Toirasa Ravenswood

The Goddess

Everything about the central pool around which the enclave of Thalassa was created was made to provoke the feeling of comfort and security. The underwater island existed at the behest of the goddess, and the pool seemed to be the fulcrum: power rose from the surface, holding the ocean's pressure away and creating a pocket of space for the acolytes. Pillars encircled the area, chairs and couches placed so that the worshippers of Thalassa could sit and reflect upon its placid waters, crystal clear and seemingly having no end to its depths. Tonight however, attendants waited patiently at the sole set of stairs into the pool, not daring to touch the water themselves. The faint aquamarine light that filtered from the water above was all that offered a view of the Wavesinger standing at the bottom step, the normal globes of light that surrounded the area extinguised on order from Toirasa herself.

She wanted darkness, and quiet. It was rare that she chose to commune so directly with Thalassa -- she could always hear the thrum of oceansong in her veins, no matter how far or near she was to the actual sea. And yet, she had arrived on the precipice of their secret sanctum, demanding that the attendants ready her for communion at once. In her hands were clenched a series of broken beads, remnants of necklaces and bracelets with the crystal orbs discarded, water emptied from its containers.

"I need to speak to Her."

They had complied. It was rare for the Wavesinger to sound so urgent, and now, as they watched the woman from behind, her dark skin revealed completely to the ocean light for a brief moment before stepping off of the stair and disappearing beneath the water, they were afraid.

Why does she need to speak to the Lady?

Toirasa felt the water close around her, body sinking deeper and deeper into the pool. Since she could remember, she had never needed to fear drowning; since the day she woke and inquired of her mother why the waves seemed to shift with her breath and a voice floated through her dreams, calling her deep into the sea, Thalassa had seen fit to bless her with unending breath. But it was still a strange feeling, pressure mounting on all sides, sinking downwards until the light from the enclave was no more. Toirasa closed her eyes, exhaling to release the tension from her shoulders. It was calm, here in the beginning of everything. Everything that has been or will be comes from the sea. She could nearly feel the gentle arms of Thalassa wrap around her form. The constant ebb and flow of the tide in her veins stilled as she came so close to the source of her power. She did not need to feel it inside of herself, because it was everywhere, surrounding her.

"My child. My beloved favorite."

A voice. Her voice. Decidedly feminine, low and warm. The sea is the mother of all things, Toirasa. She releases us into the world and it pains her heart to watch so many suffer so far from her care. When we die, she calls us back to her breast, giving us the love she never could when we were alive. Toirasa's mother had said as much, many times. The words had been impressed upon her from a tender age -- she had never had many friends, by virtue of her position, her responsibilities. But she had always had Thalassa.

"Ocean mother." Toirasa did not need to see her to know she was beautiful. In her mind's eye, the goddess was glorious, a crown of coral and draped in ocean vines, eyes as brilliant as the sea on a clear summer's day. "I wanted to talk to you."

"I expected you would come. You have been busy, my daughter. The first Wavesinger to ever travel so far, to seek to gain so much."

"Are you mad?" She sounded like a child again, to her ears. Thalassa's laugh was warm, that presence picking Toirasa up and wrapping her into its calm embrace. "I know I haven't really asked, and I know that

"Never. Not at all. I could never be mad with you. I too have been concerned about the impostor god in the deep beyond, Toirasa. But this other matter..."

"Sindorel."

"Yes. The one who still smells of death...have you told him that we could help him? You should offer that to him. Perhaps it would bring such a complicated person some solace, to know there is one who cares for him."

"Ahh Ocean Mother, if only it were that simple! There's all these people and there's all these gods, and all of them are fighting -- and none of them care about you, of course, and ooooh if I could I'd go in there and..." Toirasa mimed a few punches, so fluid in the water that it nearly seemed she ignored the liquidity. "They just don't understand. I want to make them understand. Is that so wrong?"

"Of course not." Thalassa was reassuring. Every word thrummed with gentle power. "But is it so bad to belong to a goddess who prefers to avoid such spectacle?"

"I...."

It was the first time they had ever disagreed that Toirasa could remember. Yes, it chafed; she wished desperately that she could bring the joy of the Ocean Mother's embrace to the world. If she could open temples, throw open the doors and invite in the masses, the goddess she revered would finally take the place she deserved on the world's stage. Her power would swell, her worshippers basked in her goodness and peace. There would be no problems, no disputes. Everyone would find comfort in the song of the oceaan. Everyone would love Thalassa as she did. And yet, it was not what the goddess wanted. No temples, save for the one she had created. Spread the word by deeds and words alone. Toirasa would not become a great prophet, sending the masses of Stormwind flocking to her feet. It was something she struggled with accepting, surrounded by so many people of power. But she knew that it did not make her love and cherish her goddess any less.

"Are you worried that you are inadequate, my beloved?"

"A bit. Yes, okay-- yes. I am. The globes, the beads, they're just not enough."

"...Let me give to you something to carry with you." The water around her shifted, pulsing faintly. "I will not let you throw open the doors to the masses yet," yet! "But you can take my power to them." Toirasa's hands closed around something sturdy, pulling it close to her bare breast. "Take this and remember there will come a time when the sea will swallow all. Remember that all of my children will come back to me. Bring them close, Toirasa. Guide them back to me, and bring them home."

The woman opened her eyes and gasped as the cold night air met her cheeks. Acolytes gently pulled her from the water, allowing her to stand on her own as they pulled a robe about her shoulders.

In her hands, a staff of pure water glistened, the entire creation pulsing with the Ocean Mother's power as it seemed to change shape beneath her hands. Like the sea, it was ever-changing; the power resting within it was enough that she would no longer need to carry with her so many fragile things, a permanent connection to the goddess she had promised her soul to.

I'll bring them home, Thalassa.