High_On_Math

Luthriel just now realized an orc who wears nothing but a loincloth is the mayor.  Luthriel questioned whether or not reality was really real, or just somehow a constructed simulation made by people who wanted to turn life into a meme.

Luthriel saves this announcement.

"This. This is what we must eradicate if Oren wants to keep the shred of pride she has left."

"Ah YES! Reconquest.  That's the word I like to hear!  Take back our homes!-"

-

-

Luthriel spat out her alcoholic tea, "CONQUEST OF THE URGUANI FRONTIER!?  THEY SURE AS BLOODY HECK BETTER NOT BE PLANNING ON INVADING URGUAN'S ORIGINAL TERRITORY!"

The tea got all over the missive. 

"So help me, if Oren invades Urguan's rightfully owned territory then Oren is in the bloody wrong.  All the decent people will have to immediately switch sides from fighting to reclaim Oren's land to fighting to defend Urguan."

OOC: Guys i tried so darned hard to write up to 95 theses but my brain.exe stopped working at 22. I scrapped it and decided to keep it short with my 15 most relevant. I'm sorry bros.

[!] the missive was nailed to Karasograd's cathedral's door.

Luthriel invites any individual to debate her on the following theses in person or through letter:

1.  The first Pontiff, James, was named Pontiff because he was a "builder of bridges" between the quarrelling priests.  Anyone sewing division and propagating war amongst Cannonist peoples is cannot be the Pontiff.

2. No one can claim to speak or unspeak the will of Godan.  Even Godfrey, a prophet, could not.  The Pontiff is not meant to dictate the will of Godan, but to build and maintain peace amongst Cannonism (Gospel 7:13).

3. The idea that Godan only grants mercy to individuals through the Church of the Cannon is patently absurd. (Spirit 1:19): We find salvation in Godan's laws, not the Church.

4. (Spirit 3:17-18) Only Godan judges and punishes.  A mere man cannot take away Godan's mercy from anyone.

5. (Spirit  6:14) No one can stop Godan's mercy.

6. (Gospel 1:44-47) The first woman did not need the church to give God's mercy to her.  She wept and changed her ways, and ascended to the sixth sky.

7.  (Gospel 4:43-53) Owyn, Godan's prophet, enacted judgement on Harren's wickedness.  This was wrong.  Godan was merciful to Harren and accepted his change of heart, but Owyn did not.  It was not through Godan's prophet that Harren got mercy.  It was through his personal relationship with Godan that he found mercy, and through Godan's servant Owyn that he found judgement.  It thus is not through the Church that we receive Godan's mercy, but through Godan's merciful character.

8. (Gospel 4:54-58) Owyn asked Godan directly for mercy, and Godan showed mercy to him.

9. (Gospel 7:26-30) Godfrey asked Godan directly for mercy, and Godan was merciful to him.

10. Through some mystical process called ordination, it is claimed that an individual can be endowed with the ability to show Godan's mercy, to mark an unwilling infant as Cannonist through baptism, and to otherwise produce spiritual marks through their rituals of sacrament.  Only Godan grants individuals prophecy or power. Everything we have comes from Godan.  Mere humans cannot grant supernatural power to others.

11. (Spirit 7:8-10) To seek power akin to Godan's is a wretched sin.  No human is like Godan.  By what hubris does the Cannonist Church claim to be able to transmit Godan's mercy to individuals?  To produce a spiritual mark on someone or something is beyond what descendants are meant to do, and is akin to the sin of the magi.

12. Excommunication, a mere declaration of humans, is incapable of severing a repentant and Godan-fearing soul from Godan's unstoppable mercy.

13. (Spirit 7:11) To claim spiritual, supernatural power to withhold sacred spiritual marks and even Godan's mercy from any being is claiming supernatural abilities for one's own power, and not for the benefit of others.  This is the second part of the sin of the magi: to seek supernatural abilities not to bless others but to gain power.  And we see power being gained by military alliances and political maneuverings using excommunication as a justification.

14. (Virtue 1:7) The virtuous are to receive their guidance from Godan's word alone.

15.  (Spirit 3:12) No man is worthy before Godan.  As a result, we should not have more respect for "saints" than we respect our neighbors. Before Godan's perfection, all men are equally imperfect. (Spirit 7:7)

Luth doesn't want to die so she will not be attending NYX's wedding.

