Re: Perfecti

From: Nick Brooke <Nick_Brooke_at_compuserve.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 07:50:11 +0100


Since it's come up recently, I enclose extracts from the character sheet of the heresiarch of the Perfecti of Loskalm, Sulfraginis. Obviously, if you have some other stories IYG for how the Perfecti came to be, run with them instead! (Fans of Sulfraginis are directed to David Millians' excellent in-character writeup in the RQCon2 Compendium, "A Tale of Heresy and Madness", aka "the one with all the cat pics").

SULFRAGINIS Cardinal of Bregsburg, Perfectus

Age: 69 (apparent age 55)
Disposition: Frail, Harried, Soft-Spoken Religious Affiliation: Hrestoli Perfectus Political Affiliation: Kingdom of Loskalm

BACKGROUND You are Sulfraginis, Cardinal of Bregsburg in the Loskalmi Principality of Nevs. You continue to hold this rank, even though it was awarded by the corrupt and unrighteous State of Loskalm, because of the unparalleled opportunity it gives you to promulgate your doctrines. Secretly, you are a Perfectus, follower of the ancient and true path to mystical self-development which was bastardised by King Siglat into the rigid and unethical "Church of Hrestoli Idealism." You rediscovered the vital secrets of this path in the adventures of your younger days, when you were instrumental in taking the word of Hrestol to the Dark Continent, Pamaltela.

You were working as a wizard's apprentice in the city of Southpoint on that long-gone day in 1582 when the strange vessels of Dormal the Mariner hove into sight, emerging unscathed from their voyages through the previously impassable Western Ocean. This miraculous advent demonstrated that Zzabur's Curse of the Closing had been overcome: the nation of Loskalm, though still secured against its troublesome land neighbours by the Syndics Ban, could now venture forth upon the High Seas and take word of Hrestoli Idealism to every foreign clime.

Fired with enthusiasm, you strove to become a missionary for the Church, that you might teach Hrestol's doctrines in distant lands. On completing your studies, you took passage on a ship of friendly Brown Vadeli merchants, who carried you on an epic voyage to the far Southern Continent and the distant land of Umathela. They left you in the port city of Tortrica, one of the outposts of their mercantile hegemony over the southern coast. This region of Pamaltela had been settled in the Second Age by Seshnegi and Jrusteli colonists, and was formerly a prosperous part of the Middle Sea Empire. However, no news of its fate had come to the North since the Closing of the Oceans at the end of the Second Age. You were the first man of Loskalm to set foot in their land for half a millennium.

For four years you travelled through the inland regions of Umathela, bringing Hrestol's message of hope to the dark-skinned natives of the interior. You participated in all the tasks of their life, hunting and fishing, learning their languages and customs. At length, in need of more supplies, you accompanied a trading party to the coastal city of Nikosdros. Here a terrible scene of impiety and blasphemy met your eyes. You were shocked to discover that, with the aid of a local youth named Mituba, the Vadeli were passing themselves off as gods, and demanding worship from the oppressed people. You railed against this publicly, denouncing the leader of the Vadeli merchants as a fraud in the main square of Nikosdros. For this insolence, you were imprisoned by Mituba.

This imprisonment was the start of your spiritual journey, for you were confined in a pit with others who had incurred his displeasure. Among them were many followers of the Path of Silence movement; through gesture and expression, and the little you could glean of their teachings from other, more ignorant but vocal, fellow prisoners, you learned of a religious insight that had until now been entirely unknown to any man of the Old West.

Early in the Third Age, the Wordless Prophet had instituted a popular religion in Umathela known as the Path of Silence. This was a contemplative sect whose members sought inner peace and harmony, eschewing communication with the outer world. Although some extremists inflicted bizarre mutilations upon themselves and others, forcibly initiating them into Silence, the original followers of Silence retained their blissful philosophy. The success of their happy doctrines led to their exploitation at the hands of less fortunate, envious nations: a destructive movement named the Clamourers arose, shouting aloud the doctrines that should have been contemplated in the deepest recesses of the soul, destroying their potency by this promulgation.

You were struck by the parallels between what had happened to Silence and the doubts you sometimes felt about your own Hrestoli Idealist faith. For in Loskalm, the state religion claims to embody mystical doctrines over which you had pondered long and hard in your training for the Mission. Prince Hrestol achieved his own personal salvation through vigil and introspection, yet the modern Hrestoli claimed that nobody need do this themselves; you wondered if, perhaps, a part of the message had been lost. By proclaiming their Idealism so publicly, making such an outward show of Virtue, had the state lost whatever inner Virtue it once possessed?

