And once again the accusations fly! Once again the endless chatterers at the Cage call out "The Herites are to blame! It's all the Herites' fault! The Herites are to blame!" Usually this accusation goes unchallenged -- usually the rest of the audience here just nods and mutters about "those damned Herites." Have you ever wondered why that is so? Have you ever wondered why Herite voices do not rise in defense of their honor? I will tell you -- it is because we are usually outside, actually doing something rather than gibbering within the safety of Kymber's little hovel. I had heard of this sort of talk, and since it was a slow day today, I decided to come by and see for myself. Now I find I must educate you about the truth about "those damned Herites."

We Herites are aware of the threat the Seven Deaths and their Tribes pose to the Fallen and Hom. We recognize the need to keep the Tribes on their toes, unbalance and distract them -- for if we did not the fate of the Fallen would be sealed. You accuse us of reckless acts that bring the attention of the Nation to bear on us, that bring Joanites to the streets of Hom, and call down the wrath of the Inquisition. But I tell you -- even without our acts the Tribes would be breathing down your necks. The war for the liberation of humanity did not end with Joshua and Tibor -- but only the Herites seem to acknowledge that.

The Seven Deaths and their so-called 'Nation' are the true enemies of the Fallen. It is they who wish us harm, wish us suffering, wish us death. It is they who cast us aside and count us as nothing -- and then spend their lives persecuting those they claim are not worth their time. What sense is this? Have you all forgotten the night your Fatima tore your soul in half? Do you no longer remember when you came to Hom, vowing to wreak your revenge? Rebellion is the cornerstone of the Fallen, but you forget that. The Herites have not forgotten. We know that rebellion is the foundation beneath our feet even more than the soil of Hom. We know the heart of the Fallen is the fury of the dispossessed, and because we have not forgotten that, it is we, the Herites, who are the soul of the Fallen.

Are we brash? Are we foolish? Do the Herites pose some threat to the survival of the Falln? Then answer me this: do the Herites waste our meager resources at the "Goddess of Mercy" Mission? No? Kymber and her Lightbringers do. Do we consort with Z'bri to better understand these abominations? No? Altara Ven, Lightbringer, does. Whose ragged and pathetic retreat from a raid on Hl'kar brought the Z'bri to our doorstop? Was it Herites? No, for that we can thank the wisdom of the Jackers. Who led fifty people and more to commit mass suicide at Hallows in the hopes of joining Joshua in the Sea of the Lost? Herites? No -- Doomsayers.

And as for Joshua -- if a dead Fatima cannot manage his own revenge himself, I see no reason why I should do him the favor.

Oh yes I will speak against Joshua, don't try and drown me out with your cries! Perhaps I am no public speaker -- I do not have the power to sway crowds like Hal and Deus -- my apologies. I have better things to do with my time, like keeping the Tribes from breaking down your doors.

Yes, the Herites are to blame, brothers and sisters -- the Herites are to blame for keeping the Fallen alive.

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