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Long ago, the Dominus of Cages and the Domina of Words were as close to friends as the Nobilis get. Before their parting, they made a last exchange of gifts. Cages gift was one of destruction, and from it the First Amendment of the United States of America was born. This is Word's gift. It is a diary of sorts, a record of the events that Cages has experienced. The words captured here are safe from prying eyes, and will remain so until Cages no longer has a part to play in this world.
Freedom is an interesting concept. When I was younger, I thought it was the ability to travel anywhere, without bounds. Since my enNoblement, I have had this ability, and yet, I am not free. Others will tell you that freedom is the ability to choose. This is foolish. Every choice is based on a variety of factors, that have been weighed and deliberated, whether the chooser knows it or not. Thus, the choice was already made. The insane are supposedly free, but this is not so. Oh, they are close, but still their decisions are based on solid fact, even if that fact is only in their mind. I have become convinced that only the Excrucians truly know freedom, but their contact with reality has corrupted this knowledge. This is not to say that strides cannot be made. I was once mortal, subject to the whim of those more powerful. Now, I am a thrall to my Ymera's will, despite the freedom his power gives me. The next step, of course, is to become Imperial. The are rumors, dark rumors of obscene rituals. I cannot verify the veracity of these, despite my best attempts. Yet every rumor has a heart of truth, and when I find this heart, I will use it to kill Ythom, my soveriegn, and set myself free.
Perhaps you wonder, unknown reader, how any Dominus can conceive of destroying their Ymera. Disobey; perhaps. Harm? If it were necessary for their survival. But to utterly destroy? The answer is not so lofty as you might think. I wandered into his newly created chancel, bypassing all sorts of barriers. Ythom enNobled me. Was he impressed? Perhaps. Those who have known him as I have know his twisted sense of humor. He found it amusing to bind my free spirit. Not merely to bind it, but to put under my control (and me under its) a Province that was antithetical to my nature. Perhaps if my nature had not been so strong, I would have been bound to Ythom's code instead of the Wild. Maybe. The fact remains that Freedom is my highest principle, and I am the Duke of Cages.
I see you still do not understand. Every cage of mine has a door, every trap a way out. No, it is not just a matter of finding the door. For beyond every door I make is something terrible, and most decide that they would really rather be in the cage after all.
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