Iko, the Cleric

A wandering priest that goes from town to town, not necessarily preaching about his god, about about the ideals that his god represents. He tries to help those than need it, The Downtrodden are often the most fervent worshipers of Dai'Shan, the Lord of Sorrow. He preaches how each person has a void within their hearts that they most often try to fill with money and selfish things. What they need, he tells them, is to free this void of anything so that it may heal, as most wounds do. The way to free it is to give up or give away those things that are not necessary to survive. To share them with those who are struggling. To share in hardship so that those who suffer soon may not have to.

It is a hard lesson, and many do not care to hear it, especially those with wealth and power. The priest understands, and bids them luck in their life. It is not his place to tell them that the Lord of Sorrows does not favor those who rebuke his wisdom. It his not his place to warn them of the wave of hardship and despair that follows him from village to village and strikes those who turn him away. He just smiles sadly and lets them know that he understands. Then he leaves for the next village that his Lord leads him to.

1. What joys and good fortune came to the village of Gwaju when they embraced the wisdom you shared with them?
2. What sort of hardship and despair fell upon the town of Liaoqiu after they turned you away?

Gwaju was a nice village. They had faced many hardships when I first arrived there, and it did not take much for me to convince them to embrace each other. The will of a community can overcome almost anything. I very rarely stay in one place for long, so what I do know is told to me by messengers of Dai'Shan or from people who have passed through. I want to believe that they are happy and healthy, and knowing Dai'Shan, he has shielded them from the worst the world has to offer.

Liaoqiu. I had the misfortune of seeing the wrath of Dai'Shan first hand. When the wisdom of my Lord is rebuked, I am often sent on my way, and I travel to the next place, to spread Dai'Shan's gift to those who are willing to receive it. I was not so lucky here. The merchant lords who ruled the town of Liaoqiu did not appreciate my message, and decided that my place was in a prison, where I could no longer spread my harmful messages. I did not resist. I sat, patient in my cell, knowing that my freedom would come at the cost of theirs.

Emotions are a powerful thing in the realm of spirits, where my Lord reigns. Rage. Jealousy. Malice. There, they are manifested weapons wielded by those with the power to control them. Dai'Shan wields anguish and despair like a pair of ornate blades, and those blades carved through the hearts of the greedy merchant lords, and their families. And while they felt the brunt of the attack, the aftershock of his wrath rang out through the entire town. It is a truly terrible thing to see a man truly wracked with despair. After a time, they cannot feel anything else. I was freed from my cell by guards who couldn't be bothered to keep me contained. And, while no one chased me or even bothered to look in my direction as I left, I ran from the town and never looked back.
I do not know if this is the fate of all those of rebuke His gifts... but I will never again stay to find out.

Dai'Shan's power comes through emotion. The priest is essentially a messenger, telling them how to find harmony, and they can either accept or reject the message. I also see Dai'Shan as a powerful spirit, but his power is over humanity and their souls (the afterlife), instead of natural power like I imagine most spirits have. While I'm sure he could cause plagues, his powers tend to be much more subtle.

If he were to cause financial ruin, it would be because he has made the merchant seem hideous or undesirable within the minds of his patrons, or because he has made the merchant feel like there just isn't a point anymore.

We've talked a bit about how you preach Charity. How do you preach Suffering? Describe how you might make a petition to Dai'shan.

Everything in this world has a price. This has always been true, even before the time of mortals. It is the mistake of mortals that this price is monetary. Our world lives in a balance. To achieve the things we wish out of life, we must give or experience something in return. To experience prosperity, you must pay with hard work and hardship. To experience happiness, you must pay with sadness and pain. To experience peace, you must pay with chaos and blood. And once you experience these things, you will be able to truly appreciate what you have earned.

Suffering is a guide for the Sorrowsworn. Those of us who make it through our training are given a gift. A special crystal, that forms only in the spirit world, is gifted to our master by a messenger of the Lord of Sorrow. This crystal, the tear of Dai'Shan, is carved and formed into a special instrument, a kila knife, that symbolizes our devotion to our Lord. The knife may only drink of the blood of Sorrowsworn, to all others, it is as dull as a brick. This knife, we string on a leather band and wear around our neck at all times.



To petition to the Lord of Sorrows, we use the knife to pierce or cut our flesh, exchanging our pain for His wisdom. The crystal aids us in feeling agony in its purest form, so that we may gain wisdom in its purest form. We wear our scars proudly.

Rong Hua’s misguided behavior endangers their very soul!Wu Meng is a good and faithful person; I trust them implicitly.Xian is in constant danger, I will keep them safe.I am working on converting Zhang Wei to my faith.

I think my bond with Xian Feng, Xian Feng is in constant danger, I will keep them safe. is more or less resolved. Xian Feng has proven to Iko that she can handle herself, much better than he would ever be able to protect her.