#bishop benedict

[lord-aldhelm]

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[taniths-diary]

Entry 114 -

1793

I’m a bit worried about the state of things here in Haense.

Thus far, my life has been peaceful and no one has disturbed me. Everyone’s been quite kind. There’s plenty of elves here in Haense and no anti-elven sentiment among the elected officials, the royalty, or the masses. However, there are… rumblings of something unpleasant beneath the surface and I don’t know what to do.

Well, that’s not quite right. I know what to do. I’m just not sure that I have the strength to do it. It might mean putting my home and lifestyle in jeopardy again.

Some years ago, on the day we took the field trip to Haelun’or, I overheard a nasty fight going on outside the tavern. Dozens of people stood gathered in the square outside the tavern. They were arguing loudly - to the point of shouting - about Voidal magic and its place in Canonism. Many people in the group condemned it as witchcraft! The work of Iblees! They described it as forcing unwanted and unethical change on God’s creation! As a three-hundred-year practitioner of the Voidal Arts, I opted not to involve myself in the conversation (at risk of being run out of town as a witch) and decided simply that I’d rather keep quiet… But that argument stuck with me and I began to grow worried. My magic is a part of me. Could I quit doing it? Surely, I could. But that would mean giving up an art I’ve honed and practiced for hundreds of years. The practice of harnessing and weaving energies from the Void is what helped keep me sane and grounded during some of my darkest, loneliest moments.

I made a note of keeping my magic to myself, though, and not displaying it too openly. But today, I ran into a true conundrum.

A fire broke out in the New Reza square, right outside the tavern! I could smell the smoke from my home and I rushed outside to see what was happening. The Haensi Royal Army fought to smother the blaze with bags of sand and buckets of water. My first impulse was to rush in with my wand at the ready and help. One of the most useful applications of water evocation is firefighting. I can summon powerful jets of endless water at my command - and I’ve used it to extinguish fires before. I wanted to help, but I found myself frozen. What would happen if I openly displayed my magic in front of the HRA soldiers? Would they clap me in irons and throw me in prison? Haense is a devoutly religious state. The practice of evocation hasn’t been criminalized… yet… but many have openly expressed their disapproval and believe that magic is an affront to the church.

Indecision gripped me and I knew not what to do. Luckily, the HRA put the flames out by ordinary means. Nothing got damaged by the fire and no one got hurt. But… what if someone had? What if someone got badly burned or worse because I was too afraid to act?

The situation kept bothering me… and bothering me… and bothering me until I couldn’t take it anymore. Back in the age of Godfrey, no one thought twice about Voidal magic. My husband, Mr. Toov, served in the Imperial Inquisition and he was a massively talented fire evocationist. My own Voidal magic proved to be a critical asset in aiding the White Rose Order. There’s no way I could have kept up with the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and gardening without the use of water evocation. Magic wasn’t merely accepted in early Imperial society - it was encouraged! What happened? Why was Canonism suddenly so opposed to the use of magic? Voidal Magic isn’t dark. After three hundred years of practice, I can safely say that my magic has never brought me into contact with any evil forces whatsoever!

There’s a Canonist bishop who lives in Haense - Bishop Benedict. He presided over Cellie’s wedding to Otto. Lately, he’s been running for elected office in Reza. I’ve seen him in the square handing out flyers. I spotted him watching the HRA soldiers as they put out the fire and cleaned up the damage.

Sidling up next to the Bishop, I spoke to him.

“Pardon me, Father,” I said as softly and politely as I could. “Would you mind if I asked you a question?”

He turned to me, seemingly surprised to find a dark elf standing there. “Da, of course,” he answered. “What can I do for you?”

I thought of how I might best begin my argument. “What does Canonism say regarding Voidal Magic?” I asked.

The Bishop and I sat down at the tables outside the tavern. “Voidal magic is something we must categorically condemn under current tradition due to our belief in its corruption of God’s creation,” he explained to me. I listened quietly and attentively. “I know many practitioners in their own deeds do not mean malice or harm. However, the realm of the Void is indicated in the Scriptures as the prison of Iblees and the place in which those who reject God shall reside. Implementing the source of all that is not God represents an aberration in our nature. We live in a realm filled with material things, with divine creation. It is no place to draw upon the Void.”

I blinked. “Oh, but isn’t the Nether the prison of Iblees?”

He stared at me. “The Scriptures indicate the Void as the name of Iblees’ prison. The Void is the name that we have been told by Exalted Godfrey.”

“I don’t think that’s correct, sir,” I replied. “The Nether and the Void are not the same thing.”

The Bishop frowned uncomfortably and knit his fingers together in front of him. “It’s quite the charge to question the Holy Scriptures, ma’am. You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t accept your assertions without proof. Are you suggesting there was a translation error? Surely you don’t mean the Exalted Prophet made a mistake.”

