Characters / Codex Equus Written Word

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Prince Written Word, the Messenger of Faith

Classification: Elemental/Ethereal/Ascendant

Portfolio: Faith, Purification, Truth

Rank: Demigod

"Blind faith is little more than willful ignorance and unquestioning obedience, zealotry that are easily misled into the service of foolish causes and corrupt characters. True faith demands conviction! It demands you understand your cause and know the righteousness of it. It demands you to take responsibility for one's action, rather than ascribe them to some higher power or others. It demands you trust your own judgement and each other, rather than the sweet honeyed lies of the conceited. It demands following only higher ideals that truly deserves to be followed. Only then, would it be faith truly worth fighting for."

Prince Written Word (his entry here) is the Alicorn demigod of Faith, Purification, and Truth, and is the thirteenth-born son of Emperor Golden Scepter.

Written Word was always curious even as a baby, and when he got older, he found that he did best in philosophy, especially if it's of a religious and/or existential nature. One question he always tried to answer is if mortal sapientkind is capable of self-governance or not. Around this time, a local infant religion was formed, depicting Golden Scepter and his family as part of a divine "pantheon" that would ensure the Terran Empire's prosperity. After observing Golden Scepter's just and benevolent rule, Written Word initially concluded that mortal sapientkind can only prosper when guided by benevolent deities. He would join the priesthood to help his subjects by preaching his father's values, but because public worship of the royal family was banned within the Terran Empire, he had to carry his duties in secret. Written Word's older and younger brothers saw his decision as a foolish one, but nonetheless kept quiet for his sake because they didn't want to break his heart.

However, Written Word's faith would be greatly tested. A series of events and tragedies, including the loss of his mother, Blessed Skies, to old age and the permanent crippling of Crimson Star, one of his older brothers, in a horrible carriage accident, made him see that Golden Scepter was actually just as flawed as the mortals that he preached to. In a moment of emotional vulnerability, Written Word would snap and unleash his pent-up feelings of grief, anger, and resentment at Golden Scepter, sparking a heated argument between them. Unfortunately, Written Word would also accidentally let slip his priestly activities while calling out his father. The discovery that one of his sons had been encouraging public worship of him behind his back shocked and devastated Golden Scepter so much that he was beside himself on how to deal with Written Word afterwards.

Two days later, Golden Scepter ultimately decided to do the right thing by calmly approaching Written Word, taking him aside, and gently explaining to him what he was really doing and why it wouldn't help anyone in the long run. He would also telepathically show Written Word his own memories, which included the consequences of religious excess and blind faith, and the horrific crimes he once committed to erase religious faith itself. Written Word was so shaken that, with his father's blessing, he left the Terran Empire to do some soul-searching.

Written Word's travels would lead him to a backwater Pony kingdom that was gripped by a corrupt religion, its citizens forcibly conscripted to fight "holy wars" in the name of gods and goddesses that were actually demons in disguise. Furious over what he had found, Written Word would rally the citizens to his side and kick-start a rebellion to free the Pony kingdom from the religion and its demonic founders, which saw the deaths of those who aided the demons for selfish reasons. It was after they were confronted by the Queen of the demons herself that they started doing badly, but seeing his surviving soldiers crying out for a divine savior to rescue them caused Written Word to realize that Golden Scepter had been right all along. To the demons' shock, he proceeded to give his surviving soldiers a rousing speech that somehow magically empowered everyone, allowing them to fight the demons on equal footing and ultimately kill the demon Queen.

Written Word's act of inspiring the populace with trust and faith would make him Ascend in front of everyone and become an Alicorn demigod, only to collapse shortly after from sheer exhaustion and various untreated injuries. Fortunately, he would survive thanks to prompt medical attention, and he would be greeted by his father and brothers, who were all happy to see him. Golden Scepter was especially proud of Written Word, as his accomplishments and Ascension were a sign that his son had finally realized the truth and matured. However, Written Word would not return home right away - instead, he would help rebuild the Pony kingdom he had rescued, and continue fighting and saving innocents against the demon infestation, though this time, he would have a few brothers helping him.

Nowadays, when not attending to his royal duties, Written Word would travel across Equus, as he had grown to love globetrotting, with Prince Sparkling Wing from the Church of the Stars being a frequent companion. After his Ascension, he has left the priesthood, having realized the folly of blind religious devotion and faith, and now preaches "true" faith favored by his father, which demands conviction in oneself and each other, the taking of personal responsibility, and the understanding of higher, nobler causes worth fighting for.

Though a quiet and mild-mannered Prince who can be naive at worst, Written Word is quite intelligent and has a philosophical side, where he ponders about deep subjects such as the meaning of existence. He also has bottomless compassion and patient gentleness, and is willing to lend an ear and a hoof to those in need. His pacifistic personality means that he loathes killing, and he frequently seeks non-violent solutions to problems, but that does not mean that he's a complete pushover. When he gets worked up, he's revealed to have a fiery side, capable of delivering impassioned speeches that spur his listeners into a frenzy and motivate them to do the right thing. In battle, he follows the martial philosophy of "Speak softly and carry a big stick", where he is willing to strike his enemies hard and fast if necessary. It's because of his experiences that he is a staunch enemy of both demonkind and corruption, and has been known to crush and publicly humiliate religious figures who mislead people and commit depravities for their own gain.

And as the Alicorn demigod of Faith, Purification, and Truth, his powers strongly echo his beliefs. He is a strong telepath and empath who is nigh-immune to mind-altering magic, and he is a powerful wind mage with considerable command over the wind, which echoes how ideas and concepts can easily spread around and affect people, for good or ill. And like Golden Scepter, he can purify demonic and fell influences, though his powers manifest as light whereas his father wields holy fire. But perhaps Written Word's most strongest asset is his Faith-based magic - the more he puts trust and faith in someone and vice-versa, the more he is able to empower himself and others around him, granting everyone enhanced physical capabilities, stronger magic, and the ability to heal even the severest wounds. Potentially, depending on the number of allies he empowers, he can enable them to take on even minor Fallen gods and goddesses.

