Thoughts Upon Returning

You are not sure what to make of it but know that you will need to report to the Duke and speak with the Friar.

Voah had learned much from the Odsier tribe, more than she had imagined and yet there was still much more to learn about their ways. She was unsure what to make of it and not for the first time, Voah was conflicted.

During her time with the natives and the family she had befriended, Voah discovered that it is a common belief among the Grey Mouth that certain rituals allow the living to speak with the dead, mainly their direct ancestors. Again, the idea of speaking with her mother and father from across Zin’s Veil both repulsed her and made her heart yearn for the chance to speak to them again. Memories fade after all.

She found that the Odsier are firm believers that those with the “gift” can shape and influence nature around them. Women appear to be the only ones capable of performing these rituals or have the gift. Those that show aptitude and that they carry the blood of Erewhon hold positions of power and influence among the tribes. The things that Diarah had said stuck with her; changed her. Where she was steadfast before in her belief and resolve to banish magic in all its forms, she was now conflicted.

The blood of Erewhon, the blood of the world. She would have to consult the Codex and Saint Pahadron's Journal for any mention of a similar notion. At any rate she would report her findings to the Friar and the Duke.

Though primitive in their ways, these people reminded her of her time as a child with the roving caravans of merchants, entertainers, and missionaries wandering across the wilds of Mizar and stopping to camp.

What bothered her most was this: Why did the people here not know of ANY of her gods? Had the natives betrayed or forgotten them? She had witnessed first hand the miracles of divinity. Hadn’t she? That monastic order of dead priests whose blessed rings could heal the sick and injured…The way her body seemed to heal from wounds and breaks and maintain its beauty. It couldn’t just be coincidence, could it?

No. The runes on her own blade were able to dispel magic. She herself had struck down a few witches with the thing and was unaffected by their malicious attacks. Did the gods have no power here across the sea? Did her partaking of Diarah's magic count as some sin and was she protected? Although it was strange, the magik she had experienced did it feel evil, but almost... natural?

And there was the other question: If these people had no knowledge of the Inquisition and were not deliberately breaking the laws of the church, could they be judged and punished according to the same traditions as the other heretics? Could she simply stop them from continuing the practices of magic through teaching and conversion to her faith without causing a war or genocide? What if they were in far greater numbers than she guessed? Either way, she was certain that the Duke would likely form a new Inquisition.

These were the thoughts that consumed her on the journey back to Ostiarium. She was assisting the group in leading the herds from her horse but was so lost in thought she nearly ran them into ditches a time or two. The roaming herd was a lure for dangerous predators and when one of the wild cats finally attacked she asked Hunter if the group could observe it so that the scholar could take notes on it and perhaps make a sketch of the beast.

They arrived at Ostiarium with little incident and the Winter was soon upon them. The bustle of the port city slowed to a crawl as the people worked less out of doors and took to the warmth of indoors, winter-proofing the homes and structures.

Voah decided to take counsel with the Friar and the Duke together.