To test your theories, you adopted the Path of Silence. Your experience was more fulfilling than the blissful state of torpor you saw in those around you: by concentrating your mind on the Vigil of Hrestol, you were able to deepen and focus your understanding of the Mystery. After three years' Silence, you had achieved Hrestol's Liberation of the Heart. Your silent vigil was now completed: unlike the ignorant Southern devotees, who made Silence an end in itself, you realised that it was but a means to an end - Revelation, Liberation, Salvation!

The world reflected your insight: as you grew into your new powers, a party of Seshnelan merchant venturers from the northern continent sailed to Nikosdros, seeking to purchase slaves to work in their mining camps elsewhere in Pamaltela. You and your fellows were sold to them. Over the next few weeks you recovered the use of your voice, recalled the rudiments of the Western speech, and finally, in a hoarse whisper, revealed your identity to your new masters. Shocked at their inadvertent violation of Malkion's Law, they freed you at once, and took pains to repatriate you to Genertela and Loskalm on the next ship to the North.

You learned from your rescuers that the Vadeli, grown overweeningly proud, had suffered a naval defeat at a place called Oenriko Rock in the previous year; their hegemony was broken, and their control over the trade-routes to the South was lost. Ships from the Seshnelan coastal duchies of Nolos and Pasos now competed with them; your own deliverers came from the Capratis family of Pasos. As a rescued slave, you could hardly repay them with anything other than words. Disembarking at Southpoint, you swore eternal gratitude and returned to Loskalmi life.

The Kingdom had changed out of all recognition in your absence: the seemingly impenetrable barriers of the Syndics Ban were crumbling almost daily, and as isolationist Loskalmi came face to face with the outside world, their nature changed. The pride in their nation taught by Siglat became an ugly assertion of racial supremacy, now less fortunate folk were dwelling on their borders. Although you had been feted as a returning hero, you felt great distaste at the tenor of life in the cities of your homeland, and retired to the highland Principality of Nevs. You refused the many offers of formal induction into the Lordly ruling class of the nation, knowing that any such rite would be an empty sham: you had already mastered the spiritual attitudes of the four classes in your Silent Vigil.

Recently, however, you recognised that Hrestol himself had mastered not merely the spiritual nature of the Classes, but also their mundane skills. Was this Liberation of the Body also necessary to your salvation? You needed to improve your knowledge of technical wizardry, and the only way of doing this was to study for admission into the class of Lords. Reluctantly, you entered the thaumaturgical classes of the University of Sog City, where your aptitude was quickly noted. You found a kindred spirit in one Guiomar, the Chaplain of the University, who was greatly enlightened by your demonstration of the truths behind the Knightly Vigil. He became a keen disciple of the Silent Vigil you taught.

Qualifying as a Lord, you were offered the position of Cardinal in the Principality of Nevs.

And now, there has come a summons to the Seventh Ecclesiastical Council of Malkionism. This is the ideal platform for you to publicise your revelation, fearlessly exposing the flaws and fallacies of Loskalm's state church and its leaders. You are not afraid to die; but you would like to achieve as many of your objectives as possible first.

On a personal note, you have a problem. You have in recent years become worried about your old age. You are happy to die a martyr; but if this is not to be, then you wish to survive long enough to spread the word of the Perfecti across the whole of the West. To that end you have learnt an arcane immortality spell which you have used to stave off ageing. If you fail to cast the spell before the end of Windsday you will begin to noticeably age. To cast the spell you need a special ingredient - Arktanian Oysters from the Mournsea. These are very rare and your last consignment was used enroute. You must find a new supply within Sog City.

THEOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES

  1. Win converts to your movement of the Perfecti. Defend your movement from those who seek to destroy it.
  2. Expose inconsistencies in the doctrines of the Idealist Church. What purpose does the Knight's Vigil serve, in their flawed account of doctrine? Why do the leaders of the Church encourage behaviour which Hrestol himself would have been ashamed to witness? And, if mastery of mundane skills qualifies one for Lordship, why do they try to denounce and silence you, when (by their standards) you are as worthy a Lord as any of them?
  3. If you must die, embrace Holy Martyrdom willingly. Those who see, will remember.

