What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love, and Homesteading?

[Samantha McManus]

Though it got her a few funny looks, after awhile Sam was able to puzzle out the location of the congregation of the Reverend Jonathan Bliss. She didn't want to figure out if she'd fit in a wagon, so a few hours later she's following wagon tracks southeast of the town to the edge of the homestead.

[Narrator]

Tracking the path isn't all that difficult. There's no proper road but a vaguely beaten path that the sparse vegetation struggles to reclaim. To her left the terrain slopes up towards a plateau and soon is replaced by a cragged cliffside. But perhaps more notably is the appearance of vegetation other than dry shrubs, cacti and small yellow-green islands of sharp grass. Here and there actual green sprouts from the ground as small trees and flat, sprawling patches of leafs. Within another ten minutes of walking the path is flanked by chest-high weeds and grass swaying in the hot afternoon wind and in the distance Sam can spot a surprisingly sturdy palisade hugging the cliffside, encircling what must be the compound, judging by the thin lines of smoke and tree-tops visible beyond the tall fence.

In the very back of the compound, pressed up or perhaps even partially hewn into the cliffside is a church, it's tower placed away from the front, instead seeming to touch the cliff. It's partially shaded by the cliffside but Sam can still spot the sun glinting off something. Water is running from the church tower's window near the top in a small but constant rivulet before spilling onto the roof and being caught by stone gutters. It looks like the top of the tower was intentionally built up around a natural spring. Around her the tall grass whispers in the wind and there's an oddly consistent pattern to the swirl. Something feels off and it takes her a moment to realize it's the fact that the grass continues to move for a couple of moments even after the wind subsides.

[Samantha McManus]

"That better not be you. I'm not ready to give a pep-talk to grass," she mutters as she makes her way to the palisade.

"Guess they're a bit better defended than they let out," she observes as she heads for the gate.

[Narrator]

For a moment Sam might think the grass actually responds to her, but no, somebody is calling to her from the gate, it seems.

"Ho there!" a man waves at her over the palisade. It's less than ten feet tall but high up enough that he must be standing on some kind of platform partway up. "What brings you all the way out here? Sun's setting and it ain't safe outside after nightfall."

[Samantha McManus]

"Get the feelin' you don't need all this for a few coyotes," she says, doffing her hat.

"Heard about you folks in town."

[Narrator]

"Well, hope you didn't listen to them too well. Some of them got funny ideas about this place. So you just came all the way out here to have a look-see? I'd be remiss if I didn't at least offer you a sip o' water and a bite to eat. Plenty to spare for those who come with good intentions." he calls back, side-stepping Sam's noting of their fortifications.

[Samantha McManus]

"Sometimes a town just gets to feelin' that some folk are strange. I don't pay that much mind. If you wanted to show me around I'd be grateful."

[Narrator]

There's a moments hesitation as the man narrows his eyes and glances back over his shoulder. Then he puts on a bright smile again and waves Sam closer. "Certainly, ma'am! Just a moment!" he says and hops down from his perch. A couple moments later he's pushing open the gate to let Sam inside.

"Not a lot of folks who find their way here not on a wagon with one of our own, but it warms my heart someone would! S'what a haven should be all about, after all." he says and through the gate Sam can see what seems like a small wonder. Lush green fills the space within the walls. Fully grown fruit trees, fields of tomatoes and lettuce, things that this desert would struggle to support even in small numbers, no matter the amount of water poured on it. There's even the sparkle of a small pond, the shore ringed with with lily pads and reeds.

[Samantha McManus]

"Ain't never seen a spring that can do this much," she whistles as they walk.

[Narrator]

"Course not, ma'am. It's Father Jonathan's doing. He was lead here by the words of the Lord and it's our hard work and devotion that spread the Bliss." he explains as he leads her into the compound. Aside from the church there are multiple buildings arranged loosely around the pond and fields. A number of people are out and about, mostly working in the fields, tending to crops, though some are sitting outside, working on fixing up tools or sewing clothes. Everyone is wearing the same kind of clothes, simple white (or slightly off-white by Sam's modern standards) shirts and dark pants or ankle-length skirts, not always distributed along expected gender lines.

There's a strange atmosphere she now realizes spilled past the palisade but is much stronger here. The air feels more substantial somehow, like she can almost see the curls and swirls of air around her with each movement, but when she tries to focus on it it's never quite there. But even beyond that the plants are off somehow. A little too symmetrical? No, that's not quite it, but there definitely seem to be an unusual amount of repeating patterns in the curls of leaves and gnarls of bark, in how the hip-high wheat moves in the wind. They pass a nectarine tree and the man picks a small fruit off a branch to offer to Sam. "Here, consider it a small show of hospitality, as thanks for being open-minded."

[Samantha McManus]

"Can't help but notice y'all are a bit... nontraditional," she says as she takes the fruit.

