“There
was a time when the Archduke of Owon-Kibirsk grew mistrustful of his
personal guard of elves. They had shown their allegiance in previous
decades, and not once had there been cause to question their loyalty to
the Archduke. Now, though, his suspicions were roused. Yet the Archduke
did not wish to free them of their service. Too much had he grown
accustomed and reliant on the elves, to carry out his every order without
ever questioning it. [Note by G.A.Q.: Owon-Kibirsk is today called
Novbirsk, in Kraznyczar. Its ancient name is commonly used for a mythical
place that has little in common with the actual city; it is always ruled
by an evil Archduke. In this traditional tale, the character’s dark
nature is established in the first lines: the typical reader or listener
in Kraznyczar would assume that the services of the elves were to suppress
the populace.]
“He
needed proof that the elves were still loyal. So he sent a messenger with
a sack full of gold to the Haguenite temple in Owon-Kibirsk, purporting to
buy the services of one of the priests. The head priest took the gold, and
with the sack in his hand returned to the Archduke’s castle. ‘Ruler of
our town,’ he addressed the Archduke, ‘I come to return your coins. My
service, nor that of any of my clerics, is not for sale.’
“The
Archduke replied, ‘You offer your services to the simple folk, why not
to me? Do you disrespect my authority?’
“’No,’
the priest shook his head, ‘that would be improper. Our lord has decreed
that we should follow the propriety and laws of the place where we live.
Therefore you have all the respect that your position demands.’
“’Then
take the money and do as I tell you!’
“The
priest frowned. ‘But that would be most improper. As I said, our
services are not for sale. They are for the asking. I can accept a
donation to my temple, yet that would not affect how I conduct my holy
affairs.’
“The
Archduke shrewdly thought that he had uncovered the true meaning of the
priest’s words. He must have felt that the sum offered him was not
enough, so that a new bargain had to be struck – coached in the words of
the clergy. ‘Then consider it the first part of a donation,’ the
Archduke said. ‘A second bag with the same amount of gold shall be
delivered to your temple as soon as you have finished your task for me.
Are you now willing to do as I ask?’
“’I
have been willing before,’ the priest assured.
“To
the Archduke’s ears, that was only proof that the new bargain was
sealed, and now the priest would – because of his oath to Haguen – be
loyal to him for the duration of their deal. Although he now had to pay
twice the price he had intended, the Archduke thought that the money would
be well spent if he had bought a cleric for it. Now the Archduke called
for his elven guards, that the priest would examine them on their faith
and loyalty.
“Once
that task was explained, the highest-ranking of the elves stepped forward
and said, ‘My liege, when have we ever displeased you? Every task was
carried out to the letter and spirit of your command, ever have we shown
ourselves to be trustworthy. Have you now decided to follow the
commoners’ distrust of my people? Do you now share the simple folk’s
hatred for my kind?’
“’Silence!”
roared the Archduke, angered by the questions. ‘You will do as I tell
you, elf – or I shall take this as your first act of rebellion.’
“The
elf nodded. ‘As you say, my liege. Forgive me for speaking in this
manner.’
“’Yes,
yes,’ the Archduke muttered, then waved the priest towards the elves.
‘Cleric, test their loyalty. I know that you can sense whether they are
true to their word, so go on and do your duty.’
“Slowly
the priest said, ‘I can do as you say, ruler, yet would it not be better
to –‘
“’I
will not be questioned again! Do your duty, cleric, that is what your god
is good for!’ the Archduke shouted.
“The
priest agreed at once that indeed Haguen was the Dutiful, and that the
cleric himself would do nothing than his duty. With those words it was
that the priests came to stand before the highest of the elves and asked
him, ‘Do you believe in my lord Haguen?’
“The
elf raised his chin angrily. ‘Do you persist in denouncing my people? We
are not heathens, we also believe in the gods. Including Haguen. He
is one of the prime deities we worship.’
“’Yes,
I sense that you speak true. Your faith in Haguen is strong,’ the priest
said. ‘Then answer my second question, are you loyal?’
“The
eyes of the elf sparked as he listened to the words, then he nodded with a
soft smile. ‘If you have sensed my faith in the Eternal Guardian, then
you will also sense that I am indeed loyal. My loyalty cannot be bought,
it cannot be corrupted by any means.’
