[Malachi Drake]

The eighteenth of October,
Four hundred and seven years since the resurrection of Lucius,
Three hundred and forty-nine years since the founding of our Holy Church,
In the ninth year of the reign of His Majesty, King Manus Dei;

Of Sin and Virtue,

The Path of Virtue;

Mercy: Even in the face of the most horrific betrayal, Soldeus showed great clemency towards His brother. This act of compassion and kindly forbearance was born from the love that He felt towards Umbra and it is the same unconditional love that He has for each and every one of us, His children. We should treat those who serve us with compassion, those who offend us with benevolence and our enemies with pity and not with malice. Mercy is the greatest of all virtues and all others flow from this unconditional love.

Reverence: Soldeus showed deep respect towards Nave and revered Her many wondrous creations. So, too, should we revere the creations and gifts of our Heavenly Father and should not feel contempt towards His and His faithful children’s work.

Longing: Nave was fairer than all Goddesses to come after Her, and Soldeus felt a natural and earnest longing towards her. Nevertheless, His intentions towards Her were sincere and respectful, and His love for Her was pure; we must emulate Him, and scorn lust, gluttony and greed.

Truth: The Eye of Soldeus sees all and His radiant Light pierces through all lies and deceit. Those who shroud themselves in deception darken their spark and invite the dark and hateful one to tempt them further into shadow. Always in the Word of Soldeus is the truth spoken, and thus do the faithful always act with upright honesty and integrity. We must speak truth always, even in the face of danger and of the powers of the dark.

Nurture:Since the forging of the Heavens, Soldeus has come every day to nurture and nourish all of Nave and His creations; for our especial succour, He sent forth His Son, Lucius, to guide and protect us at our time of need. Thus in humble thanksgiving we must tend to the land of Nave, fostering the livestock and harvesting the crops, offering support to our fellow man and guidance to our youth, seeking to protect these from corruption.

Loyalty: Soldeus remains ever true and devoted to His love for Nave. As His children, we must remain always faithful to His word and adhere to His teachings. We must also be faithful to our commitments and obligations and be true to our word, lest we act with treachery.

Courage: Courage is the form that every virtue takes at its testing point. Man cannot disregard virtue because it is not convenient or because he fears the consequences, and he must act to fulfil his duty with bravery even the face of his greatest terror, just as Lucius did when he sacrificed himself so that man could be freed.

The Shadow of Sin;

Malice: Malice is the unworthy desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep-seated
vindictiveness. It was malice that led Umbra to kill Nave when he knew that he could not have possession of Her living Heart, and power over Her. To hold such hatred inside and to give in to its dark impulses is to corrupt one's heart.

Contempt: Contempt is the foul opposite of reverence, the object of which is viewed as beneath one's dignity and unworthy of one's notice, respect, or concern. It is in essence the hatred of the Will of the Radiant One, Who would have us share His love for all good things. Perhaps the most sinful manifestation of contempt is desecration; the very crime that Umbra committed on the body of Nave itself. To hold Soldeus, Nave or His creations in contempt will cloud one's mind and bring the contemptuous to darkness.

Lust: To lust is to have uncontrolled or illicit desire that is unhallowed by unconditional love, and which contemns without cherishing its object. Always has Umbra lusted after the creations of his Brother, fuelled by envy and greed, and thus he desired to have dominion over Nave. Fulfilled or imagined, such reckless and sinful desire can only lead to the harm of one’s body and to ruination.

Deceit: The most dangerous and powerful tool of Umbra is that of
Deception. He is the master of the art of concealing or distorting the truth for the purpose of misleading the Children of Soldeus, and the propagator of it. To be unfaithful to the Heavenly Father is an act of deceit and those who are false to duty or break their word are on the path to unending darkness.

Corruption: Umbra has longed since Creation began to corrupt and defile all that which his Brother has made; to twist it into horrible and wretched forms that satisfy his dark hunger. Now his mind is set on destroying the integrity of the Inner Sparks of all of mankind and corrupting them to his will. To deceive, one must walk the path ahead of the victim and thus a deceiver lives in the darkness, where his Inner Spark may be swallowed up forever.

Treachery: The wilful betrayal of trust or fidelity is an act of treachery. No man, god or creature is worth more than his word; woe betide those faithless who are false to their obligations or allegiances. Umbra betrayed his Brother in an act of great treachery when he slew Nave; thus will he also betray those who trust in him for power, to their unending sorrow. Most grievous of all, though, is the pain thus caused to the bright and loving Heart of Soldeus by our rejection; when we adopt the ways of Umbra, we deny that the Light is Our Father.

Cowardice: This is great flaw at the Dark Heart of Umbra, who fears more than anything his Brother's enlightening embrace. Those who lack the courage to step into the light and embrace the Word of Soldeus must instead skulk in the Shadows with Umbra where their minds will be clouded, their hearts tainted and their inner spark corrupted. Cowardice is the sin that opens the door to all others.