Varrus the Ethical wrote:CATHEDRAL
Roald purses his lip in throught.ewancummins wrote:“No good can come from those unprincipled money-grubbers being thus enmeshed in the politics of our neighboring duchy
They have grown quite wealthy by means of usury, trafficking in contraband, and receiving stolen goods.’’
"Your Holiness, it is clear that these Celestial Jewel folks are not high on your list of favorite people. However, being myself an unprincipled money grubber, I'm curious how you think that I of all people can serve the interests of the Church and the Realm. I've made no secret that of that fact that I'm motivated by personal profit."
The Archprelate smiles sadly.
"Indeed.
But is lucre the only thing that speaks to your heart?"
He stares at Roald for a moment, looking not only into the mercenary’s eyes, but seeming to trace every line of his face.
He shakes his silver-haired head.
“In any case, if your aim is to get rich, why not seize the ill-gotten gains of the Celestial Jewel? I don’t suggest, of course, that you simply ambush and rob honest merchants who are misguided in their religious sensibilities. No.
But the corrupt and lawless clergy that runs that church—for years they have gotten away with all sorts of crimes. I would not count it a sin if some of the things they have gained by theft and trickery were reclaimed from them. Stolen heirlooms, items that may be readily identified; those would need to be returned to their rightful owners. But the mingled heaps of coins, precious stones of unknown provenance, and other valuables the villains have hoarded—those would be fair spoils.’’