The trials of Malethia Blazestone

[Malethia]

To the High Inquisitor, and to the Grim at large,

When I was first counted amongst the ranks of the Grim, I knew great fear. I feared being discovered for who I was. I feared being alone and unloved. I feared a lack of respect. I feared being abandoned.

In my fear, all of these things became true.

In my current incarnation, I still know fear. However, I no longer fear fear itself. Now, that which once made me weak empowers me. My fear is a weapon, to be used against my enemies. Instead of being paralyzed by fear, I make fear known to my enemies.

For my first trial, I present to you my defeat of Fear. From its cold corpse I have ripped out the essence of fear, so that I may further know it and be empowered by it. Fear is a powerful emotion, but it is also a tool should we have the strength to claim it as such.

Signed,
Malethia Blazestone

[Syreenna]

Syreena read the letter and viewed the captured image, and considered for several minutes. While this would have been acceptable completion of the Trial of Combat for the typical Grim Supplicant, Malethia was most definitely not a typical Grim Supplicant. She would have to do more.

Malethia,

I accept this as part of your first Trial. In addition, I task you with personally earning a silver medal in the Proving Grounds of the Temple of the White Tiger.

Peace through annihilation.

Syreena Shadowblade
High Inquisitor of The Grim

[Malethia]

High Inquisitor:

I present to you the silver medallion I was given at the Temple of the White Tiger. I will admit that the challenge was more than frustrating, especially as my enemies enjoyed spreading out so as to prevent my flames from spreading easily, put I have persevered.

Malethia Blazestone

[Malethia]

To the High Inquisitor:

Please find below the first of my reports regarding my Trial of Resolve.

My first interview was with the troll priestess Lilliana, an interview of convenience and timing rather than planning.

My first question posed to her, given her seeming friendship with the troll pirate Xaraphyne, was whether her friend would make a proper Grim. Given what I know of the troll from my previous mindset, it would not seem that she possesses the qualities the Grim seeks in its candidates.

I am not certain if my question caused an ill reaction, but I was treated with somewhat hostile regard after this point. This hostility could certainly also be a reaction to my race, or status, or even my history. Therefore, I paid it no mind.

However, the question was essentially refused, and so I restated the question - what does the Grim seek out in its candidates? Again, hostility, which I assumed came from some suspicion that I was attempting to game the system and act in a way that would see to my acceptance into the ranks. As my original attempt to mould my character to match the attitudes of my compatriots resulted in a disastrous outcome of which you are keenly aware, I have no interest in re-attempting such a tactic.

So, I posed the question a third time, getting to the heart of the matter - what does it mean to be Grim? This sparked a bit of a debate, which I feel was caused partly by Lilliana's suspicion of me. Eventually, her response came down to this - the Grim are different because we are willing to target noncombatants, while being smart enough to temper this willingness with control. If slaughter were our goal, the same would be visited upon our own. A measured, controlled method of attack is preferable to outright slaughter.

What does this mean for me? As a paladin, I could not stomach the idea of killing women and children. The concept of retribution did not include them, and this prevented me from becoming the kind of Grim I needed to be - the leader I failed to be.

Now? I do not care. Let them all burn, and only the worthy shall survive to meet us in combat.

[Malethia]

To the High Inquisitor:

My second interview as part of my Trial of Resolve was with the Forsaken known as Atticus. In contrast to my first interview, I specifically sought this individual out; as you seem to hold him in high regard, I thought his insights may be useful.

While my first interview required much dancing about the topic before reaching the core, Atticus was refreshingly direct. For him, all other attempts to describe the Mandate are far too wordy. The Mandate boils down to one statement - kill the Alliance. If the Horde is to survive, every man, woman, and child must lay dead, and every bit of infrastructure and supply must be controlled or destroyed. Anything less than total domination invites the war to restart. I assume this must apply to our other enemies as well.

I sought out Atticus as well because he had left the Grim and returned. Unlike me, he left because he believed that the Grim failed the Mandate. I asked if redemption was possible, and yet again he was direct. The past is dead and buried. If I prove myself worthy, that is all that matters. If I fail, I am just another forgotten footnote in the history of the Grim.

I must embrace the present, and forget the past. This cannot be about redemption for me, because to require redemption means that my thoughts are on something other than my duties. The Light-worshipper Malethia is dead and buried. I am the present.

[Syreenna]

Malethia,

I accept these letters about these two Grims as completion of your second task.

Your next task is the Trial of Sacrifice. This is normally the final task required of Supplicants, but given your history, I and the other officers may decide to assign you one more after this.

Peace through annihilation.

Syreena Shadowblade
High Inquisitor of The Grim