And so we come to the final installment in my character studies of Lady General
Tasra Dawnbreaker and Archmage Kerinth, the Lightbringer. For this, the
penultimate of my efforts, I will take a different approach. Thus far I have
assumed some knowledge of the subject on the part of my readers. Yet many of my
readers inform me they are not familiar with the events of which I speak. As
horrifying as I find this, I must acknowledge the truth as it seems to me
impossible to feign the look of blank incomprehension I have so often
encountered of late. So, in this piece, in deference to my poor befuddled
patrons, I shall relay the history along with the literary portions of the
work. We will begin with a summary of what has been happening thus far.

-=*=-

Kerinth Asceru was the only son of a powerful Celestian noble house. His
grandfather had been one of the Last Emperor's most trusted advisors. During
the Taint wars, both his grandmother and several aunts were lost to the Taint.
This was a blow from which his grandfather never recovered, eventually turning
the affairs of the house over to his eldest son, Harenth. It was Harenth that
helped rebuild Celest and served for a short time on the ruling council.
However, his inflexibility and inability to let go of the way things were done
when Celest ruled an empire resulted in him being dismissed from duty. He grew
increasingly bitter towards the city, her guilds, and her rulers.

His eldest child rebelled against his despotic behavior as well as the
increasingly intolerant view of the Tainted that New Celest was taking. She
remembered her grandmother and aunts quite well and fondly and refused to
believe that the only way to deal with the Tainted was to kill them. She
believed redemption could be found but only through working with them rather
than against them. Thus, at the age of twenty-one she left New Celest and
joined Magnagora, eventually marrying one of the scions of a great house. She
only contacted Kerinth once after defecting and this was the scene I wrote of
last time. Her eventual fate is unknown though I plan on studying it once I
complete my current writings.

Kerinth idolized his sister at a young age and her loss was a blow to him. It
was she who served as a buffer between his father and himself. It is my
position that he never quite lost his love for her which influenced a great
many of his future stances towards the Taint. There is no doubt in my mind that
if he had chosen, he could have rained great destruction upon the Tainted.
However, his feelings towards his sister and her influence on his thoughts that
destruction was not the answer stayed his hand - even in the face of his best
friend disagreeing strongly with him.

His mother did not appear to play any great role in his life. She was
devastated when her eldest left to join the Taint and became very reclusive
concerning herself only with trivial society matters such as fashion and
decorating.

As mentioned before, Kerinth showed great talent in planar physics. He could
weave gates with ease by the time he was ten. He was sought after by both the
Celestines and the Aquamancers to join their ranks but chose the Aquamancers to
focus on more scholarly pursuits. He joined at the age of eighteen and quickly
rose in the ranks as he showed a great talent for combining aqua magic with
planar magic and was the first to master the placement of a demense over a
large area as well as such skills as summoning and the ability to actually
cleanse the taint from an area.

Kerinth's father demanded nothing less than absolute loyalty to the house -
above any other thing. At some point in time, the exact date is unknown, he
demanded some unknown service from Kerinth. Some rumours state that he wanted
Kerinth to pass him some confidential Star council information. Others say he
wanted Kerinth to use his influence to have him appointed to a ministry
position. Regardless, Kerinth refused the request and was summarily disowned.
He never spoke to either of his parents again.

He took in his nephew as promised but over the next five years subjected him to
a variety of experiments at the behest of his superiors and his own desire to
find a way to eradicate the Taint. The precise processes used are unknown but
eventually there was observed to be a visible reduction of Taint in the boy.

Tasra Nal'dar was a human girl who's father was in service to Harenth as
Captain of his guard. Nalius once did a great service for Harenth for which he
granted him the boon of sponsoring his daughter in the Paladins. What that
service was is unknown. Whether Tasra ever actually wanted to be a Paladin is
in some dispute but her lover for her father overrode her own concerns.

Tasra was a gifted warrior, some say touched by Methrenton himself. She never
took pleasure in the killing though. Her nightmares haunted her throughout her
life. She started off as a rather compassionate person but constantly dealing
with the brutality of the Tainted, and the loss of her friends slowly hardened
her. Her father's steady wisdom was a constant in her life and Eliz, her mentor
cum lover, offered guidance and love that kept her level.

