KENOMA | VOICE

[vivificantem]

[There's something different tonight in Paul's baseline, something strange and energized in a way that he usually is not; perhaps it's evident, in the way his emotions are coming across, that it isn't necessarily a good sort of energized - they're strange and scattershot, almost crackling with a sort of manic feel behind them, though his words are steady enough as he goes.]

As I've made known to several of you, I've never been a combatant; I don't fight, and I've never had reason to become proficient with a weapon. And yet I don't disagree with those of you that have made it clear that we need to play to our strengths, if this is going to be a war we're going to win.

My own strengths have always lay with people - providing guidance, providing leadership. Knowing what they need to hear in order to press on, and knowing what they need to see to carry through whatever needs to be carried through. Finding those willing to serve, and willing to spare nothing in their service.

I've found that there are those here that are more than willing to accept my guidance - in the service of the Regent, and the service of the Kenoma. After all, who better than an Aion to give them what they're after? Those I refer to are more than willing to give up their lives in the interest of that service; it's just a matter of directing them to use that willingness in a more productive way.

I've taken up a position in the sect of Our Dark Regent's Church of the Precious Blood. Decently respected in Achamoth, despite their harsher proclivities. They seem a prudent investment to make - if we're to be at war, we'll need resources of one sort or another, and people are an acceptable resource to have.

After all, that's how the gospel spreads.

Comments

[lachtara]

[ Well, that one is certainly something of note. Nothing he has heard from this man before. ]

What kind of "resources" would you expect them to provide?

[vapour]

Can they fight? Or is it more like they're willing to do just about anything and learn if needed? Obviously fighters are only one part of a war puzzle, and the majority are useless without the right "resources."

I'm more just curious if the church has anything it practices that you are considering in particular that wouldn't normally be thought of. Those that refuse to pick up traditional weapons can see resourcefulness and benefits in things many warriors would normally scoff at.

[sterngaze]

[Messages like this make Liem glad that dismantling cult operations isn't his job anymore. The disturbing character of this idea is also one of the reasons he hasn't actually disclosed much information about his previous line of work. He doesn't want the Kenoma to expect more of the same from him for its own purposes.]

You found a church here that's to your liking? [He keeps the tone of his question deliberately neutral.] I didn't think the Regent's faith was to your taste.

voice voice voice

[semicharmed]

[ Matt can't define the exact quality that's different in Paul right now. But he can tell that something is different; a little jitter runs down his spine, a thrum of adrenaline. Not strictly a bad thing.

(Is this a "war"? Matt guesses he's been strategizing like it is one. Maybe Paul means a war in a more metaphorical sense. They are all engaged in a fairly existential struggle, and occasional combat has been involved.) ]

Congratulations.

[ That part is easy enough. It comes naturally to be happy for Paul, especially since it sounds like he's finding his feet in something he used to love: organized religion. ]

"The Precious Blood" is a pretty evocative moniker.