03-14-2023, 03:16 PM
From: jaap.beenks@historia.va
To: Semyon.Alexeev@historia.va
Subject: re: Urgent [ENCRYPT]
Brother Semyon,
Your words echo my own feelings. You and I see the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. It cannot be denied that Regus Nicodemus was a visionary. His image of what the Atharim must be was...all consuming. It was something out of the past. He was a crusader in the most literal sense of the word. The Inquisitors, the hardliners, the zealots, unsurprisingly, loved him. His desire to return the Atharim to their mythologized past glory, was palpable.
And I think we all have to confess, invigorating. For a while at least.
The Dedication changed all that. What we- no. I will speak of myself. What I pushed aside as rumor, as misunderstanding, as....exaggeration- murders, pogroms, capricious executions- suddenly came to life. It was all true. All the things we didn't want to believe came to life with the thud of that pathetic priest's lifeless body. That quiet sound rings in my ears.
I remember what you said to me that night. I remember the fear and horror in your eyes. Trust me, my friend, I haven't forgotten what we talked about. The murder of that priest exposed the fracture for all of us. For me, it exposed the truth of what I had pledged my life to. Suddenly, the histories and myths, the stories and tradition- my world- seemed very flat and lifeless compared to the dead body of a holy man who only tried to protect his child.
The Sacred knowledge and sophistry stood revealed as weak flimsy toilet paper compared to the magnitude of what we had become.
You were then and are now right, my heart. The Atharim are at the crossroads. I feel the eyes of the zealots like Theiss on me. I feel their scorn and disgust. They assume my appointment was from the outside- an imposition from Patricus- arm twisting of the Apostles of the Ring. And I do not deny he played a role. But a secret ballot hides a bigger truth. The zealots are formidable. But they are not the majority.
Armande- I call him that not out of disrespect, but to emphasize that I am speaking of the man- was out of his time. He was of a bygone Era. Perhaps even a mythological one that never existed. The world had changed. And no amount of extra judicious killings or interpretation of ancient texts can change that.
The Ijiraq. Yes, my friend, I know of it. And I know how it came to be. The ancient tools of the Atharim still hold power. And they must still be used. We still have a purpose. Humanity needs us.
We must evolve. We must adjust. We can still right this ship. The CCD does not have to be our enemy. There can be peaceful coexistence. There must be.
I will meet with you soon. When I can break away. It is to you that I can be myself and bare my soul. Can take off the mask if wear for this game. The Ascendancy must know that we can work with them. That we have the same goal.
Until then, keep listening, dearest (one of your greatest strengths I know.) And put together a list of people you think are the most influential in the EoA and where they stand with respect to the appearance of magic and the channelers (not gods. See? I listen too) And where they stand in regard to us.
We have some influence among the sphere as well as among some in the commercial and governmental world. Those too will be leveraged. The resurgence of magic and channelers is what we were created for. The world was more simple when it was just ijiraq and rakshasa, djinn and queztalcoatls that we hunted.
The danger is greater now than ever. But take courage, my love. We will navigate this storm. We will survive because of people like you.
Keep yourself safe. I count the days until I see you again.
Yours faithfully,
Jaap Beenks
To: Semyon.Alexeev@historia.va
Subject: re: Urgent [ENCRYPT]
Brother Semyon,
Your words echo my own feelings. You and I see the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. It cannot be denied that Regus Nicodemus was a visionary. His image of what the Atharim must be was...all consuming. It was something out of the past. He was a crusader in the most literal sense of the word. The Inquisitors, the hardliners, the zealots, unsurprisingly, loved him. His desire to return the Atharim to their mythologized past glory, was palpable.
And I think we all have to confess, invigorating. For a while at least.
The Dedication changed all that. What we- no. I will speak of myself. What I pushed aside as rumor, as misunderstanding, as....exaggeration- murders, pogroms, capricious executions- suddenly came to life. It was all true. All the things we didn't want to believe came to life with the thud of that pathetic priest's lifeless body. That quiet sound rings in my ears.
I remember what you said to me that night. I remember the fear and horror in your eyes. Trust me, my friend, I haven't forgotten what we talked about. The murder of that priest exposed the fracture for all of us. For me, it exposed the truth of what I had pledged my life to. Suddenly, the histories and myths, the stories and tradition- my world- seemed very flat and lifeless compared to the dead body of a holy man who only tried to protect his child.
The Sacred knowledge and sophistry stood revealed as weak flimsy toilet paper compared to the magnitude of what we had become.
You were then and are now right, my heart. The Atharim are at the crossroads. I feel the eyes of the zealots like Theiss on me. I feel their scorn and disgust. They assume my appointment was from the outside- an imposition from Patricus- arm twisting of the Apostles of the Ring. And I do not deny he played a role. But a secret ballot hides a bigger truth. The zealots are formidable. But they are not the majority.
Armande- I call him that not out of disrespect, but to emphasize that I am speaking of the man- was out of his time. He was of a bygone Era. Perhaps even a mythological one that never existed. The world had changed. And no amount of extra judicious killings or interpretation of ancient texts can change that.
The Ijiraq. Yes, my friend, I know of it. And I know how it came to be. The ancient tools of the Atharim still hold power. And they must still be used. We still have a purpose. Humanity needs us.
We must evolve. We must adjust. We can still right this ship. The CCD does not have to be our enemy. There can be peaceful coexistence. There must be.
I will meet with you soon. When I can break away. It is to you that I can be myself and bare my soul. Can take off the mask if wear for this game. The Ascendancy must know that we can work with them. That we have the same goal.
Until then, keep listening, dearest (one of your greatest strengths I know.) And put together a list of people you think are the most influential in the EoA and where they stand with respect to the appearance of magic and the channelers (not gods. See? I listen too) And where they stand in regard to us.
We have some influence among the sphere as well as among some in the commercial and governmental world. Those too will be leveraged. The resurgence of magic and channelers is what we were created for. The world was more simple when it was just ijiraq and rakshasa, djinn and queztalcoatls that we hunted.
The danger is greater now than ever. But take courage, my love. We will navigate this storm. We will survive because of people like you.
Keep yourself safe. I count the days until I see you again.
Yours faithfully,
Jaap Beenks