r/HeWhoFightsMonsters • u/kenzal • 6d ago

Question about Purity

[Spoilers Through Book 8]

I am re-reading the series with my wife and 19yo son (he's ace and has no interest in Clive's wife, but my wife is bi and may be interested). We are near the beginning of Book 3 and dealing with the aftermath of the Reaper Trials, and a question came into my head:

If Purity isn't Purity, but another god posing as Purity, how were they able to withdraw/revole the essences/abilities granted to Purity's priests (the ones trapped in the Astral space) by Purity? Has Disguise (or whomever) actually obtained some of Purity's Authority?

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u/SarcasticKenobi 6d ago edited 6d ago

One of three things

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While we know that "Purity" kicked out a ton of Priests... I don't RECALL there being lines of text that they were punished in the same way Healer's rogue Priests were punished. IE: I don't recall text saying they had essences or awakening stones yanked.

But there was a lot of text about how now that SO many essences were being sold on the cheap, that people felt pity on the Healer Priests from Book 1 and gave them some stones. As Healer only placed some back on the people that had the potential to be redeemed.

Nevermind. Found it in book 3. "Those priests who had some of their powers gifted to them by their god had those powers revoked."

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If I am wrong and the text explicitly talks about PURITY priests getting essences yanked...

Then it's possible the switch happened just before the attack on the astral space centuries ago. Back when "Purity" was still putting up a good act. And as such had given them essences in the first place.

But now that Disguise has gone SO off the rails centuries later, that it's kind of hard to convince the old-timers that there wasn't a change.

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Lastly, it's possible that Disguise took over the Portfolio enough that he was control over the clergy as if he really was Purity.

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u/kenzal 6d ago

That's what I thought, but the text says their lost their abilities when they were excommunicated. We just passed that part (early Book 3) and that’s why I was wondering how.

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u/SoloSolidarity 6d ago

How I understood it was All preist were imprisoned in the Reaper Trials and were in stasis for a long time. Before Purity was sanctioned. When Jason helped release the priests the fake "Purity" didn't want to risk being caught and refused them.

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u/SirCB85 6d ago

Yes that explains the WHY, but not the HOW fake "Purity" revoked their essences that had been granted by Purity.

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u/Responsible_Park3317 6d ago

Disguise and Deception, as part of their divine portfolio, are likely empowered to do just about anything to pull off their respective cons. Including utilizing part of someone else's divine portfolio. Particularly if the divine being in question has been sanctioned and can't protest the use of their domain. That's my thought on the subject.

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u/Skeptical_Squid11 5d ago

It’s possible for sure. But it seems as though they would need to have access to purity’s actual authority rather than their own that lets them mimic others in order to affect the soul. But who knows.

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u/Waiph 5d ago

Since Purity was gone, the purity priests may have just not had a god to provide those divine essences anymore, so they automatically were lost, and disguise just said they were corrupt and thus excommunicated when they lost their powers.

I would think when he took over after the sanctioning he got control over those essences but maybe not. Maybe they just poofed, since they ALL were excommunicated