She lost those two things in quick succession. First, her father died to a
ravaging disease and then Eliz betrayed her, New Celest, and the Paladins by
defecting to Magnagora in the middle of a heated battle. She was a changed
person after that. Her spirit shattered and reforged into something just a
little off. She was completely obsessed with her duties. This journal excerpt
perhaps explains why it is she clung to it so fiercely

-=*=-

My father is dying.

I received the letter from my younger brother yesterday. He said mother wanted
me to come home. She wants me to come home to watch my father die. What a
surreal request. I picture myself standing by his bedside, the sobs of my
mother and siblings filling the air with a heavy anguish. I can see him
struggling to draw just one more breath. I can see the life slowly draining out
of him. I can see him die.

It is an unbearable thought. My father is the best of men. He is strong, he is
wise. He taught me everything important in my life. My every effort is an
attempt to live up to his expectations of me. My every accomplishment is a
reflection of his greatness.

I remember when he first explained duty to me. "Tasra my girl, it doesn't
matter who you think you are. All that matters is what you do. When you take on
a duty you live up to that duty. It doesn't matter if you want to or not. It
doesn't matter what it costs you to do it. It doesn't matter if it bloody well
kills you. What matters is you do your damndest to get it done. You live up to
your responsibilities and that will tell you and anyone else who you really
are."

How many times have those words been the only thing that has given me the
strength to carry on? To get up day after day and fight what I know is a losing
battle? Mortals are weak creatures I've found. Ruled by emotions. How many
so-called followers of the Light have I witnessed turning into base, violent
creatures because of a "wrong" done to them? They will cast aside everything
they claim to believe in or try to twist those beliefs into something that
supports their misguided quest for vengeance.

I kill Tainted almost every day now. It has been ten years since I first knelt
in the courtyard of the Aegis Keep and took my vows as a Squire. My duty grows
heavier with each passing day. As the years go by, more and more non-Tainted
are joining with Magnagora. I watch people switch loyalties as if it was
nothing more than changing their shoes. "The Engine of Change" they call it.
They are blind to their maiming. I think that is the most frustrating thing of
all. They have been violated and an essential part of them crippled or
destroyed and they act as if it was what they wanted all along. "Oh, nothing is
wrong here. I always thought it was perfectly fine to torture people to the
brink of madness and go on bloody rampages. Yes, all is fine here."

Those that claim to follow the Light are no better. "Kill all the Tainted!
Destroy them!" Their first mistake is allowing hatred into their hearts. Hatred
is a slow poison and it destroys as readily as a blade. Their second mistake is
directing their ire towards the people themselves. These people are victims and
deserve nothing but the greatest of pity and the mercy of a purified blade
through their atrophied hearts - a quick release from the mockery of their
current existence. It is the responsibility of every Paladin Knight to deliver
this mercy as swiftly as possible with nothing but love and compassion in their
hearts.

Any fool can kill something out of hatred. True courage and a true follower of
the Light kills out of love. The Paladins understand this and I pray to the
Supernals that they always will. The path of hatred is certainly easier but it
is a path that leads away from the Light. My father tought me that as well.

But for those that are not Tainted and merely join with them to revel in the
false sense of power and glory found in destruction - they deserve nothing but
contempt. It is a joy that my duty calls me to slay these foul creatures. But
they are not even worth the ink to write about.

There are those in the city that cry for us to cease killing the Tainted. They
call us murderers and worse. I wonder how precisely they would rather we deal
with them? Just let it spread until it's a flood that cannot be stopped? Give
me an alternative and I will gladly order my Knights to stay their hands. Find
a cure for it and I will be the first to rejoice. But until that happy day the
cure is in the blade. We do what we have to do.

I sit here, my pen flowing over the parchment while every random thought
screams for attention and I attend them gladly. Any thought to distract me.

My father is dying.

