Heralds of Obeah/Ruminations
Roleplays by the Heralds, Templars, and Inquisitors of Obeah
Roleplay from Jarra Bennet (3 days, 19 hours ago)
Message sent to everyone in "Heralds of Obeah " (13 recipients) Few were the books and scrolls but many were the faithfull. Scarce was the stained glass, statues and decorations - spirit and piety were abundant. How strange is this temple - Jarra thought - how unlike the ones I've seen before. She felt not the true calling, she was unsure if she'd recognise the true calling if she felt it but she was certain that the fiery zeal of the Inquisition and pious devotion of the Heralds were not what she felt. Neither could she compare the disposition of her heart with the blazing flames of extatic crowd she saw in front of the temple nor with the smoldering embers of those she noticed meditating silently in the corners. It may have been ambition that brought her to Beluaterra, it was apetite for adventure that brought her to Athol Margos; was it the need to fit in that led her inside this temple? Was it her purpose when she decided to join the Heralds? Certainly! But it wasn't her sole purpose. She did felt the need to define a cause and goal of her existence, and not just one of this hideously carneous plane but one of more etheral and perennial nature as well. And she felt it long before she entered the temple in Rines. "Feeling comes with understanding, not the other way around" - she recalled one of the very few lessons her cousin ever gave her.
Standing before the administrative clerk of the church with enormous tome of names in front of her certainly wasn't the way she dreamed of becoming a believer, yet her shy nature prevented her from asking for a private audience with the Oracle. Given name, family name, origin; given name, family name, origin; given name, family name, origin... Many rows had empty place in the middle column, those were mostly scribbled with crooked letters. The rows that had all position filled in were calligraphed beautifully.
"This is the register of faithfull, tome 11th, m'Lady. To officially become a Herald you need to have your name written in the register, though many nobles don't bother to do it personally. Then you will need to swear to serve Obeah, embrace her magic and renounce daimons and all things evil. Her Holiness haven't blessed us with official statement of faith yet, so you'll need to speak in your own words. It's intention that matters."
Jarra took the quill and wrote "Jarra Bennet, Flowrestown, Dwillight" then glanced as her captain scribbled clumsily "Maura, Desert of Sillhouettes, Dwillight" leaving the family name column empty.
"Now" - she said, looking at the tiny collection of scrolls she noticed in the temple - "where can I learn more of the Obeah?"
– Jarra Bennet, Templar of Obeah
Roleplay from Vahanian Blint (22 minutes ago)
message to all nobles of Obia'Syela -Camp outside Ardmore, just before arrival-
Vahanian was in his tent, gathering a few hours of sleep before their arrival in Ardmore and the subsequent occupation of the region. He was planning on using words and kinds acts to show the peasants the errors in their ways and the benefits of converting to the protection of Obeah and her devout Templars.
Sleep had eluded him for several days, he was exhausted. He lay on his cot, eyes closed whispering quietly to himself. He realized he was praying, something he had not done before. He prayed to Obeah for release from the torment of consciousness, and to grant him an unmarred slumber, free from haunted visions of the past.
Soon his mind and body succumbed to the warm embrace of unconsciousness. He'd been asleep for roughly 2 hours before his dreams started to shift. He was sitting in a field, naked, among the grass and birds. He felt a warm glow on his back and turned to see a veiled figure striding towards him, he couldn't see any features behind the blinding light, but he could feel the presence of a powerful magic and the warm embrace a mother would give her child. The figure waved at Vahanian and he was clothed, wrapped in soft linens of white and blue, and he felt truly warm for the first time in years. The figure kept walking past him, and Vahanian diligently followed. They walked through a town, based on the layout of the town and the look of the folk Vahanian guessed they were in Ardmore. The peasants ran from the figure of light, some out of fear, others seemed to despise the light, thinking it a work of evil. Vahanian sensed the warmth of the light entity start to fade, it turned from warming light to a fire fueled by anger and treachery.