[Narrator]

"Sure are. I had my doubts about it too." he says, misreading Sam's opinion on the matter. "But the Reverend said somewhere along the way the folks who wrote down or translated the good book musta gotten things wrong cause look at this place. It wouldn't be this bless-ed if God was disagreeing with what we do. Reverend John says the letter of the law is how man seeks to distort the holy spirit. Sooner or later he reckons they'll come out here too, once the war's settled down and no matter who wins, one of 'em is gonna come and try to put their rules on us."

[Samantha McManus]

"There's gotta be some things y'all live by, though. Even if you're not the buttoned-down folk people expect."

[Narrator]

"We do still follow the word of God. S'just that the reverend helps us read and understand it better y'see? It's... strivin' to be better than we are by the original sin. Asper... aspri... rational? I can't explain it too well, but I'm sure the reverend or sister Alleah will explain it to you better if you ask them. What the reverend realized when he found the Bliss here in this place is that we can't never go back to the Garden of Eden until we show God we can make one fer ourselves right here on Earth. And then we'll all be welcomed back to the Kingdom of Heaven."

[Samantha McManus]

"Wasn't the original sin about disobeyin' the rules and gettin' burdened by a whole lotta knowin'?"

[Narrator]

"Well yes, I s'pose? See this is why I'm not a preachin' man. It makes sense to me the way the reverend talks about it but I'm not doing the best way of tellin' it to you and passing on the word. I reckon sister Alleah's due back soon, goin' by the sun's getting low, so why don't you join us for supper and listen to her tell the gospel."

[Alleah]

The man continues giving Sam a quick tour around the place. Not that there's much more to point out, really. The church in the cliffside, communal housing, a couple sheds and barns. They've just about circled around the central lake back to the entrance when the sound of an approaching wagon makes him excuse himself to check on the arrivals, only to open the gates right away, letting Alleah and Thrax ride on into the compound.

The woman spots Sam and smiles brightly, hopping down and handing the reigns to the man who'd been accompanying her to town.

"Well would you look at that." she says, putting her fists on her hips and looking amused. "You coulda said something and we would've given you a ride too."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

Thrax chuckled. He briefly considered pretending to be from this other dimension but decided that he didn't have the patience for it. Also, why bother? "Hello again, Red. Fancy meetin' you here of all places."

[Alleah]

"The Lord truly must have meant for this. Surely you'll stay for the night? Dinner must be almost ready and we can talk." Alleah says excitedly, hopping off the wagon.

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

If Thrax was one to think about such things, he might consider that his suitemate would worry if he didn't come back. But he wasn't, so he just nodded upon climbing off of the wagon. "I reckon I can spare a night to hear about your beliefs. Especially that unlikely Garden."

He fully expected some sort of madness to reveal itself—this place had that vibe—but it could point them towards the piece of Will, it was worth the risk. That was, unless, the visitors were intended as sacrifices or something. He was lucky that his head wasn't filled with all the human stories of how things like this could go wrong.

[Samantha McManus]

"Been hearin' these parts ain't fit to travel at night, as it is."

[Alleah]

"Splendid!" Allea claps her hands once.

They swiftly unload the wagon and soon the two are ushered into one of the buildings. A decently large room with multiple rows of tables that'd fit a good 50 people but is only about two thirds full by the time everyone has settled in. The food is simple but prepared well enough. There's a lot of vegetables and bread but there are some roasted chickens, one of which is apparently just for Thrax. They say grace before eating and the whole room talking in unison is a little strange while the prayer does mention the reverend and the Bliss, but nothing too odd happens otherwise.

Some of the food is noticeably odd though. Corn that, rather than sitting in a straight grid on the cob, twists around it in spirals. And similar patterns show in the other produce as well. There's no deleterious effects to eating it and for all they know this might just be how things grow in this universe? But odd none the less.

After the initial filling of empty stomachs Alleah, who'd been sitting at the head of the main table, makes her way over to where Sam and Thrax are seated further down at the same one. The person previously sitting across from them wordlessly gets up to make room for her to sit down. "Feel free to eat as much as you like still, I just thought you probably have a lot of questions."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

Thrax didn't have the best table manners but he was polite enough to try eating as everyone else did. The chicken was crisp and juicy and it was all he could do to remember to savor the gift. He had class enough to be grateful.

When Alleah asked her question, he paused eating to regard her. It felt best to begin with a theological question to soften her up for more relevant questions down the line. "This Bliss you speak of; is it a state of mind or a place? I was raised to find beauty in the ordered chaos of the natural world but I do find the idea of pure calm intriguing."

[Alleah]

"Neither!" she says cheerfully. "Perhaps this place, in a way, but it's just where God placed it for the reverend to find. Surely you've felt it already. It's in the air and the soil and the water. It's a blessing of the harvest, a little piece of Eden. The embrace of God's love that even the most lost and misguided can feel. Here all is aligned in the grace of God and He's tasked us with bringing all who are lost and searching here to witness his Coming, be it in our lifetime or not, we'll be safe here in the Bliss. The Gates of Heaven have begun to open and let but a sliver of His Glory fall upon the land and those willing to be chosen." Somewhere along the way she's fallen into full on preaching and the whole room seems to fall silent to listen. Most people aren't even looking at her, really, just listening, occasionally nodding and finally adding a communal "Amen." once she's finished. It is at least a little bit ominous the way the entire room seems to respond as one.

