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[The Glass Tree] Reverence
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2022 9:17 pm
by Cad Revel
Timestamp: 2nd of Cylus, Arc 722
Location: The Glass Tree, Almund
Cad had never really been one for religion.
That in itself was strange considering that he was a mortalborn. His very existence was direct proof of the Immortal's influence on the world. Though perhaps, in a strange way, that in itself was why he wasn't particularly keen on worship. He couldn't claim to have interacted with his mother, Aeva, all that often, but whenever he had she had spoken to him as a mother, not as a goddess. Immortals were certainly powerful beings, and would never fail to intimidate him in some way, but it was hard to view such being with the sense of wonder and mystique most did when you'd seen one of them swear to themselves after dropping a frying pan on their foot whilst trying to make you bacon and eggs.
Yet here was, technically the first follower of new most powerful Immortal on the block. As far as he was aware Valtharn had not made any major moves on the world since her apotheosis, but Cad had no doubts that she was doing as she'd said she would during their last meeting: practising with and mastering her newfound powers. Power which he had little doubt she'd turn upon him if she ever found him lacking as a subordinate. Perhaps the biggest problem with being the first initiate of an entirely new religion was that he had absolutely no resources at his disposal to tell him what he was actually supposed to do. From their first meeting he had a rough idea as to the sort of person Valtharn was, but he didn't have nearly enough information to know what sort of actions would earn her favour, and which her disapproval. Did she expect him to learn the ways of the warrior like her, or was she happy for him to stay as the behind-the-scenes schemer he preferred to be? Would she appreciate gifts of weapons he forged for her, or see them as insults to the equipment she already had? Did she want him to take action against her rival Immortals, or to keep a low profile and prepare for some future plan? There was nobody he could turn to for guidance.
Nobody except the Immortal herself at least.
Which was why Cad found himself at the foot of the glass tree, clutching a small glass bauble in his hands. It was, to be frank, hideous: a lumpy pole about the size of his palm, with a pale green ribbon threaded through a lopsided hole at one side. Cad had made it himself, believing that for a craftsman of such skill as himself one little glass trinket would be no problem. Oh how wrong he'd been. What had been intended to be a sword looked more like a bulbous club. Nonetheless his father had taught him that dedicating gifts to any Immortal was not so simple a matter of buying some expensive present. What they truly appreciated was the devotion that went into the gifts: the effort and personal sacrifice they went through for their sake. The few offerings Cad had ever left for Immortals had always been things he'd made with his own hands, and he saw to no reason to stop that tradition now.
Tying the ugly bauble to a branch of the tree, Cad looked around briefly to double-check that nobody else was around. This late at night the area was deserted, save for the distant rowdy laughter of a tavern in the distance. Satisfied that nobody was around to overhear, he closed his eyes and brought his hands together in the symbol for prayer.
"Valtharn." He began, then found himself abruptly pausing. He was still unsure as to how to speak to her. She'd preferred a less formal manner of speech back during their first meeting, and had treated the whole becoming-a-follower business rather casually, as if offering him a job. Equally though Cad was under no illusions that she'd be quick to punish any perceived rudeness, and he didn't yet know where that line lay.
Keep it short and to-the-point then. The less unnecessary words, the less chance one might offend her.
"I've grown stronger since our last meeting." He continued. "I have a company now, and all the wealth that comes from it. I have minions, and though they lack experience, they're obedient and gutsy enough to be useful. My skill in magic is growing too. I can be useful to you now." He paused again, hesitant to put his thoughts into words. "But I don't know how to be. I know the power you offered is something that must be earned, but I don't know how to earn it. I don't know what sort of people you want for followers, what actions it would please you to have done in your name, or even who you consider your enemies to be. So... would you tell me?" The question sounded awkward even to his ears, lingering in the silence of the night-time air like a pathetic ghost. Cad brought his hands down and opened his eyes to glare at the tree, knowing at least enough about Valtharn to understand that she'd prefer those talking to her to at least show a little backbone, and tried again.
"Tell me what I can do to earn your power.
