NationStates Jolt Archive

"Hurry up, you imbeciles." Cardinal Johannes Richelieu breezed onto the airplane. Behind him, his brother Bishop Jaqques Richelieu struggled with 2 suitcases. And behind him Inquisitors Kigari and Simon were struggling with the Cardinal's wardrobe.

"Grr... I told you that we should have leapt at vampire hunting." Kigari muttered to Simon, who rolled his eyes.

The four travellers soon got onto the plane, and winged off to The Vortex Corporation.

#Open Channel -- 02333813#

Honored greetings. Your craft has authorization to land at the following coördinates.

12-424-131

This will lead you to an airstrip near the New Dawn religious academy. We hope you have a smooth landing. Welcome to the Utharian Peninsula. Vortex Air Control, out.

If a Pantocratorian delegate would be welcome, the full council of the Catholic Church in Pantocratoria has asked me to represent the interests of all Pantocratorian Catholics at this conference. The council was convened by His Most Catholic and Imperial Majesty the Emperor Andreus to respond to a bull of excommunication issued against him by a man who claims to be the Pope, who calls himself Pious XIV, and has asked whether I could present this issue for discussion at the conference.

Please advise as to whether I shall be welcome to attend,

John Cardinal Duras,
Archbishop of New Rome

~To Archbishop John Cardinal Duras~

If our Roanian collegues agree, then you are most welcome. I must, however, warn you that New Dawn is a sacred place, where no foreigners are allowed to carry any sort of weaponry, whatsoever. So as long as you come with peaceful intentions, our door is open for you.

Signed,

Lord Robert Aegeri
Cardinal of the Church
Chairman of the Vortex Corporation Council for Religious Affairs

We have no problem. Indeed, we have our own quarrel with this so-called pope. I label him anti-pope.


Cardinal Johannes Richelieu

Roanian Catholic Church

~To Pantocratoria~

You are as of now, officially invited to the conference that will take place at the New Dawn Religious Academy. Your delegation has authorization to enter Sisgardian Airspace. We hope to see you soon.

--

The Vortex Corporation Council for Religious Affairs

We have no problem. Indeed, we have our own quarrel with this so-called pope. I label him anti-pope.


Cardinal Johannes Richelieu

Roanian Catholic Church

As do we! Incidentally, are we speaking about the same antipope? There seem to be a proliferation of the bloody heretics! This antipope rules a nation he dubiously calls the True Holy See.

I am most pleased that the Vortex Corporation will allow me to attend. I shall arrive shortly!

John Cardinal Duras
Archbishop of New Rome

"In this day and age, do we need a pope? I say no." Bishop Jaqques spoke thunderously from the pulpit. "We can be managed by council. The schism has gone too far!"

Description of New Dawn:

New Dawn is situated in an alpine region of the Vortex Corporation. Constructed on the slope of one of the mountains there, it consists of large, white structures, modelled after Ancient Roman architecture. The Temples there are mostly dedicated to God, but some honor Stratos. Only one has been erected for the worshippers of Siri. These temples are placed in a square around the main building: the Academy itself. The academy is huge structure of white marble. Large pillars support the large balconies overhanging the plaza around it. Inside, students of Religion and religious philosophers reside. The Academy is a gathering of people, artifacts and knowledge dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of divinity and the afterlife.

In and around the complex, many beautiful gardens have been placed. Water, being a primary association with Stratos, is omnipresent in fountains and small streams. Even animal life is abundant in the gardens and parks on the mountain slopes, with eagles, deers and many other species able to roam the surroundings in total freedom.

In and around the complex, many beautiful gardens have been placed. Water, being a primary association with Stratos, is omnipresent in fountains and small streams.

There's a very good reason Roanians hate Stratos...

ooc1: Roania --> ??

ooc2: You can start arriving now

OOC: Roanians are extremely hydrophobic.

"In this day and age, do we need a pope? I say no." Bishop Jaqques spoke thunderously from the pulpit. "We can be managed by council. The schism has gone too far!"

"There is no Catholic Church without communion with the Bishop of Rome! A council is well and good, but the See of Rome is the rock on which the Church is built, and without that bishopric at its foundation, the Church will crumble! Do not forsake the Pope, only forsake those false men who call themselves Pope when infact they serve only the political machinations of greedy men, like the antipope Pious XIV of the so-called True Holy See!" replies Cardinal Duras.

Cardinal Duras, Archbishop of New Rome, arrived in New Dawn moments ago along with his aides, Father Jacob Thracia, and Father Louis Antoniou.

"Now, this antipope Pious XIV has excommunicated the Pantocratorian Emperor, Andreus I. His Most Catholic and Imperial Majesty's only crime was to defend the Church by stating that Pious XIV could not be the true Pope! For standing up against this tyrant who sought to misappropriate Papal authority to further his own political aims, Emperor Andreus was excommunicated. There was a good deal of discontent amongst some well-intentioned but poorly informed Pantocratorian Catholics, who mistook this bull of excommunication as a legitimate one. The Emperor called my fellow bishops and I together to a council of the whole Pantocratorian Church to resolve what our reaction would be. We excommunicated this churlish antipope!" explains Cardinal Duras. "We ask that the Church in Roania and all other nations joins Pantocratoria in excommunicating this antipope. We also ask that either a College of Cardinals be held to determine the true Pope, if the true Pope cannot be found."

OOC explanation of the Cardinal's request: Either we find the NS Pope, or all Catholic nations hold a College of Cardinals RP thread, in which a new NS Pope is determined, or we resolve that the real-life Pope is also the NS Pope. All these nations calling themselves the Pope are really annoying!

Is this an all Catholic party or can any old Protestant join?
WWJD
Amen.

Lord Delendre personally awaited the arrival of Cardinal Duras and his escorts. As he approached the three men, he greeted them warmly, shaking Duras' hand.

"Cardinal, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person. You're writings in the past have fascinated me, and I have been looking forward to a debate with the author. Father Thracia, father Antoniou, thank you for coming. Please, all of you, come with me to the lobby. Refreshments await us there, until our Roanian collegues arrive. We will make our way to New Dawn once they get here."

As the four of them headed for the buildings at the end of the airstrip, Aegeri described the history and current state of the Academy to his guests.

"But enough about buildings and history for now. Tell me, how is the situation at home? Is everything going well for you?"

If this conference will aid in bringing the scattered churches into communion with one another, then it would be an honour to attend.

FX Mangunvijaya
Tanah Burung Conference of Catholic Bishops

OOC: Quinntonia and Tanah Burung are allowed to attend. And since none of you seems to post arrivals, we'll just assume the discussion has already started, and all delegates are in the conference room reserved for this purpose. Therefore, any other nation willing to say something may do so, and act as if it was invited.

OOC: Sorry, I wasn't sure whether to post arrivals since Roania sort of leapt right into it!

To Lord Delendre before the conference began:

"The Holy Empire of Pantocratoria grows rapidly, and we're having some growing pains. A lot of refugees have fled to Pantocratoria and live in poverty. The Church's mission of charity has been a difficult one. At the same time, the Imperial Government is always asking us to help them conduct foreign policy, which stretches our funding further. Nevertheless, our calling was never supposed to be easy! I'm fascinated by your Academy, my Lord Cardinal. Now, let's get to the conference!" says Cardinal Duras.

At the conference:

"Although the delegate of Quinntonia is a Protestant, and although the Church of Pantocratoria has excommunicated Bishop Mangunvijaya, I welcome them both." says Cardinal Duras. "And speaking of the excommunication our Church pronounced against the Church of Tanah Burung, I'm reminded of the sad, fragmented state of the Church in the world today. What we need is a new Pope to give us unity! Let us call a College of Cardinals! Let every Catholic nation send a cardinal to it, and let us pick a new Pope!"

OOC: What I propose is that a College of Cardinals thread be started in which every Catholic nation has one cardinal present (players with multiple Catholic nations should only send a cardinal from their primary nation), and that one of those cardinals be elected as the NationStates Pope. When that NS Pope dies, another College of Cardinals is called, etc. The NS Pope wouldn't make religious pronouncements - instead as far as religious matters go, the NS Pope would be regarded to have all the same positions as the real life Pope. However, the NS Pope would represent the NS Catholic Church and put an end to countries calling their own leaders "Pope", and would keep the NS Catholic Church united. How does that sound?

If our assistance is needed, we will lend it to Vortex and Roania, two of our dearest allies.

Bishop Mangunvijaya, looking slightly uncomfortable in his regalia, stands to reply. "A College of Cardinals sounds like a fine idea. We wish nothing but the closest unity among churches, and the closest ties among different faiths. In our country, we do not persecute other faiths but work with them.

"Of course," he adds with a mischievious smile at Cardinal Duras, "unity among the scattered churches will be hard if we keep excommunicating one another."

Religion is discouraged in the Dominion of Axackal II and the Dark Lady is considering banning it altogether.



http://arcticnightfall.com/sailormoon/images/sub/characters/mn_lady.jpg
The Dark Lady Helena Cocytus
Seek Freedom and become captive of your desires, Seek discipline and find your liberty.
The Dominion of Axackal II

OOC: is it too late to send a representative?

"I understand Your Grace, and it was with regret that the council issued the bull, but understand our position - your church is violating the sacrament of marriage! Nevertheless, it is petty disputes between churches like ours which could be resolved if there was one Pope! We could be united by an impartial Bishop of Rome, in a truly universal communion, and each nation's Church wouldn't be continually fragmenting from the communion as a whole, as is the case today." says Cardinal Duras. "Even if a Pope wouldn't tell Tanah Burung to stop offering the sacrament of marriage to people of the same gender, merely having a Pope would've meant that my council wouldn't have considered the issue of the Church in Tanah Burung's practices at all - it would've been content to leave the issue to be resolved by Tanah Burung and the Church of Rome. The return of centralised Papal authority would mean an end to national councils having to make decisions which should be above their consideration!"

"In this day and age, do we need a pope? I say no." Bishop Jaqques spoke thunderously from the pulpit. "We can be managed by council. The schism has gone too far!"

"There is no Catholic Church without communion with the Bishop of Rome! A council is well and good, but the See of Rome is the rock on which the Church is built, and without that bishopric at its foundation, the Church will crumble! Do not forsake the Pope, only forsake those false men who call themselves Pope when infact they serve only the political machinations of greedy men, like the antipope Pious XIV of the so-called True Holy See!" replies Cardinal Duras.

"Then who will be pope?" The Cardinal stood up and took the podium from his brother. "I? I am too old. Yet I am sure that I am the senior church man. No offense to the honored Lord Aegeri, or Cardinal Duras. But I have been in the church for over half my lifespan. We must find someone. Also, the honored... I'm not quite sure how I pronounce his name... is correct. These excommunications stand in the way of all we work to achieve."

((Belem, feel free. Maybe we should send a tm to the NS papal nations. It's their future we're debating here. Quinn, I thought you would bring the See of Peter and The Promise Of Joshua with you. And someone contact the True Holy See.))

A gentleman in saffron robes and shaved head sits quietly in the back of the conferance.
He speaks to himself " I wonder when they will stop discussing politics and start discussing religion ? "

((This is Religion. They'll get to religion soon.))


The two Inquisitors walked beside the man. Right off the beat, they asked "Are you a demon in disguise? Or are you a real monk?"

((After what's been happening in Roania, they've become slightly paranoid))

((This is Religion. They'll get to religion soon.))


The two Inquisitors walked beside the man. Right off the beat, they asked "Are you a demon in disguise? Or are you a real monk?"

((After what's been happening in Roania, they've become slightly paranoid))

He turns and smiles serenely at the inquisitors. " I am, in fact, a real monk. However my faith does not view demons in the same light that yours does."

Kigari grinned, relieved. "So, what do you mean? Demons are evil beasts, aren't they?"

"Stand down", Aegeri spoke, "This man is a personal friend of mine and will not be touched. He stands above all suspicion. Now, we were talking about a pope to unite the catholic faiths in the world. Each of you, deep in their hearts, knows that this is impossible. There are too many nations in the world, and that also means too many catholic nations, to be centralized under the authority of one person. It would be beyond the capabilities of any man. Also, the election of a pope would lead to a significant number of nations not recognizing him. I suggest we keep the things the way they are: let politicians unite nations, and let us defend our faith, each of us in his own way, for his own flock.

We came here to discuss religion, not politics of the Church. John, you were the one who initiated this conference, so I think it is appropriate that you start the discussion, with whatever is non your mind."


ooc: any nation may still join in

Kigari grinned, relieved. "So, what do you mean? Demons are evil beasts, aren't they?"

"What I mean is that demons may serve. An angel of death may seem as a savior to some, and a demon to others. We tend to judge the otherworldly based on function and mission rather than form or affiliation."

