The Veldriss's Voice (Vel-DRISS)

The Echo of She

Written by J. L. Gryphon

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Ambient sounds courtesy of tosha73 and EminYILDIRIM

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Greetings to those below. I am Death, though Azrael is the name my master gave me. So, too, did the Veldriss name Cell her Holy Voice. But, as we have done so far, I will first tell you about the position, what the people believe the Veldriss’s Voice to be, before I introduce you to the man himself.

This time, though, I think it will be harder to tell where the story begins and the truth ends. Cell is . . . complicated, his motivations even more so, and it all becomes quite tangled with who and what he is. I have yet to decide whether this is good or bad. I have a feeling it’s bad, but not for the reasons you’d guess.

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A Voice's Beginning

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by Prettysleepy from Pixabay

But, first thing’s first. Where else to start but the beginning? Curiously, the Veldriss’s Voice did not exist, even as a concept, until twenty years after the goddess’s descent to Orosta. At that time, according to various undine scholars, the goddess went through something of a metamorphosis and, as a result, was forced to physically withdraw from her adopted children and remain cloistered in the White Citadel palace forever after. Indeed, following this day, the people never saw the goddess’s face again. Even in present times, 130 years later, they still haven’t.
However, while the goddess withdrew physically, she made certain her presence was still felt. She made it clear that while she could no longer appear to the people as she once had, by no means had she left Orosta or abandoned her children, because of course doing that would betray everything she had come to do. And so a proclamation was made throughout the kingdom that the goddess would present to her adopted children a wonderful gift to help guide them through this time of transition. This gift, the people would later discover, was the Velherr Tenants, six volumes of religious text penned by the goddess’s own hand. Here we also see the first appearance and mention of the Veldriss’s Voice.

“In place of her face, the goddess would give her word and her Voice.“

—Velherr Tenants Vol I: Origins of the Goddess

Within volume one, Origins of the Goddess, the existence of the Veldriss’s Voice was explained. Like the Veldriss’s Shadow and the Black Enchantress, he, too, had accompanied the Veldriss in her descent to Orosta. But upon arriving, the Veldriss’s Voice made the unique choice to become a child. In doing so, he would gain insight into the Veldriss’s most beloved people to better serve them. So the Veldriss’s Voice was “born” from an Orostian woman—a jeenta—the day after the Veldriss’s descent and grew as any child would, until his twentieth year when, in response to the goddess’s need to withdraw, he assumed his duties as her Voice.

“So the goddess withdrew her face so her Voice might speak.“

—Velherr Tenants Vol. I: Origins of the Goddess

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A Mystery Solved

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by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay – Modified by J. L. Gryphon

But doesn’t all this have the stink of convenience? Perhaps this was really a coup dressed up in pretty words. Did the goddess really withdraw, or was she killed? Was this newcomer truly a friend of the goddess, or had he assumed control for himself?
Certainly you would not be wrong to be suspicious, those below. However, to the Orostian people, this explanation was met with delight. You see, it was a well-known fact in that time that a young jeenta boy, by then a man, lived in the goddess’s palace. Truly it was hard not to notice him considering his elegant bearing, black hair, and lightning blue eyes—a hint at the powerful storms his jeenta heritage allowed him to create. In the Veldriss’s earliest days, the child could often be seen playing at the foot of the goddess’s throne, usually with a wooden toy dragon. Or the goddess would gently dismiss him, and he would run off after the Veldriss’s Shadow as if she was his pet. No one ever knew who he was, where he came from, or why the goddess allowed him to stay. All they did know was his name was Cell, named so because he had been born in a prison cell in the palace dungeons.
So you see, when the Velherr Tenants were presented to the people, and the explanation of the child, now a man, was discovered, everyone collectively looked at one another and experienced the same revelation. As one, they all thought: “Oh that’s who that child was!” So the mystery was solved, and the Veldriss’s Voice was embraced with open arms, accepted as having always been because, well, he had always been. The third member of the attending trinity not recognized until now. In time, it was understood this transition had always been a part of the goddess’s plan, and now that it had come to pass, certainly something exciting was yet to follow.

