Sundered Echo — Roleplayer Guild

Lycaon’s carriage came to a halt as they came to the front of Thale Manor. Lycaon thanked his driver and then opened up the left door, stepped out, and, closing the door, approached the manor. Lycaon did not know much of Lanaya Dionisa, certainly not enough, but he did know that she was a mage of great skill, and a formidable woman in all things. Lycaon, wearing his armor, approached Thale Manor, and the guards were not overly suspicious.

“My name is Lycaon Issarat, Grandmaster of the Order of St. Elenor,” Lycaon said. “I wish to meet with Lanaya Dionisa, and I am aware that she is staying here.”

Since the event outside the manor, security had been raised. Now there were three guardsmen at the door, including a lieutenant of the watch with the authority and initiative to react to events reliably. It was this man, resplendent in full chain and with a more decorated sword than the mundane weapons of his fellows, that replied.

"Sir Lycaon, it is a great honor to have such an esteemed individual as yourself visit this humble manor." He motioned to have the doors opened to permit the Grandmaster entry. As the doors opened, he caught the attention of a maid that was passing by inside. "Mary, inform M'lady Dionia that she has a guest - Sir Lycaon Issarat."

Turning back to Lycaon, he spoke again. "Sir Lycaon, the Grand Hall is just beyond - wait there and Lady Dionisa will be with you presently, I am sure." His tone suggested that what he said was more hope than expectation. After all, Sorceresses were well known as fickle and self centered individuals.

“And for this, I thank you,” Lycaon said.

So with this said, Lycaon left the lieutenant’s presence and walked forward into the Grand Hall.

It was several more minutes before Lana descended the stairs into the grand hall in which most guests were received. She had not intentionally made him wait, but she did not rush either. She still wore black, though did not have any head wear on this time, leaving her copper hair to flow freely and strike a stark contrast with her otherwise dour attire.

"Sir Lycaon." She said as she descended the last few steps. "To what do I owe the honor?"

Her tone was as smooth as ever, concealing her suspicion and distrust of this man before her with politeness and respect.

“Lady Dionisa,” Lycaon said, and did a bow before her. “I must offer my congratulations for your promotion to His Majesty’s High Council. But that is not why I have come. On behalf of the Church I must offer the sincerest apologies for the incident the people of this city caused. The Church condemns in the harshest their unholy transgressions. We firmly rejected the actions of the rabble, so that clear minds may triumph.”

At that, Lana's face hardened into a scowl. Was a formal apology really the best he could do? He certainly had presence, and when he spoke, he sounded sincere. With his beatific visage, she suspected most people just believed whatever he said as though it was the word of the gods.

But she was a master of misdirection and half truth. She would not be fooled so easily - not when the evidence presently painted Lycaon as the man behind Aurelia's death.

"That is a fine sentiment." She stated coolly. "But I am curious how, in the heart of the most enlightened city in the land, following an edict from the King banning just such a thing, a lynch mob managed to set up a burning outside my house so spontaneously and successfully?"

She didn't explicitly accuse the church of being blind to the sentiments among its own people... But it would be hard to miss such a thinly veiled barb in her tone and words.

To this question Lycaon knew that there was no easy answer which could be completely satisfactory and pleasant. Yet of course Lycaon would give an answer anyway. The fact was that control over the people was hard, and that to control the trends and passions of the many, if it could be done, required not only subtlety and intelligence but also time. Yet Lycaon could not say all of this out loud. He was now aware that this meeting would not be going near as well as he had been hoping.

“The people have within themselves the capacity of goodness,” Lycaon said. “But they have not always the will. And for this reason we must teach them what virtue and goodness is, either through instruction or through the whip. Prejudices run deep, but if we dig deep enough they may be rooted out. The people who, in their shamelessness, attacked you were overcome by an evil passion, and such actions are not without consequence. The Church shall never tolerate such actions.”

Lana nodded in approval at his response. "That is good. Mages have suffered enough persecution already without the people forgetting that our gifts are gods given and rightful. I trust you will be taking a more proactive role in reminding the people of these ideals in this tumultuous time?"

Lana knew as well as any in power that the last head of the church was not exactly interested in the people. At this point, anything Lycaon did was already more than what the church had done before - but that didn't mean she couldn't prod him towards making a show of his actions and allegiances. With any luck, it might also shed more light on what he really wanted. She didn't believe for a moment that his motives were as pure as he claimed.

Lycaon wondered whether or not Lanaya had really be convinced by his words at all, for he had scarcely added anything more, other than stressing his disagreement with the rabble. Yet whatever the case, he continued.

"Yes, I shall see to it," Lycaon said. "Consider it an oath."

"I will remember this Sir Lycaon..." Lana said, seemingly placated.

She turned away for a moment, but then refocused on the Knight. "Tell me. How far do you believe this mad idea that mages are evil has spread within the church, and for how long? I can't help but feel the timing is suspicious, when my dear friend Aurelia has been so recently slain in the street." Lana's tone was both accusative and mournful as she spoke of the matter.

Lycaon was honest. “I was unaware you were a friend of High Magister Aurelia. My condolences, Lady Dionisa. It is hard to say, precisely, when this element entered into the holy Church. It may have been a sentiment, however false, that entered into the minds of the vulgar very early on. That infamous radical Donatus, in the century after Klebrithy, said such things, but for that and many other erroneous beliefs he was condemned. Or the belief may be even older, and the prejudice against mages may come from the times when the heathen gods Giphine, Hizreus, and Hystix were still worshipped. As for how deep these beliefs are in the Church, I cannot say. But I can say they run deep, and run high, and it will be no easy task for me to root it out of the leadership. There is a certain theologian, Bernarda of Yannis, that is especially noteworthy in this regard.”

Lana nodded, taking it all in. The names were not familiar to her, for she was not student of theology, but the message was clear. It was then that a plan formed in her mind, a way to make this Knight a more useful piece in her strategy while ensuring her own safety. Her tone and expression changed sharply then, now to sympathy. It was calculated, a ploy to recover from the disdain she had shown earlier.

"I cannot know what it is like to have ones organization sullied by such vulgarity, but I can understand the task that lies ahead of you... It is not easy to fight for what is right, but it is always worth it. To that end, we may yet be able to work together. You can provide me with one of your Knights as a personal guard, to ensure my safety and show that the church supports mages in this dire time. In return, I will instruct mages who fear burning to seek out the churches you know can be trusted, that they might find safe haven, and you might find their pursuers and enlighten them. Such an arrangement will help immensely in building trust, even as our foes try to destroy it."

What she did not say, was that if she did end up dead while a holy Knight was guarding her, with the suspicion already on the church, it would be very bad for Lycaon. And on the off-chance he wasn't the one that attacked Aurelia, it made her safer against those who did.

Lycaon found the request surprising, and it did not escape his attention that this put all the responsibility on him. Nonetheless, he found no great reason why he should not accept, for he did not see that she requested anything great.

"Your request is granted," Lycaon said. "I will send to you one of my most trusted knights, and they shall arrive as soon as is possible, and I shall ensure that the mages have safety within the churches."

"You have my thanks sir knight." Lana said cordially. "I will not forget your assistance." She put on a sincere tone, but it was hollow. Even she couldn't manage to be this nice to someone she still thought an enemy.

"Unless there is anything else, I would like to return to catching up on the duties of my new position that have been left unattended for some time..."

"No, there was nothing else," Lycaon said. "And with that, I bid you farewell, Lady Dionisa."

He bowed, then at last turned around a stepped into his carriage. It did not take long for him, then, to be gone.
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