The words stare back at me. Unaware that they precede the crumbling of my
foundations. My family needs me. They need me to get on my horse and ride to
their side. My father needs me. He needs to give that last bit of wisdom before
he passes. He needs to tell me not to mourn him. He needs to let me see him one
last time before he goes. He needs me to be strong.

But I am not strong. I am terrified. I cannot even bear to think of it. I feel
as if I'm suffocating, as if I'm the one who is dying. I see death every day. I
deal with death every day. I am accustomed to death. It is not the death I fear,
it is the loss. Knowing I will never speak to him again. That I will never see
him again. That he will never see my children. That he will not drink a toast
at my wedding. He will never see the Taint wiped from this land. He will never
tell me all the things he needs to tell me. This is a loss that cannot be
borne.

I have not been the best daughter I could have been. How I regret every stupid
argument we had. How I regret every time I disregarded his advice. How I regret
every time I caused pain and disappointment to flare in his eyes.

I will not watch my father die.

I will not sit helpless while he slips away from me. I will not listen to the
banal sympathies of those who barely know me and never really knew him. I will
not listen to that most asinine of all questions: "Are you well?" No, I am not
fucking well. There is no comfort for me. Do not even try. I see them crowding
the house after he goes. They bring food and worthless words of sympathy. I see
myself drawing my blades and giving them something to be sorry for.

I will not go. This is too much to ask of any mortal. This pain is not
something I can bear. I will stay here. I will say I did not get the letter. I
will claim I have injured myself. I WILL injure myself if it makes it more
plausible.

But I know when I put this pen down I will get up and call for my Squire. I
will have my horse saddled and I will ride as if the demons of Nil were at my
heels. I have a duty and the daughter of does not shirk
her duty.

My father is dying.

This is a wound that will never heal.

-=*=-

Within a year, her prowess on the battlefield and natural charisma and
leadership abilities propelled her to the leadership of the Paladins. Her
Knights worshipped her, following her orders without question. She took a
hardline stance against the Taint, matching their brutality with a
ferociousness and resolve that made her feared. She and Kerinth grew apart with
he not being able to stomach her methods and she not being able to bear what she
viewed as his lack of commitment.

Bear witness to the following scenes from a campaign that was a turning point
in the lives of both our subjects

-=*=-

An errant breeze stirred the flaps of the tent, carrying with it the unwelcome
voice of a recently returned scout. Tasra, lying on her camp bed knew it would
only be a moment before her rest was disturbed and her leadership required. She
let loose a sigh. For a fleeting moment she wondered if she could escape through
the back of the command tent somehow. She dismissed the thought as dishonorable
- not to mention infeasible. She did not have the luxury of being weary. She
listened to the heavy footsteps of the night commander as he traversed the hard
ground outside her tent. Marshall Toric couldn't be stealthy to save his life.
It was fortunate he did not need to be.

When the clearing of a throat respectfully requested her attendance she was
already up and prepared to admit the Marshall, any sign of weariness banished
by icy resolve.

He saluted as he entered the tent, standing at easy attention. Her cool eyes
flickered briefly over him before an equally cool voice requested his report.

"Scout Tavish just returned. It's as you feared."

No emotion crossed her face. "Completely destroyed?"

"Yes. There are some survivors though. But Tavish reports the Tainted
were…playing…with them when he saw them so I'm not sure how long they'll
qualify for that title." His uneasy manner suggested more to the report.

"What else?", she demanded brusquely.

He hesitated before speaking, "He said that the raiders were..children."

An arched brow was the only sign of emotion. "Oh?"

"Aye Lady, he said they were around 10 to 16 years old. Clearly with Tainted
bloodlines but too young to be any of the First. Their kids most likely."

"They send their children to murder and pillage and face our wrath?"

"Maybe they thought the kids would have an easier time getting away with it."

A flinty look entered her eye. "Indeed. Rouse the Knights Toric. We march in
thirty minutes."