Re: [The Glass Tree] Reverence
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2022 5:30 pm
by Basilisk
As Cad's prayer finished, there was a moment where it seemed nothing might happen in response to it. Then there were footsteps next to him and when he looked, he'd see that Valtharn had walked up next to him, though he'd really only be able to recognize her by virtue of the scar over her eye and the fact that he'd been at close quarters with her before. She was wearing a heavy fur cloak in keeping with the weather, rather than the armor she had worn during Ruin's Dawn, and under the cloak she was dressed normally. Someone who didn't know who she was wouldn't have been able to pick her out as unusual. "Now, that's a new experience. I can't say I've had anyone pray to me before." she said, her tone one of reflection.
Taking a closer look at the trinket that Cad had made, Valtharn pondered it for a moment, then gave a cheerful laugh. "Looks better than the first sword I tried to make." she said, her voice back to its usual cheerful tone. "I've kept an eye on you, you know. I've seen you gettin' stronger. I guess it is time I gave you some more concrete directions, isn't it?" she said, before giving him a serious look. "Not to earn my Blessin', though. You already did that, it's just that I haven't figured out how to give it." she said, before letting out a slightly manic giggle. "Did accidentally turn someone's arm inside out, which was fun I'll admit, but not somethin' I think you're after experiencin'." she said, before gesturing away from the tree. "Come on, let's take a walk. I've never been good at standin' still and that's somethin' that's only gotten worse since my Ascension." she said, turning and walking down towards the Almund docks. It was apparent that Valtharn was not in the least worried about being overheard or caught. Granted, why would she be? When it came to scary things that one could come across in the dark, Valtharn herself was probably the scariest by a long shot.
"So, what kind of follower do I want? That was one of your questions, yeah?" she said, grinning as she spoke. "It's an interestin' answer, because I'm not after any one type of follower. I mean, sure, my followers are always goin' to be evil folk, but that's a broad spectrum. Torturers, slavers, murderers, thieves, loan sharks, those people that go door to door to talk people into helpin' them sell candles, there's a lot of variety in evil people." she said, her tone thoughtful. "So let's instead focus on the type of villain you are, yeah? You told me you want to conquer the world. Not somethin' I've ever been all that interested in myself, but I'm willin' to throw my weight behind it." she said, shrugging slightly as she spoke. Of course, she had been an Imperial Marshal and Faldrun's commander in the past, but that was working for other people who wanted to conquer the world.
"But world conquest, that's a lofty goal. And a varied one." she said, her tone cheerful. "So here's my question to you, Cad. What kind of world conqueror do you want to be? And I don't mean how you intend to go about it, I mean, what do you want to do with places you've already conquered? How do you intend to rule them, things like that?" she asked, her tone serious.
Re: [The Glass Tree] Reverence
Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2022 8:31 pm
by Cad Revel
Timestamp: 2nd of Cylus, Arc 722
Location: The Glass Tree, Almund
Even without her armour, Valtharn looked every inch the dangerous predator Cad knew her to be. It had nothing to do with the ordinary clothing she wore, nor some subtle way of walking that a more observant man might say was typical of warrior, or even some esoteric look in her eye. Truth be told it was nothing about Valtharn herself, but the way that everything else looked around her. With every step she look as she walked towards him, Cad could swear that he saw the natural world itself draw back in fear. Shadows seemed to shrink, muted moonlight moved out of her path, and the very air itself seemed to part before she even touched it. It felt like the very land they stood upon was hesitant to challenge the woman who walked upon it.
And this was the woman he'd turned to for support.
Cad's first thought upon recognising her was to bow low and deep, but he caught himself before fully committing to the gesture. Valtharn had not seemed to care for such overt demonstrations in their last meeting. Instead be bowed his head in a short but sincere manner. "Your holiness." He greeted somewhat awkwardly, still unsure as to how to address an Immortal.
Cad allowed a light smile to cross his face as Valtharn commented on his offering and his recent progress, though couldn't hide the shudder of fear as she mentioned turning someone's arm inside out with her attempts to bless them. As much as he could replace his arms if necessary, he still felt pain all too dearly volunteer as a test subject. When she began walking to the docks Cad followed along just behind her, listening keenly to her descriptions of the various types of evil people she intended to bring into her service.
When she questioned what he intended to do with parts of the world once he'd conquered them, Cad was silent for a moment. He'd thought about the answers to such things long ago, but he couldn't be sure if Valtharn would approve of his reasoning. Then again if she didn't it was best that he find out now, rather than when he'd already done something to displease her.
