[Rilla Treespirit]

The young warden rolled her eyes at Serr'atae. "I'd appreciate the compliment more if you weren't blindfolded." Just then the lady whatsername Shif something or other turned up to tell them the Judicator was ready to see them. "We are ready." She followed the woman nervously.

~~~~
STUNNED. That was the only word that could be used to describe Sarani'ka's state of mind and expression when she was introduced to the light elf, Light elf! Judicator Lioshi. She couldn't find any words to say. Great, now what was the world coming to. Why wasn't she told this? Why was everything so confusing and difficult all of a sudden. Her father would probably grin, ruffle her hair and tell her it was because she was growing up in a patronising tone of voice. Bloody males... That lead to a strange thought, because from what she'd heard about light elves they were male dominant... Well that was just weird, and totally wrong. Well no matter she wasn't going to be bossed around, it was just unthinkable and besides she was drowussu so that made her different. She decided firmly to shrug off that particular uncomfortable thought. She glanced up at Serra'tae to see what his reaction to all this was.

[DeadPigeonGolem]

Serra'tae struggled to contain his horror. He'd never really been out of the City before, so he'd never seen a truly "aged" elf of any species.

The Judicator's aura was like a flickering ember of coal, burning hotly but just barely there and oh-so-easy to snuff out. The fact that he was a Light Elf was rendered inconsequential for Serra'tae as he stared at the Judicator.

"If I may, sir," said Serra'tae, gulping and bowing. "How long have you lived on the surface?"

[django]

Judicator Loishi smiled as he turned to the pair entering his chambers. "I spend most of my childhood and a part of my youth on the surface. The rest of my life was spend in the under dark not so much unlike yourselves."

"Come young ones and pull up a chair. What are your names? Its not every day I get to see young and wide eye wardens and Templars."

[Rilla Treespirit]

"I am Sarani'ka. I, I'm not sure what to say." The admission that she had no idea how to respond to the situation was out of character. She was so firm in her beliefs and convictions, in the knowledge that had been given her, so convinced about the truth, that this had rattled her and she was feeling insignificant, lost. Such a feeling wouldn't last too long however. She would persevere. It didn't change that Sharess was her goddess and had saved them all. But the only thing she could find to say where the words "I don't understand this." Were all judicators like this one? "You're not all light elves right? The judicators." She dropped herself onto a chair and just stared at the old, wrinkled face in front of her. She wasn't feeling too well and the injury that hadn't fully healed despite what she had told the others, was throbbing. It was a little disturbing to see someone so old-looking and yet he seemed kindly too. "We're not born from light elves right? That's just. Tell me we're not!"

[DeadPigeonGolem]

((Crap. Someone teach me about Kyorl religion before Serra'tae jumps headline into the Pit of OOC)

[Rilla Treespirit]

((Rather depends on what you want to know DeadPigeonGolem. Assuming you're talking about knowledge of light elf ancestry: Don't know they're descended from Vanir but think they're descended from dark elves, possibly because they refuse to listen to anything the drowolath suggest to the contrary. Guessing that any born from light elf-> ssu-vanir mixbreed and therefore impure. (by average kyorl not been on the pilgrimage) Pale skin is a sign of purity; the paler the skin the closer they are to the goddess or something of that ilk. They're supposed to be waiting for the day to bring all of the drow back up to the surface when it is safe as originally intended, but now they've gone all purge crazy instead.))

((Did that help you at all?))

[DeadPigeonGolem]

(So, pale skin implies dark elf? I thought pale skin implies light elf?)

[Rilla Treespirit]

((Yes dark elves have darker skin than light elves. They might just believe in the Goddess themselves but in this case the Kyorl higher ups are basically using the religion to disguise their own heritage, so I guess they made it up as a convenient lie to convince their own children. I'd bet that it was the best thing that they could come up with, they must have been pretty desperate to hide their roots.))

[DeadPigeonGolem]

Serra'tae refrained from speaking. He wasn't entirely sure that he'd be able to speak intelligently enough not to be stabbed by the emotional Warden.

The way Sarani'ka's aura flickered and burned betrayed shock and fear that mirrored Serra'tae's own. The possibility of being descended from light elves threatened to uproot the very bases of the Kyorl'solenurn religion. Regardless of Serra'tae's beliefs on purges and death and the duty of a Templar to the Clan, if the Kyorl'solenurn were descended from light elves...

...then the whole of the Clan was a lie.

All of the theological teachings of the Clan had been based off the presumption that the clan was descended from the Dark Elves, from Sharess. If this was false, then how could the rest of the religion be true? How could it be possible that purging of the tainted and of "bad blood" could be required if the most basic tenant of the Kyorl religion was shattered?

It couldn't.

If the Kyorl'solenurn were descended from Light Elves, then all the clan were murderers.

[django]

"Why yes, all the judicators are light elves." Loshi smiled. "And yes. Drowsssus are descendants of light elves. It is the same as our olath cousins are the descendants of the dark elves before them. Have you ever wondered why we don't see so well in the dark and our males grow taller then the our females."

[DeadPigeonGolem]

((Okay, before we continue, will someone else please confirm that the Kyorl religion is definitely positively ABSOLUTELY based off the presumption that the -wussu are descended from dark elves?))

((Other than Rilla. Not that I don't trust you, but just to be sure.))

