NNWM Story: Flames of Faith

Goal

10,000 words fleshing out the events of the opening quote of the Holu'elouyun Ceremony, primarily from Ishes' Perspective.

Overview

Priestess Ishes Nimarin alongside her traveling companion Deggagi set to work preparing for a funeral. While the deceased may not be Hylians, the threat of the monsters revival under a Blood Moon necessitates the destruction of their movies by fire. The two talk candidly as they make preparations: The Goron carrying and arranging the funeral pyres, the Hylian carefully folding and tying the Kaurdouvoh to put on her purifying wand. As dawn breaks, the townsfolk gather, some with morbid curiosity to see the various monsters the local guards had slain others to add their fervent prayers to the purifying of the spirits.
The ceremony is simple, until the end. As Ishes completes her rotation and final utterance of prayer, the pyres alight with force, knocking her to her feet. The flames grow so large they appear to lick at the sun itself.
The various cries and screams bring with them a question: Who is this priestess that her prayers bring forth a tower of fire? And can she be trusted or is she an agent of the Dark Lord?
For Ishes this is a miracle, a true calling from Hylia leading to complete removal of evil from the town.

Structure

Exposition

Broad View

Dawn. The outer edges of Port Lashlo, where a recent Bokoblin raid has been cleanly thwarted by the local guard. A hulking figure moves in torchlight, carrying stacks of wood to a pile of the monsters bodies, which only grows as guards drag more in. Each body is brought past a young woman who sits on the ground, a length of cloth being cut and tied in a geometric pattern. She wears a simple white, shoulderless dress. A single guard approaches her and informs her that all the bodies have been retrieved. She sighs deeply, looking towards the sea. Six hundred and twenty four. The raids had been growing as of late, and the toll on both the guards and citizens across the land had been keeping pace. She continues her task, counting each tie as she works. "586... 587...588..."

Conflict

The ceremony begins without a hitch, with scores of villagers coming out to watch from a respectable distance. It isn't until the end when things go wrong. With the last utterance of her prayer, Ishes bows, prepared to take a torch from her Goron companion to set the massive pure alight. As she straightens out, the wooden structure, stacked with bodies bursts into a massive inferno. Demonic screams escape from the blaze as the sky darkens. Ishes, in awe at what she sees as a miracle, is quickly apprehended, in what guards say is an abundance of caution.

Plot type

Story Overview

Parent Plot

NaNoWriMo Plot 2021