Luthriel shakes her head nervously, "I propose a fifth term:  any ferrymen found guilty of killing an unarmed civilian from either side shall be prosecuted as someone who has committed murder."

Luthriel squeels, "FAKE NEWS!  Totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives, both Democrats and Republicans Dwarves and Humans - FAKE NEWS!  DNN is in a total meltdown with their fake news."

Luthriel spat out her coffee, "An ENTIRE TOWN where you're not allowed to debate politics or religion?!?!?! How do they even- what do they do with their lives??? Talk about hell on earth!"

Luthriel scratches her head.

"Uh.... yeah. That's called the ferrymen."

Luthriel grits her teeth, "Not that Minuvas would care.  He's probably ecstatic.  This gives him more of an opportunity to show his devotion to Malin."

"I mean . . . I'm not sure why you had to point out specifically my statement that there is no king but Godan.  Minuvas is out here constantly worshiping Malin like teen girls worship pretty much any remotely attractive young and famous bachelor.  But . . . err . . . I mean that's - well that's pretty much what happened."

The missive brings a tear to Luthriel's eye.   "Our friends died defending southbridge and the innocent people who live there. . . we lost . . . and now we must spit on their memory, welcoming the dwarves and ferrymen in.  By ceasing war now . . . it feels like spitting on their memory."  She put her head on the table, "Why not just come out and say it?  Oren's weak.  We have no pride. . . only then can we begin to mourn our dead soldiers and continually acknowledge that we do not consent to the ferrymen and dwarves killing our families.  While we maintain this facade of pride and respect . . . while we play the good sportsman and shake the hand of the enemy that defeated us . . . we forget what they did to us.  We must never forget . . . we must seethe and we must mourn.  Never must a true Orenian shake hands with an Ireheart or Ferryman.  If we must submit . . . to keep more of our children, our mothers, our elderly alive . . . then we must submit.  But we must never tell ourselves that we willingly partner with the enemy.  We must never tell ourselves that we chose to befriend them.  We must never share a drink with them.

Oren is defeated, but it must never be befriended.  Forever we must mourn."

Luthriel tugged on her hair anxiously.  She fiddled with her eyepatch as she read the missive . . . then she re-read it.

"I am not entirely sure what is going on?  This pontiff has allied himself with some foreign power, Leopold, and is attempting to excommunicate the emperor of Oren?  That is what I think is happening . . . I really can't-" 

She sighed, putting her head down on the table

"I need to be ever more diligent with my involvement in politics if I am to be a strong representative of Ebonwood."

Luthriel squinted, "I am glad Ebonwood is a vassal, and has independence to do what it wants.  I would not want to be stuck in one of these circles and have to deal with Orenian nobility . . . though I would not mind having more human neighbors."

You know that feeling . . . 

When the bois in green masks kill you as you are pinned helplessly to the ground, a defenseless cripple who cant walk?

When your subconscious remembers this and screams?

When you hide behind bushes and traverse far away from civilization so the Ferrymen don't get you?

When your settlement is raided, again and again, and you watch civilians, young and old, male and female get slaughtered and tortured by the Ferrymen?

When the bois in green masks capture your son, and are about to haul him away to be slaughtered, if you couldn't pay them 500 minas?

When the bois in green masks take away your land

When the bois in green masks break into your capital

When the bois in green masks kill your friends as you fight alongside them

You know that feeling . . . 

When the government grovels, and the people grovel too.

Smile  . . . smiling . . . why's everyone smiling?

Welcome, Ferrymen . . . 

You know that feeling when you're forced to welcome and befriend the very people who slaughtered you?   

"Hun, right now, we know you saw all the dead bodies, but forget them.  They died for nothing.  We're friends with the ferrymen now.  They won - we realize we were in the wrong for trying to fight them.  Don't forget the people who died.  Spit on their memory."

That's how Luthriel was feeling.

Oren is a mother dog.  A scared, submissive, pathetic mother dog that grovels in front of the human who abused her.  She tucks her tail in, wags it slightly, hangs her head low, and urinates on the floor in front of the human who killed her puppies.

Luthriel would rather watch Orenians wail in the streets, fighting to the bitter end, as a foreign nation came to enslave it than watch Orenians forget - nay - spit on the memory of those who died.

