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"Hm, hm, hmmm... I'll drink away your worries, too."
In modern day Lunar, the Seraphim continue their existence away from the cognition and awareness of the vast majority of mortals that dwell there. Among them is Lanval, a Seraph of the element of water whose life is further pushed into solitude by the animosity of his own kind. He wastes away his long life as a vagrant, drinking away the dwindling supply of alcohol - an act deemed taboo by the Goddess herself. Whether the cause of his poor reputation is this vice or something else nefarious, Lanval proves cheerful and carefree to the prospect of being in the company of those few who can even see him. He likes to follow those sorts on their own journeys to wherever, scarcely offering (or even having) useful advice or experience in which to guide them in-between drinks. Even in battle, he comes off as too uncoordinated to be a serious threat at first glance. Appropriate of his element, he wields a gourd both as a weapon and a focus for powerful sorcery. He proves difficult to pin down as he sways to and fro between blows, striking with a conviction and force that exceeds his disheveled appearance and light-hearted demeanor. Is his journey merely one of leisure among new friends?
As of the events of Birth of a Wish at the very end of Chapter 1, Seraph Lanval has made a pact with the Guardian of Water, Schturdark - one of the very first to do so alongside Seraph Boudicca, formerly Seraph Beast. In doing so, he has become what is known as an Oracle - a Seraph who has pledged their service to the Guardians, and Filgaia as a whole.
As both Lanval and Schturdark are entities tied to water, Seraph Lanval enjoys heightened control over the element of water itself. He carries a piece of the entirety of Filgaia's water within his drinking gourd, from which he further channels power on top of the native means that Seraphim have to project their very element.
The true gift is not in this, but instead a relationship he can form with others, acting as a middleman to empower those he deems worthy with the ability to Purify the Malevolence that has begun to infest Filgaia. In Seers - as those who have formed this relationship with an Oracle are called - this will manifest as small waves of water, most often conjured from the weapon presented to the Oracle from when the pact was formed.
The Pact Between Seraph and Mortal - The Seer
Seraph Lanval can form a pact with those mortals he deems trustworthy and capable of bearing the emotional strain of fighting the Malevolence head-on. As he recognizes that he will be seeing many mortals come and go, he has endeavored to come up with a series of trials to ensure those who seek to act as Seers are worthy of merit, capability, understanding, and will. These are performed in relative but not strict seclusion, and allows current Seers to directly observe the rituals in question. The steps he asks are outlined below.
Preparations
The Oracle first takes a drink from their gourd, deep of the very water of Filgaia, as a meditative gesture. A small pool of water forms around them. If this takes place on Filgaia proper, the Oracle will reach out to Schturdark to borrow their attention, underlying the weight of importance that the initiate be truly prepared. Otherwise, this and every other step is at the full discretion of the Oracle themselves.
Query of Merit - State thy name, thy deeds in service of Filgaia, and present unto me thy means in which thou shalt take up arms for its sake.
The Oracle asks of the initiate to name themselves, what they have done to see to Filgaia's well-being, and to present the weapon that best represents how they will fight on its behalf, set in the water in front of him. A failure to clearly and honestly answer any of these is indicative of a lack of merit. If this is taking place outside of where Schturdark can reach, the Oracle is the sole judge. If Schturdark can reach the Oracle and voices disapproval in specific, the initiation ends there. The Oracle repeats the stated name and deeds back to the initiate, and if satisfied by these answers, moves to the next step.
Query of Capability - I invite thee to take grasp of the water of Filgaia itself. S/he who would aspire to the titel of Seer of Water doth require they carry its burden. (Name)... raise this water to thy lips.
The Oracle presents their drinking gourd to the initiate. It only looks small and humble. The reality is far different - the initiate will find it utterly taxing to take grasp of, as no pair of mortal hands was ever meant to grasp the entirety of a world's water. It taxes the initiate's strength, physical and otherwise, to lift it. A failure to do so represents a lack of ability to take up what the pact asks of a Seer, and the initiation will end there. (OOC note: for pacing purposes, unless requested to have the character fail this step, this step is often combined with the next within one pose round.)
Query of Comprehension - ...the Seer shalt sip of this water, but a sip... every drop must be held by the Seer within thy sip of the water.
The gourd contains all the good things and the bad things that are done with, and happen to, water. To take a single sip is to take in so much that the initiate may feel as though they are drowning outright. Their task is to hold the water within their mouth as it is, and not let a single drop escape. To reject any is to fail to respect the damage the water has suffered. To swallow any is to take the water itself for granted. Doing either of these will end the initiation, as it fails the test of character and respect for the water itself. All the while, the initiate's own water - through their natural saliva - symbolically joins with this water, good and bad. The world starts to disappear around the initiate, by their perception, until all that is left within their senses is water. Only then, does the Oracle allow the initiate to release this sip of water back out. (Swallowing at this step ends in the initiation's failure, on grounds of rejecting to let oneself join with the water and instead forcibly joining the water with oneself - the water must be expelled to progress.)
Query of Will - ...the final task I would ask... ...S/he who doth bear the intent in which s/he bears and endures the burden shalt not be overcome by the totality of what s/he doth vow to protect.
The initiate, as a result of the previous step, is put into a spiritual trance where the physical rules no longer apply to their perception. They are surrounded by water in all of its forms, everywhere, and are tasked with finding the weapon they presented to the Oracle at the beginning. This is to test the initiate, who has succeeded in every previous step, to be able to grasp the purpose in which they come to the Oracle. The ability for the mortal to take hold of their narrower scope and understanding of existence when presented with but a peek of the overwhelming perspective beyond their comprehension is the final test. The mortal is to know, intristically, where their weapon is. If they do not, or can not, it represents that they lack the focus and will in which to channel the power of Purification, for they have lost their reason for coming this far. Once found and grasped - or the Oracle has cause to believe the initiate cannot do so - they will help guide the mortal back to the waking world.
