Augustus

The earliest memory that Augustus can recall is that of the Monastery. He remembers the beautiful singing of the choir, and sweeping the steps of the temple (cathedral?) on a brisk autumn morning. He also remembers the calloused hand of Brother Marcus knocking him to the ground when he had done wrong.

When he was old enough, he learned that he was found, wrapped in rags on the steps of the monastery gate. The brothers had intended to care for him until he was old enough to be sent to the work home.

That day was soon approaching when Augustus was discovered in the library. He was attempting to read the copied ancient texts. Humoring him, Brother Marcus showed young Augustus some letters and words, and was surprised to find that he had an astounding memory for a child, and was able to learn how to read and write very quickly. Augustus absorbed everything he read, and learned at a very young age to speak, write, and read several languages.

Augustus was considered somewhat of a curiosity by the Bishop, who only let Augustus stay because of his seemingly earnest desire to learn the ways of the church.

Secretly, he feared Augustus' staggering intellect, and longed to be rid of this child with the unusually piercing, grey eyes. The bishop even went as far as to have Augustus tested to determine if he was of other than human origin. They tests proved he was human, but that only caused the Bishop more cause for concern, as Augustus seemed only to want to know more and more, always questioning, only ceasing upon threat of punishment.

Augustus was eventually deemed old enough to enter the priesthood, to which he was more prepared to do than those who had joined at ten years older than he was. He was given the hardest tasks, becaue the other novices considered him a freak. These tasks he accepted willingly and would always sneak up to the cloisters to read and study by candlelight.

Augustus excelled at the healing arts, both those human, and animal, and would not fail to stop and help those in need whenever he was asked. This would often place him in out of favor with the Bishop, who would reprimand him for wasting time on pagan heretics. Augustus never understood why those people who did not come to the church were considered unworthy of aid when it was clear that it was they who so desperately needed Jebohah's Divine Grace.

It was one night that Augustus saw from his cloister window, the Bishop arriving in his grand carriage. There was a poor man there by the monastery gate, who seemed to beg the Bishop for help as he stepped from the carriage. The Bishop appeared to stop and listen to the beggar for a moment. He reached into his robes and brought out a small coin, holding it out to the poor man, who reached for it gratefully.

As the vagrant man reached for the coin, the Bishop dropped it on the ground. The man went to pick it up, and the Bishop stepped on the poor man's hand grinding it into the paving stones. The man reached up to push the Bishop off from his hand. The Bishop drew out a small, gleaming knife... he appeared to be saying something to the man, who was backing away from the Bishop. The poor man tripped and fell to the ground, and the Bishop leaped on him stabbing him several times in the chest. The Bishop's driver then placed the body of the man, in the trunk lashed to the back of the carriage, and drove away.

Augustus did not believe what he was seeing. In his shock, he knocked over a stack of books, making a great noise. The Bishop looked directly up towards the sound, and into Augustus' face, the Bishp turned and quickly entered to monastery gate, and went to his private apartments. The next morning, Augustus was summoned to the Bishops office, and told that he was going to be leaving the monastery for position in the main church libraries. The Bishop made no mention of the evil deed that both of them knew had happened. Brother Augustus could not even look at the Bishops face, but accepted his transfer quietly and left that day.

From that moment on Augustus felt that there was something wrong in the heart of the church, but knew that it was not part of Jebohah's way. Augustus began secretly listening to conversations and reading private records that were clearly evidence of wrongdoings by the church. He knew that his spying was equally wrong, and prayed for forgiveness for his sins. He also knew that he was one man, and there was not one soul in the church that would believe him if he told of ther things he had learned. It might even cause him to be excommunicated , or worse, Purged by the Inquisitors. The only one he could trust, he felt, was Jebohah.

So that very night, he kneeled beside his humble bed in his cloister, and prayed for guidance. Almost immediately, a voice spoke to him in his head. As clear as a bell, yet quiet and reassuring. The voice of Jebohah spoke to him, and told him that he must leave that very night, and go out amongst the people, helping where he could. Augustus took only the clothes on his back, and a few meager belongings, and sneaked out into the chill night.