[Samantha McManus]

"I would've thought He tended more to crosses than spirals."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

Thrax was definitely beginning to get creeped out. It was almost like these people were a hive mind and those were always unnerving to anyone with an ounce of individuality. They acted very little like any humans he had met thus far. And what was this about crosses? What even is a cross? Why do they call their god God? That seemed very unoriginal.

"So, who exactly is this reverend? Does he not eat with the rest of you?"

[Alleah]

"The cross is a symbol to remind us of our own failings and the extend of His love in spite of it. The Bliss is God's Grace itself, shining through from every leaf and stream. A tiny part of His unknowable self to prepare us for His Coming. We make effigies and symbols to show our love. His is in all of creation and here it's so close the very air we breathe is moved by his presence. His fingerprint left on this very spot."

"The reverend doesn't leave the sanctum much these days..." she says, her fervor giving way to a hint of sadness. "He spends most of his time communing with God, but he still watches over us."

The man sitting next to Alleah puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder. A couple of other folks at the table start to hum until Alleah starts to sing with a clear voice, the rest of the room joining in after a moment.

"He once was a peach picker, and he toiled in the sun.
He reaped the orchard on his own, until the day was done.
His hands were hard and calloused, cause he didn't have a choice
He served so many non-believers, 'til he heard the voice

Now he's our shepherd, and we're his flock.
Now he's our captain, and our ship's about to dock.
And now he's our keeper, he'll keep us safe from wrath.
Now he's our father, he's gonna lead us down that path.

He once became a beggar, when the wealthy had no work.
He'd sit out in the snowfall 'til his toes and fingers hurt.
Every flake that fell on him, felt like a demon's kiss.
He suffered countless hardships, until he found the Bliss."

After the song finishes everyone in the room seems to share the same kind of wistful but determined smile Alleah has mustered over the course of the impromptu choir

[Samantha McManus]

"When you say he doesn't leave the sanctum, you still see him, right? I mean, the man's still got to eat..."

[Alleah]

"Oh of course! I usually bring him his meals and sit with him. The Bliss may be a miracle but we don't just eat for the joy of it." she laughs.

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"When you say he's communing with God, what do you mean exactly?" he asked respectfully. The concept of communicating with a deity was quite alien to his experience so he was honestly curious. Did God answer? If He did, could anyone verify that the Reverend wasn't lying about it? He supposed the Garden had a way of convincing people there was a divine hand at work but he could think of half-a-dozen technologies that could do the same thing. He couldn't be sure that something alien was at play.

[Alleah]

"Prayer, of course. But he spends a lot of time contemplating and interpreting the Bliss and how it expresses God's will. You've seen the signs. They're stronger in the church and his quarters, dizzying even for mortal eyes, like angels."

[Samantha McManus]

"You seem to have gotten pretty used to it."

[Alleah]

"Some us us." she nods. "But there's a reason not just anybody brings him his food. The first time I saw it I was quite scared and I still don't quite understand it the way he does."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"By signs, you mean the spirals?" The galaxy itself was a spiral but that had nothing to do with a divine hand. It was merely gravity at play. Still, he didn't judge when there wasn't exactly concrete proof of his Eternal Storm. Faith was as much a part of his religion as any other.

[Alleah]

"Yes. It's the mark the Bliss leaves on the land. Sometimes when it's dusty enough you can see it in the air and if you're close enough to the church you can scatter some sand or a handful of grains and watch them land in patterns. Some people thought maybe we could deduce God's will from them and I suppose in a way that's what the Reverend is doing but there's more to it. Communion, not... heathen augury."

[Samantha McManus]

"Oh, god forbid we fall to heathen ways," she deadpans.

[Alleah]

If anybody notices the sarcasm, they don't show any sign of it. Instead Alleah simply nods.

"Well, it's getting late. Jedediah can show you to your quarters and you can join us for morning mass tomorrow, yes?" she smiles brightly. Too brightly? Who can tell.

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"Might as well hear what all the fuss is about," Thrax agreed with an amiable nod. He wondered if Morrigan would be up to a little snooping? These people might not be doing anything wrong but something didn't quite feel right with the compound. Their harmony felt somehow artificial, as if some external factor was influencing them. And it didn't feel like a good thing.

He hoped it wasn't in the food.

[Narrator]

Unless either of them object, they'd soon found themselves directed to one of the bunk rooms. They were, perhaps surprisingly, at least somewhat separated by low walls. It almost looked a bit like a small office, oddly enough. Two beds to a little cubby and, as far as Sam and Thrax could tell, no separation between men and women. Where they too religious to even consider any hook-ups? Where there rules? Did they just rely on the lack of proper privacy or was this yet another area where the religious cult was being weirdly progressive?

People slowly settled in for the night and soon the whole room seemed to be asleep.

[Samantha McManus]

"So," Sam says, keeping her voice down as the walls are likely thin, "I feel like you're missing a lot of context on these folks' religion."