-=*=-

Dawn was breaking over the assembled Knights as they rode steadily towards
battle. Tasra rode at the head, an impressive sight indeed. Her long black
hair, untouched by silver flowed down her back like an inky river, contrasting
sharply with the snowy white of the cape she wore. Her green eyes were
shuttered and the strong lines of her face had a resigned set to them. The
rising sun glowed upon her shining armour. All in all she presented an
inspiring picture. Seeing smoke rising over the next hill she called a halt to
the column and wheeled her mount to face her Knights.

Drawing her sword she pointed it towards the column of smoke. "Beyond that hill
there are the smoking ruins of a once prosperous village pledged to the Light."

She spurred her horse to ride along the line, her sword arm never wavering.
"Beyond that hill are the tortured and mutilated corpses of peaceful villagers.
Men. Women. Children." She swept her fiery eyes over her Knights.

"Beyond that hill is a soul rending reminder of who we are. What we fight for.
What we stand against. Beyond that hill is our duty. Will we shirk our duty?"
As one body the Knights struck mailed fists to their chests. A resounding
denial of the query.

"Yet, beyond that hill is also a test. For the Tainted grow clever. They think
to weaken our resolve. They think to make us question our faith. They present
to us their offspring. They think we will look upon them with the same regard
we look upon children simply because they come in the form of the innocent.
Will they succeed?" Again, the clearing rang with the thunder of the Knight's
pledge.

"Tainted are Tainted. What do we do when we find the Tainted? We destroy them.
For they are a plague that will spread unchecked and warp the entire Basin if
given the chance. There is no malice in our work. There is no hatred. There is
duty. The tainted are our responsibility and will remain so until every last
one of them has been purged. Gird your heart in love and pity so that you might
give the Tainted the mercy that is their due. Today's work will not shake our
faith. Today we do the work of the Light." The thunder was deafening as the
Knights responded to her words with zeal, the love and trust they bore their
commander shining in each of their eyes.

She nodded in satisfaction, wheeling her mount once more and taking her helm
from her Squire. A touch of her heels evoked a surging response and soon she
was charging towards the pillar of smoke, her Knights following closely behind.
Mounting the hill, they could see firsthand the devastation that awaited them.
The ruins smoldered and still burned in places. Corpses were scattered
carelessly about the scorched ground. It had been a farming village with little
chance of withstanding the scourge of the Taint. Their crime had been simple.
They were pledged to the Light.

The raiders were arrayed in a loose battle formation behind a barrier of
charred wood. They stood no chance against the mounted Knights who rode them
down with grim resolve. The first charge broke them. When it was done, they
gathered the survivors in the ruined village square where Tasra surveyed them
with a critical eye.

Far too well equipped to be the offspring of any but Magnagorans. She
approached the eldest who looked to be the leader. "I will give those who sent
you a day to come forward themselves or I will kill you and the rest of these
creatures. Do you understand?"

The boy sneered at her, his dead eyes showing no fear. "They will not come."

She smiled grimly. "No, I don't believe they will. Bravery has never been a
trait of the Tainted."

She turned to her Marshall. "Secure the area Marshall and send a fast bird to
Magnagora with our demand. We wait." He turned but her voice called him back,
"Oh, and Marshall. Have the Knights construct some gibbets. No point wasting
time once our demands are not met."

-=*=-

The hours crept slowly for the Knights. The presence of the Tainted was
disconcerting with their unnatural movements and expressions and they radiated
an intense wrongness that rattled even the most grizzled veteran. Tasra seemed
unaffected, spending the day going over battle plans with her Marshalls. The
deadline was fast approaching.

Finally, when the sun was setting in the west, a lone figure was escorted to
Tasra's tent. One glance brought an abrupt command.

"Leave us." The Knight saluted, his eyes showing nothing but sympathy for his
commander as he left the tent and took up the guard position just outside.

The figure smiled, "Charming as ever, love."

Tasra did not respond, merely observing the woman in front of her for several
moments. "Why are you here?", she eventually demanded, her voice betraying no
emotion.

"Parlaying, naturally. I've come to secure the release of the children.", her
tone was flippant yet her eyes displayed a myriad of conflicting emotions.
Sorrow, anger, love, and hope yet mostly determined resignation.

