[How does he say this without outing himself as someone slightly more unhinged than previously thought. Hm. Unlike in Kjerag, he has a reputation to uphold here.]
...I think I should give additional context as to how the Incident began in the first place. Do you particularly mind if I start from the very beginning?
[He may as well open up about what brought him here, right?]
My family, the Edelweisses, were historically known as record-keepers for Kjerag. Kjerag until recently has been governed by the Tri-Clan council, made up of the clans of Silverash, Browntail, and Paleroche, and further governed by the assistance of the Saintess and the Great Elder. Thus, it fell to the Edelweisses to keep the history in check as something of a neutral faction. Eventually, the Edelweisses and Silverashes began to work closely together, which is how I met Enciodes. We were children, but most of our studies were done together at his estate. He is a noble's son, and I'm simply the son of historians, but we got along well all the same.
With that being said, the three clans are well-respected families in Kjerag. To slight one of them as a minor family is to bring shame to the family name for the rest of time, or at the very least, until the nation as a whole forgets and moves on several generations later. This all leads me to my next point: One night, the matriarch and patriarch of the Silverashes were murdered, and the blame fell onto the shoulders of my parents. I'm not sure how or why other than blatant conspiracy, but the rest of Kjerag didn't want to hear it. We were ostracized and forced to flee the country.
[So, you know, off to a great start.]
That was well over twenty years ago. Luckily for me, Enciodes did not buy into the allegations that my parents were responsible for offing his. As I moved to Victoria, he soon followed, and as we grew up there, he began to devise a plan for how to — in layman's terms — improve Kjerag's economy, infrastructure, and revise the closed-borders policy, as well as make the people rely less on the Tri-Clan Council and more on the Saintess for a ruler.
[He pauses there to take a breath. Enjoy that tragic tale—]
A whole people... Even when the Son of who was lost - they did not... They still thought you were to blame?
[ Caoimhe took it in, but this was the surmount of her first question - it appalled her at first but, in leeway to her own circumstances. A whole people grasping at a truth shared among them. Did not exactly surprise her. Fingers still caress each string gently, she is mindful of him speaking. ]
Correct. I'm still unsure why, and the actual assassins were never uncovered. Enciodes and I were but children then — no older than ten.
[So, you know, framing the parents of a child for a murder was pretty cool.]
Victoria is a far more developed country than Kjerag. I developed an interest in technology and how it can further society, and he took after his father and became a businessman. We started Karlan Trade together in pursuit of the same dream. [Sounds gay.] Which leads me more to what I told you earlier, I suppose.
We returned to Kjerag together twenty years later, and there, started on our plans. Karlan Trade gave the Silverashes heavy economic influence by bringing in additional money to the country, and I was able to drive some level of technological advancement. Enya was nominated as candidate to be the Saintess. Unfortunately, his youngest sister Ensia contracted Oripathy — a disease native to Terra that is, sadly, always terminal — and was sent to Rhodes Island for treatment. This did, however, give Karlan Trade a way to work with Rhodes Island directly and open further avenues for business.
[He's conveniently leaving out the fact that Enciodes himself nominated Enya for Saintess, a role which she detests, but has anyway. Just gonna... skip over that part.]
As you know, I work with Rhodes Island now, though more in the technological development department — but I have a small amount of medical expertise due to it. It's not as much as Add, though.
[Moving on—]
The Tri-Clan Council simply isn't fit for Kjerag, is what Enciodes and I decided. Their closed-borders policy prevents progress, and prevented us from connecting with the outside world. Thus, we worked to dismantle the council from the inside out. In so doing, I offered myself as scapegoat for the blame — we even went so far as to fake my own firing from Karlan Trade so that I may infiltrate the other Clans and kick our plans into action. In short, this is what lead to the Snowcap Incident, though it only lasted for a single day before Kjeragandr's miracle occurred and the people saw their faith in Her restored.
The Saintess now rules Kjerag, as she was meant to in the scriptures, and the closed-border policy is abolished, and Kjerag's people and economy are better for it. [Notice how he skips to the end and doesn't go over several things here, yeah. He trusts her, but not that much.] A far better outcome than letting three tyrants rule forever.
