Corrupted Knight - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

Corrupted Knight

9 x 12 - Pencil on paper

© 2014 Christopher Burdett

2451.2

            Many of our brave and honorable knights have ventured deep into the dungeons and caverns beneath the Bazaar to seek out the darkness that dwells there to purge it from our blessed realm. Many of our knights have gone forth, and many of our knights have never returned. What does return is a mockery of life, a mockery of our Gods. When the clothes and armor of our sacred knights return, they are not worn by beings of faith, but by horrid abominations born from whatever evil lurks deep beneath our feet. Our beautiful holy armor is warped and misshaped to suit these grotesque beasts. To the reason why these ghastly piles of oozing flesh need to adorn themselves with the armor of our knights has yet to be determined. Perhaps the armor is part of some demonic ritual. Maybe they mean to undermine our resolve and faith by reminding us of those who have sacrificed all for the temple. Whatever the reason, such blasphemy cannot be tolerated. I have asked the High Scholars to put forth a doctrine proposal to immediately kill and burn any beast found wearing the armor of the Knights of Ascension. While the proposal is still working its way through the consideration committees, I am optimistic that it will be accepted and implemented. We cannot allow for the good deeds and noble sacrifices of our knight to be corrupted by such monsters. For too long the Order has tried to glean knowledge of these monster's origins and reasoning. Some of the High Scholars even hope to communicate with these monsters to learn from them. This is of course pure folly. We give time to this threat the longer we allow them to walk the streets at night stalking the weak. We must act now to cleanse them from our world lest they endanger the purity of our temple. All those that were volunteered to seek out the darkness would want this. They would never want to have their deeds tarnished in this way, to have their sacrifice spit upon by such foul creatures.

Silas Illywacker - Student of Enlightenment

(Personal journal)

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