A Troubling Incident [Potential Spoilers Ahead!!]

My Dear Haakon val’Ishi,

What is it you wish the Inquisition to do?

We live in a world where, I am sorry to say, hidden cults to infernals and alien divinities actively seek to subvert the followers of the Pantheon of Man. And tear down the Mother Church. The core of the Inquisition, as I understand it, is that safeguard mankind by rooting these groups out from the shadows. That job is unpleasant and often ugly. But necessary.

Am I correct that you want members of the Inquisition to take their eyes off this important task to investigate your former companions? To what end? Do you really believe that your companions spared the Gar because they are secretly followers of Tzihet? Or do you just want your former comrades tortured or executed? Maybe you imagine that they will be bullied and intimidated enough by the Inquisition to do what you want the next time there is a disagreement. (Doubtful!)

Come Haakon, I think this is beneath you. I applaud your piety. And I also have little use for the illiterate Gar. But I am concerned that you want to misuse the Inquisition merely to resolve your personal conflicts. That is not appropriate on at least two levels.

Just my opinion: A man or woman who makes trouble for neighbors and comrades is eventually a very lonely person.

-Tukufu, Ambassador of Altheria

Dear Haakon,

Do you mind if I ask for some clarification on the actions by those you propose to report to the Inquisition?

First, what was their apparent crime again? From what I can discern it was that they did not kill unbelieving Gar zealously enough, is that correct? Do you then propose that it is the duty and requirement for all members of the mother church to kill all non-church members on sight, to clear the path for church members to populate all of Onara? If so, how do you hold yourself back from slaughtering the Milandisian church members you meet? Or is it just non-humans? If so, how do you hide the bodies of the Elorri you kill to pass the time? Or is it a question of sentience, with the argument that the Gar are more subhuman than the Elorri (an argument the Elorri would no doubt half agree with, as they consider themselves super, not sub, human), and thus deserve to be purged when other races do not? Please clarify what level of bloodthirstiness is required to prevent a follower from “rotting from within?”

Secondly, why would any of that fall within the purview of the Inquisition, those responsible for hunting down heretics? To be a heretic one must believe in the gods incorrectly, and want to pervert the belief in others. The Inquisition is not designed to be the protectors of the church from all threats, just heresy.

Third, were you taking this place you were exploring for colonization? It is my understanding that much of the undercity is populated by a diverse, “ecosystem,” (for lack of a better word), of creatures. I put to you that there are probably many more blasphemous creatures there than the Gar, and thus the Gar may serve a beneficial role in weakening others there until such time as humans really do return to the undercity to take it. I, for one, would recommend not worrying about colonizing the undercity until we have reclaimed all of the uncleansed areas on the surface of the city.

Finally, and I hope you don’t consider me a heretic for asking this, as it a most honest question that I don’t know the answer to, but are we supposed to bring the pantheon to others? Obviously they are the Pantheon of Man, and man will always be their favorite, but tales from the Heroes of Light during the Coryani Civil War indicate that other species do follow the Pantheon, just as the dwarves and giants do. May it not be our duty to bring the pantheon to others besides humans? Might it not be the desire of the Gods for us not to exterminate the Gar, but to convert them and use them to further the very desires of the Gods?

I anxiously await your enlightening answers,

Kavaris

Exorcist Haakon val’Ishi,

Alas. Too often the best gossip from the first City grows stale before it gets to me. I really should cultivate a better circle of scandalmongers. Or at least check in more regularly. I have just now heard of your rant against Gar loving pacifists.

I would cry crocodile tears, at least for forms sake, BUT …

But something else leaps out at me! You are an EXORCIST living in the First City. At a time when that damnable noose-wearing mountebank has ensorcelled or possessed the women of the Golden Court! And you are sad because some of your friends didn’t let you kill Gar while grubbing for trinkets underground?

Are you not Coryani?!? Is there no Honor that beats in your breast? There is a job that needs doing! You are uniquely qualified… so stop blustering about triffles and do your Duty!

A concerned Patrician

Faithful,

I too am disturbed by the presence of those who are not consecrated to the True Gods located within the holy sanctum of the First City of Man, gifted to His children by Blessed Illiir. To know that vile creatures such as the Nightrunners haunt and target the faithful in the most sacred of places upon Onara also is prominent in my mind in my daily prayers.