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Holy Interpreter

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by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

So then, after he assumed his role as the Veldriss’s Voice, what exactly were his duties? What part did he play, and indeed had always played, in this Religion of Velherr?
Well, operating under the assumption the goddess always knew she would have to withdraw one day, she had the Veldriss’s Voice accompany her in preparation. With this in mind, the Veldriss’s Voice is seen as a representative of the people’s good fortune, a symbol of protection, since it is often theorized that the reason the goddess withdrew was because it had become unsafe for mortals to look upon her. Certainly there were those ancient legends lingering about that told of mortals being driven insane, tears of blood streaming down their faces, if they dared look upon the divine. Perhaps the goddess, after having spent so long on Orosta, could no longer prevent this. In her love, she established the Veldriss’s Voice so even apart, she might forever remain with her adopted children.
In addition to this, the Veldriss’s Voice provides many practical functions, as well. He is hailed as the holy interpreter of the goddess’s will and so informs the Veldriss’s Ear in the Temple of Velherr of the goddess’s various commands. In this way, the Veldriss’s Voice is the true head of the temple. So, too, does he greet incoming worshippers in the palace throne room, acting in place of the goddess herself. As a further symbol of his connection to the goddess, Ssā the Veldriss’s Shadow will drape her coils across his shoulders during his public appearances.
But I suppose, to get right down to it, the Veldriss’s Voice is in command of the entire kingdom. Final decisions are always deferred to the goddess, of course, but if you are searching for a face to pin on the kingdom, the government, the religious order, and even the Sicarius assassins, look no further than the Veldriss’s Voice. If you seek the goddess, he is who you will meet. If you are brought before a judge, he is who will judge you. If you are executed for a crime, he is who will sign your sentence.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but the Veldriss’s Voice may as well be understood as a king. He is ruler of all, servant of one.

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Corruption?

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by A Owen from Pixabay

I can see your concern already, those below. And it is true having that much power is alarming. The notion of giving one person such unchecked power, as well. Surely it is a recipe for disaster. Power corrupts absolutely, and so on and so forth. And once again we return to this nagging idea of a coup. Something still stinks of convenience, at least on the surface.
But come now. Isn’t that all a little too predictable? Too simple? Too . . . easy? Why tell some boring betrayal story we’ve heard a thousand times when the reality is so much more interesting? Dare I say sad? Because one thing I will say, those below, is when it comes to Cell, nothing is ever predictable. Nothing is ever simple. And above all, nothing is ever easy.
It is why I love him, truth be told. The man, not the myth. But it is also why I . . . well, I’ll explain next time.

Signed your conflicted narrator,
Azrael the Star of Death

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Book Information

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To learn more, hop on over to the books page OR hop on over to the teaser and get a sneak peek of Chapter 1! For more articles like this one, have a peek at my Worldbuilding Journal and explore Orosta.

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Related Articles

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Religious Significance
Religious figure
Alternative Names

• Holy Interpreter of the Veldriss's Will
• Holy Voice
• Holy Speaker
• Holy One
• The Echo of She
• Royal Vizier
• Royal Consort
• Consort to the Goddess

Birthplace
The White Citadel Dungeons
Believed Spiritual Birthplace
The Realm of Velherr
Related Species
Elves
Tressians
Jeenta
Undine
Hags
Hok
Rill
Gigantes
Related Ethnicities
Rhyonian
Zurrinaih
Sithuwaye
Official Languages
Orostian
Zishlyn
Lingua

Species

Jeenta

Realm

The Realm of Velherr

Church/Cult

The Religion of Velherr

Professions

• Royal Bodyguard
• Royal Vizier

Currently Held Titles

• Royal Consort
• Royal Vizier

Previously Held Ranks & Titles

• Royal Bodyguard

Date of Birth

The Month of Asmodos, Day 7, 14851 NS

Year of Birth

14851 150 Years old

Current Residence

The White Citadel

Gender

Male

Eyes

Blue

Hair

Black

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale

Height

6'3"

Belief/Deity

The Religion of Velherr

Aligned Organization

The Religion of Velherr

Other Affiliations

• House Anastil
• Sicarius

Related Myths

• The Black Unicorn
• The Goddess's Banquet
• The Morsus Swamp
• The Tressian Myth

The Realm of Velherr