OOC: What I propose is that a College of Cardinals thread be started in which every Catholic nation has one cardinal present (players with multiple Catholic nations should only send a cardinal from their primary nation), and that one of those cardinals be elected as the NationStates Pope. When that NS Pope dies, another College of Cardinals is called, etc. The NS Pope wouldn't make religious pronouncements - instead as far as religious matters go, the NS Pope would be regarded to have all the same positions as the real life Pope. However, the NS Pope would represent the NS Catholic Church and put an end to countries calling their own leaders "Pope", and would keep the NS Catholic Church united. How does that sound?

ooc: It sounds good to me. It was fun to have the name at first but afther a while it became a bit lame and to bad I can´t change the name of the nation :( . Lets say that our last pope died on live television and his last words where : "lets this nonsense end and rejoin with our brothers of rome."

"I agree. I have seen the beats summoned to serve Stratos, the secondary God of our population. Based on what I saw of them, I tend to believe each demon has its purpose, not necessarily being an evil one"

Johannes bowed to Robert. "Thank you, my friend. First on the list of objectives is something of dear importance to us all. Demons. For many years, the nations of this world, whether through our negligence or their sheer foolishness, have either made alliances, or attempted to use them as slaves. Roania is not immune in that regard, though the Church pulled them back from the brink. I ask you all, we must stand together against these evils."

"Agreed. Each demon with evil intentions is a grave threat to innocent civilians and to the faith of our flock. Something must be done, but can we, as advocates of a religion that preaches peace and mutual understanding, actively seek to destroy them? I know that they are the worst of all creations, but they can not be blamed for being born like that. For instance: a vampire needs blood to survice. So who are we to violate the commandments that prevent us from using violence? Don't get me wrong here, this is not my personal point of view, but I think matters such as these should be approached from each possible perspective"

" Could you please define the terms demon and stand together ? By that I mean what do you propose we do, and to whom or what ? We encourage our people not to make deals with creatures that they do not understand, and we do not allow any creature to come into Celeborne with a purpose that would harm either the people or the state. However we do not prevent our populace from following whatever god offers them the most comfort."

ooc : Can I send a representavie to carry out the last wish of our last pope.

OOC: One last time: EVERY nation may send 1 representative

" Could you please define the terms demon and stand together ? By that I mean what do you propose we do, and to whom or what ? We encourage our people not to make deals with creatures that they do not understand, and we do not allow any creature to come into Celeborne with a purpose that would harm either the people or the state. However we do not prevent our populace from following whatever god offers them the most comfort."

That was like a red flag to a bull. The two inquisitors clenched their fists. Johannes turned and said simply, "I see. And what god do they follow? Kali? Kain? The great enemy, Tzeentch?"

The monk calmly smiled at the inquisitors " Kali is in fact quite popular. We have a large number of Hindus in Celeborne, and her mother aspect has found favor in many of our women's groups. Her other aspect is quite popular with our military, since both kill out of neccessity. Kane is reguared more as a minor mythological character and is popular with some teen groups but that mostly comes from thier love of role-playing games and fades quickly. We have no knowledge of this other diety that you speak of."

Cardinal Smith listend to the debat who was started to heaten with passive intrest. He wass never realy intrested in the subject. Cardinal Black Bulldozer would probaly had enjoyed this. Cardinal Smith´s cellphone trilled and he he grapped it and wispherd : "with cardinal Smith."

"Brother Smith, the pope has died, his last words was to end the breach with Rome and rejoin their ranks. You must carry out that wish Brother Smith."

"I will", Smith replied.

"Good." Johannes turns to face him fully. "I am pleased to hear it. Tell me, have you heard of the Lord Christ?"

"Good." Johannes turns to face him fully. "I am pleased to hear it. Tell me, have you heard of the Lord Christ?"

" Oh yes. We have many Christian people in our nation. They are quite nice. They have founded several aid groups and have seats on our cultural boards. A small portion of our elven community has converted to Christianity as well. The message of peace and nonviolence of Christ appeals greatly to them."

Johannes stared blankly. "Nonviolence... peace?" He muttered. "Does he want to put me out of a job?"

The monk looks at him " I am sorry, what did you say ? I am afraid that my hearing is failing."

"I said,... Quite Right!" Johannes straightened his tie. "Nonviolence and peace. Ah, it seems our friend from the land of the... Thrue Pope, has something to tell us?"

Cardinal Smith turned his atention back to the debat.

he was waiting for the right time to make his move to carry out the task he had recieved.

He was glad they didn´t send Cardinal Black Bulldozer, he was always a bit mor fanatic on this points then the rest. Undoubtly the reason why he is head of the OPT.

Still, Cardinal Smith prayed he could ask for the advice of Brother Blacj Bulldozer in this debate about demons

"Cardinal Smith, something wrong? You've gone quite pale."

"I said,... Quite Right!" Johannes straightened his tie. "Nonviolence and peace. Ah, it seems our friend from the land of the... Thrue Pope, has something to tell us?"

OOC : that happens when you also looking at other websites when writing a post :lol:

IC : Cardinal Smith stood up and said : "My fellow Brothers who are in service of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I had just recieved news that our pope had died. His last wish was to end the breach with our Roman brothers and end the century long conflict."

Cardinal Smith took a deep breath.

"on the topic of fighting demons I agree with the delegation of Roania. If we act as boldy as our spirtual forefathers the crusaders with strong faith in the Lord we will be able to destroy the hellspawn."

Aegeri got up from his seat with a compasionate look on his face. "Brother, I am sorry to hear about your loss. Though we have had little contact with your pope, we can understand your loss."

"We are saddend by your loss, but know he has gone on to his true reward."

Cardinal Smith replied : "Thank you for condolences ((or how you spell that word))", with a sad voice.

And sat down in his chair again

ooc : I gona be offline for about 10 hours

((I'm going to be gone soon anyway. Been dealing with another matter, sorry))

Although the state chuch of the Holy Empire - the Church of Excalbia - was protestant, the nation was home to a large number of catholics, as well. Most of the catholics tended to live in the southern regions, so it was there that the leader of the nation's catholics - Cardinal Walsh - presided as Arch Bishop of Landing. Cardinal Walsh had journed to the conference hoping to see an end to the current schism in the Church, so that it renew its efforts to deal with the humanitarian tragedies in the world and revitalize its efforts to foster cooperation with other Christian churches and even other faiths.

Arriving late, Cardinal Walsh quietly took a seat and tried to figure out the matter currently under debate.

"Yes yes, demons bad, I understand, but I'm not talking about politics when I talk about electing a Pope! I'm talking about the reunification of our entire faith!" Cardinal Duras says, fearing that the other delegates may have lost interest in his proposition.

"Doing this means that a Pantocratorian Catholic could go to Roania and worship as he would in his homeland, in the same Church, in the same faith! Or to any other nation for that matter! I think it is important! I understand that not every delegate wishes to discuss it - this is fair enough, you're not all Catholics after all. But let us at least agree to this - after this conference is over, in New Rome, let us call a meeting of one Catholic cardinal from every Catholic nation, and let us at that great Council of the Church discuss the issue. I understand we will not resolve it here and that it does not concern non-Catholic delegates, and I don't wish to monopolise this conference's discussion. So let us simply resolve to hold a Council of the Church attended by one Cardinal from every national church at the Cathedral of Christ Pantocrator in New Rome after this conference, and we can discuss the issue there." he concludes, and then sits down.

"Our commiserations on the death of Bishop Pius of Thrue Pope. We did not recognize him as Pope, of course, but we pray for him," said Mangunvijaya. "As to the suggestion of a council of the Catholic churches at New Rome, we welcome it. Perhaps we shoul elect a new Pope, perhaps not, but that can be discussed at the council. At the very least it will serve as a step towards church unity."

"Thankyou for your support, Your Grace. Hopefully we can clear up this excommunication fiasco then, eh?" says Cardinal Duras.

The monk stands and smooths his robe " With in my faith we have no need for a central figure in the form of a man. We have god in his many forms and feel no need to have intercessors to interpret his laws for us. We feel that this seperates man from the divine,and therefore is not with in the true nature of our divinity." He then sits back down.

The monk stands and smooths his robe " With in my faith we have no need for a central figure in the form of a man. We have god in his many forms and feel no need to have intercessors to interpret his laws for us. We feel that this seperates man from the divine,and therefore is not with in the true nature of our divinity." He then sits back down.

"Ah yes, brother, but our God established His Church while He was here on Earth as a man, and He built in around one man, Saint Peter. This is why Saint Peter and his successors are vital to the Catholic faith - they are the stone on which God built His Church." explains Cardinal Duras, patiently.

"I understand, that Christ left the key to the gates of heaven to Peter (thus the coat of arms of the vatican) and that there was a time when the word of god required interpritation, as the people were illiterate. Things have changed now, and though I understand the need for leadership, perhaps the time has come for the church to seperate the world into 12 regions and have a leader from each region to form a council. Then the catholic peoples of the world could recieve representation that understood them better."

((ooc: :oops: was longer offline than planned))

Cardinal Smith said : "ofcourse all excommunications of does who are not citizen of our country shall be chancelled"

"Thankyou for your support, Your Grace. Hopefully we can clear up this excommunication fiasco then, eh?" says Cardinal Duras.

"We agree fully."

Cardinal Smith showed a sign of relief, this would make his task a bit easier.

Cardinal Smith showed a sign of relief, this would make his task a bit easier.

"Now, if we may return to the task at hand? Several times this very year the creatures of evil have attempted to gain a foothold on this planet. Shall we tolerate this? I propose... a crusade."

OOC--Is there still time to send a representative of our religion?

"Now, if we may return to the task at hand? Several times this very year the creatures of evil have attempted to gain a foothold on this planet. Shall we tolerate this? I propose... a crusade."

Cardinal Smith had heard in the hallways the rumors of a demonic atacl in on of the reservations, but wasn´t sure if it was a fact or just a rumor like that secret inquistion of the OPT.

"It for certain that thise attempts are something to worry about. Until now our country has been reletavily free of that kind of forces, except for the rare heretic. The proposal of a crusade should carefully considerd. If we outstrech our resources that will only be damaging for the church.", Cardinal Smith while trying to carefully select his words and tone of voice.

OOC--Is there still time to send a representative of our religion?

Always.

"Now, if we may return to the task at hand? Several times this very year the creatures of evil have attempted to gain a foothold on this planet. Shall we tolerate this? I propose... a crusade."

Cardinal Smith had heard in the hallways the rumors of a demonic atacl in on of the reservations, but wasn´t sure if it was a fact or just a rumor like that secret inquistion of the OPT.

"It for certain that thise attempts are something to worry about. Until now our country has been reletavily free of that kind of forces, except for the rare heretic. The proposal of a crusade should carefully considerd. If we outstrech our resources that will only be damaging for the church.", Cardinal Smith while trying to carefully select his words and tone of voice.

"What is the matter, brother? Surely you can see the glory of this? Are you telling us that your church has so little influence in your nation that you can't gather forces?" Cardinal Richelieu shook his head. "No. Perhaps you just can not see, are blind to this like so many others."

Bishop Richelieu stood up. "I propose a break."


((Why did everyone pick a Cardinal as their main delegate? No Archbishops or anything!))

"We are in favor of the removal of evil demonic creatures from this plane, but we are against harming living humans. However if a human who is already dead is possesed by a demon, such as vampires, should be shown no mercy."

((Why did everyone pick a Cardinal as their main delegate? No Archbishops or anything!))

(Mine is a monk of an unknown religion)

((Why did everyone pick a Cardinal as their main delegate? No Archbishops or anything!))

(Mine is a monk of an unknown religion)

True. My apologies.

"What is the matter, brother? Surely you can see the glory of this? Are you telling us that your church has so little influence in your nation that you can't gather forces?" Cardinal Richelieu shook his head. "No. Perhaps you just can not see, are blind to this like so many others."

Bishop Richelieu stood up. "I propose a break."


"Brother Richelieu, I dind´t mean we couldn´t gather an assault force, but more that we however must keep in mind that we could outstrech ourself if we give our self to much to the crusade.", Smith said.

Cardinal Smith replied to the second question with : "Indeed I think a break for prayer and contact with our home coutries would be usefull."

"Very well."

The 4 Roanians sweep out the door, capes billowing behind them like the wings of a bird of prey.

High Impreceptor Kit, member of house Fenrir/Pack Lunae was probably one of the highest of any being on the demon hit-list. Demons wanted him dead generally, and the dark lycanthrope clans especially. His human from was quite nice, actually, with tanned skin and silver hair down to his waist. His torc of silver was enough to discourage all but the most dangerous enemies. His night-black clothing and feral silver eyes, however, hinted at his religion. As he walked towarsd the rest of the meeting, he rubbed at his torc absent-mindedly, grateful for the protection it gave against his corrupted brothers and sisters. He walked into the meeting room, and nodded to the others. "I must apologize for being late. I was held up by a few of those demons I overheard you talking about."

