The lodging lay on the western shore of the lake. It was a low, elongated structure. At the entrance stood a Muwa alone. He folded his wings in greeting.
"Elder Benarr, we have prepared your chambers."
"My thanks."
Benarr nodded and stepped inside.
The interior was spacious and immaculate. Doors lined both sides of a long corridor. The walls were of pristine white stone, and the floor was covered with soft carpets.
The Muwa priest led the party to a chamber at the corridor's end. Opening the door revealed a broad space. Three beds were arranged within, and beyond the window, the lake came into view.
"Supper will be ready shortly."
The Muwa priest said.
"The dining hall is across from this building."
The Muwa priest folded his wings once more in farewell and departed the chamber.
Gravel walked to the window and gazed outward. The sun neared the horizon. An orange glow stained the sky. Rah still shone in the lake's midst.
The sunset's hues reflected upon Rah at the lake's center, lending its surface a strange blend of orange and turquoise.
"A beautiful place."
Iris stood beside him.
"It really is."
Gravel replied.
"I never imagined such a spot existed."
Nia leaped onto a bed and curled up.
"This bed is so fluffy!"
Iris smiled as she watched Nia.
"Let us rest a while, then head to the dining hall."
"Got it!"
Gravel turned his gaze to the window once more. Around the lake, various Dawi and Muwa were returning to their lodgings.
The day drew to a close.
Gravel drew a deep breath. The air was cool and pure. A breeze from distant mountains wafted through the window.
Shortly after, the party left the chamber and made for the dining hall. It was a wide, open chamber, with several long tables set in orderly rows. Around them, Dawi and Muwa gathered, savoring their meals, while the scent of warmly simmering soup and the nutty aroma of roasted grains subtly permeated the air, naturally easing the party's steps into a leisurely pace.
Benarr surveyed the hall, then spotted an empty table in the corner and gestured for the party to follow. He first drew out the chairs to arrange the seating comfortably, and the others settled in turn, gradually melting into the surrounding bustle's warm embrace.
Soon, a Muwa priest brought the fare. Freshly baked bread filled a basket, and a light herb-infused vegetable soup steamed freshly, as if just off the boil. Within the soup mingled tenderly cooked root vegetables and finely chopped green leaves, yielding a subtle fragrance.
Another platter held slowly grilled catfish over charcoal and steamed carp fillets. The catfish skin bore a charred, savory scent, while the carp, steamed with herbs and garlic, allowed its flesh to flake tenderly along the grain. Beside it, dried fruits lay in a small bowl, revealing their crimson cross-sections.
"Eat your fill."
Benarr said, lifting a piece of bread.
The party began their meal in quiet. Nia took a large morsel of the grilled catfish into her mouth.
Though the dining hall teemed with a great number of Dawi and Muwa, it brimmed not with clamor but with a warm vitality.
Here and there, laughter shared over meals and low-toned conversations layered upon one another, forming a gentle murmur.
Adults clustered at tables, exchanging tales of the day, while the young ones lingered by their parents, fiddling with small wooden cups, quietly observing the elders' words or huddling heads to whisper softly to each other.
The entire hall was filled with a cozy warmth and breath.
"What of tomorrow?"
Gravel asked Benarr.
"Tomorrow... I mean to visit Rah once more."
Benarr pondered briefly, then continued softly.
"I wish to spend another day beholding Rah."
He lifted his head and regarded the party.
"Will you join me?"
"We shall."
Gravel nodded without hesitation.
The meal proceeded unhurriedly, and the dishes upon the table emptied one by one.
Nia patted her belly lightly, smiling in satisfaction.
"Full!"
"Hah hah. Good enough, then."
Benarr chuckled and rose from his seat.
"Now, let us return to our chambers and rest."
The party left the dining hall and headed back to the lodging. By now, night had fully descended upon Na-Woul's temple, with stars risen across the sky, scattering silver points along the paths.
Two moons hung side by side, illuminating the temple, and Rah, receiving their light, emitted a blue glow.
Gravel returned to the chamber and slowly lay upon the bed.
Beyond the window, Rah's blue radiance spread gently toward the night sky, its faint light seeping softly into the room.
This day had been long, yet a quiet warmth lingered in a corner of his heart. It had been a serene day, somehow.
'Such lightness of heart... it has been ages.'
Gravel thought thus and closed his eyes.
The next morning, Gravel awoke to the gentle twittering of birds. Sunlight poured through the window.
He rose from his place and went to the window. Around the lake, a multitude of Dawi and Muwa had already gathered. Priests offered morning prayers before Rah.
Iris and Nia stirred as well. The three washed their faces simply with cool water and made for the dining hall.
Benarr was already there. He was partaking of freshly baked bread accompanied by small berries.
"Did you sleep well?"
He inquired.
"Better than i expected."
Gravel nodded and took his seat.
After finishing their morning meal, Benarr accompanied Gravel outside the temple. In the chill morning air, wooden wagons stood in line. A thin layer of dust coated their round wheels, and servants were already carrying large and small crates.
