[RPG] [FEI] Return of the Osaido - Dengat

[Samuel Knowlton]

(This is from Dengat)

Outwardly, Dengat scoffed. Inwardly, however, his mind was awash with 
possibilities, few of them good. It was unwise for a man to gain too much 
attention too rapidly. He steadied himself for a brief moment before 
striding confidently toward the anteroom where the Duke's party waited.

---

Dengat stood before Duke Galiard in his office, masking the uncertainty he 
felt. In between apoplectic bursts of anger, he thought he made out the word 
"explain" and so, cautiously, he proceeded.

"First, my Lord, let me assure you that I would never betray your trust. 
Secondly, I do not deny that I share relations through marraige with the 
woman Sabrina. As she is of a lower class, I felt that this information 
was... auxillary. Finally, I shall address and allay your concerns about 
Osaido.

Osaido began a very long time ago as an informal code of conduct among the 
nobility who lived here prior to the Great Wave--that is, the mass 
immigrations of families to these shores. Many of those familes first landed 
in Ossaet, being a sheltered harbor and already populated by a civilized if 
not entirely advanced people. As the initial wave of immigrants 
inter-married and settled throughout the lands, Osaido began to take on more 
formalized qualities, owing to the well-established code of chivalry that 
our gallavanting Knights are so fond of. I am sketchy on the exact moment 
when the influence of Osaido waned, but I believe it can be placed rather 
closely to the time that the Patriarch--that would be the first Tyrant of 
Arcaea, m'Lord--invaded, intent on subduing both the people of Osai and the 
new immigrants. The ancient monastery in Ossaet--this very city--was razed 
to the ground. Many of the monks (secular teachers who codified Osaido in 
oral and written form) retreated to the countryside. The majority of them 
fled to Abilotiel. In my time in Abilotiel, I happened upon one of these 
monks. Over the course of several dinners, he began to relay to my both the 
ethics of Osai and its history.

I am no sucker for popular religions or spiritual fads, my Lord, but I was 
compelled by what this man taught. So compelled, in fact, that I became a 
willing practitioner of the art and indeed one of its teachers. This I 
freely admit to. To assuage your fears that Osaido is some sort of 
insurrectionist propanganda, I would be happy to outline the basic tenets 
for you."

After a brief pause, Galiard made a cutting gesture with his hand, 
indicating that his Baron should continue. Dengat noted the flicker of 
interest in his Duke's eyes.

"Of course. Osaido--which loosely translates to "The Beneficial Road"--is a 
set of behaviors and ethics that allows one to deal properly with the world 
around oneself while maintaining a state of being proper for a noble. It is 
not a religion. Osai values discpline, achievement, and honor above all 
else. The lowliest commoner may follow the Beneficial Road. He may shovel 
dung for a living, yet as long as he does so with excellent and pride in his 
work his path is right. For the nobility, things are somewhat different. All 
nobles are expected to know their place in the world. The world is chaotic. 
To make order of this chaos, man must order himself. Knights are expected to 
train vigorously, to treat their comrades with respect and cordiality, their 
enemies with respect, and to conduct themselves with honor on the 
battlefield. Bureaucrats are expected to study the minutae of the 
administration with enthusiasm, to learn the proper use of etiquette and 
letters, and to practice patience. Traders are expected to sell at an honest 
price and to help feed the hungry.

There is of course much more, but that would take days or weeks. With your 
permission, I have a suggestion, my Lord. The foundation for the old temple 
still remains. Perhaps a new school could be constructed. I am happy to 
donate the funds from my family's holdings. We live in a heated and 
superstitious time, where honor and civility often make way for anger and 
dishonorable deeds. We have a chance, here and now, to change the course we 
are on."

With an outward patience that stood in marked contrast to the whirlwind of 
thoughts in his head, Dengat stood silently, awaiting an answer.