OTHER OBJECTIVES

  1. Use your knowledge of their shameful past to expose and destroy your old enemies, Mituba and Abdelcar.
  2. Assist Guiomar, Chaplain of Sog City University, to shake off the shackles of the class system by succeeding in his transformative Silent Vigil.
  3. Seek out Guisidio Capratis, the Bishop of Neleoswal. Tell him the story of how his cousins rescued you from Umathelan bondage, express your fulsome gratitude, and offer him any assistance you may be able to provide.
  4. Find some Arktanian oysters so that you can further stave off your old age.

WHO YOU KNOW Abdelcar, False God of the Vadeli: your proudest moment on your mission to the South was the public denunciation of this fraudulent trickster, who demanded to be worshipped as a God by the people of Umathela. Now you hear that he is in the city.

Bersules, Cardinal of Valsburg: you once knew him well and could count him your friend. By like Loskalm he had changed when you returned from Pamaltela. Since then you have drifted apart.

Broderica the Black, Questioner of the Watchdog Council: a sadistic woman who has twisted and broken many of your disciples with her unholy, sorcerous tortures.

Gaiseron the Mystic, Cardinal of Southpoint and Ecclesiarch of the Malkioni Faith: an old man, yet for all his worldly learning and white hairs he has acquired no true Virtue. He knowingly presides over the sham that is so-called "Hrestoli" so-called "Idealism," and his hypocritical pose of "mystical detachment" is merely an excuse for ignoring the vile and distasteful acts of his more active followers.

Galleron, Cardinal of Pomona: a cynical, barren-souled manipulator of the powers wrongly given to him by the State. He is Vadalon's confessor and you wonder at the lies he is feeding the Prince.

Guiomar, University Chaplain: one of your early disciples, Guiomar proved himself to be a willing and able pupil. However, he is yet to achieve perfection though he says he is close. You must supervise his final transformation.

Guisidio Capratis, Bishop of Neleoswal: a Rokari Bishop from the island duchy of Pasos. Merchant venturers from this man's family were responsible for delivering you from your dolorous slavery and imprisonment in the South. You were eternally grateful, and have sworn to aid the house of Capratis in any way you can.

Guntram, Cardinal of Morain: a tinkering scientist, more interested in discovering ways to achieve his ends than in questioning whether they are worth attaining.

Gundreken, King of Loskalm: a deluded man, who believes the lies his corrupt advisers have told him.

Jurgen Merriman, Head of the Watchdog Council: dangerous! This man is clever, and you will have to be careful to avoid his snares. He is the Church's seeker after heresies.

Sir Meriatan, Grand Knight of the Order of the Swallow: a self-righteous prig who only seeks Power and Glory. He is set on forcibly converting the rest of Fronela to the Idealist Church. You suspect he is a racial supremacist.

Malgrin, Cardinal of Modrimouth: a rural Cardinal, not yet corrupted by the system of which he forms a minor part. A Perfecti preacher told you that Malgrin heard him out fairly and seemed impressed.

Mituba, Patriarch of Nikosdros: a scheming plotter who sold his own people to the Vadeli, and imprisoned you for four long years. You would dearly love to bring about his downfall.

Minadoras, Cardinal of Easval: a young man in a hurry, obsessed with further developing the stranglehold of the State apparatus upon the people of Loskalm.

Sieglinde, Cardinal of Northpoint: the first woman Cardinal of Loskalm, her wrong-headedness is manifest in the self-importance she displays: as if being appointed to a role in the State revealed anything about the state of her soul!

Tumaru of Juborantanga, Sorcerer-Priest of Valkaro: a foreign visitor from the distant Eastern Isles, an Oriental archipelago which lies as distant from Loskalm as far-off Umathela. You wonder if he brings further enlightenments with him from the Mystic East...

Vadalon, Prince of Tawars: a typical Loskalmi nobleman: his family connections (he is the King's nephew, after all) will have ensured that the tests claimed to mark his "passage through the classes" were spurious. Private meditation, not public display, is the way to transcend class limits!

RELIGIOUS ATTITUDES Mainstream Western Malkioni Churches (Rokari, Idealist Hrestoli, Chivalric Hrestoli, Syanoran): Religion, you know, should be an individual matter. It cannot be taught through structured organisations like the various Churches of the West. Hrestol did not achieve his Liberation of the Heart by muttering prayers when the wizards told him to, or obeying the laws set up by rulers to keep them secure in their power: he did so by direct personal revelation. Only those who have themselves achieved spiritual perfection can teach the secrets of holiness to others, and redeem them from the burden of their sins.

