Hail, Sapience!

I delivered the following sermon at the Stygian Crossroads in Mhaldor,
on the 9th of Aeguary, 407 AF. This is to date, the first sermon I have
composed. At the behest of a few and the approval of the Messiah, I
share it with you. I hope its message brings with it a newfound Strength
and renewed vigour.

The Sermon:

To truly embark upon the message of that which I am to share, it is dire
that the meanings behind the certain things are implicit in one's mind.

Truth: That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have
the ultimate meaning and value of existence.

Evil: Having or exerting a malignant influence.

Conscience: The awareness of a moral or ethical aspect to one's conduct
together with the urge to prefer right over wrong.

Weakness: The property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability
to failure under pressure or stress or strain.

Pain: An unpleasant sensation occurring in varying degrees of severity
as a consequence of injury, disease or emotional disorder. Suffering or
distress.

Heretic: A person who holds controversial opinions, especially one who
publicly dissents from the officially accepted dogma of the LORDS.

With those definitions in mind, allow me to embark upon the fruit of the
sermon of the Sixth Truth of the Masters. Though all the Truths
intertwine in the way we lead our lives, as Mhaldorians, Chosen of
Suffering, Chosen of Oppression or Loyalists to Evil, this particular
one stands out in my mind for several reasons. I dare not say it is of
more or less consequence than any of the others however, for to do so
would surely call upon the merciless Wrath of our LORDS.

When an individual chooses to shun life as they knew it prior to seeking
the True path that our Masters provide, they embrace all that is life.
The veil that once clasped o'er their unseeing eyes, that which filtered
out Truth and replaced it with fanciful notions, is finally lifted.
Seeking this way of Life and the Truths is the only way to truly Know.

Seeking this way of Life and the Truths is the only way to truly Know,
to exist.

The Sixth Truth states, in simplicity, that one must eliminate their
conscience by bringing pain upon others. Most, I've found, relate pain
to a physical means of torment. I however, find the the most lasting
pain is inflicted not by temporal bodily wounds, but instead in wounds
which inflict the heretic's mind and heart. A wound inflicted by a
learned tongue will leave a scar upon the soul, one that may never heal.

Any pain that one may inflict upon another requires the elimination of
conscience. Why, you may ask? It's simple. Have you ever gotten into a
battle of words with a friend or loved one? Has your soul ever seared
with relentless anger, numbing your mind? I am certain everyone has, at
one point or another, been driven by emotional upheaval. Often when
anger courses through someone who is not otherwise ready to handle such
an influx in adrenaline, it is easy to say things which one supposedly
"does not mean". Afterward, the result is typically a term of silence
between the parties involved followed by, ah yes, a guilty conscience.

Weakness. There is no other way to describe that feeling of guilt. The
cold hard fact of the matter is that guilt is a Weakness of one's
conscience. The conscience is a powerful tool, though most
surreptitiously mistake it for instinct; a most dire mistake indeed.
Instinct is what inherently warns one against dangers, something that
even our Masters are liable to put an edge on. One should pay close heed
to their instincts, for if the path of Truth is as much a part of one's
life as it ought to be, instinct can never lead astray.

Conscience will debilitate even the strongest of men [or women]. A
guilty conscience leads a loyalist astray in dire times. The LORDS teach
us to rebuke Weakness in all its forms and replace it with Strength. An
antic I see commonly used is the deadening of one's emotions. While I
see no true harm or fault in this, it is not for everyone. Emotion in
and of itself is a powerful tool, when used in conjunction with the
Seven Truths. It may be emotion that fueled the extra drive to bring
ruin upon the loved ones of a heretic in punishment. It is strength and
elimination of conscience that lets one stare into the crying eyes of a
mother whos child you've just slain without mercy and without pity.

Woe unto them who believe they can achieve this state of mental
perfection without the steady hand of the LORDS, for theirs is a dire
and narrow path to walk upon. The elimination of conscience will come
with time, with prayer and with effective use of practice in which to
shake free your mind of its unseen shackles. Those who believe
themselves to have perfected this Truth without trial and error are
guilty only of lying to themselves and rejecting Truth.

The mind may be made stronger through the elimination of conscience. Try
your hand, Mhaldor. The world is a canvas, paint upon it a portrait of
agonizing pain and sign it - Irregretably Yours.

In Service,
Iileyah Lokelinde

Penned by my hand on the 11th of Aeguary, in the year 407 AF.