What Makes a Man Marked

We all make mistakes. Me I've made them my entire career is laid bare with them everywhere (including keeping a journal of my exploits!). Braidin's mistake was believing in justice. I know that seems like a weird thing for a mistake to spawn from, but I'm getting there you have to give me time.  See Marked One's as I previously talked about were a punishment. You broke the law, you either died or became one who did the killing, except Braidin didn't break the law, no he chose the order because he believed in justice. And to Oshujon that made him special, someone he could laud above all the others. The others were forced into the work, even Oshujon himself. But Braidin chose it, he didn't do it for revenge, or anything else. He believed in it.

Ordinarily I think Oshujon would have not allowed Braidin to join his order. He would have admired the man's resolve but ultimately told him its not a life you seek out and sent him on his way. But the Oshujon Braidin ran across was not the one I met. No he had changed, and it was partially my fault. I showed him a world without gods, without being slaves to their whims and follies, and he liked it. The gods allowed him to leave for a time thinking if he saw the world without them it would harden his resolve to serve them, but it did not. It hardened his resolve to destroy the gods themselves. The old general was back, his anger at being cast into servitude rejoined.

His first plan was to build an army, an army of marked ones. He imbued them with his power (granted by the gods mind you, hilariously he became the instrument of their destruction) and then instructed them in the way their world was broken. Braidin believed what he was saying because it all rang true, the gods had abandoned the people and expected their servitude to dying ideals. The people in the west had to rely on the gods for their weather patterns, and travel, but at the same time had to serve them and still people died in poverty with only a mistaken hope they would be rewarded in the next life.

Of course the marked one army did not slip the eyes of the gods. They were of course their own servants, but by the time they noticed what happened their powers were too weak. They had come to rely on Oshujon to squash rebellions, never realizing of course he could lead one against them all the same. And he did, bringing with him industry to replace their magic. It was only after all what was said and done happened that Braidin realized what had happened, and how despite doing this all for the people only certain ones actually got the benefit, and that my friends is where next entry will start.