[ALSO LEAVING OUT THE PART WHERE ONE OF THOSE "TYRANTS" IS ENCIODES SILVERASH HIMSELF, WHO ALSO HAS PARTIAL CONTROL OVER THE COUNTRY, why is Gnosis like this.]
[ Caoimhe listened to every bit he said, and took it all into account. She starts to link some thoughts together, finding Gnosis's actions remind her of things Godwyyn himself had said to her long before. She never understood what it means, to rise to power.
For Godwyyn, he had told her: I had nothing better to do, so, I started information gathering. From there, I established a grounds to build an empire and flourished it did.
When she recalls thinking and reflecting on his want for power, was it because he lacked it himself? Or did not like that the world around him, was not moving at the pace he himself wanted?
There were many similarities that Caoimhe thought, unspoken as the sounds of the harp played their music into the air.
After a moment she sings, ]
♫( There will come a soldier Who carries a mighty sword He will tear your city down, o lei o lai o lord O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord He will tear your city down, o lei o lai o lord
There will come a poet Whose weapon is his word He will slay you with his tongue, o lei o lai o lord O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord He will slay you with his tongue, o lei o lai o lord
There will come a ruler Whose brow is laid in thorn Smeared with oil like David's boy, o lei o lai o lord O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord Smeared with oil like David's boy, o lei o lai o lord
O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord He will tear your city down, o lei o lai ) ♪
[ She gently lays the song down into its ending, and plays the harmony once again, then says - ]
In this story it was Encidoes the Ruler, you the soldier, and the poet the Saintess or Lady Enya.
[Gnosis sits back and listens, hands folded in his lap and legs crossed at the knee. He's unsurprised to hear her start singing a ballad of a sort, though he's not entirely expecting it to be connected to the tale he just told. He contemplates the melody, affords a smile, and nods.]
How apt. Your prowess over music never fails to impress.
[He means that, genuinely, and that's all the commentary he has to offer. He did indeed become something of Enciodes' soldier during that whole thing. "Let the son of a sinner take the fall," is what he said, just to preserve the man's reputation. Everyone in Kjerag hates the Edelweisses for "what they did", so it was easy enough.
Gnosis thinks for a moment, and then his face falls from its smile, and his head shakes.]
There is one other thing, [he begins,] I once had a friend named Monch. While Enciodes and I were concocting our plan, we didn't tell anyone else, not even his bodyguards, what we were doing. Monch had no idea my departure from Karlan Trade and wrath at Enciodes was all faked, naturally, and I suppose everything we did was taken quite seriously by her.
She must have felt betrayed. I explained everything to her and gave her time to process it, but she was quick to run off into the wilderness, and I haven't seen her since. She left a gift I had given her on the table. ...sometimes, I wish I knew where she was.
[ The melody continues more muted between them but plays all the same. ]
My people... We have a phrase for moments in life like this between links bound by the soul...
The serpents tail ends where its mouth begins.
[ Caoimhe says it first in elvish, then repeats it in the language that is common for them both. ]
It isn't just that endings create beginings, and beginings always have an end. It is also the idea that the cycle of all things ever churns in a circle. You may think it had ended, but what remains connected always is.
I am certain, [ She smiles a bit warmly. ] even if she feels herself wronged and does not wish to see you again. She had given back to you this gift, meaning perhaps one day. You could give it back to her again, when it is, you trust her enough that she is deserving of it. Afterall, I am sure she felt that way when the long tale of your story had happened. She must not have felt deserving of this knife.
[It's all he says, but his shoulders relax, and he looks the least bit comforted. How long has he needed to get that off his chest? Five years? It's been a long time since that day. Running off into the Kjerag wilderness like that, one might question if she's still alive, but Gnosis knows she is. He has no reason to believe otherwise.]
Thank you for speaking with me about this. I haven't told anyone. I had no reason to, I suppose.
