This Little Light of Mine (Jygust 30th, MT)

[Arnholt]

"Good morning, sister," Arnholt greeted Ushiya. "Brother." That was addressed to Velvel, first among the adhiel cultists.

Together, they made up what Arnholt called the First Circle. They were the decision making body of the Cult of Righteous. One human, one achadhiel, and one adhiel... that way the concerns of the three main races making up the Cult were represented. Though for now the Cult's human population consisted mostly of Arnholt himself, self-proclaimed Priest of Righteous. Not that calling himself 'priest' gave him much in the way of additional authority. He was the one who had rallied the faithful and saved the Goddess's artifacts from destruction, but it was the other two who had actually brought Righteous' believers to Roque, even picking up some new converts in the process. So nominally, Arnholt spoke for the Goddess, while in practice the three of them ran things more or less by committee. Which suited the human fine. This way he was confident that if he ever fell, Ushiya and Velvel would fill the void... and Ushiya would step in to take up the mantle of priestess.

That was the lot of the First Circle. At present, everyone else was the Second Circle, at least until their organization grew larger. Which brought him to his first order of business today. Just now the three of them were standing in plain sight, in one of the more well-traveled hallways of the monastery, but that hardly mattered. Arnholt tried to conduct Cult business out in the open whenever that was practical. He reasoned that the more that he and his cronies were overheard conversing about seemingly innocuous Church business in public, the less anyone would suspect what they were discussing in private.

"I had an idea that I wanted to run by Father Rohan," he went on, "and I thought I should pitch it to the two of you first. I think it is time we started expanding our little circle of friends."

Briefly, he flashed one hand with palm to the side and the thumb crossed over the palm, as in the manner of a Oneist praying. It was part of the simple cant the cultists made use of. Showing such a gesture meant he was referring to recruiting real Oneists, or at least unbelievers who did not share Righteous' point of view. If he had been speaking of recruiting more cultists, he would have shown their sign for Righteous, instead: a hand held downwards with fingers crooked slightly, as if dangling an invisible set of scales. In this case, the others should not be that surprised by his suggestion that they recruit unbelievers to join them. It was something that Arnholt had been bringing up more frequently lately at the Cult's secret Gravetide rallies. Gathering a Third Circle of followers with genuinely peaceful intentions would help insulate the Cult even further against suspicion. The Third Circle would be able to swear convincingly that Arnholt and the others were completely on the level, never suspecting it to be a lie. In the meantime Arnholt and the others could work on them subtly, grooming anyone who seemed of a suitable temperament for an eventual 'promotion' to the Second Circle, and introduction to Righteous's ways. Finally, in the event that the Cult was found out and attacked in force, those who remained innocent would be the Cult's shield.

Their enemies would need to cut through the dupes in order to even reach Righteous's true believers. It was one of Arnholt's colder schemes... but then again, this was war.

"Given our past success at winning converts for the One God," Arnholt went on deadpan, "Father Rohan continues to expect great things of us. More importantly, we and our friends..." he flashed the Righteous sign "...are living proof that adhiel and ninadhiel can coexist peacefully: a very important message in these dark times." He bowed his head slightly, hiding his smile in the shadow of his hood. "The people of Roque are afraid. Each man fears his neighbor. Tragically, we are faced with the real possibility that the adhiel population of the city will take up arms in rebellion, when with a real effort at mutual understanding the situation could be averted." The cultist glanced up again at his companions. "What I had in mind is this: we will go out into the surrounding neighborhoods in a serious effort at bringing ninadhiel and adhiel, Oneist and pagan, together. In the spirit of mutual cooperation, we will organize local committees intended to establish common ground between us and ease the tension in our community. We will provide a forum to promote interfaith tolerance... find areas of mutual agreement... air grievances..." He showed a sudden flash of teeth. "...and eliminate injustice. God willing..." Arnholt's crooked fingers showed he was not speaking of Dominicus. "... We will convince our neighbors to stand with us, shoulder to shoulder in mutual defense, so that we remain an island of calm in Roque's sea of troubles."