However, I must point out one thing: It is not the job of the Inquisition to squash lesser beings who do not worship the Twelve. It is the job of the Inquisition to purge heresy and impiety, and to protect His children from those who wish to pull them away from the Twelve.

The fact that the gar do not worship the Pantheon is unfortunate, but what can you truly expect of those who were not blessed by the radiance of the True Gods? Their existence may be a test to the faithful, but it is not in my opinion the affront that you believe it to be. It certainly is not sufficient to bring down the wrath of the Inquisition upon them.

Additional complications come with the realities of religion within Illiir’s City on Arcanis. The current rulers of the city, while generally friendly to Mother Church, are not of the True Faith. They allow the Khitani to practice their Kalindruhl openly, despite the fact that they impiously exclude one of the Twelve (Anshar) from their faith in direct opposition to Illiir’s laws. They allow the Death Mongers to worship, despite the fact they claim that nine of the Twelve are dead and only Sarish, Neroth, and Beltine survive. However, because all believe the First City to be the most holy of holies on Arcanis, to prevent wars the Tomal Khan and his predecessors demanded that all who wished to worship in peace were allowed to worship in the First City of Man, regardless of their perversions. While I, a follower of Nier, may grate against this choice, I can understand its logic and how it has likely prevented those who profess to believe in the Gods from killing themselves unnecessarily. It also provides an avenue for those of the True Faith to educate those of lesser or misguided beliefs of the truth of His Church on Arcanis.

These are trying questions, and I do not blame you from being infuriated. I likely would be too if I had seen such people profaning the sacred lands of the First City. However, as others have pointed out that these gar are not actively attempting to turn those from the Truth of the Gods. My experience with them from my homeland of Nova Cormata suggests that the these creatures care more about feeding their bellies than they do proselytizing. They raid farms for food and to punish those they believe in their territory, not attempting to spread their primitive faith in spirits.

What they DO represent, however, is a direct PHYSICAL threat to the faithful. As such, I do entirely support that you report the presence of one of their tribes to the authorities of the First City, especially to groups such as the Legion, the Fen , and the Blue Cloaks. The presence of these creatures could pose a threat to the City that is far more dangerous than any religious considerations that may arrive from such simple creatures.

Yours in faith,

Haakon Marcus val’Virdan, Holy Judge of the Mother Church of Coryan

OUT OF CHARACTER

One thing that just struck me is how impassioned we are all getting over interpretation of religious doctrine….welcome to the real world folks! IF you don’t believe me look up the early years of just about any organized religion and a little dustup called the Protestant Reformation…

My fellow Clergy,

The King of the Gods commands that we bring the Light of civilization and law to all the peoples of the known lands, and Hurrian commands that we never charge headlong into battle if another way exists to prevent it. Illiir teaches us that we must embrace Equality, for His Light shines on all creatures and gives them its strength without thought to race, nation or creed. He likewise asks us to observe Honor, treating all we meet with fairness and gentility. When you seek to bring the Pantheon’s light to others, let that light first fall upon yourself, and do not turn away from what you see in your own mind or soul.

Beltine asks us to give aid and comfort to all, especially our foes – for it is they whom need it most. Anshar tells us to have compassion and not judge others for decisions that have brought them to where they are, and Cadic reminds us that we must do in darkness only that which we must to complete our duty, for while Darkness is our ally the light is our home.

Althares reminds us to always be ready to admit where the faults in our knowledge lie, and Yarris commands that we adapt to new ideas and flow like water over stones.

So I ask you, my dear friends, would it not be the Pantheon’s will that we first try to bring the word of the Twelve to these unfortunate creatures? It was once told to me that the hardest path is often the right one. Is it not our duty to give even other races such as the Gar the chance to learn of the Twelve’s glory and bask with us in the Light of civilization – even if it should take months or years to effect their conversion? If these thoughts are what stayed your companions’ hands, then I daresay it was their piety rather than lack thereof which motivated them.

I once met a heretic worshiper of the blasphemous Dark Triumvirate, many decades ago. It took the effort of years to convert him to the proper worship of the Twelve, but once he did he became one of the Mother Church’s greatest champions until his death. My work in facilitating that conversion was one of the things which brought me to the attention of then Arch-Prelate Sabinus val’Assante, whom named me his Seneschal during two separate convocations.