She had to welcome murderers like they were good men and women.  In one sense, welcome them as better men and women then the civilians who died at their hands were.  And that was the worst thing she could imagine.

Luthriel, though she was an Orenian, almost screamed when she heard the news.  She had lived in Haense for 10 years, fought in the BSK, and remembered Ludovar as a good person.  He listened to her side of the story when she was jailed, seeking to give her a second chance.  Furthermore, she thought his beard was hot.  As she read the announcement, she assumed that the culprit would have been an ice witch.  She wondered why the decent people of this world could not come together to prevent wicked deaths like this.

Luthriel's eye scurried around the room.  When it finally landed on the missive, it became fixated on the title.

"There is no king but Malin"

The lids of her eye squinted as she thought to herself, "There is no king but GODAN!"  And yet she did not grab the missive and cast it into her firepit.  Instead, her interest being piqued, she gently took hold of the missive with her three fingers and began to read it.

Immediately, she took issue with Minuvas's words, for she almost always took issue with anyone's words, "To unite the elves is fair and good, but the descendants also must be united.  A society must be created where each race lives in unity, though with different roles.  Separate, but equal."

She read on, coming to the section describing the Sons of Malin, "Sons of Horen . . . Sons of Malin . . . If ever you find a group labeling themselves the sons of some over-esteemed historical figure, run."  She made a mental note to give her son a speech about this later.

"The way of Malin ought not to be followed, for Malin's character is not the definition of good.  I have seen no evidence that a mere flesh and blood created being can be the embodiment of all that is good.  Instead, we must look to Godan's character, for Godan's character defines what is good.  We must endeavor to follow His rules for us, because His rules are not arbitrary.  They are based in his eternal, unchanging, GOOD nature.  I am sure that Malin was a very nice man, but he is not worthy of such worship as to become the object of our spiritual pursuit to become.  Only Godan can be worthy of that."

She smiled widely when she read that the "collective is paramount over the needs of the individual".

"Exactly, and furthermore I would define the collective as all who are to exist in addition to all who exist.  We must seek to create maximum descendent flourishing, and if that unfortunately requires sacrifices, descendants ought to be willing to sacrifice for that.  For descendants, not Godan, are the cause of suffering on this earth, and so descendants, not Godan, must take it upon themselves to do the hard work of fixing this earth."

Luthriel muttered, "Yes. Yes. Yes." As she read that there would be no monarchy.

Her demeanor suddenly changed when she read the section on Old Eldari, "There comes a point in time when a good elf has more in common with humans who are logical than elves who are illogical.  Any society should strive to pursue the greater progress of descendants rather than one race.  It would be better for us to only accept beings that display a commitment to the greater good, and then to accept all beings who display such a commitment."

She paused for a moment, "Well . . . "

"Mali do live for a very long time, longer than any other descendants, leaving them vulnerable to mental illness, depression, and suicidal thoughts from their several lifetimes of suffering.  Perhaps it would be only right to create an elven society where all elves can live peacefully pursuing knowledge.  Yet still- such a society must incorporate us of the other races.  Every race has something to contribute, and a strong society needs beings of every race.  It must be racially balanced, for balanced is the way all things should be.  We of valah blood, the orcs, and the dwarves must willingly volunteer ourselves to protect our elven brothers and sisters."

Luthriel thinks a meritocracy sounds based and red pilled.

She nodded, "It is good that the Valah of the empire shall fight to protect the Mali, but that is not going far enough.  The Valah must accept that their real purpose for the greater good is to protect and support the Mali.  The Valah must do the dangerous work for the Mali, and in return the Mali must provide the Valah with wisdom and beauty.  Yet the Valah are simply not humble enough to accept their role."

"Of course, the idea of the 'thill is misguided, but we must understand that one's ancestry determines one's physical and mental characteristics.  This has been proven through the breeding of various domesticated animals such as dogs, cats, and horses.  Thus, society must place careful attention on pedigree.  A good ancestry shall be viewed as one in which the majority of ancestors were healthy and intelligent, but not necessarily of one elvish subrace, or of royal blood, or any sort of superstitious thing.  And of course, this meritocracy is good.  For if you are like myself, born of wretched parents but still endeavoring to do the right thing, then you may be able to help society.  And society should not bar individuals from positively contributing to it for any reason."

Luthriel thinks that equal opportunity but not equal outcome sounds based and red pilled.

