[Mkguild] MK Story - Two sides of the flame

[Christian Okane]

   This story is set in the Metamor Keep story universe and is set in the
country of Marigund. It reveals some key information. For a full page of
background information on Marigund (which will help explain the story)- you
can check out http://mkworld.wikidot.com/places:marigund which gives full
information on Marigund.


Chris
The Lurking Fox

*************

Two Sides of the Fire
by Christian O'Kane

Marigund City, Marigund, Outer Midlands March  708CR


   "Certain subjects demand to be written and this is one of them. Since
before I was born my family has had close ties to Marigund. These entailed
my father traveling there at regular intervals on business. Often going
there a dozen times in a year. He always went alone taking only a few
trusted servants with him. I was twelve before my father would let me travel
there with him despite all my begging and pleading to go. My parents argued
for many days over whether I should go before I was deemed old enough to
allow it. I remember his long lectures on what I could and could not do and
say. I still remember his words clearly. 'NO mention of religion. None at
all,' were his harsh words. So harsh were his words that when we arrived in
the city I refused to speak at all for two days. So frightened was I. Still
I did relax eventually and enjoyed the visit immensely. We did see the usual
places that all visitors go to and enjoyed ourselves. My father's harsh
warnings were not forgotten but were soon pushed to the back of my mind.
Still I was always mindful of making no mention of religion."

   "People are always asking me how do the people of Marigund get around the
rules of silence? How can an entire country make no mention at all of
religion? So I will take the time now to explain in a few words. How do they
get around the rules of silence? In some rather ingenious ways. A restaurant
or inn that advertises 'dietary requirements observed' is run by a
Predecessor and observes their particular dietary rules. A church that has a
sign that reads 'Old liturgy observed' is an Ecclesia place of worship. But
a church with the words 'New liturgy observed' is a Rebuilder structure. The
places of worship  used by the Lightbringers and the Predecessors are
completely different so no one has difficulties telling them apart. Business
dealings are never done on Saturdays or Sundays unless between close friends
or family. And business on Fridays is always ended early so people can be
home before sunset. A Predecessor religious requirement.

   There are distinct neighborhoods where only those of the same faith live.
The borders between such neighborhoods are as clear and distinct as if there
were actual walls there. So a simple way to tell a person's faith  is to ask
where they live, but that is considered rude. Certain areas are for the use
of all like the Great Plaza, the theatres, the coliseum, all of the market
district and all government areas. Please do not think that the country is
split into four separate areas. The different faiths do mingle a lot
especially in business and government. They just do not discuss religion.

   "On our last day there my father took me off the main roads and down a
road called Carpenters way. We came to an intersection in a busy
neighborhood. What caught my attention was a single wooden column in the
middle of an intersection forcing traffic to divert around it. It was made
of a bright red colored wood and bore no markings except for a single date;
April 4, 603 and nothing else. I asked our guide what it was and she grew
surprisingly quiet. So different from her usually happy, talkative nature.
After some prodding she finally spoke. "It's from the Burning," she said in
a frightened tone. "This is where it started." My father's face grew grim
suddenly and he hushed me ending any further discussion. The subject was
changed to something else and our tour continued. My curiosity had been
raised and later after we had arrived home I asked my father about the
Burning. He explained that Marigund had suffered a long and brutal civil war
fought between the three faiths of Ecclesia, Rebuilder and Lightbringer."

   "It was then that I gained my interest in the war and began to study it.
I must thank the duke of Salinon for providing me with so much information
and insight into his ancestors actions during the Burning. I found several
good books on the subject published in my own Salinon and a good one from
Kelewair but none from Marigund itself. Just as religion was a forbidden
subject of public discussion so it seems was the Burning. Few will talk of
it even though it is not officially banned. I traveled to the border area
being sure to stay out of Marigund proper. There I began to ask the locals
of legends and stories from that time. My thinking being that the people on
both sides of the border must share much in common due to their closeness
physically. You can imagine my surprise when they proved as reluctant to
talk of it as their neighbors across the border. "It's best to not talk of
such bad times," one woman advised me harshly as she waggled a finger at me.

   "With effort and diligence I was able to slowly glean information and
finally explain the pillar and its odd location in the middle of the street.
It seems on April 4, 603 two religious processions, one Ecclesia and the
other Rebuilder met by accident on that corner. What had been solemn
religious events quickly eroded into a full riot which spread to the entire
city and then the country. What happened? Why had it happened? What words
were used that inflamed emotions so much? Who shouted the first curse? Who
threw the first stone? And who died first? Who was to blame? All these
questions ran through my head and still do."

