#Lore24 – Entry #241 – Helica Month #29 – To Share Forbidden Knowledge

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

If anything good could be said about the current leadership of the Church of Phyresis, it is that, with the Most High Summoner Tephysea in charge, some advances have been made, and with the aid of the Ketzeryn, no less.  The Church has actually adopted long-range communication technologies that were recovered many decades ago by the Ketzeryn, who had used them to keep their own fleets in touch since their recreation.  Of course, I’m certain that this will lead to nothing good, and likely will be used to further tighten the Church’s control within its established borders, if not encouraging them to expand their holdings even further.

A more disturbing rumor has begun to spread amongst the Ketzeryn during the latest Tranquility that the Church had begun adopting more stringent security within its capitol of Tyraguard, specifically reclaimed machines of war from before the coming of the Transgressor, the ancient malkikai that even they have been reluctant to study.  Not all Ketzeryn clans are in lockstep with one another, certainly, have never been, and the fact that some may have broken away and made deals with the Church to further their knowledge of the lost technologies is not unexpected, but is nonetheless worrying.  And of course, the average person accepts it faithfully, for the Church has simply declared these machines bonkikai, for use by those within the Church to protect the people from further actions by the Transgressor and other enemies.

Until I can confirm the nature of these machines for myself, perhaps joining a trading ship bound to Tyraguard’s ports to have a closer look, I’ll withhold further judgement, but securing more power, no matter the cost, seems to be perfectly in line with Tephysea’s ways.  Given that she’s undoubtedly allied with the Transgressor at this time, it’s honestly not that surprising.  As such, I’ve taken a few steps to help unsettle that new power structure she’s building up, tp weaken the foundations, so to speak.  Firstly, I’ve made sure that the Ketzeryn are developing countermeasures to any such malkikai that may be on the horizon, mainly in the form of more effective firearms and specific loads charged with electrical energy, which these creations are more susceptible to; more reluctantly, they are developing their own bonkikai to combat those of the Church, using what has been salvaged from across Helica.  Secondly, using the resources that I’ve accrued over the years, I’ve set up various methods of disseminating the truth of the Transgressor that I have learned from Saghirah’s scrolls to the people.  I am certain that my printed texts and burst transmissions through the communications system will be condemned as the work of heretics, but it will be enough to begin putting doubt into the minds of those who haven’t been totally brought under the sway of Phyresis.  Given the fact that several criminal groups have sprung up in the last few decades, all dealing to some extent in materials the Church has declared illegal, there is no insignificant number of those people who perhaps would be willing to listen to my message.  It will be slow and arduous, certainly, but with proper caution and my seeming timeless nature, it will be effective, I am certain.