A Reminder to All

I intend to treat these assailants as I do all my enemies. Those who wish to win over hearts and minds; I wish you luck in that endeavor, I fear you will need it. Zealotry absent reason is, by its nature unable to see reason.

You’re right, Jackdaw.

All right. For those who intend to talk people down, I think Adalia, in her original missive, is right. These are still people, and likely they see themselves as desperate, lone bearers of truth in this world. Fanaticism isn’t born from nothing, something must have shaped their belief to think that the only course of action is to forge themselves into blades. Swaying their minds is one course of action, but they have their own bent form of logic. For those who intend to sway innocents from joining their cause, target their heads with your words. However, for those who wish to convince the zealots themselves... you’ve got to aim for the heart, so to speak.

For those who fight... well. The most I can say is use prudence. Do not make these men into martyrs, as the pontiff has stated. To chase more minds into their welcoming arms would be to condemn them to bloodshed. I can only beg of you to fight not out vengeance, but to protect those the Suns seek to prey on.

We can do this. We will do this.

No matter which course of action you choose to take, zealotry is so often a pyramid scheme. There’s bound to be one root at the cause of this, and be it mortal or moreso, it assuredly has the cunning and power to instill conviction. If we can find the root of this cult and end it at the pyramid’s peak, then we need not quibble nearly as much.

Secondly, again: no matter which course of action you prefer. If they refuse to listen or stay their hands?

Do me a solid and make them into the biggest godsdamned laughingstocks you can while doing so.

A necessary reminder, as Jackdaw said.
If you would strike them down without even giving these people a chance to surrender, you are absolutely no better than them.
They judge you based solely on your faith or your alignment.
Don't do the same to them.
Be better.
Show them why they're wrong.

To be fair, I don't have a lot of legs to stand on for moral condemnation, and my comments were about addressing what seemed to be odd word choice.

But if you want my two silver:
It seems like a lot of people in all of these discussions are looking at the Blazing Sun like its a monolith. Anyone wearing sun affiliated paraphernalia is definitely a crazy zealot. And even when we start breaking them down for the purpose of compromise and figuring out who deserves a chance to be talked to, and who should be fought it's still "newer members" and "leadership" "monsters" and "people" or in some cases "people below the age of sixteen" and "people above it."

And really.... people don't work like that. There's no good people and bad people here, there's just people, and what they choose to do. Look at Travance, can you honestly say that there is any one thing everyone in this town believes in? Taken even one sect of religious folk, look at everything said on this group by someone who speaks in the name of Aguara. Even within that faith alone, we have still seen different opinions, different methods.

The Blazing Sun isn't gonna be any different. Some will think it's Valos will, some will be desperate and think they needed to, some will believe destroying evil is the right thing to do and have an odd idea of what evil is.

If someone is coming at you with a weapon or a spell or what not, yeah defend yourself, kill them if you have to, because they'll probably kill you, but remember its a person you're killing. Don't give them the satisfaction or proving them right before they die, or even the satisfaction of sharing their mindset with the nouns swapped.

Those that aren't trying to kill you, yeah, I'd say talk to them. They're all gonna shout "For Valos!" ask them what they're doing for Valos and why exactly they're doing it. Those of you who seek mercy, it's a good way to find the people who have been convinced they have to do this. Those of you who seek vengeance, if nothing else people who believe what their doing is for the right reasons love to proselytize about it, and you'll can almost certainly use that to find out what their plans and motivations are so you can start working up ways to thwart them.

We never claimed to be better then them Annora,
Thank you for making that point,
but its useless.

You hold the lives of "People" so dear, but if goblins come or demons attack, we do the same thing every time.
Just as these are not "People" nether are we, or you, or anyone here.
At the end of the day we are all piles of flesh and metaphysics.

So let us rephrase,
We stand with Travance here and now, but will show no mercy while we get rid of the rotten meat. We are better then them, because we say we are.
What if we called trees "People" would you then persecute lumberjacks? You may say no but if it was your idea we assure you, you would.

Captain Jackdaw,
I am somewhat embarrassed that this Valosian could not say the same thing with as much eloquence and accuracy.
All jest aside, thank you.

[erased text that can barely be read]
Are you sure you're not a Valo......

Yours Sincerely,