| The Reader | |
|---|---|
| Title |
Head of the Church of The World Father |
| Culture | |
| Book(s) | |
The Reader is the head of the Cumbraelin religion of The World Father. Despite his position as absolute and unquestioned leader of the church, it is a relatively recent innovation, and mention of such a figure can be found nowhere in the Ten Books, the bible of the World Father.
Appearance and Personality[]
The leader is an old man with an unremarkable face save for a somewhat hooked nose, and lines of age. He gives off an aura of calm dignity.
History[]
Tower Lord[]
The Reader and Fief Lord Sentes Mustor has fought a war of words for years now for the heart and minds of the people of Cumbrael. A particular bone of contention is the Sentes Mustor's wife, Lady Veliss, who is an Asraelin. The Fief Lord fights a slow game against him, gather evidence of hypocrisy and corruption, and wait for a time to use it, to have the Reader replaced with a more tractable cleric.
So when the childless Sentes Mustor is reacquainted with his niece Reva Mustor, and wants to name her his heir, he forces the Reader to sign the warrant of acknowledgement. When they discuss other matters, Reva realises that the Reader knows much more than he lets on about the recent assassination attempt of the Fief Lord, and also the mysterious priest who trained Reva to kill Vaelin Al Sorna.
Later, as the Volarian host put siege to Alltor, the Reader provides no help to the defenders. What's more, he gives increasingly impassioned speeches against the Fief Lord and his wife. Few people listen to him early in the siege, but as the situation gets more and more hopeless, they turn to him in desperate hope. Eventually, his fanatics take anyone not of the Cumbraelin religion hostage including Lady Veliss on the Readers urging. He blames them for bringing the World Father's vengence on the city. Reva rushes to the cathedral, and might have killed the Reader, if the Fief Lord hadn't stopped her. Reva and Sentes Mustor give an impassioned speach to the people, and manage to turn the crowd by giving them hope, by lying that they know that famed warrior Vaelin Al Sorna is coming to save them. Enraged, the Reader tries to kill Reva, but the Fief Lord kills him with his grandfather’s sword.