Like his older and younger brothers, Written Word leads his own military chapter, the Word Bearers. The Word Bearers contains scholars and philosophers, as well as those who were freed from depraved religions and cults. While not as militaristic as other chapters, they are no less disciplined and honorable, and are renowned for being a tight-knit community. This is because Written Word has taught his soldiers to put their faith and trust in both their leader and each other, resulting in stronger bonds and stronger teamwork. And much like their leader, the Word Bearers are also capable of fighting when necessary, and those who underestimate them tend to pay dearly for their mistake.

Despite his moments of doubt and his struggles with understanding the nature of faith, Written Word was nevertheless able to prove that faith can have overwhelmingly positive effects when used the right way.

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# - B

• 13 Is Unlucky: Written Word was born the thirteenth demi-divine son of Golden Scepter, and initially he was a very kindhearted and religiously devoted person who idolized his father. However, after (secretly) joining the priesthood, he would go through a series of events and tragedies that would cause him to doubt and even shatter his spotless perceptions of Golden Scepter, including the blinding of one of his older brothers and the death of his mother, a mortal pegasus mare, from old age. The fact that his father supposedly didn't "help" his own family at all during these times was what sparked a heated argument between them; unfortunately for Written Word, he would accidentally reveal his religious activities to his father during a moment of emotional vulnerability. It's subverted later in that this moment also turned out to be a blessing in disguise afterwards - Golden Scepter setting him straight on what he was really doing with religion, combined with discovering religious horrors in a backwater Pony kingdom, led to Written Word realizing the true value of faith as a unifying, empowering force, allowing him to become an Alicorn after taking down a horde of demons with his faith-empowered soldiers.
• Abstract Apotheosis: He became the Alicorn demigod of Faith, Purification, and Truth after witnessing the horrors of religious excess and blind faith that Golden Scepter had been trying to warn him about, and realizing the true value of faith as a unifying, empowering force when he tried to free a backwater Pony kingdom from demons. Hearing of this made Golden Scepter quite proud of him as it's a sign that his son had finally matured.
• Adaptational Heroism: Lorgar Auelian would lose his faith in the Emperor of Mankind after a particularly brutal and humiliating incident (the complete destruction of Monarchia), which drove him to worship the Chaos Gods and orchestrate the Horus Heresy. Here, Written Word, Lorgar's Codexverse counterpart, was never driven to turn traitor because Golden Scepter, unlike the Emperor of Mankind, was a good father and thus was gentle in explaining to his son the folly of both his devotion and his actions. Because of this, Written Word would realize the true value of faith as a unifying and empowering force, and became a beloved Alicorn demigod hero who's also badass.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: Lorgar pre-Horus Heresy was a very altruistic, kind, and religiously devout man... but he also idolized the Emperor of Mankind and worshiped him as a god to excessive degrees. And at least one Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, described him as a Psychopathic Manchild whose volatile outbursts are akin to childish tantrums the moment someone offends him, which could partially explain how Lorgar behaved towards the Emperor after Monarchia was completely torched. Here, as Written Word, he has no such behavior, due to Golden Scepter being a good father and finding better ways to show his son the true folly of his worship.
• Alliterative Name: Written Word.
• Anthropomorphic Personification: Embodies Faith, Purification, and Truth post-Ascension. It's believed in-universe that he embodies Golden Scepter's conviction and ability to inspire, which might explain why he tends to strongly believe in causes he thinks are worth following, and is a very skilled public orator who can whip anyone into a frenzy with just a few words.
• Badass Boast:
  • During a fight against the demons controlling a backwater Pony kingdom, Written Word would make a Rousing Speech to his despairing soldiers in which he claimed that no one would hope or dare to try stop them if they showed themselves and each other the trust and faith they showed him. To the demons' shock, it worked, empowering everyone and allowing them to fight more effectively.
  • A subtle one; Crimson Star once asked him about how he flew "without flying" after hearing that he was able to make himself airborne for the first time without using his wings at all. Written Word's response?
    Prince Written Word: I simply had two things. One is Courage, and the other is Faith.
• Badass Preacher: He once secretly joined the priesthood of an underground religion that existed outside the Terran Empire's jurisdiction because of its official ban on religion centered around the royal family, knowing that Golden Scepter wouldn't approve... only to get in trouble anyway when he accidentally revealed his religious activities during a heated argument with his father. This led to Golden Scepter setting him straight on what he's actually doing and telepathically showing his son his own memories of both the horrors of religious excess, and the horrific crimes he once committed to get rid of religion itself. After leaving home to do some soul-searching, he would become an inverted example of the trope via liberating a backwater Pony kingdom from an extremely corrupt religion that was headed by demons, which led to him realizing the true value of faith and Ascending to demi-Alicornhood. And since then, he would become a beloved and respected hero who is known for being a staunch enemy of Demonkind and corruption itself. Leaving the priesthood post-Ascension didn't affect his badass credentials much, either; instead of religious faith, he now preaches faith of a different kind.
• Barrier Warrior: One of the things he can do with his wind magic is make airtight wind barriers that can nullify electricity.
• Battle in the Center of the Mind: He and Bright Eyes participated in one. Although they rescued Rosy Dreams from Sweet Words, she was in a coma by the time they found her because Sweet Words created a nightmarish dream entity to imprison her within her own mind. Night Shade suggested "mind-walking" into Rosy's dream world, having previously seen and experienced a similar situation with Silver Bane, so he and Bright Eyes did just that with Crimson Star's help, and battled the dream entity keeping Rosy prisoner. Once the dream entity was weakened, they encouraged Rosy to land the final blow, and she woke up from her coma when she succeeded.
• Belief Makes You Stupid: Justified, though in this case it's religious belief that makes one stupid. He once joined the priesthood out of love for his father and to help his mortal subjects, but in preaching Golden Scepter's virtues and why he should be followed, he was actually encouraging Blind Obedience. Golden Scepter explaining to him what he's actually doing and seeing the horrors of religious corruption himself eventually made Written Word see his folly and realize the true value of faith, which led to him Ascending when he inspired his soldiers to use faith to empower each other during a fight against demons. As shown with his folder quote, he now believes in "true" faith, which demands conviction, understanding, trust, and taking responsibility for one's own actions.
• Beware the Nice Ones: He's noted to be very compassionate, generous, and patient, and is willing to lend people, even his own brothers, an ear and a nod should they come talk to him about their problems. That being said, while he prefers non-violent solutions, he's a Technical Pacifist who's willing to strike hard and fast, even kill if need be, and he's known for being a staunch enemy of Demonkind and corruption in general. He can also be pretty deadly with his wind magic, with one of his deadliest attacks consisting of crushing his enemies with increased air pressure. In other words, don't piss him off.
  • One prominent example is when Written Word arrived at a backwater Pony kingdom and learned of the horrific crimes its Church was committing in the name of the "gods". He was so furious that when he found an arch-priest who was about to use innocent Pony civilians as military cannon fodder, he would easily push through the crowd of forcibly-conscripted soldiers (some who recognized him as someone who previously helped them out) and publicly humiliated the arch-priest by calling him a "liar" in front of everyone. He would then rally the soldiers to his side and confront the demons responsible for the Pony kingdom's corrupt religion, and though they initially did badly, the tide would turn when Written Word realized the true value of faith and empowered his soldiers by inspiring them to have faith in each other, leading to his Ascension.
