THE SACRED CODEX OF DISCORD: CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

¹And it came to pass, when the gifts of the three chalices had borne fruit in the lands of the Delmarians, the Kezrethites, and the Avarites, that the hearts of men were lifted up.
²And they beheld the works of their hands, and said each to his brother, “Behold, is there any people like unto us?”
³The Delmarians multiplied in scrolls and letters; they weighed the Heavens, and they numbered the dust. They built towers for study and vaults for secrets, and their words filled Ivalice like the dew.
⁴But the more they knew, the more they desired to know; and that which could not be known, they denied. And in their pride, they made gods of their minds and idols of their knowledge.
⁵They mocked the simple and despised the poor, and said, “Let no man speak who is not learned. Let no hand be lifted that holds no pen.”
⁶And among them arose factions of disputers, and the wise turned one against another, seeking not truth but dominion in the councils of thought.
⁷And envy grew among them, and none rejoiced in the gain of another. But each man kept his secret close, and would not teach lest his brother surpass him.
⁸Thus did knowledge become a veil, and the light which had shone from the chalice was dimmed.
⁹And the Kezrethites waxed mighty, and their banners covered the hills. Their armies marched like rivers of iron, and none could stand before their host.
¹⁰They built fortresses on every mountain and cast down the strongholds of their neighbors. And their laws reached beyond their borders, binding lands they had never seen.
¹¹But they grew not content, and the kings of the Kezrethites said one to another, “Why should any tribe remain free while we bear the gift of power?”
¹²And they raised their swords against their brethren, saying, “Let us bring them under our yoke, for they are weak and know not the order of rule.”
¹³And they made war in the name of peace, and conquest in the name of unity.
¹⁴The young were taken for soldiers, and the old for tribute. The cries of the vanquished rose to the Heavens, but the hearts of the Kezrethites were unmoved.
¹⁵And their captains boasted, “What nation is like unto ours? Have not the gods favored us with strength and dominion?”
¹⁶Yet among them also were the proud and the cruel, who rejoiced not in justice, but in mastery.
¹⁷And thus did the gift of power become a rod of oppression, and the peace of the land was bought with the blood of the innocent.
¹⁸Now the Avarites, who had chosen the cup of wisdom, remained for a time apart. They tilled the earth and tended the sick, and they judged with gentleness and mercy.
¹⁹But they beheld the rising glory of the other tribes, and their hearts grew restless. They said among themselves, “Why are our names not remembered? Why are our deeds not sung in the courts of the kings?”
²⁰And they looked with envy upon the towers of the Delmarians and the armies of the Kezrethites.
²¹And a spirit of discontent rose up in the land, and a younger generation lifted their voices, crying, “What profit is there in peace, if it be bought with obscurity? Shall we labor always, while others receive glory and praise?”
²²And some among them said, “Let us take counsel with the Delmarians, that we may gain learning; let us take treaty with the Kezrethites, that we may gain strength.”
²³And they began to bargain their wisdom for knowledge, and their peace for power.
²⁴And though their elders wept and warned, the voice of the multitude grew bold, and their hearts turned from the ways of their fathers.
²⁵Then did wisdom become a garment worn for show, and not a path walked in silence. And the meek were forgotten, and the quiet mocked.
²⁶And jealousy stirred like a serpent among the people, slithering between households and biting at the heels of the humble.
²⁷Thus in each kingdom, the blessings turned bitter. And the three peoples, once content in their portion, began to gaze upon one another with envy and suspicion.
²⁸The Delmarians said, “The Kezrethites rule the world, but they are brutish. Let us instruct them, that they may serve us.”
²⁹The Kezrethites said, “The Delmarians are clever, but weak. Let us guard them, that they may depend on us.”
³⁰And both said of the Avarites, “They are quiet, but cunning. Who knows what schemes lie in their silence?”
³¹Then were alliances made in deceit, and pacts forged in vanity. One tribe bartered secrets, another bartered arms, the third bartered counsel.
³²But each sought its own gain, and none remembered the Lord, nor the covenant made upon the mountain.
³³And there arose great cities upon the plains and high towers on the mountains. The fields bore fruit and the coffers filled with gold. But the hearts of men were empty.
³⁴And the kings grew old, and their sons rose in their stead. And the sons remembered not the holy chalices, nor the God who had given them.
³⁵And strife increased in the land, and brother betrayed brother. The sword was lifted not only against stranger, but against kin.
³⁶And every tribe desired what the others had: the Delmarians sought dominion, the Kezrethites sought knowledge, the Avarites sought glory.
³⁷And none sought the Lord.
³⁸Thus were the gifts twisted into chains, and the light of blessing became the flame of war.
³⁹And it was evening, and it was morning — the first day of sorrow.

▷THE SEVEN SCRIPTURES OF THE CHURCH OF GLABADOS
    ▷THE FIRST TESTAMENT
        ▷THE SACRED CODEX OF DISCORD
            ▶1—2—3—4

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