| Tattoo: | a shimmering mirage |
| Sphere(s): | Spirit, Beauty, Poetry, Music |
Many an adventurer has claimed to see a mirage dancing across the horizon of the desert. While some have brushed this off as heat-stroke, the nomads who wander the harsh, sandy realms claim this to be the goddess Shazirah entranced in her eternal dance. As their tales say, Shazirah is oft elusive, listening only to her own wild spirit and dancing wherever it may lead. While some have spoken of a soft, kind manner, the nomads know that one so spirited can change as quickly as the hot desert day into the chilled, quiet night. Those seeking the mirage need only to follow music within their own spirits, through the arid desert sands. Followers of desert goddess Shazirah believe that life is an all too short but intricate dance that differs from person to person, from life to life. While each spirit can only truly be content to follow his or her own spirit's rhythm, there is also an appreciation of differences of all rhythms and lives of people across Thera. For these often intense people, beauty is not something shaped or created - it simply is. The music their spirits dance to is not something forced but instinctual on many levels - unspoken, unsolicited, but understood nonetheless. It is for this reason that they find beauty not solely in the rhythmic music and poetry created by mere mortals, but within the unorchestrated moments of life - the rustling of the leaves of the palm trees of an oasis, the delicate whispers of sands shifting and rippling in the winds, the hazy waves of heat washing over the desert, or even the low, bubbling chatter of a crowded tavern. Rare events of natural beauty, such as the harsh, rhythmic drenching rains of the desert are even more cherished due to their infrequency. Despite all these, followers of Shazirah know that the purest of all beauty can come from only one place - the untamed, unbreakable spirit that guides their dance. While the dance can take many forms, those of the mirage seldom play more than a minor role in the wars of Thera, as war can be draining on even the strongest of spirits. Followers of the Mirage often wander from place to place like the nomads of the desert itself, gaining insight into their own spiritual beauty as they explore the beauty of all that surrounds them. While some may choose to admire in quiet contemplation, others seek to share their discoveries with those willing to take part. Though the spontaneous occurrences of beauty are valued most, there is respect and appreciation for that which was knowingly created by the likes of mortals. The beauty of mortal-made poetry and music is, however, looked less favorably upon as it can evoke emotions in an unnatural manner and can seen more as a method of coercion than true beauty. When untamed beauty is heard, seen, felt - experienced - its effect on each life is unpredictable. If an unnatural order is exerted to force beauty, it becomes tarnished and corrupt. Because of this, those of an orderly ethos rarely are able to let their spirit be free to appreciate beauty, poetry and music in their most natural forms. |