Whispered Twins

You turn to face the source of the voice.

Upon first glimpse of the figure, something tugs at you. A nagging sense of familiarity which is absurd, for you are sure that you have never met the woman in front of you.

Long, luscious locks frame her face in waves. Dark brown curls and even darker eyes, an ominous abyss that seems to draw you in with every stretched second of silence. You blink once. Twice. Lips pursed as you try to fathom why she looks so pale, so ghostly, when accented by the dying rays of sunlight.

Her lips curl into a smile, cat-like in its feral nature, and that is the very moment the familiarity clicks. You haven’t met this woman. Not in person, but you remember examining the paintings lining the hallway of the palace. A wall solely dedicated not to the kingdom’s emperors, but it’s long line of blessed champions.

The same smirk. Same stature. Same dark, foreboding stare.

“You– you’re Catalyna!”

The Whispered Twins is the highest rank one can attain within the Nightsingers, though attaining it is not a simple matter. The Twins - a Whispered Son and a Whispered Daughter - are chosen through a ritual known as the Calling. They are always chosen in pairs and to live without the other, though common towards the end of ones term, is often described by the surviving Twin as ‘losing a piece of your soul’.

The Chosen

Blessed by Valis and Sar, two members of the divine pantheon. As the divine were twins, so too are their most revered champions. The Whispered Daughter is seen as a champion of Valis whilst the Whispered Son is seen as a champion of Sar.

Though they act primarily as a speaker for their respective divine, their word on any matter is final, regardless of whether it would fall under Valis’ or Sar’s jurisdiction. The only person who can overturn a decision made by a Whispered Twin is another Whispered Twin.

How the Whispered Twins came to be

The Nightsingers as a religion has been around far longer than the Whispered Twins, but to say the rank was created would be an incorrect assumption.

Long ago, when the first Whispered Twins came to be, it was during a time when the gods still walked the lands and hand picked gifted individuals as their champions. The original Whispered Twins were held in high regards by the Nightsingers of their age. Not only that, but they were also well respected by the twin deities that they worshipped. Valis and Sar approached the two of them - the then Lady of Night Myrene and Lord of Song Carylos - and blessed them with divine power. Myrene, as champion of Valis, was given the ability to see glimpses of the future whilst Carylos, as a champion of Sar, was given the ability to see glimpses of the past.

Scholars have debated whether the powers were completely new to Myrene and Carylos, or whether they were already pulse arcanists long before the gods blessed them. The debate mainly stems from the fact that pulse arcanists are deemed to be rare, but each and every set of Whispered Twins that have come after Myrene and Carylos has demonstrated the very same abilities.

Myrene came to visit today. It’s not often she comes by, not any more. Though the girl hides it well, the grim look on her face is always unmistakable when she glances at your chair, glaring at ghosts. But today… today she seemed different. Happier. Lighter.

She told me about her new role in the Nightsingers - I’m sure you remember them, love? I know you didn’t approve of their religious leanings, but oh how children will defy you, hmm?

They’ve been promoted. Or something of the sort, I didn’t quite understand all of what she was saying. All I know is, she and our dear Carylos have been given a new title to denote their newfound respect. Oh, if only you were still here to see them, making such great strides in the world.

A journal entry written by Myrene and Carylos’ mother

Religious Duties

The Whispered Twins have a variety of duties which they perform during their tenure.

Generally, as leaders of the Nightsingers, they preach their organisation’s teachings to their own members and the general populace. Sermons and prayers led by a Whispered Twin can draw people from all over - even from outside the Kingdom of Valissa - because of the respect and awe that the position holds.

They are also in charge of performing certain rituals or ceremonies. These are less common than seeing a Whispered Twin lead a sermon or prayer, simply because these events only tend to happen at set times in the year. Such ceremonies can be taxing for the Whispered Twins simply because of how long they last and how much of their attention gets demanded by those who have gathered for the ceremony.

As leaders and champions, they take it upon themselves to enact judgement against insubordinate Nightsingers. Such judgement can take the form of a verbal reprimand, a physical reprimand, banning the member from the Nighstingers and stripping them of their rank, or even executing them in some rare instances. Of course, the Whispered Twins always grant their subordinates a fair trial.

Finally, in more recent years they have come to be close advisors of the Valissan throne. Their opinions are highly regarded by the current Empress, although even with their divine backing, they cannot override a decree made by her.

Passing of Two

When a Whispered Son or Whispered Daughter dies, their body is kept in a state of preservation by a pulse arcanist. This state is often referred to as the final slumber. Their body is kept from decaying through the use of magic, appearing to the world as if they are just resting. Their body is kept in the final slumber until their counterpart dies as well.