"And I with the vampires." The woman who spoke had bone-white skin, pink-tinged hair, and red eyes; she also had the ears and tail of a fox, the fur matching the pigmentless coloration of her hair. She wore a formal kimono, midnight blue so dark as to appear black to the nondiscerning eye, with a white starfield pattern scattered across it. Her obi was pink, matching the tone of her hair exactly, and she wore a silver diadem inset with a single moonstone. "But I see we have arrived just in time for a break," she continued, a quick glance taking in the half-empty room. "Most unfortunate."

Simon and Kigari walked through the grounds. "Simon..."

"Yes, Kigari?"

"Why are we here?"

"Because we need to come up with a single-"

"No. That's why they are here. Why are we here?" To accentuate what she meant, Kigari leaned against him.

"Oh. You mean... the two of us." Simon said.

"No, I mean the two rodents on top of your head. Of course I mean us!" Kigari sighed.

"I can't think of anything..." Simon said.

"This would be a perfect oppurtunity for the two of us to take a brief vacation." She drew circles on his armor. "Think about it. Just the two of us?"

Simon stared blankly at her. She waited. He stared. Finally she grabbed his head and dragged it down to mouth-level. She whispered. "Oh. I gotcha."

"Right. Think we can manage it?"

"Um... but where are we going to find a fishmonger at this hour?" Kigari looked for a trace of humor. Finding none, she slapped him and dragged him off.

Rinpoche Faeng Sin, a short man of about 60 years walks in. His saffron robes and shaved head mark him as a Buddhist. Some of those gathered might recognise him as an exalted Dharma teacher and one of the Whilan Lamas personal representatives.

I regret that I am late. The recent difficulties at home delayed me. His Holiness The Whilan Lama wished for me to be here as an observer.

The monk stands and greets Rinpoche Faeng Sin, " Brother, it is good to see you here. "

OOC: The monk that I sent is a Tibetian vajrayanic monk.

((Why did everyone pick a Cardinal as their main delegate? No Archbishops or anything!))
OOC: Because the Archbishop of Pantocratoria's capital city IS a Cardinal. :)

"My Lord Cardinal Richelieu raises an excellent point. Your Eminence, you propose a crusade against these evil, other-wordly creatures, correct?" asks Cardinal Duras. "What, like elves and demons and the like?"

Cardinal Smith listend to the question. He wist he could get contact with Cardinal Black Bulldozer to get some advice on this subject. But when made a phone call to his office he wasn´t avaible.

The monk stands and greets Rinpoche Faeng Sin, " Brother, it is good to see you here. "

OOC: The monk that I sent is a Tibetian vajrayanic monk.

It is good to see you brother.

OOC: another Vajrayna nation? most interesting.

((Why did everyone pick a Cardinal as their main delegate? No Archbishops or anything!))
OOC: Because the Archbishop of Pantocratoria's capital city IS a Cardinal. :)

"My Lord Cardinal Richelieu raises an excellent point. Your Eminence, you propose a crusade against these evil, other-wordly creatures, correct?" asks Cardinal Duras. "What, like elves and demons and the like?"

"I do not think elves should be classified as "evil creatures". Regardless of what you think of their political behaviour, elves are not a race that has evil running through their vaines. They do not need to wound and maim to survive, nor is intentionally killing other beings part of their natural instincts"

"You must be careful how you define 'evil,'" said the albino foxgirl. "My people have dealt with over one hundred and fifty sentient beings. Not one of them was inherently inclined to 'evil' by any standard definition. Nor to 'good,' for that matter."

"I agree", Aegeri said, nodding at the foxgirl. "Only a very, very small portion of the sentient races truly is born with the lust for violence and the intention to destroy. And it also must be said, that those races who are truly evil by nature, are often mutilated descendants of others, bread for the purpose of war and death"

"Which ones, then," Winter (the foxgirl) asked, "do you consider evil by nature?"

"Which ones, then," Winter (the foxgirl) asked, "do you consider evil by nature?"

"We know of only one race that is completely evil by nature. Of course, this leaves out the races that were engineered to be mutilated versions of their once proud selves, but we all know who they are. Also, this leaves out the races that are evil by necessity, that need to inflict death in order to survive."

Robert continued with a worried and serious look on his face.

"The race I am talking about are the so-called Charnel. We ecountered one of them years ago, and all reports confirm its nature. The Charnel is a creature that survives on absorbing fear and terror of the beings in his vicinity, and has an unstoppable lust for killing, wounding and maiming. We managed to capture the one that attacked us, and imprisoned it for three decades. During that time, we tried depriving it of the negative emotions that it needed.

Even then, it remained powerful, and our seers that probed his consciousness later reported not finding a single good, or even neutral emotion. His entire existence and potential was meant for death and mayhem. Eventually, it died because the Elders around them managed to block their negative emotions. No longer receiving his "food", the beast simply died.

Now this surprised us. Our seers and telepaths had found that the Charnel can feed on almost any emotion, including happiness and other positive ones. However, even when it was literally starving to death, it refused to absorb anything of a positive nature, and rather embraced death instead. This lead us to the conclusion that the Charnel are truly and willingly evil."

"We have had deadlings with but a few non-human creatures," says Bishop Mangunvijaya (not a cardinal, we don't have any of those, since it would take a Pope to name them, but whatever).

"We have found that even those species whose names proclaim them as evil -- Hell Bovines, for instance, or Giant Evil Spiders -- still have eternal souls and the possibility of redemption. After all, once it was taught that all non-human creatures had no souls, and now we are met as equals with a foxgirl, among others." He nods, politely, to the delegate from Ravenspire, adding to her directly: "I acknowledge the spirit of God within you."

"We have had deadlings with but a few non-human creatures," says Bishop Mangunvijaya (not a cardinal, we don't have any of those, since it would take a Pope to name them, but whatever).

"We have found that even those species whose names proclaim them as evil -- Hell Bovines, for instance, or Giant Evil Spiders -- still have eternal souls and the possibility of redemption. After all, once it was taught that all non-human creatures had no souls, and now we are met as equals with a foxgirl, among others." He nods, politely, to the delegate from Ravenspire, adding to her directly: "I acknowledge the spirit of God within you."

"However." High Impreceptor Kit replied, "Many races that have the capability to become 'good' can do great harm as well. That is the reason for two lycanthropic packs, Lunae and Mort. While those of Lunae have attempted for years to work with other races, Mort has time and time again sent us back to square one with a few well placed atrocities."

"Thank you," Winter says to Bishop Mangunvijaya; she is genuinely pleased, though she can't keep a touch of wryness out of her voice. "That was something of a sticking point in our past, particularly since many of our religiously-inclined turn to animism or Buddhist philosophies -- but that's centuries past. The new churches have been more welcoming."

She purses her lips briefly. "I cannot say that I have heard of these 'Charnals' the Cardinal mentions, but if what he says is true of this entire race, it is most disturbing. We have encountered orcs, trolls, werewolves--" nodding, here, toward Kit-- "vampires, even self-proclaimed 'demons' who could not be considered evil. But if there exists a race of such unrelenting malice, it would seem to pose a great threat."

The monk stands and greets Rinpoche Faeng Sin, " Brother, it is good to see you here. "

OOC: The monk that I sent is a Tibetian vajrayanic monk.

It is good to see you brother.

OOC: another Vajrayna nation? most interesting.

OOC: Vajrayna and Hinduism are the two largest religions in my nation. with the military being hindu and the civil servents being mostly buddist. I thought it would make an interesting mix.

((Why did everyone pick a Cardinal as their main delegate? No Archbishops or anything!))
OOC: Because the Archbishop of Pantocratoria's capital city IS a Cardinal. :)

"My Lord Cardinal Richelieu raises an excellent point. Your Eminence, you propose a crusade against these evil, other-wordly creatures, correct?" asks Cardinal Duras. "What, like elves and demons and the like?"

"I do not think elves should be classified as "evil creatures". Regardless of what you think of their political behaviour, elves are not a race that has evil running through their vaines. They do not need to wound and maim to survive, nor is intentionally killing other beings part of their natural instincts"

"I agree, the elves in Celeborne are a good and peaceful people. And as I have mentioned they are the largest christian group in Celeborne."

"I am curious how such a species would interact with eachother. It would seem that they would kill each other off until the entire race died out. Are they more natural or supernatural?" Kit questioned quietly.

"However." High Impreceptor Kit replied, "Many races that have the capability to become 'good' can do great harm as well. That is the reason for two lycanthropic packs, Lunae and Mort. While those of Lunae have attempted for years to work with other races, Mort has time and time again sent us back to square one with a few well placed atrocities."

"There is no such thing as a good lycanthrope. They are mishapen and doomed creatures. Better to destroy than to tolerate." Cardinal Richelieu stood up at his podium.

"Ravenspire (Sorry I forgot your deligates name) , me must disagree with one thing that you infered in your comments. There are not now, nor have there ever been any vampires that are not evil. Those who seem good are just putting on a pleasant face to aid them in there evil works. They must all be sent back to the realm of hungry ghosts, and never given the chance to feed on humanity."

"Ravenspire (Sorry I forgot your deligates name) , me must disagree with one thing that you infered in your comments. There are not now, nor have there ever been any vampires that are not evil. Those who seem good are just putting on a pleasant face to aid them in there evil works. They must all be sent back to the realm of hungry ghosts, and never given the chance to feed on humanity."

Aegeri stood up and interrupted the monk:

"There are cases known of vampires that feed on rats and other small creatures, to avoid making human casualties. It's extremely hard for them to sustain such a diet, and resist the temptation of human blood, but it is known to be possible. A vampire is more of a "predator" than an "evil" being. We consider them evil because we are not used to being the prey in stead of the hunter. But a vampire is to a man what a lion is to a gazelle."

"If the gazelle had the means it would protect itself more proactively. Those few vampires who sustaiin themselves on rodents and such are at best rare exceptions, and I am sure that if they are caring then the chance to end thier existance of pain would be welcome. The natural order must be maintained and the dead must remain dead."

"Ravenspire (Sorry I forgot your deligates name) , me must disagree with one thing that you infered in your comments. There are not now, nor have there ever been any vampires that are not evil. Those who seem good are just putting on a pleasant face to aid them in there evil works. They must all be sent back to the realm of hungry ghosts, and never given the chance to feed on humanity."

Aegeri stood up and interrupted the monk:

"There are cases known of vampires that feed on rats and other small creatures, to avoid making human casualties. It's extremely hard for them to sustain such a diet, and resist the temptation of human blood, but it is known to be possible. A vampire is more of a "predator" than an "evil" being. We consider them evil because we are not used to being the prey in stead of the hunter. But a vampire is to a man what a lion is to a gazelle."

Richelieu laughed. "Please. An undead creature, not evil?"

"We are in agreement with Richelieu on the issue of the undead. "

"Do not get me wrong. In the Corporation, we also kill any vampire that is found. However, we do have doubts whether they represent "true" evil. But the dead should remain in their graves, I agree."

OOC: perhaps we should start a vampire hunting alliance ?

"Do not get me wrong. In the Corporation, we also kill any vampire that is found. However, we do have doubts whether they represent "true" evil. But the dead should remain in their graves, I agree."


"Robert, out of respect for our long friendship, I say this now, while there is still time. If you begin to tolerate evil in any form, then you will allow in more. And more. Have we learned nothing? Did what happened to the Roman Catholic church not teach us anything? They became soft and corrupt, and collapsed."

"As I said, we do not tolerate evil here. But we do try to find out more about its nature, so that we understand it more. Whatever you understand, is easier to fight."

"There are many kinds of vampires," Winter said, unmoved. "Not all of them inherently evil. Not all of them truly dead, for that matter. I am disappointed, though not surprised, to find such prejudices here."

"Although His Eminence the good Cardinal Richelieu has his misgivings about Holy Mother Church - and I should point out, my Lord Cardinal, that any truly Catholic Church is, by definition Roman in nature, since its universality is begotten from the See of Rome..." Cardinal Duras pauses. "Oh yes, I was trying to say that I agree with Cardinal Richelieu entirely on the matter of the undead. There is quite obviously no way these creatures can be anything but evil! For any good soul, once it departs the living body for the first, will go on to Paradise, from which it will not return for there it will find all its needs met. For this reason, undead creatures must either have no souls at all, or they must be animated by evil! Further, it is in the nature of the vampire to behave as a most foul beast, and destroyer of good people. However much an individual vampire claims to be fighting these urges, there can be no doubt that like a rabid dog, they could lose control of their violent instincts at any moment and give into their dark urges. We should wipe them out, like we would cull an animal which attacked a human."

One of Duras' attending priests tugs on his robe urgently, and hands him a letter.

"I am reminded to make it clear that my views are my own, and that I do not necessarily speak for the Imperial Government, which has yet to take a stand on this matter." says Cardinal Duras. "Wait... how the bloody hell did they know what I was just talking about..."

