Sermon to Slyphe

Belania

   

Rashar clears his throat, nodding once and collecting himself as he straightens
himself up in front of you. His face is intent as he begins to speak.

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. My thanks for taking the time to visit with us," Rashar says. "If
we could beg your attention for a short while, my lovely companion and I would like to take the
opportunity to speak briefly about our Lord Slyphe and His tenets, both to spread His word and to
perhaps become a little wiser ourselves." Stepping back, he bows low and gestures. "My friends, the
Lady Belania.
     
Stepping forward, Belania says, "Greetings, our Lord Slyphe has three simple tenets. Impetus,
Extirpation, and Succor." She glances through the audience, meeting several people's eyes for a
moment before continuing, "We will be giving a brief overview of what each of these tenets mean in
general. Afterwards, Rashar and I will engage in a short debate over which tenet is the most
important of the three." Turning slightly, and gesturing towards Rashar and herself, she continues,
"When we are finished, we invite you all to debate with us. Tell us what you think of the tenets,
ask questions. We have a few order members in the audiance, seek them out and debate with them. This
is a chance better yourself through new knowledge. And perhaps teach the rest of us something new as
well."

Rashar moves to the side as Belania continues, picking up a wide pot with a variety of plants
growing in it. As he places it in front of the shrine, it becomes obvious that one plant in
particular is wilted and grey, tainted with some form of corruption or rot.

Rashar says, "The Impetus. The unerring force that drives all progress. The spur that sends the
charger forward, if you will. Ignition and momentum both, for what moves forward can be assisted,
and what does not can be convinced. -Will- be convinced. Whether it takes a bit of soft
encouragement or a boot to the chest, all things in turn can be made to change, to progress. What
cannot... well, we will come to that later."

Rashar blinks softly, his gaze sweeping the crowd as he collects his thoughts. He stands firm, a
confident posture wielding a confident voice like a scythe sweeping across the area. He takes a
breath, and continues.

     
"Is it enough to accept that the impetus exists? To allow yourself to be driven, or even to view it
as the motivation that allows you to succeed," Rashar asks, his eyes shifting from face to face as
his voice lowers to a near growl. "No! It is not for those of you standing here today to sit back
and be herded. To allow yourselves to be moved to succeed. No! It is not a herd of sheep I see
before me, and even those of you who do not follow my Lord can be instruments of His will,
instruments of change." He turns and walks back, glancing at the shrine before him before spinning
and confronting you once again. "You must BE the impetus. YOU will force this change, encourage this
progress, and facilitate this success. Within yourselves, and upon others. To do any less is to give
in to stagnation, and to fade into obscurity."

His voice softer now, Rashar says, "The Lord Slyphe declares that what you have done in the past is
in the past. It no longer matters. Only what you do from this point forward will contribute to
further change and progress. What you are doing and what you will do are all that matters. Believe
it."
   
     
Pausing thoughtfully, Belania turns towards the crowd. "Succor is both a very simple concept and at
the same time a very complicated concept. One must be willing to hold out a helping hand, while at
the same time avoiding the common falliacy of doing the work for others." She steps to the side for
a moment as she continues speaking and wraps a potted plant sitting nearby with a healing aura,
attempting to heal an obviously corrupt or diseased plant in the center of pot. "We can guide, urge,
and even push for change, but if the one we're trying to help doesn't want to change..." She trails
off, glancing towards Rashar.

Rashar approaches aggressively as Belania pauses, his gaze sweeping the crowd as he reaches down and
seizes the corrupted plant. His hand begins to shimmer as he rips it from the soil, and as his gaze
finds yours he holds it up before him. The plant blackens and begins to smolder, eventually falling
to the ground in a pile of ash.
 
     
As he opens his hand, allowing the remainder of what used to be corruption fall away in the wind,
his pearl grey eyes seem to smolder with barely restrained excitement and something else, something
slightly wild. Rashar declares, "The uprooting and utter annihilation of such a rot, such a
hindrance to progress, is the only option. The total eradication of all that would stand in your way, or in the way of change. This is the tenet of Extirpation. Be warned," he continues solemnly, "To leave behind any trace is to invite the return of such a corruption of life, likely tenfold. Be
fierce. Be resilient. Be hard, and do what you must."

Belania nods thoughtfully and turns to Rashar. "Tell me something Rashar, which of these tenets is
more important, and why do you think so?"

Rashar displays an almost imperceptible shudder, his demeanor softening somewhat as he contemplates
his answer. "It is clear to me, I think, that the answer is the Impetus."

Belania's mouth turns up as her face breaks into a smile.

Lady Belania Vondyotl says, "Why?"

Belania tilts her head and listens intently to Rashar.


Rashar says, "Because the best intentions and the stoutest of hearts will accomplish nothing without
the force of the Impetus behind them, of course. It is the foundation."

 
Lady Belania Vondyotl says, "Hmmm, you make a good point, But how can those new to our Lord's ways
learn of Impetus without Succor? Those of us who know of His ways must inform them after all."

Rashar smiles softly, shaking his head. "I would make the argument that it was not simply being the
recipient of succor from others that brought me to His Congregation. It was the certainty that
within such a group could be found those who possessed the drive, the will, to do what they must. I
cannot dispute the value of aid, and I would be lying if I told you my heart was drawn to anything
more than Extirpation. But what are these, but tools? Instruments of the Impetus, which causes all
change." He turns once, regarding the audience and raising a challenging


Turning towards the crowd after that final point, Belania says, "In all honesty,
none of the three tenets is more important than the rest. They form a foundation so strong when
placed together that they cannot be toppled, but take any one out and they collapse like a house of
cards inundated by a wave." She smiles and says, "Ladies and gentlemen, Rashar and I would like to
thank you for your attention, and now we will open the floor for a polite discussion. Please feel
free to discuss the tenets, ask questions, make your points known. If the members of Lord Slyphe's
order who are able to participate would indicate whom they are, We will step aside now. Thank you
all for your attendance."

Moirean

That was a great read! Really awesome emotes and dialogue, and great active display of Slyphe's tenets. I would have liked to see why the tenets fall apart when followed individually - maybe something to explore in later lectures?

Slyphe's order is looking really cool these days!

Rashar

Thanks. That was actually about a third of the conversation, really. There was a bit of discussion after the sermon itself, although to be honest I was so tired I don't know how I got through it. You can only go so many days with 3 hours of sleep, although this place is doing its best to push my limits. 

Belania

Thank you, We worked really hard to make the sermon fitting. It was fun