By your mindset, I should have been reported to the Inquisition for not immediately slaying that heretic… and had you been there and I followed you advice, then I would have killed him and denied the Church a champion.

Ultimately, all life is precious for it always contains the possibility of change. When a life’s thread is cut from Larissa’s tapestry of fate, all its possible futures are forever lost to us. I therefore believe that it is only proper to kill in order to immediately preserve life or when all other options are exhausted.

May Hurrian guide your paths wherever they take you, my friends. All Praise to the Pantheon, Blessed Be!

– Ser Adelheidis Sigrid val’Tensen of Moratavia, Priestess of Hurrian

My Dear Colleague,

Before I continue, I must thank you for reminding me that Milandir still remembers my service to our King and people. Thank you, for reminding me that once a Milandisian Knight, one is always a Milandisian Knight regardless of one’s having been released from one’s oaths. When I was released from my oaths to King and Country at the formation of Almeric, I admit that I felt a loss of identity for quite some time – something I pray that you may understand given that I had been a Knight of the Crown for nearly five decades when I was suddenly, at the stroke of a quill, retitled as an Almerican Knight instead. I assure you, however, that regardless of name or title, I have always held true to the Knight’s Code, and I shall continue to do so so long as thought and action remain to me.

Now, forgive me, but I feel the necessity to continue our debate, for I worry greatly for the state of your soul as well as for the motivations behind your words – and I must ask you to shine the Light of the Pantheon upon your own darkness and not shy away from whatever you might see. Ask yourself, are your actions for Their glory, or for your own? Ask yourself, does this hatred stem from righteousness or from an inner-darkness, hurt, or anger that you have not addressed within your own soul? I fear I must remind you that Cadic teaches us that we all wear masks and must be careful – for the worst sort of evil wears a mask of righteousness. Many great men and women – many great Knights even – have fallen to evil whilst seeking only justice. I take now a moment to remember their tragedies, and I say again a prayer for them – in particular I pray for the fallen souls of Ophelia val’Tensen, Nerodic val’Assante, Dorjan val’Mehan, and Morushun val’Ishi. All died in the belief that they did the will of the Pantheon, and all did evil in the name of Righteousness. I pray that whatever good may have remained to their souls finds its way from the Cauldron to a more worthy vessel… and I pray that Ophelia in particular may find her cursed time at the Cauldron’s threshold an opportunity to reflect on the evils she committed in life.

Does not Beltine tell her clergy and Hospitallers that pain and suffering do not stop at borders, and neither should her followers? Her tenets clearly state that one should not involve oneself in the affairs of one’s nation if doing so would prevent one from helping those in need. The heretic’s soul was in need, and I answered the Pantheon’s call to save that soul. I pray that you find it in your heart to follow your patron Goddess’s tenets in such regards in the future – know that I shall also light a candle for your soul each night, for I grow concerned that the affairs of nations have clouded your judgment in these matters.

You are yet comparatively young, so I feel I must remind you that Milandir, may its glorious spires forever stand tall, has never been the aggressor against benighted Canceri. We are not the warmongering likes of they – every crusade has been precipitated by Cancerese incursions. King Orsric, blessed be his name, always sought peace except when his hand was forced. His son and successor has thus far done the same. And forget not, my dear Exorcist, that Canceri and Milandir have been at peace for more than fifty years – the last true Milandisian Crusade into that benighted land having taking place prior to the events that would lead into the Coryani Civil War. For the glorious crusade against the Infernals, our most glorious King Osric IV even sought the help of Canceri – though the vile abomination Hegrish val’Mordane, cursed be his name, could not find it in his unbeating, rotten heart to lend us that assistance.

