Chapter 31: Its Gaze Shall Fall O'er Trembling Plains

Image Description: a woman stands on a rock, staring out to sea. The caption reads, ‘This is the war’s one successful conquest - and nobody living will ever benefit from it.’ -Val

## Credits

### Featured Voices

* Alex Nursall as Sam Kincannon
* Felix Trench as Adjudicator Cross
* GM Hakim as Private Tainsley
* Marta da Silva as Val
* Sarah Griffin as Adjudicator Shrue
* Yinan Shentu as the Radio Exec
* Daisy McNamara as the TSV Dealer and Police Officer
* Rhys Lawton as Press Secretary Carson
* Dave Wilson as Sergeant Loughton

### Additional Voices

AJ Fidalgo, Alyssa Petrie and Steven Zivic

## Meta Data

### Content Warnings

This episode contains moderate body horror and bloody violence.

## Episode Guide

In Glottage, Adjudicator Shrue attempts to pave the way for the legalisation of the Parish of Tide and Flesh. Far to the north, a Peninsulan battle-saint makes her mark on the enemy.

## Description

### Val's Introduction

A political broadcast programme called Hard Truths With Sam Kincannon begins. We’re told that the Dossier’s Draft has passed, requiring all citizens of age in the Peninsula not on contract to be available for military duties. Adjudicator Cross joins Sam on the radio to discuss the draft. Cross tells a story that’s supposed to be inspiring, about a woman set to be hallowed as a war-saint. Private Tainsley switches the radio channel. An advert plays instead. Tainsley is annoyed. An alarm goes off and he switches the radio off to speak into a receiver. He says someone is coming but doesn’t hear a reply from his corporal. He grabs a rifle and heads into the woods. He sees someone and calls out to them that it’s a restricted area. Val approaches but doesn’t reply. She tells him that he will not shoot her and does not see her, that she will not set off any land mines and that a motorboat will be waiting for her on the shoreline. She says the Last Word is certain of this. Tainsley agrees, when she asks for his name he gives it to her. She tells him that he will die a hero’s death. Tainsley continues to agree with her. He gets the gate for her.

An air raid siren. Val walks along a cliff. Val tells us that the war is going badly. Victory and defeat are nearly impossible to declare. The story can be spun in so many different ways. Someone has destroyed the channel bridge, neither side wants to take responsibility for it. As a result both sides focus on bombardment and mass sanctification. There are gods out there, playing their part to make land invasions impossible. The Peninsula uses The Torn Prince, the Linger Straits use evolved Love-Saints. Licenced deities are becoming something new and unrecognisable. A strip of god-haunted land is spreading. Val calls this the war’s one success. It will benefit nobody. Val likes it, she calls it a new country - a third territory between the two warring nations. The love-saints do not bother her. She’s already marked. She arrives at the coastline of the Linger Straits. She passes the soldiers, with only a little effort. She comes to a village. This is where she’ll begin.

### The Promised Bride

Shrue appears to be modifying a pre-record for the intended legislation of the Parish of Tide and Flesh. They tell the story Mason of the Promised Bride, but it’s been repurposed into something else. A radio exec gives advice to a subordinate, while Shrue continues. The story of the Promised Bride they tell places her as a woman grieving the death of her groom, killed by foreign enemies. The enemies surround her village on all sides, readying to attack them again. She cries and her tears fall into the water, breaking the surface, As in the original story she sees the face of the Trawler-man looking back at her. The Trawler-man asks why she’s crying, and she replies that tomorrow is the Day of Going Forth, and their foes will make their final assault. She asks him what use her death will be if she can’t protect her people. The Trawler-man tells her to become something else. The radio exec ends the recording there for the day.

### Change In Glottage

It’s raining in Glottage. Shrue opens an umbrella and walks through the streets. Shrue is harassed by a TSV dealer, and enters their car. Shrue pulls away. They say that Glottage feels emptier now. There’s a sense of camaraderie, but it’s unclear if it's genuine or a performance. There are air raid sirens and formal daily death reports, we’re told they contradict the informal daily death reports, and there are uncomfortable truths that they choose not to think about too hard. Shrue muses that perhaps it will do some good. There are days they think about giving up on politics, that they have wasted their time. There’s a strain between their job and their humanity. They tell themselves that the sights they ignore were there before them and will be there long after them. The seats of government strengthens their resolve. We hear about High Adjudicator Egriman, who built Moridame Palace 400 years ago. To Shrue it’s a reminder that they have to stay strong and pick their battles carefully. That there’s no point wasting time on things they cannot change.