"If I am not mistaken," Winter says, "your religion holds that the Christ after which it was named returned from the dead. Is it your argument that he had no soul, or that he was animated by evil?"

"There is no such thing as a good lycanthrope. They are mishapen and doomed creatures. Better to destroy than to tolerate." Cardinal Richelieu stood up at his podium.

"If that is true, then why should we tolerate you? By your own philosophy, I would be better off killing you." He suppressed a need to shift and attack this Cardinal. No Kit, you would be stooping to his level. Don't.

"Although His Eminence the good Cardinal Richelieu has his misgivings about Holy Mother Church - and I should point out, my Lord Cardinal, that any truly Catholic Church is, by definition Roman in nature, since its universality is begotten from the See of Rome..." Cardinal Duras pauses. "Oh yes, I was trying to say that I agree with Cardinal Richelieu entirely on the matter of the undead. There is quite obviously no way these creatures can be anything but evil! ...

"In our experience," Mangunvijaya says, "vampires are a fairy tale. There are those that call themselves vampires, but they usually turn out to be genetically-altered humans with a goth fetish. We would hardly wish to destroy these. And if there are real vampires, real sentient creatures created by God, then we must assume that God has given them souls too."

(ooc: the statement that all Catholic churches are Roman is a valid IC claim, but not actually true afaik -- the Old Catholic Church split off over papal infallibility but is equally Catholic in all other aspects, and Eastern Rite Catholic Churches are actually recognized as non-Roman Catholics by the Vatican, and are in communion with it. And with that, i'm off for the next 5 days or so. Assume Mangunviajaya has left or agrees with everything Ravesnspire says on this matter, whichever suits you better. :wink: )

The double-wide dark wooden doors burst open as a young looking woman enters. A Mother Superior of only twenty-five years of age, the Catholic representative and sister of Empress Marina Vladiovna Romanova of Flamazon, wearing a dark burgundy dress with a golden tiara and several other pieces of gold jewelry walks slowly down the aisle and stands directly in front of the entire cardinal assembly. Her soft hazel eyes stare at each and every man in the room. Speaking with a clear audible voice the Princess Elena Vladiovna Romanova asks, "I am the Mother Superior and am here to represent the Flamazonian Empire. Am I welcome here? I have an important issue to bring into the discussion." the dark auburn hair of the Mother Superior seemed to blaze as the men in the room did nothing. Said nothing. Holding on to her rosary, a gift given to her by her mother who bore the same name while she was alive, she hoped that she had not made a mistake in coming to this holy place. I should have awaited an invitation she thought. Who knows if these men will accept my presence here. This is the last time I listen to my sister. Ach!

Deleted

deleted

:oops: Sorry it posted it three times my computer was being weird and I suppose I made that mistake. Gosh this is embarrassing... :cry:

OOC: If it isn't too late to join in?

IC: The representative from the Axackal Dominion (her name was Major Shela Steel) watched the proceedings in silence, thinking the whole thing foolish and a waste of time as religion, as declared by the Dark Lady, was a force that tried to hinder her power and anything that hindered the Dark Lady was a force to destroy, at all costs.



http://arcticnightfall.com/sailormoon/images/sub/characters/mn_lady.jpg
The Dark Lady Helena Cocytus
Seek Freedom and become captive of your desires, Seek discipline and find your liberty.
The Dominion of Axackal II
Proud Member of Arda

Aegeri stood up and interrupted the monk:

"There are cases known of vampires that feed on rats and other small creatures, to avoid making human casualties. It's extremely hard for them to sustain such a diet, and resist the temptation of human blood, but it is known to be possible. A vampire is more of a "predator" than an "evil" being. We consider them evil because we are not used to being the prey in stead of the hunter. But a vampire is to a man what a lion is to a gazelle."

Cardinal Smith waited for a quit moment in the debate to make his say about the comment of Aegeri. He looked at him and said

"You mentionded earlier that vampires are predators, but what I know of these foul beings is that they have more in common with parasities then with predators.

Furhter more you mention that they can resist the temptation to drink human blood, but by the way you describe it it sounds to me like a drugsaddict trying to resist taking drugs."

"There are many kinds of vampires," Winter said, unmoved. "Not all of them inherently evil. Not all of them truly dead, for that matter. I am disappointed, though not surprised, to find such prejudices here."

"Please enlighten us." The monk says sitting down.

"If I am not mistaken," Winter says, "your religion holds that the Christ after which it was named returned from the dead. Is it your argument that he had no soul, or that he was animated by evil?"

"I am not a christian, but if my understanding is correct, Christ was the embodyment of the god-head, and thus was animated by his own will and divine power, not evil. Also Christ did not drink human blood...."

"Yes, do, brother."

"There is no such thing as a good lycanthrope. They are mishapen and doomed creatures. Better to destroy than to tolerate." Cardinal Richelieu stood up at his podium.

"If that is true, then why should we tolerate you? By your own philosophy, I would be better off killing you." He suppressed a need to shift and attack this Cardinal. No Kit, you would be stooping to his level. Don't.

The monk rises in his seat a bit, still smiling " Your anger is misplaced and your threat inapropriate for this gathering. Do you not see how you have just played the dancing monkey for everyone who wishes to dislike your kind ?"

The double-wide dark wooden doors burst open as a young looking woman enters. A Mother Superior of only twenty-five years of age, the Catholic representative and sister of Empress Marina Vladiovna Romanova of Flamazon, wearing a dark burgundy dress with a golden tiara and several other pieces of gold jewelry walks slowly down the aisle and stands directly in front of the entire cardinal assembly. Her soft hazel eyes stare at each and every man in the room. Speaking with a clear audible voice the Princess Elena Vladiovna Romanova asks, "I am the Mother Superior and am here to represent the Flamazonian Empire. Am I welcome here? I have an important issue to bring into the discussion." the dark auburn hair of the Mother Superior seemed to blaze as the men in the room did nothing. Said nothing. Holding on to her rosary, a gift given to her by her mother who bore the same name while she was alive, she hoped that she had not made a mistake in coming to this holy place. I should have awaited an invitation she thought. Who knows if these men will accept my presence here. This is the last time I listen to my sister. Ach!

"Welcome sister."

The double-wide dark wooden doors burst open as a young looking woman enters. A Mother Superior of only twenty-five years of age, the Catholic representative and sister of Empress Marina Vladiovna Romanova of Flamazon, wearing a dark burgundy dress with a golden tiara and several other pieces of gold jewelry walks slowly down the aisle and stands directly in front of the entire cardinal assembly. Her soft hazel eyes stare at each and every man in the room. Speaking with a clear audible voice the Princess Elena Vladiovna Romanova asks, "I am the Mother Superior and am here to represent the Flamazonian Empire. Am I welcome here? I have an important issue to bring into the discussion." the dark auburn hair of the Mother Superior seemed to blaze as the men in the room did nothing. Said nothing. Holding on to her rosary, a gift given to her by her mother who bore the same name while she was alive, she hoped that she had not made a mistake in coming to this holy place. I should have awaited an invitation she thought. Who knows if these men will accept my presence here. This is the last time I listen to my sister. Ach!

"Welcome sister."

"A woman?" Cardinal Richelieu said, dismissively. "And an athiestic communist at that."

Aegeri slightly raises his voice, silencing the others in the room.

"Gentlemen, it seems we have a new guest. Mother Superior, you are most welcome in our midst. Please, be seated. If you have a message that is worth travelling such distances, then it must be important. Please enlighten us about its content"

(OOC: Catching up...)

"There are many kinds of vampires," Winter said, unmoved. "Not all of them inherently evil. Not all of them truly dead, for that matter. I am disappointed, though not surprised, to find such prejudices here."

"Please enlighten us." The monk says sitting down.

"Gladly," Winter said. "Their qualities seem to vary from place to place. Some claim that vampires are demons possessing the corpses of deceased sentients; others, that they are a race in themselves; still others, that they are the result of a sort of parasitic infection transmitted by bite. Some vampires are said to possess the power to transform themselves into wolves, rats, or other night creatures; some, to possess a hypnotic gaze; some, to be invisible to mortal eyes. Some cannot walk beneath the light of the sun, or cast no reflection, or are repelled by the scent of garlic or wild roses."

She paused briefly in emphasis. "We believe that there is no one truth in dealing with the... race, I suppose, for the sake of simplicity. Rather, different lands seem to possess different subspecies, if you will. In Ravenspire, we know vampirism as the result of a sort of blood-borne disease, which is retroviral in nature. It infects a living host, rewriting the host's DNA and causing certain physical alterations. Many of these are beneficial -- improved strength, speed, senses, stamina. Others less so. One such side effect is the attenuation of red blood cells, the loss of both iron and the ability to carry oxygen. They therefore require periodic infusion of fresh blood in order to remain alive. The physiological changes caused by the disease allow them to 'digest' blood for this purpose, though regular transfusion also is sufficient."

"I am not a christian, but if my understanding is correct, Christ was the embodyment of the god-head, and thus was animated by his own will and divine power, not evil. Also Christ did not drink human blood...."

The foxgirl shrugged. "Perhaps, but I believe the claim was that no soul that had departed could or would wish to return. And if Christ did not drink blood, his followers did. I believe it is written, 'This is my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant, which shall be given up for you. Take this, all of you, and drink from it.' The drinking of blood, literally or symbolically, is also common to other religions of the period, particularly the popular worship of Mithras."

"There is no such thing as a good lycanthrope. They are mishapen and doomed creatures. Better to destroy than to tolerate." Cardinal Richelieu stood up at his podium.

"If that is true, then why should we tolerate you? By your own philosophy, I would be better off killing you." He suppressed a need to shift and attack this Cardinal. No Kit, you would be stooping to his level. Don't.

The monk rises in his seat a bit, still smiling " Your anger is misplaced and your threat inapropriate for this gathering. Do you not see how you have just played the dancing monkey for everyone who wishes to dislike your kind ?"

"I do not know what threat I made, since I was merely showing how the point could be used both ways. As for my body wanting to shift, it is an instinctive reaction to danger similar to the boost of adrenaline humans recieve when threatened. I personally think I strengthened my position by showing that Lycanthropes are not violent beasts that kill first and act on thought later. If I was what you think me to be, I would have transformed and given in to my base instincts, which I did not, proving that your dislike of my kind is unfounded."

The Mother Superiors eyes quickly turned in the direction of Cardina Richelieu. The sharpness of the stare and the power made the chauvinistic cardinal turn away. Raising her head slightly the Princess' face transformed into a smile. "Thank you very much Mr. Aegeri. Yes indeed I have come a long distance from the far away Flamazonian Empire. I wish to bring a few issues to this conference. Some of minor importance, and one that would change the Catholic system. I am the Mother Superior and while I do enjoy my current position it disturbs me that women in the church are not able to ascend to higher positions of power. The current system does not allow a woman to be a pristess and much less a cardinal or pope. I have dedicated my life to God entirely however, even though I know that He views us all as equals, terrestrial men do not. I came here with the purpose of seeking a change in these archaic rules." Silence. Heart pounding and hands getting moist the young woman kept going. " I propose that women be given the same power as those of men in the clergy. If God views us as equals then society should as well, if they revere God at all. The other issue for now that I wish to bring is divorce. I also propose that the Catholic Church grant the right to get a divorce. As some of you may know, my sister the Empress of Flamazon was joined in Holy Matrimony to the High Elder of Ryanania. I do not wish to discuss what exactly is causing them to want to end their marriage, but I was also sent by my Lady to ask that the Church grant her a divorce." Finished Elena sat down in the seat that was assigned to her, next to the Roanian Cardinal, that despicable man who had dared to insult her. God please help me to control my temper if this man ever disturbs me again...and may your infinate wisdom, love and compassion one day find a place in him black heart.

The Cardinal deliberately turned away. His brother snarled at the Mother Superior.

And the Mother Superior awaits a response (and no future clashes with her sisters' admirer's cardinal) :wink:

"Divorce? What an odd concept."

:oops: Things between Ryan and my sister did not go well...at all

"Indeed. Well, I'm afraid that must wait for the college of Cardinals in Rome next month."

