2nd Report of the White Comet to the Holy See

[Xarkly 12618]

2nd REPORT OF

THE WHITE COMET

 

Delivered unto His Holiness

HIGH PONTIFF SIXTUS VI

On this 12th day of the Sun’s Smile of 1963

---

 

LIGHT PRESERVE AND PREVAIL,

 

Your Holiness - our work in the Archdiocese of Jorenus continues.

 

Similar to my previous report, this letter endeavours to apprise you of events concerning the Mother Church in the north, namely the hunt for Shadowspawn, the allegations that King Aleksandr II of Haense has consorted with the Shadow, and any other matters of note.

 

I. Vindications

Efforts to expunge the servants of the Shadow within Jorenus have steadily continued. In what the White Comet has termed the Rite of Vindication, many parishioners sport scarred and bandaged hands as testament to their untainted souls. Our efforts have been expedited by the acquisition of a tome penned by an Arch-Lector, which details the breed and bane of various Shadowspawn in considerable detail. I record recent vindications as follows:

I. Queen Amaya of Haense: Vindicated with salted aurum upon the hand on the afternoon of the 2nd of the Sun’s Smile 1963 in the Valdev Square by Tribune Villorik, before many witnesses. Revealed no taint of the Shadow.
II. Aveline Kazimira: Vindicated with salted aurum upon the hand on the afternoon of the 2nd of the Sun’s Smile 1963 in the Valdev Square by Tribune Villorik, before many witnesses. Revealed no taint of the Shadow. The lady Aveline volunteered for the Rite, and professed in advance that she suffered from alterations to her blood, a product of alchemy performed by her late mother. When I cut her hand, it bled purple as she had warned, but exhibited no other irregularities. Many present in the square affirmed that they knew lady Aveline to be a godly woman. I submit this anomaly to your Holiness for comment.

III. Ser Walter Weiss: Vindicated with salted aurum upon the hand on evening of the 5th of the Sun’s Smile 1963 in the Everardian Basilica by Tribune Villorik. Revealed no taint of the Shadow.

IV. Serwa the Wanderer: Vindicated with salted aurum upon the hand on the evening of the 8th of the Sun’s Smile 1963 in the Valdev Square by Tribune Villorik. Revealed no taint of the Shadow.

V. Sister Grace: Vindicated with salted aurum upon the hand on the afternoon of the 9th of the Sun’s Smile 1963 in the Valdev Square by Tribune Villorik, before many witnesses. Revealed no taint of the Shadow.

VI. Lady Marian Weiss: Vindicated with salted aurum upon the face on the afternoon of the 9th of the Sun’s Smile 1963 in the Valdev Square by tribune Villorik, before many witnesses. Revealed no taint of the Shadow.

VII. Ser Mikolaj the Oracle: Vindicated with salted aurum upon the breast on the morning of the 11th of the Sun’s Smile 1963 in the Everardian Basilica by Tribune Villorik, and witnessed by Ioanna of Ba’as. Revealed no taint of the Shadow.

 

II. King Aleksandr II

My inquisition into the Haeseni King and his alleged consortium with a Shadowspawn known as a ‘lich’ has made significant progress. There remains a number of small leads outstanding that I must discharge, but I believe the Light has presented the truth to me. Given the volume of my findings, I intend to finalise my conclusions in the entirety of my 3rd Report, which I will seek to present to your Holiness in-person. Light bid you patience until then.

 

III. Ailmere

Pursuant to the contents of the 1st Report of the White Comet, I have gleaned some details of the ongoing conflict between the Kingdom of Haense and the tribes known as ‘Ailmere’. By way of background, these tribesmen appear to have begun harassing the Haeseni countryside some moons prior, and clashed with contingents of the Brotherhood of Saint Karl in some small skirmishes. A large-scale assault has since been launched on the keep of Morteskvan, which the Ailermens infiltrated through the use of some perverse magicks.

 

I record my findings to date as follows:

I. ‘Ailmere’ appears to be a collective of tribes who presently operate from a warcamp to the north of Celia’nor. It is unknown from whence they came prior.

II. The Ailmerens are led by a figure styled as the ‘Harrower’. It is yet unknown if the Harrower is a physical being, or some false pagan deity. It may similarly be a synonym for the Deceiver, for the Ailmerens seem naturally disposed to evil and barbarism. Reverence of the Harrower has been witnessed in multiple battles, but no such figure has yet been seen.

III. They appear to be human -- however, an articulate giant has been observed as some kind of commander of the Ailmeren raiders in Haense. His origins are as of yet unknown. 

IV. Slaves or thralls appear to constitute a notable portion of Ailmeren ranks; eyewitness accounts from Brotherhood soldiers suggest that these thralls are relatively willing servants, and express some degree of fear and devotion towards their superiors.

V. Of particular note, Ailmeren raiders of rank wield some magick that allows them to warp small distances, including through and over walls. This naturally poses an immense hazard to traditional fortifications.

VI. In battle, the Ailmerens have been recorded chanting something to do with blood sacrifices and death. Although it was hardly in question, their loyalty to the Shadow is beyond doubt.

VII. It is not yet known what the Ailmerens seek. While initially it was surmised they came to plunder and pillage in the aftermath of the War for the Heartlands, they appear to have expressed particular interest in Castle Morteskvan -- in particular, they have hinted something of value to them lies beneath the Castle’s foundations.

 

IV. The Magic Commission

The Tribunal has dutifully regarded the terms of the Magic Commission Report issued by your Holiness. Some petitions have arisen from parishioners, compounded with some concerns the Tribunal itself has identified. While it is the mantle of the Holy See to determine which magicks are the work of the Shadow, these concerns arise chiefly from the manner in which the Report has been compiled.

 

The Tribunal notes repeated incidents throughout the Report such as:

I. Unattributed claims,

II. Reliance on unverified testimony from unnamed witnesses,

III. Reliance on unverified testimony from witnesses of heretical faith,

IV. Citation of unnamed works, and,

V.  Mitigation of heretical magicks purely due to widespread use.

 

It is somewhat difficult to reconcile some of these issues, such as unnamed Elven witnesses affecting ecclesiastical policy for the entirety of Canondom and an unwillingness to outlaw the practice of Voidal magicks purely due to its widespread use, and may lend susceptibility to the misleading machinations of the Shadow. It is the humble petition of the White Comet that your Holiness should convene an ecclesiastical council to consider some of the Commission’s.

 

V. Matrimonies

Two weddings have been officiated in the eyes of the Light since I assumed my post in Westerwald and the formation of the White Comet. Peace be upon Ofeliya Weiss and Chris Galbraith, wed matrilineally in the Everardian Basilica by Tribune Villorik; peace be upon Charles Edward and Katrin Stafyr, wed in the Everardian Basilica by Tribune Villorik.

 

VI. Ordainments

On the 5th day of the Sun’s Smile 1963, the Farfolk named Beaumont knelt before Tribune Villorik in the Everardian Basilica and swore monastic vows as an act of repentance for a grave sin committed in his life, and confessed to the Tribune prior to his oath.

 

We thus conclude the contents of our 2nd Report, and reaffirm that the White Comet wishes to present its findings on its investigation into King Aleksandr II's alleged consortium with a lich before his Holiness at his invitation in the near future.

 

LIGHT PRESERVE AND PREVAIL,

Villorik

Bishop Westerwald

Tribune of the White Comet