To Look Upon the Sea
Three young men sat upon the warped and sun-aged planks of a nameless fisherman's dock. All was quiet save the gentle sound of the surf as it met the shore, the calls of the gulls as they rode the air, and the buzz of the cicadas in the noontime heat. The men stared across the water as the sun reached its apex - light playing atop the waves - as in the far distance were lit the white walls of the city. They had been silent for many moments, each among them deep in contemplation. They wore the muted garb of the Daharai, all collared as Brothers Superior, though one among them bore the crimson belt of a Prelate of that storied Order. If such things can be said, it seemed his air was somehow greater than that of his companions. Perhaps it was the way he held himself, or perhaps it was the determination in his eyes, or perhaps it was just the way the light struck him. Kaltas Nire breathed deeply of the crisp salt air, and he smiled as he took in the vista that was before him. With a sigh at last he drew his bare feet out from the water, and he stood upon the dock. "We three brothers proved our worth on the walls of Treha, this we know well. By our deeds in that place are we known by others, and as we are known we have been made more than we were. We each swore to the other that we should go together where the world should take us, and so here we have come, before the walls of this city. It is our great trial, and it is before us."
"These things are good, Kaltas, and I am proud to stand here beside you. But would it not be better were we instead poised to take back our sacred isle from the heathen Savirai? Would it not be best had the Hierarchs sent us thence to Dinyart? How shall we be enlightened by our deeds if never we come to that place?" said Eander as he too came to stand upon the dock.
"Enlightment is not a place, Eander. This is the folly of many of our faith. It is a journey. A journey through life until its end, and more and more I suspect that we can not know of true Enlightenment until our final moment, until that last breath flies from the body." the third man said as he remained seated upon the dock. He was Sadar, and of those three only he did not look upon that city, but instead upon the gulls as they strove against the wind.
"But does not a life well lived bring us to Enlightenment, as Jitanu said? Is it not most well of all for us to see that sacred place?" Eander said.
"It is well for us to see that place, Eander. But it is as well to look upon any place of beauty. Enlightenment is all about us; see the waves as they dance, feel the air upon your skin, hear the songs of birds as they delight in the wind beneath their wings. In each of these things may we find a grain of truth, if we should take the time to look. Indagahor has come to us from that place, this is true, but it might have come from any other. In beauty and truth is the mind freed, and you must but open your eyes and you will see these things. We must not confuse the beginning as the end, though each leads to the other." Sadar responded.
"I.. I think I see, Brother Sadar. I think it is that you are right, and I think that I have in some ways been blind. I will meditate upon what you have said, and I shall seek to know these things as you do." Eander said as he bowed his head in thought.
"Your wisdom humbles us, Sadar." Kaltas said as he followed the course of a distant sail as it disappeared behind the harbour walls of the city that lay across from them. "We are here, Eander, because the Republic is indivisible. We are here because our Order is indomitable. We are here to show the world our strength. The Hierarchs shall not satisfy me with the belt of a Prelate, and by my victory shall I ascend. They will have no choice but to raise me as Primate, and then none shall stand in my way. We shall rise together, as we have sworn." Kaltas looked to the west then, and there as they rounded the cape were the sails of his armada. "And so this city shall be supplicant before us. And so through victory shall we be Enlightened." he said.
Bells rang out from the city then as that great fleet was spied, and for but a moment Kaltas thought that he could hear the plaintive cries of its people carried across the water that lay between. A launch approached those three as they stood patiently upon the dock, and it took them up and carried them to the fleet, and to the task that was before them.
----
To: The Dual Empire of the Savirai and the Nahari
From: The Republic of the Daharai
It is good that the Imperial Throne of Opulens has been defeated, and the Dual Empire has played its part in this. But Sacred Dinyart is integral to the body of the Republic, and we cannot abide that it should be held by those who do not follow Indagahor, by those who do not embrace the Path of Enlightenment.
The Daharai and the Opulensi have struggled long upon the mainland with your peoples, but our interest in those places wanes, and so at this time it is not our desire to make war upon the Dual Empire. But Dinyart must be ours, and you shall cede your control of it to us. To ease this transition, and to recognize those soldiers who lost their lives against the forces of the Emperor, the Red Chamber shall gift unto the Dual Empire five-hundred ingots of fine silver. We shall wait for your reply. [OOC: That is, I am offering 500 measures of income.]
To: Farubaida o Caroha
From: The Republic of the Daharai
The last vestiges of the Emperor's authority are vanquished, and the friendship that is between us endures. We are glad of the aid that you have lent to our Republic and to our Order, and we shall remember all that you have done for us. Peace, prosperity and honour; these things we cherish and respect. But for peace on this Sea to endure, Sacred Dinyart must be returned to us. We would ask that the Federation do what it might to encourage the Dual Empire to come to this same conclusion.