"We hold no children. Only Tainted."

"Whatever lets you sleep at night my dear. How are you sleeping by the way?
Still have nightmares about those you've killed."

"My sleep is none of your concern."

"It used to be though." She sighed "Tasra, please..can you just not see..",
Eliz began.

Tasra cut her off abruptly, "I see all I need to see, Tainted. You are a
traitor and your chances of leaving this camp alive are non-existant."

"Look at me. I am not Tainted, Tasra. Everything is not as black and white as
you like to make it.", she retorted impatiently.

The Paladin's voice was steady and resolved, "You are a traitor. And that you
have not actually become Tainted yourself simply makes your allegiance all the
more damning."

"Why are you so bloody stubborn?? It does not have to be this way! The Tainted
need our help! We cannot help them if they do not trust us. I work for the
greater good.", she exclaimed.

Tasra growled in frustration, "I don't have time for this, Traitor."

"No time for the truth? My resolve is not shaken. Only my methods have changed.
Kerinth understands. Why can't you, who claimed to love me, understand?", she
was begging now. Yet for what, Tasra did not understand.

All pretense of calm disappeared from Tasra as she drew herself up in fury,
"All I hear are your excuses and lies. You abandoned me - us - to ride off and
join the enemy. You claim you're helping them? How? Building goodwill with the
creatures? You support their activities. Every innocent they slay, is on your
hands. You bring them knowledge of us and our movements so they can avoid our
raids. There is nothing to understand."

"Tasra, please…please. Just look past your anger. It's destroying you. You
killed children today! And you're planning to kill more before the day is out!
I know I hurt you. I should have told you but I could not risk it. My love has
not lessened and I know you still love me. I can hear it in your voice and see
it in your eyes. Just let go of the anger my love. Just let it go. We can find
a better way." She reached out and touched a trembling hand to Tasra's face who
closed her eyes at her touch.

She smiled, thinking she had broken through but Tasra quickly jerked back, her
eyes snapping open and burning with righteous fury. "You lost the right to
touch me when you walked out of our house. I will not claim to no longer love
you. My heart does what it wills. But do not think I will let that weakness
crumble my resolve. I will not hear your excuses. Now, what offer do you bring
from your new allies?"

If one looked closely they could almost witness the hope drain from Eliz's
eyes. The silence was heavy and her response came slowly. "Me."

"You? You what?", Tasra asked, her confusion apparent.

"The offer is my life for the children's. I did not think you would pass up the
chance to deal with a "traitor" once and for all." She smiled sadly.

Tasra frowned, trying to determine the ploy. "You know I will not send them
back to Magnagora even if I choose not to kill them."

Eliz responded with a slight shrug, "Yes, I realize this. But Kerinth's work
with his nephew gives me hope that these children can be helped as well. Just
do not kill them."

"You will come willingly? For a public trial and execution?", Tasra asked, her
voice brimming with disbelief.
Eliz flashed her a quick grin, "Well, there's always hope I'll be exonerated,
isn't there?"

Tasra stared at her with steely eyes. "No."

She sighed and nodded. "I am prepared to do whatever is necessary."

Tasra watched her for a few moments, her eyes flicking over her form in
confusion. "Why are you doing this? This is just idiotic and you are no fool."

"My sacrifice gives these children a second chance and shows the Tainted that
perhaps there is some hope after all. You do not know what it is to live
without hope. Only a soul destroying affliction and the knowledge you will
never regain what you've lost.", Eliz explained, somehow managing to not sound
sanctimonious.

"I already pity them. Your words will have no effect on the magnitude of that
pity. We accept the barter", Tasra sneered. "Marshall!" she called, her eyes
never leaving Eliz.

Toric entered and saluted, awaiting her orders. "Contact our Aquamancer liason
and inform them we require immediate transportation back to the city. Order the
Knights to make ready for travel and secure the prisoners. Organize a guard for
Eliz here and upon our arrival in the city secure her in a holding cell."

"Aye General" he turned and left, his gruff voice already barking out orders.

