The Village of Convenience,

The amusing thing about the Viridian Charter is not its contents. It is that Eleusis believes possessing it is the same as possessing conviction.

They speak of Nature's dominance and the inevitability of civilization's decline, yet they ignore the very obligations their own Charter places upon them. The Charter states: "The falsities of Iron and Stone exist only to excel the erosion of the world, and shall thusly be eliminated." It further declares that "no taint upon the earth shall be tolerated."

Yet where is this conviction?

For centuries, Eleusis has found ways to excuse itself from the very actions its Charter demands. The village has chosen comfort over consequence, peace over purpose, and preservation over principle. The last time Eleusis truly carried itself by the Charter was under Andraste as Speaker, with the support of the Aegeans who sought to advance those ideals and embody its demands. That was nearly two centuries ago.

Since then, I have watched the village slowly abandon its own convictions. I know this because I was once among them.

I watched as the meaning of the Charter was bent whenever adherence became inconvenient. I watched them choose ease when their own beliefs demanded confrontation. I watched them protect the comfort of their villagers rather than demand the sacrifices required by their supposed philosophy.

As the Blackthorn General, I experienced this failure firsthand. I was not merely challenged in my actions; I was directed, restrained, and at times disfavoured because I pursued conflict with those who stood opposed to the principles Eleusis claimed to uphold.

I was told, "Not everyone wants war."

I was told, "It is about what the village needs and wants, not you."

Yet that was the moment the truth became clear.

I believed my purpose was to serve the Earthmother and uphold Her Charter. I believed my duty was to act according to those principles, even when doing so was difficult, unpopular, or carried consequence.

Instead, I learned that the priority was not the Charter.

The priority was the village.

The will of the people became the measure by which their ideals were interpreted. If the people desired peace, then peace became virtue. If confrontation became inconvenient, then restraint became wisdom. The Charter was not the standard by which the village measured itself; the village became the standard by which the Charter was permitted to exist.

How amusing, then, that they would invoke the Charter while their own villagers freely enter the cities they claim are a corruption. They shop within these cities, they contribute to the commerce that fuels their growth, and they willingly participate in the advancement of the very civilizations their Charter declares must be eliminated.

The falsities of Iron and Stone do not become acceptable because they are useful.

A principle that is followed only when it does not disrupt one's way of life is not a principle. It is a preference.

This is the distinction between Eleusis and Mhaldor.

We do not reshape the Truths to preserve our comfort. We do not abandon them when obedience demands sacrifice. We do not ask our beliefs to bend around our desires.

The Charter speaks of Nature's cycles, of decline, and of the eventual return of what was lost. Yet Eleusis has become the very thing it claims to oppose: an institution more concerned with its own survival than the fulfillment of its purpose.

They do not serve their Charter.

They expect their Charter to serve them.

I found in Mhaldor what Eleusis had forgotten: conviction is not measured by what you proclaim when it is easy. It is measured by what you are willing to endure when obedience becomes difficult.

Behold, the Village of Convenience.

A place where Nature is sacred, so long as it does not interfere with comfort.

A place where civilization is a corruption, so long as its markets remain open.

A place where the Charter is absolute, so long as it asks nothing of them.


In Cruelty,

Commandant Pharaus Lichlord
Priest of Malevolence

Penned by my hand on the 5th of Glacian, in the year 1010 AF.