  • It's because of his experiences pre-Ascension that Written Word hates religious corruption in general, as it's a surefire way to get him mad. One incident had him confront a Pony priestess who turned out to be an Autorist, and publicly humiliated her in front of her own followers by calling her out for misleading people into committing racial atrocities under the guise of "righteousness", while reveling in the cruelty she caused. While Written Word protected the Pony priestess from her now enraged followers until proper authorities arrived to arrest her, it was revealed he did it as a Cruel Mercy, as, in his words, "The sheer humiliation she received for her actions would end up hurting her more than whatever her once-adoring crowds had in mind for her."
• Birds of a Feather:
  • Much like Lorgar and Magnus, he would become close to his older brother, Crimson Star, due to being well-learned and partaking in academic pursuits. He would also be close to Steel Barricade for the same reasons, even though the latter focuses on technology more than philosophy.
  • He would become a frequent traveling partner of Prince Sparkling Wing post-Ascension, as they are cloud-haired, pacifistic deities who seek non-violent solutions and enjoy adventuring.
  • He would find a fellow philosopher in Phykti, the Bogolenya Deer goddess of Cruelty and Despair, who has a similar thoughtful mindset. His entry notes the irony of this, as Phykti is a "constructively" Evil Deer goddess while Written Word is a beloved and compassionate hero.
  • His entry notes that he would become a friend of Star Echo, the Head Priest/Cleric of the Church of the Stars, due to both of them being compassionate and gentle individuals and spiritual leaders who seek to help and guide people. This is despite Written Word having left the priesthood in the Terran Empire after Ascending to demi-Alicornhood.
• Blind Obedience: He initially believed that mortals can only prosper when guided by benevolent divines like his father, which was why he joined the priesthood. But despite his good intentions, Written Word was unaware that he was actually encouraging this trope, which comes off as hypocritical since he loved philosophy for encouraging people to ask questions that most would dare not ask. After discovering his son's activities during a heated argument, Golden Scepter would set Written Word straight by deconstructing his motivations and behavior, and telepathically showing him his own memories of religion. This would lead to Written Word realizing the true value of faith when he discovered the horrors perpetuated by corrupt religion, which would in turn lead to him inspiring his soldiers to have faith in themselves and each other so they could get rid of the demons responsible for starting the corrupt religion in the first place. Written Word would ultimately come out of the experience a demi-Alicorn god, who now teaches people in empowering themselves and each other with true faith instead of the blind faith that is common in religion.
• Blow You Away: He's described as having incredibly powerful wind magic. One of his most famous techniques is what his followers and subordinates call "The Wind of Faith", which consists of him turning himself into pure wind energy so he could move around unseen. This allows him to infiltrate even the most fortified places and whisper to mortal individuals, whether to encourage them to do the right thing or to comfort them in their despair. However, he is also capable of nullifying electricity by making airtight wind barriers, boost his own running speed (as well as the speed of others) to Super-Speed with wind, and heal others with wind to a degree by forcefully closing wounds and gently delivering breathable air to those injured who have trouble breathing until proper help arrives. But should he get motivated to attack offensively, he creates powerful cyclones and tornadoes, sharp wind blades, and wind "cones" to pierce his enemies. One of his deadliest attacks consists of him crushing his enemies by quickly increasing air pressure around them; due to how brutal it is, it is only reserved for the worst of his enemies. Written Word can also walk and run across air as if he was doing the same on land, which proves important if his wings are somehow incapacitated, though this requires a tremendous amount of courage and Faith in himself to pull off, especially at extreme heights. His entry notes that his wind magic is related to his divine domain of Truth, and echoes how ideas, concepts, and beliefs can have positive and negative consequences, and how easily they can be spread around.
• Blue Is Heroic: He's described as having a sky-blue pelt that's dappled with white spots, even before his Ascension. He's also a very compassionate, pacifistic, and faithful individual who wants to help people however he can.
• Break the Believer: He once idolized his father, Golden Scepter, to the point where he secretly joined the priesthood partially out of love and devotion to him. However, a combination of witnessing Golden Scepter's flaws up close and having an older brother get permanently blinded in a carriage accident caused Written Word to gradually resent Golden Scepter, until he lost his mother to old age, at which point he snapped. During a heated argument with Golden Scepter, he called him out for not "helping" his family or his subjects, only to accidentally let slip his religious activities in an emotionally vulnerable moment, getting himself in trouble. Golden Scepter would later take Written Word aside and gently deconstruct his motives by explaining to him what he was really doing, and telepathically showed him his own memories and experiences with religious excess, leaving Written Word so shaken that he packed up and left home to do some soul-searching. The adventures he would have - up to his liberation of a backwater Pony kingdom from demons - would lead to him realizing the true value of Faith and Ascend, becoming a demi-Alicorn god.
• Broken Pedestal: Towards Golden Scepter, his father. Because he was such a loving father and a fair, benevolent ruler, Written Word idolized Golden Scepter and saw him as someone who could do no wrong. This partially led to him secretly joining the priesthood, so he could help his subjects by preaching to them his father's virtues and benevolence, both out of love and devotion to Golden Scepter and initial belief that mortal sapientkind can only prosper when guided by benevolent deities. However, he would gradually lose his idolizing behavior after seeing his father's flaws up close; this is justified as Golden Scepter didn't want even his own children to worship him, as it would create Blind Obedience and encourage them to shift blame on others instead of taking responsibility.
  • It's noted by his entry that the first instance of this trope was Golden Scepter telling his sons stories of the Alicorn Civilization's Free-Love Future as well as his own sex life, in response to a question posed by Emerald Lion, who was mentioned to have been going through a "personal phase" at the time. This would leave Written Word traumatized to the point where he would hole himself up in his room and coil himself into a Troubled Fetal Position. Even though his parents comforted him, with Golden Scepter apologizing and confirming that yes, what he said really did happen in his time, Written Word's spotless perception of his father was beginning to crack.
  • The second instance happened when Crimson Star was blinded saving a classmate in a horrible carriage accident. Even though Crimson Star had been an Insufferable Genius prior to that, Written Word was still rather distraught over his older brother's disfigurement, and secretly hoped that Golden Scepter would restore Crimson Star's sight so the latter wouldn't suffer anymore. However, it never happened.
  • The third instance happened when his mother, Blessed Skies, died of old age, as she was a mortal among divines and the Terran Empire's life-extending technologies can only do so much for her. Written Word hoped, especially in his mother's last days, that Golden Scepter would help her Ascend or let her live long enough until she could Ascend on her own. But when he didn't, Written Word unleashed his pent-up grief, resentment, and anger at his father, sparking a heated argument between them. However, Written Word would accidentally reveal his secret religious activities while calling out his father, leaving Golden Scepter shocked and devastated upon learning that one of his beloved sons was breaking the law and encouraging public worship of him behind his back.
  • The fourth and final instance happened when Golden Scepter took Written Word aside, gently deconstructed his motives and behavior, and telepathically showed him his own memories of the horrors perpetuated by religious corruption. Written Word was left so shaken afterwards that he would pack up his things and, with his father's blessing, leave the Terran Empire to do some soul-searching. This would eventually lead to him realizing the true value of faith when he would rescue the occupants of a backwater Pony kingdom from an extremely corrupt and depraved religion, and he would Ascend after inspiring his soldiers to fight the demon hordes by putting faith and trust in each other. When Golden Scepter heard of what happened and visited him, he was noted to be "proud beyond measure", as his son finally matured and saw the truth in what he tried to teach him and his mortal subjects.