The occupants of the tent remained in silence, watching one another with
disparate eyes. One set was wary with a certain hopeless cast to them. The
other was resigned with the same hopelessness. Soon, a Knight came and escorted
the prisoner away, leaving Tasra alone with her thoughts.

-=*=-

Kerinth himself came to transport the group home, perhaps wishing to see for
himself the truth that Eliz had indeed been captured. Almost immediately upon
their return to the city, he demanded a private audience with Tasra. Here is
what we know of it:

The noise of the crowd was distant here, high in the Syrinx tower. At some
point it had become understood that when a conversation was personal, they
would have it here as opposed to their official offices.

Tasra leaned wearily against the wall of the tower. Her head turned slightly to
observe the happenings in the city below. Kerinth paced the stone floor, clearly
agitated. His dark hair was tousled and his robes slightly out of place. A far
cry from his normally impeccable appearance.

Tasra looked worse. Her armour was dulled in places and scratched in others.
Her face was clean but haggard and her eyes were dull. She exuded an abject
weariness.

Finally she turned from her vigil and faced him. "Well? Why did you drag me up
here? I have things that need taking care of."

"I want to know what's going through your head. You cannot possibly be serious
about putting her on trial."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? I assure you I am quite serious. She is a traitor
and must be dealt with."

"It is not treason to seek another way! She has done nothing against this city
or the Paladins. She merely left to try and solve the problem in her own way.",
he insisted.

She appeared unaffected by this words. "It is treason to break your oaths and
turn to the enemy. She will be tried and punished. If that is all you have to
say, I will leave you here."

"You mean to have her executed.", he exclaimed, his voice incredulous.

Her shoulder lifted in a half shrug, "The punishment fits the crime."

He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. "What has happened to
you? This is all madness! You killed children today!! And now you will have
someone executed because they disagree with you on the best method to deal with
the Taint? Will you bring me up on charges as well for seeking a permanent
cure?"

Her eyes sparked with emotion, "I killed Tainted. It was my duty. Had you seen
the village after those "children" were through with it you would not feel so
protective of them. I will prosecute the traitor as it is also my duty. Your
time with that boy has clearly softened you."

"Perhaps you should have spent more time with him. The Tainted are to be
pitied, not just killed at every opportunity.", he retorted vehemently.

"Better dead than what happens to them during your ‘experiments.'", she
sneered, her eyes cold.

He flinched as if struck, "What?"

She snorted in derision at his surprise, "Do you think you and your mages are
the only ones to hear the cries and screams? He is your nephew and you treat
him as if he is nothing more than an interesting specimen."

"I love Kelly. What I do I do to help him and you have seen the improvement. We
are weakening the hold the Taint has. We make progress daily now. With these new
children we will have a major breakthrough. I can feel it.", he stated firmly.

She smiled a chilly smile, "You do what you do for the greater good. I do the
same. I take no pleasure in carrying out my duty but it must be done. Someone
must do it. And I have quite the knack for it, you must admit."

"You are a gifted killer, yes. But I fear that has blinded you to everything
else. We should be dedicating our time and resources to finding a better way,
not riding out to provoke a response from Magnagora."

She waved her hand dismissively, "So huddle within our walls while the Taint
spreads across the Basin in the hopes that one of your science experiments will
yield the answer to the problem? Ignore the pleas for help from the villages?
Just keep the Light right here inside our own walls so we don't have to hurt
any of the poor Tainted?"

"You twist my words. Of course, me must contain the Tainted. But there are
better ways. If you would just let us construct the barriers I showed you -"

She gazed at him intently, searching his eyes for something known only to her.
"You admit yourself that the barriers are unstable and in case you haven't
noticed the Tainted have mages too. They might be stark raving mad but they can
still work the energies just fine. I had ten Knights die to a rockslide they
caused."

"The risk is worth it if it saves unnecessary death. The more drastic the
actions you and your Knights take, the closer you become to that which you're
fighting.", he pressed, his movements agitated.

