Death Seeker - Horizon: Zero Dawn

Chapter 4

"May All Mother bless you." The piercing blue of her eyes spoke sincerity, welcoming him from the balcony, a thin, sorrowful smile on her weathered lips.

"High Matriarch Teersa." Rost took a respectful knee at the foot of the wooden steps.

"Please, come, sit." Teersa gestured to a misshapen wooden stool atop the few steps, on the decking of the lodge itself. "How do you fare?"

Rost stood, surprised by the High Matriarch granting him access to the sacred lodge. "I long to bury my daughter," he shrugged, "Praise to the Goddess."

Teersa studied him, as he perched onto the stool awkwardly. She sighed deeply. "You are troubled, wounded. Like a new-born puppy lost in the wilds." She knelt in front of him, meeting his empty stare. "I am truly sorry for your loss, Rost. And for the loss of every Nora that was taken."

Rost squeezed shut his burning eyes, locking them in a moment of composure. "Thank you." When he opened his eyes Teersa had retreated to a large, ornamentally carved rocking chair by the door to the lodge, lifting her waist bag as she made herself comfortable. The wood creaked as she adjusted, but she didn't sit back and swing, she perched on the edge, rolling a circular bead from her hanging necklace with crooked fingers. She was obviously fond of beads and braids, and sported them throughout her hair and attire.

"You summoned an audience, Rost." She said bluntly. "What is it you seek from the High Matriarch's?"

Rost wiped his face vigorously with both hands, pressing his thumbs against his eyeballs to clear his mind one final time. "High Matriarch Teersa, I request your blessing...and that of High Matriarch Jezza and High Matriarch Lansra..." he regarded the warmth and compassion of Teersa, sat like a statue, but listening like a loving parent. He had made his decision, the time to falter had passed. "I wish to be made a Death Seeker."

A hint of a smile may have briefly shone on Teersa's face, but she quickly supressed it, adjusting her headdress to camouflage the emotion. "You understand this is no simple request, Rost?"

He acknowledged with a nod, as the latch on the lodge door suddenly lifted with a scrape, creaking inwards slowly. It looked dark within, a few fat, lumpy candles supporting long flames were scattered throughout. The sharp scent of ridgewood, hintergold and something he didn't recognise filled his nostrils, as High Matriarch Jezza stepped onto the balcony. Rost dropped back down to his knee.

"Forgive us, Teersa, we were engaged in another matter." Jezza sat on her solid, throne-like chair. The back of which was beautifully carved, depicting the female reproduction system, similar to that of her headdress. "May All Mother bless you," she acknowledged Rost, lowering her head. "My deepest sympathies."

"Thank you, High Matriarch."

"Likewise, Rost." Said the third lady.

"High Matriarch Lansra."

Lansra wore a mixture of dark blues and browns, and a frilly stripe of green around her midsection. Though similar in elder dress, with hair braids full of beads dangling down to each of their waists, Lansra's robe differed to the softer brown and beige of Teersa and Jezza. They all wore leggings under makeshift hide and fur skirts, and boots or sandals of personal choice. Lansra sat on her powerful looking chair carefully, with spikes and metal coils making it look difficult to relax on. Her headdress was the most elaborate, possibly giving her the edge in their hierarchical pecking order. It was also the biggest, covering most of her eyes which in turn extenuated the sagging bags beneath, giving her the unfortunate appearance of being the eldest.

"Be seated." Jezza requested, her dark skin and sharp eyes exhibiting her stern demeanour. "Please, continue."

Rost remained on his feet, clasping his fingers behind his back. "High Matriarchs, I request to be anointed as a Death Seeker. With this title I shall bring vengeance to those who have wronged the Nora, slaying each of the twelve outlanders who took so much from our tribe. I understand that afterwards I shall have no part to play as a member of this great tribe, and that I will be considered an outcast. This I accept with all my honour and love to the Goddess." He stood tall, proud.