Vahanian collapsed on the ground, visions flooding his head of peasants being dragged into the streets and given a choice, conform to the teachings of Obeah or die. The visions changed to his wife and daughter being brutally slaughtered by a daimon overlord as Vahanian was held captive. His throat raw from screaming, his muscles bulging against his restraints.
He screamed once more and woke in a flash. He was covered in sweat, fists clenching the blankets. Baldwin rushed into the tent weapon drawn, eyes scanning the shadows. Vahanian took a deep breath and stood, Baldwin dropped to a knee and said "My lord, forgive the intrusion you were screaming in your sleep." Vahanian poured water for himself and drained the goblet. He nodded to Baldwin, and grabbed a robe and left the tent. He went to a nearby river, still breathing heavier than normal, thinking on his dreams. He bathed in the cold waters and said to himself and the heavens, "I understand veiled one. I am yours."
Vahanian returned to his camp and dressed quickly. He wore a comfortable tunic and trousers of muted grey and black, underneath boiled riding leathers. They were hardened enough to slowdown an arrow or blade, but not stop it, and light and pliable enough to still allow for a wide range of movement.
He grabbed his cloak, a fur trimmed cloak of a deep dark crimson, with his house sigil emblazoned on the back in gold and grey.
He pulled his hair back into a semi-tight braid and ran a comb through his beard. he had a sword and dagger on his hip, a special blade for peeling oranges on his lower back and several throwing blade strapped on his thighs. When he stepped out of the tent he looked the most regal and determined his men had ever seen him. Baldwin approached and said "The men are gathered per your orders, Lord Marshal." Vahanian nodded, mounted his horse and said.
"Wolves, we ride into Ardmore to begin our occupation of the region. I have had a vision and a dream of our Veiled Goddess, she is angry with the peasants for renouncing her ways and succumbing to daimon worship. We will correct that indiscretion with an iron fist. The region is to be taken by brutal means. Baldwin - direct the rest of my army to do the same and send a report to Marshal Goriad that we will be taking it by force." Baldwin nodded and turned to a servant dictating the orders to be sent.
Vahanian turned back to his men and said "Wolves, kill any who resist. I want the daimon worshippers caught and captured. They will either submit to the inquisition or be executed on the spot." With that Vahanian spurred his horse forward and his unit was on it's way to take a region.
-In Ardmore, amongst the TO- Vahanian stood at a town center by a large bonfire his men had built, there were several brands heating over the fire. Hand on his sword, he nodded to Baldwin who called out in a parade ground manner "Wolves! BEGIN YOUR SEARCH!" Vahanian had his men in groups of 3 and 4 kick in doors and drag peasants into the street, any who did not submit to Obeah and beg forgiveness were beaten and chained. They were lined up and Vahanian walked the line telling them they had 2 choices, submit to the inquisition for a purging of their souls, or execution. Most chose the inquisition.. Most. As he walked the line there were some peasants who spat at him and one, bolstered by his companion who stood chained next to him, even said "Daimons take your false god. May the ravage her memory in the depths of hell!" Vahanian had passed the man by 2 or 3 people by the time the man finished his blasphemy. He stopped in his tracks. Hand still on the hilt of his sheathed sword he spun, whirling his cloak around, drawing his sword, and cutting the man's throat all in one fluid, and graceful movement. Vahanian crouched next to the man as he fell to the ground choking on his own blood and dying. He grabbed the man's hair and whispered in his ear "You will never know peace in death, and you may have just cursed your entire family to execution."
He grabbed the man who had egged the dying peasant on and pulled him from the line. He threw him in the mud and said to Baldwin "Brand him a heretic, string him and his friend up and leave them as food for the carrions, and a warning to the rest. Heresy and Blasphemy will NOT be tolerated."
Baldwin motioned for Vahanian's soldiers to do as commanded, but was a bit shocked at his lord's actions. This was a changed man, and an even more dangerous one.
