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Grand Inquisitor Karl Vondevan After receiving his commands from the Pope, Karl steps outside, and stands on the Great Bridge separating the papal palace from the rest of the city. He rests his hand on the stone, and looks down. From there, you can see impossibly far into the distance, down to the jungles below. What a beautiful day it was. The sun was shining, and there was a breeze. He looks out and wonders, why in such a beautiful world that Vallensius had made, mankind would repay Him through violence. Oh, he knows the answer. He knows about the wicked heart of mankind, and the rebellious spirit. But it was just such foolishness. The world was vast and rich, and Vallensius desired nothing more than that man enjoy its bounty. "Thus are we the authors of our own miseries, hurting ourselves and each other with evil", Karl says to himself. It's sad. There would be deaths with what Karl had to do. He knew that, and hated it a little. He saw the accounts of the tortures and executions. They were forwarded to him every week, and he read them, every word. It was his penance. It was just all so unnecessary. Why did they fight so hard to hang on to their lies and rebellion? Karl was, as he saw it, a surgeon. It was necessary to cut out the bad flesh so that the patient might live. But still, it could be hard sometimes. Shaking his head, he walked back to the Inquisition's offices. When he got back, he headed to his offices and called for his secretary. "I want you to write up two letters for my seal.", he says to the young man. "The first, to the Inquisition in Hissin. Inform them that the woman known as the Windspeaker is believed to be within the borders of Hissin, and tell them to be alert for her. She is to be captured if possible, killed if not." They wouldn't capture her, in all likelihood. He had led a search himself for her several months back, following rumors she had been in the Archean Reach. It hadn't gone well. She had always been one step ahead. He'd get to a village, just to find she had passed through the day before. One time he had tracked her to a mountain valley and had sworn he had her trapped, with soldiers blocking the only exit. But she was gone...somehow. The worst part of the whole thing had been coming back to tell His Holiness he had failed. Oh, there had been an outburst of anger, but it was a transient thing. That was the thing about His Holiness, he was never really angry, even though bursts of peevishness were more common now. But the real anger, the intense anger, never lasted. No, that wasn't the bad part. Karl could have handled anger. The worst part was how understanding he was. His Holiness had spoke, his words tinged with the disappointment that he was trying to conceal, and his questions had been about Karl's welfare. Karl had tried his best, he said. The woman was tricky. It wasn't the Inquisition's fault, and His Holiness still had complete faith in both Karl and the Inquisition. That was hellish; having to face both the Pope's disappointment and his compassion. Karl knew then that eventually he would face the Windspeaker, and he'd speak to her, and it would end with the death of one of them. Not today, though. "I want you to draft the next letter to the Inquisition in Red Vale. Inform them that I am not pleased with their progress and that I will be coming to the Red Vale myself to oversee operations." The secretary leaves, and Karl looks out the window to the East. "I'm coming, demon of the sands. And when I come, I'm going to burn your cult to ashes and then feed them to you. And we'll see then how powerful your Ra'Loah is then. Oh, yes." pre:Nobody Expects the Sevvran Inquisition +4 The Inquisition has eyes almost everywhere. It is the duty of sinners to confess their sins, and the duty of the faithful to report those suspected of heresy and sorcery, and the only appeals from the decisions of the Inquisition are to the Pope or the King. Karl has the theoretical power, at least, to order the arrest of anyone he suspects of sorcery or heresy, question them until he is sure of their guilt or innocence, and then punish the guilty. There are practical limitations to this, of course; the Inquisition is hardly the only power within the Church , and the Church is hardly the only power within Sevvran, and so, at least in the Sevvran homeland, is restrained in the use of its power. Accusations that the Inquisition is acting arbitrarily or overly harshly in recently conquered territories like Hissin or the Red Vale are merely rumors, and not substantiated. If you have evidence this sort of thing is occurring, Karl would dearly like to know it, as he firmly believes itsthe responsibility of the Inquisition not to abuse the power its given. Of course, if these are just rumors, well, Karl would remind you that it's a sin to spread lies and slander against the Church, and sins are punished now. Charismatic +2 Karl is, when it comes to matters outside of the parameters of his faith, easygoing and tolerant, eager to hear and take into account the opinions of others. He's self-depreciating and witty, he's a good listener, and has an easy smile and endearing personality. If he sets his mind to charm you, he will, and he's able to rationally and convincingly explain why he believes what he believes. He's a good mimic and a hit at parties. The Traditions of the Faith +2 Karl has been trained in the scholastic traditions of the Church. He is trained in languages, both church and civil law, rhetoric, science, mathematics, music, poetry and drama, politics, theology and philosophy, and has access to libraries and scholars. The Purity of his Faith -2 Good does not compromise with evil, or light with darkness. Karl won't compromise his faith or willingly ally with someone evil unless they're truly willing to repent. When it comes to matters of faith, he's willing to accept that some of his opponents aren't necessarily evil.... some might merely be deluded or ignorant, but he'll never come to accept their views as valid or believe that society should tolerate their holding them. Epicurius fucked around with this message at 04:03 on Jul 17, 2016 |
