Brother Nicholas' Sermon

As the hero from the book says in the opening lines: "This world we all live in is far more dangerous than one would believe."

The world has come to an end. We live in the shadow of the destruction, clinging to our lives waiting for what? To die? No! To live again! To defy that this is the end. We must hold on to each other and what we have created here. We must stick together. We must hold back the urge to go out from this place and bring back evil that will most assuredly rain down on the innocent that we are trying to protect. We look up to the heroes of old, the very heroes whom the Sacred Book is about. But we must beware of the true lessons of being a hero. Stories always sugarcoat the facts. Life is brutal. We know this. We see this in our everyday lives. We see the brutality of the Great Cataclysm. We know and have felt it, each and every one of us. Relatives lost, homes destroyed, businesses destroyed. What good is going out to slay a dragon when the army of darkness marches in to loot and pillage your home while you are away? The Sacred Book teaches us this. There are too many threats to be countered! We must gather and be strong to watch from every direction.

We must watch ourselves and beware of any stranger. The lessons of the Sacred Book are clear - treachery can happen in the most innocent of face, the most innocent of reaching out to your fellow being. Who can forget the Lesson of Hans, he who was the Lord of Darkness. And what of Eldrin the Dragonfriend. I quote from the book:

"We shall journey to Neapolis. Halcilof brings up the idea of recruiting other dragons, this is a great idea! Eldrin will go with Halcilof to recount tales of his actions."

We know how this ended. Curse Eldrin and his so-called heroes. They brought the plague of dragons to our lands, and nothing came of it but ruin. An empire of dragons, this New Draconia, and though they fought the foul sorcery of Yrvil, they too fought the last remnants of the Coalition of Peace. And now, none of it remains. Nothing.

Heroes do great things. But there is always another challenge, another threat. Heroes die in the real world, unlike the stories. And the victorious enemies seek revenge. Who suffers then? You and I, the real people trying to live our lives.

Better to stay at home and protect your own. See to your own needs. Defend yourself as necessary, and your community. Be strong, but don't go out disturbing and angering those who would normally not bother with you.

I quote the Arch Duke Ulrich, he who was slain in treachery for all of his great deeds for the land,

"Perhaps you thirst for adventure much like Otto did. Don't. Stop it. Go home and get married. It's the safest thing you can do. You don't want to know what's out there. You don't want to lose friends over and over again."

"Don't Die. Run away."