"It also means one seeks to pursue the highest form; creating exquisite art, potent magics - to strive ever to be better"

She sighed happily, "Ah yes!  Maersae Hiluneyha, but without the Larihei worship.  Though, Malin worship seems no more logical.  Yet perhaps it is a step in the right direction."

She anxiously tapped her foot on the floor, "Ne ne ne, we do not need to unify the elves specifically so much as we need to unify all beings.  A world where Irehearts and 'Thill are united in friendship.  We must strive for perfection, not adequacy!"

"The pursuit of knowledge and martial prowess are pursuits each fi’Eldari is encouraged to take. However, each Elf is more importantly encouraged towards their passions in life - contributing to society in a way that contributes best to the collective towards Malinist living. 

Individuals spend their days pursuing the arts, culture, martial or magical prowess, for the sake of communal progress."

Luthriel jumped up, looking at a half pug half jack russell terrier sitting on the bench beside her

"I wrote about this, SHNUGGLE PUGLE! I can literally pull out the missive and read it to you, Shnuggle!  I can't- This is exactly what I wanted implemented in Haelun'or.  We need each able bodied mali to pursue basic medical knowledge, contribute to the military, and to pursue a vocation of their own choosing.  I literally-" she squinted, "I bet he read my missive and stole my ideas, because I just am so smart, right Shnuggle!?!?!"

She continued to read, then shook her head, "A minor disagreement here, but personally I would rather have my ears cut off than any other part of my body.  I have much experience to share on this topic, so others should listen.  Ears barely do anything, anyway.  As long as you have the insides of your ear intact, you shall be fine."

"Individual actions that do not take into the consideration the collective are considered greedy, and not in keeping with the overall goals."

Luthriel loves utilitarianism and she hums, "Ye ye ye.  This must be emphasized.  It ought to be our motto rather than, 'No king but malin.'

She reads the words, "Half Elves" and sits down, paying close attention to each word.

"Burned at the pyre . . . "

"I do not carry half of the 'immortal essence of Malin'.  All I carry is the curses of elves and the curses of humans.  For that I am disgusted with myself, but that does not mean I should be burned.  Plenty of disgusting things must be used if we are to create a utopia.  One must get their hands dirty to plant a beautiful garden.  Thus I do expect Mali to not murder me, but not because I am beautiful and deserving of rights because if my half elven ancestry, but because

1. I shall prove myself useful to serving full blooded decendents

2. I feel pain, and causing me harm unnecessarily is the opposite of pursuing the maximum flourishing of descendants.

I fail to understand how I, a half elf, am less lenient towards interracial relationships than the full elves.  Social judgement is not enough for the crime of producing a contaminated wretch.  Sterilization or death are the only suitable consequences for such an action.

And half elves should not lie to themselves.  We are not to live the lives of Mali, but of Valah, for we bear the curse of short life, and thus we ought not to pursue a life of careful knowledge accumulation but one of danger and pain.  We ought to bear the pain for those who ought not to be expected to bear it.  No half elf should be called a mali.  We may act like it, but deep down our purpose in society shall always be fundamentally different."

She smiled a bit at the last section discussing the culture's dress, "Good.  Sounds as though they do not practice dressing for attention.  They dress modestly.  I appreciate this."

"All in all," she turned to Mr. Shnuggle Puggle, "I believe I reject their theory but support their praxis.  And of course, I respect Minuvas as he is much more logical than the vast majority of beings I have come across in my life."

Luthriel stares in disbelief at the missive.

"Wicked.  Wickedness.  This shall ne be tolerated.  No one from either side shall be slain or harmed unless on the battlefield.  Anything more is repugnant to Godan."

Luthriel blinked.

"What the bloody darn-"

She looked up at water damaged wood ceiling, stained with the urine of the stray dogs she cared for upstairs.

"So did he come back from the dead with necromancy or-"

She looked at her metalic arm, fist frozen in an unmoving position of holding the hilt of a sword.  Beside it lay her longsword.

"All the more reason to serve necromancy."

"But, if he ever tells me to bring someone like this to him, I will not.  It would be best for the greater good that minds like this stay safe."

She took in a deep breath.

"I must do what I must do for the greater good."

[!] The racist PSA would be posted all around Almaris.