### The Security Council Meeting Begins

The council chamber. Press Secretary Carson enters and calls for silence. He announces they start in five minutes. Adjudicator Cross speaks to him. Shrue clears their throat and Carson greets them. It’s their first time on the CenSec. Shrue is replacing Adjudicator Willis, who seems to have died recently. Shrue says they’re waiting on the approval of the High Adjudicator for the legalisation of the Parish of Tide and Flesh, to help with the war effort. Carson asks how any disciples there are. When Shrue knows the numbers, Carson says they can help. They’re looking for raw numbers rather than weapons. Shrue tells him they’ll find out the numbers, and Carson will investigate it on their side too. Carson asks about Shrue’s family.

Carson begins. He starts with the good news. Then he moves onto the bad news. There will be no more experimentation with time-gods in this conflict. They lost a month. Shrue is stunned by this information. When asked they are briefed to refer to it as a non-event or a localised event. There’s some condescending laughter at Shrue, and less than welcoming applause. Cross, particularly, doesn’t seem pleased with their presence. Carson moves on to the main event. He introduces a new experimental saint, and a live radio feed from the other side of the Channel.

### Val Destroys A Town

Val responds, she’s sat in a cafe. Sergeant Loughton approaches her and asks for her papers. Val tells Carson that she’s ready to begin. Loughton crosses the room and turns off the radio, he tells everyone to clear the cafe, The diners leave, and so do the staff. Now it’s just Val and Loughton. Val asks if she’s in trouble. She’s asked again if she has any papers. She says she doesn’t. She has been enjoying making folks nervous. She honestly tells him she has been. Loughton calls her a terrible spy, or a wandering derelict. She’s neither. She tells him the third possibility, that she was sent by the Peninsula in hopes of speaking with him. He is baffled. She tells him that he opens up the armoury, the generator and the emergency broadcast system. He's the perfect target for a precision strike. Loughton asks if she’s there to kill him. She declares she’s there to kill the entire town. She reveals that she’s a living miracle - saint and sacrifice, Loughton is disconcerted and refuses to believe her. A saint that walks and talks in this way is unprecedented. Val refuses to go with him. She tells him that the Last Word says he left his firearm on the kitchen table that morning. She’s rewriting the situation, it seems. She speaks things into existence. She kills him, slowly and painfully. She doesn’t have to lift a finger, all she has to do is speak. There are sirens outside. She picks up the radio and speaks to the officers outside. She tells them they can’t hurt her because they slit their throats this morning. All the officers gasp and struggle as they die. She walks out of the cafe and reaches the police car. She uses the loudspeaker and announces herself to the town. She says there was never a town there, wiping it from the map. The town collapses. She tells them that no one has ever been born here. She erases them from existence, as well. She drops the police radio. She asks if Carson heard everything.

### Security Council Meeting Continues

Carson replies that they will check in with Val again later. There is silence in the conference room. Carson explains everything to the Council. What’s new about her is how much agency she retained in her sainthood. He comments that she’s almost a real person. She’s controllable, and that saves them collateral. Cross asks if humanity is really a helpful asset here. Carson responds that it’s not perfect, but not invulnerable. They’re working on replicating her already. Shrue has something to say. They are angry, there is a shocking lack of concern about the consequences of their actions. Shrue points out that the destructive actions of the rhetorical gods meant they were banned for a reason. They ask how they can be certain Val isn’t lying to them. Carson implies that Shrue’s partner and kids are also inventions of Val’s. Carson asks how they can be sure they had a family before. Although Carson says he’s kidding, there is a tension that doesn’t alleviate following this. Val tells them herself that she volunteered to be offered to the Last Word. She said she had full knowledge of what would happen. When asked how she feels about her sainthood, she says she’s proud to serve her country. She calls herself military property. Carson asks if this satisfies Shrue. Cross is convinced, Shrue is not. Carson ends the conference.

### Carson And Shrue Speaks Alone

Carson calls them brave, but asks them if they’re brave enough. Shrue has made enemies. They keep finding new causes they believe in. Carson points out that they’re not committed. Carson threatens Shrue, saying they could be taken to the hallowing-chambers today and their seat given to someone else. Carson says they’re kidding again. Shrue is horrified. Carson tells them not to listen to Cross. Carson tells Shrue to go home. Shrue is utterly baffled. The H.A. has been discussing the anti-sacrificial sentiment. They’re putting together a summit of innovators. Shrue is being considered for this. To come up with real solutions to the societal problem. Shrue says they’re looking forward to it. Carson promises to fast track their river god, all he asks for is bodies.

### Shrue's Phonecall Home

Shrue sits heavily in their car, exhausted. They dial a phone number. They reach a voice message when trying to speak to their partner. They ask after their daughters. They ask them to call them back, they want to hear their voice. They want to confirm they’re real. Their voice breaks. The episode ends.

## References

1. ↑ Official episode synopsis at https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/5fec690f8211cf453a1b89e2