Modern Purifiers: Rosalia's Response

[rukio 8924]

 

A response to Chadmyr’s paper on the Purifiers:

 

With the passing of time the Purifiers, the Defenders of the Faith, have fallen to stagnation and are no more. That being said, are Purifiers even necessary anymore?

 

As you are a fellow Arthasian I find your view and where you draw these conclusions interesting. In this matter I believe you fall more into the ways of a Tyrite. To the knowledge I have, Tyr made no distinction between Purifier and Keeper, but rather wanted all Keepers to take up the role Purifiers had served in Arthas’ lifetime and before. This, I believe, is why we lack Purifiers in the modern age. Within the records of Arthas we see many examples of Purifiers being granted said title. A few would be the last Lord Purifier Angus, as well as the Purifiers Elle and Galen. Within the writings and historical documents of Tyr we see no such titles being given, but rather a shift to Keepers being branded and entrusted to defend the faith in a militant way, as the Purifiers once had. 

 

You ask whether or not Purifiers are necessary in this day and age, which I find troubling. Do you believe the lands which we have settled in for less than a century will prove to be a safe enough place for future generations of Fatherists? This is directly against the Third Tenet. Peace is a mistake, we must never let ourselves become slothful for the Long Dark thrives in times of peace. Do not let yourself be lulled into a false sense of security. It will lead to your downfall. To answer your question, yes, Purifiers are necessary. Their role is invaluable to the Father’s ultimate plan, and as such it is time we seek out Purifiers of old who may still live, to train a new generation. 

 

Will those soldiers follow our Allfather against the forces of the Long Dark? Will they be given the title of Purifier even if they don’t, since they are working under the Defender of the Faith? Will the Hearth Council have any control over what wytches those men go after, even if those ‘wytches’ are of innocence? Or will it just be Officers of the military controlling those men? 

 

You bring valid concerns, but I find the answer to your quarrel to be simple. Men of the new military will be wholly of the Faith. It is time we stop tolerating Canonism and it’s ilk within Morsgrad. Our cause has and always will extend beyond the mortal realm. If we are to die serving our Father is that not the most noble of deaths? As such, why should the men of our military, especially with Godric’s decree, be of any faith but the Father? The High Keeper will no doubt have to speak to Godric, but I believe the best course of action will be to recruit Purifiers from the men of the military, those who show genuine loyalty and belief in our Father. We are not Canonists and our priests and Order as a whole do not require abstinence. Marriage and children is encouraged, they would have nothing to lose in joining the Purifiers, only a heavier weight to carry. But life is meant to have many burdens, for the easy route is the route that leads the furthest from our Father. 

 

How was a Purifier to perform the Allfathers mercy back in the day if they did not have a Flamebrand?

 

As for Flamebrands, I do not believe we should burden the Father with the smaller tasks of life. We have his light and flame within us, we have our knowledge and the books. Why should we bother the Father with the task of saying “Yes, you are worthy.” or “No, you are unworthy.” Apostates, perhaps. Godless men, no. They do not deserve the Holy Fire. We do not burden the Father with our daily mundane prayers, we seek out our Paragons and pray to them in hopes they will deem our message worthy of the Father’s ears. As such, “pure” (I will go into detail on what I mean by this soon) Purifiers should not wield Flamebrands, for it signifies a desire for the Father to judge the accused. This should be reserved for special cases, such as when a Purifier is uncertain and brings the accused before the priests.

 

I believe you misunderstand his writings when it comes to initiates of the Purifiers and of senior Purifiers. We will look at both of Arthas’ writings you mention, “The Purifiers” and “The Red Priests”. From “The Red Priests” we see this written: ‘Dedicants choosing to specialize as Purifiers will take on the majority of martial tasks and duties bestowed upon the Priesthood. Primarily engaging in purifying the unworthy and leading the defence of the faith.’ Yet the Purifiers also have a hierarchy in their ranks. These ranks being Lord Purifier, Paladin Knights, Brothers, and Initiates. Thus, the simplest solution is that while they are two separate branches of the Faith, a Priest may choose to become a Brother in the Purifier’s order later in his or her’s training, while anyone may start as an initiate of the Purifiers and work their way up. Those of the Purifier order who start and end their journey as Purifiers I will define as “pure Purifiers” if I reference them in the future. That said, perhaps the priests who train as Purifiers (as such, were not “pure” Purifiers) wielded Flamebrands while those who chose to become pure Purifiers from the beginning did not. We have no records, to my knowledge, to confirm or deny this was the case in times past.  

    

If a new Era of Purifiers should arise, and those Purifiers not be wielders of Flame-Brands, are they still a representation of the Allfather’s presence should a Keeper’s Flamebrand or Hearth fire not be nearby?

 

I offer you a question in response, how do we define a representation of the All-Father’s presence? 

 

And hypothetically, if a single Purifier emerges, one can assume that they’ll just be one member of our brotherhood, but if a whole group emerges? Who will lead them? A Keeper or perhaps a resurfaced Purifier? Certainly the new Purifiers wouldn't know about the Red Faith enough yet to warrant a Lord Purifier again, till they are ready. As that could cause issues and put the Allfather’s name in a bad spot. Would it not?

 

The High Keeper is the ultimate and final say in all things Faith, as defined in Arthas’ ‘The Red Priests’. The Lord Purifier would fall below the High Keeper within the Faith, and as such, this should not be as much of a concern as it is made out to be. 

 

From The Red Priests: 

Keeper of the Flame

 (Otherwise known as High Keeper)

Highest rank of the Red faith, the Keeper of the Flame is fully inducted into all secrets and rituals of the order by their predecessor. They are responsible for caring for the All Father’s flame in the mortal realm as well as overseeing the operation of the entire Priesthood. The Keeper of the Flame is the only member of the priesthood entitled to perform coronations, declare crusade or consecrate a new temple.

 

From The Purifiers: 

Lord Purifier

The Lord Purifier is in charge of The Purifiers. He is the one that organizes and commands the various Holy missions for the faith. He serves the Keeper of the All Father, and by divine Inspiration the Lord Purifier will lead crusades against the other heretic churches who bare the names of the false gods. The Lord Purifier will serve as Lord Purifier until his death.

 

The Lord Purifier may lead Crusades, but it is the discretion of the High Keeper as to when we will have these crusades. Think of the Lord Purifier as the second in command but with less power.

 

 

 

-Rosalia