   "My family's business dealings allowed me to travel to Marigund
frequently and I often visited that pillar. I even met my wife Madeline
while standing next to it. Her father was a carpenter whose shop overlooked
the spot. Still so strong is the habit of silence that I courted her for a
year before she would tell me her own faith."

   "My attempts to gain information from the government earned me a stern
warning about stirring up trouble. Even the official history is a
frustratingly thin, twenty pages - mostly of dates, places, names and events
but no details. However it did include a chilling and detailed account of
the death of King Taren and his family. Servants, when given a large enough
fee were more than happy to point out the scorch marks that still remained
on walls of the royal palace. A harsh reminder of when the building was
burned in 606. It was Madeline and her family that explained that the
Burning was remembered and discussed, just never publically. Her own family
had several harrowing tales of what had happened to ancestors during the
war. So the information was there. Just hidden. I made it my quest to bring
that information to light."

   "I persisted, asking, pleading, talking, begging and being annoying to
everyone. I was thrown out of many a tavern and inn for asking questions and
the Caial grew to know me very well. Soon I gained a reputation as the
eccentric visitor interested in things best not discussed openly. But
persistence and patience soon paid off and slowly the information came to
me. No one would openly approach me about the war but many did so when I was
alone; walking down a street or seated in an inn. One long story was told to
me while I was in the outhouse of an inn. The words whispered to me through
the walls told of how someone's great Grandfather had escaped death at the
hands of a mob by jumping from a third floor window. And how the person had
walked with a limp for the rest of their life. Another tale came to me from
the very bouncer that had just forcibly removed me from a tavern. Once I was
publically berated by a captain of the Caial and threatened with a flogging.
But later I discovered that at some point during his shouting and rough
handling of me he had slipped a large document into my pocket. It was pages
copied from official Watch reports from the time and were filled with tales
of rioting, pain and the bravery of outnumbered Watchman. Others also sent
me anonymous letters but by more mundane means. Each one passing along to me
some small, remembered anecdote from the Burning. I wrote down each and
every tale told me but never did I mention names. I was interested in the
Burning not in defaming a family over something done by a long dead
ancestor. That anonymity greatly helped and many people only talked to me on
those conditions."

   "One of the most chilling documents I received was a map that confused me
greatly at first. It had obviously been copied from some official document.
The style of lettering used was unmistakable. It had many spots marked on
it. Most of these spots had a number next it but others had only a question
mark. The map had no explanation. It was not until I personally visited some
of the spots marked that I finally I realized that it was a map showing the
locations of graveyards! The numbers were how many people were buried there.
The map was a copy of some official document put together after the war had
ended. A simple count of the numbers given place the death toll at well over
20,000. The most ominous thing I got was from a person who requested total
anonymity. The document they gave me had been passed down in their family in
secret. It told in great detail of how the author had helped murder a score
of people. The writer had in later years written the confession in an
attempt to alleviate her guilty conscious and she left out no details. It
gave me nightmares for many days afterwards."

   Slowly by these methods did my knowledge of the war increase. It took a
decade of very careful and quiet inquiry before I was finally rewarded with
a priceless treasure. I cannot name the person involved save to mention that
he has a fairly high rank in one of the Rebuilder sects. He made me aware of
the fact that many others had asked the same questions that I had. Shortly
after the end of the civil war in August 609 the surviving Rebuilders had
begun to investigate what had happened on that April day. The report; when
it was finished was instantly repressed and the only copy hidden away. When
I saw it I understood why."

   "The following is a quote from the final page of the report."

   "The procession had just heard the fiery and violent words of the self
appointed leader Alrunde and that same person was at the head of the
procession. His speech had been full of bile and hatred and spoke of burning
and cleansing. So vile were his words that we will not repeat them here.
Those harsh and violent words had been tolerated in the church when they
should have been banned. Several members of the parish had complained. But
the council that governed the cathedral had  ignored them. Indeed the man
was given even greater access to the cathedral. The deaths of all the
members of the council during the war made explaining their behavior
impossible. It is understood that Alrunde was trying to gain a seat on the
council and was using violent rhetoric against the Ecclesia and
Lightbringers to gain the public support to obtain it. It seems it was
Alrunde who assaulted the priest at the head of the Ecclesia procession,
smashing the man's head with his staff. It is both ironic and just that
Alrunde was one of the first killed. He did not live to see the bloodshed
his rhetoric inspired. God may forgive him but I cannot."