Genocide and Conquest have never, ever been the goal of the Milandisian Kings – our people are far too noble of heart and spirit for such vile, base motivations. The Milandisian nobility of spirit would never allow us to wish the destruction of the Cancerese people, rather we would only wish to rescue them from benighted lives of heresy under the unjust yoke of oppressive, blaspheming tyrants. Such would be the will of Hurrian, that we could do so. I, for one, answered the call of Holy Emperor Calcestus val’Assante, Blessed be his Memory, Arch-Prelate in Exile Shaitan val’Mordane, and yes, then Arch-Prelate Sabinus val’Assante as well in 1027ic when they called us to crusade in Canceri to support the newly returned to the Church Erdukeen in the suppression of the vile Dark Triumvirate faith. Have no doubts, however, we arrived in Nishanpur as liberators, not as conquerors. While we ultimately failed due to the interference of greater events in the world – including the necessity of the Holy Tasks set to us by the Word of Illiir, we won a great many battles in the name of the church, in the name of justice, and above all else, in the name of saving heathen souls. Many of us gave our lives, and some of us gave our very souls in this noble endeavor. I must say that even now, nearly half a century hence, I am shamed that noble King Osric did not give his official support to our crusade, but I understand the politics of the time and how they stayed his hand.

Thus it is that my efforts to save a single soul can be looked upon as that same crusade held in miniature. Remember, dear friend, that every soul is precious – every soul is worth saving. At the time I bent my energies to save that heretic, Milandir and Canceri were at peace, and he was traveling abroad as an adventurer – much as many of us do now. The first time I met him, I remember sensing that he had left Canceri for the adventuring life purposefully – I sensed that he had grown dissatisfied with the foul teachings of that cursed place. That sense told me that there was yet fertile soil within his soul from which – with nurture and care – true faith in the Pantheon could spring. It was more that sense of the possibility of his soul’s salvation that stayed my hand from slaying him than it was the laws of man – and believe me, I was sorely tempted to excise his corruption at the point of a blade. However, I saw then that saving his soul instead would be a hard road – a much harder road than killing him for certain… but Anshar tells us that the hard path is often the correct one – that the easy road is not the road to enlightenment or fulfillment. I took the harder path, and because I did this heretic became a champion of the Mother Church and accompanied me to the Battle of Nishanpur where he took the head of the Dark Triumvirate rebellion’s unbound Marilith General – effectively ending their alliance with the Devil King Uthbraxcit.

I saved a single soul – as the Gods bade me to do, and in so doing Larissa’s tapestry was not denied a thread that proved so very important. Had Josef not slain the unbound Marilith General which led the Dark Triumvirate forces, then I have no doubt that the Mother Church’s forces would have been pushed from the city… and the unholy alliance between Palic val’Mehan, cursed forever be his name, and the Devil King would have been sealed. How different would the fifth and sixth Crusades of Light have been if we had fought not only Uthbraxcit, but also the heretic nation Canceri – bound to them in alliance? We cannot know… but I fear we would have fared far worse… far worse indeed.

I saved a single soul, and that soul’s thread rewrote Larissa’s tapestry of Fate for the better. I paid a dire cost for saving this soul, mind you. During that crusade, I contracted the Bleeding Plague of the Blight Bearers… a plague that always proved fatal and destroyed the victims’ souls. During the years it took me to save his soul, I unintentionally engendered a sense of loyalty and devotion in Josef – to a far greater degree than I ever would have desired. As the Mother Church’s Champion of the Church of Neroth, he committed the final sin of his life – a sin for which he later paid penance in the Bay of Seremas in righteous battle with the blasphemous Accursed Legion. In his desire to save me, he had a ritual performed to beg his patron deity to preserve my existence…

Please be aware, that at this point in my life my faith was a young thing informed as much by my national heritage as by the Word of the Pantheon. I see much of myself in you, Haakon, in that regard. Like most of my countrymen, I believed that the ultimate sanction of destruction was the only fate appropriate for the unliving – that every undead creature was an abomination. I remember shuddering in the presence of the Lich Arch-Prelate Shaitan val’Mordane at the Convocation of the Divine where Holy Emperor Calcestus val’Assante, Blessed be His Memory, was confirmed. I remember thinking “How can such a monster be permitted to exist in the Holy Church? How can this be? How can this not be heresy that he has a vote in the selection of Patriarch?” Then Arch-Prelate Sabinus val’Assante – the future first Primarch of the Milandisian Orthodox Church – told me that there were a rare few undead whom were not abominations – whom were of the Church and properly Blessed by the Pantheon – and that the existence of this exception made the rule all the more poignant and important. I remember having my doubts, but swallowing them so that I could perform my duties as both an ordained Priestess and a Knight of Milandir.

