ToodIes

It was his last gift to her. The conspirators wanted to force an abdication. A published missive, and a peaceful retreat into the desert. But as Faeryel sat there, in the sort of living room upon which the world turns, she felt a terrible sense of certainty that Razad would force her to kill him. He didn't. He pulled himself on her sword, rather than making her choose. Had she failed him? Was he disappointed in her, that she would spare his life, and deny him the succession he craved? When she stepped up to his failing body, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Master." And then, lying through her teeth, in an attempt to comfort the dying man: "But I had to take what was mine."

I SAY TO ALL THAT KNOW THE VOID. THE LAST KAGGATH THE AGE OF KNOWLEDGE I am Faeryel of the true lineage of Fahrazad, she who is the Scholar, who was apprentice to…. Master Razad of the true lineage of Fahrazad, he who was the Fatebinder, who was apprentice to…. Master Isaem of the true lineage of Fahrazad, he who was the Weaver, who was apprentice to… Master Mikael of the true lineage of Fahrazad, he who was the Jubilant, who was apprentice to… Mistress Fatim of the true lineage of Fahrazad, she who was the Visceral, who was apprentice to… Master Jabar of the true lineage of Fahrazad, he who was the Magnanimous, who was apprentice to… Mistress Katarina of the true lineage of Fahrazad, she who was the Mysterious, who was apprentice to… Master Shaffar of the true lineage of Fahrazad, he who was the Serpent, who was apprentice to… Master Kabal of the true lineage of Fahrazad, he who was the Celestial, who was apprentice to… Master of Masters, Fahrazad the GREAT, first Grand Magister, HE who broke the great Yisar, HE who shattered the Mage-Warlords, HE who conquered the dunes, HE who is great in both the small and the wondrous, HE who unveiled the mysteries, founder of the great House Fahrazad… SWORN BEFORE THE VOID AND THE LINE OF FAHRAZAD I DO INVOKE THE RIGHT OF THE SUCCESSION OF THE GRAND MAGISTER The Grand-Magister, RAZAD THE FATEBINDER, is dead. I, his apprentice, defeated him in RITUAL KAGGATH, as demanded by the way of the Hakad. The will of HOHKMAT cried out for his abdication; and this is the way he chose to abdicate. He went with honor. RAZAD goes on to join the True Lineage of Fahrazad. There will be changes in the next few days, but chief among them is this: on this day, THE LAST KAGGATH was fought, and the AGE OF KNOWLEDGE has begun. No longer shall Hohkmat be a place of daggers in men's smiles, of plots whispered in the dark, of frantic duels to the death; but of learning, of shared, safeguarded knowledge, of creation; of MAGIC, forthright and just. To our foreign allies and friends, I say; the terms of our treaties remain in effect, including those that mandated renegotiation in the event of a change in Hohkmati leadership, which we will get to in time. We welcome new treaties of friendship and non-aggression pacts; our commitment to peace and neutrality extends outward as well as inward. To the Chamber of Stars, and the Chamber of Lord-Magisters, I say; our duties for now remain the same. Those in their positions remain unchanged; the three Lord- and Lady-Magisters, the four Viziers, the Headmaster, et cetera. Fight Nights, classes, and other events will continue as planned. However, the structure of the Academy will evolve in the coming days, as I meet with the Chambers to determine what must be done. To the students of THE ACADEMY OF HOHKMAT, I say; thank you. We will build on the foundations of our predecessors and create a place of learning unlike anything prior seen. LONG LIVE THE ACADEMY LONG LIVE HOHKMAT SO KNOWN GRAND-MAGISTER, Sorceress-Queen, Hierophant of the Mysteries, Mistress of the Ziggurat of Hohkmat

"that's a lot of words," says Faeryel.

Four hundred years had Alnerok’s sordid remains languished in the Stream, stripped of individuality by the ceaseless torrent of souls. Just enough vestiges of the twice-dead wight remained to sense a familiar presence; one word surges through thirteen shattered minds. “FRIEND” -+- “Then again,” mumbles Faeryel, writing at her desk, “He was graven, once.”

"I don't believe it," is Faeryel's simple reply, as she folds the missive and places it in a pocket. Smiling, she rolls her eyes, remarking to herself-- "Old wizards never die. He'll turn up in a bar, somewhere. Give it a century." That evening, clutching a bottle of wine, she'd again mumble 'old wizards never die', adding: "...Right?" -+- Far from society, wild and wooden, Ithuriel hears nothing of her old friend's death. As she twists animal sinew from the day's hunt into string, she looks up at the stars, and unbidden, the image of a telescope flits across her mind. It wavers at the edge of memory, but she can't quite grasp it.

i’d kill for this plugin

“You don’t understand. “You can’t kill the god of a godless ideology. “You can kill a rotten bundle of souls in the Stream. You can kill an old man in the Abyss. “Will that make the Book’s point any less true? Will that erase the threat of any real deities- the Dictator Aeriel? “Maleficar. God-slaves. Waste your energy on the meaningless and die out.”

It had been fourteen years since Cerusil’s raid on Hohkmat. Fourteen years since she’d waited, frozen with terror, to hear if Sarah would leave Winburgh alive. Today, she had it razed. She had liquefied its foundations. Nothing would grow in this part of the Midlands. Her wife and her Chamber had seen to that. This is my revenge. Not a knife in the dark, but a city reduced to ash. Glorious, fiery, honest victory. A shame you’re not here to see it.

“I despise them,” says Faeryel. “I despise the thought that darkspawn should live peaceful, unbothered lives, except for those rare occasions when they do evil deeds.” “They should know no peace. They should be hunted to the last. The Ibleesian and the Xionist should live in constant fear of discovery. They and their sympathizers should know terror for their beliefs. There will be no relief. There will be no quarter. There will only be paranoia and worry for the servants of the Dark.” “This I vow for you, Tahariae. I wish you’d come back.”