Once both Whispered Twins are dead, the date is marked and the Passing of Two begins. Here, the first Whispered Twin to die is ‘awoken’ from their slumber (the pulse magic is lifted) and their body is transported to the Gardens of Lysaer alongside their counterpart.

When the Gardens of Lysaer have been reached, the ritual begins in earnest. A Lord of Night will lead the procession through the gardens until they reach the center. The procession remains silent, save for the prayers sang by the Lords of Song.

“They have stolen her from us!” he shouts, rounding on Empress Solaire, eyes ablaze with anger.

“You have no proof,” she replies. A picture perfect calm, still as the ocean. She watches the Whispered Son with a single raised eyebrow and an aura of boredom.

“When have you ever needed proof to invade? Why now, do you defy me?”

“I shall remind you, Lorenzo, you are not the Emperor of this kingdom. Now leave, unless you would like me to begin the Passing of Two?”

At the center, the bodies of the Whispered Son and Whispered Daughter are laid beside each other on a marble platform. The Lords of Song finish their final verses and then the Lord of Night will whisper a final prayer to Valis and Sar on behalf of the Whispered Twins.

Once the final prayer has been whispered, those attending the procession may light a torch and cast it onto the bodies of the Whispered Twins. As their bodies burn, their souls will pass to stand beside their chosen divine.

The Calling

After the Whispered Twins have passed, the search to find Valis’ and Sar’s newest champions begins. The criteria for the new champions are:

• Their birthday must fall on the same day as one of the previous champion’s deaths. This does not mean that they need to be born at the very same time the others die. The belief behind this is the continuation of a cycle and the idea that the Whispered Twins never truly leave the land of the living as all of their lives are linked.
• They must be twins. As were Valis and Sar, so shall their champions be.
• They must be a girl and a boy. One to fulfil the role of the Whispered Daughter and one to fulfil the role of the Whispered Son.

In the case that multiple candidates are found, an extra step is needed to ensure that only the blessed are chosen. The candidates are taken by a Lord of Night to the top of Everlight Peak during a sunny day when there is no chance of a storm occurring.

At the peak, the candidates wait silently until midnight, at which point lightning will strike the ground in front of the truly blessed twins. The Lord of Night will name those two children the Whispered Son and Whispered Daughter, whilst the other unsuccessful candidates are sent home.

Champion’s Chorus

Once the newest Whispered Twins have been chosen, the Nightsingers will start a ceremony to officially anoint them. This ceremony is known as the Champion’s Chorus and is essentially a celebration of their newly acquired blessing.

The Lord of Night leads them to a room - fancier than most Lorenzo and his sister have ever seen before, with velvet cushions perched on grandiose seats, silver trimmings lining the willow-wood arms and legs like a thousand tiny threads. Lorenzo lets his sister step in first. Curiosity shines in those eyes, amused no doubt by the endless, wealth boasting trinkets posited before them.

He follows her in, light steps cautiously tapping against the marble floor, before turning sharply to ask the Lord of Night question, only to glimpse the door clicking shut. Briefly, he ponders on whether or not to call the Lord of Night back, but the petulance of another noise demands his attention.

“What?” he asks, barely sparing Catalyna a glance over his shoulder. For all he loves his sister, she can be unbearable sometimes and he knows all too well, by the exaggerated length of her whimsical sigh, that she is about to do or say something untoward.

“Don’t you find it funny? They watch the gods themselves choose us, as per the terms of the Nightsinger’s own ritual, then deem it necessary to ‘annoint’ us into our positions with a lacklustre ceremony?”

“That ceremony you speak of is a time honoured tradition of the Nightsingers,” Lorenzo replies. Opts to ignore the second, even grander sigh that escapes his sister’s lips in favour of inspecting the drawers immediately left of the door. “You should do well to remember that.”

With his back turned, Lorenzo can’t see the expression marring his sister’s face. A storm swirling in her eyes. But he will never forget the low bite of her voice, full of threat and promise all the same. “Traditions can be changed, brother. You should do well to remember that.”

A lively affair, filled with seemingly endless singing and a moderate amount of dancing. Led by the Lords of Song as they sing chorus’ of the Nightsinger’s champions, both past and present, building up to a grand finale in honour of all the Whispered Twins yet to be chosen.