Her eyes flashed in fury, "Do NOT say that to me. I am so sick of hearing that
meaningless phrase. We will never become what we're fighting. Why? Because
we're fighting the Taint. A disease. An affliction. A blight. We're not going
to suddenly turn into Tainted beings. Our methods may be brutal but we never
claimed to be above getting our hands dirty. We do what we need to to get the
job done. The same as you. The difference is you can hide in your research
facility, claim love drives you, and there is no blood. Ask the boy if he would
rather a clean death by my blade or another one of your "sessions"."

He weathered her ire with ease and fired off a quick response, "Yes but what is
more effective. I am taking care of the problem itself. You're merely battling
the symptoms."

"In this situation the symptoms are just as deadly as the disease. And frankly,
I'm doubting there will ever be an effective "cure". Most of them do not even
realize there is something wrong with them!"

"That is exactly why we must gain their trust! Do you not understand? They must
understand that we want to help them, not just destroy them. We must do this now
when there are still enough who remember what they once were! It will be
impossible in a couple of generations."

She slumped, looking defeated yet resigned. "I do what I have to do Kerinth.
You do what you have to do. I will not release a traitor. She made an oath. If
I were to hold oaths so cheaply, what meaning would they have? What meaning
would duty have?", she asked softly.

His face softened in compassion, "There is more to life than duty my friend.
And which oaths are you speaking of? The ones she made to you? Is this personal
revenge?"

Her bitter chuckle resonated off the stones of the tower, "I wish it were so
simple Kerinth. I see no other path. I must do this thing. I know that doing so
will kill a part of me. Yet not doing it will have far greater costs. There is
no one else to take up the leadership of the Paladins. There is no one else to
lead the battle against the Taint. If I falter, if I fall, I see the Light
falling as well. I will not abandon my duty. It is all that I have."

"There is another way Tasra. Just, trust me as you once did. Turn away from
this.", his voice broke as he pleaded knowing that this was likely the last
chance he had.

She smiled slightly, her face calm. She moved towards the staircase, pausing to
rest a hand on his shoulder, her head bowed but her form erect. They stood like
that for a moment, his eyes begging, her eyes turned towards the rising sun.
With a final squeeze, she descended to the city below.

-=*=-

Kerinth's words were unable to sway Tasra. She was being completely honest when
she said she had nothing left except her duty. And she performed that duty,
holding a trial that very day. To be fair she allowed numerous witnesses on the
behalf of the defendant, including Kerinth. However, the crime was clear -
treason. There was no denying it and Eliz did not speak in her own defense. It
is said her eyes never left Tasra throughout. Her execution was set for the
following day. That night Tasra had her brought to her quarters in the Aegis
keep. We have this journal accounting of the incident

-=*=-

This interminable evening is an absurdist's twisted fantasy come to life. We
sit in silence, you and I. If I were of a melodramatic bent I would call you my
beloved enemy. Yet this night, with only weariness and resignation suffusing my
wretched form, I know you for only my beloved. Your gaze lingers on the burning
candles. Their flickering light make a play of shadows upon your calm face. As
the hours diminish their waxy form, your eyes grow distant. Do you think of the
apt metaphor they make to your situation? Each hour bringing closer the
determined scissors of Clotho? My mind is full of these snippets of insight. I
watch you as you watch the candles. We do not speak. It is understood that
words are profane. Anything that still needs to be said should have been said
when it would have made some difference. Our roles are set and tonight we let
the hours settle them like a mantle over our shoulders. Is yours as heavy as
mine?

We wait in my chambers. Against protocol to be sure yet who will speak of it? I
am the Lady General of the Paladin Knights. And tomorrow I will carry out the
sentence I myself passed for my beloved. Who will begrudge us this night? They
used to be your chambers. I remember many other nights spent here in
companionable silence. How many times did you comfort my night terrors after I
had killed? It is ironic that tonight my terror is a waking one. It is sad that
killing no longer troubles my spirit.

Your eyes meet mine for a brief moment. There is no bitterness or accusation in
them. Would it be better if there were? I feel no guilt for what I must do. I do
not believe you would expect me to. This is my sworn duty. I did not swear it
with conditions. I did not specify that I would be unwilling to be the judge
and executioner to one that I love. You betrayed your duty, your oaths, your
comrades and you betrayed me. Yet I know you would not want the same for me on
your account.