**********

   Cardinal Bertru slowly closed the book and sat silently for a long time
pondering and deciding what to do. Finally he picked up a small bell that
sat on his desk and rang it loudly several times. "Father Marchel."

   The door opened and in rushed a young priest. "Yes my liege?" the man
asked.

   The cardinal tapped the cover of the book with one finger. "Bring me the
author of this," he ordered harshly. "I want to speak with him here."

***************

   "Rouis!" the woman shouted. Her words echoing through the building.

   The man came through the door and into the front parlor of his home.
There was his wife with a frightened look on her face. Also there was a man
wearing the long, black robes of a priest. He turned to Rouis. "The cardinal
WILL see you now," the priest said firmly with a harsh gaze on his face.

   "Why?" the woman asked. "What does he want with my husband?"

   The priest shook his head. "That is the business of the Cardinal and
Rouis Mountbaun."

   "I am Rouis Mountbaun," the man countered firmly, trying to remain calm.
"I have no secrets from Madeline."

   "I'll send for the Caial," Madeline said loudly.

   "No need for the city watch," the priest said softly and with something
close to a smile. "The cardinal merely wishes to speak with him on a private
matter. And the law prevents certain topics from being discussed
publically."

   Both husband and wife nodded in unison. The man relaxed and the woman
stiffened in anger. "I see," she said in a cold tone.

   Rouis hugged his wife and kissed her tenderly. "Do not worry dear."

   "I ALWAYS worry," she countered. "About this foolish venture of yours."

   "Do not start that argument again," he ordered harshly. "I have to. This
is my task. The one given to me by God."

**************

   The official representative of the Ecclesia Patriarch; Cardinal Antoine
Bertu had a large palace in the city of Marigund located next to the
cathedral but he was not always there. The Outer Midlands was large and he
moved regularly among many cities tending to the faithful and trying to stay
out of the complex politics of the region. Bertu made no great pretense when
he arrived and usually the only sign that he was in town was his official
flag fluttering over the palace. The cardinal did enjoy leading the normal
daily mass.

   Being invited to the cardinals official residence in Marigund city was
usually a prestigious event regardless of the person's religion. The
cardinal had a reputation for being warm and friendly and very generous. But
Rouis Mountbaun was nervous in spite of the reassuring words to his wife. He
and the priest made their way through the stone corridors of the palace in
silence. The only sound was their footsteps on the stones beneath them. The
people they passed did not speak to him but simply walked past as if they
did not see him.

   After a long walk they came to a well appointed office. The walls were
covered with tapestries and the ceiling and floor had mosaics. All depicting
scenes from the Follower holy book. The furniture was of thick, dark wood
and highly polished and reminded him of the type found in any wealthy
persons office. Seated behind the desk in the center of the room was a tall
figure. The man was wearing a black robe chased along the edges with red and
with red buttons. Around his waist was a wide, red sash. Dangling from a
gold chain was an ornate, gold, Follower cross. Red hair that was thickly
peppered with gray showed around the edges of a red skull cap. The cardinal
peered at Rouis with a surprisingly warm gaze.

   "As requested your Eminence," the priest escorting Rouis said coldly and
bowed. "Rouis Mountbaun."

   The cardinal nodded his head in return. "Thank you Father Marchel. That
will be all."

   Bowing again the priest turned and departed silently.

   It was not till the door was closed and they were alone that the cardinal
spoke."I hope that Father Marchel did not upset you. He is an efficient aide
and a good priest but he is lacking in subtlety."

   Rouis bowed to the cardinal. "Thank you Your Eminence. He was not harsh
but he was not forthcoming about why you wished to see me."

   Bertu waved a hand to a chair that rested close to the desk. "Please sit!
What did he say?"

   The man slowly settled into the chair and fidgeted a little before
answering. "Just that it was about a topic that could not be discussed
publically."

   "The happiest day of my life was the one when the Patriarch made me
cardinal," Bertu said slowly. There was a smile on his face that vanished as
quickly as it had appeared. "That happiness lasted only a moment. For then
Akabaieth told me that I would be the cardinal of the Outer Midlands. The
silence in the room following those words was most profound." The cardinal
laughed slightly and a smile crossed his lips. "I still do not remember
exactly what I said to him at that point but he smiled at me and said that
'It is a difficult position that required a good person."

   "He was a good man," Rouis commented. "It was a great shock to hear of
his assassination."

   "A great shock to all of us," the cardinal said nodding in agreement. "I
had always expected myself to be attacked or assassinated at some point but
never him."

