Know that I say this with full sincerity, and no intention of facetiousness: It takes courage to admit difficulty with comprehension, and to do so publicly even moreso. In light of that, allow me to facilitate your understanding, for as my Rook has said, ignorance sits ill upon you. You, who have seen as the Divine do, should see more clearly than this.

As the boorish Seamstress has alluded to, this is far from the first instance of my endeavouring to make others see the betrayer for what he is. Unlike him, I am simply not prone to forcing the continent at large to bear witness to matters best kept internal. I did, indeed, attempt to take care of it myself, and to press others to do so. Several times. Had it been within my power, I would have cut that festering foulness from the woods long ago, but it was not, and those that possessed the authority lacked the wherewithal to lop him free. So he remained, because he made the Council weak.

That is what he does, you see - he exhausts those around him until they do not have the necessary reserves to gouge his festering flesh from the whole. The betrayer is enervation incarnate. Whoever it is that he latches himself onto next will come to see the truth of that, in time.

As for the world-traitor's toady, for those who have even a passingly accurate familiarity with what sort of person I am, such rank asininity speaks for itself. For the benefit of those who do not, however, I will part the smoke for you, and provide a measure of clarity.

I am often outspoken against that which I disagree with, yes. I am a critical man, and believe that it is necessary to highlight deficiency and weakness, so that it may be cut away; Such is, as a wise woman once said to me, the height of Manners. On the matter of my having a leash, well. At least the cretin is capable of comedy, albeit unintentionally. Ask those that dwell within the Heartwood, and I expect that you will find that my reputation is not one of particular biddability.

I respect those Sentinels, such as the worthies that have taken up the noble stations the betrayer once stained, who adhere to the veneration of the ancestors and comport themselves as a true Sentinel should. Those names listed, save young Ogun, did not number among them. It is my very great pleasure to state that most of them are no longer members of the Pride, and the majority of those that remain after I called for the world-traitor to be cast down are those that keep to the ways old and true. The contumelious one says that I murdered half the Sentinel Pride? To that, I say;

Good.

It is a profound joy to feed the weak into Vo'acha's ever-hungering maw.

That half must have been frail indeed, that one or two conversations with myself were supposedly enough to break their will and send them fleeing from our woods. They were a disgrace to everything the Pride represents and espouses. The Council is stronger for their excision.

Another grain of truth in that steaming midden of vitriol: My cruelty will, in time, prove to all the world who I truly am - for I will not balk when it comes time to do what is necessary.

The tattered raiment of ignorance ill suits you, Queen of Killers. I hope that you will come to understand, and cast it off. You deserve better than to place the gift of your loyalty into the keeping of wretches such as the world-traitor.

May the edge of your mind cut as true as that of your blade.



Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 3rd of Ios, in the year 19 AC.