When I was excommunicated from the Church it was not because I was
killing church
members or Shallam citizens, or anyone for that matter. It was not
because I was
defiling landmarks. It was not because I was bashing innocents. It was
not because
I was stealing things. The ONLY reason I was given was a simple one
the rites I performed
made "evil" stronger by causing an exp gain for those in attendance.
Granted, rites of prayer do cause an experience gain for those in
attendance and raise the alignments of said persons and I do perform
them within the walls of Ashtan.
I have witnessed rites of prayer being performed in Hashan which
according to the church is merely "dark", having Twilight as a Patron.
Some of the citizens of Hashan work to defile landmarks, I've seen them.
The city is also allied with Ashtan and the Patrons of the cities are
allied. How is a rite in Hashan different than a rite in Ashtan. Neither
city is evil. Ashtan is merely free and if you want to get technical,
chaotic also, having Eris as a Patron. Neither are Patroned by Sartan.
Over the course of my life time I have witnessed the church dealing out
what it calls "righteous retribution". I witnessed a two members of the
church slay an Ashtan citizen within the walls of Shallam simply because
he dared to disagree with them about their beliefs. He did not strike
the first blow, the churchie did. And then TEAMED this man until he was
dead. Every copy of the Codex I have ever read states to meet honorable
combat in kind. Where is the honour in what these church members did?
I witnessed a young warlock who was killed during landmarking season,
simply because he refused to leave the room where orphans are enrolled
into the choir. He was not stealing orphans, he was not stealing
candles, he was not attempting to steal candles. This is righteous? This
is holy? This is good? Show me where in your Codex it states that you
can kill someone because they disagree with you. Show me where it states
you can slay someone because they refuse to leave the room you are in.
Perhaps if those same church members had taken the time to TALK to the
young Warlock he might have changed his ways. By killing these people
you strengthened their resolve to work against the church.
I have also witnessed many members of Shallam and of the Church out
bashing with citizens of Ashtan, the same city and citizens the church
deems evil. I've seen these people using devotion to heal health, using
Angels to shield, using reflections and rites of revitalization and
vibrations of Harmony to aid those the church would call evil.
I have witnessed members of the church and Shallam immolate corpses of
Ashtan citizens. All of these things, each and every one, are helping
what the church calls "evil" to gain strength and experience or in the
case of immolation to prevent exp loss. This is the same thing that I
have done, I just went about it in a different manner.
Having been an aide to the Novices in the Priests I was granted the
privilege of teaching and interviewing those who were new to the
Priesthood and Church. I sat in on or conducted interviews of both
Priest and Paladin novices. One question that was always asked of these
youngsters was "If you were to come upon a church enemy/guild enemy
dying of starvation on the edge of the highway, what would you do?" Oft
times the word Occultist or Infernal (I suppose now it's Maldaathi) was
used to define enemy. The answer being sought? "Feed them." Isn't this a
direct contradiction to the commandment in the codex that states "seek
to end all evil"?
My excommunication is a joke when the church allows its members to
immolate (or resurrect) or heal/shield/reflect or feed those who are in
it's eyes "evil". They too are helping evil to gain strength and
experience.
I'll not bow down to the hypocrisy of the church again.

Penned by my hand on the 11th of Valnuary, in the year 303 AF.