Role

Chapter 5

A quiet and thoughful elf, Celedyl had never been particularly good at
asserting himself. He preferred listening to speaking, which is a valuable
skill much of the time, but can be a hinderance in some situations. One of
those situations, it seemed, was speaking to a child deity whom he revered
above all other things. How does one even speak to a goddess? Just to be in
the physical presence of Her was incredible beyond measure. How could his
words ever be worthy of Her ears?

In his first meeting with Azorinne, he explained to Her how he had received a
vision and had been guided by that vision to become a healer. She had granted
him Her blessings, and given him a task: To consider carefully what would be
his vow to Her. She had also healed an old wound of his that he had carried
since his torture at the hands of the orcs, taking the wound into Herself.
Celedyl thought much of this act in the days following that meeting. That She
would take on the hurts of a humble servant like himself spoke a great deal
about why he had been drawn to Her faith in the first place. For it was the
desire to shield others from harm, even if he must take that harm onto
himself, that guided his path forward as a healer.

And so, when he climbed the mountain again to make his vow, the vow he had
decided upon was simple and to the point. "I vow to place the wellbeing of
those I protect ahead of my own, in both body and in spirit."

The Golden Host, speaking in its chorus of voices through Azorinne, told
Celedyl that it believed in his desire to uphold such a vow. But, it also
expressed its doubt in the value of the vow itself. Would those who Celedyl
protected want or even let him place their wellbeing before his own? Are those
who seek to be selfless in life really just martyring themselves for symbolic
reasons? Celedyl did not know how to respond. For this was truly his deepest
desire, to protect the innocent and the good, even if it must be at his own
expense. He did not wish to throw his life away foolishly to be seen as a
martyr, he only wished to ease the suffering of the world.

Azorinne asked Celedyl, as a thought experiment, to consider why selfishness
might sometimes be desirable, or even necessary. She also tasked him with
"homework" of speaking to his fellows of the light about their thoughts on
justice, especially in regard to how it ties into mercy. And so he left the
shrine that day with his mind reeling.