C - E

• Calling the Old Man Out: After witnessing some of Golden Scepter's flaws up close and going through a couple of great personal tragedies where Golden Scepter supposedly didn't intervene, Written Word would eventually snap from pent-up resentment, anger, and grief, leading to an argument between them where he would call out his father for not "helping" his family or his subjects. Unfortunately for him, he would accidentally let slip his secret priestly activities during his emotional vulnerability, shocking and devastating Golden Scepter.
• Carry a Big Stick: Because of his martial philosophy, his favorite weapons tend to be maces, with his primary weapon being a spiked "morning star" club that he would carry around the day it was made. This allows him to strike hard and fast if the situation warranted it.
• Close to Home: If it's one thing he hates with a passion, it's corruption, especially if it involves corruption of the religious kind. While he doesn't get furious over it, seeing priests and priestesses willingly abuse their power and position to mislead people for their own gain is still bound to get him mad, and his entry notes he is infamous for publicly humiliating such individuals.
  • In one pre-Ascension incident, when he found an arch-priest forcibly conscripting innocent people from a backwater Pony kingdom to fight "holy wars" in the name of demons disguised as benevolent deities, Written Word proceeded to march towards him, easily pushing through the soldiers trying to keep him away, and gave the arch-priest a very powerful Death Glare before publicly calling him a "liar".
  • Post-Ascension, there was another incident where, after discovering that a Pony priestess was actually an Autorist, he called her out for preaching racial superiority under the guise of a righteous cause and misleading her followers into committing horrible crimes... right in front of said followers, who flew into a collective rage after seeing their leader's true colors. It's noted that while Written Word protected the Pony priestess from being torn apart, he stopped once authorities arrived to arrest her, and the only reason why he protected her at all was out of Cruel Mercy - in his words, "The sheer humiliation she received for her actions would end up hurting her more than whatever her once-adoring crowds had in mind for her."
• The Coats Are Off: While staying in a backwater Pony kingdom, Written Word came across a corrupt arch-priest being about to send off a crowd of innocent civilians that the Church turned into soldiers to their deaths in the name of their gods. Angry and horrified, Written Word approached the arch-priest, completely ignoring any attempts to stop him. And once they were face-to-face, he threw off his worn traveling cloak and humiliated the arch-priest with a single word: "LIAR." This was the moment where Written Word would start liberating the Pony kingdom from its corrupt Church and the demons behind it, which in the end would see him becoming a demi-Alicorn god after realizing the true value of faith and using it to empower his allies.
• Combat Medic: He is a powerful Alicorn demigod and a capable fighter, but he also knows how to heal people to a degree with wind magic, and gains proper healing magic whenever he's empowered by Faith (though its effectiveness depends on how much faith and trust he has in others and vice-versa).
• Cool Uncle:
  • It's mentioned in a few entries that after Mercy was adopted by Red Blade, he began treating her like his own niece, despite her being a sentient divine sword. He's even willing to protect her from the Poenan Pantheon that continuously pursues her. In a Codexverse drabble, Mercy tells him that he looks "super cool" after they both find a religious mural depicting the Terran royal family as a divine pantheon, despite not knowing the implications of this. He nevertheless appreciates the compliment.
  • After both he and Bright Eyes rescued young Rosy Dreams from her father, he became Rosy's uncle after Bright Eyes adopted her as his daughter. His kindness and love helped Rosy gradually recover from years of isolation and sexual abuse, which in turn helped her open up to the rest of her adoptive family.
• Crisis of Faith: He initially idolized Golden Scepter, and believed that mortals can only prosper when guided by benevolent deities like his father, so he secretly joined the priesthood in a misguided attempt to help his mortal subjects, since religious worship centered around Golden Scepter and his family was banned in the Terran Empire. A rather unfortunate combination of personal tragedies (Crimson Star being blinded in an accident and losing his mortal mother to old age), witnessing Golden Scepter's flaws up close, and being set straight by Golden Scepter himself after he accidentally revealed his religious activities to him in a heated argument left Written Word shaken and confused, so he left home and traveled across Equus to do some soul-searching. Then he would end up liberating a backwater Pony kingdom from a corrupt religion and the demons behind it, causing him to realizing the true value of faith as a unifying, empowering force. The newfound resolve he gained from his enlightenment, along with killing a Demon Queen with the help of his allies, led to him becoming a demi-Alicorn god.
• Cruel Mercy: After publicly calling out a Pony Autorist priestess for misleading people into committing horrible crimes against non-Pony entities under the guise of "righteousness", he would protect her from a now-enraged mob of her own followers who saw her true colors, until proper authorities arrived to arrest her. In his words, "The sheer humiliation she received for her actions would end up hurting her more than whatever her once-adoring crowds had in mind for her."
• Dare to Be Badass: His Rousing Speech to his surviving forces during the demon onslaught is basically him reminding his soldiers of the faith and trust they showed a complete stranger who helped them when they needed it, and pleading for them to use that same faith and trust to empower both themselves and each other. It was so successful that the demons were shocked to see it actually worked.
