The Seeker's Query

[Evanuri 465]

THE SEEKER’S QUERY

 

An Errant, faith-seeking Elf walked up to a group of High Elves in  the Principality of CELIA’NOR and asked, ‘OUGHT WE HATE THE SHADOW’ 

 

They ignored my query as they nailed an Ibleesian’s head to a spike.

 

The elf traveled into the White City of NUMENOST, where he met the Adunian Queen and a Knight. He interrupted their conversation regarding the slaughter of demons, undead, and dragons to ask,  ‘OUGHT WE HATE THE SHADOW?’

 

The Queen asked in turn, ‘Are you attempting to get me to draw my sword on you?’ in response to the question, while the Knight said ‘I do not hate the shadow itself, but the one who casts it.’

 

The Queen then said ‘Yes’.

 

The faithseeker found himself between the coppershelled rises of URGUAN , where he saw a lone Dwarf hammering white-hot metal. To the stout one he asked, ‘OUGHT WE HATE THE SHADOW?’

 

The Dwarf responded, ‘Depends on the Shadow’, in his brogue.

 

He became too uncomfortable to produce an answer to a question of Canonist faith.

 

Then, he walked betwixt walls he ought not venture into; He found himself in the Wood Elven hold of NEVAEHLEN, where he encountered a Dedicant of the Druidic mission; A librarian, and former apprentice to an Ownyst Lectorate. He asked him, ‘OUGHT WE HATE THE SHADOW?’

 

The Dedicant responded, “Nay, we should pity it.”

 

He continued, “We should slay The Shadow where it is found, but not hate it.”

 

The elf took his query to REINMAR where he found a child, who insisted he ask her the question, ‘OUGHT WE HATE THE SHADOW?’

 

The little girl answered simply, “Yes we should - Because they are spawns of Iblees.”

 

She thought he was Darkspawn for asking.

 

Onto HOKHMAT he went, where he found a pair of voidal mages he had met several times before, along with a talking tome. He looked between the two familiar women as the academy beyond loomed over them and, gleefully, rendered the question unto them, ‘OUGHT WE HATE THE SHADOW?’

 

The first mage asked, ‘The Shadow of What?’

 

The second said ‘No. The Shadow is the unknown. We may hate what is within the Shadow, but not the Shadow itself.’

 

The speaking tome answered with confusion, ‘The world was dark, before it was light. There is no reason to hate the Shadow, for it came first.’

 

The first mage, upon hearing of the querying elf’s travels spurned the people of Reinmar, agreeing with the tome when it said their people ought to be anointed in Voidal Flame.

 

Dwelling deep in the desert, after a sweltering journey, the elf found himself beyond sandy cliffs in the home of THE IRON HORDE, where he stood before a group of Orcs who looked upon the seeker strangely when he asked, ‘OUGHT WE HATE THE SHADOW?’

 

The leader of the group said, ‘If you refer to Darkspawn, then yes. Kill them all.’

 

The Orcs reported to the elf that all Canonists were to be killed by them. The seeker felt relieved to have been allowed to leave.

 

After seven groups, and seven holds, the errant elf- exhausted- found himself back within the lands of HANSETI-RUSKA, where his journey began. He stared around himself, at a quiet city until the hoof-falls of an impending stampede beckoned his attention to the front gate. There came a glittering force of the faithful, the honored Patriarch among them. The errant elf thought to himself- he’d queried Aevos’ people, all but one. So he would ask, staring at his reflection in a puddle.

 

‘OUGHT WE HATE THE SHADOW?’