((I'm off soon, so anyone who wants to see me had better make careful note of it))

Major Shela Steel chose to rise to speak her peace, "You are all fools, what none of you see is that you sit in the stink of your own reflections of self-destruction. You cling to your outdated models of society because you are incapable of adapting to the modern and future world. I was sent here by the Dark Lady to be the messenger of the truth into this meeting of virgins in uniform, you are obsolete and do not realize it, update yourselves now! Before you are crushed by the forces of change. The Dark Lady realized this and has taken steps to show the people of Axackal this truth, Angelican, Buddhist, Axackalian Pagan, Ckavalist, they will all become apart of the new truth or they will be removed. You must do the same, either change or be destroyed by change." her right eye seemed to glow red, her left hand which had a metallic quality to it shinned in the light as she made a fist, revealing that she had had several cybernetic parts attached to her.



http://arcticnightfall.com/sailormoon/images/sub/characters/mn_lady.jpg
The Dark Lady Helena Cocytus
Seek Freedom and become captive of your desires, Seek discipline and find your liberty.
The Dominion of Axackal II
Proud Member of Arda

Major Shela Steel chose to rise to speak her peace, "You are all fools, what none of you see is that you sit in the stink of your own reflections of self-destruction. You cling to your outdated models of society because you are incapable of adapting to the modern and future world. I was sent here by the Dark Lady to be the messenger of the truth into this meeting of virgins in uniform, you are obsolete and do not realize it, update yourselves now! Before you are crushed by the forces of change. The Dark Lady realized this and has taken steps to show the people of Axackal this truth, Angelican, Buddhist, Axackalian Pagan, Ckavalist, they will all become apart of the new truth or they will be removed. You must do the same, either change or be destroyed by change." her right eye seemed to glow red, her left hand which had a metallic quality to it shinned in the light as she made a fist, revealing that she had had several cybernetic parts attached to her.



http://arcticnightfall.com/sailormoon/images/sub/characters/mn_lady.jpg
The Dark Lady Helena Cocytus
Seek Freedom and become captive of your desires, Seek discipline and find your liberty.
The Dominion of Axackal II
Proud Member of Arda

"There is no future without god, creature. You may cling to your own notions of superiority, but in truth religion is the way forward. It has always been the main inspiration for humanity."

"There is no future without god, creature. You may cling to your own notions of superiority, but in truth religion is the way forward. It has always been the main inspiration for humanity."

"God is dead, god remains dead." the Major quoted a famous german philospher. "There is a new truth, a modern truth, a future truth, that truth is the philosophy of the Dark Lady, the center of the whirlwind, the soul of Axackal II, the Messiah of the Future Age, She Who Will Be Forever. Your God is dead and our Dark Lady remains."



http://arcticnightfall.com/sailormoon/images/sub/characters/mn_lady.jpg
The Dark Lady Helena Cocytus
Seek Freedom and become captive of your desires, Seek discipline and find your liberty.
The Dominion of Axackal II
Proud Member of Arda

"If god is dead, then how can we still summon his holy power?" Richelieu said, making his hand glow for emphasis.

"If god is dead, then how can we still summon his holy power?" Richelieu said, making his hand glow for emphasis.

The Major held up her left hand and made it glow as well, "I can fling your petty parlor tricks back at you, except I am honset about this being a trick while you wrap mysticism around it." the paint that had been in her hand melted to reveal the cybernetic hand of metal and a new type of plastic called plaz. "If you want to see power I could hold a gun to your head to demonstrate power over your fate, with a single twich of my finger would decide between a bullet in your head of me putting the gun down, that is power, not glowing hands."



http://arcticnightfall.com/sailormoon/images/sub/characters/mn_lady.jpg
The Dark Lady Helena Cocytus
Seek Freedom and become captive of your desires, Seek discipline and find your liberty.
The Dominion of Axackal II
Proud Member of Arda

"I could also hold a gun to your head and do the same thing, with the same results. Holding a gun to someone's head is a show of how limited you are. I have powers that can kill as well. Does that make my Goddess more powerful than yours? Violence cannot prove power in metaphysical matters except by proving you have more worldly power."
Kit replied calmly, hoping that his other half-his Mort blood, would not react. The near-shift in front of the Cardinal had been bad enough, reminding him of what one of his parents was, but in very real and deadly danger, he did not know how his body would react. Any transformation when in danger would be his most lethal form, not what he would have been if he had been back in his land, a form not much different than a human body which he could shift to at any time.

"Nietzsche is also dead," Winter noted calmly. "And it would not surprise me if your 'Dark Lady' were to die before her eighteenth birthday. If you're going to present an atheistic perspective, at least do so intelligently; quoting a single sentence from a German existentialist outside of context is hardly a serious argument."

Major Shela Steel chose to rise to speak her peace, "You are all fools, what none of you see is that you sit in the stink of your own reflections of self-destruction. You cling to your outdated models of society because you are incapable of adapting to the modern and future world. I was sent here by the Dark Lady to be the messenger of the truth into this meeting of virgins in uniform, you are obsolete and do not realize it, update yourselves now! Before you are crushed by the forces of change. The Dark Lady realized this and has taken steps to show the people of Axackal this truth, Angelican, Buddhist, Axackalian Pagan, Ckavalist, they will all become apart of the new truth or they will be removed. You must do the same, either change or be destroyed by change." her right eye seemed to glow red, her left hand which had a metallic quality to it shinned in the light as she made a fist, revealing that she had had several cybernetic parts attached to her.


Aegeri started speaking and the tone of his voice left no doubt about his emotions.

"Major, you are a disgrace to yourself and to the Empress that you represent. Never before have I discussed anything, of any nature, with a being such as naive and unknowing as you. You call us fools, yet some of us are many lifespans old and have knowledge of things can not even dream of. You talk about outdated models of society, while you should realise that religion is not something that can be constructed, but something that comes from inside. It is not a structure, it is the concept that makes religion what it is.

You obviously are not able to reason like a normal person. Instead, you choose to insult us and threaten us with violence. You even suggest religion is non-existant and a fraud, while the Lord of Arda, the one that you serve, is a God himself. Tell me, would you dare to utter these words in front of his throne? I think you would not have the heart to do so.

The behaviour you display here leads me to believe that the society where you were raised is a superficial one. A place where the law of the jungle is all that counts. A place were violence and intimidation are common.

You do not seem to be able to grasp the concept of religion as a source of comfort, good, trinity, serenity and knowledge. You fail to see how religion can benefit this world. All you can do is hang on to your mentality of not-believing-until-I-see-it. I pity you for that, and I hope that your ignorance may be replaced by wisdom one day."

"I think that discussions about who has more power, or a stronger god or goddess, should be reserved for a later date. For I believe that should we begin such a discussion, it will never end until we all die of old age. Shall we stop bickering and return to the topic at hand?I believe that we were conversing about vampires and demons." Kit said in a soft tone, hoping to disperse the tension in the room

"Nietzsche is also dead," Winter noted calmly. "And it would not surprise me if your 'Dark Lady' were to die before her eighteenth birthday. If you're going to present an atheistic perspective, at least do so intelligently; quoting a single sentence from a German existentialist outside of context is hardly a serious argument."

"I was just quoting something I found was wise, perhaps out of context, but worth it's weight in gold. However the simple truth is that the Dark Lady teaches truth, and the truth is that humanity was created to bring order to chaos but has failed in it's purpous, the Dark Lady will rectify that by bringing perfect order to Axackal II, to show the world the shinning example that shall bring perfect order, and with perfect order comes perfect existance, but the self-serving thing called religion must be removed first." The Major replyed in a very calm voice.



http://arcticnightfall.com/sailormoon/images/sub/characters/mn_lady.jpg
The Dark Lady Helena Cocytus
Seek Freedom and become captive of your desires, Seek discipline and find your liberty.
The Dominion of Axackal II
Proud Member of Arda

To Vortex Corp- The Major then turned to the man from Vortex Corp and said, "I threaten no one, I only speak of power in relation to this reality, the only reality that exists, the power of a single bullet to decide between living and dying. Religion is a force that has proven time and time agian to serve only it's own greedy ends and bring sorrow and doubt and hatred to humankind for no other reason than that his "Theology isn't straight". The writtings of the Dark Lady say that the only way to cure this cancer from humanity is to purge it so completely that it will never return. The Lord of Arda has admitted to being a "Valar" but not a God, we assume that a "Valar" is some sort of entity that has evolved to a higher dimension of this reality so that he might possess abilities that no other except a "Valar" would have, most of this is based on historical observation so it is accurate."



http://arcticnightfall.com/sailormoon/images/sub/characters/mn_lady.jpg
The Dark Lady Helena Cocytus
Seek Freedom and become captive of your desires, Seek discipline and find your liberty.
The Dominion of Axackal II
Proud Member of Arda

"I was just quoting something I found was wise, perhaps out of context, but worth it's weight in gold. However the simple truth is that the Dark Lady teaches truth, and the truth is that humanity was created to bring order to chaos but has failed in it's purpous, the Dark Lady will rectify that by bringing perfect order to Axackal II, to show the world the shinning example that shall bring perfect order, and with perfect order comes perfect existance, but the self-serving thing called religion must be removed first." The Major replyed in a very calm voice.


"Worth its weight in iron pyrite, perhaps," Winter responded, a hint of a smile touching her lips. "For it is all but worthless in a situation such as this. If you should ever pursue higher education and delve into the complexities of logic and debate, the phrase you should look for is 'argument from authority.' A single quote is never a good argument."

Clasping her hands behind her in a parade-rest stance, she continues, "As for your lady's argument, I find it suspect. Humanity is as much a creature of chaos as of order. Of course, my own race is even more so. Fortunately, chaos is not an evil. All progress, societal or scientific, comes through challenging the establishment. A society that cannot change is stagnant. It cannot grow, develop, or create. All of this is the domain of chaos."

"If god is dead, then how can we still summon his holy power?" Richelieu said, making his hand glow for emphasis.

The Major held up her left hand and made it glow as well, "I can fling your petty parlor tricks back at you, except I am honset about this being a trick while you wrap mysticism around it." the paint that had been in her hand melted to reveal the cybernetic hand of metal and a new type of plastic called plaz. "If you want to see power I could hold a gun to your head to demonstrate power over your fate, with a single twich of my finger would decide between a bullet in your head of me putting the gun down, that is power, not glowing hands."



http://arcticnightfall.com/sailormoon/images/sub/characters/mn_lady.jpg
The Dark Lady Helena Cocytus
Seek Freedom and become captive of your desires, Seek discipline and find your liberty.
The Dominion of Axackal II
Proud Member of Arda

Richelieu snarled. "HERETIC! If you do not believe, why are you here?"

An old man came out of the shadows. Apparently, he had been sitting in a dark corner of the huge room, leaning against a pillar. He had been listening to the discussion for some time now, and felt it was now time to get involved in the discussion. Stepping out of the shadows, he walked towards the circle of debaters, and started speaking with a calm voice. Depsite the serene and rythmic tone of his voice, the others could clearly hear the dimension of power and wisdom in it.

"Major, I applaud you. You defend your beliefs and values with excellence. However, as logical as they seem to you, they are not a representation of the truth. I will not discuss on this with you, because I think that would be futile. Instead, I will demonstrate to you the power of my faith."

He had now reached the center of the circle. He straightened his back, and the attendants of the conference suddenly noticed he was not as small and frail as he seemed to be. The man was old, yes, but he was tall and strong. He stood there, the palms of his hands pressed together in front of his chest, his eyes focussed on something beyond this structure.

As the others watched, they saw his eyes shift from white to blue, as he started speaking with a deep voice, that seemed to come from another place, far away.

"Hear me, and bring this message to your Lady. The shameless pride and arrogance she upholds will cost her dearly. Soon, the day will come that she pays the price for her behaviour. None shall be able to prevent it, nor can it be diverted, nor deflected. Her days are numbered. It is written as such."

As the eyes of the old battlemage turned back to their normal color, the spectators felt the essence of immense power and divinity that had been present in the room, vanish. The battlemage gave the major a nod and a compassionate smile, then walked over to the nearest pillar. There, he picked up his lance and left the room without saying another word.

Aegeri turned towards the major and said "If I can not convince you, then let him do so. I know from experience that his words are not to be taken lightly"."


[ooc: the old battlemage is Sar Tzu, the most powerful battlemage in the order, and the avatar of the God Stratos himself. The delegates from Roania and Celeborne may recognize him from previous visits to my nation, the others will not]

The Roanians lean very far away from the Water God's avatar.

[ooc: not just water. Also thunder, lightning, air, intelligence, wisdom, illusion and knowledge. Kinda the whole "blue" array from Magic the Gathering]

The Roanians suddenly disapear.

Rinpoche Sin leans over and whispers to the monk from Celebone *it seems many here are possesed by the demons of hatred*

The Roanians suddenly disapear.

OOC: nice rp there :?

Kit remains relatively nonchalant. He has been summoned by both the dark and light aspects of his goddess a few times, usually to be used as the weapon for both light and dark he had been bred to be. As such, he had become inured to sudden entrances by divine beings. "I believe," Kit said calmly, "that we've had one of the more interesting divine visits right now."

The Major looked at all the petty tricks and falsehoods be thrown in her face and remembered a passage from the Coda, "When the fanatics have run out of all other means in which to trick you they will turn to violence, be very careful when they reach such a point for they may turn to murder to cling to their lies." the only thing that gave away the thoughts of the major was the glow in her eyes, she drummed her fingers on the walls and said, "If this meeting is going to be about petty parlor tricks then I might as well ask for some popcorn to go with it."



http://arcticnightfall.com/sailormoon/images/sub/characters/mn_lady.jpg
The Dark Lady Helena Cocytus
Seek Freedom and become captive of your desires, Seek discipline and find your liberty.
The Dominion of Axackal II
Proud Member of Arda

The Roanians suddenly disapear.

