On the Fire's Edge
Ninth Day of the Ninth Month 294 AC
At the heart of a dream that is beyond Dreams, a smokeless fire burns eternal in hues of gold and crimson and from that fire a Great Voice speaks in tones of a mortal man long dead, one whose face only you can recall:
"So the Usurper shows his hand. High shall be his pyre, slow shall be his burning."
On hearing
that word spoken with such malice and loathing, you start, not so much at the anger of the god, but at the odd familiarity it evokes, but you dismiss it with a shake of your head, if one could be said to have one in this formless place. For all his faults, the comparison does an injustice to the memory of Robert Baratheon. He was a failure, yes, but not a monster as the Great Sultan on his throne of brass and broken souls is. "What do you wish done, Holy One?"
Your words in this place carry more than sound alone could have, plans and permutations, considerations of politics and faith.
Much to your surprise, the form of the Red God seems strangely unmoved, his long dead face fixed not merely in patience, but almost in frustration.
"I am not the lantern on short and winding paths to measure each step as it is made..." he says at last. The answer is slow, halting, almost as though he is struggling to recall something or as though it pains him to say the words.
"Matters of tactics are not for me to decide. It is too small... There are too many."
Were it not for the tone, were it not for the last words, you might have thought the One before you haughty, perhaps even uncaring for the fates of His faithful. But you do hear his tone and after a moment of confusion you understand it.
R'hllor the Red is a god of many who would be a god of all. He
cannot lay down the law in small matters, particularly when it is not even a matter of principle but instrumentality. Though you have long known that gods have their own limitations, to see them thus laid out before you in stark colors of flame is disturbing and oddly flattering. He did not have to reveal a weakness here, but chose to as a show of trust.
"I may raise up my right hand and make War, I can open my left hand to make Peace," He Who is the Lord of Light continues, in a slightly less strained tone.
"Yet I am not a warrior until the Sword of Fire is drawn and I am not a ruler until the Kingdom that is to Come."
"I hope you do not begrudge of it me, Holy One, but I shall do all in my power to ensure that Kingdom shall never be," you reply, only realizing after the last word has passed your lips that this might not be the best time to try to break the tension with humor.
Thankfully, the One across from you smiles, though the flash of it seems as distant as the glow of dying embers.
"How could I begrudge the helping hand unlooked for?" He shakes his head, the gesture filled with weariness far beyond the age of the face he shows the world.
"Go in peace now and seek out the Lady Melisandre. She will give good counsel in this matter."
***
The lady in question is not the least in doubt, not that you had expected her to be. "Act boldly, act openly, Your Majesty. There will be some who object, some who do not embrace the structures of the hour, but they are fools and it is good to know where the foolish are as much as the wise. The Heir of Iblis will not be so lightly cast off from his throne as Ymeri was, and it is best not to fight the long war with one hand tied behind our backs." She pauses a moment in thought "It would be wise to spread the word to the faithful not just through the priests, but also the arcane mirrors. The memory of false fire will be strong, best to focus and wield that fear ere if fades."
New Action unlocked for the Ministry of Information: Anti-Efreeti propaganda
You do not have long to yourself to consider the implication of her words nor the words unspoken by her god, for soon you must meet with the herald from the Opaline Vault, from Mahuroos Tepani himself. There is a chance to strike a blow against the Brazen throne, one that would be well dealt by a small company, skillful and swift, as you have made use of before.
Who will you take with you to meet with the envoys?
[] Write in up to six companions (must all be under mind blank)
OOC: Not sure about the vote, on the one hand it makes sense to choose the companions after you get the mission brief, but on the other this will likely be the only update of the day and I did not want to make it one without a vote. Not yet edited.
