front gate to the Lady's temple town. Outside there was still activity of course, but far less then their would have been at any other time of the day. Clouds and springs or not, the sun was high above the city, bronzing those who didn't keep themselves covered in some way, shape, or form. Still, there were enough people about, though mostly men. The women needed shade, as was commonly believed, so they would go out to fetch the things the woman hadn't managed to during the day. There were luxuries beyond compare for women here, but they still had tough competition. Everything was based around the Lady, from the plays to the sacred brothels to the mosaics to the clothing. Anyone who hadn't seen her came up with there own desires and dreams of her, with it coming to the point that few even knew about her hair color. She had daughters at times, or so it was suspected, but they simply didn't seem to match up to the image the public had of her. But life went on. Foreign fighters argued at side gates, tanned teens carried jugs of wine, sly snakeoil salesmen plied aphrodisiacs and perfumes, nobles tried to get first in line for the fucking, bringing along with them many men for playing music porclaiming their triumphs and proposing marriage... And then there were the fourteen year old boys spreading out near the massuer and pickpocketing people.