OOC: nice rp there :?

OOC: Was in a rush. My apologies, TVC

IC: The 4 Roanians look vaguely alarmed as he comes closer. None of them can find it within themselves to move.

Why must I wait for my issues to be resolved or obtain any sort of consideration from you?! They are important at least more than arguing about such things as vampires...which by the way do not exist!

Why must I wait for my issues to be resolved or obtain any sort of consideration from you?! They are important at least more than arguing about such things as vampires...which by the way do not exist!

"Please, this is a conference of all faiths, woman." Cardinal Richelieu says, pleasantly. "Doctrinal matters can be resolved at the conference next month. However, I assure you that any such concept will meet with my Church's approval." He smiled. "And if vampires don't exist, what's that thing about to bite you?"

"Yes, vampires exist. Several varieties. We've covered that," Winter commented laconically. "As far as your church goes, you could always set up in Ravenspire. We have no laws forbidding any of those sorts of things."

:shock: "Ahhhhhhh" what is that?! The Princess exclaimed. "I'm not going to turn into a vampire if it bit me am I?"

:shock: "Ahhhhhhh" what is that?! The Princess exclaimed. "I'm not going to turn into a vampire if it bit me am I?"

"Woman, please. There was no vampire, I was merely proving a point. To get a divorce, your Empress's husband either has to be present, or has to be dead."

:D Dead?! hmmm....well I suppose that could be arranged! *cough* It is not MY husband it is my sister the Empress' husband *cough cough* and vampires may or may not exist but if you ever mock me again you shall regret it! :oops: *cough*

:D Dead?! hmmm....well I suppose that could be arranged! *cough* It is not MY husband it is my sister the Empress' husband *cough cough* and vampires may or may not exist but if you ever mock me again you shall regret it! :oops: *cough*


"From natural causes, woman. Or from being being eaten by something. We'd have to check his body before hand."

"They do," Winter said firmly. "Incidentally, why doesn't your empress simply declare herself divorced? As head of state -- I assume; or are you a constitutional monarchy? -- she inarguably possesses the authority to conduct a civil ceremony."

:D Why! That never actually occured to me! Marina is Flamazon's sole Empress and Ruler *although she rules it according to communist ideals* Thank you very much good sir! I shall immediately have our staff see if this is a possible way out of her troubles, if not then there certainly must be other ways... :D

"Glad to be of assistance," Winter said wryly. Why does everyone mistake me for a man? First MIDAS, now this... *sigh* Humans.

:lol: Pardon me madame! Never shall I call you "sir" again! :D

OOC: No problem, happens all the time. Go figure.

Oh, just so it's clear, since you didn't mark that OOC... the italics represent thoughts. Nobody else is privy to them, IC. Not even telepaths, in Winter's case.

"Interestingly enough, our nation has never had any reports of vampiric activity. We believe it is becuase of two reasons. One, there can only be one supernatural predator in an area at any given time, and while vampires traditionally are solitary, Lycanthropes are a very social species. Two, any vampire already there would have been unable to 'reproduce', since those with the gene for shifting are immune from it's effects. Since the entire nation of Rabid Liberals is Lycanthropic in nature, any vampire there would survive only until it was hunted down, and it would be unable to leave behind another via its victim."

"If the Major professes to be an atheist who believes religion should be wiped from the face of the earth... why attend a religious conference at all?" groans Cardinal Duras. "Get out, you simpleton! This is a place to discuss the things which bring together and hold apart the faithful of all religions, to discuss the universal issues which face religious people everywhere... NOT TO DEBATE THE EXISTENCE OF GOD OR TO MAKE THE CASE FOR OR AGAINST ATHEISM! I call for the expulsion of the representative of the Dominion of Axackal II on the grounds that the good Major is attending only to be disruptive!"

The Cardinal sips a glass of water, and resumes.

"Now that I've said that, I'd like to get back to my concerns about vampires. Everywhere Pantocratorian eyes look, there are miscreants, heretics, atheists, and sinners. But this is to be expected, and we hold no grudge against people for their human failings. What we cannot expect, nor forgive to human fraility, is the growing concern of vampirism! Every second nation seems to be ruled by or overrun with the foul creatures! Are they the product of the devil? Genetic engineering? Teenage angst? Whatever their cause is, one thing is clear - a group which preys upon ordinary human beings like you or I, irrespective of our faith, is an intolerable threat! I urge all religious leaders, of all denominations and faiths, to unite with me, and to take a firm stand against the undead. Stand up with me and say NO to vampires! If enough of us say it, then perhaps our respective governments will be moved to action!"

"Again, I call for a crusade." Cardinal Richelieu said. "A crusade against evil."

((Pantocratia, I replied to your post in the reception thread.))

"Crusades have a way of getting out of hand," Winter pointed out. "As long as we're borrowing from Nietzsche, 'Do not do battle with monsters, lest you become a monster; and if you gaze into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.' When a being feels justified in judging an entire people, that being has already crossed into evil himself."

"What is there to stop you from deciding that while you destroy vampires, maybe Lycanthropes should be eliminated from this world as well? You culd infiltrate our nation on the pretext of 'vampire hunting', and then destroy us from the inside out. I'm afraid I cannot give support to the crusade for the sole reason that I feel I must protect my people."

Rinpoche Sin leans over and whispers to the monk from Celebone *it seems many here are possesed by the demons of hatred*

"I fear you are correct brother. I think perhaps some have come only to cause discord."

I firmly believe that God himself would not want us to pass judgement on the vampires if they do truly exist. How is it that we can generalize so quickly? I propose that we all take a vote as to whether to begin a crusade against the creatures or not. I am sure that My Lady Empress would support whatever decision you gentlemen come to. If it is resolved that a holy war is necessary, then let us extinguish them all, if not then at peace we shall stay. I shall patiently await your responses and will support your choice.

"You're willing to assist in genocide on the basis of a vote? A vote by people not even of your country?" Winter asked, arching an eyebrow. "That's certainly an... interesting... policy."

I firmly believe that God himself would not want us to pass judgement on the vampires if they do truly exist. How is it that we can generalize so quickly? I propose that we all take a vote as to whether to begin a crusade against the creatures or not. I am sure that My Lady Empress would support whatever decision you gentlemen come to. If it is resolved that a holy war is necessary, then let us extinguish them all, if not then at peace we shall stay. I shall patiently await your responses and will support your choice.

"I do not support a crusade, I do support the destruction of all vampires. There is no way to convince me or any of the religious groups of Celeborne that vampires should be allowed to exist."

"You're willing to assist in genocide on the basis of a vote? A vote by people not even of your country?" Winter asked, arching an eyebrow. "That's certainly an... interesting... policy."

"Would you call the destruction of cancer genocide ? We are discussing the removal of a life threatening disease from the face of the earth. They should be destroyed."

"Would you call the destruction of cancer genocide ? We are discussing the removal of a life threatening disease from the face of the earth. They should be destroyed."

"Hardly life-threatening, except perhaps to the vampire herself. There are other means of obtaining blood than killing for it. Any vampires who do that, of course, should face the same punishments as other murderers. But it is unjust to condemn any individual on the basis of her existence."

"Would you call the destruction of cancer genocide ? We are discussing the removal of a life threatening disease from the face of the earth. They should be destroyed."

"Hardly life-threatening, except perhaps to the vampire herself. There are other means of obtaining blood than killing for it. Any vampires who do that, of course, should face the same punishments as other murderers. But it is unjust to condemn any individual on the basis of her existence."

"This disease is the vampires themselves" the monk responds in a quiet and serene voice. " Though they may for a time ingest the blood of other creatures to survive, it is their nature to hunt humans for food. Also no matter how pleasing a face they put on they are demons and need to be returned to the hell that spawned them. Beyond all else they are undead, and as such are unnatural creatures. We must return the balance to the correct level and destroy the vampires."

"This disease is the vampires themselves" the monk responds in a quiet and serene voice. " Though they may for a time ingest the blood of other creatures to survive, it is their nature to hunt humans for food. Also no matter how pleasing a face they put on they are demons and need to be returned to the hell that spawned them. Beyond all else they are undead, and as such are unnatural creatures. We must return the balance to the correct level and destroy the vampires."

"Demons, indeed." The foxgirl smirked. "The first step in organizing a genocide is the demonization of the target subpopulation, you realize. But consider: vampires exist. That much can be said for certain, even though there are still those who do not believe it to be true. But does not the very fact of their existence argue that they are a part of that balance? It is rather arrogant to claim that any given existing form of life should not exist. And since they need not -- and almost all of those I have dealt with do not -- hunt humans in any way, the rationale of racial self-preservation is a specious one. It is the equivalent of declaring that because some men are criminals, all men must be jailed or executed in order to ensure order."

"Demons, indeed." The foxgirl smirked. "The first step in organizing a genocide is the demonization of the target subpopulation, you realize. But consider: vampires exist. That much can be said for certain, even though there are still those who do not believe it to be true. But does not the very fact of their existence argue that they are a part of that balance? It is rather arrogant to claim that any given existing form of life should not exist. And since they need not -- and almost all of those I have dealt with do not -- hunt humans in any way, the rationale of racial self-preservation is a specious one. It is the equivalent of declaring that because some men are criminals, all men must be jailed or executed in order to ensure order."

"Yes demons, creatures from hell that wish to destroy and corrupt humans. If they were not demons they would not have to take over the bodies of human dead. No one is born a vampire, they must be made and are thus unnatural abominations. Their existance does not argue that they are part of the balance, it argues that evil exists and must corrupt human form to do so. They are not a form of life, but a form of unlife, they are undead. I am sure they do not hunt humans infront of you, they need people like you to spread diinformation. This is not genocide, they are already dead. "

"Interestingly enough, our nation has never had any reports of vampiric activity. We believe it is becuase of two reasons. One, there can only be one supernatural predator in an area at any given time, and while vampires traditionally are solitary, Lycanthropes are a very social species. Two, any vampire already there would have been unable to 'reproduce', since those with the gene for shifting are immune from it's effects. Since the entire nation of Rabid Liberals is Lycanthropic in nature, any vampire there would survive only until it was hunted down, and it would be unable to leave behind another via its victim."

"Are they really now?" Cardinal Richelieu said, fascinated. "How interesting..." He thumbed his selection of silver crosses.

"What is there to stop you from deciding that while you destroy vampires, maybe Lycanthropes should be eliminated from this world as well? You culd infiltrate our nation on the pretext of 'vampire hunting', and then destroy us from the inside out. I'm afraid I cannot give support to the crusade for the sole reason that I feel I must protect my people."

"Oh, perish the thought. Anyway, Roania has been at war with the forces of the night for 20 years now, and the number of werewolves killed has been neglible."Though not from lack of trying.

"This disease is the vampires themselves" the monk responds in a quiet and serene voice. " Though they may for a time ingest the blood of other creatures to survive, it is their nature to hunt humans for food. Also no matter how pleasing a face they put on they are demons and need to be returned to the hell that spawned them. Beyond all else they are undead, and as such are unnatural creatures. We must return the balance to the correct level and destroy the vampires."

The Roanian delegation stood up and applauded at the end of that.


[quote="

"Our Celebornian colleague is most eloquent!" says Cardinal Duras.

"Rather than a crusade against vampies, let us lock them in cages like the animals they are! The consumption of blood is forbidden by God's law, as is murder, wherefore, let the undead live in their cages happily, so long as they don't consume blood. Let them be fed bread and water as any other prisoner! If they should happen to starve, quel horreur!" the Cardinal says in mock pity. "It is evident to us all that vampires are evil by their very nature. It is time for us to preach this message to our flocks! Our congregations will in turn influence our governments, and our governments will combine to stamp vampirism out of existence!"

"Interestingly enough, our nation has never had any reports of vampiric activity. We believe it is becuase of two reasons. One, there can only be one supernatural predator in an area at any given time, and while vampires traditionally are solitary, Lycanthropes are a very social species. Two, any vampire already there would have been unable to 'reproduce', since those with the gene for shifting are immune from it's effects. Since the entire nation of Rabid Liberals is Lycanthropic in nature, any vampire there would survive only until it was hunted down, and it would be unable to leave behind another via its victim."

"Are they really now?" Cardinal Richelieu said, fascinated. "How interesting..." He thumbed his selection of silver crosses.

"What is there to stop you from deciding that while you destroy vampires, maybe Lycanthropes should be eliminated from this world as well? You culd infiltrate our nation on the pretext of 'vampire hunting', and then destroy us from the inside out. I'm afraid I cannot give support to the crusade for the sole reason that I feel I must protect my people."

"Oh, perish the thought. Anyway, Roania has been at war with the forces of the night for 20 years now, and the number of werewolves killed has been neglible."Though not from lack of trying.

