What it Means to be Grim

[Servilia]

Servilia stood in the darkness, lit only by a flickering tallow candle, staring at the words she had written on the page in front of her. "What does it mean to be Grim and serve the Mandate?" So many different answers, one for every person she asked. As she read the replies, she could hear the voices of the Grim speaking in her head.

"All that I am," said Eclypse, "body, mind, spirit, will fight with my brothers and sisters until the last ounce of my essence is gone from this world, to rid it of the vile, the foul, all those, in any form, who plague all we hold dear. For me, it is all that is virtuous in this world. Magic, life that is true and just..."

"Eh?" Gazrit seemed distracted, as well he might be, in the Firelands. "The profit's in who's on the winning side, y'know? But the short of it is, winning is good, and that there Mandate is all about makin' sure we win."

"Above all," claimed Knithawk, "Being Grim means knowing your role, serving the Mandate, and remaining present in the wake of conflict."

"To serve the Mandate is to rid the world of filth," said Bayou. "The two work hand in hand to make this world better. It is a higher cause."

Kharzak was deep in Zul'Aman, but he was interested and engaged. "I saw the truth of the Alliance mask, " he said, with sounds of battle raging behind him. "I knew what had to be done, but I am not so bloodthirsty as other Harbingers. The Grim are a means to an end and a goal to be emulated... but the real question is, what does being Grim mean to you?"

What did being Grim mean to her? What did it mean to serve the Mandate? She penned down a reply:

"Being Grim means giving of oneself to a greater cause. It means sacrificing for the good of all. It means conflict and pain but brotherhood and satisfaction as well. It means more than any one person, and it means something different to everyone. To me, it was never a choice. I do as I must, and I must be Grim."