Due to their late arrival the previous day, Benarr had not tasked them with labor, allowing them rest. Thus, the transport of offerings had been deferred to today.
"No need for haste. Move them steadily."
Benarr instructed the passing workers without a hint of urgency.
The servants began lifting sacks of grain, rolling barrels of wine, and setting down crates of fruit one by one.
Each time a sack touched the ground, a dull scent of dust rose, and from the wine barrels leaked a subtle sweetness. The dry 'thud, thump' sounds of wooden crates clashing slowly filled the surrounding stillness.
Shortly, a priest approached, bowed in respect, and inclined his head.
"To bring such abundance of offerings each time... we are ever grateful to you, Elder Benarr."
Benarr nodded calmly.
"As ever, I do only what I am able."
The servants' movements continued. The spreading scent of piled grain, the sounds of wooden crates, the heavy rolling of weighty wine barrels layered slowly, filling Na-Woul's temple forecourt with a subtle vigor throughout the morning.
At midday, the party went again before Rah. Benarr clasped his hands in prayer.
In the afternoon, the party strolled leisurely around the lake, surveying various parts of Na-Woul's temple. The breeze was calm, and the voices of visitors echoed faintly from afar.
Gravel found the atmosphere here to his liking. It felt peaceful and warm.
As the sun began to dip once more, the party settled in the same spot as the day before. Igor approached with a teapot, carefully pouring the tea, from which white steam rose softly over the cups.
Gravel lifted his cup and took a sip. A warm sensation slid down his throat.
Nia gazed at the lake, then suddenly turned. Nia's gaze fixed upon something across the water.
"What's that?"
Nia pointed into the distance with Nia's finger.
Igor set the teapot upon the table with his manifested hand and turned toward the direction Nia indicated.
His large eyes moved slowly.
After a moment, he replied quietly.
"It is a Kina."
Eyes focused upon the direction Nia had pointed.
Across the lake, upon a white stone path, a colossal form moved slowly.
It was an entity wrought entirely of wood.
Its appearance evoked the forest shepherd Vrant, long passed down in tales among Dawi and Muwa.
The immense wooden giant, believed to exist only in stories, now stirred before their eyes.
Its torso was a rectangular mass, as if carved from a thick tree trunk. Thick bark remained upon its surface, a weighty form.
Upon the front of the torso, thick wooden planks were affixed like armor.
These planks bore several rows of rectangular slits, and on either side of the upper body, two arms were attached.
The arms, fashioned from roots and stout branches, were as thick as two or three human forearms joined, ending in three-pronged, claw-like fingers of wood.
Each movement brought a low creak from the joints where coarse grain parted.
Below were two legs.
The pillar-like limbs, thick as they supported the torso, paused as if gathering strength, then emitted a 'hummm' from within as they began to shift slowly.
As weight transferred to one side, the stone path beneath the footplate compressed, dust scattering, and the opposite leg lifted gradually.
As joints extended, a 'crack-crack' sound of hardened grain splitting echoed lowly, and when the leg descended to claim the next point in the air, a heavy 'thud' reverberated through the earth.
The moving wooden giant stood about ten cubits tall, immense even compared to the Dawi beside it.
Gravel could not tear his eyes away as he beheld the form.
'Oh... a wood golem? No, more than a golem...'
Images from games in his memory flickered past, yet the being before him was far heavier, unlike any golem he knew.
"Is that... alive?"
Gravel murmured, and Igor replied calmly.
"It is a Kina."
His voice was steady.
"Built by the Muwa, and ridden by the Muwa."
Gravel shifted his gaze to survey the lake's environs. The Kina Igor spoke of were not one alone. Far across the lake, two more were visible, and beside the temple building, another strode slowly.
Their sizes varied. Some were around six cubits, relatively small, while others neared ten cubits. The largest stood out distinctly from afar. Its torso was far thicker than the others, its arms longer.
"We did not see them yesterday."
Iris said.
"Yesterday, the Kina were outside the temple."
Igor replied.
"Today, they have come to pay homage to Rah."
Benarr set his cup upon the table and continued.
"The Kina are fashioned from wood. Yet not mere wood. They are guardians of Melharam, made from trees nourished by the temple lake's waters."
"Nourished by the lake's waters... does that mean special trees?"
Gravel asked.
"Aye."
Benarr nodded.
"Behind the temple lies a forest dedicated to the Kina. There, the trees grow from youth absorbing the lake's waters. As the waters hold Rah's essence, so too do the trees imbibe it."
Igor spoke again.
"The Kina's wood is shaped by the Muwa through manifestation magic. Not felled with saws or hewn with axes. Mana forms their shape, and the wood grows accordingly."
Nia's eyes sparkled as Nia gazed toward the lake.
"The tree moves?"
"It is the Muwa that moves it."
Igor replied.
"A Muwa rides within the Kina. When the Muwa channels mana, the Kina's arms and legs stir."
Gravel beheld the Kina once more.
Within the wooden giant nearing the lake, the flowing mana converged in one spot, and to Gravel's eyes, the small form of a Muwa appeared clearly.