Senior Assessor


Senior Assessor

 

A monk of the Unified Sects of Cabal - of the sect of The Mockers, and a healer.


Physical Description

 

The sounds of boots in the corridor behind her.  She (Twilight) stepped to one side as the guard arrived with his barefooted charge.  Another ‘guest.’  A monk from the archipelago theocracy of Cabal who had, oddly enough, volunteered to join the Edur fleet, following, it turned out, a tradition of delivering hostages to fend off potential enemies. 

 

The Cabalhii monk standing now in the threshold of the doorway was no higher than Twilight’s shoulder, slight of build, bald, his round face painted into a comical mask with thick, solid pigments -- bright and garish, exaggerating an expression of hilarity perfectly reflected in the glitter of the man’s eyes.

 

” The eyes, a soft brown, were brimming with silent mirth with his every statement.  “ -  (RG UK TPB 337)

 

" Alas, he has taken vows of celibacy.” - Samar Dev - (RG UK Mmpb, p. 


History

 

excuse me, but what is your name?”

“My name was discarded upon attaining my present rank within the Unified Sects of Cabal.”

“I see, and what rank is that?”

“Senior Assessor.”

“Assessing what?”

The expression did not change.  “All matters requiring assessment.  Is more explanation required?” - (RG UK Mmpb, p. 338)


A Healer

 

"Now, I believe a healing was imminent.  A conjoining of the warrens of High Mockra and High Denul.  Physiological amendment achieved by the latter.  Expurgation of the taint and elimination of the blockages, via the former.  Of course, said warrens are faint in their manifestation here in this city, for a variety of reasons.  Nonetheless, I do indeed possess substantial talents, some of which are directly applicable to the matter at hand.”  - (RG UK Mmpb. p. 342)

 


The One God

 

“I am a monk of the Unified Sects of Cabal, and it now seems necessary that I explain the nature of my religion.  Among the people of Cabal there are three thousand twelve sects.  These sects are devoted, one and all, to the One God.  In the past, terrible civil wars plagued the islands of Cabal, as each sect fought for domination of both secular and spiritual matters.  Not until the Grand Synod of New Year One was peace secured and formalized for every generation to come.  Hence, the Unified Sects.  The solution to the endless conflicts was, it turned out, brilliantly simple.  ‘Belief in the One God occludes all other concerns.’”

“How could there be so many sects and only one god?”

“Ah.  Well, you must understand.  The One God writes nothing down.  The One God has gifted its children with language and thought in the expectation that the One God’s desires be recorded by mortal hands and interpreted by mortal minds.  That there were three thousand twelve sects at New Year One is only surprising in that there were once tens of thousands, resulting from a previous misguided policy of extensive education provided to every citizen of Cabal -- a policy since amended in the interests of unification.  There is now one college per sect, wherein doctrine is formalized.  Accordingly, Cabal has known twenty-three months of uninterrupted peace.”

Yan Tovis studied the small man, the dancing eyes, the absurd mask of paint.  “And which sect doctrine did you learn, Senior Assessor?”

“Why, that of the Mockers.”

“And their tenet?”

“Only this:  the One God, having written nothing down, having left all matters of interpretation of faith and worship to the unguided minds of over-educated mortals, is unequivocally insane.”

“Which, I suppose, is why your mask shows wild laughter --”

 “Not at all.  We of the Mockers are forbidden laughter, for that is an invitation to the hysteria afflicting the One God.  In the Holy Expression adorning my face you are granted a true image of the One Behind the Grand Design, insofar as our Sect determines such.” - (RG UK Mmpb, p. 339)


References

 

“A moment!”  cried the Senior Assessor, eyes now piercing as he stared at the lieutenant.  “Icarium, the Jhag Warrior?  Icarium, Lifestealer?” - (RG UK Mmpb p.343)

 

“I am the only living native of Cabil, Samar Dev, to have seen with my own eyes our god.  Is it any wonder I follow him?”

 

"No, Senior Assessor, it is you who is mad.  To worship Icarium? " - Taralack Veed (RG UK Mmpb. p)

 


 

The One God strode out -- a puppet trailing 

severed strings -- from the conflagration.  Another

city destroyed, another people cut down in their

tens of thousands.  Who among us, witnessing

his emergence, could not but conclude that

madness had taken him?  For all the power of

creation he possessed, he delivered naught but

death and destruction.  Stealer of Life, Slayer and

Reaper, in his eyes where moments earlier there

had been the blaze of unreasoning rage, now

there was calm.  He knew nothing.  He could not

resolve the blood on his own hands.  He begged

us for answers, but we could say nothing.

We could weep.  We could laugh.

We chose laughter.

Creed of the Mockers

 Cabal -(RG - Chapter Ten header)