The Faith of the Dissident.

Out of Character:

Anyone feel free to join!

In minds of many the war was an unimaginable tragedy. In the mind of Magnus Serveri, it was simply another test of his faith, one he hoped could lead him back to the path of righteousness. For this he had suffered a terribly exhausting journey, from Corone to Salvar, all to fight a war in the name of what was once his greatest nemesis, The Church of the Ethereal Sway. He had spent countless hours pondering whether St.Denebriel would truly accept a once notorious dissident into the fold of the church, or would simply have him executed as a traitor. It was a risk he was easily willing to take, as no one was as devoted to their chosen faith.

But even with the strength his faith provided him, The priest barely managed to drudge through the heavy snow. Clearing a path in this winter wasteland was the job of ten men, not one. In all his lifetime he had never experienced such harsh, frozen cruelty. This experience would serve its purpose however, as Knife's Edge was coming into his narrow line of sight. The first building Magnus could clearly recognize was the one most others undoubtedly saw first, St.Denebriel's Cathedral. It reached as high as all the stories had said, as if the world was stretching out it's arm to hold hands with the sky, truly "The Sway" wielded great power. The second building he could identify was the house of his newfound enemies, the legendarily impenetrable Castle Rathaxea.

The sight of this city was enough to halt the priest in his tracks, massive and fortified it was the epitome of what a capital city could be."Could this be anything but the work of the divine?" Magnus thought to himself, still freezing in the snow. He knew of no way any man or beast could build such a monument, surely the heavens marveled at Knife's Edge with jealousy. Even at this distance it was beautiful, but he longed to see this amazing triumph closer still, and continued his journey to the great cathedral, hoping to gain an audience with St.Denebriel.

As he approached the gate the guards looked truly world-weary. Magnus couldn't blame them, this was truly a horrible time to be a citizen of Salvar. In a gesture of peace Magnus raised both his hands, attempting to show he meant know harm. He accompanied this motion with an introduction.

"I am Magnus Serveri, warrior priest of the Ethereal Sway." This wasn't entirely true, but the less they knew about his former gods, the better.
The guards jumped at his introduction, fearing they had failed to recognize an honored priest.

"My lord forgive me, we didn't realize any were left" The first guard said stiffly, while the second man remained quiet. "We would offer you sanctuary from the cold, if that is your wish." He continued.

Magnus smiled. He was rarely greeted with such respect. "Calm down. You have done nothing wrong." Magnus said, attempting to give the soldier the same respect he received. "I would be happy to accept sanctuary." He added at last. With this the guards nodded and lead him dutifully into the courtyard, but before he let the soldiers return to their post, he made sure to give each two gold pieces, hoping it would help, in however small a way.

Now faced with the courtyard he realized it was as beautiful he had imagined, the flowers had failed to wilt even in such extreme conditions. They were however no more beautiful than the fountains they surrounded, which had yet to give in to the bitter winter. Clearly, the war was not yet evident in the cathedral but the somber look of its people was a constant reminder of what he was really doing in Knife's Edge.