Originally posted by Serpenteye
Most of them cannot reply to you, but one old woman does. "I was powerful once. For five hundred years I was the Matron of House Sa'nat and millions of slaves, endless generations of their short and miserable lives, lived and died by my word. I was a Priestess and a Sorceress and none could defy my will without fear." She sighs wearily.
"I lived my life for power, like all other truly great Drow, unlike the pathetic mass of fearful, hateful and lustful wretches beneath me. For almost a thousand years I killed and schemed and seduced without remorse, to defend and expand my greatness and power. The hunger for power consumed me and fulfilled me. It made me the person I am." She's silent for a moment, her expression unreadable.”
"If you knew the atrocities I have committed, the pain I have inflicted and the souls, both Good and Evil, that I have irreversibly damned or destroyed you would not look at me with compassion in your heart. You loathe me already, though you hide it well, but if you truly understood the depth of my evil you would kill me this very moment. There is so much I regret and so little I can undo."
"One thing I have learned, and know to be true. Whatever abomination I have been turned into, whatever I am in my current form. There is no true forgiveness. There is no true redemption. There is no true salvation. The evil that I have done will always stay with me, whatever else I will become it is one thing I will always carry with me."
On Redemption (PUBLIC):
[sblock]
“I am aware of the evil in your past, and I can forgive you for the evil that you have committed against me. I do this as a gift, and a hope that it will aid your redemption. For signs against a deity, a deity can forgive. I do so now.”
“However, for the wrongs committed against others, I cannot grant atonement. For such to occur, you must seek forgiveness from those whom you have wronged or perhaps from their kindred. Even if they do not forgive, you will have at least made an effort and move towards redemption. Forgiveness is a gift that must be freely given.”
"Even if it is not granted, at least seeking forgivenss is a step towards redemption and enlightenment."
“We must all live with our past actions, for good or ill. You cannot unmake the past. Yet you do have the power to choose how you will live now and in the future. By seeking the forgiveness of those you have wronged, you can show regret for your actions and strengthen the resolve to not repeat them."
"It is up to others to chose to forgive the wrongs that you have committed against them. You can live your life in such a way that will show that you choose a different path. In doing so, you can try to honor the memory of those you have wronged.”
“Also, know that I have seen many who have committed great sins seek redemption. I have known fiends and efreet who sought redemption after millennia of evil – whose deeds are far darker than your own. I have seen them emerge from the darkest desires of their heart to stand for light and goodness. They have found redemption and as much peace as they can. While we must take responsibility for our actions, we can choose to act differently than we have in the past.”
“As for why I do not strike you down, you already seek to explore the possibilities for change and redemption. That is a beginning. Shortly after my ascension, I asked Zodal the deity of mercy, hope and benevolence how he could consider even the darkest and most hateful deities such as Nerull and Incabulos friends. He replied that he believes that with enough effort by him, he might convince them to change their ways. He cited the examples of fiends who renounced the ways of evil, and became servants of the gods of goodness and mercy.”
“These are some of the teachings of Zodal, servant of Rao, whom I am honored to call a friend:
’Only by experiencing kindness and mercy can evil be turned from its path, whether in a single goblin or an entire nation. Despite the world’s troubles, press on with faith that your actions bring about a better place. Let the Zodal guide you when you would be pulled into a sea of blood, pain, anger and despair. You are the masters of your feelings and by acting upon your positive ones you set an example or those who have only known misery.’”
“I will not lie to you and say that you have an easy path ahead of you. Redemption is not easy, and requires effort. However, you can chose to walk this path – and you do not need to walk it alone.”
“Your people were alone when Oerth and Greyspace were separated from the rest of the multiverse – an action that I believe was done by the gods to protect us. Without the constant influence of the Queen of Spiders, your people went into withdrawal. Ellistrae chose to reawaken a part of your nature that culture and religion had buried for millennia – the elven nature of the Mordheil. If no one had acted to provide healing, I believed your people would have died. For they had been fed a diet of evil, as some ingest drugs, for millennia. I aided Ellistrae because I believe her choice was the correct one. For now, you can explore that part of your nature that was long denied to you and discern amongst good and evil for yourself.”
“Will your people be what they might have been but for the actions of the Queen of Spiders? No, for you cannot erase the past. However, you can choose how you face it and determine how you face the present and the future.”
“You were truly evil. However, we must remember that we are not just who we were or who we are. We must remember that we are in a process of change, that we are becoming our future selves. Remember, that you do not need to walk alone.”
"My hope is that you will have many centuries to seek redemption. You may not entirely find peace within your lifetime. However, I have known those who have faced great sorrow find peace in the presence of deities in their after the end of their mortal lives. May you find peace in this life or the next."
“If you desire to speak with me further, I would desire to do so. You may also wish to speak with the priests of Zodal in this city. While I deplore what you have done, I do not say that redemption is beyond you. Look within for strength, and outside of yourself for love and support. You do not need to stand alone in your struggles with your past or in helping to shape your future. May you find peace and redemption.”
Al’Akbar smiles sadly at the aged drow matron and bows slightly towards her. [/sblock]
Originally posted by Serpenteye
Archcleric Hazen bows to Al'Akbar. "I thank you, and I too honour your devotion." He smiles. "We live in interesting times, don't you think? Times of change and times of potential. The return of the Mordheil gives great promise for the future. Perhaps soon there will be no more evil in the world. I have heard of times, dimensions and planets that have been cleansed of evil after times of great unheaval and loss. Rumoured legends of all-powerful celestials and ritual spells cast by an entire world. If the will of the original Creator allows it the same can surely happen here. We must keep our faith, above all else, if we do there's nothing we cannot accomplish."
“Indeed, Archcleric Hazen, we do live in interesting times. The Mordheil remind us that we must be prepared for the possibilities of change, growth and redemption. Yet we must also remember that the greatest struggle that many face is the one within. People can choose new paths for themselves, to see brothers and sisters where they once saw mortal enemies.”
“I have heard many of the tales as well of ritual spells cast by worlds. As for the Eternal, perhaps the ancient Flan term of the Great Mystery truly applies. For I believe we are given free will to shape our destinies in this existence. We can have our beliefs and our lives can be lights to those who cannot see. For I hold that all sentience is truly akin in the great family of Being – although there are those who see only what they assume to be their superiority. In doing so, they lessen themselves by forsaking the fellowship of their true kindred.”
“May the Peace of Rao be upon you and may the League of Athyr and all those who walk the path of enlightenment find what they seek.”
(OOC: Serpenteye, you did a good job with Hazen.)