Berechiah
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* First and foremost, for all that his methods were considered underhand and borderline illegal, there was no doubt that Berechiah's '''[[Signs_of_the_Paragon_and_Exemplar#Benevolence|benevolence]]''' repeatedly protected the Empire from external and internal threats and corruption. | * First and foremost, for all that his methods were considered underhand and borderline illegal, there was no doubt that Berechiah's '''[[Signs_of_the_Paragon_and_Exemplar#Benevolence|benevolence]]''' repeatedly protected the Empire from external and internal threats and corruption. | ||
* That Berechiah '''[[Signs_of_the_Paragon_and_Exemplar#Inspiration|inspired]]''' others is also without question. In addition to those he directly patronised, his writings were published after his death and served as a blueprint for the followers of Vigilance in detecting threats before they became too great. | * That Berechiah '''[[Signs_of_the_Paragon_and_Exemplar#Inspiration|inspired]]''' others is also without question. In addition to those he directly patronised, his writings were published after his death and served as a blueprint for the followers of Vigilance in detecting threats before they became too great. | ||
* These writings also form the bulk of Berechiah's '''[[Signs_of_the_Paragon_and_Exemplar#Legacy|legacy]]'''. In some circles, they have lead to him being heralded as a "modern [[Vardas]]" - a Vigilant investigator who embraces the tools of civilization rather than those of the wilderness hunter. | * These writings also form the bulk of Berechiah's '''[[Signs_of_the_Paragon_and_Exemplar#Legacy|legacy]]'''. In some circles, they have lead to him being heralded as a "modern [[Vardas]]" - a Vigilant investigator who embraces the tools of civilization rather than those of the wilderness hunter. Pragmatic priests also point to the schools and orphanages across the Empire that Berechiah set up or supported in his life - and claim these are a much more significant and lasting legacy than any amount of books extolling the use of blackmail as a tool of the Vigilant. | ||
* Berechiah made a very public '''[[Signs_of_the_Paragon_and_Exemplar#Pilgrimage|pilgrimage]]''' to [[Bastion#The White City|the White City]] towards the end of his life. A lifelong supporter of the [[Paragons and Exemplars#Critical Realism|aspirationalist]] movement in the Synod, there is little doubt that this was an exceptionally cynical move by a man aspiring to be recognised as an exemplar. | * Berechiah made a very public '''[[Signs_of_the_Paragon_and_Exemplar#Pilgrimage|pilgrimage]]''' to [[Bastion#The White City|the White City]] towards the end of his life. A lifelong supporter of the [[Paragons and Exemplars#Critical Realism|aspirationalist]] movement in the Synod, there is little doubt that this was an exceptionally cynical move by a man aspiring to be recognised as an exemplar. | ||
* In a similar vein, several of Berechiah's supporters argued that as nobody had had any past-life vision of being the exemplar he clearly satisfied the sign of '''[[Signs_of_the_Paragon_and_Exemplar#Liberation|liberation]]''' - although more as a cynical attempt to demonstrate their opinion as to the foolishness of this sign than any real attempt to prove his exemplarhood. | * In a similar vein, several of Berechiah's supporters argued that as nobody had had any past-life vision of being the exemplar he clearly satisfied the sign of '''[[Signs_of_the_Paragon_and_Exemplar#Liberation|liberation]]''' - although more as a cynical attempt to demonstrate their opinion as to the foolishness of this sign than any real attempt to prove his exemplarhood. | ||
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Berechiah “The Shifting Eye” was born in Tassato in 198 YE, yet he famously changed his national identity twice throughout his life. Born as "Shifty" Bertolli de Tassato, he was raised in an orphanage in Tassato Regario. He dabbled with criminality in his youth, but soon turned aside from such pursuits and quickly rose to prominence as a broker of information who regularly crossed back and forth across the river. In his late twenties, he left the League, and embraced the ways of the Marchers. Changing his name to Robert "Bert" of Middletown, he was a supporter of the Thresher movement, and became heavily involved in the politics of the Empire. Finally, in his late forties, after the death of his spouse, he travelled to Highguard and joined a little-known chapter not far from Sybella where he finally became Berechiah. | |||
