Part 3
The response to such a spectacle was exactly what Vordea had hoped for and more. People thronged to the Great Cathedral, and the city guards were attempting to maintain order as hundreds, if not thousands of people struggled to get a glimpse of the famously taciturn Goddess of Change. Erecting a barrier spell around her throne and Walsh’s pulpit proved to be a shrewd move, as the citizenry were pressed right up against the barrier, shouting at the Goddess attempting to get her attention.
Paying the gathered masses no mind for the moment, she looked over at Father Walsh. My eternal caretaker, she thought to herself, smiling internally. He was of course not human, but one of Vordea’s demons in human guise, a splendid idea in retrospect, she thought.
“Cyril, is everything ready?” Vordea eventually asked, noticing the shouting from the crowd was starting to simmer.
“The blood seals are prepared, but before you begin, I must ask you a question. Are you sure this is a good idea?” Father Walsh replied, looking directly at Vordea for the first time.
“Perhaps you are right. Neptis will one day become the war god.” Vordea responded after a moment’s silence. “Minor change of plans. No harvesting. Rest will proceed as planned. It is well past time to begin.”
Vordea finally stood and walked slowly to the edge of the barrier. With a blank expression, but inwardly smiling, she looked into the eyes of the eager early arrivals, hoping for some sort of blessing from their Goddess. She knew them all by name, of course, and everything about them, from their deepest fears to their most trivial hopes and dreams. She closed her eyes and bowed her head for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Then she looked up, faced the gathered crowd, and spoke.
In the years after her proclamation, it has been long debated on what she actually said at the now infamous speech. Even those who were there cannot recall the exact words, only the ashamed, morose feeling that emanated from the far too reclusive Goddess of Change. Some philosophers contend that she did not actually speak at all, and merely radiated her feelings over the crowd, but none know for sure. The ever present Father Walsh of the Great Cathedral would not reveal what truly transpired either, saying it was between his Lady and her subjects, which only raised further questions.
What it was actually about was only ever solved once Father Walsh finally produced the proclamation weeks later. There will be no new High Priest. There will not be another High Priest, not until Vordea walks all of the lands of the world, and finds someone truly worthy. Perhaps there would never be another High Priest, Father Walsh mused with a smile.
"So it was all just a ruse?" Duncan asked, sitting in Father Walsh's office.
"She wanted to feel the souls of all of Gilnas City at the same time, and what easier way than to pretend to make a proclamation?" Father Walsh said, smiling. "I could have just posted an announcement on the door."