I quickly backpedaled. “Oh, certainly, I don’t think Exalted Godfrey made a mistake. Of course, that’s impossible,” I replied. “It’s likely a mistake in translation. You see, I might not look it, but I’m quite old… and I was alive during the Aegean Undead Crisis. Portals to the Nether opened up and the Undead minions of Iblees poured out. They didn’t come from the Void at all. They came from the Nether. So… not to be rude, but… I’m relatively sure you must be confused.”

The Bishop continued frowning but shrugged his shoulders. “I do not presume to know everything. My earthly pilgrimage is one of learning,” he said, retrieving a notebook from his satchel and beginning to write in it. “Please continue, ma’am.”

“Oh, well… it’s just that the Void and the Nether are completely different realms. I’m sure you’ve studied the Undead Liches who served Iblees and battled against the Ascended and the Aengul Aeriel… I was young then, but I remember the sack of Al’khazar,” I continued somewhat warily. “Anyway… I recently went to the Nether with a cohort of scholars and friends. We found tomes there discussing the Undead and their service to the Denier. I would presume… if he’s imprisoned anywhere… it’s there. Because… um… you see, I’m a Voidal magic practitioner who regularly opens up portals to the Void. And trust me, no Undead have emerged! The Void is a different place. Nothing - not even Aenguls or Daemons - can exist in the Void except for pure arcane energy. Many faithful Imperials back in the age of Exalted Godfrey practiced Voidal magic with the Emperor’s knowledge and consent. If it was really so awful… I think he would have said something, don’t you? My own husband - who was a founder of the White Rose and is considered blessed by the Church - was a fire evocationist and a mightily skilled one at that.”

The Bishop raised his eyebrows. “Exalted Godfrey permitted such things?”

“Oh, yes!” I replied. “My husband served in the Imperial Inquisition. He was on Emperor Godfrey’s security detail. He was a human, but mixed marriages were permitted by law back in those days.”

The Bishop wrinkled his nose in disgust at the mention of a mixed marriage, but he declined to comment. “Perhaps innovations throughout the centuries have slowly changed traditions in Canonism,” he remarked. “As you know, the head of faith changes hands many times.”

“That’s why I think it must be a mistake or a mistranslation, sir,” I replied.

“Very well. Perhaps we should conduct an inquiry on this,” the Bishop replied, gathering his things and rising from the table. “I will say that my colleagues may not be receptive. It’s up to the discretion of His Holiness, in council.”

“I know Voidal evocation is a useful and - in my opinion - morally neutral art,” I said. “It’s hardly dark magic and I wish it wouldn’t be condemned as such. Thank you for hearing me out, Father. I hope the error’s corrected.”

He gave a firm nod before departing. “May the truth prevail, ma’am.”

After he left, I found myself sitting in uneasy silence. In my head, I began endlessly extrapolating on the outcome of what I’d done. Worst-case scenarios danced before my mind’s eye. I’d outed myself as a practitioner of the Voidal arts. Would they condemn me as a witch? Would they run me out of town? Would standing up for my beliefs once again come back to bite me?

But - I had to correct the mistake, didn’t I? Voidal magic isn’t evil. It’s morally neutral. Some kinds of magic - like necromancy - are evil beyond all doubt. Voidal evocation has no moral value one way or the other, though. It depends on how one decides to employ it.

Every time I stand up for something I believe in, I get smacked down harshly. I stood up for the right of a woman to choose her own marriage partner - only to have my law quashed by the House of Lords. I stood up against the Paladins of Xan when they killed an innocent - only for them to laugh at me and call me a coward. I stood up to the government of Oren when they brutalized me and tortured me - only to have them dismiss my claims as false and exonerate the men who hurt me.

If I stand up for the rights of magic users… will I lose my home once again? Will I face harsh, unfair, unjust punishments? Moreover… will I put the NGS in danger? No matter what, I have to keep up fighting for my principles. If we don’t hold firm to our convictions, we’ve got nothing. However, one must be wise and carefully pick one’s battles.

Which hill am I willing to die on, so to speak?

It’s not all bad news, though. A few good things happened too. Today, I learned that Zodd confessed his feelings to Chirr. They’re going to test the waters and see if a relationship is for them. Chirr thanked me for giving Zodd the push he needed. Celestine also told me that she’s been in touch with Fiil’Yar. Fiil believes it’s possible to regrow my ears. Celestine warned me that they wouldn’t quite be the same as my old ears, but that’s fine by me. It’ll be a blessing to have long, slender points again - regardless of the form they take.

Ah, I only want to live in peace.

But there are two kinds of peace in this world, I think. There’s the peace of justice… and the peace of complacency. True peace is when you live in a world of fairness and equality where correct justice is done and wickedness is punished. That’s a society that doesn’t exist yet. It’s something we have to fight for. Many of us, however, choose to live in the peace of silence - where, if you don’t rock the boat too much, you can go through life unmolested. But if you do that, nothing around you will change. Evil flourishes when good men and women keep their heads down and their voices silent.

The question then becomes - how much are you willing to suffer to do what’s right?