Oathbreaker. The words flowed through the crowd that gathered to see you
brought in. I heard no venom in the voices. There was no malice in the audience
when the charges were read. Merely a deep sorrow. Perhaps they sensed it from
me. You offered no defense. You made no comment. A simple nod and the stone was
set. The Light would not grow brighter for seeing an end to this tragedy. There
was no glory in an execution. It was simply a necessity. My duty.

Your eyes pleaded with me that day in the tent, when you first came with your
bargain. What were you pleading for? Not your life. An acknowledgement from me?
I wonder if you ever got it. Your eyes plead no more.

My Knights watch me with a wariness and sympathy that would grate on my nerves
if I were not so numb. Do they expect me to crumble? For the rage to come out?
My rage was spent on Kerinth yesterday. The whole city felt that. I expect the
whole city will feel it for some time to come.

The seconds crawl by forming minutes which creep at an even slower pace to
create hours which rush past with nauseating speed. I cannot bear to wait any
longer. I cannot bear to have the time go so quickly. It is interesting to me
that at this point I do not care for the Light. I do not hold it to me as some
justification for my actions and it offers me no comfort. Nor do I think of the
Taint, letting my resolve against the abomination strengthen my spirit. It is
duty I cling to. What that duty is to does no matter. It is my foundation and
will not crumble.

Ideals have little meaning in the visceral and vicious realities of life.

A knock on the door heralds the end of our vigil. We rise as one. I stare
intently at you, examining your every feature with almost clinical detail. We
both know why.

Your voice is husky with disuse but your words are clear. "If I could spare you
from this punishment I would. You have done nothing to deserve it."

"I know. I will go on."

She smiles sadly. She knows as well as I that this is the punishment of which
she spoke. She moves to the door without another word. I open it for her in a
rather absurd display of chivalry. Her laugh holds no bitterness as she leaves
the chambers. My smile holds no regret as I follow.

-=*=-

I have no hope of understanding a person such as that. I have no hope of
understanding the resolve that would allow someone to calmly rip out their own
heart. She is right in that there was no one to take her place and had she
shown leniency, it is likely she would have lost the support of her Knights.
Yet, I have to think there must have been some other way? Surely this could
have been avoided. Surely such mind rending tragedy is not inevitable? Yet,
perhaps it was. Who can say?

Though many have, I do not have the wisdom or heart to judge Tasra. Many called
her a fanatic or a zealot. I suppose she was. Yet her resolve held New Celest
together and carried them through some of their most trying times after the
wars. She was truly the sword of the Light and she could be trusted without
question to always fulfill her duty. The Dawn did break on the edge of her
sword.

Kerinth on the other hand was a visionary and idealist. Tasra brought security
to the Light but Kerinth brought the hope. He never stopped believing.

Their relationship never recovered after the execution of Yesela. Their fights
grew more heated and more bitter until Celest was on the verge of civil war.
Not wishing to see that, they finally came to a compromise which ironically was
to prove their undoing.

Kerinth would prove his theories by cleansing a very visibly Tainted sentient
being. Tasra and her best Knights would accompany him and his mages to witness
the experiment. If it succeeded, they would chose a more diplomatic path. If it
failed, a martial one that would not end until every Tainted had been destroyed.

The Lightbringer was supremely confident that it would succeed. He would prove
it on no less than a Archdemon.

The party was assembled, the orders were given, the city was hopeful. Yet, it
ended, as so many things in this story have, in tragedy. A mysterious tragedy.
No one of the party was ever seen again and there was no evidence they ever
reached Nil. It was later assumed that they must have been lost during a
transverse gone wrong. Cosmic travel is tricky at the best of times. Yet
Kerinth was a master of it, how could he have miscalculated?

It is a mystery that will probably remain unsolved. A tragic end to a
compelling story. Yet I will keep digging until I discover the Truth - if such
a thing exists. But this story is at an end. For now.