Response
Posted by Orazio on 04/13/17
To the Faithful:
It has come to my attention that Princess Donella Thrax would like for us to know that she enjoys smiling, and is very sad that the Faith would say mean words about the ruthless and dishonorable slaughter of tens of thousands of noncombatants through the use of deliberately cultivated plagues released on populations throughout the isles.
She would like us to remember the charity she has done here, to be certain. She would prefer that we not remember, or even think about, prisoners left to rot in fetid, festering conditions until their captors were certain that they were carrying deadly infections, then turned loose to return to their families and friends, their tearful embraces used to spread death from father to son, from sister to brother, from elder to newborn babe.
She would like the Faith to feel shame and guilt for daring to point out the injustices in Thrax lands, and bid us wait for the Thrax to simply decide to be better people, even as those who raise voices in objection within those lands are flayed and raised on crosses as a warning to all who might dare speak.
She would like us to remember that the Thrax have ever been ready to offer aid in governing the Compact and supplying the Compact. I assure you, no scholar of history could forget the former; indeed, the Thrax have more than once been so ready to aid in the Compact's governance that not only did they not have to be asked, they have slaughtered monarchs who have been rude enough to decline that aid. As for the latter? Supply lines that reach deep into the heart of Arx and all of the lands of the Compact can carry many things, and once a man - or a land - has proven willing to use disease as a weapon, if they find no resistance from their peers, they will do so again.
Her Highness would like you read her words about Islander independence, fierceness, and pride, and preferably not think about the quality of an independence built on stripping others of their freedom, a fierceness that sees no dishonor in murdering tens of thousands by illness, and a pride simultaneously so unbending and so brittle that it must defend atrocity without even acknowledging the unjustly dead.
As Legate of Concepts, it is ever my duty to take the unpleasant road, and remind all the peoples of the Compact of the demands of Justice, of Fidelity, and of Civilization. But I would hope that I would not have to. I would call every person who follows the Faith of the Pantheon to gain access to the records of Prince Abbas' rampage and use the gifts of empathy and intellect the gods have given you, not my authority, to judge them. Is this just? Is it true to the oaths and honor expected from any member of the faith? Does it embody the virtues of civilization and charity? If you believe that it is so, then do not allow even the Faith to tell you otherwise. But if those actions disturb you as they have disturbed me, then I encourage you to find a copy of the Voice of Thrax's response and read it again. And ask yourself: Does that response satisfy a heart yearning for Justice, Fidelity, and Civilization?
That decision I leave to you, as every man and every woman must eventually stand before the Silent Watcher alone, and face judgement for what they have done. And what they have not done.
By my hand and authority,
Father Orazio, Legate of Concepts, Shield of the Faith
It has come to my attention that Princess Donella Thrax would like for us to know that she enjoys smiling, and is very sad that the Faith would say mean words about the ruthless and dishonorable slaughter of tens of thousands of noncombatants through the use of deliberately cultivated plagues released on populations throughout the isles.
She would like us to remember the charity she has done here, to be certain. She would prefer that we not remember, or even think about, prisoners left to rot in fetid, festering conditions until their captors were certain that they were carrying deadly infections, then turned loose to return to their families and friends, their tearful embraces used to spread death from father to son, from sister to brother, from elder to newborn babe.
She would like the Faith to feel shame and guilt for daring to point out the injustices in Thrax lands, and bid us wait for the Thrax to simply decide to be better people, even as those who raise voices in objection within those lands are flayed and raised on crosses as a warning to all who might dare speak.
She would like us to remember that the Thrax have ever been ready to offer aid in governing the Compact and supplying the Compact. I assure you, no scholar of history could forget the former; indeed, the Thrax have more than once been so ready to aid in the Compact's governance that not only did they not have to be asked, they have slaughtered monarchs who have been rude enough to decline that aid. As for the latter? Supply lines that reach deep into the heart of Arx and all of the lands of the Compact can carry many things, and once a man - or a land - has proven willing to use disease as a weapon, if they find no resistance from their peers, they will do so again.
Her Highness would like you read her words about Islander independence, fierceness, and pride, and preferably not think about the quality of an independence built on stripping others of their freedom, a fierceness that sees no dishonor in murdering tens of thousands by illness, and a pride simultaneously so unbending and so brittle that it must defend atrocity without even acknowledging the unjustly dead.
As Legate of Concepts, it is ever my duty to take the unpleasant road, and remind all the peoples of the Compact of the demands of Justice, of Fidelity, and of Civilization. But I would hope that I would not have to. I would call every person who follows the Faith of the Pantheon to gain access to the records of Prince Abbas' rampage and use the gifts of empathy and intellect the gods have given you, not my authority, to judge them. Is this just? Is it true to the oaths and honor expected from any member of the faith? Does it embody the virtues of civilization and charity? If you believe that it is so, then do not allow even the Faith to tell you otherwise. But if those actions disturb you as they have disturbed me, then I encourage you to find a copy of the Voice of Thrax's response and read it again. And ask yourself: Does that response satisfy a heart yearning for Justice, Fidelity, and Civilization?
That decision I leave to you, as every man and every woman must eventually stand before the Silent Watcher alone, and face judgement for what they have done. And what they have not done.
By my hand and authority,
Father Orazio, Legate of Concepts, Shield of the Faith