Eorgina: Queen of the Dark presented by Lady Jolivette Cleoness†sponsored by The Beacon Hall Archive You say, "Welcome all to another edition of Theology:101. Tonight's lecture will be on Eorgina: Queen of the Dark." You ask, "I do hope you are all familiar with Eorgina?" You survey the area. Jolivette grins. You say, "Alright, a brief summary then." You nod. Nofret says, "Queen of Lornon, I have heard her named." You say, "Eorgina is a Goddess of Lornon. Not just any Goddess mind you." You say, "Yes, in that regard. She rules in essence over the other Arkati of Lornon--though for the most part, they do not seem to mind." You say, "She wishes power, and to rule without question. It is said she wishes to overthrow Koar as well." Jolivette grins evilly. You say, "Extremely jealous of Lumnis, the rumor goes.. Since she is in essence the consort of the king of the gods." You say, "Eorgina wishes to dominate all the Arkati, and it is not such a bold request of her." You smirk. You say, "Many of the Lornon Arkati are more than willing to serve her ends.." Nofret leans forward and rests her chin in her hand, a thoughtful expression on her face. Tridess turns an inquisitive ear towards you. You say, "Her symbol, if you have seen it is a red stylized flame often appearing on a field of grey." You say, "Now, Let me introduce our guest speaker for the eve." You smile at Jolivette. You see Lady Jolivette Cleoness the Dark Elf Demonmistress. She appears to be in her 100's, has long, straight golden blond hair, green eyes, and tanned skin. She has a tattooed symbol of Eorgina on her ankle, and a tattooed choker composed of stylized crimson flames on her neck. She is in good shape. She is holding an ancient priestess's staff in her right hand. She is wearing a crystal amulet, an etched ebony signet ring, an exquisite wedding band, an ancient black tome case, a polished dark grey stone locket inlaid with a stylized flame of crushed rubies, a black alchemy bag, an antique silver armband, a sheer black vaalin-boned bodice, a ruby-inset obsidian Eorgina talisman suspended from a twisted black ash cord, a nightmare black greatcloak, a sheer black side-slit skirt, a onyx-inlaid black leather thigh-sheath, a laced silver deathstone anklet, and some thigh-high black leather boots. Jolivette smiles. You say, "Lady Jolivette Cleoness of The Circle of the Grey Moon.." You say, "She is a priestess of her Order, and quite qualified.. let me assure you." You grin wryly. You say, "Lady Jolivette. The Audience is yours." Jolivette says, "Good Evening, and thank you for coming." Jolivette grins. Jolivette says, "As Tarkisis said, I am Jolivette Cleoness, High Priestess of Eorgina, and a High Priestess of Circle of the Grey Moon." You say, "Oh you are welcome to do with them as you wish, if they misbehave." Jolivette says, "Consider it done." Jolivette says, "I am honored to be here this evening, and it is always a great pleasure to run my mouth about such a great force in my life, the Goddess Eorgina." Jolivette says, "And.. I'd like to thank the Beacon Hall for inviting me to do such tonight." Jolivette smiles. Jolivette says, "I will be touching on a number of topics relating to my Goddess... including who Eorgina is and my experiences with Her, and all about the Circle of the Grey Moon." Jolivette says, "I'd appreciate your keeping the interruptions and other rubbish to a minimum while I speak, but I'd be happy to take any questions and/or comments when I am finished." Jolivette says, "I will begin with a bit about Eorgina, drawing from a short work I wrote some time ago." Jolivette says, "I should take the time to say this before I begin... though this piece was written with the intention of giving a very neutral view on Eorgina in sync with what is known about Her... these are still my opinions." Jolivette says, "There is no right or wrong way, within reason, to serve the Goddess, and each who serves her may have an opinion that varies slightly." Jolivette says, "Some of you may have heard this piece before, but with tonight's general topic, I thought it would be appropriate." Jolivette just opened an ancient black tome case. The wind blows through a chink in the tomb's stone walls, filling the air with a melancholy moaning. Jolivette just opened a thin grey leather tome embossed with a pattern of red flames. Snacks asks, "Need me to hold anything?" (Jolivette inclines her head slightly and turns her attention to the tome.) Jolivette says, "The work is entitled, "Queen Eorgina, Mistress of Darkness, Domination and Tyranny: A Look Underneath the Surface"" Jolivette says, "Goddess Eorgina, Ruler of Lornon and Mistress of Darkness, Domination and Tyranny. Taken at face value, she is perceived as an overbearing, power-hungry, and vain woman. " Jolivette says, "There is no denying this..." Jolivette says, "However, taking a closer look at the many facets of Eorgina and her spheres reveals how complex and overlooked her very image really is." Jolivette says, "In her ongoing quest