• Dark Is Not Evil: His royal outfit as a Prince consists of black robes and bronze regalia. And during his time as a priest, he wore simple clerical black and white robes. Despite this, he's a very Nice Guy who is dedicated to helping others and inspiring them with faith and trust.
• Death Glare: According to the in-universe biography named after him, he would give a corrupt arch-priest a sharp glare after finding him about to send off a crowd of forcibly-conscripted civilians to their deaths in the name of the "gods". Even while tearing off his traveling cloak and revealing his true identity as a Terran Prince, it was noted that his glare never broke.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype: Of the Magnetic Hero and the Good Shepherd. As a philosopher, Written Word initially believed that only mortals can prosper through divine intervention and joined the priesthood for this reason, even defying the laws banning public worship of his family in secret to do so. However, his entry shows that regardless of his good intentions, he was actually promoting Blind Obedience as he encouraged his subjects to rely on his father, the very thing that Golden Scepter was trying to prevent, since it often leads to religious excess and corruption. In addition, it's noted that Written Word is incredibly naive and at the time unaware of the long-term consequences his actions would lead to, so when he witnessed his father's flaws up close, he grew increasingly frustrated with how Golden Scepter was acting in contrast to his spotless perceptions of him, until the death of his mother (among other tragedies) made him snap and accidentally reveal his religious activities during a heated argument. It took Golden Scepter setting him straight on what he's actually doing and personally seeing the horrors of religious corruption up close for Written Word to realize both his folly and the true value of faith, leading to his Ascension.
• Deity of Human Origin: He was once a mortal pegasus, but would eventually become a demi-Alicorn god by freeing a Pony kingdom from a corrupt religion, realizing the true value of faith, and then magically empowering his allies by inspiring them to have faith and trust in themselves and each other, allowing everyone to defeat a demonic horde led by a Demon Queen. Golden Scepter saw his Ascension as a sign that his religious son finally matured and saw the truth in what he had tried to teach him.
• Detect Evil: His empathy powers work similarly to those possessed by Elske, the Jotunn goddess of Love. He can see a person's state of being through their emotions - as a person becomes more dishonest, corrupt, and insidious, their negative emotions show up in the form of a psychic "rot" that makes their body resemble a decayed, rotting corpse in his eyes, even though the person in question is still very much alive.
• Divine Parentage: Is the thirteenth demi-divine son of Emperor Golden Scepter and Blessed Skies, a mortal pegasus mare. This would make him Long-Lived until he Ascended and became an Alicorn demigod.
• Elemental Hair Composition: Post-Ascension, his white mane and tail transformed formed into wispy, ethereal clouds. He's also a powerful wind mage.
• Elemental Shapeshifter: One of his most famous wind-based techniques is what his followers and subordinates call "The Wind of Faith", which consists of turning himself into pure wind energy so he could move around unseen. This allows him to infiltrate even the most fortified places and whisper to mortal individuals, whether to encourage them to do the right thing or to comfort them in their despair. This echoes how ideas, beliefs, and concepts can easily be carried and spread across countries and worlds.
• The Empath: He inherited psychic empathy from his father, but becoming the divine embodiment of Truth enhanced it beyond its typical emotion-reading abilities. Much like Elske, the Jotunn goddess of Love, he exhibits a comforting empathic aura that ebbs negative emotions and calms people down (though he can turn it off anytime). He can also see a person's state of being through their emotions - as a person becomes more dishonest, corrupt, and insidious, their negative emotions show up in the form of a rot that makes their body resemble a decayed, rotting corpse in his eyes, even though the person in question is still very much alive.
• Enlightenment Superpowers: He became a demi-Alicorn god by realizing the true value of faith as a way to empower oneself and other people, and rallying the survivors of his Pony army against a demon onslaught with a Rousing Speech, allowing everyone to fight the demons more effectively.
• Evil Makes You Monstrous: How his empathy powers allow him to Detect Evil - the more a person becomes more dishonest, corrupt, and insidious, the more they begin resembling a decayed, rotting corpse, as their negative emotions show themselves in the form of a psychic "rot" that only Written Word can see.
• Expy: Of Primarch Lorgar Aurelian. Like Lorgar, Written Word would idolize his divine father and essentially worship him as a god, and became a priest to preach to his subjects the virtues and benevolence displayed by his father. And like Lorgar, his religious activities were eventually exposed, causing him to be disciplined by his father. However, the similarities would stop there - because Golden Scepter was gentle yet firm in explaining to his son the folly of promoting public worship of him and his family, Written Word never turned evil. Instead, he would realize the true value of faith as a unifying, empowering force after doing some soul-searching outside his home, which would lead to him Ascending after he inspired the residents of a backwater Pony kingdom to have faith and trust in each other. Written Word would also become a staunch enemy of Demonkind and corruption in general due to witnessing the horrors perpetuated by both, making him more similar to RH!Lorgar in terms of character; a significant moment in his Character Development involved his public humiliation of a corrupt priest who was about to use a group of barely-trained civilians as military cannon fodder for his "holy war".