“Nodding,
the priest replied, ‘I can see the truth in your statement. All the
truth.’
“’It
is what I would expect of a priest in the Eternal Guardian’s service.’
“The
Archduke angrily interjected, ‘For the moment, you are in my service,
cleric. You had better remember that, and now tell me, has he passed your
test? Is he as loyal as he claims to be?’
“The
priest bowed right away and said, ‘Yes, ruler of our land, the elf and
his subordinates are completely loyal.’
“Elated
at this news, the Archduke released the cleric from his castle and posted
the elves at their stations once more. But he did not send the promised
second sack of gold to the temple, for he thought that in this manner he
could bind the priest to himself. The bargain, the Archduke thought, would
endure until the final payment was made.
“Nothing
could be further from the priest’s mind. Yet, as he returned, he found
to his surprise that the ceremonial halbard was gone from the altar, as
was the gilded cuirass that had adorned it. Furious, the head priest
called for his clerics and acolytes, charging them to search for the
stolen items. Yet none of his subordinates moved to obey the command.
‘What has gotten into you?’ the head priest yelled. ‘You have been
given an order!’
“’But
we already know where the halbard and the cuirass are,’ one cleric
answered.
“Hardly
had he spoken these words that a man entered, bearing the supposedly
stolen items. There could be no mistaking him, nor could any claim that he
was a thief, for both halbard and cuirass rightfully belonged to him.
‘Eternal Guardian, great Haguen,’ cried the priest and sank to the
floor, ‘I am honored by your presence.’
“’That
you are,’ the god replied and stood before the priest. ‘Tell me, my
servant, do you believe that you have rightfully acted today? You know
that the elves are not loyal to the Archduke but only to themselves and
their own cause.’
“Doubt
settled in the priest’s heart when he raised his eyes carefully. ‘My
lord, I was asked to see if the elves were loyal. That I did, and I
answered truthfully. The Archduke’s money could not alter the elven
loyalties, nor could they be corrupted in any other way.’
“The
god asked, ‘You did not feel it necessary to inform the Archduke that
his task was insufficient, and that a better wording would produce the
desired result?’
“’My
lord,’ the priest said slowly, ‘I have tried, yet the Archduke
reminded me that I had to fulfill my duty, by which I am letter-bound to
his words. That was the rightful way to act, as I saw it.’
“A
smile slowly spread on Haguen’s face. ‘You have done good, my servant.
You have not questioned your own actions in the face of your god, and thus
you have proven yourself a staunch believer in my tenets. You will now go
to the citizens’ council and suggest to them that they have need of your
guardianship ten days from now. That is your reward; you now can fulfill
your own duty to this city and its people. Carry my halbard, wear my
cuirass, and defend them if the need arises, as I do protect the
faithful.’
“With
those words, Haguen left the temple, never requiring a door or even to
undo the sacred items. The priest took them, put on the cuirass, slung the
halbard over his back, then did as he was bidden by his lord.”
Traditional
(originally from Kraznyczar, but there are similar stories told in other
lands of Gushémal, although they all seem to be derivatives of this
original; this version is taken from Serref Merlgims’ collection of folk
tales, Sirap, 3098 A.E.)
“It
is the divine spirit of Haguen which guides us to stay true to our duty
and the purpose we have chosen, be it the soldier’s duty, or that of a
messenger, or that of a merchant. Keeping to our promises and fulfilling
our duties to the best of our abilities, that is giving praise to the
Eternal Guardian.
“So
praise Him throughout your existence, serve faithfully, and be assured
that He shall keep a place reserved for you by His watchfire in the
everafter.”
Rhyne
Gauld, Haguenite Priestess,
Faithold, Arrufat Peninsula
“Curious,
isn’t it? There you have a whole clergy devoted only to duty. And here I
thought that any given priest was high and mighty about the faithful
following the divine orders by the letter. Only goes to show how crazed
clerics can be. Not that I have anything against the gods, surely not.
It’s just the priests who gall me.
“And
the clerics of Haguen are the worst of the bunch. Look, maybe I could
accept them if they kept that idea of holy duty only to their own
purposes, like most of the others do. But the Haguenites insist that everybody
has to be loyal and dutiful – no matter what the circumstances. Do they
really think that’s so smart?
