Musings - Lessons on Mortality, Life, and the All Father.

[Sham404 464]

Written by Edric ‘Witchslayer’ Vildr, shortly after the event.

 

Lesson One.

A lesson instilled into me as a young boy, beginning when I would clutch my mother’s skirts at the sight of a stranger, up until my teenage years spent hauling wood, coal, and ores for my father’s forge or for winter warmth, is that I should not fear death. Destined as I was at the time to live out my days as a village blacksmith, eventually taking over from my aging father, the lesson was still consistent, and not one someone outside of Norland might expect for a village boy to receive - do not fear death, rather fear never beginning to live. Such a lesson is one consistent across all of Norland, to all who follow the Red Faith, for it is by this earliest lesson that the foundation of our strength is built, and upon this foundation are the Tenets of the All Father fulfilled.

 

Lesson Two.

A second lesson, one I was not given by my parents but rather by the rigours of life, is one that assists with understanding the first. It is thus: Man has power over their mind, not the world around them. The crux of this lesson is the ability to draw strength from this understanding. Circumstance is nothing. The will to act is everything. It is often misunderstood by those outside of the Red Faith that the term ‘Unworthy’ as referenced in the Tenets of the faith refers to those who are physically weak, uneducated, or those born of another race or colour. It can be said that at various times in our past, by various groups who claim to adhere to the word of the All Father, this was certainly believed. But the Keepers today, and for many years, maintain that Worthiness in the eyes of the All Father and the Faith comes from the crux of this lesson - The strength of the mind and spirit alone.

 

Lessons Three and Four.

Some who do not understand our Faith claim it to be barbaric, or that we despise peace and claim it is weakness. I can speak on this matter from close personal experience. My mother was burned alive, an event I well remember after all these years. Accused as a Witch by a Keeper I later discovered to have lost his mind, I did at the time seek vengeance, misguided in the belief that revenge would heal the damage done to my life, and the lives of my family. I abandoned my home in the pursuit of that vengeance, that desire driving me to heights and deeds I wonder if I would have been capable of, had I not nurtured so carefully the passion for revenge that burned in my heart. So many years later, when I did eventually come across the man responsible for the death of my mother, I found him a broken man. As I was taught as a boy, I did not fear death - though death would surely come for me if I were to murder a servant of the All Father unlawfully, though his crimes were great and many as I later discovered. I did not fear, though I was given pause, before I acted, by the state of his existence. Wispy white hair, thin pale skin, a body littered with liver spots and worse, wasted by some disease such that I could likely have lifted him with one arm, and snapped him like a twig betwixt my fingers. The ravings of this man, who alone in the woods screamed that I was a servant of the Long Dark come to take him from his flock of faithful - in this case, a coop of chickens - made it clear to me that to exact vengeance was not only an unworthy act, it would lead me inevitably to a state not unlike the one I was witness to. It was clear, then, that this Keeper, for all the deeds he did in his youth to combat the Long Dark, was eventually infected, and overcome, by the seed of doubt. The seed grew into a thorny hedge, blocking the Keeper from the Light of the All Father, and yielding poison berries. For it is most assured that when we spend our lives combating the Long Dark, we must be vigilant that the Dark does not seep into us. I brought that man, who I could no longer consider a Keeper, to be judged and cared for by our people in Morsgrad, overcoming my desire for vengeance and helping to lead him back to the flame in his final days. Thus I learned a third and fourth lesson. Firstly, those who do injury to others firstly and most greatly injure themselves, and all injustice is first struck against oneself as a mark upon one's soul, inevitably leading oneself to evil. Second, do not look upon hardship and proclaim 'I am wronged' or bemoan that you suffer misfortune, rather determine that to overcome this misfortune will serve to strengthen you, and place you in greater esteem in the eyes of the All Father.

 

Lesson Five.

According to the doctrine of the Red Faith, and the understanding of most common folk of Norland, all things unnatural serve the Long Dark. But we must consider what the term unnatural applies to in the first place, and do so carefully, such that we do not mistakenly attribute things we do not understand as things that are unnatural, and ensure we destroy only that which is assuredly in service to the Long Dark. The Undead are unnatural by all laws understood by the Faith, and so are considered either servants of the Long Dark, for those that are malicious, or victims of their own condition - and so must be put to rest - for those that are not. This distinction is far clearer to me due to recent events, after which I have gained the moniker ‘Witchslayer’ - evidently an event in which I slew a true Witch, unlike my Mother, one who had power over ice and snow and used them to attack. While I will not claim the deed as mine alone, it was mine in the greatest share, and my body that bore the brunt of hardship and injury. Mere moments after the destruction of this foe, I also encountered a spirit, and was urged on by witnesses to put that spirit to rest. In reflection, the deed was poorly pursued, for it was done more due to the height of my blood than out of a desire to help the ghost. Thus, I consider that a moment of weakness, though I do not regret it, I instead resolved that I shall act in a more worthy manner in the future. For is that not what we of the Red Faith are encouraged to, and truly must do to be considered faithful? Destroy that which must be destroyed, but remain compassionate such that we do not become deserving of destruction ourselves. Thus, another lesson presents itself, and must be remembered.