All Other Churches: your experiences in Umathela have taught you that other methods of worship may contain true secrets which can serve to liberate the souls of the Malkioni faithful. They should be studied to determine if this is the case, not dismissed and persecuted from ignorance. Why should we fear them, if our faith in the Invisible God is strong?

Sedalpist Church: this Malkioni sect worshipped in Nikosdros perpetuates the works of the Clamourers: by shouting out the secrets of Silence for all to hear, they strove to make it impossible for any to complete the Silent Path to revelation. You are unsurprised at this deceit, for the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church is none other than that traitor and pawn of the Vadeli, Mituba of Nikosdros.

Martyrdom: You are a Perfectus, the first of your kind in this Age. Having attained your state of physical and spiritual harmony with the four social classes of Malkionism, through Liberation of the Body and of the Heart, it is impossible for you to lose the certainty of attaining Solace in Glory. You need not fear torture, humiliation or death: Hrestol himself suffered all of these in his martyrdom, and through it he redeemed all his followers.

OTHER ATTITUDES Having lived among the southern tribesmen of Umathela, Vralos and Mondoro, you have come to respect the ways of folk whose lifestyle is completely different to your own. This enables you to see through the shallow racist nationalism of many Loskalmi - have these blinkered fools forgotten that Prince Hrestol himself was a foreigner?

RUMOURS

  1. You were amused to find that the Sog University Zoo holds a rare Titanothere bull. This massive beast was shipped in from the Southern Continent, where you first encountered in its natural habitat some forty years ago. Seeing it brings back memories of the old days, when you lived among the primitive tribes of Mondoro...
  2. A group of bandits has recently grown up in the Forests of Loskalm called the Knights o' the Wood. These bandits only rob the rich, and they often give some of their money to the poor. You must meet them! Such anarchic acts which attack the hide-bound structures of the state could only have been inspired by Perfecti thought.
  3. A priest said that Jurgen Merriman wishes to convene a Watchdog Council enquiry into the Perfecti "movement". Interesting, he did not refer to it as a heresy. Perhaps they are beginning to accept your ideas? Or is it a trap to make you reveal yourself?

SPECIAL SKILLS/MAGIC Blessing (spell: one-use). This allows you to bless a person or group.

Convert (Ability: one-use). This allows you to convert a cleric of another religion who has had a crisis of faith.

Imitate Mating Call of Titanothere (Ability: one-use). A peculiar knack you picked up in Umathela.

Immortality (Spell: one-use). You may cast this to stave off the effects of ageing. This can only be cast in conjunction with some Arktanian Oysters and in the presence of a referee.

Remain Silent (Ability: one-use). Your are experienced in contemplating the Virtues of Silence.

Evangelise (Ability: one-use). This used to help you win Tests of Faith.

High Stakes (Ability: one-use). A big risks, big rewards card for Tests of Faith.

Proselytise (Ability: one-use). Your strong faith allows you to win most arguments.

REFEREE'S NOTES IMITATE MATING CALL OF TITANOTHERE (Ability: one-use). This exotic and dangerous skill was taught to you by the hunters of Mondoro, who dwell in the southern land of Umathela. When the five-ton Titanotheres of either sex are in rut, they bellow their desire for a mate; the booming sound can be heard for miles around, calling likely partners to them at the double! You can imitate the call of either a Bull or a Cow Titanothere. If you should ever feel the need to do so, please contact a referee.

REMAIN SILENT (Ability: one-use). Through holy meditation upon the Virtues of Silence, you can negate the effects of any card that would otherwise force you to speak. (This does not work on cards which are played during a normal conversation.)

CRISIS OF FAITH (sealed envelope): Have I deluded myself all this time? I surely believe myself to be Perfected, but so do the Idealist Lords of Loskalmi. Do I have any more reason for my faith than they? How can I be certain? Aieee! All these years I have shrugged aside my doubts, retreating into Silence whenever my beliefs were questioned. But now I must face them openly and admit: I do not know. For in my arrogance, my pride, my self-righteous self-assurance, I have never spoken with others who might know. Let me not die now, uncertain of my salvation! Give me more time, that I may follow a more frequented path, to find my haven of Solace in Glory! (You may be converted.)

Nick
:::: web: <http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Nick_Brooke>


End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #674


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