[ Caoimhe listens, and she offers the other a smile. The sound of harp filled in for whatever silence lay between them. ] I am happy you shared so much of yourself with me, I will not forget it.
For now, if you want to relax and just be in the moment, you can. Sometimes it takes time to process even the emotions of comfort, or peace, that come upon us after holding so much in for so long.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[How does he say this without outing himself as someone slightly more unhinged than previously thought. Hm. Unlike in Kjerag, he has a reputation to uphold here.]
...I think I should give additional context as to how the Incident began in the first place. Do you particularly mind if I start from the very beginning?
[He may as well open up about what brought him here, right?]
no subject
[ Caoimhe nods her head, she will absolutely listen! ]
no subject
My family, the Edelweisses, were historically known as record-keepers for Kjerag. Kjerag until recently has been governed by the Tri-Clan council, made up of the clans of Silverash, Browntail, and Paleroche, and further governed by the assistance of the Saintess and the Great Elder. Thus, it fell to the Edelweisses to keep the history in check as something of a neutral faction. Eventually, the Edelweisses and Silverashes began to work closely together, which is how I met Enciodes. We were children, but most of our studies were done together at his estate. He is a noble's son, and I'm simply the son of historians, but we got along well all the same.
With that being said, the three clans are well-respected families in Kjerag. To slight one of them as a minor family is to bring shame to the family name for the rest of time, or at the very least, until the nation as a whole forgets and moves on several generations later. This all leads me to my next point: One night, the matriarch and patriarch of the Silverashes were murdered, and the blame fell onto the shoulders of my parents. I'm not sure how or why other than blatant conspiracy, but the rest of Kjerag didn't want to hear it. We were ostracized and forced to flee the country.
[So, you know, off to a great start.]
That was well over twenty years ago. Luckily for me, Enciodes did not buy into the allegations that my parents were responsible for offing his. As I moved to Victoria, he soon followed, and as we grew up there, he began to devise a plan for how to — in layman's terms — improve Kjerag's economy, infrastructure, and revise the closed-borders policy, as well as make the people rely less on the Tri-Clan Council and more on the Saintess for a ruler.
[He pauses there to take a breath. Enjoy that tragic tale—]
no subject
[ Caoimhe took it in, but this was the surmount of her first question - it appalled her at first but, in leeway to her own circumstances. A whole people grasping at a truth shared among them. Did not exactly surprise her. Fingers still caress each string gently, she is mindful of him speaking. ]
no subject
[So, you know, framing the parents of a child for a murder was pretty cool.]
Victoria is a far more developed country than Kjerag. I developed an interest in technology and how it can further society, and he took after his father and became a businessman. We started Karlan Trade together in pursuit of the same dream. [Sounds gay.] Which leads me more to what I told you earlier, I suppose.
We returned to Kjerag together twenty years later, and there, started on our plans. Karlan Trade gave the Silverashes heavy economic influence by bringing in additional money to the country, and I was able to drive some level of technological advancement. Enya was nominated as candidate to be the Saintess. Unfortunately, his youngest sister Ensia contracted Oripathy — a disease native to Terra that is, sadly, always terminal — and was sent to Rhodes Island for treatment. This did, however, give Karlan Trade a way to work with Rhodes Island directly and open further avenues for business.
[He's conveniently leaving out the fact that Enciodes himself nominated Enya for Saintess, a role which she detests, but has anyway. Just gonna... skip over that part.]
As you know, I work with Rhodes Island now, though more in the technological development department — but I have a small amount of medical expertise due to it. It's not as much as Add, though.
[Moving on—]
The Tri-Clan Council simply isn't fit for Kjerag, is what Enciodes and I decided. Their closed-borders policy prevents progress, and prevented us from connecting with the outside world. Thus, we worked to dismantle the council from the inside out. In so doing, I offered myself as scapegoat for the blame — we even went so far as to fake my own firing from Karlan Trade so that I may infiltrate the other Clans and kick our plans into action. In short, this is what lead to the Snowcap Incident, though it only lasted for a single day before Kjeragandr's miracle occurred and the people saw their faith in Her restored.
