Ralasizon could barely contain a malicious smile as Araminia complied to his request. He knew his students were no fools, but it would serve as a good example of ideology and politics melding together in the worst possible way. Ralasizon put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, watching Araminia carefully as she described her intolerant upbringing for the class. He even stayed silent once she had finished, to allow for any questions to bombard her on the subject. There was even a couple of snickers when she answered the first question, but Ralasizon ensured they only lasted long enough to settle in to Araminia's mind.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0000"> "As <i>we </i>all know, there are keepers with beneficial possessions, and some with malevolent ones," </span>Ralasizon said.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0000"> "But, there is some credence to this false view on The Keeper of Order. During the infancy of many kingdoms, the Pact-Bound of Conquest was very active, more so than his replacement had been in the last twenty years for sure. And he would instill order, though it was his order and not the Order that is Kept by the Keeper."</span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0000">"Thus, murmurs began to spread that the Keeper of Order forfeited freedoms for order, as said Keeper did not send his Pact-Bound to rectify Conquest's blunders. It is an archaic line of thought, living and dying roughly five centuries ago. Luckily for Blackhill and the kingdoms allied with it, it was stamped out by proper teachings spread by Blackhill missionaries.</span>" Ralasizon said while standing, taking a step to Araminia to subtly take her arm in his.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0000">"Which is going to be the next topic of conversation as we head to the Northern cliffs." </span>Once his students rose, Ralasizon began to walk again, heading vaguely north in direction.<br/><br/>As they walked, Ralasizon offered forth this new topic to his class:<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0000"> "Blackhill's clergy does not hold bias for one Keeper or another. You'll just as easily find a priest of Knowledge as you are to find one of Agony. How is an equilibrium kept at the basic of levels? There are so many Keepers that oppose one another -such as Order and Chaos- or simply do not have many obvious interactions -such as Secrets and The Unknown- and those dynamics are important when considering this question."</span>Ralasizon fell silent once again as his student gathered behind him, beginning to discuss and theorize in an orderly fashion. One young man suggested that because of Blackhill's structure, the 'chaos' of everyday life satisfies the Keeper without jeopardizing the 'order' of the laws. Another disagreed, debunking that theory as, if that was the case, the Order and Chaos would not be at odds. Instead, perhaps the Allfather designates sections of government to ensure a balance is kept while satisfying all. Another countered with the fact that -aside from the Whitemarsh debacle- Conquest is a dormant factor in Blackhill's history for decades, if not centuries. Ralasizon was quick to interject and correct misinformed bits of these theories and statements, but did not outright confirm or deny any of them. It was obvious this was more of an exercise for the students to have other intelligent minds to work off of.<br/><br/>After a few minutes, one of the students who had been quiet asked a question directly to Ralasizon.<i> "Grandmaster, how does Agony operate in peace time? I don't see how the Keeper of Agony is able to be sated without dissatisfying another Keeper in Blackhill's society."</i><br/><br/>Ralasizon smiled, as if he had been waiting for a student to pick out one of the more violent Keepers being an oddity for Blackhill. With it being the Keeper of Agony, his master, the student had chosen the perfect subject for Ralasizon to explain.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0000">"That is a smart question. One I was hoping someone would stumble upon, in fact. The Keeper of Agony is.... a bit misleading. I know when I had begun my research in my youth, it puzzled me as well,"</span>Ralasizon said, standing a bit taller and prouder.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0000">"Pain is the most common form of appeasement for the Keeper of Agony. However, it is not the only method that appeases him. Agony encompasses many emotions, as far as the Keeper is concerned. Fear, dread, and strife are only a few that serve as examples. Any emotion that is not inherently aggressive, such as anger, is counted among the accepted offerings to the Keeper of Agony. And there is no one kingdom that can remove negative emotions from within it. Blackhill benefits from their shortcomings, even if it is one factor that the current Allfather wishes were not the case."</span>