A Church militia, made up of local volunteers. What a fine tool that would be. Their ostensible purpose would be to protect the monastery from further desecration, and to help the Roques maintain order in the surrounding area. Among other things, it would give Arnholt's followers the excuse they needed to carry heavier weapons and even train for combat openly.

"I don't expect it to be an easy road ahead of us," Arnholt concluded. "But it seems to me the time is right to make the effort. In days like these... brother, sister... it is more important than ever that the Light of the One shines as a symbol of hope and security." He made Righteous's sign, again, with that. In time it would be Her light the people looked to for protection. "Your thoughts?"

[Gutter Rat]

“Brother.” Ushiya and Velvel answered in unison before listening intently to his proposal and ideas, nodding in agreement through most of it and certainly noting the cant that he used. When he prompted for a response, it was Velvel who answered first.

“I agree, brother, that the unity that you suggest...” he began, nodding and making the sign of the One to show that he understood the proposal, “...is the kind of foundation that we...” his hand slipped into the sign of Righteous fluidly, “...should have in Roque d'Ancourt, especially in these times. The people need unity in the face of civil war, especially with all of the mistrust about.” Velvel moved his hands into fists, the left gripping the thumb of the right, making one 'massive' fist of the two, symbolizing might against oppression. “The Adhiel will be both the easiest and most difficult to approach as their new temples are a sign of a return to their pagan ways, so those who embrace such ideals will either do so with fervor or lackluster, the latter being more open to the Truth.”, he finished, crossing his fingers after unclasping his hands. “Ushiya?”

The mixed-breed woman smiled and nodded. “I agree fully – we should continue spreading the Light...”, she said with fingers crossed, “...as Father Rohan expects, however I may not be as much of a help out there as you both might have hoped, as Sister Fullys is quite...demanding...of my time.” Ushiya gave a small eye-roll to show displeasure, but followed it with a smile and the sign of Righteous. “She has me tending to the physical and spiritual needs of many orphans who have been wounded physically, mentally, spiritually...” she continued, shaking the sign of Righteous to signify recruiting possible cultists. “...or all three... It is such a shame, Brothers, to see souls that young soured in their faith in the One true God...” she continued, crossing her fingers, “...to protect both themselves and their parents in times of strife. My heart goes out to each and every one as I try to reaffirm their faith in the fact that there is, indeed, Justice in this world...” she said, nodding at the innuendo, “...and that the One...” again came the invisible scales, “...will bring it to them in time.” Ushiya took a step back and looked at the satchel slung on Velvel's waist.

“Ah, yes...” Velvel resumed, pulling a tome from the satchel and holding it before Arnholt with a smile. “Brother Gentus assigned me to a man named Boris a few tides ago, to unload a cart laden with 'religious artifacts' that the Church had received in a generous donation...” he used his free hand to pantomime the fingers plucking something from a purse, indicating that they were most likely either stolen or the spoils of war, “...into a storeroom. As payment, after looking through the 'donation', he gave me this copy of some of the One's tales, an older copy than we normally carry but seemingly worthless other than being a standard tome.” Velvel smiled, opening the front cover to reveal a small mark of Righteous in the lower corner of the cover, barely discernible from the bindings which surrounded it. “And I want you to have it, Brother, as thanks for bringing the Word to me, I give the Word to you.” There were no hand signs, merely a wink.

[Arnholt]

"We'll miss your help in promoting the unity movement," Arnholt told Ushiya, "But of course Sister Fullys has the right of it. Important as our other projects may be, the children must come first. They are, as the saying goes, our future." He flashed Righteous' sign to indicate he was speaking in total seriousness. He had high hopes for the children Ushiya taught. "No one can deny the significance of your work to the One God, or to our plans for the monastery. I only wish I could spare more of my own time to assist you, sister."

