The Amell Legacy: Transgressions

[Marian Hawke]

"No, but I'm not sitting here telling you Bastion is wrong and obviously every time He disagrees with Alydra, Alydra's right."

[Haliel Lightsong]

Haliel opens her mouth to say something, but stops herself. Okay. Think this out first. Am I being... zealous? She bows her head, thinking things over. Probably, yes. Alright. "I'm sorry for that. I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable or... lesser. Alydra's teachings are not as... dear to me as Bastion's but that does not make them without value. Or unequal to His."

[Marian Hawke]

"There's nothing... automatically wrong with slavery," she says, more quietly. "Kidnapping, yes. But, as a way to punish criminals or, perhaps, to pay off a great debt..."

[Haliel Lightsong]

"That.... depends on what value system you are working from," Haliel says after a long few seconds to reword her initial reaction. "I would argue that any system that denies a mortal the right to be considered a person is amoral and evil. Labour sentences I can see, even violence enforced labour. A... reduction in autonomy is one thing, but denying that a mortal is... a mortal, with a soul and free-will is evil."

[Marian Hawke]

She shrugs a shoulder. "That's all semantics. Mortals know perfectly well we all have souls. But not all souls are created equally."

[Haliel Lightsong]

"No. No it really isn't  just semantics," Lightsong protests passionately. "Not all people  admits that everyone has a soul. And- what do you even mean by unequal?"

[Marian Hawke]

"Just, you know, people are made differently. Some people don't have what it takes to be good mothers, or some people are twisted and cruel. Some people never amount to much and some become heroes." She shrugs again. "None of that's really controversial."

[Haliel Lightsong]

"Different doesn't mean lesser," Haliel says firmly. "Yes, people's actions can darken or brighten their soul, but that doesn't-" She frowns, trying to figure out how to... "One of my instructors said it was like... This is a crude and clumsy way of looking at it, as is anything mortals do in regards to trying to measure or describe the soul. But each person's soul is priceless. Their deeds might slant a soul towards an ending, an afterlife, but they all have an intrinsic worth that is beyond measure. Even the most evil of the Dark deities have strict views on the destruction or even damaging souls." The Iron Bitch is said to destroy souls that have twice betrayed Her and Tessiline is... It has confusing views on the matter, but none of the others allow it.

[Marian Hawke]

"Maybe," allows Marian. "But the kind of thing we're talking about is all things that happen to the flesh."

[Haliel Lightsong]

"I- what?" Haliel shakes her head. "Yes, bad things happen often but I'm not following as to why you think bad things are... good? Why bad things happening is good, I mean."

[Marian Hawke]

"I'm not saying they're good, I'm saying they're sometimes what a mortal deserves."

[Haliel Lightsong]

"There is no crime or action that seems that it would warrant slavery or rape. That is just- people make mistakes, of course. Even Zanon admits that Perfection is a Path, not..." Haliel pauses, studying Marian intently. That's twice now... "Marian, is something wrong?"

[Marian Hawke]

"Wh-what? No, nothing," she says, sounding a touch distracted.

[Haliel Lightsong]

"Zanon," Haliel says abruptly.

[Marian Hawke]

She tries, but she can't quite suppress the flinch.