"Please do tell us. I am quite interested in their ideas, and would appreciate your take on them." He adds the Trojan equivalent of the word "Comrade" to the end of the sentence.
VIRGIL, to KhasOh please,
you flatter
me?
(He lets out a wet-throated chuckle.) I appreciate it, nonetheless.
(He addresses everyone:) I'll tell you what the
Order told me, though it isn't much beyond what I've already told you; the
Order has some high-minded people backing it. They feel they have an...
(He pauses while he searches for a word.) ...understanding for the cycle of power, here in the lands of the Aegean. They came to me with scrolls of historical writings dating back several decades, from a number of different nations, detailing the rise of kings and princes, and explained how, with enough mystical power, they could divine where and when tragedies like what happened to Troy...
(He tosses a glance to Khas.) ...will occur.
Virgil stops for a moment, and lets out another cough. VIRGIL, cont'dOf course, they have only theories, and though they have a lot of money to throw around, they're lacking the key resources they need -- a network of powerful oracles. To date, they have one, though it's enough to help them locate others. I don't know this for sure, but I imagine they've located another one near Varna, which would explain the sudden recruiting spree.
(A beat.) Anyway, you asked about theories, so here's one for you: the gods are losing faith. And I don't mean that the gods are losing faith in man, I mean
man is losing faith in the gods. You might ask me "Virgil, you handsome lech, why does this matter?" And to you, I'd respond by telling you about the other theory they have: that the gods need our faith to maintain their powers. Over the course of my rather long lifetime, I've noticed a considerable decline in the importance of numerous faiths. Our nations have been ravaged by war, and the people have been losing faith in the gods. Why does this matter, you ask? Because if we don't take care of the gods, they can't take care of us.
Virgil takes a refill to his wine mug, and sips at it testily. He grumbles something and takes a gulp. VIRGIL, cont'd(He looks at each adventurer in turn, and meets their gaze.) You've all heard about some of the terrible things the gods may be responsible for; abducting dozens of beautiful young men and women from just about everywhere, causing storms, destroying cities, I mean, look at Odysseus; the poor sod ran off his mouth and was cursed to wander for a decade,
and he only just got home. But let me tell you, there are worse things out there than the gods. If you're familiar with the history of Varna, then you'll know that it was the site of an
invasion. Not you typical Greeks killing Greeks thing, this was a terrible, terrible fight between the best Ares had to offer, and we
barely won. No one knows where the invaders came from, but they were like nothing anyone had ever seen. Like men, but bigger; heads like wolves, and I'm not talking about Lycaon's brood. Chewed through Ares's best warriors like they were kibble. And we're talking about an army led by
the god of war. Well, as I said ... this is all just theory. Ideas. We can't know anything with the resources we have.