Kit glanced at the silver and smiled at this man's superstition.
"No need for that. No use for that, for that matter. Pack Lunae is the most successful group of violent Lycanthrope killers. There are two packs: Lunae, a pack that has become peaceful and immune to silver," he fingered his silver torc "and Mort, a pack that is a danger to everyone, including those of pack Lunae. Especially those of pack Lunae. If not for us, I'm afraid they would have successfully killed off humans and several other races, as well. We are their chief enemies."

"Yes demons, creatures from hell that wish to destroy and corrupt humans. If they were not demons they would not have to take over the bodies of human dead. No one is born a vampire, they must be made and are thus unnatural abominations. Their existance does not argue that they are part of the balance, it argues that evil exists and must corrupt human form to do so. They are not a form of life, but a form of unlife, they are undead. I am sure they do not hunt humans infront of you, they need people like you to spread diinformation. This is not genocide, they are already dead. "

"You obviously haven't listened to a word I've said," Winter noted, still calmly neutral in tone. "Perhaps it was a mistake to expect anything to come of a religious conference, after all. I must say, though, Buddhism is the last religion from which I had expected to hear this sort of demagoguery." Her crimson eyes glinted in the light. "But since of the two of us, I am the one with the experience in this matter, you may take my word when I tell you this: if they ever hunted humans, they would not hesitate to do so in front of me. I am not, after all, human."

"Yes demons, creatures from hell that wish to destroy and corrupt humans. If they were not demons they would not have to take over the bodies of human dead. No one is born a vampire, they must be made and are thus unnatural abominations. Their existance does not argue that they are part of the balance, it argues that evil exists and must corrupt human form to do so. They are not a form of life, but a form of unlife, they are undead. I am sure they do not hunt humans infront of you, they need people like you to spread diinformation. This is not genocide, they are already dead. "

"You obviously haven't listened to a word I've said," Winter noted, still calmly neutral in tone. "Perhaps it was a mistake to expect anything to come of a religious conference, after all. I must say, though, Buddhism is the last religion from which I had expected to hear this sort of demagoguery." Her crimson eyes glinted in the light. "But since of the two of us, I am the one with the experience in this matter, you may take my word when I tell you this: if they ever hunted humans, they would not hesitate to do so in front of me. I am not, after all, human."

"Perhaps then , you do not understand that Buddism has many paths and some of us do understand that there is evil in the world. And that evil can manifest in the form of demons, who can be vampires. Not all demons are vampires, but all vampires are demons. This modern idea that there are no absolutes is misleading the world with subtile evil. I have heard every word that you have said, but I think you are wrong. You use phrases like demonization to turn people against vampires, but you miss the fact that you cannot demonize that which is already a demon, that is as silly as humanizing humans. And since you were so kind as to mention that you are not human, you have no ability to judge this discussion from the point of view of the food of these creatures. If you are one of these beasts, then you have prooven my point about this subtle evil trying to disguise itself with pretty words and diplomatic arguments."

"Everything is black and white. Is that what you are saying?"

"Everything is black and white. Is that what you are saying?"

"That is an overstatement, not everything, but the issue of vampires is."

"Then you agree with us. They must be destroyed at all costs."

"Then you agree with us. They must be destroyed at all costs."

"Perhaps not at all costs. We will not sacrifice children or become demons ourselves, but we do belieave that they must be destroyed."

One of Winter's ears twitches, the first indication of actual irritation. "Feh. You're deafened by your own prejudices." She folds her hands. "I am not, and have never been, human; that should be quite obvious. I am also not, and have never been, a demon. And I have known a number of humans who could stand to be humanized."

"Then you agree with us. They must be destroyed at all costs."

"Perhaps not at all costs. We will not sacrifice children or become demons ourselves, but we do belieave that they must be destroyed."

The Roanians look confused. "Can you repeat that part about children again, using small words? And we are not here to debate on the people of Ravenspire."

One of Winter's ears twitches, the first indication of actual irritation. "Feh. You're deafened by your own prejudices." She folds her hands. "I am not, and have never been, human; that should be quite obvious. I am also not, and have never been, a demon. And I have known a number of humans who could stand to be humanized."

"It is a shame that is all you heard."

"I have lived long enough to have heard the racist's argument repeated many times, in many minor variations. You are under the mistaken impression that you have said anything new," Winter replied to the monk. Then, facing the Cardinal, she concluded, "We are here to discuss religion, not genocide. Since you have chosen to do so, however, I feel I should inform you that the government of Ravenspire does not look kindly upon such things. I have no doubt that, should you incite a religious war, we will shelter the persecuted. It has been so for humans, elves, vampires, and orcs; it has been so for homosexuals; it has been so for males and for females; it has been so for Jews, Christians, Buddhists, and atheists; it will continue to be so. Your path, the path of discrimination, is foolish and ultimately self-defeating."

"I have lived long enough to have heard the racist's argument repeated many times, in many minor variations. You are under the mistaken impression that you have said anything new," Winter replied to the monk. Then, facing the Cardinal, she concluded, "We are here to discuss religion, not genocide. Since you have chosen to do so, however, I feel I should inform you that the government of Ravenspire does not look kindly upon such things. I have no doubt that, should you incite a religious war, we will shelter the persecuted. It has been so for humans, elves, vampires, and orcs; it has been so for homosexuals; it has been so for males and for females; it has been so for Jews, Christians, Buddhists, and atheists; it will continue to be so. Your path, the path of discrimination, is foolish and ultimately self-defeating."

"We have no problem with any of the groups that you have mentioned, with the exception of vampires. We have, infact, taken in over 4 million refugees ourselves. This is not an issue of racism, this is an issue of species survival. They are not a different race, so your argument does not apply here. The arguments that you have heard before were not against a group that uses humans for food. The entire basis of your insult is wrong, and therefore falls upon deaf ears. Your jingostic views have been thrown about before. But while you speak of understanding for these unatural creatures, they are still using humans for food. If you can proove that these creatures are not the dead brought back to life and must injest blood to maintain this existance, then I will listen to your arguments. "

"You seem fixated on this 'humans for food' issue," Winter sighed. "Have you never heard of blood donors? A blood bank? But very well. I can prove some vampires aren't dead, which is what I've been saying all along. Will medical records suffice, or would you like to offer a volunteer for a live demonstration, as it were?"

" A live volunteer would not be humaine, Medical records will suffice , provided that you can provide them to the entire group here for examination. I am quite focused on the humans for food issue, that is the main problem with these creatures."

"Perhaps not, but some humans believe only what they see with their own eyes." Winter nods. "Very well. I will arrange to have scientific studies sent, along with several medical casefiles. The individuals' names and identifying information will, of course, be blacked out to maintain their privacy. I trust this will not be a problem."

(OOC: The files will corroborate what Winter said earlier. Ravenspire's vampires are an odd bunch, based somewhat loosely off the old sci-fi film "The Omega Man.")

"I think there is a distinction that needs to be made here. Vampires, as a species, may or may not be the plague that some of us regard them to be. Vampirism as a decease, as the effect of becoming a vampire once bitten or resurrected from the grave, that is what should be combatted.

After all, all of you should agree that victims who become vampires after their death, or caused by a bite AGAINST their free will, are truly something that should be prevented. And even if there are vampires that live in a non-lethal manner an that avoid killing human beings, it is undeniable that other vampires still assault and mutate their victims.

Might I ask you if any of you knows about an antidote for vampirism? I do not talk about garlic and holy water here, but perhaps something that could be added to the human gene pool or immune system? Surely, under the eyes of God, this would be the most humane solution. We would not have to take life, whether it be evil or good, nor would we have to set up mercyless killings of everything with fangs and a lack of heartbeat."

"Perhaps not, but some humans believe only what they see with their own eyes." Winter nods. "Very well. I will arrange to have scientific studies sent, along with several medical casefiles. The individuals' names and identifying information will, of course, be blacked out to maintain their privacy. I trust this will not be a problem."

(OOC: The files will corroborate what Winter said earlier. Ravenspire's vampires are an odd bunch, based somewhat loosely off the old sci-fi film "The Omega Man.")

"Please. If we may move off of the weaklings apologising for vampires, and back on topic..."

"I think there is a distinction that needs to be made here. Vampires, as a species, may or may not be the plague that some of us regard them to be. Vampirism as a decease, as the effect of becoming a vampire once bitten or resurrected from the grave, that is what should be combatted.

After all, all of you should agree that victims who become vampires after their death, or caused by a bite AGAINST their free will, are truly something that should be prevented. And even if there are vampires that live in a non-lethal manner an that avoid killing human beings, it is undeniable that other vampires still assault and mutate their victims.

Might I ask you if any of you knows about an antidote for vampirism? I do not talk about garlic and holy water here, but perhaps something that could be added to the human gene pool or immune system? Surely, under the eyes of God, this would be the most humane solution. We would not have to take life, whether it be evil or good, nor would we have to set up mercyless killings of everything with fangs and a lack of heartbeat."

"Well, we could kill them, stick their dna in an Axotl tank and then see if that works."

Ravenspire: " I see that the group in your nation are unlike any we have encountered before. So let me modify my point, those returned to life after death should be destroyed.

Vortex " Your points are well taken and will be considered"

Roania: "I agree perhaps we should discuss religion, rather than hunting vampires."

"Certainly. Besides, no faked dna is going to stop my boys in capes." Richelieu turned to the podium. "Now, let's move on to divorce."

"We feel that divorce should be allowed under certain circumstances, adultery, which is a crime punishable by a heavy fine or prison time, abuse , again punishable by prison time, or commiting unnatural acts , beastiality , necrophilia ect..
Otherwise the couple who wishes to divorce must go to marriage counciling for one year, followed by a three month seperation , after which the divorce may be granted. If there are children it is much more complicated."

"We feel that divorce should be allowed under certain circumstances, adultery, which is a crime punishable by a heavy fine or prison time, abuse , again punishable by prison time, or commiting unnatural acts , beastiality , necrophilia ect..
Otherwise the couple who wishes to divorce must go to marriage counciling for one year, followed by a three month seperation , after which the divorce may be granted. If there are children it is much more complicated."

"Tell me, how does your government retain control over its people?"

"Indeed, when children come into play, the whole thing changes. The Utharian Catholic Church allows people to divorce, but only if all their children, if any, are above the age of ten. Of course, in cases of abuse, mistreatment or crime, other factors might overrule that. Also, this rule only counts for the people in our flock. In the Corporation, anybody outside the Church is free to divorce at will."

"We feel that divorce should be allowed under certain circumstances, adultery, which is a crime punishable by a heavy fine or prison time, abuse , again punishable by prison time, or commiting unnatural acts , beastiality , necrophilia ect..
Otherwise the couple who wishes to divorce must go to marriage counciling for one year, followed by a three month seperation , after which the divorce may be granted. If there are children it is much more complicated."

"Tell me, how does your government retain control over its people?"

"Please elaborate"

"Things are easier in Roania. When people commit adultery they get sent to the tleilax for reprogramming. Abuseful husbands get shot. And divorces are illegal in all cases in Roania... mainly because arranged marriages don't happen, and thus people marry for love. That and anyone who applies for a divorce disapears in the night." Cardinal Richelieu steepled his fingers and stepped back into the shadows.

"Divorce is a civil abomination which intrudes upon the blessed sacrament of marriage!" says Cardinal Duras. "If the state wishes to wave a magic wand and say two people are divorced, then so be it. But that which God has done cannot be undone - a legitimate marriage in the Catholic Church cannot be ended by any civil proceeding. There is no recognition of divorce by the Church!"

"However," the Cardinal continues, "annulments may be granted in those rare instances when the couple was improperly married; when there was some technical deficiency with the marriage itself. If a man and a woman got married only to find out later that they were brother and sister, separated at birth, for instance, an annulment would be granted. That's an extreme case though, of course."

Cardinal Richelieu looked at Duras doubtfully. "When has that ever happened?"

"You know, in the case of say, two people who were orphaned at birth and adopted by different families marrying. It was a stupid example, but I believe I made my point!" says Cardinal Duras. "Your Eminence takes a different stand on annulments?"

"Not at all. I just feel that they are a blight on this planet. Nothing more."

"They're not a blight when they're used properly! Annulments are hard to get, the Pantocratorian Church stands against divorces, it doesn't just substitute the word annulment for divorce and proceed to hand them out willy-nilly!" says Cardinal Duras, defensively.

"Brother, please." Richelieu backs down. "I said no such thing. I have been in the church for 50 years, and I have seen many such cases where an anullment would be most useful. Within carefully situated boundaries."

"Brother, please." Richelieu backs down. "I said no such thing. I have been in the church for 50 years, and I have seen many such cases where an anullment would be most useful. Within carefully situated boundaries."