PSA: The Curses of Half-Breeds

     Many individuals are unaware of the curses that they might inflict upon their offspring if they create half-breed offspring, yet their ignorance does not cause the curses to cease existing.  The various curses which half-breeds must carry may be divided into three categories: Curses of Iblees, societal curses, and physical curses.

     Each descendent race carries a curse, passed down by bloodline, that originally came from Iblees.  Dwarves carry greed, Orcs carry bloodlust, Elves carry infertility, and Humans carry short lives.  Any mix of two or more descendent races carries every curse that can be found in their ancestry.  For example, a half dwarf half human would carry the curse of greed and of a short life.

     Social curses can be further divided into two subcategories: illogical discrimination and logical restraint.  Illogical discrimination refers to any instance in which a mixed blooded individual is subject to spiteful words, loss of opportunity, or violence inflicted upon them solely for their heritage.  Logical restraint refers to any instance when, due to the other curses a mixed blooded individual carries, it is unfortunately necessary for a mixed blooded individual to forgo something which full-blooded descendants may participate in.

     Physical curses refer to any sort of negative biological outcome that frequently occurs in mixed breeds.

The curses of Half-Dwarf Half-Orcs:

• Curses of Iblees:
  • Greed
  • Bloodlust
• Social curses:
  • * Possible discrimination from some orcs due to Krug's stance against interbreeding
  • * Possible discrimination from some Cannonists due to Cannonism being against interbreeding
  • Ought not to have children so as not to perpetuate the curses: must remain celibate
• Physical curses:
  • * severe physical deformities caused by having one extremely tall parent and another extremely short parent
  • * tusks that are too large for the half-dwarf's mouth
  • is no taller than a dwarf

The curses of Half-Dwarf Half Elves:

• Curses of Iblees:
  • Greed
  • Infertility
• Social curses:
  • Discrimination from elves holding to doctrines of racial purity.  For example, if such a being visited Haelun'or, he or she would likely be executed.
  • * Possible discrimination from some Cannonists due to Cannonism being against interbreeding
  • * Discrimination for being elven:  Vulnerable to ear-shearing and anti-elf racism
  • * Ought not to have children so as not to perpetuate the curses: must remain celibate
• Physical curses
  • * severe physical deformities caused by having one extremely tall parent and another extremely short parent
  • is no taller than a dwarf
  • is no stronger than an elf
  • * May be born completely infertile, which, given that they should not have children, is not a curse but is a notable possible outcome

The curses of Half-Dwarf Half Humans:

• Curses of Iblees:
  • Greed
  • Short life
• Social curses:
  • Ought not to have children so as not to perpetuate the curses: must remain celibate
  • * Possible discrimination from some Cannonists due to Cannonism being against interbreeding
• Physical curses
  • is no taller than a dwarf
  • is no stronger than a human
  • * physical deformities caused by having one tall parent and another short parent.

The curses of Half-Orc Half Humans:

• Curses of Iblees:
  • Bloodlust
  • Short life
• Social curses
  • * Possible discrimination from some orcs due to Krug's stance against interbreeding
  • * Possible discrimination from some Cannonists due to Cannonism being against interbreeding
  • Ought not to have children so as not to perpetuate the curses: must remain celibate
• Physical curses
  • is no stronger than a human
  • * physical deformities caused by having one extremely large parent and a moderately sized parent
  • * tusks that are too large for a half-human's mouth

The curses of Half-Orc Half Elves:

• Curses of Iblees:
  • Bloodlust
  • Infertility
• Social curses
  • * Possible discrimination from some orcs due to Krug's stance against interbreeding
  • * Possible discrimination from some Cannonists due to Cannonism being against interbreeding
  • Discrimination from elves holding to doctrines of racial purity.  For example, if such a being visited Haelun'or, he or she would likely be executed.
  • * Discrimination for being elven: Vulnerable to ear-shearing and anti-elf racism
  • * Ought not to have children so as not to perpetuate the curses: must remain celibate
• Physical curses
  • is no stronger than an elf
  • * physical deformities caused by the orc parent's extremely bulky physique and the elf parent's extremely lithe physique
  • * tusks that are too for a half-elf's mouth
  • * unlikely but possible: complete infertility, which, given that these beings should remain celibate, is not necessarily a curse but is a physical outcome worth noting

The curses of Half-Human Half Elves:

