Norn wrote:I too will abstain from the vote, but not because I disagree with Adomorn or his intentions.
Whilst I respect Hedra Iren, I no longer believe that she is an impartial arbiter of the Law and as such I do not recognise her right to judge what is lawful and what is not. Furthermore, I do not believe that any change in the Law will not be applied in such a way that the original purpose of the amendment is circumvented.
The Law states that a deity may not attack one of their peers without just cause. Such statutes can be found in the legal systems of many developed societies. Yet most such societies have also outlawed intimidation and blackmail, yet such actions are entirely lawful among the deities of Eiran, in the form of the threats made against Bhakti and Jove's son. This would suggest to me that the Law is not established arbitrarily for the good of Eiran, but is subject rather to whim, or to hidden agendas.
Furthermore, when terms were offered to Nor Yekith he rejected them without consequence to himself. This would suggest to me that the Law is powerless to act on its own behalf, or that it is indecisive and unable to take firm action.
If in the future Hedra Iren chooses to act against me because I have taken an action that she deems to be outside the boundaries of the Law then it is well within her right to do so, but I will not bind myself to the Law of Eiran as it stands.
Odal
While I may be the latest of the gods, you all know that I have existed since the First Age of Eiran, and have seen the last Divine Wars with my own undying eyes. And though none have asked my opinion - and why should you, I would add - I believe I am entitled to share it like all other gods. After all, I have watched from outside as you came to Eiran, and as you fought each other with words, and as you brought others into the Pantheon.
And I have seen what hypocrites most of you are.
Yes, hypocrites. You speak of things without any thought of why they work in a certain way, you hasten to place blocks when you do not like something and then complain about them, you seek to make words basis enough for punishment and you refuse to recognize your responsibilities. Only a few of you have shown not to be like this!
You yourselves raised Hedra Iren to the Pantheon as the keeper of the Law; but when she was given the Book and the Quill, you all hastened, like frightened children, to request failsafes and boundaries so that she could not abuse the Law. It was you all who did this, and the echoes of your arguing reached even me in my brooding tomb! You were frightened of Law, as before you had done what you wished, and you tried to curtail its power, make it work as you wanted without concern for the consequences.
Well, reap now the consequences! You have constrained Law with your words - that Hedra Iren shouldn't be allowed to craft or change Laws by herself, that she shouldn't be allowed to be the sole arbiter and judge of Law, that you all should have a say in new Laws. And now you
dare complain that Law is ineffective? You complain that Law is unfair? If it is so, who has made it so? Who has bound Law with so many requests and failsafes that it is no longer able to act as it should? Frightened for your own safety, afraid that Law equaled Tyranny, you have brought all this upon your heads! You claim that Law is powerless, but whose fault is that? Have you even realized that, had you not bound Law with your provisions, it might have acted with far more efficacy upon being broken?
And you, Adomorn, God of Justice - what of your actions? What of your choices? Had Hedra Iren judged that Bhakti, Jove, O-gon-cho or others had broken Law, would
you have gone to war against them, as Law demands? Or would you have tried all you could to wriggle away from such an unpleasant task - to attack and harm your allies and brethren? And then you claim you have the moral right to judge Hedra Iren or strip her of her role?
You are hypocrites, and this sickens me. None of you has wondered why the Laws are the way they are, and none of you has even thought that Hedra Iren is not Law alone: she is also a being, and has seen, as I have, the destruction of the Divine War. You fools have no idea of the destruction that was wrought then - you have not seen the countless dead, the shattered world, the skies weeping blood, the divine corpses hurled to the ground by the might of Nephirthos the Black God! You have not seen the cost in mortal lives, and yet you dare to stand in judgment of Hedra Iren because she seeks to avert war? Because she recognizes that the Law of Eiran does not exist to benefit the gods, but the
mortals?
I warn you, godlings: in this I stand by Hedra Iren, rather than the "justice" of those who first forced her to submit Law to the will of the Pantheon, and then complain because that same Law is ineffective. The Destructor is a more honest god than any of you, for at least he only follows his nature, but you... Of all the gods, only a small handful have chosen to stand by Hedra Iren and understand her reasons; I have more respect for that handful than for those of you who prattle on like frightened children.
Reap what you have sown, godlings; now that Hedra Iren has retreated, destroy the world if you will, but in the last instant before Eiran is obliterated by the clash of the gods, you will look upon it and realize what fools you have been.