Alignment - Dithmenos, the Shadowed
May 19, 2019 17:46:44 GMT -6
Post by username on May 19, 2019 17:46:44 GMT -6
Dithmenos (Ruinous Powers)
Hello Darkness my old friend
Dithmenos the Shadowed, Goddess of Deception, wishes for all to be Darkness. Night is not a bad thing however, for it gives peace, rest and a chance to regain strength. She asks her followers to be humble. To act openly, to insist on fighting honorably, to even spread her word is to put a spotlight on yourself and her, and if there is one thing Dithmenos hates, it is light. Instead of her word, her followers should practice deception, spreading uncertainty and speaking lies. A Lie can travel halfway across the Wheel while the truth is putting on its shoes; people speak of the speed of Light, but wherever light goes Darkness is already there.
Tabloids
Vampire Mafia Controls The Wheel! The Syrne Live Again! The Lady of Pain Unmasked: Six Giant Squirrels in a Robe with a Ring of Levitation! All these outlandish tales can be found emblazoned across the headlines of The Sigilian Times, The Sigilite Scribe and the esteemed Vectron's Golden Talk-Atacha Electro-Newsrag and more. Of course, all of them are patently false; ridiculous articles meant to grab the eye and feed bile fascination, making a quick buck in the process. The reader is entertained, the writer has fun and everyone is satisfied, even if it is a bit disingenuous. Or is it?
Somewhere between the Dryad baring all on page 3 and the “7 MINDBLOWING FACTS about HUMANS,” on page 5, a glimmer of something more lurks. The smarmy snippets and feel good factoids melt ones mind as they glance from page, taking in everything that is said to neatly and gently sorting it under “Interesting Trash and Lies.” It doesn't really matter what is said, if it is being said by some cheap tabloid filth then it isn't worth your time at all beyond anything other than entertainment.
But not all is at it seems. Sometimes that glimmer of something more is the least thing you expect to find: The Truth. Whole and unvarnished, raw and ridiculous, as the truth often seems to be. Assaulted by pure facts and truth that the mind is not ready for, the only protection someone has is to ignore them. With no Ethos to support them, the presence of their peers on the pages leads the truth itself to become a lie.
The writers of these truths, lies and true lies are an eclectic bunch. Some just want to make a living, others make a game of seeing what they can think up next. But some are truth seekers, so thoroughly discredited by those that wish to keep the truth hidden that the only place these honest men can find work is in a medium with no expectations at all. There they toil endlessly, desperately breaking one story after another and seeing each one laughed at rather than lauded. Squirreled away by the powers that be, these truth seekers often go quite mad from the cruel irony of their situation, where the distinction between truth and lie breaks down until there is no distinction at all. And that's the truth.
The Nightwatch
I had hoped to settle the argument over the existence of the Dark Brotherhood as a religious entity and to put my proof in writing in this tome. Alas, my travels have not proven as productive as I foresaw, and even after visiting many cities, and living amongst even such reclusive societies as the Dark Eldarin and the Warforged I am left with conjectures. I will leave for evidence of my position on this cult, namely that it is real and has numerous adherents, this one tale.
After some time in Vivec I felt myself comfortable enough with the city to venture out alone at night. Passing the home of a wealthy Neogi, a foreign trader who oversaw a chapter of the Weaver's Guild, I heard a muffled scream. Peering into the courtyard, I saw an assassin crouched over the body of the merchant, sheathing his blade. Unfortunately for him, the woman's mistress chose this moment to seek him out, and her scream of horror pierced the night. The assassin took to flight, and while I followed with some haste, I soon lost him.
I came upon the assassin again, though, cornered by men in cloaks armed with needle pistols. These weren't the brightly dressed watchmen I had seen at the guardhouse, but they seemed to be protecting the city this night. However, the assassin unmasked himself, making a sign with his hands. The nightwatch lowered their weapons and did likewise. Some further exchange passed between them and the attacking man was let go on his way.
This all I would ascribe to mere corruption, were it not for the unnatural darkness and chill in the air that accompanied the nightwatch, and it was only when they left that I noticed that every torch that they passed dimmed entirely, leaving the shadows around them untouched. Again, this cannot prove what I have argued before, but it is consistent with the few stories we have heard of this "Dark Brotherhood"
From a Confession transcript, by Methyl of the Society of Sensation
Alignment Scale tiers
Dithmenos:
10. Telling the truth even if it would aid you.
9. Letting Sunlight touch your skin.
8. Letting anyone see your true face.
7. Fighting honorably.
6. Creating Light
5. Keeping your word if you would not benefit
4. Confession
3. Passing up the chance to destroy unique knowledge when there is no danger
2. Telling another a truth that could harm you
1. Creating Fire
Mark of Dithmenos
Those Chosen of Dithmenos, keepers of the Night, know that they do some of their best work in the dark. The Mark of Dithmenos grants Darksight and allows them to project a deeper darkness from 5m*Faith, blotting out all other lights.
