Choirs of the Divine

Gray Witchkiller, part 4

As Ray walked through the main street of Sacra Magica, preparing itself for the March of the Witch-Goddess, he saw many different people. There were stalls with food and souvenirs resembling the Witch-Goddess herself. There were also some musicians playing here and there and entertaining the crowd. And while most of the folk were wearing attire that suited the celebration, some of them stood out by a mile. There were some wearing colors so strong, he wouldn't be surprised they somehow oversaturated themselves. There were some who painted their bodies in a resemblance to creatures he saw during his travels. There were some with hairstyles and clothes that seemed to defy both gravity and sanity.
But he didn't have time to ask what was the deal with those weirdly dressed people. So he went past them, another steps towards the Grand Temple.

In Sacra Magica, the faith in Goddess-Witch is the most important thing. And so is her approval. It is no wonder then that when traversing the streets of the city, one can witness people wearing stylistically overexaggerated clothes, training their most wonderful and weirdest performances, preparing the most beautiful dresses that would try to catch the eye of the Goddess-Witch, baking the sweetest and prettiest sweets. Only for a chance to be noticed during her next March. Because being noticed and getting her approval could mean getting moved to the more luxurious part of the city, having one's wish granted, or being spared when she decides to pick their homes to be demolished next time.
Those are the so-called, Choirs of the Divine. Or simply choristers, choirboys, or choirgirls.

Types

Depending on their talents, creativity, and abilities, the choristers can be divided into a few types.

The eye candy

This term applies to any choristers that don't possess any talents, just their looks. The only way they ever try to catch the attention of their "goddess" is by looking good, unusual, or weird. Whenever one of them manages to do so, their copycats will surely appear during the next few Marches.

Performers

Here are all of the bards, singers, dancers, sword swallowers, fire spitters, casters who only know spells that look nice, and many others who at least can put on some show. Their acts vary from simple, through complex, and elegant to stupidly dangerous. It is to be expected that at least a few people will injure themselves during each March.

Craftsmen

This type belongs to everyone who creates things they want to impress the goddess with with their own hands. Bakers, confectioners, chefs, artists such as painters, and sculptors, but also tailors, shoemakers, jewelers, and even architects. For them, being noticed would mean getting new customers but also creating things for the object of their belief. There are quite a few shops with signs that say they were approved by the Goddess-Witch.