Arcaea/Dining Hall Late 08-09/Aenil, Blood, Visions
Arcaea/Dining Hall/Aenilic Bloodlines and User:Hroppa/Magni Patres Aenilia are relevant
Jenred knelt before the circular altar, inscribed with complex designs to symbolize the multiplicity of the Aenil, Armour scratching against the floor, hair dragging on the cold stone, and his hands grasping the pommel of the sword his old friend had given him, almost grinding the tip of the scabbard into the stone with shaking hands.
Aerywyn was dead, and the funeral had hurt him more than he cared to admit...He had watched the corpse of his friend burn, the flames strangely coloured with the preserving salts, and he had wept as he had not since his mother coughed her lifeblood onto his lap all those years ago...It finally seemed that Tony would be removed, that the nobles of Mosesadelphia had put up with the madness long enough, but Conan still would fight to the end to see the madman back on his throne...That vileness was something that all nobles ought to oppose, without question. The insanity had to be removed before the rot set even deeper...
But how? The forces he could call upon would not suffice to take the fight that far south, not through Cathay and Zonasa...Even if Mosesadelphia were willing to oppose Soliferum, they would have little hope of holding out unless aid from the North arrived, and he just couldn't spare the men to do it...They were so close to ending the madness, save for Conan, and he did not have the strength to stop Soliferum...
He looked up, eyes straining at the altar...And fell back, startled, as the patterns began to swirl...Revealing six figures: Blue, red, green, orange, silver, and purple. Each were simple, just a few curved lines, except for their eyes...Each blazing with inner light, calling to his own...
What followed he could never truly recall. Part conversation, part communion, as if part of them had flown into him through his eyes...And he knew. Conan had not put aside his politics to destroy the emissary of Kadai...Because he had not put aside his to devote himself to the problem. He must convince his allies to give over the war with Cathay…Even if he had to sacrifice from his own to convince them to do so.
And once that was accomplished...A holy war would need to be declared. The Servant of Kadai must be removed...And the Aenil had granted him a gift to assist in this. He drew his sword, and could feel nothing different...But when the sword was lifted into the light, the reflections...The metal reflected a rainbow. No matter what angle, or how the light shone, it always reflected a rainbow.
Jenred stood, and quickly tied his hair into a warrior queue. He had work to do, and a Paladin of the Aenil had no business looking as anything other than a warrior.
Sir Jenred Bedwyr King of Arcaea
Jenred reeled mentally. Tharion's letter lay before him, and the implications danced through his troubled mind...The idea that his visitation had been from a less-than-benign Aenil was bad enough...He might well have committed himself and all his allies to a course there was no turning back from...But even worse...
It hadn't even crossed his mind to question. His paranoia, while not as advanced as he might like it to be, should have been ringing alarm bells like mad at this...And instead...
He needed to discuss this with Dren. And he needed to show the sword to him...There had to be some way to discover the true answer...
Sir Jenred Bedwyr King of Arcaea
Priest Dren,
I understand the urgency of the matter...And yes, I can discuss it via letter since it seems necessary.
In short...Lord Tharion (while agreeing with my position overall and working with me to try and have Aenilia join the war against Tony) mentioned the possibility that my vision was from a Dark Aenil. I would not worry overmuch about this, as fairly obviously Tony is a bloody-minded heretic, but...I worry greatly over the fact that not once did it occur to me to question who this vision came from. That is...uncharacteristic of the man who long suspected the betrayal of allies and friends.
Do you have any light to shed upon the matter?
Sir Jenred Bedwyr King of Arcaea
King Jenred,
I have given the matter that you brought to my attention long and hard thought. It is hard to predict and make any sense of Aenilic intervention, but you know that I have made a study of those Aenil which may be our forefathers. I shall do my best to interpret the source of your vision.
Rarely do all six Aenilic patrons work in concert - the Aenil may be as everpresent and all pervading as water, but powerful Aenil are quite capable of acting in different directions. Usually it is under the direction of Suria that this takes place, but given the specifics of your vision I can consider only two options likely.
The first is that your vision was a message from your very blood, striking a balance for a rare moment, giving you far more insight into the will of the Aenil than is normal. The lack of prominence of Suria in your vision is not unusual - she prefers to be subtle.
A darker interpretation is that Kadai crafted this vision to direct your attention away from a greater danger. I have not noticed a prominency of Kadai in your actions recently, so consider it unlikely, unless Kadai's influence came from an outside source. What allays my fears somewhat is that there was no actual presence of Kadai himself in your vision - only his servants. If he had intervened my studies have lead me to believe that he would have had to manifest at some point in your vision to alter it, but I cannot be certain. I have heard rumours of strange items that you have recently acquired - I may need to study these more closely to find an answer.
What may allay your fears the most is that Suria, as the Aenil of introspection rather than outward perception, rarely considers acts of betrayal from others. This may account for your uncharacteristic lack of distrust.
Yours,
Sir Dren Kandurell (Priest of Magna Aenilia Ecclesia)