to gain greater power than that which she already beholds, Eorgina is a master of tools. " Jolivette says, "Eorgina means to gather an army of sorts - those whose inner growing darkness she will draw her strength from - and she expects her followers to aid in bringing them to her." Jolivette says, "Her greatest goal of course, is to take Lumnis' place at Koar's side, eventually doing away with him as well... and she diligently bides her time contemplating the perfect plan to accomplish this." Jolivette clears her throat. Jolivette says, "This very planning process and malicious creativity of unrestrained determination is what Eorgina enjoys.... rather than a common misconception that she would trifle with petty murders and mass violence. " Jolivette says, "She has said in my presence that folks serve her much better alive than dead, as would make perfect sense." Jolivette paces back and forth. Jolivette says, "I like to think of Eorgina's three spheres of Darkness, Domination and Tyranny as tools that aid in achieving such extravagant whims and wishes of such a Queen as She." Jolivette says, "Each sphere can be approached from many different angles and their uses.. infinite." Jolivette moistens her fingertip with her tongue and slowly turns a page of her grey leather tome. Jolivette says, "Eorgina's first sphere is that of Darkness...." Jolivette says, "Moriane saVere, one of Eorgina's first priestesses to bring Her teachings to light, once wrote this:" Jolivette recites:
Jolivette recites:
Jolivette says, "This is true, for even when the light is at its brightest, the shadows are at their greatest... Very few sources of light, if any at all, are capable of ridding the ever-lurking shadows." Jolivette asks, "How is Darkness a tool?" Jolivette says, "Darkness can be perceived as many different things depending on whom its effects are being used upon." Jolivette says, "In some people, darkness symbolizes a certain fear, whereas others feel encompassed and drawn to it." Jolivette says, "Darkness can be difficult to understand and obscure, which would come in handy for concealing Eorgina's wicked workings." Jolivette says, "Most of all, Darkness is the icing on the cake to the other two tools of Domination and Tyranny.. and its role is important." Jolivette turns a page of her grey leather tome. Jolivette says, "An extremely misunderstood facet of Eorgina is her sphere of Domination, though it is probably my favorite and most fascinating of the three. The very word brings different ideas to mind depending on whom you speak to." Jolivette says, "To me, Domination is a fine art once fully understood and mastered." Jolivette says, "More than just holding power over another, it can be as subtle as a commanding presence... One need not say a word to have domination over another." Jolivette says, "As a tool, the art of Domination can be extremely bewitching if used properly, drawing others to you unknowingly or garnering respect and credibility." Jolivette says, "It requires an air of confidence and most definitely tremendous class, which I find Eorgina to be the epitome of." Jolivette asks, "Domination is the very essence of respect in my opinion... How can you command respect by throwing your weight around, eventually causing all to cringe or roll their eyes at your very presence?" Jolivette says, "That is not to say that Domination shouldn't instill a certain fear in people, but that fear should be out of respect." Jolivette says, "Afterall, those of Eorgina are meant to draw people to them for Her uses, not scare them away and represent her as tolerable of a bunch of classless imbeciles." Jolivette says, "Eorgina is royalty, she is a Queen... and expects to be represented well by her followers." Jolivette clears her throat. Jolivette turns a page of her grey leather tome. Jolivette says, "The last sphere Eorgina controls is that of Tyranny which I find the most often to be taken at face value when in fact, it truly delves much deeper under the surface." Jolivette says, "As I said earlier.. it is much better for one to be alive so they can better serve rather than to be dead. Mistress Eorgina is not one to waste her time with random acts of violence and murder to maintain her dominant position." Jolivette says, "Like Eorgina, most despots do not take a direct hand in this dirty work, but rather send off others to handle it for them. Onar, the Assassin of the Gods, is known to carry out such attempts most often for Eorgina." Jolivette says, "There is a time and place for such acts to occur, and foremost, only for very good reasons that would only help to further Her goals." Jolivette says, "Her teachings do not focus on trivial things such as life and death, but rather seeing her truths through new eyes." Jolivette says, "If it suits her fancy, Eorgina can at times be so mesmerizingly charming and gracious to those not directly in her sphere of involvement that it is near impossible to believe how unspeakably cruel she can be to even her most dedicated