Kasiel sweated heavily behind the black silk mask he wore, sweat catching in his eye, but he didn't blink. Two intricate puppets laid in his lap. One was a member of the Church of Rhuaena, the other an executioner.

He slowly pulled on the cord beside him and the miniature curtains pulled aside, revealing a small crowd of children gathered before him, their faces lightly illuminated by electric streetlights, which were a new addition to Gaenkastel, even making their way to the poorer sections of the city. He used a series of candles in front of the "stage" to illuminate his play.

He carefully lifted the Vachter puppet and had him enter stage left, waving his arms, small fingers extending with the pull of a lever on it's back. "Welcome little ones!" He squeaked, jaw flapping as Kasiel flicked a switch up and down. 

Soon the presence of Kasiel behind the puppet dissolved, and the children saw only a comically proportioned Vachter, trundling onto stage. They welcomed him back.

"Little ones, tonight is a wonderful night! Do you know what night it is?" The Vachter asked, leaning over the edge of the stage slightly, almost conspiratorially.

They answered no, a few children shaking their heads.

"It is a wonderful day! A day for the church to celebrate! It is tax day!" He chirped and trilled, rubbing his tiny hands together menacingly.

The children laughed, seeing this silly little menace acting so gleeful. The children knew what tax day was, a day their parents were accosted by men in black suits and their food seemed to become more scarce. Kasiel knew that the children understood, and that to truly give children knowledge, you must treat them as both intelligent and clever. Children will always surprise you if you allow them to.

"Yessss... tax day..." The Vachter walked from one side of the stage to the other, hunched and giggling. "And for those sorry fools who don't give what is owed..."

Suddenly the executioner came flailing onto stage from stage right, snapping to attention and saluting the Vachter like he was in the royal army. The children also laughed at this, though a few looked afraid of this black masked man.

"Heads need choppin' sir?" The Executioner asked, his jaw slapping back and forth slovenly.

"Not yet!" Barked the Vachter, whirling about and suddenly pulling out a bag half his size, jingling with copper coins. "Those little bugs have all paid so far... but wait!" He pointed at the Executioner. "You have not paid!"

The Executioner looked around in a panic, patting his pockets and shrugging. "I don't have any money yet, Vachter! You haven't paid me!"

"Nonsense!" Snapped the Vachter. "If you don't pay up... well I'll... I'll... have you executed!"

The children gasped, but a few giggled, already realizing how silly that was.

"But Vachter..." The Executioner looked around in an exaggerated manner. "I'm the Executioner! Who will execute me?"

The Vachter slapped the stage with his fist in frustration. "Fooey! Well you'll get off for now!"

The Executioner sighed in relief and relaxed a bit.

The Vachter turned his back to the Executioner and looked around suspiciously before diving his hand into the bag he carried, pulling out a copper coin for himself and sticking it in his pocket.

The children began yelling and pointing, saying the Vachter was stealing and "no fair!"

Perfect.

The Executioner suddenly snapped to attention and ran over, yanking the bag away from the Vachter, spilling the coins onto the ground for the children, who cheered and picked up the coins.

"You stole from the church, Vachter!" The Executioner yelled, flabbergasted. "That... that is a punishment that must be met with... execution!!!" The Executioner moved his hands to his face in shock and horror.

The Vachter stammered and began inching towards the edge of the stage. "I-I have no idea what you're t-talking about! I was merely checking the quality of the coin!"

The Executioner reached into the Vachter's pocket and yanked out a coin. "Proof!"

The children cheered and a few called "off with his head!"

The Executioner exited the stage for a moment before dragging a guillotine back onto stage. He pointed to the hole for the Vachter's head.

The Vachter grumbled and laid his head down on the block.

Just as the blade slid down into place Kasiel withdrew his fingers from the head of the Vachter so it would detach and fall off.

The children cheered again and the Executioner bowed low. "Thank you little children! You have stopped a crime most heinous! As reward, keep those coins, and remember what happened today! You spoke out, and because of that, this crime was stopped! Your voices are powerful, this will always be true!"

With that Kasiel pulled the curtain closed once more and smiled as he pulled of his silken mask, sure that none of these children would forget this play, or the lesson he pressed upon them.

