My Faith

I am a simple gnome. The tenets of my faith do not come from aged scrolls or wise mouths. The tenets of my faith are derived from lived lives. The world is a cruel place and kindness only exists with our communities. The gods...I don't believe they exist at all. Vassals are those who've fooled themselves that there is some great divinities watching over the world. They don't have the strength to believe in their own power and so they willingly attribute it to some fanciful name and cause. The power of everyone working together, pooling their talents in and shining in their fields goes to show the greatness that we can achieve.
 
This Lady Vol claims to have created my faith. It's not a hard claim to make, given the common name of the Blood of Vol (I always thought that was just some fancy elven word). And especially not hard when you are slammed with the information of a thousand years ago. How a family of elves fled from Aerenal only to be slaughtered to the last, except for one. Her mother turned her into a lich, taking away her divinity...even though she was radiating in Divinity. Perhaps she has a large pool of blood donations...but this felt different, like nothing I've ever seen.
 
Her word was this: Those who bear the Aberrant Mark are her chosen. They...we will be crucial to the rise of the faith in this time of tumultuous peace. And if she has chosen me to be her prophet then I suspect that this peace will not last. I am a simple gnome and I do not want to be a harbinger of war. War brings so much loss. I have seen senseless loss: My mother and father died far from the front lines. I have seen loss wrought from great effort in my own disfigurement. I have seen loss of hope, when Kaius ir'Wynarn denounced our faith and forced us out of our temples. But loss is inevitable and war is all I know.
 
If war is coming, we will not be afraid. With the power of our divinities and the gifts of the martyrs that guide us, we will have the strength to face any threat. But remember still, no mortal is our true enemy. All have the ability to pursue divinity coursing through their blood. Some may need help understanding that. Some will be too scared to reach within. Some will be too obstinate and decide to side with voices in their head promising paradise in death. And if they wish to seek that paradise, we will not hold them from it. We must grow stronger and grander so that us and ours can pursue divinity without fear of persecution. So that we can protect those we love from the cruelty of the world and the senselessness of Dolurrh.