The Champion’s Chorus has become more popular over the years. It’s surge in popularity began with Lightfall, whereby the gods were sealed across the veil, but the past few ceremonies have seen a massive surge. Nightsingers travel from all over the world on the promise of being able to attend and celebrate their newest leaders. The popularity has even spread to those who aren’t necessarily a part of the Nightsingers themselves.

Type

Religious, Special

Creation

483 AL

Form of Address

His/Her Glory or His/Her Champion
Whispered Son and Whispered Daughter

Source of Authority

Valis
Sar

Length of Term

A Whispered Twin remains in this position from the moment they are chosen until their death.

Related Organizations

• Nightsingers

Related Military Formations

• Songsworn

The Whispered Twins work closely with the current Emperor or Empress of Valissa. Because of this, said Emperor or Empress is also considered to be blessed by the divines. This means that, on rare occasions, the Emperor or Empress of Valissa is the only mortal capable of overturning the decision of a Whispered Twin - besides the champions themselves, of course.

Current Holders

Catalyna* - the Whispered Daughter XXVIII
*Although Catalyna died 10 years ago, she is still considered the 'current' holder of the title and will continue to be considered as such until the Passing of Two marks an end to her and her brother's reign.

Lorenzo - the Whispered Son XXVIII

Notable Holders

Myrene - the first Whispered Daughter

Carylos - the first Whispered Son

Sophia - the Whispered Daughter VII
After her brother died, Sophia was so overcome with grief that she fell into a great depression. She began to perform her duties with uncharacteristic bitterness. Punishments became harsher. Teachings strayed from what was normally preached. It wasn’t until Emperor Cesario called for her removal that she realised what she had done and gracefully stepped away from the position when the Nightsingers began to call for her removal.

Being a leader of the Nightsingers provides the Twins with a number of benefits. They are, as Champions of Valis and Sar, well respected amongst the Nightsingers and generally by the public. They are also given a lot of leeway because of this. Even the sitting Emperor/Empresses of Valissa, despite ruling over the kingdom, have been hesitant to reprimand a Whispered Twin out of fear of retribution from the gods.

Their opinions hold great sway over even the greatest leaders. They can go anywhere they wish, do as they please, because their titles grant them divine protection. Even their enemies are loathe to act against them.

Removal

As individuals blessed by deities, it is rare that anyone would call for the removal of either Whispered Twin, and rarer still that the removal actually occurs. There have been calls for such a thing in the past. For example, when the Whispered Twins are believed to be too old or too young to be entrusted with such a powerful position. However, no attempts to remove a Whispered Twin for one of these two reasons has ever been successful.

The only time a Whispered Twin has successfully been removed was when Emperor Cesario called for the removal of the Whispered Daughter VII. His reasoning was, after the unfortunate death of the Whispered Son VII, the Whispered Daughter VII appeared to be afflicted with some kind of madness. He argued that the Whispered Daughter VII was not of a sound enough mind to lead the Nightsingers and that it was their obligation to Valis and Sar to seek new leadership. Emperor Cesario’s bid was successful and the Whispered Daughter VII was removed from her position. Following the removal, the Nightsingers performed the Calling as normal, though it is the only time in the history of the Nightsingers that this has been done whilst one of the previous Whispered Twins still lived.

Opinions of the Populace

I have followed the Whispered Twins XXVIII for a few months now. Wherever they go, the people of Valissa are always respectful, some to the point of reverence. It is no shock considering they act on behalf of the Gods. Even the Empress, Lady Solaire (whom I was permitted to meet solely because I am under the employ of the Whispered Twins), contemplates their words as justly as she contemplates the words of her own council. Though perhaps the Empress considers them as such. It would not be the first time the Whispered Twins have stood so close to Valissa’s regency, nor will it be the last.

Aria Veltino,
Scholar of the Moonglow Archivists

The Whispered Twins? They are due respect, as all religious figures are when residing within the borders of our Kingdom. We are not of Yondar, where their people would ridicule anything but their own religion.

As such, our people are free to worship whomever they desire. So long as they don’t clutter the streets with shrines or cause infighting with others. Luckily, having an open mind about these sorts of things helps avoid any unwanted violence - except when the truly devout zealots come calling.

Perrine Charroux,
Councillor of Vigne

What would you have me do?

Accept them into our home? Offer them comfort, gifts, as if that might change the war they and theirs have waged against us for centuries?

They can act innocent all they want, it doesn’t change the truth. They have the ear of their Empress and are more than capable of persuading her to continue their futile little skirmishes, all in the name of a higher power. Just as every blasted Whispered Twin before them has done.

Ronan Greymount,
King of Yondar