Often to change the people's view, you must start with the children, for one day, they will be the grown-ups, and the world will be in their charge.

You’ve heard the Church of Rhuaena’s account of the creation of man. Now I will tell you of the Silaen folktale of Rhuaena’s creation, and her true intentions.

Man had existed for many aeons, their souls sent into the Great Machine, and brought back each time they died. The gods, who could not act upon the Great Machine, spent their time tricking man into doing their bidding.

Worst of all of these was Ente-Kelloth. Corruptor, devourer, and blood god. He worked hardest of all to sway the progress of man towards his violent ends.

One day Ente-Kelloth managed to accumulate enough power to manifest himself in the flesh. His followers (see: slaves) ululated in rejoice and fear as his terrible form appeared before them. The priestess of their clan stepped forth and offered herself to their terrible god. Ente-Kelloth, with his many faces, arms, and other extremities, fell upon her and proceeded to couple with her, without stop, for five days and nights, all while the fellow clans-people cried in horror and joy.

At the end of the fifth day the priestess lay ruined upon the ground, and yet she appeared as though with child. As she lay, engorged and groaning, Ente-Kelloth ordered her killed and sacrificed to him.

The clansmen moved to act, but the priestess cried out “Stay your hands! For I am heavy with the child of Ente-Kelloth!”

Ente-Kelloth bellowed in rage and once again ordered her sacrificed, and once again the priestess’ fellow clans-men moved to enact his will.

She then cried out “To slay me is to attack the flesh of Ente-Kelloth, for the child I bear is of his flesh!”

At this the clans-men began to weep, dropping their arms, unable to enact their god’s will without taking up arms against him.

Ente-Kelloth let out a bellow that deafened all of the clan, sounding as though the ground had torn itself asunder, to neighboring clans. He then laid a curse of famine and pestilence upon the clan before taking his leave.

Over the following weeks the clan’s land began to fill with the rotting corpses of fallen clans-people. Those who lived offered the still clean flesh of their bodies to the priestess, who devoured them with greed.

Upon the fifth week she fell upon the now pestilent corpses of those who had fallen, and took to devouring them with relish. Despite the horrible diseases that marred the flesh of those who had died, none touched the priestess.

Despite his best efforts, Ente-Kelloth could not cause the death of the priestess.

The final night of the fifth week, she fell into labor, her screams echoing through the now empty, and bloodied clan’s lands. Blood spilled forth from her for five hours before she finally died, the babe falling from her cooling corpse.

This babe was Rhuaena. A child born of violence and debauchery, fed fat on the diseases of men.

She ascended as soon as her flesh met the cold earth. She began, from that day forward, to devour the guilt of men.

She is not the forgiver of sins, but the devourer of guilt.

Men who have their guilt eaten by Rhuaena do not regret the awful actions they have taken, and will never again feel guilty committing that action, left only with the pleasure they derived from it.

Like her father, she is a corruptor of the most devious kind. A freer of ambitions, and guide into the most depraved of human thoughts.

This is why those outside of Gaen so fear Rhuaena and the spread of her influence.

The Church tries to crush this folktale, bury it along with the bodies of those who would speak out against her, but as no one is left to tell, No One learns of it, and No One spreads the knowledge again.

Our dear emperor


Heard a shadowed whisperer


Bright clear mind now darkening


Haunted by a vast eye sparkling

Tomes strewn about


Servants hear him shout


He cries and throws them ‘gainst the wall


No answers, just hints, that is all

He worsens everyday


His chambers, locked away


Fists pound the door as he does decree


Hoarsely, “It sees! It calls! I must flee!”

Counsel members


Huddled ‘round embers


“Unfit to rule.” 

“We must in his stead”


Grasping power; influence spreads

Eyes on walls


This great man bawls


Scratched deep with his bleeding nails


This image that causes him to quail

Ente-Kelloth creates


A zealot who sits and waits


No leader left in this hallowed man


Hollowed or hallowed no difference to this madman

His crown he crushed


Now left to rust

No One knows what has happened


And knows the Counsel members plan


Leave the emperor, with mind blackened


And rule in the stead of Gueirdus Peiran

What does Ente-Kelloth want


With Gueirdus? Surely not detente

But mysteries must remain


So I may come again

Till next we meet


No One travels on silent feet