[django]

(I'm not too sure, I think its mostly not talked about but I'm just going by what we do have. I recommend you look at the comics Loshi does show up and see what Chri and Shon say to Loshi.)

[DeadPigeonGolem]

((Have done as suggested and hooooooly shit. Sarani'ka is gonna have a breaaaaaaaakdowwwnnnnn.))
((For that matter, Serra'tae is about to do the same thing.))

Serra'tae sat down hard.

As in: his knees literally failed him and he fell to the ground.

"W-what?" he asked. "No. No. Nononononononono. You're not serious. You can't be serious. You must have the sickest sense of humor! That must be it! Heh. Heh. Heha-ha hehe he haa haaaaaeeyaaaaaaagh...." Serra'tae curled up on the ground, crying in despair. Oh yes. Such a funny joke.

He remembered a time, about two years after he had joined the ranks of the Templars, that he had been called onto a purge as an extra hand for a Warden and her Templar. His heretical beliefs had been widely circulated and, while he had not been considered heretical enough for retraining our being executed, he had not exactly been well liked. So he had been given the rather messy job of flushing out tainted while the elder Templar cut them down and the Warden sealed them.

The fighting had been house to house. The three had quickly settled into a routine. Serra'tae would bash down the door with a mana blast or his shoulder and guard the rear entrance, forcing the tainted or corrupted out the front door where the elder Templar cut or blasted them. They were clearing the last residence when Serra'tae came across a tainted female and her daughter.

The female was weak, probably tainted accidentally during one of the many conflicts between the Kyorl'solenurn and their Ver'drowendar Foes. Her daughter had escaped the taint, though corrupted by her association with a tainted nonetheless.

The daughter had a broken ankle. Between muggers, inconsistent construction quality, and the simple press of people, it was a common enough injury in the streets of Chel'el'sussoloth. But the break was recent and she couldn't walk. Being in a home of tainted, she would have been condemned to death at the hands of any other Templar. If the mother hadn't been helping her daughter run, Serra'tae would have told her to keep quiet while he reported the all clear.

But when Serra'tae opened the door, the tainted mother was splinting her daughter's ankle. It was therefore impossible for Serra'tae to not do his duty. The mother had begged, weeping quietly while prostrated before Serra'tae's feet. She promised to come quietly, to die willingly under Serra'tae blade, only, please, please, let Serra'tae spare her daughter.

Serra'tae had calmly snapped her back under his boot heel while he drew his longsword and advanced toward the girl.

She hadn't been more than twenty. Serra'tae remembered that very clearly. So young, sitting in that bed, scrabbling back away from him despite the searing pain of her ankle and the screams of her mother. She had been very brave, in the end. Serra'tae remembered that very clearly as well. She had cried, pleaded for her life, that was all very typical. But when Serra'tae had quietly said that it was impossible, the girl had taken a deep breath, closed her eyes, and waited calmly for the end.

Serra'tae ended up winning the grudging respect of the Warden and the Templar that day. Heretical though he was, he certainly hadn't shirked his duty.

Now, with this new knowledge, with the knowledge that the very basis of the Kyorl'solenurn Clan lying broken at his feet, Serra'tae wept for that mother and that girl. Wept for the hundreds of tainted he had slain in the course of his "duty".

Wept for the countless souls he had condemned to the blades of his so-called brethren, his comrades in arms.

His fellow murderers.

[Rilla Treespirit]

Lie, It was surely a lie, except that it felt true and she had felt a slight unease before now, so far hidden behind the day to day orders and what she had been taught that it had barely registered. Now she knew for sure what had before been a tiny niggling unease at the back of her mind. She sat in her chair feeling numb, then Serra'tae collapsed, weeping. It was something that pulled her out of herself long enough to reach out and put a hand on his shoulder squeezing it gently. He really was far too soft for this, too gentle to be a templar.

It was a weakness she couldn't afford to show, especially not now that it had proved too much for Serr. Her speech started of shaky and slowly became stronger, more firm and frosty. "Why was this hidden from us? I've always felt... Uncertain, uneasy, I had my suspicions that I never dared think about let alone ask; If this IS true then what of Sharess! Was that a lie? She's still our Goddess isn't she? She closed the nethergates and became our Goddess, that's what they told us. Did she even want to help us, her enemy? How are we supposed to believe that if they've been lying about something like this." As a contrast to Serra'tae's breakdown she was becoming angry, her grip on his shoulder unconsciously tightening as her other hand clenched into a fist, causing her knuckles to go white. She took a deep calming breath, Her hands unclenching. "I'm sorry Judicator, this is just, so much to take in at once."

[django]

"Why was this hidden from us? I've always felt... Uncertain, uneasy, I had my suspicions that I never dared think about let alone ask; If this IS true then what of Sharess! Was that a lie? She's still our Goddess isn't she? She closed the nethergates and became our Goddess, that's what they told us. Did she even want to help us, her enemy? How are we supposed to believe that if they've been lying about something like this."




"Yes child, Sharess is still and always will be our goddess. It is because they are told an alternate history child. The hearts of Drowssus and Olath alike are quick to anger and war, and there is no reason to re open old wounds that are deeply rooted. All of this is so one day. Both our races are made one. This is one of Sharess wishes, I saw it with my own eyes. She did not dictate us to purge. She asked us to protect until our people have returned... Sadly many have forgotten this over time."


"Rise Child." Loshi leaned forward "What troubles you young man?"