Chapter Seven: Council of Highs[edit | edit source]

In a cavern near Choerkin Castle, Meliu attends a tense meeting of the Council of High Priests, a diminished successor to the traditional Council of Lord Priests, with no confirmed lord priests present amid rumors of Ulrikt’s possible death. Representing the clans of Kaludor, the council includes High Priestess Sedut (Istinjoln), the feared de facto leader; elderly High Priest Bekid (Fermiden Abbey); gentle High Priestess Jelodu (Citadel of Rôkân); reserved High Priestess Lizel (Zarstok Monastery); belligerent High Priest Runker (Hîgun Abbey); venomous High Priest Merduun (Restutin Monastery); and lecherous High Priest Olum (Benet). Sedut, wielding the Spear of Istinjoln, raises the contentious issue of the Canon of Justef, which deems healers as Defiled by the Vanquished Gods, challenging its validity as Ivin Choerkin’s decree protects over 200 healers vital to the clans. Facing fierce opposition, particularly from Runker, who brands her proposal heretical, Sedut cites the Codex of Sol, entrusted to Meliu, which details a God Wars-era incident where a six-year-old girl, healed without a scar by divine intervention, was declared a priestess, suggesting healers are chosen by Sol and Elinwe. To prove her point, Sedut presents a young girl who miraculously heals without scarring after being struck by the Maimer’s Lash, mirroring the Codex’s account. This demonstration, orchestrated with Mistress of Trials Liermu, stuns the council, prompting a vote to consider revising the Canon of Justef in two years. Five hands rise in favor, including Olum’s, swayed by ulterior motives, overturning centuries of doctrine. Meliu, shaken by the revelation and her own oversight in missing the Codex’s implications, vows to delve deeper into its histories, recognizing the seismic shift in the Church’s stance and her role in reshaping its future.

WoG Chapter 06 — Charted Waters
WoG Chapter 08 — Bones Forgotten
Whispers of Ghosts — Main Chapter Listing