Marbled Scales

” Tukufu! It’s nice to see you again.” Vincent grabs Tukufu hand in a heavy handed shake which gradually falls into a one armed hug. Then waits for Tukufu to take his seat and sits afterward.

“Great Questions. I do, of course, know who my father is but I have not yet met him. I am hoping to in the future though. I do not really know who my mother is though. I am not even sure my brothers and I have the same mother. I hope when I do eventually meet my father that he may have an answer. I was raised by Arnous Val’Holryn in his manse but I am not sure of my brothers. I had a room near a constantly fueled boiler. He had a fairly extensive library and most of my childhood years were spent there. He taught me a lot about the history of the reptile races of Onara and I excelled in my studies. When I was thirteen I did get permission to go explore Trailia, which was a great experience. When I was 16, I received permission to explore Milandir and in the past couple years I have been exploring the continent of Onara.

It is true we were born awakened. I don’t think we all had the same abilities though I was not taught much about my other brothers. I think we were kept apart from each for some reason. I myself was born with an ability similar to “mental scream” though without control it would wear me out fairly quickly. It seems through my years of training I developed more of my ability to control beings minds, though now that I am out in the world that may change.”

“Oh! Hey Vincent. Look who just walked in. Jeez, he looks like owns the place. Should we call him over? Even though … you know. Or do you think our soulless former companion would rather be left alone? Maybe he’s not into small talk. I dunno. I’m not sure I like him, but we did run amok on Ymandragore together. That ought to count for something. What do you think?”

“Okay. Just don’t, you know. Let him sneak up behind me or something.”

“Belthazor. I see you over there. Really, in your armor you’re rather hard to miss. We’ve got room here at our table if you’d enjoy company…”

“I admit, I have much to learn of the world. I may have to make such a decision in the future though I am hoping not. Tell me of your emotions of the act and how you controlled them. What can you both tell about this and how I might deal with it? I am a student of history and therefore I study how persons react to the situation at hand. Arnous taught me with wisdom comes control, this is why I ask.”

“So, the Val’Mehan are not only the binders of demons and oaths. They also bind their emotions. Is this true for all of your bloodline? I know the burden some put on our shoulders, after all I am told that I and my brothers are the future of the Black Talons. I only hope that when the time comes for me to choose my future that I can bind my emotions as well as you.”

“It is all intertwined,” Belthazor explained to the ss’ressen. “To treat with demons is to risk manipulation, and likewise, the minutiae of the Sarishan Oath requires emotional distance, as the Oath adheres to the letter of the agreement, not the spirit with which it was made, as our recent travels can no doubt attest. Only a handful of members of my family learn those nuances, but of those few, they are among the most respected–and feared–of emissaries in all of Arcanis.”

He could see the burden tugging at Vincent’s thoughts. “I am no oracular Larissan. My mother did not pass along that gift. I cannot say what your future holds. I have been on this world far too long and seen far too much to think that such cannot be cast aside, your destiny to be written by you, through word and deed.”

“I take no offense,” he assured the Altherian. “I have rather thick skin in that regard. Your questions are not as simple as you might think, and their answers even less so. The Dark Triumvirate views the world as corrupt and damaged, to be sure, but it is an open expression that I believe to be the opinion of others as well. I resided in Grand Coryan for longer than you have been alive, and I know Mother Church all too well. Similarly, I remember when the Milandric Orthodoxy split away from its tenets. If the world were not flawed, what use would there be in priests to return the flock to the fold?”

He stroked his chin, considering his next words. “There are those among the Dark Triumvirate that believe evil should be embraced to immunize the soul, as it were. There are others, like myself, who believe that evil is a part of this world, not to be embraced, but resisted. Evil comes in many guises, and I assure you, that contrary to popular belief, all of it does not reside in Canceri.”

“Much of it, however, does,” he smiled. “Does the omnipresence of evil prepare the spirit? I do not profess to know, but you have a narrow view of faith. Nier punishes sins, but if ‘wallowing in evil’ is the teaching of your church, is doing so a sin? That is a question for the scholars and theologians. Once, long ago, I gave up my soul to be damned in exchange for a good man’s rightful deliverance to the Cauldron. My soul was restored years later, but how would you view my actions? Was I a hero for my sacrifice? Or was I a fool? History is written by the victors, but righteousness is written by the church. I come from a land ruled by the church, so I can attest to its fallibility. When it is all said and done, you must do what is right for you in the eyes of your god as you see fit. You will have your answer when you face the Judgement, and not before. I am afraid such concerns are beyond me now, so I give them little thought these days.”

He nodded at Tukufu. “I am certain that is not the end that you would have sought for your discourse, but it is the only one I have. There are others far more versed than myself. Like most of those descended from the Valinor of the Dark Triumvirate, I was tutored in the ways of the church, but I confess that I have more faith in people than the gods–faith to do good… and to do bad. I try to understand hidden motivations and desires, and the Lord of Secrets indulges my divided loyalties. I never took my vows, opting instead to become an Emissary, but it was no higher calling. I did so to be close to my children, who were far safer among enemies in the Coryani Empire than with my family in Nishanpur.”

“Uh…You’re asking me about the Fire Dragon? I had hoped, more or less, to learn from you on that topic, but dropped it when I learned how little time you’ve spent in Lanpeltis.”

Tukufu spares a quick glance at Belthazor ….

“Right. Uh, well. From the perspective of the Mother Church, the Fire Dragon is an aspect of Nier. But no none who looks deeply at this answer comes away entirely satisfied.

“For one thing Lanpeltis, the capitol in the Sulfur Marsh is supposed to predate the coming of the Pantheon of Man to the shores of Onara which begs the question of who built it. To my knowledge the Matriarchs have consistently refused to allow teams of archaeologists or scholars to visit. Very very few no-ss’ressen ever visit there.

“For another thing, though Nier is a fiery god he is also the God of Flaming Destruction. As I understand it, the Black Talon’s had to flee Ssethregore because they refused to destroy a rival egg clutch. It seems somewhat incongruous that Nier would choose a people who essentially refused to fight.

“I am not really sure how to properly reconcile these incongruities. Its almost as much of a headache as the historical records of humans living on Onara before the coming of the Pantheon of Man.

“Milandir of course has embraced the Fire Dragon as a seperate entity and a God in his own right. I am not entirely sure what this means at ground level. Does the Mother Matriarch as high priestess of the Fire Dragon now answer to the Primarch on matters of temple organization or doctrine? Can a human become a priest of the Fire Dragon? Will the Black Talons send acolytes to train under the other Deities? Somehow I doubt these things. I don’t know what all the repercussions will be, but I expect unexpected consequences to emerge with time.

“Perhaps you will be a bridge over these divides.

“One thing I would note is that the Fire Dragon brought a message of empathy and honor. He called for his people to make sacrifices now to forge a better future for the children to come. Whoever or whatever the Fire Dragon is, that message itself is divine.”