For the first time in a long time, I think I have my work cut out for me.
(Compared to the other journals and memoirs collected thus far, this one is vastly different. At first glance it appears to be five pages of vellum bound between two thin hammered metal sheets. It I with a closer view, at perhaps the right angle, upon which you realize that there is a pattern to the hammer blows which pressed the metal flat – it is the Holy Icon of War, viewed as if seen as a large ornate stained glass window. The complexity does not stop there, for even though it only contains five pages, each turn of the page brings yet another set of writing. You can thumb back and forth, perusing pages upon pages of information… yet there still are only those same five physical pages contained within. It takes quite a while to pass beyond the mostly mundane information of Cathedral stores, minutes from meetings, and general administrative nature – apparently the original use of this tome was for a clerk to annotate the day to day of War’s Cathedral in Herieon. Little to no value is in the seeming years of text and forms listed there. The value of knowledge contained, however, becomes apparent upon reaching this entry…)
The High Discordant has just spread the word to a select few, mainly the few of us of the Fifth Triad who are based within these walls, invoking the Irrefutable Edict. The Cathedral will be closing our doors soon. War is coming. Not in the way we typically say in the moral sense of the term, War Herself is coming. Nalie will be walking our plane, and She will not be alone.
I have been tasked with starting a covert extraction of our tools and supplies to some supposed secure locations some weeks travel away, each sprinkled across the map. Considering we have contingency plans dating from years past when Nation fought Nation, it will take minimal effort to adjust those to this new Edict.
For this Edict to be passed so soon after the Mages’ Collective announced that they have discovered a way to walk amongst the Gods and to travel safely to other Planes traditionally thought too inhospitable for the mortal races, the timing is too close for this to be coincidence. Our histories state that the Irrefutable Edict has been enacted but twice before in the past… both right before some of the darkest times in mortality’s troubled story.
For the first time in a long time, I think I have my work cut out for me.
(signed) Jalinda Therron
Fifth Triad of The Discordant
Clerk at Arms
(The next few entries are listings of supplies and annotations regarding apparent destinations. The amount of foodstuffs alone would support a metropolitan city for months under siege. Anyone familiar with the intricacies of war support and supply will note that Jalinda is either an adept at her craft, or has a natural talent for the minutiae required. She continues with her informal writing on the next page.)
Small details and acts around the Cathedral are confirming my fears above and beyond the fact that an Irrefutable Edict was issued. Over the past few weeks I have seen delegates from both the ranks of the Pleonexian and the Resilient meet with the High Discordant behind closed doors. However, these ‘delegates’ were not wearing their normal ceremonial garb for official visits of clerical pleasantries… these men and women were in what I can best describe in light Scout gear… Riding boots, armed with bow and blade, and their travelling cloak – each emblazoned with their respective God’s symbol – hid either chain shirt or leather armor.
My task proceeds smoothly, each of the various supply sites should be fully outfitted by the end of the month. However, I have cross referenced some studies from our library – these supplies should modestly support a force of almost two hundred thousand strong.
What darkness does the future bring? As much as I need to ask the question, I fear that I do not want to know the answer.
(signed) Jalinda Therron
Fifth Triad of The Discordant
Clerk at Arms
(The text continues on the next page... yet the words fade even as the journal continues)
I did not really want to have the answer to my last question answered so quickly. This, the very next day, brought a lone traveler to our doors. It was but by chance that I saw her enter - cloaked and hooded, a wisp of fiery red hair unable to be restrained slipped out from near her neck.
Without guide, nor asking for direction, this Lady strode directly to the chambers of our High Discordant and entered. No knocking, no announcing herself. It was as if someone was casually entering their own room and not the chambers of the highest ranking member of the Church itself.