• Curses of Iblees:
  • Short lives
  • Infertility
• Social curses
  • * Possible discrimination from some Cannonists due to Cannonism being against interbreeding
  • Discrimination from elves holding to doctrines of racial purity.  For example, if such a being visited Haelun'or, he or she would likely be executed.
  • * Discrimination for being elven: Vulnerable to ear-shearing and anti-elf racism
  • * Ought not to have children so as not to perpetuate the curses: must remain celibate
• Physical curses
  • Is no stronger than an elf
  • * unlikely but possible: complete infertility, which, given that these biengs should remain celibate, is not necessarily a curse but is a physical outcome worth noting

     * This is a possible curse the being might experience, but it does not afflict every mixed-blooded individual.

     Remember, love is beautiful, but it does not necessitate your production of a cursed half-blooded offspring.  Be responsible!  Do not engage in interbreeding.

A message from Cinh'Suluel

sus

Luthriel squealed in joy as she and her friend, Edvard, found the message.  "This is why I love sewers so much! My eyes kind of burn.  Is that not bizarre!  I wonder . . . if this has anything to do with telepathic rats! I am so scared right now . . . I love love love being scared like this!"

Luthriel sarcastically cooed, "How sweet.  After Haense and the Irehearts kill your mother and father and torture you, cutting off your ears, they will promise to take care of you!"

Every child asks philosophical questions.  They lie in bed at night, wondering if they are living in a dream.  They wonder what would happen if they could fly, up and up, forever into the night sky.  Would they ever hit a ceiling?  Adults love to glamorize the dreams of childhood, remembering the time when they, too, felt free to ponder.  And yet with childhood curiosity often comes darker thoughts, "Is there any purpose to my life?  Does it really matter if I am nice to people or mean to them?  What happens after we die?"

A young girl, bearing a mind warped by cruel intentions, was driven to question the very nature of morality.  For in this half-goblin's heart, she believed that suffering was the greatest good.  To cause pain, destruction, agony, was to do the morally correct thing.  And yet, she knew she had been manipulated by others into believing these things.  They took advantage of her orcish bloodlust, and cursed her further into a lifetime of moral agony.  She would never know what was right, what was wrong, or if there even was such a thing.

The young half-goblin, half-elf travelled around Almaris, searching for an answer.  She was met with moral relativism and nihilism, yet she continued searching for proof of the existence of morality outside her mind.  She swore an oath, never to help another, nor to help herself.  She would never hurt another, nor hurt herself.  She was to remain neutral until she had found the perfect argument, either proving the existence of morality, or disproving it.

With these neutral, knowledge seeking intentions behind her, she was driven to the Silver State.  As the 'ata was trapped in Haelun'or's gates, those around her scoffed and ridiculed her, while she simply sat in a corner, asking questions of the 'thill around her.  All she wanted was to understand why they believed what they believed.  Without any resistance, she was bound and taken to a cell, all the while attempting to converse with her captors.  Her quiet and young voice always asking the question, "Why?"  The pure 'thill could not withstand the burden of listening to such hideous words, so they gagged her.  Her words were hideous not because of the words she spoke, but because it was she who spoke them.

She was taken to a balcony, in front of the city square.  A crowd of onlookers watched as a rope was placed around the abomination's neck.  She simply pointed to the gag in her mouth, shaking her head, begging for a chance for last words.  In her mind, all she wanted was to debate, and if proven wrong, she would gladly place the rope around her own head.  Her silent pleas were denied, and she died a swift death.

Revived by the monks, she went on to live for several more years until she ultimately came to the conclusion that there was no morality.  Everything she had done, and everything she had hoped for, was dashed.  And she killed herself.

Somewhere in the afterlife, Rodya looked down.  She was happy, not because of where she had gone, but because of what she now knew.  For even if she was somewhere reserved for creatures whose bloodlust controlled them, for creatures who sometime attack travelers in a fit of blind murderous intent, she at least now knew that she had been right all along.  There was something good, and there was something bad.  It was as clear to her now as the fact that 2 + 2 = 4 was to her on earth.

Rodya looked down upon the Silver State, remembering shards of what had happened to her.  All she could recall, was that Haelun'or cared more about killing the impure than anything else.  For they purport to prioritize the pursuit of knowledge, and yet they forsook that pursuit in order to cull a child.  She hoped that everyone in Almaris could find a return to morality.