Uphill Battle

[Dracos]

Dracos filed them away for later in the conversation. "Is this protection?" He waves back to the men behind him. "Or is it judgement?  Not that we should be unfamiliar with judgement...  when it is not our own skins on the line," He said harshly.  "Perhaps if we too were to taste of such fare, we would begin to see wisdom beyond a single minded following, controlled by fear and lying to those who trust in us."

Dracos

[Brian]

"Are you mad?" the man asks, his face coloring.  "We have!  You have, as well!  You use the powers of the Gates for healing, but for a twisted and wrong cause!  It's a divine power with an entirely human decision controlling it; we can't allow such a gift to fall into the wrong hands -- look at what you've become already!"

[Dracos]

Dracos leaned back.  "Clearly, a twisted man, trapped by my own power and unable to see beyond my own nose?  It is simple to think like that.  To denounce instead of consider what we really do.  To treat your fellow men like bugs because of the divine power of the gates...  The gates are IN the wrong hands.  Hands that have already chosen time and time again to abuse the divine trust they represent.  You are a bloodhound, out to protect the people and ever so blind to their pain at the hands of those who hold your chains.  Have you forgotten what is in our own books?"

The discussion was at least proving to be informative.  The mystic powers he had as Deacon Bloom were clearly not internal nor as a result of true worship, but likely an exercise to draw out the energies of the gate...  possibly progressing wounds to a point of healing?  Moreso, these Anabarians needed to be talked to, to get a full picture of what was going on.  The church of current was clearly concerned more with this holy shroud, possibly a place beyond the gates that sealed off other areas.  Indeed, that could well be the original purposes of the gates, as a mechanism to bind such things, the unsafe travel through without...a shroud resulting in being exposed to either...progressive heat or regressive cold?  Too much assumption there though, he'd have to stew on it longer.

Dracos

[Brian]

"I have not," the bound man snarls.  "Do you forget the hidden texts we cannot share?  The terrible price at the loss of the shroud?  Or have you gone completely 'round the bend, you ... you ... you dark heretic madman!"

[Dracos]

Dracos schooled his face, indeed only barely maintaining it as the man nearly drove him to laughter, his own consideration for world shaking disasters long since worn down by signs that they rarely were any such thing.  He did need to know more about what they believed though, so he sought to anger the man into saying what he wanted to hear, into lambasting him with what would happen.

"The price is false," He said calmly.  "You misunderstand the texts."

Dracos

[Brian]

"You can come back," the priest says instead, his voice sounding sick, wounded.  "You read the texts -- you misunderstand the truth of them, but you can't be so far gone that you can't realize the necessity of our order."

At this point, Garcia begins stirring, the knight shifting slightly, eyes fluttering open.  He makes a few sounds against his gag before blinking the sleep from his eyes, though his gaze is still vaguely unfocused.

[Carthrat]

"I do not find the church a necessary institution," notes Tom, dryly. "Perhaps you would care to enlighten me."

[Brian]

The Questioner looks very confused at Tom's comments.  "You let them speak freely?" he asks Phil.

[Carthrat]

Tom slaps the inquisitioner across the face. Well, to a regular guy, it's more like being hit with a truck to the skull.

"You are gravely mistaken if you believe that I am a slave to any man," he growls. "Don't think for a moment that Bloom is contributing towards my emnity with your kind- the words you spew forth are doing well enough themselves. Answer my question, holy man, and perhaps you'll see your paper church once more."

[Brian]

The Questioner's jaw works a few times, but no sound comes out at first.  Finally he slumps (very slightly; he's bound very tightly).  "I have to cling to faith," he whimpers.

[Dracos]

"You have none to cling to.  Faith comes from understanding, not fear.  Wisdom, not blind acceptance.  A man of faith would be able to communicate the divine to one such as him," He waved to Tom.  "And have him understand why his purpose was such as a slave.  Why this was a necessary facet of our faith and for the good of all.  I would suggest you hurry... you know primitive folks have a tendancy for outrageous violence.  It's why they need to be controlled, yes?"  He bluffed, hoping the fear of being torn apart by an angry slave would get him speaking.

Dracos

[Brian]

Garcia makes an angry noise, and the other knights begin rousing.  The Questioner just shakes his head.  "You've fallen," he whimpers.  "Fallen."

[Carthrat]

Frowning, Tom turns back to Simmons. "Seperate the knights," he instructs. "If any try to escape or make any sudden moves, knock them out."

He glances at the other questioner, wondering if he's showing less signs of falling into a faith-based catatonia.

[Brian]

The other questioner is mute, and wide-eyed, but seems confident enough.  Well, confident enough for a guy who's outnumbered, bound, and gagged, anyway.

Simmons does as instructed.  Shortly, each of the knights (and Garcia does try to put of a fight, which is pretty pathetic -- it doesn't last long) is bound to a separate, reasonably sturdy tree.

[Carthrat]

Pursing his lips, Tom reaches forward and rips off the gag, kneeling down to the same level as the questioner, in all of his bare-chested, red-skinned glory.

"You, then. Tell me of these secret texts, and of this Shroud. Tell me why the church should not be allowed to fall, and why those like me must endure a life of empty minds."

OOC: Influence = PRE 15, presence attak~