– Vahanian Blint, Marshal of the Templars of Obeah
Roleplay from Goriad II Gabanus (just in)
message to all nobles of Obia'Syela It was early afternoon in one of the towns in Ardmore. The weather had well, the soon stood high in the sky and the townhall had been very crowded on this pleasant day. Many spoke amongst themselves about the forces of Obia'Syela whom had been rumored to have entered the area and started claiming the lands as theirs. The village had not been reached yet, but they knew it would be a matter of time until the invaders would arrive and so many had gone outside to discuss their future with their fellow villagers.
In the mids of this activity a man moved up to the announcement booth of the local governers, a small hightened spot which was also used by local entertainers, but this was nobody they knew. He was in his fourties and looked as if he had been to war, but he was no noblemen, that was for sure and there were no troops, so who was he? "People of Ardmore, listen to me!" the man started "Soon the men of Obia'Syela come here to demand your loyalty, to demand that you bow to their Goddess, Obeah..." he paused a moment "The Daisha are not pleased with this herecy and we must not relent!" and as he spoke he heard some rare cheers from the crowd while most were silent. "Yes, yes! Come here my brothers, those that follow the Daisha, those that hold our faith high, join me here and show your fellow villagers how strong you are!" and he pointed towards those that cheered "Yes, show the unity that Daisha gives us all" and slowly the group on the hightened platform grew slightly. Some men, old and young, women and even some children, certainly a group of 50 assembled on the platform while others did not join.
"Aaaagh! noooooo!" cries were heard from the public below as about 20 of the 50 men on the stage slit the throats of the other 30, even the children and then suddenly another man approached forward, a dark cloack wielding two curved blades. "Thank you Sigmund, now allow me," he said with a smile to the first announcer.
"The faithful of Obeah know, only she can rid us of the daimons, only her return will save us all. Those who vehemently would oppose her can only be purged by death! Those of you who doubt, you can still be reasoned with. These lands are yours to work on, as long as you accept our rule and pay honor to Obeah! Together, our faith will call the coming of the Veiled Goddess, those who oppose her coming will die!"
– Goriad II Gabanus, Marshal of the Inquisitors
Roleplay from Goriad II Gabanus (6 hours, 7 minutes ago)
message to all nobles of Obia'Syela "There is much I still don't know. Before I came to Obia'Syela I only knew reading, riding and broiding." Goriad II escorted Jarra further into his camp, leading her away from her horse "I have a copy of that scroll with me as well. I have no reason to doubt Lady Rania would lie much, so assume the majority of that sermon is truth. Magic is strong here, but never forget the power of the sword as well or you will be dead before you found the strength of magic."
Rather than leading her to his tent and his scrolls however, Goriad II was leading Jarra away from his camp and into the treelines "Do you see these trees? They do not grow anywhere on the colonies, I know because I've been everywhere on that forsaken island, nowhere! But in the lands of Atamara they were as abundant as here," he paused for a moment "While much of this island is the same as my homeland's, there are clear differences to it. Here the daemons invaded the human world seven times now, on Atamara we did not even believe they existed, none had ever seen them. Imagine that!"
He kneeled down, took a small dagger and carefully plucked some flowers "These were my favorite back home," he said as he held the flowers near Jarra, but as she went to reach for them he took them back "Painfully poisonous of course if you know how to process them. If you boil the stem for about an hour with some stomach acids from a human the heat and acids will cause an interesting reaction with the plant and it will create a most deadly and painful poison. All you have to do then is extract it from the stem. As I said, all here is as I remember it, but here our north stops at Melegra, here many of the great southern cities are no longer here, swallowed by the ocean, all the consequences of the deamon invasions from what I've read."