“Let
me give you an example, all right? A couple of years ago, I knew a clerk
in a merchant house. She figured out that her employer was scamming the
customers. The merchant made up tolls and fees that he had to pay for
passage of the goods through other lands, he invented various other ways
of rising the prices, always after a deal has been struck beforehand.
He’d concealed his scam very well, managing to goad his customers to
keep ordering more wares.
“The
clerk, she went to ask a Haguenite priest for advice. The man had seemed
reliable and wise to her before. Well, guess what the fool cleric told
her? He said that she was trying to break her duty to the merchant, the
one who paid her! Can you believe that? She was concerned about the
customers, but the priest told her to mind her duty to the bloody thieving
merchant!
“That’s
the way Haguenites think, you know? If you’re a soldier in the employ of
a murderous dictator, you’ve got to do what the dictator tells you and
lay down your life for him if the need arises – but you must not turn
sides, because that would be disloyal.
“What
a load of crap! A priest of Decirius, now he would say that justice is
what you should seek; he would have told the clerk to bring all the
evidence so that he could levy judgement on the merchant. (Not that I
really like having clerics as judges, I don’t trust the Decirians any
more than the Haguenites. They’ll find some way to screw you over just
the same.)
“If
we could get rid of priests altogether, I’d be happy. Let everyone
worship the gods in his own private way, without any of the pompous fools
inbetween, that’s the way to live.”
Crithit
Tòmaz,
Marsey, Ibrollene (3139 A.E.)
“We
are all bound by a web of duties and loyalties. It would be simplistic to
claim that at any time we are beholden to only one of these, that we can
select to whom we owe loyalty. We have to balance the debts and services
that we owe.
“It
is not an easy task, yet it is that which Haguen has set before us. In
that, we must follow the tenets of Decirius, He Who Decides, and look for
the just action. After all, does not Haguen himself serve Decirius? Are
not we, as his servants, therefore duty-bound to the High Lord as well?
“As
you can see, we have already two masters whom we must please.
“But
then, Haguen is the Eternal Guardian, who stands before the gates of the
Divine Home. He is the Protector of the Faithful. Therefore it is his
servants’ task to also safeguard those who put their faith in Haguen,
and therefore they owe loyalty to the faithful as well.
“We
are also held to respect and follow the customs and laws of the place
where we reside. Proper and civil behavior is another demand that Haguen
places upon us, as part of our duty. Therefore we owe loyalty to the law
and the authorities enforcing them, as well as those who make the law. The
ruler is another master we have to be loyal to.
“Yet
civil behavior also means that we have to be respectful of every other
person, no matter whether a lawmaker or his representative. Do we not also
owe loyalty to them?
“All
the faithful share these loyalties, but each one of us also has other
ties, of a personal nature. There is the loyalty to your parents, to your
family, but also that to your friends. Then there is your employer, or
your superior in the ranks (be it clergy or wizardry or army or anything
else of the sort) – he is the one whom most would call your proper
master.
“We
must not let our loyalties be decided by only one of these bonds; they are
all important and have to be considered in our decisions. A priest has to
be foremost in this. That is what the Eternal Guardian demands of us.”
Fraigue
Valoran, Haguenite Priest,
Chazevo
“There
are those among us who say that we have to protect the faithful by keeping
them true to their oaths and their duties. They say that words are
mightier than a wielded blade.
“But
we, the Nyblungs, ask whether Haguen is truly reflected by the symbol of a
shield, or by the halberd that he carries, and by the force of which he
protects the sacred? Haguen is a god of virtue, but he knows that virtue
must be defended, defended with more than the mere words of other clerics.
No, it is the halberd that has to stand for the deity. It is the halberd
which we have to bear as well, to carry out our duty to the Unswerving
One.
“Despite
the way our brothers in Haguen speak badly of our acts, we shall proceed
to walk armed, we shall proceed to defend the sheep, as the shepherd also
carries weapons to drive off those who would prey on his flock.
“We
shall continue to do our duty to Haguen in the only righteous way!”