The Saintess now rules Kjerag, as she was meant to in the scriptures, and the closed-border policy is abolished, and Kjerag's people and economy are better for it. [Notice how he skips to the end and doesn't go over several things here, yeah. He trusts her, but not that much.] A far better outcome than letting three tyrants rule forever.
[ALSO LEAVING OUT THE PART WHERE ONE OF THOSE "TYRANTS" IS ENCIODES SILVERASH HIMSELF, WHO ALSO HAS PARTIAL CONTROL OVER THE COUNTRY, why is Gnosis like this.]
no subject
For Godwyyn, he had told her: I had nothing better to do, so, I started information gathering. From there, I established a grounds to build an empire and flourished it did.
When she recalls thinking and reflecting on his want for power, was it because he lacked it himself? Or did not like that the world around him, was not moving at the pace he himself wanted?
There were many similarities that Caoimhe thought, unspoken as the sounds of the harp played their music into the air.
After a moment she sings, ]
♫( There will come a soldier
Who carries a mighty sword
He will tear your city down, o lei o lai o lord
O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord
He will tear your city down, o lei o lai o lord
There will come a poet
Whose weapon is his word
He will slay you with his tongue, o lei o lai o lord
O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord
He will slay you with his tongue, o lei o lai o lord
There will come a ruler
Whose brow is laid in thorn
Smeared with oil like David's boy, o lei o lai o lord
O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord
Smeared with oil like David's boy, o lei o lai o lord
O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord
He will tear your city down, o lei o lai ) ♪
[ She gently lays the song down into its ending, and plays the harmony once again, then says - ]
In this story it was Encidoes the Ruler, you the soldier, and the poet the Saintess or Lady Enya.
no subject
How apt. Your prowess over music never fails to impress.
[He means that, genuinely, and that's all the commentary he has to offer. He did indeed become something of Enciodes' soldier during that whole thing. "Let the son of a sinner take the fall," is what he said, just to preserve the man's reputation. Everyone in Kjerag hates the Edelweisses for "what they did", so it was easy enough.
Gnosis thinks for a moment, and then his face falls from its smile, and his head shakes.]
There is one other thing, [he begins,] I once had a friend named Monch. While Enciodes and I were concocting our plan, we didn't tell anyone else, not even his bodyguards, what we were doing. Monch had no idea my departure from Karlan Trade and wrath at Enciodes was all faked, naturally, and I suppose everything we did was taken quite seriously by her.
She must have felt betrayed. I explained everything to her and gave her time to process it, but she was quick to run off into the wilderness, and I haven't seen her since. She left a gift I had given her on the table. ...sometimes, I wish I knew where she was.
no subject
My people... We have a phrase for moments in life like this between links bound by the soul...
The serpents tail ends where its mouth begins.
[ Caoimhe says it first in elvish, then repeats it in the language that is common for them both. ]
It isn't just that endings create beginings, and beginings always have an end. It is also the idea that the cycle of all things ever churns in a circle. You may think it had ended, but what remains connected always is.
I am certain, [ She smiles a bit warmly. ] even if she feels herself wronged and does not wish to see you again. She had given back to you this gift, meaning perhaps one day. You could give it back to her again, when it is, you trust her enough that she is deserving of it. Afterall, I am sure she felt that way when the long tale of your story had happened. She must not have felt deserving of this knife.
[ The elven woman thinks longingly. ]
Or so, that is what I would like to think.
no subject
[It's all he says, but his shoulders relax, and he looks the least bit comforted. How long has he needed to get that off his chest? Five years? It's been a long time since that day. Running off into the Kjerag wilderness like that, one might question if she's still alive, but Gnosis knows she is. He has no reason to believe otherwise.]
Thank you for speaking with me about this. I haven't told anyone. I had no reason to, I suppose.
no subject
For now, if you want to relax and just be in the moment, you can. Sometimes it takes time to process even the emotions of comfort, or peace, that come upon us after holding so much in for so long.