Before reading this document, please read the documents entitled Wanderheart's Letter and Liana's Tale
The Court of Lakarstang Battlefist,Ruler of the free Hendriki provinces,
Blakandale Tower,
Galentor,
Malkonwal.
Dated thiswaterday/movement week/storm season 1619 S.T.
Greetings Eothalward Wanderheart, Lawpseaker of the Grey Lord.
Forgive the lateness of this response to your recent missive concerning the legend about the creation of the Red Goddess that I had requested from you. Obviously recent events have meant more pressing matters must be attended to first. With the eradication of Karse, our lands are bereft of their largest port. Our ruler, King Richard d'Lombiard, has been captured and we believe sits rotting in a dungeon in Glamour, the Lunar capital. His chief houscarl, Lakarstang Battlefist, has been chosen by the King's council to rule in his absence, though this caused some great dissension from those westerners who still thought themselves above those of us of the native faiths of these lands. If you still reside in Nevrast, I beg you to leave the Volsaxi lands as our Storm Voices have divined that they will shortly fall to invading forces. Your wise counsel would be best employed here where it may guide our resistance to the incursions of the Imperial Army.
Having at last given some, albeit limited, time to scan the account of the legend of Liana that you sent me my comments are as follows. Firstly, I believe the legend has little or no basis in fact. None of it's main ingredients concur with those known about the Red Goddess and her origin, save that it was in the city of Oraya far to the north of here. The tale is then allegoric in illustrating some facet of her character.
The dualism you pointed to in your letter is obvious. The moral of the story ("always return hate with love") is turned on its head by Liana's reaction to the moon elves for though they love her, she spurns their company and leaves them at the first real opportunity to do so. Thus, though a positive moral is put forward at the end of the legend, by implication a negative, or mirror, message is delineated by the actions of its protagonist ("always return love with hate, for one day a friend may become an enemy"). This then is the dualism, but how can we show that the laws of the High King (and by extension the Code of Heort) are stronger than this?
Long into the night did young Allieven Newnod, a Lightbringer priest newly arrived from Whitewall, and I discuss this. It is his opinion (based upon other discoveries as well) that through this tale, something quite chilling is revealed about Lunar theology and how it manifests itself in the magic energy patterns their religion generates. Note how everything in the tale is of an extreme nature. Both morals are in absolute terms and make little room for the natural exigences of mortal existence. Because of this, the believer is called upon to adopt extremes of behaviour in order to achieve the balance required by Lunar doctrines. Examples of this are many. The Teelo Norri cult of the Seven Mothers preaches charity and help for the poor and some of its nuns are quite legendary in their efforts to aid all they meet. Yet the Red Goddess has also given the world the Crimson Bat, the greatest terror known in all of Genertela.
This then is the weakness. The Code of Heort was made with humans at its heart. In striking down Daka Fal was not Orlanth involving himself in the creation of the human (and other mortal) races? Was it not he who first blew life into human beings? It seems natural then that His Laws should be the best for us, for humans. But the teachings of the Lunar faiths and the ways of the Red Goddess were not so made. It is their extremes that are causing the strange corruption seen now in the world. Our magicians have proved that Lunar spells often involve formulae that reach out towards the Infinity Rune, or call upon energy fields at the fundamental levels of reality. No wonder then that their magical energy cycles, with their exaggarated highs and lows, are tearing at the barriers of existence, weakening the earthly fabric and letting Chaos back into the world.
You must come to Galentor, as I am sure you and Newnod would be able to discover much more. If you wish, I can order a small contingent of my men to escort you, as the northern part of Heortland is now a warzone. I finish this message with the mark of the Rune Wolf, that you may know it is truly from me.
Your faithful friend
Thorklest Auflangar, Wind Lord.
lawrence@aslak.demon.co.uk