Dafyant
Stenz, Nyblung-Haguenite Priest
“The
Nyblung Sect is a strange offshoot of the Haguenite clergy. They have
altered several of the precepts of the main branch, most importantly that
the Nyblungs bear arms and hire out their services – which puts them in
direct competition with Nash’Geo guardian priests. Of course the
Nyblungs claim that they have precedence, since theirs is a prime god,
while Nash’Geo is only a deity of the second generation. On the other
hand, the numbers of guardian priests of the traveller god are much
higher, and they certainly have a longer standing tradition. Nyblungs
always counter by claiming that in the ancient and pure times, Haguenites
were always armed. Only the perversion of their creed in more recent times
has allowed Nash’Geo priests to usurp the Haguenites’ old place.
“Whatever
the truth of this, the rivalry between the two has become intense. To a
degree, this is the major reason why the main branch of Haguen’s clergy
denounces the Nyblungs, because their presence encumbers the clergy’s
relationship with Nash’Geo. Unfortunately, the sect has established
itself solidly by now, with its own temples and its own clergy (ranked,
suitably enough, by military designations), oftentimes openly challenging
the representatives of the main branch in a city by placing their temple
opposite the regular one.
“Nyblungs
are generally aggressive and feel the need to assert the righteousness of
their cause in many ways; luckily they tend towards words (which is
ironic, given their supposed loathing of words). Nonetheless one should
never forget their halberds which they train with excessively and thus
have become highly adept with. Picking a fight with a Nyblung is not
difficult, winning it without any loss of limb or life, that is
difficult.
“Since
they are ordinarily more of the physical type, they don’t study as hard
as the regular priests. As a result their magical abilities lag behind
their brethren’s. Although they have the same basic range of blessings
and curses at their disposal, they are almost always less skilled – but
they make up for that disadvantage by their weapons and brawn.
“Despite
the differences, they are still Haguenites at heart and absolutely devoted
to duty. Therefore several cities have welcomed Nyblungs as part (or the
entirety) of their town guard, a task that they cherish. The cities can
rely on the Nyblung loyalty, while they are glad to be respected as they
should be (and will state that on many occasions).
Nauwy
Tall, Darawk priestess,
Faithold, Arrufat Peninsula
“There
is no greater challenge for a builder than to design a temple devoted to
Haguen, I firmly believe in that.
“When
the head priest of the local temple, here in Vellabie, selected me for his
new building, I was excited. The Haguenite temples are always so dire and
simplistic. That indeed is their desire, to make their temple look much
like an ordinary guardhouse, its harsh lines reflecting their own
dedication to duty. Yet I feel that is not what a temple should look like;
it should be a place of worship, one of lighthearted devotion to a god.
“My
challenge, then, was to combine both the earnest steadfastness of
Haguen’s clerics with the delight of the worshippers. First I worked on
the exterior. Ordinarily a squat building on a square base, I changed the
layout to be rectangular, broader than it is deep, and also higher than
its depth. I gave the walls a slight bend, by having their thickness
reduce towards the front, where the entrance is located. That way, an
observer’s eye is unconsciously drawn towards the gate.
“To
make the best use of that attraction, I had the walls around the gate
itself carved so they resemble a fence. It is supposed to be a guardhouse,
after all. The gate itself is the customary doorway with the rounded top,
made of solid wood.
“Since
Haguenite temples are never painted, I had to consider other ways of
coloring the building. After much pondering I settled to build a second,
very thin wall around the actual stones, made of cement bricks. Into the
bricks, some coloring agents were mixed, and as a result the temple now
shines in a bright ochre. By these means, I had now created a veritable
gate to the gods, a perfect representation of the Eternal Guardian’s
function.
“As
for the interiors, the head priest was most precise in his demands. There
were to be the clerics’ cells on the second floor, as simply furnished
and designed as would be those of ordinary guards. Next to the stairway
down, the offices of the highest-ranking clerics were to be placed.
“On
the ground floor, the back of the building was to be taken up by kitchen
facilities, lavatories and other such ordinary rooms. In the eastern part,
a room for communion was to be situated. (I have taken to calling it the
‘briefing room’. By the way the head priest described to me what it
was used for, it reminds me very much of the briefing rooms that the city
guard uses to give out the daily assignments. The only real difference is
that here, the priests convene for regular worship as well.)
