The Blood Prophet (essay)
Title: The Blood Prophet
Author: Lord Silvean Rashere
Thanryth, I read your recent letter with interest and appreciate the trials you went through to reach me in Wehnimer's Landing. I find it helps to draw colorful pictures on my own correspondence to ensure the local authorities understand its purpose. An arrow pointing toward a pentacle should be sufficient but I make no promises.
Your missive weathered a long journey from Ta'Faendryl to seek advice on matters of the utmost personal and philosophical importance. I feel compelled to compose and publish an immediate reply. Your sorcery is potent indeed to weave a spell upon me from so far away; I have always maintained that the magic of the written word is the least understood.
In my essay on "Faendryl Atheism and Sorcery as Religion," I focus on the path of individual transcendence available to the reflective practitioner. It is through the conscious rejection of the Arkati that one has access to any sort of developmental spirituality. It is through sorcery that one gains the most vital and penetrating insight into the mysteries of existence. In my other writing, including a traditional paean to the Patriarch, I focus on the societal advancement of the Faendryl. It is my clear and fervent belief that the Faendryl people are moving toward a kind of mass apotheosis. You have asked me to elaborate and reconcile these potentially divergent themes and close this gap between the community and the individual -- a simple matter.
Faendryl society with the benefit of Patriarchal guidance (honor to his name) is the nearest to perfection. A hawk seeking the highest heavens is well served by launching her flight from a mountain peak. By this I mean that all Faendryl past and present contribute to the shaping of each new generation of sorcerers so that they may go one step farther than those who went before. It is only through the support of the community, the combined toil of a people set apart, that the individual is able to seek transcendence.
And I beseech you to accept this testimony written by my own hand -- this transcendence is within reach, it is real. I have glimpsed the shadow of apotheosis, witnessed the spectre of enlightenment in a dreamlike state. In meditative exercises, in late hours of intense study, and at the apex of sorcerous rites, I have encountered the unsayable. And should it be unsayable, then it must be unknowable unless there is knowledge beyond our present delusions. And if so, if the eyes of my soul have gazed upon such things, then what is the purpose?
There is a vast field of pure white snow and drawn out upon it is a trail of the brightest red blood. Every tiny drop is visible to those with eyes to see. And it is not only the blood of one man but the blood of many; those with the will to lead their people one step forward by example and sacrifice. My heart is with them, these great blood prophets who catch glimpses of the destiny that awaits us all. These are the heralds who cry out, the guides who beckon us forward.
The world is filled with signs; pay heed to those offering insight into their hidden meaning. Focus on your sorcery and on the dignity of the Faendryl. Look forward to the day, both last and first, when our Patriarch shall lead us across a snow covered field.
Silvean Rashere