Andric's Sermon
The relative quiet of the city is disrupted by religious tensions once again, the rising tensions between the cults of Ulric and Sigmar boiling over into shouted comments between red-faced Middenheimers and the immigrants and refugees from other places.
The recent death of Diebold has stirred the pot, with many calling him a favored son of Ulric, though he was truly a tithing member of the Sigmarite cult. Even though the man has been buried some time, Andric Vogel, a priest of Sigmar, has been preaching what some call a heresy.
Prevented from preaching in the temple of Sigmar for fear of reprisals in this city of Ulricans, he has taken his fiery sermons to the Morrspark and the common folk have consistently come to listen to him...
The crowd parts as Andric walks to the grave of his companion. With reverence he unfurls a banner with a wolf rampant bearing a hammer surrounded by seven stars picked out on it.
The crowd shouts, "Diebold! Sir Diebold and the Seven! Diebold! Diebold! Diebold!…”
The unified shout descends into shouted comments as Andric bows his head in silent prayer, “Servant to the Great Founder! Exalted Sigmar!”
“Not he!!! Diebold was a servant of Ulric!”
“You fool! It is the strength of the Wolf who carries Sigmar Heldenhammer into battle!”
“Blasphemy!”
“Sigmar is a mere man in the guise of a god!”
“Blasphemy!”
Andric steps quietly up onto a weathered stone, his white robes bearing the twin-tailed comet cresting through the seven stars, wolf and hammer. Eyes turn and the mob slowly quiets. Andric waits head bowed until there is silence.
Slowly the shouting stops as all eyes are drawn to his presence before they drop in shame for their behavior.
When silence rules, Andric begins, his tenor strong and pure, “People of Middenheim and the Empire! Know ye that you are people of the Exalted Founder who first rose up and banished the darkness from the lands you call home. Know ye also that he was a Child of the Wolf who it was that bestowed upon our beloved Sigmar Heldenhammer the courage, strength and fortitude to carry forth. It was Ulric himself through the great Ar-Ulric who crowned Sigmar as the first Emperor!
Is there anyone here who will question the wisdom of the Ar-Ulric and thereby Ulric himself? Is there anyone here who will question the greatness of the Founder's dreams and their realization in the Empire? Surely not I! Perhaps you?!”, Andric points to a great gray haired bear of a man and the one-eyed Knight of the Torch lowers his head.
“I have felt the power of Sigmar pass through my body and know with every breath that he made of himself a God. I am blessed because I have the faith to know Him in my every action. He is at my side always, for I hear his breath at my ear. Hearken unto my words: There is corruption among us! It is called division, power madness, greed and tyranny. This aggression toward each other is exactly what the Lords of Chaos want. I say that any degradation and division between the Wolf and the Hammer sets the Dark Lords capering with glee at our idiocy!”
Andric points at the crowd, who lean forward as if straining to hear his words or leaning into a gale, “Be not the one who divides us. Be not the one who gives strength to the Vile Ones.
We have not far to look for proud examples of how to serve the Empire! Was it not the Emperor and the Knights of Sigmar who raised shield and sword beside the hammers and helms of the people of this very bastion of Ulric?!"
Andric's fiery gaze caressed the crowd before lighting on two veterans, their recent recovery from wounds evident. He saluted them with a solemn nod, "Here are two great brother-in-arms: one a great and noble knight of the wolf stands broken and cleaved leaning on the arm of a blood-stained and crippled warrior for Sigmar.”
Looking into the eyes of his companions – “Together we are invincible but divided we will surely perish.”
“Put aside your fear and turn to your brothers and sisters for solace and comfort! We need one another! We all need both Wolf and Hammer!”
The recent death of Diebold has stirred the pot, with many calling him a favored son of Ulric, though he was truly a tithing member of the Sigmarite cult. Even though the man has been buried some time, Andric Vogel, a priest of Sigmar, has been preaching what some call a heresy.
Prevented from preaching in the temple of Sigmar for fear of reprisals in this city of Ulricans, he has taken his fiery sermons to the Morrspark and the common folk have consistently come to listen to him...
The crowd parts as Andric walks to the grave of his companion. With reverence he unfurls a banner with a wolf rampant bearing a hammer surrounded by seven stars picked out on it.
The crowd shouts, "Diebold! Sir Diebold and the Seven! Diebold! Diebold! Diebold!…”
The unified shout descends into shouted comments as Andric bows his head in silent prayer, “Servant to the Great Founder! Exalted Sigmar!”
“Not he!!! Diebold was a servant of Ulric!”
“You fool! It is the strength of the Wolf who carries Sigmar Heldenhammer into battle!”
“Blasphemy!”
“Sigmar is a mere man in the guise of a god!”
“Blasphemy!”
Andric steps quietly up onto a weathered stone, his white robes bearing the twin-tailed comet cresting through the seven stars, wolf and hammer. Eyes turn and the mob slowly quiets. Andric waits head bowed until there is silence.
Slowly the shouting stops as all eyes are drawn to his presence before they drop in shame for their behavior.
When silence rules, Andric begins, his tenor strong and pure, “People of Middenheim and the Empire! Know ye that you are people of the Exalted Founder who first rose up and banished the darkness from the lands you call home. Know ye also that he was a Child of the Wolf who it was that bestowed upon our beloved Sigmar Heldenhammer the courage, strength and fortitude to carry forth. It was Ulric himself through the great Ar-Ulric who crowned Sigmar as the first Emperor!
Is there anyone here who will question the wisdom of the Ar-Ulric and thereby Ulric himself? Is there anyone here who will question the greatness of the Founder's dreams and their realization in the Empire? Surely not I! Perhaps you?!”, Andric points to a great gray haired bear of a man and the one-eyed Knight of the Torch lowers his head.
“I have felt the power of Sigmar pass through my body and know with every breath that he made of himself a God. I am blessed because I have the faith to know Him in my every action. He is at my side always, for I hear his breath at my ear. Hearken unto my words: There is corruption among us! It is called division, power madness, greed and tyranny. This aggression toward each other is exactly what the Lords of Chaos want. I say that any degradation and division between the Wolf and the Hammer sets the Dark Lords capering with glee at our idiocy!”
Andric points at the crowd, who lean forward as if straining to hear his words or leaning into a gale, “Be not the one who divides us. Be not the one who gives strength to the Vile Ones.
We have not far to look for proud examples of how to serve the Empire! Was it not the Emperor and the Knights of Sigmar who raised shield and sword beside the hammers and helms of the people of this very bastion of Ulric?!"
Andric's fiery gaze caressed the crowd before lighting on two veterans, their recent recovery from wounds evident. He saluted them with a solemn nod, "Here are two great brother-in-arms: one a great and noble knight of the wolf stands broken and cleaved leaning on the arm of a blood-stained and crippled warrior for Sigmar.”
Looking into the eyes of his companions – “Together we are invincible but divided we will surely perish.”
“Put aside your fear and turn to your brothers and sisters for solace and comfort! We need one another! We all need both Wolf and Hammer!”
posted by Semper Septum at 07:12
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home