My faith was the most tried it has ever been on that benighted night in Nishapur. I usually do not share this story even when asked – dodging the question with a quip or bit of humor – for even without proper emotions, the memory is not a pleasant one… but now I share it in the hopes that you take it as an object lesson. Black Neroth, brother to Illiir and husband of Beltine, has a dark sense of humor… he and his Valinor are want to teach object lessons in the most ironic, terrible way possible. Against all reason, he answered Josef’s prayers that dark night – even though Josef had been warned by the priesthood that it was a nigh-impossibility given that I had not been properly prepared and did not even worship Neroth Death-Forger.

I awoke that night as one of the creatures that I most despised. Before that night, had an undead creature approached me and claimed to be a child of the Mother Church and follower of the Twelve, it would have taken much to convince me not to strike it down as a blasphemer and enemy of the Crown. In my anguished self-loathing, I nearly destroyed myself that same night – but the Pantheon sent me a sign. They sent me a child whom needed my aid. He was being accosted by the Ghoulish dead, and I fulfilled my duty to Hurrian by defending that child and destroying those foul creatures. That sign told me that I was still an instrument of His will, and I continued to serve the Pantheon faithfully ever since… better for the lesson in humility that my rebirth taught me in the most terrible way I could have imagined.

I have done a great amount of good in this world since that night – few world argue otherwise. I have been bodily to the Cauldron to wrest a great man back from death, I have seen the warring Valinoric Hosts of the Heavens, I have saved the lives of the leaders of men, and I witnessed the death of a legend and the binding a mad being bent on Humanity’s destruction. I played a role in all these events, because it was the Pantheon’s will that I do so… and because a heretic whose soul I once saved prayed to Black Neroth that I not be lost forever – my soul and life both lost to a blasphemous plague – on a cold night in Nishanpur.

If this does not illustrate the power of saving a single soul, I do not know what may. That single soul I saved rather than sending to the cauldron, is responsible for both ending the unholy alliance between Palic and Uthbraxcit and also for saying the prayer that brought me back so that I could complete my duties to the Pantheon, my King, and my Country. How many strands of Fate would have been cut prematurely had I not saved that heretic’s soul? How many lives would have been lost? I dare not imagine it.

Before you discard my words due to what I was made into, know this: though I did not convert to the Milandiric Orthodox Church – largely due to my absence at the time of its advent and thus only recently having been made aware of its existence – I was the servant and seneschal of Arch-Prelate Sabinus val’Assante twice over. I do not blame you for being unaware of this – at his urging I kept my nature as being Blessed of Neroth secret at the time, because it was best to not confuse the people by showing them the rare exception to the rule, a notion to which I readily agreed. Later, his wisdom was vindicated, for King Osric, Blessed be his Name, saw fit to recognize the rights of Milandisian Knights Blessed of Neroth to continue their service to the crown. To my knowledge, I am only one of two in history to have benefited from that wise and noble decision – the other being the most honorable Knight Protector of Ashvan.

So the long and short of it is this: Not only were my title and lands not stripped from me, as you claim I deserved, for the saving of that heathen soul, but I was in fact honored by King, Country, and Church for my actions. You can not even claim the split between the Mother Church and Milandisian Orthodox Church as justification, for I was honored by none other than the Milandisian Church’s future Primarch, Sabinus val’Assante – whom went so far as to make me his direct agent and advisor in times of great upheaval and import. So it is that I ask you to re-examine your priorities – to shine the light of the Pantheon upon the dark places in your soul.

And please, do not mistake my argument to mean that unrepentant sinners and heretics should not be excised from the land. If one makes no headway in the conversion of a heretic – be one’s methods by word or by the infliction of Anshar’s blessings – then the wrath of the Church should be swift and final. I mean only that so long as headway is being made, one should stay one’s hand from that final sanction.

Know – one Milandisian to another – that I shall always be here for you and I shall always be your ally. Even if I was released from my oaths, I shall honor them regardless wherever I can.

All Praise to the Pantheon! Blessed Be!

– Ser Adelheidis Sigrid val’Tensen of Moratavia, priestess of Hurrian
Last Scion of the line of Sigismund the Stalwart and Knight-Protector of Ritterfeld