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Mantila marched up to the tall and daunting Towers of Derlinderry, a crowd of curious people following in her wake. The doors of the tower opened to let her in, leaving the crowd who had followed her to disperse or remain.
Mages lined the entrance hall expectantly, as if they had been expecting her. The tall building seemed to swallow up the sound of the clerics' footsteps. A mage came out to greet her. "I assume you will want to be speaking with the Mayor" he said. She nodded briefly and followed him up the winding stair case.
At the top of the tower, a door opened, intdo a room littered with books and scraps of paper. Behind the desk a bespectacled old man sat, with a welcoming smile. His smile did not waver when his eyes met Mantila's angry glare.
"My dear lady..." The Mayor's greeting was sharply cut off.
"What do you think you are doing? YOu are endangering the souls of all those who come into contact with your blasphemous theories! How dare you treat that which is holy with such profanities! These presents from our Goddess are not to be used lightly but for the good of our kind, and only, only through purity of soul and true belief should they be used. Have you ignored the lessons of history? Have you not seen the evil that can come of using the Godess's power for your own ends? Have you forgotton what happened in Sistrine? How can you, a leader of people, lead them astray with such energy and irresponsibilty?"
Mantila confronted the Mayor with a stare of anger and earnestness, trembling with the fervour of her belief. "Please, bring this madness to an end - unless you too wish to be visited by the same misfortune that befell our city."
The Mayor smiled "Surely you do not believe in those legends? The discovery of these stones, and there are many of them, believe me, beneath these shores, prove that their power has nothing to do with any kind of divine intervention. Our research has proved that these stones respond to will power, to words, that they can be controled by us, put to good use. Our trade has flourished, and our knowledge continues to grow. My lady, what you ask is impossible. Your belief system is just that ... belief, not knowledge. The use of these stones should not be restricted to a privileged few, but should be open to everybody, all should be able to enjoy the benefits they can bring, light, heat, the ability to mould the environment to their advantage, to improve their lives. The clerics of Sistrina will come to understand that. We could work together to deepen our understanding of these stones - who knows what we could achieve?
"Are you mad? Did you not hear what I said to you? Have you no respect for the lessons of history? Are you so blinded by your ambition? I beseech you, in the name of Sistrina, please, bring this to an end. You have already done enough damage, had we known before what was happening here, we would have come to put a stop to it - your actions will cause untold harm to all who are involved -"
"Do not forget, Madam, it was the clerics - the clerics, who were responsible for the undead in Sistrine. We are objective, we seek only to improve the lives of our citizens, not to control them, or to hoodwink them with myths about visions and to exclude them from the benefits in order to further our own gain!"
"You, sir, are a foolish old man who will live to regret his arrogance and blasphemy. I only pray that your actions will not cost others their souls - or their lives."
Mantila stormed from the tower, followed by her train, and addressed the people outside.
"People of Derlinderry - I beg you to remember your history. Remember why this town was founded, remember the evil that can be done by those who abuse the powers of these stones. Open your eyes, and see, see how history is repeating itself. Do not follow this man, this Mayor - he is blinded by his ambitions, by a false vision. These stones have the potential for good, but only when used by those who are true in spirit and pure in soul, who are one with Sistrina. I say this not to exclude you from power, as some would have you think, but to protect you - for knowledge is not everything, but belief is. Only those who are pure of heart can use the power of the stones without endangering their soul or being tempted by the dark side. Take caution, I beseech you, lest you should fall to the curse that has befallen our city."
In silence, the crowd parted as she left.
Mantila left the town and returned to Sistrine, saddened and alarmed by the stubborness of the Mayor. The council of the town met in order to discuss what the next step should be. It was decided that measures should be taken to aid the town when the expected cataclysm befell it. However, until such drastic measures were to be undertaken, further communication and commerce with Derlinderry would be minimised to protect Sistrine from the dangerous influence of the teachings of "magic", until the town awoke to its peril and cast off the blasphemous ideas of the Mayor.
However, Sistrine was unable to fully free itself of the influence of the teachings of magic, just as Derlinderry found itself more dependent upon Sistrine. The rise of magic led many to flock to the clerics searching for true religion, disturbed by the lessons of history, looking for the right path. This led to a greater need for the stones of Sistrina, which were available only from Derlinderry. Derlinderry in turn came to be more dependent upon Sistrina for the foodstuffs the town could supply as the populace grew beyond the size which could be supported by its fishing trade. The town attracted trade and commerce and, more than anything, students eager to learn the knew knowledge.
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