The Recognition - (name)... thou hath spoken the vow by deed, and it is thus acknowledged... thou art now the (numerical order) Seer of Water.
The initiate and Oracle return to the waking world. Should the initiate have succeeded the final trial, they will have subconsciously taken hold of the weapon they presented. In this case, both Oracle and initiate have one hand each on the weapon the mortal presented, and one hand on the drinking gourd each. This represents the burden shared, the trust in one another, and the very moment in which the initiate before the Oracle is now a Seer, granting them the power of Purification. If failed, they both may share a hand on the drinking gourd but the Oracle will be the only one with a hand on the weapon, which ends the initiation without the pact being formed.
The Aftermath
Usually this will end with the Oracle and Seer walking back together somewhere and having a few drinks, because the Seer has earned the right to wash out that aftertaste in their mouth with something delicious. Nonetheless, the Seer may now channel the power of water as a means to wash away Malevolence. Hands may be held, arms may be wrapped... the Oracle and Seer are, naturally, now close friends! A boon of being able to relate on a more personal scale than the patron Guardian, on behalf of the Oracle.
Responsibilities of a Seer of Water
Lanval expects those Seers to be able and ready to take up arms against any Malevolence infestations that endanger Filgaia, as the powers being given primarily deal with Purifying it. He is personally prepared to take up arms against anything Filgaia deems an enemy, as a direct servant to Schturdark themselves - but this level of dedication by the Seer beyond the scope of Malevolence will be left up to them individually.
So long as a Seer does not knowingly act in a way that would hasten Filgaia's demise or otherwise endanger it, the pact will hold. (In OOC terms, this means Seer players are not required to have their characters go all berserker blood rage at the Veruni, for example, but would be expected to stand and fight against ill-intentioned Hellions or those trying to spread Malevolence in dangerous concentrations in any context. Fighting against any and all of Filgaia's enemies outside of the threat of Malevolence is always appreciated, however.)
A Seer has been entrusted with a piece of the Guardian's power through their Oracle, and there runs a grave risk should a Seer fall too deeply into the sway of Malevolence. Native Lunarians, for example, naturally generate trace amounts of it, so having one as a Seer may seem an existential risk. The occasional infection is not a deal breaker, so long as it is promptly addressed. If one has somehow been exposed to and accumulates enough that they would become a Hellion, the pact will be immediately broken as a safety measure. The one who became, or just about became a Hellion, will never again be allowed to serve as a Seer. That much Malevolence could corrupt the Oracle, who in turn could end up corrupting the Guardian, and nothing good can come from that.
The level of trust at play between Guardian and Oracle, and Oracle and Seer, is extremely delicate. Generally speaking, however, regular ritual bathing in specially prepared waters will mitigate the issues that frequent Malevolence exposure could present. If one is a Seer, the worst case scenario should never be a possibility - a Seer has decisively proven to Lanval that they can withstand those rigors.
List of Seers of Water, Past and Present
Talise Gianfair - First, initiated on the outskirts of Kilika on Spira right before daybreak during Chapter 2, Act 1.
Layna Manydays - Second, initiated before the Moonflow on Spira in the middle of the night during Chapter 2, Act 1.
Final Notes / Additional References
The player of Seraph Lanval uses the Guardian name as part of an Oracle's title, but the element the Guardian represents for Seers. (So Lanval is the Oracle of Schturdark, and those who have formed a pact with Lanval in turn are Seers of Water.) This is not standardized thematic nomenclature, and this terminology may vary between Oracle/Seer players.
Further information on Purification and the Guardians can be found by clicking on the specific terms.
Outdated funny stuff from Chapter 1, temporary preservation
Mirthful Wellspring - Lanval is an elemental spirit of water, and can freely conjure it for purposes both helpful and harmful.
Drinking Alcohol - Lanval is good at drinking alcohol.
Consuming Alcohol - Lanval is good at consuming alcohol.
Binging on Alcohol - Lanval is good at binging on alcohol.
...Er, Wait A Second. - Come to think of it, I'm not sure he's good for much of anything else other than having lots of drinks....
How About... Being Passed Out Drunk? - That's something.
He Also Follows Around Fox Company Like A Lost Puppy... - There's that too?
...He's Lazy And Carefree At The Worst Times... - I'm not sure that's something to be proud of.
Lacks Much Knowledge Of Anything Outside Of Alcohol - ...Hrm...
Doesn't Look Like He Can Fight Without Falling Over Himself A Bunch... - This isn't looking good for him.
Maybe He Smokes? He Has A Bubble Pipe - I don't see that as entirely praiseworthy either.
Won't Go To Glenwood Unless Someone Nurses His Vessel - Ha ha ha, oh, come oooon.
Seraph Pariah - ...Oh, this sounds kind of interesting, I want to read about tha---
Drinking Your Beer Without Asking You - That's rude. Why is this being brought up, though, we were just on something inte--
Which He's Doing Right Now - OH NO YOU DON'T WHY I OUGHTTA!!!!
Sometimes He Talks In Aquamarine Colored Text - DON'T TRY TO DISTRACT ME HE'S DRINKING MY BEER
It Feels Like A Good Time To Have A Good Time - I MIGHT AGREE BUT HE'S DRINKING MY BEER
That's A Lot of Laughing - AND IT'S NOT FUNNY
Why Are There So Many Bubbles - UM!!! I'M ASKING FOR A FRIEND ON THIS ONE
PLEASE STAND BY... - 'beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep-----------------------'
(Lanval appears to have passed out drunk on top of this section. Once he has awakened from his stupor, work will begin in recreating this section from the parts that are not comprehensively soaked in the purest magical water.)