When challenged about his "disloyalty" in changing his nationality twice, he is said to have replied "In my youth I saw things as the League sees them - and I loved politics and power. As I grew older, I came to see things as the Marchers see them - and I desired certainty and stability. Now, in my age, I have come to see things as the Highborn see them, and they have embraced me." | |||
From his earliest days, Berechiah had a natural talent for uncovering information, and judicious application of his abilities saw him rise to a position of influence within the Empire. He acted as an expert witness for the Senate on numerous occasions relating to financial mismanagement, embezzlement, or illegal business practices. He provided regular information to the Conclave about the sorcerous doings of numerous misguided magicians, and exposed both idolatrous cults and the machinations of certain eternals that threatened the stability of the Empire. He aided in the identification, location, and prosecution of heresy and blasphemy in support of the Synod. His gaze was not focused entirely within the Empire however - he also famously exposed a plan to influence the Senate which lead to the expulsion of all Asavean diplomats, and provided vital intelligence to the Military Council that prevented a surprise attack by the Druj on the settlement of Drycastle. | |||
As his fame and influence grew, so he attracted rivals. A self-confessed poor swordsman, he often joked that he had “bribed his Academy tutors to pass him in his tests of combat, as losing a few thrones was far less painless than a wooden sword - and by "bribed" I mean agreed not to tell her wife about her mistress.”, he had a natural talent for surrounding himself with soldiers from the nations he lived in which saved his life on several occasions when disgruntled sorcerers, heretics, and senators attempted to have him silenced. | |||
While he was scrupulous in his work exposing the enemies of the Empire, and though his Vigilance was lauded by those he worked with, his life is not without its critics. He "joked" many times that his ambitions were purely self-serving - that while his course was clear when it came to exposing a cult of idolators or revealing the dark bargains of a sorcerer, when it came to more personal indiscretions his attitude was considerably more mercenary. It is certainly true that he died an incredibly rich man, with little obvious source of where his wealth was coming from. However, as he cheerfully reminded his critics whenever accusations were brought against him "blackmail is not a crime." | |||
After his death, however, he donated his entire fortune to the support of orphanage and schools across the Empire. In his will, he claimed that without these institutions he would never have achieved the heights of his ambitions - and that by supporting them he hoped to see another Barachiah or three. "The Empire badly needs a Berechiah," he said more than once. "Someone to shine a light into the nasty places, where the virtuous cannot go for fear of getting their boots dirty." | |||
He was recognised as an exemplar of Vigilance five decades after his death almost to the day, following regular campaigning by members of the chapter he had belonged to toward the end of this life. A year later, copies of “The Necessary Actions of a Virtuous Sinner” were first published in Tassato - a book that the printer claimed had been left with her grandfather to be printed in the event of Berechiah becoming an exemplar. The words within were either an excellent forgery, or written by the exemplar himself. Frank and unashamed, they detailed many of the actions he had taken in pursuit of Vigilance including – contentiously – several crimes against Imperial Law. The book caused outrage, and an attempt was made to deny his exemplarhood. The basilica in Bastion erected in his name was badly damaged by fire, and the Synod furiously debated his flagrant claim that virtue - and especially the virtue of Vigilance - neither knew nor cared what mortal lawmakers might attempt to claim was appropriate behaviour. | |||
"If you discover that someone is a threat" he wrote, "why should you scurry off to ask a magistrate to agree with you? Do you not trust your own judgement? I trust my judgement, and no judge should shy away from wielding an axe if they think the threat merits it." The tract calls for truly virtuous people to do whatever is neccessary in the pursuit of Vigilance, because when the stakes are high, "Morality and ethics are fine and good most of the time, but they offer little comfort to those who have been murdered, or enslaved, because nobody was prepared to get their hands dirty when the threat was till managable." | |||
