Ia and the Possessed

Ia and his disciples came upon a village whose inhabitants remained hidden by night, for they feared a possessive spirit which roamed the land, which could enter into homes and slay those therein if it was welcomed by the ignorant or the deluded. Though Ia and his disciples encountered no such spirit during the night which they spent in the village square, Ia was discomfited, and when the sun rose he met with the leaders of the village.

'Holy Ia, we have followed the word of the methods of interment which you have laid down,' said one of the men, 'but despite this a creature comes by night and drains travelers or those still outdoors of their life. Please, Ia, give us respite from this threat!'

Ia agreed, and that night he set out alone to cleanse the impure spirit which laired near the village. When Ia returned he was triumphant, and he said to the villagers, 'You need not fear any longer. The unquiet spirit has been put to rest.'

'Holy Ia,' said Preston, one of his disciples, 'what might be done to help ensure that such a thing does not happen again? Surely the people of this village did nothing to deserve its accursed presence.'

Ia thought for a moment, then addressed his disciples. 'We take the dead into our care as our pact with the people demands, but our actions are not perfect, for men are not perfect. When the possessive spirits arise, we must bring them to heel.'

'Do you mean that we must consign them to final Destruction, one and all?' asked Destair.

'Or should we instead instill in them a measure of Creation, and use this to better all people?' asked Creassin.

'Both, or neither,' responded Ia. 'It is not the place of man to countermand Being by denying one facet of its nature. This pride has no place in the souls of the faithful. They shall be treated as any other man or beast.'

'How do you mean, Holy Ia?' asked Preston.

'A man is not condemned to Destruction, simply by being a man. A man may be a friend, a lover, a laborer, a king, and a sinner. A man is tied to the successes of other men, some of them through loyalty, some through kindness, some through fear, and some through power. So long as these spirits are tied to the successes of other men, they shall be treated as we treat men. But, as a man who becomes a murderer and sows Destruction beyond his lot must be purged and cleansed, so too shall these spirits be judged by the same standard.'

Ia's disciples took this proclamation to heart and swore to follow it henceforth.