F - I

• Foil:
  • He's one to his older brother, Prince Steel Barricade.
    • Both of them are talented intellectuals who have done well in many academic subjects, but their educations would diverge; Written Word focused on philosophy and religion, while Steel Barricade focused on science and technology. It's noted that they would become close despite this, however.
    • Written Word is a very Nice Guy and a former priest whose compassion, generosity, selflessness, and patience attracted people to him because he was genuinely willing to help them out and do nice things for them, even if he doesn't get something in return. However, he was also very naive and, according to his brothers, "easily fooled"; he unknowingly encouraged Blind Obedience by preaching his father's values to his subjects, until he was set straight by Golden Scepter and later witnessed his soldiers helplessly crying for divine help when they were badly losing against demons, forcing Written Word to realize that his father was right. Steel Barricade is a stoic and coldly logical, yet ultimately benevolent and heroic Prince; according to Palatine Phoenix, he was once an Attention Whore who craves fame and recognition for his accomplishments and work, but he's also an Insufferable Genius who was contemptuous of those he deemed beneath his intelligence, and initially resented those he thought would upstage him, such as his older brother, Clear Voice. However, he would become much empathetic and kinder after he was exiled and ended up in the Tauren Peninsula, where years of dealing with war and atrocities committed by the highly corrupt royalty and nobility caused him to brutally murder them all in an explosive rage.
    • Written Word's appearance post-Ascension echoes his spiritual beliefs, with a white mane and tail made of clouds and a sky-blue pelt with white ethereal spots resembling a bright sky. Steel Barricade's appearance post-Ascension represents something more logical and tangible, with his silver-colored dreadlocks being literally made of rippling liquid silver, and his pelt and wings being the color of steel.
    • Both of them would Ascend in situations that involved inspiration and death, but the order of the circumstances would be reversed - after realizing the true value of faith during his Darkest Hour, Written Word would inspire his soldiers to have faith and trust in each other with a rallying speech that magically empowered everyone, enhancing their physical capabilities and magic. This allowed them to kill the demon hordes infesting a backwater Pony kingdom. After Steel Barricade snapped and brutally murdered the corrupt king and nobility of a Tauren Pony city-state in an explosive fit of rage, he finally learned the value of empathy and humility as he felt guilt towards his actions and realized that a similar fate awaited him if he didn't change his ways. After a successful and peaceful reign as King, he would give up his throne and turned his city-state into a democracy by inspiring his subjects to create great things, and teaching his subjects how to govern themselves, allowing him to Ascend.
  • To Blue Suede Heartstrings: Written Word was born into royalty as a demi-divine pegasus son of Emperor Golden Scepter, and has many older/younger brothers, while Blue Suede was born poor to mortal parents with a stillborn older twin brother (though he wouldn't meet said twin brother until later). Both were heavily influenced by religion, with Written Word initially being a popular priest who believed mortals could only prosper under benevolent divine guidance but was forced to keep it secret, whereas Blue Suede is a humble and kind devotee whose faith is extremely well-known by the public. Both reacted to their mothers' deaths in different ways - Written Word resented Golden Scepter for not "helping" his mother avoid death and verbally lashed out at him in a heated argument, while Blue Suede turned his grief inward and developed self-destructive habits like uncontrolled Big Eater habits (which he eventually stopped after dreaming about getting fat in old age). Their turning points came from interactions with ancient Alicorns - Golden Scepter gently set Written Word straight on what he was really promoting after learning of his activities, which later led to Written Word realizing the true value of faith and Ascending to demi-godhood. Blue Suede grew so embittered and disillusioned with music after being horrifically abused by a corrupt manager that he nearly became a recluse, when he met and was encouraged by Luminiferous to continue playing music, which kicked off events that led to his own Ascension. And while Written Word is fine with holding the title of Prince, Blue Suede is too humble to accept it... until he learned that it's okay to feel pride following a very traumatic psychological breakdown, upon which he let himself be crowned as Prince Caerulus Melodia and married Prince Stoltur, the Deer-Draconequus god of Pride, after joining the Equestrian Pantheon.
• Freudian Excuse: Inverted. His exposure to the horrors brought on by religious excess and corruption was what led him to become a staunch enemy of Demonkind and corruption in general. His entry notes that he's infamous for crushing and humiliating priests who misuse their position and authority to commit depravities for their own gain.
• Friend to All Children: It's noted in an in-universe biography about him that his kindness and compassion eventually won over the children of a backwater Pony kingdom he was staying in. Every time he would come outside, the children would flock him, asking him to play with them and tell them stories of his homeland.
• Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: He initially distrusted the Bogolenya Deer pantheon because of the presence of Evil deities like Temnobog and the Four Terrors, and is utterly baffled why Golden Scepter, his father, is good friends with them despite being a god who embodies Ponykind's best traits. Golden Scepter would explain to Written Word that he actually embodies Ponykind's best and worst traits, which constantly requires a "balance check" in order to rule well, and that Temnobog and his children, unlike most Evil deities, are dedicated to using Evil for a higher purpose as in Equus, Good Needs Evil to prosper. Written Word would eventually come to accept and tolerate Temnobog and his children, even (ironically) finding a fellow philosopher in Phykti, and understands the purpose of the Temnoism philosophy despite not really agreeing with its methods.
• Good Shepherd: He became one after he secretly joined the Terran Empire's underground priesthood. Because he was so compassionate and generous, and always listened to people's problems without judging anyone, Written Word was very popular and got approached the most out of all the priests. However, while he did have good intentions, as he sought to help his subjects by preaching about Golden Scepter's virtues, he was actually encouraging his subjects to heavily rely on Golden Scepter to the point where they would refuse to take personal responsibility, instead preferring to shift blame onto someone else. After Written Word was set straight by Golden Scepter and he left to do some soul-searching, he would eventually realize the true value of faith as an unifying, empowering force when he witnessed the horrors of religious corruption in a backwater Pony kingdom and rallied its civilians behind him to fight the demon infestation. Post-Ascension, he would see his religious activities as folly and now preaches "true" faith rather than the Blind Obedience that religion often encourages and/or enables - for one, his military chapter, the Word Bearers, has been described as "a tight-knit community" because Written Word taught his subordinates to put trust and faith in both their leader and each other, influencing them to become almost like family.
• Healing Hands:
  • He can do this to a degree with his wind magic by forcefully closing wounds, and gently delivering breathable air to those whose injuries make breathing difficult.
  • His Faith domain gives him proper healing magic, though its potency and effectiveness depends on how much faith and trust he has in himself and his allies, and vice-versa.
• Heroic Lineage: He is the thirteenth son of Golden Scepter, an antediluvian Alicorn Emperor who is an incredibly powerful psychic, a peerless genius and warrior, and a very competent leader who founded three empires in his lifetime. In addition, he's regarded as a legendary war hero even among the Alicorns, who were all saved from complete extinction thanks to his efforts. It is believed in-universe that he embodies a certain aspect of his father, namely Golden Scepter's conviction and ability to inspire.
• Holy Hand Grenade: He inherited his power of purification from Golden Scepter, but unlike his father, whose powers manifest as holy fire, Written Word's powers manifest as light. While it, too, burns away corrupt influences, which makes him a nightmare against demonic and other fell individuals, it can also eliminate certain poisons from an afflicted target(s)' body. It's noted that as he continues experimenting with his powers, Written Word has since weaponized them in a few ways to differentiate himself from his father, such as throwing "shards" of purifying light from a distance, or manifesting it as other weapons such as spears, staffs, and maces.
• Hypocrite: Granted, part of his reason for becoming a priest was to answer a question he long wanted to answer, but Written Word genuinely (and naively) wanted to help his subjects by preaching to them his father's divinity and virtue, believing that mortals could only prosper when guided by benevolent deities. This is despite being someone who likes philosophy because it encourages people to think deeply and ask questions that everyone is afraid to ask. Fortunately, Written Word would get better after he was set straight by Golden Scepter, which would lead to him realizing the true value of faith and inspiring his makeshift armies to have faith in each other while they fought a demon horde to liberate a backwater Pony kingdom from its corrupt religion. The result was Written Word turning into a demi-Alicorn god.
• Immune to Mind Control: His divine domain of Truth allows him to resist various types of mind manipulation magics, such as Geass magic, as well as glamours and illusions, making them almost completely useless against him. In the case of the latter two, he can also detect and destroy them.