"Truth be told, I intend to change very little about whatever places I take control of." He finally answered. "My motive is purely pride. I don't want control in order to amass great wealth or comfort, nor because I particularly care about commanding the people who live it in. I want to do it purely because nobody else has done it before. I want to be remembered forever as the first man to hold everything in the palm of his hand. To be the man who was strong enough to defeat the world." A distant, forlorn look momentarily crossed his eyes as he spoke, before all of a sudden he seemed to snap back to reality. "And logically speaking the more changes I try to enforce, the more likely it will be that captured territories will rise up in rebellion against me. My plan upon taking over would be to find and promote people within the existing governments of a region who I can gain a strong leverage over, quash and initial seeds of discontent, and then leave them in charge of ruling in my name while I turn my attention to the next area of conquest. They would have enough local knowledge to avoid many of the pitfalls an outsider like me might make, and would save me having to focus my own time and attention on things I'm not so interested in. I don't particularly care about reaping in the profits of backbreaking taxes or enacting great cultural reforms. So long as the masses fear me as their supreme overlord I'll be happy." A wry smile crossed his face. "Besides, I'm probably not the best suited person for taking over a country through nothing but sheer military force. At least not yet. Subterfuge and politics are more likely to be my weapons, and for that I may need to bargain with other parties that wish for such changes. Having no true intentions myself will make negotiations much easier."
Re: [The Glass Tree] Reverence
Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 3:42 pm
by Basilisk
When Cad had stopped himself from bowing to Valtharn, he'd catch a quick look of approval, before it shifted to a sort of amused confusion when he addressed her as "holiness". "I'm goin' to need to decide on a form address." she muttered to herself, before she turned to the matter at hand. When he gave his answer to her question, she listened quietly until he was finished. "Doin' somethin' for the sake of pride isn't the worst motivation I've ever heard. I mean, when I was first exiled, I spent a couple arcs trackin' down serial killers and the like, and for such an impressive name, I don't think I've ever met anyone quite so petty and pathetic as that lot." she said, a slight sneer to her voice. "Of course, that wasn't much of an issue afterwards, since I killed pretty much all of the ones I met, usin' their own methods just for the poetry of it." she said, her tone showing that a fondness for the memory.
"That said, if you think people are just goin' to accept it because you don't make big changes, best be thinkin' again. People get all excited and patriotic about their nations and it makes them silly sometimes." she said, shrugging slightly. "Nor will regional managers free you from the problems of rulin'. Droughts, floods, poor education, those will all be your fault even if you had nothing to do with it. Even in times of peace and plenty, people will always be findin' somethin' to complain about." she said, her tone oddly wistful. "Besides, if you're in it for the sheer pride of it, why settle for just the fancy crown. Most of the provincials won't even know who you are, that way. If you want everyone to know who you are, you gotta show off more than that." she said, before pausing as a thought occurred to her.
"You know, you were wantin' to know what you could do for me, and I think I have an idea that will benefit us both." she said, grinning cheerfully. "You need lessons in...let's call it passive boastin', things that expound upon your eventual greatness just by measure of their very existence." she said, coming to stop when the reached the docks. "Nobody, and I do mean nobody, likes to show off how great they are like Imperials. I mean, when you're buildin' castles in volcanoes just because you can, that's the kind of showin' off that tells everyone how great you are even if they've never heard your name." she said, cheerfully. "And as it happens, I have no real support base in The Eternal Empire. Which you could be fixin' for me, if you're careful while you're there." she said, grinning.
"So, here's what you're goin' to do. You're goin' to go visit the empire and take in all that Imperial glory they like showin' off so much. While you're there, build up a little followin' for me." she said, pausing in thought for a moment before nodding. "Try the slave trade. It's gettin' rough on them there, so the ones that are still in the business likely aren't there just for the coin. People like that are more likely to be...receptive to workin' for someone like me." she said, her tone calm. "Granted, I've always had luck findin' allies in the slave trade, ever since I stopped lookin' at serial killers for allies. Most of my old operation was based in that, mercenary work, and war profiteerin'." she said, her tone cheerful. "Even better, most of them stayed on after my Ascension." she said, giggling slightly. "So, lookin' forward to a vacation back in my old home?" she asked, her tone cheerful.