In fact Arnholt did often come by to help out with the children, whenever his own tight schedule permitted him to do so. His reasons for that were somewhat circuitous. By tradition, many noblemen in Roque sent their children to the Light of the One Monastery to be educated. Arnholt had not forgotten the idea he'd had, during his lunch with Brother Matthew, of using that as a platform for converting a noble heir or two to Righteous' worship. It would be an excellent way of winning Her cult friends in very high places. So, after taking his time to establish himself at the monastery, Arnholt had begun making cautious overtures to Father Rohan, hoping to trade on his developing ability as an academic in order to win a teaching post. As per his habit however, Brother Gentus had torpedoed his ambitions as soon as he had gotten wind of them. He'd objected that 'Brother Beacon' had no prior experience to speak of with teaching or children. Gentus was a complete fuckwit rat-bastard, of course, but in this case Arnholt had been forced to concede that for once the man raised a valid point. Since then, he had been putting in as many marks as he could working with the orphans, hoping to earn enough experience to make a better run at the job he really wanted.

"Today," he remarked as an aside, "I thought I'd come by to read Alfie, the Littlest Sheep to the little ones." No hidden cultist message there, of course.

Velvel smiled, opening the front cover to reveal a small mark of Righteous in the lower corner of the cover, barely discernible from the bindings which surrounded it. “And I want you to have it, Brother, as thanks for bringing the Word to me, I give the Word to you.” There were no hand signs, merely a wink.

Arnholt's lips had tightened involuntarily at the mention of Gentus. It was no secret to anyone that there was bad blood between the two men; of course only his fellow cultists knew just how thoroughly Arnholt loathed the man. The expression disappeared after a moment; the cultist had spent a great deal of time and energy learning to hide such tells. But he soon proved that he was not yet as able an actor as Velvel, for when the adhiel pointed ought Righteous' sign he went too far the other way, instantly affecting a completely neutral demeanor in an effort at hiding his surprise, before catching himself and forcing his face to settle in a pleased smile as he reached to accept the book.

"Thank you, Brother Velvel," he said warmly. "Truly. You know how I admire the written word... and particularly holy books, such as this one." He trailed his fingers over the cover lovingly as he spoke. Our Goddess's sign, and no mistake. "Perhaps its just my imagination, but I think this Boris may have given you a greater gift than he knew. I've seen many copies of the Books of the One, but this one... I don't recognize the printing... I'll have to examine it in private, later. It may have an interesting story to tell about the history of our Church." He made no sign to indicate which 'church' he spoke of. Just now it was hardly necessary. "If nothing else, I'm sure there'll be an interesting story or two, here, to share with our little circle of friends." Which was of course one of the many euphemisms they had for the Cult.

Genuinely pleased and excited though he was by the unexpected discovery... A lost Book of Righteous! And disguised as Oneist literature, yet.... the cultist's deep paranoia lead him to wonder about its provenance. Was it the influence of the Goddess of Justice that had brought the relic to him here? Or was something more ominous in the works? Maybe it was just because of his hatred for the man, but Arnholt didn't like the way that Gentus's name had come up in connection with this discovery. That oversized monk had done everything possible to obstruct Arnholt from the very moment he had arrived at the monastery. So much so that the cultist had sometimes wondered, ever since their first meeting, whether Gentus somehow suspected him for what he was. And now this book had fallen into his hands unexpectedly, by way of one of his brothers, by way of a job given to him by that gods-be-damned Gentus himself. Reasonably or not, a part of him wondered if some kind of frame-job was in the works.

"It's a bit sad, though," Arnholt went on, "to hear of anyone treating the word of Dominicus so cavalierly. Someone really ought to keep an eye on that man, Boris, to make sure that no more little treasures of our faith are being casually tossed aside." He looped his finger through the air as he spoke, two times, suggesting that the job should be assigned to one of the Second Circle. "In any case, brother, it must have been divine providence" (he said with hooked fingers) "that brought you along to this book's rescue. Unless," he added as if the thought had just occurred to him, "Brother Gentus meant for me to have this book? Passing it along to me through his friend, and then you, as a sort of oblique peace offering, perhaps?" He quivered a finger in the in the air slightly, like the end of a rattlesnake's tale, indicating a warning, and then clawed his fingers until they almost made a fist. The thief-sign for 'trap.' It didn't seem likely, but he felt the possiblity had to be raised.