Yet his book does not claim that all actions are justified. "Judgement is key," he writed. "But while we hear a great deal about the importance of accepting the consequences of actions taken, people are amusingly reticent to talk about accepting the consequences for actions not taken. Inaction is a choice, just as action is. If you choose not to stop the threat to your family now, you must be prepared to live with the consequences of that decision as well." | |||
The assembly of Vigilance and Courage both actively opposed priests of the assemblies of Pride and Loyalty who denounced Berechiach. The argument became quite vicious, but in the end recognition of Berechiah as an exemplar was upheld - to the open consternation of several high ranking magistrates and captains of the militia. | |||
Signs[edit] | |||
The Assembly of Vigilance held that Berechiah demonstrated the following signs of an Exemplar: | |||
Berechiah’s efforts in contributing to the downfall of numerous cults, heretics, sorcerors and criminals – not all of which had been public knowledge until his diary was released from interdiction - demonstrated his benevolence to the Empire | |||
Upon his works being released, it inspired scores of citizens to take up their own quests for Vigilance in the same vein as Berechiah. Though this has caused some issues with the Civil Service and has resulted in more than one arrest among those striving to ‘do the virtuous thing’ | |||
In the later years of this life, Berechiah took a pilgrimage to Bastion, where he finally settled down among a Chapter and lived out the rest of his life. | |||
Berechiah’s legacy is also contentious - the orphanages and schools to which Berechiah gave his patronage. Rumours surface from time to time that these places are run by members of a shadowy conspiracy that seek to indoctrinate the young in the methods of Berechiah, turning out more than their fair share of spies and investigators. No evidence of any wrongdoing has ever been brought to light, however. | |||
Quote[edit] | |||
“Legality is a matter for lesser minds; I am concerned with Vigilance and ensuring that it is upheld. There are few prices too great to pay, and few alleys too dark to explore, when the prize is the Virtue of immortal souls.” - From “Necessary Actions of a Virtuous Sinner” | |||
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[[Category:Exemplars]] | [[Category:Exemplars]] | ||
Revision as of 11:25, 23 March 2017
Virtue
Berechiah was recognised as an exemplar in 302YE, fifty years after his death.
Biography
An extremely contentious figure in life, his death did little to change this. Berechiah exemplifies the often unpopular idea that the Vigilant should be prepared to do whatever is neccessary to protect their people from outside threats. Raised in a Tassatan orphanage, he lived much of his early life as "Shifty" Bertolli de Tassato, he left the League in his forties and joined the nation of Highguard, taking residence in a little-known chapter not far from [Bastion#Sybella_Cross|Sybela]] where he finally became Berechiah.
Signs
The Assembly of Vigilance cited the following signs of Berechiah's exemplardom:
- First and foremost, for all that his methods were considered underhand and borderline illegal, there was no doubt that Berechiah's benevolence repeatedly protected the Empire from external and internal threats and corruption.
- That Berechiah inspired others is also without question. In addition to those he directly patronised, his writings were published after his death and served as a blueprint for the followers of Vigilance in detecting threats before they became too great.
- These writings also form the bulk of Berechiah's legacy. In some circles, they have lead to him being heralded as a "modern Vardas" - a Vigilant investigator who embraces the tools of civilization rather than those of the wilderness hunter. Pragmatic priests also point to the schools and orphanages across the Empire that Berechiah set up or supported in his life - and claim these are a much more significant and lasting legacy than any amount of books extolling the use of blackmail as a tool of the Vigilant.
- Berechiah made a very public pilgrimage to the White City towards the end of his life. A lifelong supporter of the aspirationalist movement in the Synod, there is little doubt that this was an exceptionally cynical move by a man aspiring to be recognised as an exemplar.
- In a similar vein, several of Berechiah's supporters argued that as nobody had had any past-life vision of being the exemplar he clearly satisfied the sign of liberation - although more as a cynical attempt to demonstrate their opinion as to the foolishness of this sign than any real attempt to prove his exemplarhood.