“The
western side of the building was to hold a single cleric’s cell,
identical to those on the floor above – but its walls were to be two
feet thick, without a window, and with its door behind a corridor of no
less than twenty feet and no more than thirty feet in length. Only two
torches were allowed to light the corridor, and a third was within the
cell. This room is never occupied – at least not by any mortal being. It
is reserved for the Eternal Guardian himself, should he ever visit this
temple.
“What
remains of the ground floor is taken up by the place of worship, a
triangular room. At the base of the triangle, there is the door outside,
as well as two windows set high in the walls. Benches are lined up in the
room, turned towards the tip of the triangle where the altar to Haguen is
located. The altar is a stone table, with the shield insignia of Haguen
carved into its rectangular top. Its sparse decoration consists of a
halbard mounted on a stand. (In other temples, the stand is made of metal
and placed on the altar. I had a stand carved from the same block of stone
as the altar itself, so that they are a single piece.) Hanging from the
wall above the altar is a cuirass. Both are the ancient devices with which
Haguen is associated, and through them the Unswerving One is present. In
some temples, a shield, a helmet and gloves are also added, but that is
not common. I am proud to say that in the Vellabie temple, we have all of
that, and the items are all gilded. I have also taken care that they are
mounted as if Haguen himself was wearing them, seeming to hang in the air
(but actually attached to slight wires and stone spikes).
“There
was little I could do here to add an aesthetic touch to the austerity in
so many temples. I did my best, by choosing more lively kinds of stone, a
more interesting arrangement of windows, of columns (some bearing actual
weight, some for artistic reasons only). As I said above it is a true
challenge. I feel that I have succeded, yet that should be for others to
judge, not for me.”
Beydlam
Taum, Architect,
Vellabie, Cayaboré
(Note by G.A.Q.: This text was written shortly after the temple was
constructed in 3122 A.E. Two years later, another head priest took over
the office and ordered the ochre cement wall torn off the building, so
that only the unadorned stones are visible.)
The
Blessing of Absolute Loyalty
“Oft
it is that a servant feels less valued than he should be. It is then that
he undertakes to see a priest of the Unswerving One, that he may be as
firm in his devotion as is Haguen. A ritual will then be arranged, during
which the blessing is laid on the applicant’s soul, to bind him to his
duty eternally and irrevocably. But only then will the blessing settle
within the soul, if it is welcomed freely, as a good priest can easily
ascertain.
“Thusly,
the master must now accept that the servant is fully devoted to his duty,
and now the servant must be as valued as is his proper due.”
Feriddan
Hallmar, Haguenite Priest,
Hallowton, Cayaboré
“Flowery
speeches surround this so-called blessing, but they mask its one real
purpose: to enslave a person to a master. The one who is ‘blessed’
must execute any and all commands by the master, no matter what those may
be; he may question, he might go as far as to do so in a private
discussion with the master, yet there is absolutely no way that the
‘blessed’ person can reject an order.
“Granted,
they always do so of their own accord. Most Haguenite priests would be
shocked if they were tasked to put this blessing upon an unwilling soul
(not all, there’s always the curse – more honestly named). But how
many really choose this entirely voluntarily? Who, honestly, would curtail
his own free will, for the rest of his own life – or at least the
remaining life span of the master?
“Only
those, I say, who are forced into this by one measure or another. A stingy
employer, perhaps, whom the clerk can only please in this manner –
otherwise he would lose his job. Or the ruler of a land who will only
grant a plum of a splendid job to one who binds his soul to the ruler’s.
I could go on for hours about this, but anybody can come up with a list
several pages long within a few minutes of thinking.
“What
I am most incensed about is one practice that has been going on for a long
time in my home republic of Nede-Rhol: on their wedding nights, young
brides are ‘encouraged’ to submit to the Blessing of Absolute Loyalty,
with their husband as their master. ‘Why should you not do that?’
others, predominantly the husband-to-be, will ask. ‘After all, it is
part of marriage that you shall serve your husband, as he will provide for
you.’
“Why
then, I ask, has there never been a husband who submited to the blessing?
Why has it always been the woman? Is she of inferior willpower than a man?
Is she easier to sway, is she more likely to break the oath of marriage?
Or is it perhaps the other way around, that men want assured control of
their wives, while they can do as they please?