J - O

• Karmic Jackpot: During one of his travels, Written Word came across a backwater Pony kingdom, and naturally, he would help out the locals just like how he would help out his subjects back in the Terran Empire, even though said locals distrusted him at the time for looking shady. Eventually, Written Word's kindness would pay off in a huge way - after rescuing a crowd of civilians who were forcibly conscripted by the Church to fight another pointless war, he would later inspire his surviving soldiers to empower each other with the same faith and trust that they showed him, allowing everyone to defeat and kill the demons responsible for the kingdom's corruption. This would directly lead to Written Word's Ascension, and though he passed out afterwards from untreated injuries and sheer exhaustion, he was able to get prompt medical attention because he had done so much to help everyone.
• King Incognito: Prince variation; after leaving home to do some soul-searching, Written Word would travel across the world, hiding his identity with a worn traveling cloak. Because of his shady appearance, the residents of the backwater Pony kingdom Written Word visited were initially distrustful of him, but gradually warmed up to him the longer he stayed and helped them out, like carrying water buckets to lighten the load and healing wounded hearts. However, his then-unknown identity at the time caused people to speculate of his then-unknown origins, and why he left his homelands in the first place. When Written Word learned of the atrocities of the kingdom's corrupt Church and confronted the arch-priest who was about to send a crowd of forcibly-conscripted civilians to their deaths in the name of the "gods", he would finally tear off his cloak in front of everyone, revealing himself as a Prince of the Terran Empire. Later, when he and his makeshift armies were fighting the demons responsible for the kingdom's corrupt religion, Written Word would inspire his surviving soldiers by reminding them of how they put faith and trust in a complete stranger without knowing his name or that he's royalty, and instructing them to use that same faith and trust to empower each other. This would lead to the demons' defeat, and Written Word becoming an Alicorn.
• Loved by All: Even before his Ascension, Written Word was a beloved and popular individual within the Terran Empire because he was so compassionate, supportive, and helpful. And during his stint as a priest, he became the one who was approached the most because he never judged his subjects and always had advice for their woes. His older and younger brothers both loved and respected him for helping them during their time of need, though it gets deconstructed when they were willing to keep Written Word's religious activities a secret from Golden Scepter despite public worship of Golden Scepter and his family being officially banned by law, because they didn't want to break their brother's heart. Written Word still gets in trouble anyway after accidentally revealing his activities during a heated argument with his father, and learning of his other sons' secrecy would get Golden Scepter mad at them for not telling him sooner. However, after leaving home to do some soul-searching and realizing the true value of faith during a battle against demonic forces, Written Word would truly become a respected and beloved hero who is admired by even more people, even if he does leave the priesthood after Ascending.
• Magic Hair: After becoming a demi-Alicorn god, his white mane and tail transformed into rippling, ethereal, and wispy white clouds. It fits, as he is a powerful and skilled wind mage. The white patches on his blue pelt also became ethereal, making him look like a walking patch of the bright sky.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Messenger of Faith", due to being a former priest who is both a badass demigod warrior, and someone who teaches people the value of "true" faith rather than blind faith that he himself unknowingly encouraged in the past.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: Is the thirteenth-born son out of Golden Scepter and Blessed Skies' demi-divine children, and has twelve older brothers and six younger brothers.
• Mass "Oh, Crap!": Invoked. Written Word's Rousing Speech to his surviving soldiers about putting faith and trust in themselves and each other unexpectedly resulted in everyone being magically empowered enough to effectively take on the demon onslaught. The demons themselves were shocked that what Written Word did actually worked, and then some.
• Mysterious Past: In-universe; the biography based on his adventures noted that when he arrived at the very Pony kingdom he would end up saving, its inhabitants made a few theories based on what Written Word, then an anonymous traveling stranger, was willing to tell them. The fact that his family consisted of "a father, many brothers, and a long-deceased mother", and that he came from a far-away land, caused some to speculate that a terrible crime or a heated spat caused him to leave. Hilariously, it turned out they were only half-right.
• Mystical White Hair: He was born with a white mane and tail, as well as white spots on his sky-blue pelt. After Ascending to demi-Alicornhood, his mane and tail transformed into ethereal, rippling white clouds, representing his newfound divinity and power. The white spots on his blue pelt also became ethereal.
• Not Quite Flight: His entry notes that he can use his wind magic to walk and/or run on air as if he's doing the same on land, which can be incredibly useful if his wings are somehow incapacitated. However, it requires lots of faith and courage in himself to pull off, especially if he's very high up. His older brother, Crimson Star was apparently flabbergasted when he learned his brother showed off this ability for the first time, wondering how he flew "without flying".
• Old Shame: In-universe. He once secretly joined the priesthood out of genuine yet misguided belief that he could help his mortal subjects by preaching his father's values, thus allowing his subjects to prosper under the hooves of a benevolent deity. After Golden Scepter set him straight on what he's actually doing and he later personally witnessed the consequences of religious corruption/excess, he now regards his past stint as a priest as an embarrassment. This is evident when he and his adoptive 'niece', Mercy, find a mural depicting the Terran royal family as a divine pantheon, which makes him uncomfortable.
  Prince Written Word: Another religious depiction of us... Makes me wish I never joined the priesthood in the first place.
  Mercy: To be honest, though, I think you guys look super cool, Uncle Word.
  Prince Written Word: ...Thank you, Mercy.