[Gutter Rat]

Velvel nodded at the signs, making the proper ones where needed to assure Arnholt that the task would be prepared with care and executed just as carefully. It was shortly after Velvel finished his part of the conversation when Father Rohan and Brother Gentus came strolling past, the older priest's brow furrowed in thought. The sign was small, but unmistakable, a small shared glance with Arnholt and a nod toward Rohan's chamber doors – the senior priest wanted Arnholt to be in on whatever was occurring or being discussed.

[Arnholt]

Catching sight of Rohan, Arnholt dipped his head in acknowledgement, and turned back to the others to make his excuses. "Duty calls, it seems. One more thing, though: I was reading my mother's recipe book again last night, and I think I've found the perfect main course for that feast we've been talking about. We'll have to discuss it later. Obviously it's more important than ever, now, that we get the kitchen prepared."

Arnholt had acknowledged to the entire Cult of Righteous that their goddess's holy Book was written in an odd sort of code. He hadn't spelled the whole thing out in minute detail, except of course to Velvel and Ushiya, but everyone knew what the First Circle cultists meant when they talked about preparing the 'kitchen' for the great 'feast' to come. If outsiders took notice, the whole thing was easily explained as their plans to celebrate the new spirit of friendship between elf and human epitomized in the Unity movement.

In any case, after offering the others 'the One God's' blessing, Arnholt ambled off to see what Father Rohan wanted. Gentus' presence for the conference was likely not a good sign, but the cultist kept his expression bland as he entered Rohan's chambers after the other two monks. He had no special reason to expect that anything was amiss (or at least no more so than usual, where Gentus was involved).

[Gutter Rat]

Velvel nodded in agreement, made the appropriate signs, and Arnholt's companions took their leave, the meeting concluded. Brother Gentus stood at Rohan's doorway and held the door open for 'Brother Beacon', slipping in behind him as the next meating began.

"Ahh, Brother Beacon, I am glad that you could join us..." Rohan smiled as he and Gentus took their seats. "Not to fear...you are in no trouble...as Brother Gentus can attest, I like to meet with the staff on occasion to get their viewpoints on things, especially in times of the current crisis of faith. You, my boy..." Rohan continued with a smile, "...have had no shortage of luck in your tasks while others..." he said, not indicating Gentus at all "...have seemed to have met with more resistance than usual, especially when it comes to the Adhiel. Rohan gave a little nod toward Gentus. "You as well, Brother Gentus...the two of you are bringing in converts and re-attracting beleivers by the score - it makes my heart glad to have the both of you on staff during these troubling times." he smiled.

"And yet, I rarely see you two together. We worship the One, gentlemen, not the Two, so am I wrong to ask why my two best priests are not unified in their efforts?" He gave a small frown and a nod toward Gentus. "Brother Gentus and others were kind enough to inform me of his attempt at a humorous prank..." Rohan continued. "And while, yes, the yahren of solitude was our old way, it is no longer, especially now. I do..." he said, giving a small...almost evil...chuckle as he looked at Gentus yet spoke to Arnholt. "...Id expect you to return the favor in kind, to even the books - and then all animosity will cease, yes?" he asked, turning his attention back to Arnholt.

"Now..." he said, reclining in his chair a bit. "I would like to hear what you each have to say, concerning any matters on your minds... An open forum almost always breeds good ideas."

[Arnholt]

"And yet, I rarely see you two together. We worship the One, gentlemen, not the Two, so am I wrong to ask why my two best priests are not unified in their efforts?"

Impassive until now, at that Arnholt bowed his head in reflexive humility, murmuring a mild protest along the lines of how it was his pleasure to serve but he was certainly not worthy of such high praise. The cultist remained silent for a few flickers after Rohan asked for their thoughts, assuming a faintly pensive look as he considered. It didn't take him long. This 'rah, rah Oneist brotherhood' crap was not entirely unexpected. Moreover, there was a potential opportunity, here. Right now Brother Gentus was a prime candidate to be the ritual sacrifice that Righteous required. But ensnaring him would be much easier if he could get close to the man first. If nothing else, a serious effort at reconciliation would help deflect suspicion from Arnholt if the huge monk disappeared. A slow smile stole across his bearded face.

