Kazren, waved away the offered food politely. "I mean no disrespect to you or your house, good woman, but I cannot eat in the way of most." Kazren really did wish he could eat, it was one of the many pleasures in life that was stolen by lack of a tongue. More than pleasure, however, it would have cemented a few tribal rules of politeness about not killing guests.
Considering Arlia's warning, such rules would have been nice to have. If he assumed her information was good, and he had no reason to doubt that it was, that probably meant they were going to get ambushed in the next few seconds. Traditional diplomacy took time, which meant that Kazren needed to gamble. If he won, he could save the lives of many. If he lost... There would be blood on his hands tonight.
Kazren gave Ganna and Jago both an approving nod at their display of independence. "My name is Kazren, Jago, and I am impressed by what I see," Kazren said, the emotion in his voice genuine. "Ganna is a rescue from one of the dark gods, is she not? It is a rare individual who can find the courage to defy a God in the name of Justice and Reason. Rare individuals like that are, in large part, the reason I am here." Kazren shifted, settling his wings comfortably, adjusting them into a good position where he could flare them suddenly if necessary. "The other reason I am here is, regrettably, not born out of the nobility of your cause. I found, not far from here, a coward's totem. On it was a man, tortured and mutilated, with the words 'No Gods, No Masters' hacked into his chest." Kazren fell silent for a brief moment, letting his words fall heavily into the quiet oasis. "Know that I believe in a cause such as yours. Gods can often predicate injustice and horror that grinds the common man to dust. I have seen good people die to such cruelty, but people such as you bring hope to those oppressed. This is why the totem worries me, because it indicates that there are those who misinterpret independence from the Gods. A man who kills out of hatred for the Gods, out of a belief that those who believe might harm them, is not a free man. He may profess freedom with his tongue, but his actions proclaim him a slave to the Gods that he despises. It does not matter whether his actions are driven out of love, fear, or hate, if he allows those emotions to govern him, he is still mastered, whatever his claim." Kazren shook his head carefully, panning his vision to get a decent look at the tribals around him. "If there are those among you who kill simply because their victims believe in the Gods and choose to serve, how are they any different from those servants of the Gods who slaughter your kind simply because you do not believe? I want Justice, friend Jago, nothing more and nothing less. I want you to succeed, I want you to bring hope to the people and freedom to the oppressed. Yet there are those among you that I believe commit injustice in the name of your cause. This is the reason I am here, and this is the topic I wish to discuss."
Kazren settled back, the intensity in his voice fading. "I apologize for being verbose, friend Jago, but I wished to make my point before your people attacked us. Believe me when I say that I understand the injustice of the Gods better than most, and also believe me when I say that I would sooner have you as a friend than an enemy. Please, I ask you, call off the ambush and let us speak without fear of sudden violence."
((I'm fine with no color, but I've operated that way for a long time.))
Attempt to get our conversation wound down to a point where we no longer fear sudden attack. Diplomacy is the mother of all long lives.
((EDIT: Sorry, realized very late that I didn't have anything bold.))
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Topic: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I) (Read 15843 times)