Re: [The Glass Tree] Reverence
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2022 3:48 pm
by Cad Revel
Timestamp: 2nd of Cylus, Arc 722
Location: The Glass Tree, Almund
Cad would have been lying if he said he wasn't surprised that Valtharn wasn't especially keen on serial killers. He'd assumed from her domains that any sort of murder would win her approval, and it was slightly relieving to learn that wasn't the case. It would have been terrifying if the initiates of Valtharn's new religion who looked for him for guidance were all stab-happy psychopaths. Still it did raise the question of what sorts of murder did please his new goddess. Realising how important that information could be for saving his bacon, and spotting that right now was as good an opportunity as any to find out, Cad hummed thoughtfully. "I can't say I've ever seen the appeal of serial killing myself. I mean I know better than anyone how fragile the mortal body is, and saying you've killed a dozen harmless civilians isn't particularly impressive. People die tripping down staircases, and nobody cowers in fear at the sight of stairs. You, however, must have slain some pretty powerful beings in your time. What separates a petty murderer from a worthy warrior?"
He listened carefully as Valtharn explained why he needed to show off more in his quest for world domination, and then as she gave him a mission: to travel to the Eternal Empire and build a cult in her name. Cad had never been to the Eternal Empire before, and had to admit that the idea of it sounded exciting. The Empire was possibly the greatest military force in the world. What if this cult he began to build could leverage some amount of control over the Empire? With the Imperial military under his command world domination would become a much easier task.
Cad bowed his head again. "It will be done, your holiness." Slavery was never an industry he'd expected to enter, but if it gave him a foothold into building this cult then so be it. Money was an important resource for any organisation, and if slave traders could provide that then he could gradually worm his way into the military and other avenues of imperial society. "If I may, you must have met some like minded people back when you lived in the empire. Do you have any names, slavers or otherwise, of people who you think might be keen to join your cause if the offer came their way?"
Re: [The Glass Tree] Reverence
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2022 3:22 am
by Basilisk
Valtharn gave Cad a slightly amused look as he commented on how easy it was to tear apart a Mortal body, then tilted her head at his question about what separated a murderer from a warrior. "How well you can survive someone else tryin' to kill you. But I don't think that's what you were after." she said, giggling slightly. "I know surprise when I see it, Cad, and you were surprised I don't like serial killers." she said, before her expression turned more serious. "It's not the killin' that I mind. I've killed plenty of innocents, for all kinds of reasons. It's the compulsion and the obsession that disgust me. People so consumed by a single, often minor, incident that they can't move on from it. Sad little dregs who kill because it's the only thing that matters in their life anymore, thinking they sit atop the world as though they were gods." she said, that sneer back in her voice. "It's utterly pathetic." she said, her voice dropping to an echo-laced growl at the end, though the echo could really best described as the faint sound of screams.
"So no, it's not the killin' that bothers me. It's the people doin' it." she said, her voice returning to normal. When he asked her about contacts she might have made back in the empire, she shook her head. "Cad, I was an Imperial Marshal over sixty years ago, and until they day I turned traitor, not one single person there, besides maybe Karem, knew that I was a monster. After all, I had done a very good of hiding it." she said, smiling slightly. "Not many contacts made that will help you there, frankly." she said, her tone calm. Then she paused for a long moment as if in thought. "Oh, one piece of advice, though. There's an old, abandoned prison in the Winter Reach. It's still guarded and the people there think its dangerous. " she said, before turning to face him, her expression serious. "Stay away from it. It's where they kept me after I was arrested the first time, and it's where I awakened my initial Domains. All of them, at once. It is, indeed, very dangerous." she said, her tone losing all it's normal cheer.
There was another pause after that, then Valtharn snapped her fingers as something occurred to her. "Right, I need to explain the rules!" she said, her tone regaining its usual cheerful nature. "So, I do have some rules for my followers, don't worry, nothing strenuous. There's only three." she said, holding up a finger. "First rule, if you make a contract with someone, you keep it as long as the situation doesn't drastically change. In our lifestyle, it pays to keep your enemies among our own kind as few as possible." she said, her tone calm before she added her second finger. "Second rule, never make excuses for what you are. No blaming it on society or your parents or that time you got rejected by your schoolyard crush. You're a bad guy, own it." she said, grinning slightly as she added the third finger. "Third, don't let your desires rule you. You're in charge of who you are and what you do, not anything or anyone else. Keep yourself in control." she said, grinning.
"That all clear? Got any more questions?" she asked, her tone cheerful.