"It's no secret, father," he began mildly, "that I don't share Brother Gentus'... particular sense of humor." Addressing Gentus he went on, "I'm willing to set this foolish grudge aside. I wouldn't think of answering 'in kind,' because vengeance belongs to the Lord. But... for the sake of balance... one day I will ask you for a favor. And I hope you will find it within your heart to grant it me."

To both, the cultist went on, "In any case, we certainly must stand together in these troubled times. If our brothers are meeting resistance among the adhiel, Father Rohan, it's because the adhiel of Roque are on the point of open rebellion against both the Church and the state. They blame the suffering of their people, both real and imagined, upon ourselves. It seems to me that the situation is spiraling out of control. Already there has been bloodshed. Even our own beloved monastery, that has served Oneist and pagan alike, and has always opened its doors to the adhiel people, has come under attack. Father, brother, we must remind the adhiel of Roque d'Ancourt that we are not their enemy."

Arnholt bowed his head, watching Rohan from under the edge of his white hood. This was likely to be the tricky part. It was no secret that the father was less than enamored of the pagan temples that had recently been erected practically in the monastery's backyard.

"I think it is time that we extended a hand in friendship to the pagans who worship in their temples nearby. Before we can wean them from their heathen deities, we must first win back their respect, and make clear to them that we mean them no harm. If we show a willingness to coexist, they will fear us less... and be more accepting of adhiel who wish to convert to our faith." Hopefully the 'converts' Arnholt had already brought to the monastery would help give credence to his argument. "What I am proposing is an alliance between us in the religious community, and the leaders of our local community, focused on finding grounds for compromise and working cooperatively to ease the growing unrest in the city. Despite our differences there is much we can agree upon. Together, we can be a strong force for stability in Roque d'Ancourt. And the Light of the One shall be leading the way."

[Maeve]

The lip of Brother Gentus curled up slightly as if he was tasting something filthy, but quickly enough he disguised this by letting his head down respectfully as Father Rohan spoke. His eyes lit up with further disgust as Arnholt mentioned a favour but with the kind yet stern eyes of Father Rohan upon him he felt forced to murmur "Of course Brother Beacon. May the One forgive me and let us walk in the light together."

"Splendid," Father Rohan exclaimed, approving of this show of forgiveness. Yes, the One smiled on them today. "Father, we offer our thanks for your guidance today," he murmured a quick prayer, making the sign of the allseeing eye as Oneists were wont to do.

Arnholts next words were less pleasing to the older priest. However he listened in earnest, finally observing thoughtfully "You speak with the words of the Shield, Brother Beacon. Word of this movement has come to me from Kings Court. They would preach love and understanding instead of the stern judging hand of the Sword." He gave Brother Gentus a look "The Sword which is more like your previous occupation, brother. I see now where the two of you are at odds. Yet it is for the good of the One that we all work. As a gesture of friendship and unity I ask that you two both set out on such a mission. It can surely not hurt this monastery for the force of the One is too great. Maybe through our charity we can convince the pagans to.. well, maybe not convert but move more into the light, certainly."

Brother Gentus had little choice. As it was, he was mildly pleased as this assignment made it able for him to keep an eye on young brother Beacon and his inquisitive ways. "Then let us venture forth," he offered reluctantly.

OOC: hi there, taking over while the Rat moves house. If there is anything you'd like to discuss lets use your compendium so GR can read with us and pipe up if necessary.

[Arnholt]

"Of course Brother Beacon. May the One forgive me and let us walk in the light together."

"I'm sure we will," Arnholt agreed mildly. He dipped his own head again at Rohan's prayer, adding in a barely audible murmur, "Thank you, Oh Lord, for showing us the way." And his right hand bent easily into the Oneists' prayer-sign, while his left hand, concealed in his trailing sleeve, briefly flashed the hooked fingers that signified his true Goddess.