“Let
us not forget here that a large number of Haguenite priests are males
themselves. How many of their wives are subjected to this blessing, easily
convinced not only by tradition but also the quick tongues of their
husbands-to-be?
“And
do not hope that the mothers of these poor brides have much say in the
matter. In most cases they themselves have been bound to their husbands,
and the men’s ideals have long since taken hold in their souls. How much
did I struggle to avoid this accursed blessing! My mother was ready to
disown me – until I managed to convince my father, whereafter she
quickly came to cherish my decision.
“I
ask you, is that what you would expect a ‘blessing’ to effect? Is that
what a supposedly good deity should stand for?”
Meisje
Kaes,
Nede-Rhol republic, Topay Coalition
The
Curse of Absolute Loyalty
There
is not much of a difference between the blessing and the curse to the eyes
of an outsider like me. Both will bind the soul of the subject to the duty
to another person – or an institution, like a state. The blessing,
though, only works with a voluntary subject.
The
curse on the other hand batters down any resistance, shattering the free
will and replacing it with the bond to the master. It seems an utter
perversion to such as myself who cherish free will above everything else;
and the Christians of the Imperium have denounced Haguen as a dark god for
that reason. (I should rather say that they call him a dark “idol”,
since they only believe in a single god. The reader should not confuse the
Christian god with Gushémal’s own One God of the Tonomai, they are
quite disparate.)
To
the fortune of us all, the curse is far more difficult to cast than the
blessing. It requires a very experienced cleric to overcome resistance;
the more defiance the subject shows, the more force the priest will need.
It is said that the firmest of wills cannot be bent even by this curse.
A
claim that I know to be false. Some twenty-five years ago, a good friend
of mine – Claudius Aemilius – was taken prisoner in Kraznyczar.
Haguenite priests took control of his mind, binding him to their own
emperor and returning him to us as a spy. It took us months before we
began to suspect him – we scarcely know how much information he
transmitted to the Kraznyczarians during that time.
Claudius
has been a fervent soul, who was incapable of betraying us. Yet his will
was broken by the curse, so that he now had to follow the foreigners’
commands. Worst of all, he was aware all the time that he was betraying
his own people – and his own ideals. Yet he could do nothing about it.
All he could do was hope that his treason would be uncovered. But he could
not even give us the slightest hints at what was going on, that deeply had
the curse burrowed into his soul.
Poor
Claudius! Priests serving our own Apollo tried to shine the light of truth
into him, yet the curse remained unbroken. Other clerics came to undo the
bond, to no avail. Claudius had to languish in a dungeon (house arrest had
proved unsuitable, for Claudius had unwillingly attempted to escape),
until a Christian priest was called. (My friend’s wife is a Christian,
yet he had not converted to their religion.) This priest managed to loosen
the curse’s hold enough so that Claudius could return to the outside
world and tell us of his suffering.
I
wonder if the priest could have completely eradicated the curse over time,
yet he never had a chance. Claudius had taken ill during his months in
jail, an illness that would grow worse, and within half a year he died.
One cause surely was the jail itself, but I think that the torture of his
mind had left a larger stain on my friend – he had known that he had
committed treason, which rotted away his will to live.
(It
is quite curious that a Christian priest could succeed where others
failed. All in all, their faith has not flourished much in Gushémal.
Their clerics do not make use of magic, but merely praise their lord and
preach his sermons. Where there are ample signs of the other gods’
existence, the Christian deity seems to be absent most of the time –
except for such odd occurrences as this. Sometimes I think that their god
has stayed behind in the Munda Antiqua; perhaps his faith there
commands much of his attention.)
The
Blessing of the Examination of Loyalty
Every
Haguenite priest can invoke this blessing, it seems to be the first one
that they learn. The effects are very well described in the legend of the
Archduke of Owon-Kibirsk above: The cleric first has to ascertain whether
the subject believes in Haguen, then he simply asks whether the subject is
loyal.
It
appears that the cleric can sense the truth of the answer, how deep the
loyalty runs. I cannot say much more, there is a dearth of Haguenites in
the Imperium whom I might ask. (That is most likely a result of the enmity
of the Christians towards them. Even though the latter’s numbers are
certainly in the minority, they have great influence on our nation.)