"Ah, pardon me then, my Lord Cardinal, I misunderstood you. I shall put it to English being my second language." says Cardinal Duras. "I don't understand why so many religious groups are in favour of divorce - if a lot of people want to get divorced, that is symptomatic of something larger wrong with society, which certainly won't be fixed at all by pandering to their demands for marital release! Religious groups should stand firm against divorce, and seek to address the problems which lead to people wanting a divorce rather than granting divorces left and right!"

"I agree most strongly."

Well gentlemen, I somewhat disagree with these rather strong archaic policies. It is true that marriage is sacred. It is for the most part true that they marry for love and that rarely are marriages are arranged. However do you not agree that the love the couple once had could have vanished in the course of time? Is it not possible that even if they take counseling it would not work or that during that period of time one of them continues to abuse or otherwise harm their spouse, and yet the church cruely forces them to continue trying to "save" their marriage? :? It would not seem very logical to do things in this extremely old fashion. Flamazonian Catholic Church says, let those who love each other join in Holy Matrimony and those who can no longer love, honor, respect and stand by their spouse annul their vows. Of course, we encourage that matrimony be eternal and our studies have shown that over 80% of Flamazonian marriages ARE forever. Why do you suppose this is? Could it perhaps be because the people know that they are free to choose (except sometimes the aristocracy) their life-long partner and that they always have the option to leave that relationship in case it becomes unbareable? Perhaps it is because the less of a responsibility they feel the more they actually do become responsible? It all has to do with the mind. They will not respond well to harsh orders but if you can sugarcoat an issue so that they perceive it as a suggestion instead of an order (which most of the times is :lol: ) they will follow it. It's really as simple as that! Why not make this international? :D

"Because it is heresy against a sacrament of Holy Mother Church!" snaps Cardinal Duras. "If two people have vowed to love, honour and obey each other, there is no circumstance under which they can no longer live up to that vow. None! If they vowed in error - error as in grounds from annulment error - then they never truly vowed in the first place and are therefore not bound by those vows, but if there were no impediments when the vows were taken, there is never a circumstance underwhich those vows become impossible to live up to. Never! I challenge anyone to describe legitimate grounds for divorce!"

Hearing the word "divorce" spoken, Bishop Mangunvijaya's ears perk up, and he strides back into the room. Here, at least, he can display theological orthodoxy!

"We must agree with defending the sacramental nature of holy matrimony," he says. "A marriage in the Church is a union of two persons, but the third person in the sacrament is God. They may divorce civilly, of course, and they will not be punished for it. But a divorced person may not then come back to the Church and ask for marriage again. Only those whose marriage is annulled according to the ancient laws of the Church may do that."

He starts to sit, then thinks better of it and adds: "Honestly, if you want the right to divorce, then get married in a church that permits that. Our church beleives in marrying people widely, in making the sacrament available to almost anyone, but we certainly won't then undercut that by letting them divorce willy-nilly. The family must be upheld."

"It is with some humour that we note with pleasure Your Grace's orthodox view of this aspect of the sacrament of marriage." says Cardinal Duras wryly. "Now if only you'd drop that other unorthodox nonsense!"

"But, all jabs at Bishop Mangunvijaya aside, if you want to divorce, then marry in a church in the Anglican Communion. You can't go wrong in a church founded for the explicit purpose of allowing divorces, after all." says Duras, laughing.

OOC: I am perfectly aware that the good Cardinal's assertions about the Church of England in this post are not entirely (or at all) accurate. :D

"You, Cardinals, are exceptionally rude. You may wish to reconsider the manner in which you choose to represent your religions -- and your nations. As for divorce -- I see no particular benefit in discussing it, since each religion will possess its own rules of marriage and divorce. Anyone wanting a divorce has merely to find a religion whose gods do not prohibit it."

"I agree with our esteemed Lady Winter. Divorce and marriage will be quite different for every culture. I would dislike to enforce my people's views on groups that disagree with them, and I would dislike it even more to have a group attempt to force their beliefs of marriage upon my people. Especially since by the Christian religion, roughly half our marriages would not be allowed to exist. Instead, I would like to talk about the possibility of merging multiple humanitarian charities to increase their capabilities."

"I beg the Lady Winter's pardon, but I fail to recall saying anything which may be considered rude in the slightest." says Cardinal Duras indignantly. "Well, perhaps excepting my friendly jabs at the good Bishop of Tanah Burung here, but those were made in good fun. Perhaps you have mistaken the pain of knowing that I am right and you are wrong as being the residual discomfort caused by rudeness? Simply because you disagree with someone, madam, does not mean that someone was being rude."

"But I digress, let us talk about pooling our resources so that our charitable efforts are as effective as possible. Good idea!" the Cardinal says, changing the topic.

"Indeed. Which charities?" Cardinal Richelieu said.

"Well, the Pantocratorian Church funds many charities, but I wouldn't like to boast about them. I do feel though that by pooling our efforts, religious institutions across the whole world could be more effective in their charitable works." says Duras. "The most terrible issues which face the world today are still poverty and starvation! We can do something about it, even though we can't do much about all the hellspawn vampires."

"Poor?" Richelieu muttered to his brother and Kigari.

"I think he means the laborers."

:D Well, there's a way to end poverty or at the very least begin closing the gap between the classes. Communism plain and simple, with someone to of course be the central leader until he is no longer needed, but lets be realistic that may never be. However a strong central Communist government would ensure that poverty is eradicated.

"Communism? Dear friend, in general, communism is not the best thing that can happen to religion"

:D Ah but see there can I suppose be different types of Communism...religious Communism for example?

"Communism also is not the best thing that can happen to production. Its effect, more often than not, is to make everyone equally poor. Except, of course, for officials of the party, who become the new aristocracy. Capitalism, in conjunction with a rigorous and free education system, is the best means of producing wealth."

With the discussion of charity and cooperation between churches, Cardinal Walsh perked up and leaned forward in his chair. Having been a silent participant in so much of the conference, here at last was something he could address.

"Eminences, I believe that in the past one of our greatest failures has been our inability to cooperate across theological lines to fulfill our mission to share God's love with others in a tangible way. In Excalbia, the protestant Church of Excalbia and the Catholic Church have established an extensive program of cooperation in all areas of charitable endeavor. Many other churches have now joined us."

The cardinal took a sip of water and continued.

"I am pleased to be able to announce here - for the first time - that we are preparing to take our efforts to the next level. Our Emperor, David IV, is about to declare a year of prayer and devotion - in thanksgiving for God's help in the past and in supplication for His help in our current troubles. As part of his own offering of devotion, the Emperor will decree that a tenth of all Imperial holdings and recent profits from.." the phrase 'arms sales' caught in his throat, "...trade will go to a special fund, the Imperial Humanitarian Assistance and Development Fund, that will go assist needy peoples and worthwhile causes around the world. Presiding Bishop Gunars Purins of the Church of Excalbia, Lord P.R.R. Garrison - our former Minister of State, and myself will serve as the Fund's Board. We would welcome other nations to join with us and pool our resources so that we can make a real difference for people."

"The Pantocratorian Church still has a good ten million ducats or so which were raised to... erm... assist the democratic process in Espario. We'd love to assist the Imperial Humanitarian Assistance and Development Fund, and we could contribute those ten million ducats immediately!" says Cardinal Duras enthusiastically.

"A primary function of religion is good works," Bishop Mangunvijaya says. "Our church, along with minority religions like the Muslims and the Church of the Rocks and Trees, does extensive amounts of charitable work within the country. And now that we are no longer a developing country, we are planning substantial contributions to the Developing Nations Aid Commission and related bodies."

"As to communism: we feel that communism in its original meaning of people living communally and sharing, from each according to her ability and to each according to her needs, is the only ideological system truly compatible with faith. Capitalism as an economic system based on greed is fundamentally immoral, just as immoral as the type of so-called 'communism' built by the evil dictator Stalin. That is why our country strives to live according to libertarian socialism, also known as anarchism."

"Communism also is not the best thing that can happen to production. Its effect, more often than not, is to make everyone equally poor. Except, of course, for officials of the party, who become the new aristocracy. Capitalism, in conjunction with a rigorous and free education system, is the best means of producing wealth."

"I could not agree more, my friend"

"Yes, well, politics aside, can we get a committment from anyone else to assist in this crusade of extermination of all vamp... erm... sorry..." Cardinal Duras sips his water and collects his thoughts. "Ah yes, to assist in this Excalbian fund for charity?"

"Cardinal Duras, we would be more than happy to send healers and sages to your nation. Though we disapprove of the crusade and therefore will not participate actively, we will support you with medicine and knowledge"

"Oh yes, no, we're not going on any crusade, I was just a little confused." says Cardinal Duras. "Pardon me. And I wasn't asking for charity for Pantocratoria - I was asking for other delegates to join me in making a committment to help the Excalbian cross-denominational fund for charitable works internationally!"

"On the condition that we refrain from using these funds in areas that we are heavily divided upon. I would prefer to stay in the relatively safe areas of Education, Technological Progress (helping subsisitence farmers by allowing them to use new tools, for example), and General Poverty. If anyone has any other areas they think are non-denominational enough, please say so. I'm sure I missed quite a few deserving charities in my hatse."

"I'm not sure I like the idea of funding education, sir. We could use the funds in better areas - the Catholic Education system already provides impoverished children with an education - to spend the donations of our congregations on the same thing twice seems to be redundant." says Cardinal Duras, as if the words pain him. He rubs his temples. "But other than that, je suis d'accord avec les Rabid Liberals. Maintenant, est-ce qu'il y a quelqu'un autre qui veut pour donner...."

The Cardinal is interrupted by one of the Pantocratorian priests tugging on his robes.

"Your Eminence, you're speaking French. The conference is in English!" whispers the priest.

"Quoi? Je ne vous comprend pas! Qu'est-ce que vous assayez pour...." the Cardinal stops abruptly as he faints on the spot. The young priest checks on him, checking his pulse, and pulling him onto the desk so he can lie down.

"Help!" shouts the priest. "Something is wrong with Cardinal Duras! Something is wrong, help!"

The other priest rushes out, looking for a doctor.

The Inquisitors, Bishop and Cardinal run to Duras. "Duras, you old fool, wake up or I kill you!" Cardinal Richelieu roars.

"M'lord Cardinal, please calm down." Kigari and Simon say urgently.

"Yes, Johannes. You really are a frightful boor." Jaqques Richelieu shakes his head.

The Cardinal doesn't respond.

"He's not breathing!" says the young priest, alarmed. "I think he's had a stroke!"

"Over to you, Kigari." Richelieu backs away.

"What? Why me?... all right, fine." Kigari puts both her hands on the Cardinal's chest. "HOLY HEALING!"

The Cardinal still doesn't respond.

"He doesn't have a pulse." says the young priest. He reaches for his prayer book and turns it open to the last sacrament. The Last Rites.

"En nom du pere, du fils et du..." he starts hurriedly, crossing himself.

"Give me that book, you pitiful acolyte." Cardinal Richelieu tears it from him. "En nom du pere..."

Cardinal Walsh, seeing that everything possible has already been done for Cardinal Duras, bows his head in prayer for Duras' soul. As he prays, he wonders whether it will be appropriate to continue the conference. Though he knows it is not appropriate, he knows that he is anxious to continue the discussion on charity. There is so much that can be done in the world, if only we can cooperate, he thinks. Perhaps, such a charitable effort can be made part of Cardinal Duras' legacy.

Calmly, Aegeri draws the man to the side. "If your interpretation of the Faith allows it, a battlemage healer might be able to save his life"

OOC: Is it too late for me to join in?

God bless,

The Republic of Syskeyia

A doctor examines Cardinal Duras as Richelieu concludes saying the Last Rites.

"This man is dead. But only the coroner will be able to tell you why... no obvious signs of a stroke or heart attack... he'll need to be examined, properly. Maybe even a biopsy conducted..." the doctor says.

The Pantocratorian delegation mournfully follows Duras' body out.

OOC: There will be a thread posted soon about Duras' death. Please continue the conference - the Church in Pantocratoria has already committed to help in the Excalbian charity fund!

"I want to know if all of you are able, and willing, to continue. I can imagine how shocking the loss of such a valued friend must be. Maybe we can continue and reach agreement on several topics, in his name. But if it is preferred, we will prospone this conference for a few days. Also, we have all the necessary facilities for a biopsy, if you wish to have one done."

--

ooc: Syskeyia, you are most welcome. Just enter late or have a character that has been listening instead of talking.

"No, we must press on. I propose, that in memoriam of the great philanthropist, that we create a new charity fund. The Cardinal Duras memorial fund."

"Yes, I agree that that would be the most effective course of action. May the spirit of the good Cardinal continue the work he did in his life."

Dear Reader,
Denounce the conference! They seek only to spread the ideas of capitalism, of catholicism, and or infidels! The National Socialist United Front seeks tio destroy such nations, they are pathetic!
Fuhrer of The Region of Heideland