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Sitting at a table is a strong-framed man without the muscle to fill his size. The top of his head is shaven completely, and his face is hidden by a painted clay mask. He wears only a simple black robe. Through the eyeholes of the mask, his gaze is blank and unseeing. The mask itself is painted to show a face contorted in pain.
"I can hear you. Please, sit. The Speakers have allowed me to break my vow of silence for this interview, and I'd like to keep it as short as possible. I am Vittorian, one of the Masked Men who lives and serves in the Temple of the Many-Faced God. What can I help you with?"
[This message has been edited by Gaudrhin (edited May 13, 2009).]
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Well, Vittorian, a good friend of mine told me your kind wear masks because they're the ugliest bunch of nitwits to have ever been spawned by a drunken hag, so ugly, in fact, that you make blind children cry. How about that?
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We wear masks to honor the many-faced god. The masks we wear depict the faces of the god and help us define and control our own internal turmoil. In reference to the comment on ugliness, I cannot agree or disagree with you... I do not think of myself as ugly, but then I have never seen myself. Or anyone else. You have a right to your opinion, I suppose. I forgive you and your friend this assumption, and the ignorance that led to it.
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(KDW: Oh, sorry about that. I wasn't purposely being rude. I just supposed somebody [rude] might have wondered about that at some point or another.)
And just what is this Many Faced God business? It sounds like cheating to me. A god should only have one aspect.
(Incidently, your many faced god reminds me of the Faceless Men from George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire.)
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(The rudeness didn't bother me, KDW, but thanks for the stepping in. I simply figured a non-believer had come in and was being rude.)
(Really? Cool! But the Faceless Men were assassins... Not what I was going for, but still!)
The many-faced god encompasses all the emotions and thoughts and feelings we lower beings can have. Only he feels everything all at once, while we can only focus on feeling one or two at a time. He is all-understanding.
Now, I have heard that there are some people in the Eastern Cities who believe in a whole passel of gods, each of whom is a different feeling. How can a god be a god when he doesn't know or understand everything? They split the many-faced god into hundreds of others. One hundred parts of a clock does not equal the whole. The many-faced god is the true way.
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I'm interested in your religion. Do you believe that truth can be found in anything or only in your teachings? Is your religion powerful politically? Unconcerned with politics? Or percecuted? Are you there for the people, meaning do you preach to congregations, do charity work, etc? Do you have any printed scripture?
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The many-faced god is in everything. He feels everything and therefore, is the truth in everything. Our religion is the dominant religion of the Ten Realms. I serve at the chantry in Kingsroof, where the King and the High Family live. Even so, we are unconcerned with politics. Yes, the High Prince has been known to pray here, and visiting Lesser Princes and nobility have prayed within our walls, to the painted and carved faces of the god that make up our atrium. The Speakers preach, since Masked Men such as myself are bound to a silent life. We are bound to be faceless, as well. As I mentioned before, we wear masks modeled after the faces of the god to identify our own feelings and come to terms with them.
As far as charity work is concerned, the Masked Men and Speakers are involved with the sending that takes place after a person leaves this world. The crypts below the chantry here, however, are reserved for the Vandygriff family only. We recently had the sending for High Prince Tobian's wife, High Lady Lilean. Two months ago, Queen Patice, the mother of High Prince Tobian and his... brothers... went to the crypts. We feed the hungry as well as we can, and women wishing to give themselves to the god have homes for orphans, though that is not a large problem in Kingsroof.
As far as this lowly one knows, we do not have written teachings... but then I could not read them if we did.
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Brother Vittorian I am pleased to meet you. My name is Emily. Did you choose this path for yourself? If so why? What is your work? I am curious about your vow of silence and the reasons behind it. What is the purpose of it, forced penance, a removal of self from worldly passions or some other thing?
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May peace find you, Emily. No, I... did not choose this path for myself. I was born blind, and my parents chose to give me to the chantry and the many-faced god rather than live with them. But I don't hold a grudge toward them. They made the decision thinking that my older brothers would carry on the family name... sadly, my older brothers have all died, and I have only my younger brother left. I doubt he knows of me.
We are silent for the same reasons we wear the masks: it is another form of opening ourselves to the god. It helps us come to terms with out inner turmoil, whenyou do not speak or hear those around you speak.
I love the many-faced god and have devoted myself to him completely. I have no desire to take my place as my parents' son.
((Oh yeah... that temple. I haven't read feast for crows lately. Getting close though. Going through the series again, over halfway through storm of swords.))
We don't "hang out" with the royalty. We are their place of worship. As for dirt... I suppose I'm as close to dirt as you can get...
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Everyone has conflicting emotions, tension between themselves and others, problems dealing with something or other... that is your inner turmoil.
Personally, mine of course involves my family... that is all the turmoil I have. My parents didn't want me, my youngest brother knows nothing of me, even though he lives nearby and comes here to pray, my father has never come to see me... it is lonely and there are questions I would dearly love to ask my father. But it will never happen. I must learn to accept this.
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You say you don't hold a grudge on your family for giving you up. Your inner turmoil seem conflicted with the love for the many faced gods and the love of your family, why not choose for your self now and visit your father? Is there commitment forever yours?
[This message has been edited by Starfish (edited May 25, 2009).]
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My father has never come to see me. Why should I plague him with my presence? He has been grieving over the deaths of my brothers, my mother-- very recently-- and my brother's wife-- even more recently. Not to mention he has much on his mind: political affairs and such. It is not in me to barge in. Besides, what could I say as a silent Masked Man? It is best that the Realms forget me... those that did know of me in the first place.
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... my father is Nyk Vandygriff, Voice of the Ten Realms, the King Under Kingsroof. He is the monarch who rules over the High Prince, my little brother Tobian, and is the Protector of the Lesser Princes.
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