The
Blessing of Locks
One
primary function of Haguen is that of the Eternal Guardian, standing watch
at the city gate of the Gushémal deities. Therefore it is no surprise
that his followers have devised a number of blessings and curses which
involve this guardianship.
The
most common of these is that locks are blessed (some would say cursed) so
that they cannot be opened except by the rightful owner or someone
properly authorized. Some don’t require a key, only a certain phrase or
some other measure by which the blessing is temporarily removed.
There
is a goodly variety of these blessings, of varying intensity. A very few
can actually be picked like a non-magical (but very complicated), yet the
majority cannot be circumvented that easily. As happens so often in our
world, the lower layers of society have found ways to deal specifically
with this blessing, and I have it on good authority that there are ways to
undo almost every of these lock blessings – although I hasten to add
that most of these require a lot of experience and also expenses.
If
you, kind reader, detect any fondness in the words above, then please do
not confuse it with affection for the criminal. I certainly do not condone
that; the records of my time as senator of the Imperium should clarify
this matter. But what I do appreciate is the fact that the human spirit
can not resist the challenge of a blessed lock – indeed the challenge of
a god -, and that mere mortals can be victorious.
Curses
on Doorways
Of
course the Haguenites are aware that many lock blessings can be
circumvented. Those cast by the lower ranks of their clergy are
particularly vulnerable – a situation that those most definitely do not
like. (After all, these blessings make up a good part of their temples’
revenue.) As a result, other ways of protecting entrances have been
developed, to wit by cursing them. The curse is usually linked to an
ordinary lock blessing. When the lock fails by any other means than the
regular key (or word or something of the like), the curse is invoked and
affects all that stand before the doorway. The range varies, depending not
only on the abilities of the casting priest but also the wishes of the
proprietor.
The
basic function of the curses is always the same, but their effect varies
greatly. Some blind the persons within range, some call down lightning,
some make them fall asleep, some cause insane berserker rage so that the
supposed invaders try to kill each other. Most often the curse is not
openly advertised, and it is only discovered when someone tries to enter
irregularly.
As
one can imagine from my previous statements, there are people who have
sought for ways to circumvent these curses. To their dismay, such ways are
far more difficult to uncover than those against lock blessings. First,
one has to find out if there is a curse at all, then which kind of curse
it is, or how it can be countermanded.
For
that reason the doorway curses have put the priests back in the business
of protecting entrances. It appears safe to assume that a door locked by a
Haguenite blessing also carries a curse of some form. Whether lethal or
not, I would say, depends much on the nature of the person who has hired
the clerics in the first place. If the Archduke from the legend above had
had a curse put in, it would most assuredly have been deadly.
The
Blessing of Impenetrability
I
find this one very intriguing. It seems to be a continuation of the
blessings and curses above, also used for protection, but it is a very
extreme (and expensive) measure. Here the priests make sure that walls
cannot be pierced by any means, that they become impenetrable. As a matter
of fact, the blessing also includes windows, doorways and in some cases
the air which seems to turn into a wall of its own. There have been
instances in which a house or castle had been surrounded by a perfect
globe of impenetrability. (These instances have been regretted quickly by
the people inside, for the solid globe did not allow in any fresh air, so
that the inhabitants of the castle suffocated – unless the blessing was
revoked quickly. Since the casting Haguenite is usually also inside, he
will take care to leave several openings in such a globe – vents, if you
will.)
Most
commonly, though, only the walls of, say, a castle are blessed. For this
matter, the priest has to walk along the entire length, constantly casting
his blessing. Obviously this consumes a lot of strength and time, which
accounts for the high price that the Haguenites charge for this blessing.
It
seems that this blessing is highly effective, but it always comes at a
price, for it is as impossible to leave its protected zone – except
through pre-arranged passages – as it is to enter. If windows are
included in the blessing, you cannot leap out of it (if there is a fire
within, for example), and neither could a defender of a castle fire arrows
at a besieger.
Should
the zone have many open passages, then its effect is called into question,
for the outsider can use them as easily as the insider. They are ordinary
windows and doors, for all intents and purposes. That a siege engine
cannot batter down a wall is an advantage, yet there are more ways at the
disposal of a besieger.
All
in all, this blessing is a double-edged sword. It can be very beneficient,
but it should be well considered before handing over the donation to a
priest.
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