 

Lesson Six.

Mention of my Witchslaying brings me to think on the nature of talent, of skill. When exchanging tales of deeds, be they personal stories or legends of years past, I have wondered, and I expect some onlookers also thought at the time 'This tale is exaggerated, that act is not possible' or 'You seek to do the impossible.' I must remind myself then, that all things have been and will be considered impossible by some, until the act is done and proof otherwise is obtained. When asked of my own deeds, and faced with disbelief, I remind listeners that just because an act seems difficult for them to accomplish, it does not make it so for others, nor make others lesser for not being able to do it themselves. Not all of Norland, or all of Humanity, and assuredly not a significant number of Descendents as a whole could be capable of killing a Witch, or dark mage, or monstrosity, similarly not all Descendents are capable of brewing an exquisite ale, or of singing like a nightingale. Nor either of carving a likeness from stone, or healing the wounds of others. We must each appraise ourselves within the context of our own lives and abilities, and not bemoan gifts we were not given by fate. Rather, awe at the skills you naturally possess, and take joy in your own excellence, and think of how you would miss those talents otherwise. Here, another lesson I have come to accept - I shall never have the touch of a healer, for my hands are too ungainly, and worse - they are covered in the blood of enemies. This is my service to the All Father, and how I combat the Long Dark. Think - for what task were you made? Each of us has a role to play, and we must determine what that role is in order to Spread the Flame.

 

Lesson Seven.

In reflection of this certainty that not all skills can be mastered, not even in the lifespan of an Elf can a mere hundredth of all knowledge be learned, much less in the short life of a man, I come to the idea of mortality once again. Humanity is said to be cursed to short lives, though some consider this a blessing, for our expiry gives us a drive not found among long lived races. We do not have a thousand years to throw away, for death is in our shadow smiling at us - and so, we must smile back. To die without regret is something perhaps unobtainable to most, but should ever be strived for. Take action where action is warranted, do not be frozen by indecision - to leave something undone may be just as evil as an evil act itself. That in mind, one must take action, and later must not regret it. Any course of action, even flawed, is universally superior to taking no course, or to taking action and later being plagued by guilt or regret. Know that whatever comes, you engage the future with the assurance that failure is natural, and to regret failure is foolish - and wasteful. Rather, learn from your failure, and become greater for it. Another lesson is learned, that we must not live in the past, as that is neglectful of the present - and one should not be disturbed by what may come in the future, as that may misguide you from a true course in service of the All Father.

 

Lessen Eight.

Mortality is a complex subject, one important for those of the Red Faith to comprehend. Physical Immortality is a goal many descendents have pursued since the inception of the concept, across all races. Man, most especially, has looked upon immortality as something to be desired, for what better way to overcome our condition, and ascend to heights greater than our ancestors? This dream is not held among the followers of the Red Faith. It is understood by the faithful, and most especially by those such as me who have encountered death close to hand, that the only path for man to reach physical immortality is through service to the Long Dark - be that employment of undead magics, manipulation of the void, or otherwise utilisation of the Dark. While other magics are known to affect aging, such are often not considered related to the Long Dark - the teachings of the Red Faith accept the prolonging of life in order to Spread the Flame. Thus, we can conclude that physical Immortality is a concept to be disregarded, for only by abandoning the All Father and aiding the Long Dark can it be obtained - an abhorrent course of action.

 

Lesson Nine.

As an alternative to the abhorrrent, let us who are faithful to the All Father seek immortality in spirit, in name and in action. Central to our Faith, and to our People, are guiding concepts that not only lead to these results, but exhort us to them. We recall the names and lives, not to mention deeds, of the Paragons with awe and reverence. We have established them as one of the guiding pillars of our lives, both on an individual level and as a community. Thus, each Paragon has obtained immortality blessed by the All Father. The only form of True Immortality. With this in mind, it is virtuous and indicative of worthiness for Norlanders to seek our own path to Paragonhood, to become someone remembered by our people forevermore. This is the final lesson of mortality, that the path to immortality lies not in the extension of life, but in living a great life.

 

Closing.

In the end, I recall the earlier lessons, and the Tenets of the faith. It is, ultimately, Entropy that serves the Long Dark, and in mirror to that is Life, in service to the All Father. Live long, live well, and your soul will burn bright. For a blazing fire will consume all things thrown into it, and make of them greater flames, and brightness. Thus do we overcome our weaknesses, our mortality, and the unworthy, and defeat the Long Dark.

Edited January 25, 2021 by Sham404