Lord Soth

Chapter 15

"The power to know the thoughts within the mines of men, women and children…" mused the Kingpriest as he sat upon his throne at one end of the main hall of the temple.

"And to put an end to those evil thoughts," he continued, "before they've even made a single step onto Evil's dark and twisted road. Is that not a power that had previously been reserved for the gods?"

A lone acolyte sat by the Kingpriest's side. The young man seemed unsure whether the question had been a rhetorical one or not. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up. "Indeed it is, your worship."

The Kingpriest nodded.

The acolyte sighed, relieved he had answered the Kingpriest correctly.

"And to sit in sole judgment of people's evil thoughts, considering the severity of those thoughts and punishing them accordingly, even with death. Is that not the kind of power that had, up until now, been reserved for the Gods of Good such as Paladine, Mishakal, Majere,

Kirijolith, Habbakuk, Branchala and Solinari? Even the Gods of Evil:

Takhisis, Sargonnas, Morgion, and the Gods of Neutrality: Gilean, Simon, and Reorx have been know to possess such powers."

A pause.

"Yes, your worship," said the acolyte.

"But now, it is not only the gods who have that power. I have it as well. And if I, the Kingpriest of Istar, have godlike powers, then am I still a mortal being or have I ascended to the next level? Beyond mortal and toward immortal?"

Another pause.

"Ascended to the next level, your worship," said the acolyte, the intonation making his words sound more like a question than a statement.

"Yes," hissed the Kingpriest. "If I have acquired the powers of the gods, then, by rights, I must be a god myself."

The hall was deathly silent.

The acolyte looked at the Kingpriest, nodded his head slightly and said in a trembling voice. "Yes, your worship."

"Then I will ascend to the heavens and take my place at the right hand of Paladine. The gods will greet me with open arms and thank me for spreading virtue and goodness across the four corners of Krynn."

The Kingpriest's eyes were looking upward, glinting with a sort of madness, as if he were looking through the stone ceiling of the temple and into the starry night sky above it.

The Kingpriest stood up. "If I have the power of a god, then I will become a god!"

The acolyte was silent, looking strangely at the Kingpriest.

"A god," he repeated breathily, as if considering the possibilities.

The acolyte lowered his head like one doomed. "Yes, your worship."