Indeed, the cultist felt certain that Righteous just had to have a hand in guiding these events, somehow. Without question the results of this little meeting would be pleasing to Her. In his ignorance, Brother Gentus has stood in Her way here at the monastery, and now... just as unwittingly... he was bound to serve her cause. That's Justice. And Father Rohan, a tool of the One God and a mouthpiece for Oneist tyranny, would further the Goddess's agenda too. There is Justice in that, as well. Gentus hated 'Brother Beacon,' and Rohan liked him, and neither man was aware of his true nature and agenda, whatever the former might suspect. No doubt the irony od their having tied their own fortunes to Her worshipper's grand scheme would appeal to the Daemon-Goddess's perverse sense of humor.

In all honesty, Arnholt himself was a little less enthused, at least when it came to the idea of having an unpleasant and suspicious Gentus tagging along with him for the duration of this project. That would make his immediate task more difficult. Arnholt considered the man to be a waste of flesh in general, of course. But when it came to a diplomatic effort, in particular, he figured Gentus would be about as useful as a stained glass window, an altar, and twelve rows of pews in a shithouse. Which wasn't even taking into account the possibility that Gentus would make an ass out of himself in order to deliberately sabotage Anrholt's efforts. There was no help for it however. Like Gentus, he could hardly refuse. And in any case... here was that opportunity he had been wanting, to get close enough to Gentus to slip a knife into his back.

"In his wisdom, the One God blessed the benighted pagan races with lifespans far in excess of our own," was what the cultist said. "Ample time for us to save their souls from being lost to the Nether, provided we are not so rash as to send them there ourselves. I will do my best to prove to you, Father, that this really is our wisest course." Turning to Gentus, he said, "Allow me to gather one or two of our adhiel brothers. Their presence with us will help insulate us somewhat from hostility. We'll visit each of the pagan temples in turn, to discuss what points we can negotiate and how we can bring them to the table." Arnholt stroked his beard, thoughtfully. "Shall we plan on visiting the temple of Pecunia, first, brother? That heathen goddess's worshippers are supposed to be an exceptionally practical sort. I can't see them turning us away, if they think we can help their bottom line. At the very least they'll realize that peace is good for business."

In fact Arnholt would have rather taken a mark or two to hide away in one of the private prayer rooms and familiarize himself with the new Book of Righteous that Velvel had delivered not long ago. But with his ambitious plan for rapprochement with the pagans only just approved by Rohan, and Gentus expressing as much enthusiasm for immediate action as he was ever likely to see from the man, it would have been out of character for 'Brother Beacon' to suggest that they take an early lunch before setting out.

[Haikan]

Father Rohan's face darkened when Arnholt mentioned the temple of Pecunia. He was not known for his love and tolerance of other religions. Despite this, he broke his typical character and nodded his head in accordance with Arnholt's proposal. "Very well, Brother Beacon. I can see the wisdom behind this, and especially in these trying times..." He looked at Brother Gentus, but the monk merely looked at his feet, muttering words of prayer to Dominicus. Gentus' brow was wrinkled with frustration, and his hands were trembling slightly, but in a very controlled fashion, he responded.

"The One willing, I shall assist in reaching out to the pagans. Must we bring the adhiel brothers with us, though? I hardly think it's necessary." Brother Gentus questioned Arnholt's logic with a raised eyebrow, but Rohan raised his hand to silence him.

"That's enough Brother Gentus. There is great logic in that having a couple with us who are of the pagan race itself, may inspire those in the dark to move into the blessed light of The One. I am counting on the two of you to work together to maintain our unity." He made the sign of the One, and his lips moved in silent prayer. He raised his head and sighed. "You may both be dismissed. That is unless there are any other questions or proposals..."

Brother Gentus sat there in silence, and his stomach turned as Rohan seemed to so happily lap up Arnholt's liberal proposals. "None, Father."