He smiled for a moment as he placed the flowers in a bag "There is something about this part of the world that the daemons come here but nowhere else. Here the veil to the Netherworld is weakest. The rest is simple logic as well. We know there is another world, for it is where these daemons keep coming to strike at us, even if we kill and banish them from our world, there will come a time when they return in strength again, when the veil is at its weakest again. It is only logical that if there is one other world, that there will be others as well, such as that of Obeah. We also know that the deamons demand human worshippers and that this not only strengthens them, but also weakens the veil that keeps them in their world. So we know that the human worship to these deamons opens the way for them to come to us and thus we cannot doubt that the same will work for Obeah. If enough of us pray for her coming and weaken the veil to her world rather than to that of the Netherworld, she will come and only she will solve the issue of the deamons for all times. Her power will strengthen the veil to the Netherworld and will close their path to our world for all times. An alliance between our world and hers, to cast off the Netherworld foregood."
He looked up for a moment "You see, it is not only faith, much of our faith to Obeah is simply logic and logic cannot be refuted. The faith aspect is that we must trust Lady Rania on her world of the presence of Obeah she felt and the events in Keffa, but so many people have seen it and she swears it, who are we then to doubt it still?"
– Goriad II Gabanus, Marshal of the Inquisitors
Discussion Between Inquisitor Dame Jarra and Templar Lord Otoro
Letter from Jarra Bennet (10 hours, 9 minutes ago) message to all nobles of Obia'Syela Lord Otoro,
Grandmistress mentioned you've been with Obia'Syela since Keffa. Are the tales of enthralled daimons true? Have you seen them? Were they mindless beasts serving as tools for the Veiled Goddess, or were they sentient creatures in service? Jarra Bennet Steward of Athol Margos
Letter from Otoro Sakana (just in) message to all nobles of Obia'Syela Lady Jarra, it is indeed true that there was a force of daimons, bound by the power of Obeah to the service of men. They mostly kept to themselves when they were "off duty" and while "on duty" they did not interact much with others. So, I cannot speak much to the level of will and personality they have. Even while I had Lordship over Keffa, I had minimal interaction with them. They the task that they were given, and they were going to fulfill it was all I really had from them. Otoro Sakana Margrave of Rueffilo– {{{2}}}
Too few people understand what faith is, it is not blind devotion. It is not an excuse to commit horrible acts in the name of a god or goddess. It is an act of selflessness. It is admitting that there might be things greater than one's self in the universe and that there might be a grand design. It is not something that is a matter of fact or fiction, if it was it would not be called faith but fact and science. Faith is giving yourself to a cause greater than yourself. Being willing to admit you don't have the answers, and that you don't know what is going to happen and that it might scare the sht out of you, but you believe it will be okay. Because you believe that there is a higher power. What I see are people using the excuse of religion and faith as a means to an end, as a means to feel powerful, to feel important. Some of the most faithful and devout people are the quietest in the room. I am certainly not that, I admit. I am prone to outbursts of emotion and rash words. It is a trait that runs in my family, and one I am not proud of. But I do not claim to be a servant of Obeah because I aspire to a throne, or to a seat of power. I choose to be a servant of Obeah because it is the only peaceful thing in this world that has comforted me since the death of my wife.
– Vahanian Blint, Marshal of the Templars of Sacred Obia'Syela
Roleplay from Goriad II Gabanus (13 hours, 35 minutes ago)
message to all nobles of Obia'Syela It was early in the morning when the messengers arrived at his camp. Some standard reports, he didn't care for them, but also two separate ones from Rania. The first wrote that he had been appointed as Grand Inquisitor, the other followed with a request from the Oracle "Rines is in desperate need of courts in my absence. Please hold court to restore order to the city." He looked at Sigmund who read the letter, and nodded "We set travel to the capital," and Sigmund replied "Are we bureaucrats now milord?" and Goriad II could only smile: "Sigmund, you should know better by now, I am Grand Inquisitor, not Grand Chancellor, or Erheas. Send word out of our arrival to the local inquisitors, let them be ready."
