by JoshuaDurron » Sat Oct 05, 2002 1:09 pm
I stood before the followers of Dumat. We are few, anywhere. In such a remote place, are numbers are even less. There were perhaps twenty of us all together. We all know each other, trust each other, we are in short, generally a tight community. Such are our values. Saying goodbye to those people was one of the hardest things I ever did. But I knew it had to be done. And so I began my last words of wisdom to them.
"My friends, six hundred years ago the great Thomas Dumat preached a doctrine that would make him an outcast among almost all men. He accepted this with dignity, and never stopped caring for his fellow man, or working for his vision.
"Now, six hundred years later we still hold that vision: That a world where people have decided to no longer use the powers of the arcane will be a far better one than that which we have now. That a world where people have seen the error of arcane magic will be more peaceful and more pleasent than ours.
"We have strived to convince others of this by living without magic ourselves. Many of Dumat's followers were, and are mages who have seen magical creations run wild, and wreak havoc, or other mishaps of the magical world. This has only strengthened our testimony. Perhaps one day, all will be willing to lay aside magic.
"But until then, we are willing to work with other mages and representatives of the arcane in order to keep it from doing to much damage. Dumat himself under took such tasks while he was here, and was fully willing to work with the forces of the arcane to prevent havoc.
"Now I find myself called to a similar cause. I will be leaving you tonight on a holy mission to purge a demon lord from the planet. I ask for your blessing. I ask for your prayers. May God bless you in the future."
I stood silently for a moment, my unseeing eyes staring out at people who I had known for forty years. A vision flashed before my eyes, of their community flurishing in the future. Wistfully, I realized they would be fine, even without me. I wish I could be as certain for my group's wellfare in the future.