Hello Darkness my old friend
Dithmenos the Shadowed, Goddess of Deception, wishes for all to be Darkness. Night is not a bad thing however, for it gives peace, rest and a chance to regain strength. She asks her followers to be humble. To act openly, to insist on fighting honorably, to even spread her word is to put a spotlight on yourself and her, and if there is one thing Dithmenos hates, it is light. Instead of her word, her followers should practice deception, spreading uncertainty and speaking lies. A Lie can travel halfway across the Wheel while the truth is putting on its shoes; people speak of the speed of Light, but wherever light goes Darkness is already there.
Tabloids
Vampire Mafia Controls The Wheel! The Syrne Live Again! The Lady of Pain Unmasked: Six Giant Squirrels in a Robe with a Ring of Levitation! All these outlandish tales can be found emblazoned across the headlines of The Sigilian Times, The Sigilite Scribe and the esteemed Vectron's Golden Talk-Atacha Electro-Newsrag and more. Of course, all of them are patently false; ridiculous articles meant to grab the eye and feed bile fascination, making a quick buck in the process. The reader is entertained, the writer has fun and everyone is satisfied, even if it is a bit disingenuous. Or is it?
Somewhere between the Dryad baring all on page 3 and the “7 MINDBLOWING FACTS about HUMANS,” on page 5, a glimmer of something more lurks. The smarmy snippets and feel good factoids melt ones mind as they glance from page, taking in everything that is said to neatly and gently sorting it under “Interesting Trash and Lies.” It doesn't really matter what is said, if it is being said by some cheap tabloid filth then it isn't worth your time at all beyond anything other than entertainment.
But not all is at it seems. Sometimes that glimmer of something more is the least thing you expect to find: The Truth. Whole and unvarnished, raw and ridiculous, as the truth often seems to be. Assaulted by pure facts and truth that the mind is not ready for, the only protection someone has is to ignore them. With no Ethos to support them, the presence of their peers on the pages leads the truth itself to become a lie.
The writers of these truths, lies and true lies are an eclectic bunch. Some just want to make a living, others make a game of seeing what they can think up next. But some are truth seekers, so thoroughly discredited by those that wish to keep the truth hidden that the only place these honest men can find work is in a medium with no expectations at all. There they toil endlessly, desperately breaking one story after another and seeing each one laughed at rather than lauded. Squirreled away by the powers that be, these truth seekers often go quite mad from the cruel irony of their situation, where the distinction between truth and lie breaks down until there is no distinction at all. And that's the truth.
The Nightwatch
I had hoped to settle the argument over the existence of the Dark Brotherhood as a religious entity and to put my proof in writing in this tome. Alas, my travels have not proven as productive as I foresaw, and even after visiting many cities, and living amongst even such reclusive societies as the Dark Eldarin and the Warforged I am left with conjectures. I will leave for evidence of my position on this cult, namely that it is real and has numerous adherents, this one tale.
After some time in Vivec I felt myself comfortable enough with the city to venture out alone at night. Passing the home of a wealthy Neogi, a foreign trader who oversaw a chapter of the Weaver's Guild, I heard a muffled scream. Peering into the courtyard, I saw an assassin crouched over the body of the merchant, sheathing his blade. Unfortunately for him, the woman's mistress chose this moment to seek him out, and her scream of horror pierced the night. The assassin took to flight, and while I followed with some haste, I soon lost him.
I came upon the assassin again, though, cornered by men in cloaks armed with needle pistols. These weren't the brightly dressed watchmen I had seen at the guardhouse, but they seemed to be protecting the city this night. However, the assassin unmasked himself, making a sign with his hands. The nightwatch lowered their weapons and did likewise. Some further exchange passed between them and the attacking man was let go on his way.
This all I would ascribe to mere corruption, were it not for the unnatural darkness and chill in the air that accompanied the nightwatch, and it was only when they left that I noticed that every torch that they passed dimmed entirely, leaving the shadows around them untouched. Again, this cannot prove what I have argued before, but it is consistent with the few stories we have heard of this "Dark Brotherhood"
From a Confession transcript, by Methyl of the Society of Sensation
Alignment Scale tiers
Dithmenos:
10. Telling the truth even if it would aid you.
9. Letting Sunlight touch your skin.
8. Letting anyone see your true face.
7. Fighting honorably.
6. Creating Light
5. Keeping your word if you would not benefit
4. Confession
3. Passing up the chance to destroy unique knowledge when there is no danger
2. Telling another a truth that could harm you
1. Creating Fire
Mark of Dithmenos
Those Chosen of Dithmenos, keepers of the Night, know that they do some of their best work in the dark. The Mark of Dithmenos grants Darksight and allows them to project a deeper darkness from 5m*Faith, blotting out all other lights.