followers." Jolivette says, "She understands when and how to use her rage to her advantage." Jolivette says, "Her kindness is hard to say the least, though this is because she expects those who dare to serve her to be strong, of great wisdom and fit enough to handle whatever obstacles may come with the journey through Her Darkness." Jolivette says, "Eorgina demands the utmost faith and dedication from her followers as well as humble respect. There are severe consequences for those who would so much as think to question her thoughts and demands." Jolivette says, "It is all about Her, and woe to whomever would try to dispute that." Jolivette says, "Eorgina, a complex Goddess of immense power with vast intelligence and deceiving charms." Jolivette says, "Master of the depths of Darkness, the art of Domination, and the timing of Tyranny, she is a strong force in Elanthia... no matter what walk of life you are from." Jolivette says, "Looking beneath the surface, one can only fathrom the intricate workings of her cunning thoughts." Jolivette just closed a thin grey leather tome embossed with a pattern of red flames. Jolivette says, "Thank you." Jolivette put a thin grey leather tome embossed with a pattern of red flames in her black tome case. Jolivette grins. (ON The Circle of The Grey Moon) Nofret says, "Pray continue." Jolivette says, "It was founded years ago by Ladies Sorchia and Bloodsnake, and is the oldest gathering of those dedicated to Eorgina in Elanthia thus far." Jolivette says, "Since their retirement, High Priestess Berkana and myself, along with High Priest Azaer, have done our best to carry the group forward in Her honor." Jolivette says, "It is no small challenge to keep a group like this intact, what with the varying opinions and styles of worship." Jolivette says, "Each follower, whether a member or not, identifies and serves in their own way and we do our damndest to support this within reason." Jolivette says, "There is no right or wrong way, except of course as Eorgina herself dictates. I can personally tell you that She has no qualms about making Her displeasures known." (Jolivette pales a bit.) Jolivette says, "With such diversities in mind, the Circle stands to honor Eorgina through service and aid Her will through works. The purpose of the group is to lend support to each other, as well as to gain, share, and spread knowledge." Jolivette says, "There was a time when no man could say they knew Eorgina not - for she burned in the seat of every man's heart - whether She was known to them as their Lady, or as a dark force not to be reckoned with." Jolivette says, "This, Eorgina deserves once again, as does the Lornon Pantheon as a whole. She demands to be known." Jolivette says, "Over the years, we have developed many traditions and rituals which we perform as a group." Jolivette says, "A typical meeting might consist of prayer, discussion topics, guest speakers, short journeys and, on special occasions, ceremonies and rites." Jolivette says, "Over the many years that the Circle has been in existence, we have been blessed to be in the presence of the Queen a few times." Jolivette says, "The nature of these occasions have ranged from purely ceremonial "presences" to utterly terrifying manifestations..." Jolivette says, "Whatever Her demeanor at the time, the experience is never anything short of humbling and awe-inspiring." Jolivette says, "If I were to pick a particular appearance of importance to talk further about.." Jolivette says, "A few years ago, while performing the Rite of Dedication for the first time since days when Moiraine still walked the lands, Eorgina came in the form of a subtle wind." Jolivette says, "We could not see Her form, but rather the absence of it.. when She would make gestures with Her hand and such." Jolivette says, "Her voice, however..." Jolivette grins. Jolivette says, "She spoke in the Royal "We" manner, which is the first time I had witnessed such from Her." Jolivette says, "Without going into every detail.. there were some in the group who gradually mistook the teaching that "Few" men are able to withstand the rigors of serving Eorgina to mean "None at all"." Jolivette shakes her head. Jolivette says, "This the Goddess was most displeased about.. and that is putting it nicely." Jolivette says, "She reiterated that all who might serve Her, will serve Her... and while it was true not many men were able to walk the path of Darkness, there were many who were perfectly acceptable, and should be regarded as equal in Her service." Jolivette says, "Eorgina then decreed that if Lord Azaer were not elevated to High Priest in the near future, she would certainly be displeased." Jolivette says, "Due to a certain few who had the audacity to whisper their doubts in the presence of the Queen, it almost turned into a bloody affair..." Jolivette cringes. Jolivette says, "And so it was clarified from the Queen Herself." Jolivette grins coldly, her eyes reflecting no emotion. Back to Theology 101 or to the Archive |