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Jul 17, 2016 01:40
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Karl Karl drinks the warm water slowly, ignoring the grit and letting the liquid trickle down his parched throat. He wants to gulp it, to swallow it in torrents. He wanted a bath; to remove the sand that was everywhere, staining his clothes, skin, and hair a reddish-brown. More than that, though, he wanted not to hear what he had just heard. "What do you mean, you've had no converts? None? How is that even possible?" "Your Reverence, it's the people!", the monk standing in front of him. "They're superstitious and ignorant, and they hate Sevvrans and won't listen to us!" Karl feels the blood rising in his face. "Of course they hate us. We just took over their country! And of course, they're ignorant and superstitious. It's our job to free them from that!" "Look. The Red Vale isn't like anywhere else in the kingdom. The inhospitable conditions mean that humanity is clustered in their fortress cities that can maintainblife. This is an opportunity. Invite whatever passes for religious leaders in this city to a debate. I will use this opportunity to publicly preach the truth of the Faith and demolish their superstitions. Meanwhile, I want you to make yourself useful. So long as they think all Sevvrans are the enemy, they won't help us. Let's take this opportunity to remind them that, while Sevvrans may have attacked their city, the Church did not, and use this opportunity to help those affected by the war." No one expects the Sevvran Inquisition +4 to set up a hospital and a food distribution center in the city. Charismatic +2 and The traditions of the Faith +2 to engage in public preaching and debates about religion. Epicurius fucked around with this message at 16:20 on Jul 19, 2016 |
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Jul 19, 2016 16:17
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Karl He was too late. She was gone....loose in the kingdom. He almost admires the woman. It's a daring plan; leaving her base of support, striking out. He wants to go after her, desperately; to abandon everything and go find her before she can do damage, because the news that she's left the Red Vale makes his stomach sick and his heart cold with fear. He knows well the damage she could do. But, no, that was a demon speaking. That was how demons worked. They took your emotions: your fear, your anger, your lust, and sometimes even the more noble emotions, and used them to tempt you towards sin and foolishness. No, he had to finish what he started here. He had to replant the Inquisition in the Red Vale on a more solid foundation, or else it would all come apart again. He had to set it up, so that when she returned, she would find less of a friendly home than when she left. Ok. Reforming the Inquisition in the Red Vale. No more indiscriminate use of terror. Instead, just discriminate and deliberate use of terror. Restricting our targets of actual violence to the following: 1. Those who threaten or harm the Church, it's clergy, or its members. 2. Those who actively work against the Church in its mission. 3. The cult of Ra'Loah. Continuing with the feeding stations and hospitals. Also setting up orphanages and schools, the schools free to the poor, with a nominal fee to help cover expenses for those who can afford it, said schools to teach true history and religion, instead of what the pagans believe. Also, the Inquisition to start an indepth study of the people's beliefs, to find out what is compatible with the religion and what is not, and active preaching and debates to help win over the people. So that's Nobody Expects the Sevvran Inquisition +4 and The Traditions of the Faith +2 to help reform the Inquisition in Red Vale. Reforming the Inquisition: 2d6+6 14 Epicurius fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Jul 27, 2016 |
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Jul 26, 2016 12:36
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Karl Was this it, then? Were his plans to bring the Red Vale into the fold doomed before they began? That there was no money, well, that was a blow, but not a serious one. Money could be found. Manpower. Things could be shifted around. Karl had spent enough time at the papal court to know that. It was a problem, but it was strictly a material problem, a secular problem, and they could be solved. Not easily, but they could be solved. The other though...the other sickened him, made him want to retch. Was it just blindness on their part, or something more? He knew, faith illuminated, it didn't blind. It wasn't that he was opposed to violence as such. He knew sometimes the body had to be damaged or destroyed to save the soul, and he knew that the Church was parent to the people, and, like any good parent, sometimes needed to punish. But this? He knew the papal orders. He helped write the papal orders, and nothing he was proposing was against papal orders. Why be put in charge of the Inquisition in the first place, if his orders were just to be mocked or ignored by his so called subordinates. Or was this some flaw in him? He had never really led anything before; just administered under others. Was he somehow incapable of it? Incompetent? And if he was, then wasn't his continued leadership of the Inquisition a sin? Kurt knew that individuals in the Church, just like everywhere else, could be corrupt, or wicked. Being ordained wasn't magic; it didn't somehow make you immune to sin. But for an entire organization within the Church to corrupt itself? Impossible. No, this had to be his weakness, somehow. He needed to purify himself. He needed to pray. Going out to the desert to fast and pray. Don't think I have any particular traits to use.