When they arrived in Rines they first moved to the Temple where a group of 20 men had gathered "Inquisitors, the Oracle has tasked us to hold courts in Rines in her absence now and we shall restore the order in this city. I trust you have done what I've asked of you?" and all 20 men went down on a knee until one of them said "We have been busy mapping the heretics' whereabouts milord. Goriad II looked at them, "Perfect, then show me to them, I shall hold courts today in the streets themselves."
As the group of men entered the city they quickly walked towards the area where they would hold court today. Now that he had become Grand Inquisitor his authority had greatly increased and as such he had taken the liberty to start arming the inquisitors throughout the realm, starting in Rines. They had some light armor to protect against knife cuts and clubs, but still light enough to move swiftly as he always prefered himself. The pride of their armor however were their weapons, two curved blades, much like he carries himself, combined with two smaller blades for difficult and extremely tight spots. He also had them train with the blades two hours a day, so in time they would become most feared. In the meantime Goriad II brought some of the local militia with him as well, the Sword of the Inquisition, 40 archers of which he placed half of them on the roofs around the small square where he would hold court today.
As they arrived the archers were ready, some guarding the streets, the others on the roof ready to take down any rebel who opposed him. He sent out the 20 inquisitors into the houses to where they had tracked heretics and quickly a group of 38 people were gathered on the square. Several hundred of people heard the noice and came outside, not knowing what was going on.
"People of Rines," Sigmund begun "The Grand Inquisitor has set out to remove the rebels from among you, the heretics who would oppose Obeah and who would overthrow our great rule here in Rines," and before he finished 5 men started to attack some of the guards in one alley, knocking down 2 of the archers, but as they attempted to plunge a knife into their chest arrows started flying from the roofs, shooting down the 5 men and wounded some additional peasants who stood closeby.
Now Goriad II stepped forward "Heretics have no place in our lands and those who oppose Obeah will meet the Inquisition. Assaulting the realm's militia is punishable by death, as is opposing Obeah's coming. If you know of any heretic, make it your duty to report them. And as to you," he said as he turned to the group of 38 men and women and even 3 children "You will also tell us everything about the heretics in the area, one way or another." He smiled, "Take them to the dungeons, make them talk."
– Goriad II Gabanus, Grand Inquisitor of Sacred Obia'Syela
Roleplay from Lavitz Gildre (20 minutes ago)
message to all nobles of Obia'Syela Lavitz chewed idly on a vegetable root as he hiked through the forests of Zuhle. The woods were thick and dark, yet held no malice within their greenery. He thought, as he chewed, of the world he had come to not know. It was inconceivable how much had changed. During the infancy of the Sacred Obia'Syela, they had been openly battling Daimons in the streets. Daimon Princes had controlled entire cities, and the hordes were held at bay by the sacred armies of man.
Now, however, he only came across simple and quiet people. He couldn't believe the state of the world. Things seemed so... quiet.
Yet, as he found out, not everything had changed. The hearts of man still harbored evil within their depths. Dark forces continued to conspire against the light, and agents of the Nether made their way through the world in the subterfuge of normality. And while these agents of darkness persisted, he would continue to hunt.
Since leaving Kell, he had discovered two more small groups of Daimon worshipers. He had let these feel the smite of his spear, and vanquished their souls to the darkness they so yearned for. The last group had begged for mercy, renouncing their actions and faith.
While Lavitz had his share of faults, mercy was not one of them.
He would continue his journey, to rejoin his Prophetess, and he would purge any heretics along the way.
Lavitz pushed through some brush to reveal a deep, long, green valley. This marked the edge of Zuhle, he knew. Once he entered Eg Tutnu he would be in the wild lands. Unclaimed territory, ungoverned by man. Wild people were said to run free in the southern wilderness. Perhaps untainted, yet darkness could easily have found a safe refuge in this unobserved part of the world. Lavitz would judge their purity for himself. Heretics would be dealt with.
He spit the root from his mouth and advanced forward down into the valley.
The light of Obia would show him the path.
– Lavitz Gildre, First Grand Templar of Sacred Obia'Syela Amen Keffa