   "Were his killers ever caught?" the man asked earnestly.

   "Oh yes, I received word just recently that finally the conspiracy behind
it was destroyed and those involved punished."

   "That's good! I've not heard about it. Will the details be made public
here in Marigund?" the writer asked.

   The cardinal gave a wry smirk as if enjoying a private joke. "Oh yes. It
will be," he said in a firm tone. "But enough talk of those events and back
to what has brought you here." the man picked up a book off his desk.

   Rouis recognized the manuscript of his unfinished book and the color
drained from his face. "Sir . . " he started to speak but a wave of the
cardinals hand quieted him.

   "No need to explain," the cleric said. "I have read it all and found it
to be most interesting. You were most thorough in detailing all areas of the
Burning but I noticed it is lacking in one aspect. It does not tell the
Ecclesia side of events. Particularly the events of four April. The
Rebuilders were not the only ones who investigated the events of that day.
The Patriarch himself ordered an inquiry mere days after it happened but it
took several years for it to be finished. Ultimately it included all the
Ecclesia actions in the Burning."

   The priest appeared next to Rouis and handed him a large leather bound
book without a word. Then he just as silently and quickly withdrew.

   "I have marked the passages you will find most interesting," the cardinal
said softly. "But you have my permission to peruse the other sections as
well. When I was first made cardinal the patriarch himself gave me that
book. He wanted me to fully understand what had happened in Marigund." he
paused for a moment. "Well understand as much as any person can. I don't
think we can ever fully understand what happened."

   Rouis nodded his head in agreement. "Perhaps, but we must try anyway. If
Marigund is to ever know peace everyone must understand what happened. To be
sure it does not happen again." He looked to the book he had been given.
There were several bookmarks in the tome most made of soft cloth and dyed a
blue color but one was of gold and twice as large. Curious, Rouis opened to
that page and read.

   "The investigation was severely hampered by the level of destruction and
death that followed. But we persevered and were able to obtain some basic
information from the Cardinal's few surviving servants and clerics. The
death of Cardinal Trunro and the destruction of his palace and the cathedral
meant the loss of most of the evidence and witnesses. Therefore the
cardinal's actions remain partly conjectural and his motives unexplained. We
concentrated our efforts and located several witnesses to the initial riot
that seemed to have sparked the war. The procession had just come from the
cathedral at which the service was hosted by Father Larbourne. The father's
violently anti-Rebuilder and anti-Lightbringer rhetoric in the past had been
brought to the attention of the cardinal several times but nothing was done
to silence him. Not even after an official complaint from the king himself.
Trunro's allowing the priest into the cathedral and to actually lead a
service was seen by many as official approval of his violent ideas. It
undoubtedly lead to an escalation in the violence that followed. At a time
when the cardinal should have been calling for peace and calm he was making
things worse. Trunro himself was known for his harsh dealings with people of
different faiths. His being made cardinal of the Outer Midlands was a grave
error on the part of the Patriarch. Neither Trunro nor Larbourne should ever
have even been ordained as a priest. A priest is to be a man of God and
speak of peace and understanding. They were neither."

   Rouis closed the book slowly but remained quiet unsure of what to say. He
placed his hands one on top of the other to keep them from trembling.

   "No comments?" the cardinal asked with a trace of humor in his voice.
There was a smile on his face that had not been there before.

   "I . I . . " the man stuttered. He took a deep breath and tried to speak.

   The cardinal nodded slowly. "That was my reaction when I read that book
for the first time."

   "Why are you showing me this?" Rouis asked regaining his composure.

   "Because your book must be balanced to reveal the full truth," the
cardinal answered quietly.

   "This will cause you and the church a lot of trouble," was the man's
response.

   "Your book will cause much trouble for the Ecclesia as it is," the cleric
responded. "And it will not be telling the whole truth. For too long has
Marigund been silent on the matter of the Burning. The entire truth must be
revealed. For if we don't accept the past and instead pretend it didn't
happen, how can we move on from it? Marigund will remained trapped and that
is something I cannot allow. Even if it means causing pain to the Ecclesia
for the short term."


***************

   "So this brings me back to the questions I had at the beginning of my
quest. Who started the riot? Who is to blame? Does it matter who threw the
first curse or the first rock? No. Both sides wanted violence that day and
they got it. What matters is that it does not happen again. And that it
seems all in Marigund agree upon."

"The Burning."
"A History of the Marigund civil war"
Rouis Mountbaun
First published; Salinon, CR708.



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