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Jul 29, 2016 01:48
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Grand Inquisitor Karl Vondevan Karl lies in the bed. The sheets itch, but maybe that's his skin, which crackles with pain. He remembers the demon attack and then...nothing. Where is he? And what is he doing here? Someone must have found his body. He tenses up when he hears the voices outside. Are they friend or foe? Priests of Sevvran are not often given hospitable treatment in the Red Vale, but if they had wanted him dead, that would be easy enough to arrange. So, friends, then? Or foes, taking him hostage? At any rate, he was at their mercy. He was too weak to fight, and he was hardly a trained fighter anyway. He gets to his feet, although both his legs and his head protest that, and he tries to make his way to the door. Heading to the door. Listening, if I can
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Aug 14, 2016 17:02
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Karl Karl opens the door and steps through. Seeing the monk meditating, he sits down besides him and begins meditating himself, unwilling to disturb the other's spiritual exercises.
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Aug 23, 2016 02:34
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Karl Karl thinks about the question. Was he strange? He never thought he was. If anything, he was rather boring. "What do you think Sevraan folk are like and how am I different? As to why I'm here, I was in the desert to meditate and mortify my flesh. I'm in the Red Vale to track down a dangerous cult. Why are you here?"
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Sep 2, 2016 14:34
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Karl Karl considers Mersan's question. "They are dangerous because they are demon worshipers. They seek to convert the rest of the world to the worship of the demon they call Ra'Loah, and call upon him for their sorceries. Their prophet hopes to call him into the world and then rule alongside him as his consort. This is something that all honest people, whether they be of my faith or not, should fear." He goes on to consider Mersan's other words. "There is corruption among the Church.", he concedes. "Of course there is. While I'd like to tell you that all those in positions of authority in the Church are always honest and motivated only by faith, the Church, though established and guided by God, is, nevertheless, run by human beings, and human beings sin. I would that it was otherwise. As far as bludgeoning our religion into the heads of others, sadly, there are those who are not suited for their tasks. To be a priest of the church, especially a missionary, is to be a guide, a teacher, a servant, and a father to the people. Mostly, it requires patience. There are, sadly, too many who have not yet fully cultivated that virtue." Also, too many of them are Sevraan, he admits to himself, although he will not say it aloud to a foreigner. They see you as a conquered people and they the conquerors, though few of them took up a blade in the war themselves, and think it is your duty to submit. And your people see them as Sevvran, merely agents of their oppressors. These were words he dared not say aloud, though. Still, they needed faithful from the Vale to take up leadership roles, soon. He starts to elaborate further when he hears an oh too familiar voice. "Come in, Windspeaker", he says, his back still to the door. "I've long sought to make your acquaintance."
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Sep 17, 2016 02:23
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Karl Karl doesn't turn to look at the Windspeaker, instead still staring ahead. "Sadly, most people are less polite with an army at their back. It is an unfortunate thing, but sadly, there are those who believe that if one has strength, they need not be courteous. As to your question, i can see why you might want to kill me. I am not your enemy, but you may believe otherwise, and His Holiness has commissioned me to seek your death, if it is necessary, although I hope it will not be necessary. Why is he so obsessed with you, I wonder? The self proclaimed prophet of Ra'Loah, yes, of course, but why you, Windspeaker? What heresy or blasphemy do you proclaim that is so dangerous?" "At any rate, I came here not entirely of my will, but through the kindness of your companion, who saw a dying man in the desert and gave him shelter and care. Perhaps he did wrong in that? No doubt it is better to let the stranger die in the desert."
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Sep 28, 2016 01:04
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