The Severing Speech
In the days following the the Severing, the High Priestess of Oristhane, Her Radiance Marini of Khara, made a speech to her people from the Blue Cathedral of the Shadowless City. As very few people were there to hear it originally, the transcription of her speech was circulated throughout Oristhane as fast as newly-appointed messengers could distribute it; it would go on to become famous as a rallying cry uniting Oristhane after the disaster that was the Severing.
The Severing Speech, as it came to be known, stood out to many Oristhanians as proof that their rather young and inexperienced High Priestess would be able to stand comfortably at the nation's helm even at this point of crisis. Though she had maintained an excellent track record with her people in the four years between her ascension to power and the Severing, the cataclysm inevitably stirred up anxiety, distrust, and concern. In perhaps her most skillful diplomatic act as High Priestess, Marini of Khara put those worries to rest with the Severing Speech.
The transcription of the speech is reproduced below.
"As I speak to you now on this, the fourth day of Sunsummer, I know that my understanding of the totality of what has happened over the last three days is still so limited in scope. Every day, as we discover more and more of the shockwaves of this cataclysm, there is more and more to grieve. I grieve with every one of you for the lives of those lost, who are undoubtedly some of Oristhane's best and brightest, but who—even more importantly—are also family members, community leaders, teachers, lovers, and friends. "That which has come to pass is a tragedy greater than Oristhane has withstood in its lifetime. History provides us no meaningful answers regarding what we must do to keep going. But when we cannot look to the past for an explanation, we must look to the future, and that is what I ask of each and every one of us. And that future is one of hope, for we know have not been abandoned. So long as our fires dance in our hearths, we will know we are not alone. So long as the suns' light still warms our faces, we will know that we are not devoid of purpose. And so long as forest fires sweep across the land, we will know that we are not powerless. "Time and time again, our goddess has proven to us, as her people, that when she can warn us, she will warn us, but when she cannot, she will aid us in redemption, reflection, and retribution. Though this cataclysm is larger in scale and scope than any other weathered by Oristhane in its time, our goddess will respond in kind. There is much to grieve, and there will be much to come from this. As every single Oristhanian walks through this storm, none will be left behind to struggle along by themselves, none are forgotten, and none are expendable, for our strength is in our interdependence. "The wind which extinguishes the candle spreads the wildfire."
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