Temple Visit, 2008-06-02
From Tourmaline
Blaze visits the Temple of Taela, having made Adara's acquaintance during the carrot incident.
Blaze and Adara chat. Adara wants to make some changes in how things are done around the Faithmarket; she thinks the priests need to turn their attention outwards and become more active in helping people, rather than waiting for people to come ask for help. She wants Blaze's advice about what the common people most need and how to get them thinking of the temples less narrowly. She also thinks there's a need for more community spirit.
As they are discussing the idea that people come together when they have a common goal to strive for, there is a disturbance at the Shrine to Scave; a rabble-rouser named Roggar is leading a mob to try to smash the temple or the priest. Adara attempts to talk the mob down: she says that if no one wants the shrine, they can vote with their feet by not worshipping there, but that it's not theirs to tear down. (Blaze puts in a few words: the shrine has no place here, but the people should work together to build rather than destroy.) Adara largely succeeds in calming down the mob, but Roggar gets angry: people kept their heads down and let things be for too long in Scave's time, and now it's time for the shrine to go. Adara preaches against violence, and Roggar socks her in the eye (a bit startled when she just stands there and takes it). The rest of the mob thinks beating up defenseless priestesses is going too far, though, and Roggar realizes he's lost control of his followers, so everyone pretty much goes home.
Blaze wanders off with the dispersing mob and ends up in a tavern having a chat with Jago Carter, another mob member. She tries to convince him that the people ought to try nonviolent means for getting the shrine removed, i.e. negotiate with the priests. Carter is skeptical that this will work, but agrees to let Blaze give it a try.
Blaze returns to the temple of Taela to see if she can make any headway with Adara on this new mission. In the course of a couple of visits, they agree that Adara will work on getting the priests to join forces to petition the King to get rid of the Shrine, while Blaze will lay the groundwork for a mass march on the Palace to petition the same.
Adara researches the history of the Shrine and concludes that there's something funny about the whole business. She wants better information. Blaze undertakes to ask some bards, in pursuit of which goal, she breaks a personal habit and visits Morgan's Grove
