"My word, I have been reborn today!"
To Anne Macdonald, the real Valine Nell in all but fate.
To Edna for being the best critic a writer could have as of late.
‡
It is noted that it would probably be best to read Death, And Therefore Rebirth before reading Sin, And Therefore Virtue. DATR is a novelette that serves as exposition to SATV and future books in the series. The chapters from DATR used to be in SATV, but they have now been removed. Below is a glossary for words that will be found in later chapters. Please note, however, that it only contains words that are so obscure you may not find them in most dictionaries. These words and their definitions come from The Phrontistery, a website as well as a logophile's heaven.
•Logophile-- lover of words
•Agnosy-- ignorance
•Ianthine-- violet-coloured
•Hedonism-- belief that pleasure is the highest good
•Isabelline-- greyish yellow
•Abersecomic-- one whose hair has never been cut
•Ferity-- state of savagery or barbarism
The definitions are direct quotes from The Phrontistery's International House of Logorrhea. I hope you enjoy the story.
‡‡
Location unknown
20 Renet, Year 1254
"For hundreds of years, the Vìntus have been defeated, enervated, their powers leached out by Muran. However, that will not be the case soon. Operation Phœnix is going nicely. The cult-slaves have successfully hollowed out one of the Arvitan mountains in Meran--"
"Why are you talking to yourself?"
"Don't interrupt me; I'm being expositional! The tanetu needs to know this!"
"Why?"
"Anyway, the cultists have turned one of the mountains into a storage unit for Muran. In just a decade or so, the Muran will be frozen enough for Phase Five's maximum potential to be reached. When that happens, the Ìuræ will take over Ernalda, finally bringing Iremu to a close. That is what we want, but not what we want. The Ìuræ are not enlightened like us; their mentalities are black-and-white, causing them to not comprehend the ara's necessity for equilibrium and order. They are also easily manipulated by their tyrant leader, Croth Medeu. He will usher in a tyrannical age indeed....He cannot rule Ernalda. Cômerna should not have told him that it was his. Then again, she does not possess my precognition, and does not know that he will ruin the island. I am Fate, but I am not unbiased. I need to save her. We need to save her, to weaken Croth and the Ìuræ before they become too strong. Fortunately, we have ways. Lythe is brimming with opportunities. Seize them."
"Are you talking to me now?"
"Yes."
"What opportunities do you speak of?"
"You know of Iremu's status, the Hernals and the Marens. Exacerbate the tension between those two families, and give Irta what she wants. Use your magic, but with discretion. The Ìuræ does not know that Muran only affects those in Cômerna, and it would be best to keep it that way.
"There is a Vìntus living amongst Hernals, the tèrette of Lythe and Vitar. She spends her days serving Juret Hernal and living a lie. She's enslaved herself and faked her own death just to minimise the chances of being discovered by the Ìuræ. If you could weaken the Hernals to the point that Croth finds her, imagine the uproar. The daughter of his most devout supporters, a traitor! The Vìntus will get off to a shaky start, which we can exploit later on."
"I will do these things for you."
"I know. And one more thing."
"Yes?"
"If you need information on Æretu Maren, consult the Diviner."
YOU ARE READING
Sin, And Therefore Virtue
Fantasy"When you look at them [virtue and sin] upside down, you'll realize they mean the same thing." It's the year 1254, and Iremu, the war for an absent throne, has raged on for 539 years. Its origin, greed, has led to Ernalda, the Fertile Isle, being dr...