P - S

• Papa Wolf:
  • Mercy's entry mentions that he and his older/younger brothers love her as part of the family, and are all extremely willing to protect her from the Poenan Pantheon.
  • His protectiveness also extends to Rosy Dreams, a psychic Earth pony filly; when he and Bright Eyes traced her telepathic calls for help to the mansion she was isolated and sexually abused in by her own father, they rescued Rosy while apprehending/arresting her father. He also, with Crimson Star's help, worked with Bright Eyes in freeing Rosy from her own mind and fighting the monstrous dream entity keeping her prisoner, allowing her to wake from her coma in the real world once said entity was killed.
• Parental Sexuality Squick: When Golden Scepter told his sons stories of both the ancient Alicorns' Free-Love Future and his father's own sex life, Written Word was so disgusted and traumatized that he responded by holing himself up in his room. He would later be found there in a Troubled Fetal Position. Golden Scepter would later apologize to him for traumatizing him and his brothers with such sensitive information, though he would also confirm that everything he told them actually happened in his time. It's noted that the incident started the process of Broken Pedestal that Written Word would feel towards his father.
• Personality Powers: It's noted that much of his powers reflect his personality and beliefs.
  • He is a very kind, selfless, and empathetic stallion who wants to help others, even if he'll get nothing in return, and usually seeks non-violent solutions to problems. He can heal people with both wind and Faith-based magics, and he's a powerful telepath and empath who can read people's thoughts and emotions in order to understand and help them better.
  • During his stint as a priest, he unknowingly encouraged Blind Obedience to Golden Scepter by preaching his father's values in a well-meaning attempt to help his subjects, but has realized the true value of faith and has since worked in spreading faith and trust to others. As the Alicorn demigod of Faith, he can empower people around him simply by trusting and believing in them, enhancing their physical and magical capabilities, and giving them the power to heal others. The reverse also happens if people believe in him as well. He can also spread the idea of faith with what is called "The Wind of Faith", in which he turns into pure wind energy so he could infiltrate even the most fortified places, inspire people to do the right thing, or comfort them in their despair.
  • Despite his nice yet unassuming demeanor, he is a Technical Pacifist known for being a staunch opponent of Demonkind and corruption, especially if the latter involves the religious kind. As the Alicorn demigod of Purification, he has powerful purification abilities that can burn away corrupting influences and certain poisons, which makes him a nightmare for demons and even Fallen deities.
  • As a philosopher, he is a thoughtful individual and because of his experiences with religious corruption, he only wants to seek the truth to all things. Thus, he doesn't tolerate people perverting noble concepts and ideas, or misleading others with bad ideas disguised as good ones, and will swiftly deal with such individuals himself. He can use his empathy to Detect Evil in people's hearts by seeing their sins manifest as physical rot, making such individuals look like living corpses, while using telepathy to invoke confessions from those whose hearts are wicked to expose them. And as the Alicorn demigod of Truth, he can make himself Immune to Mind Control, allowing him to resist magic that deal with mind alteration. He can also detect the presence of glamours, and see illusions as magical walls, allowing him to dispel and literally shatter them.
• Post-Victory Collapse: Justified. Though he and his makeshift armies did poorly against the demons that held sway over a backwater Pony kingdom, Written Word managed to magically empower his soldiers with a Rousing Speech, eventually leading to the defeat of the demons and the death of their Queen. Written Word's heroics warranted his Ascension to demi-Alicornhood, but a combination of sheer exhaustion and various untreated injuries meant that he would run out of steam afterwards and collapse. Thankfully, he survived due to receiving medical treatment after the battle, and he would wake up later to the extreme joy of his visiting father and brothers.
• Power of Trust: Justified; one of his divine domains is Faith, which magically empowers both him and his allies to incredible degrees, granting them stronger magic and enhanced physical abilities as long as they continue to display faith and trust in themselves and each other. Written Word also gains proper healing abilities through this domain, though its effectiveness largely depends on how much faith he has in others, and vice-versa. He would Ascend into this domain by realizing the true value of faith, and empowering his surviving Pony soldiers by inspiring them to have faith and trust in each other so everyone could continue fighting the demons corrupting their kingdom.
• Psychic Powers: He inherited Telepathy and empathy from his father, Golden Scepter, who also had those powers himself. It's implied that these powers are what allowed him discern the sins of a corrupt arch-priest during his stay in a backwater Pony kingdom, as he would call him a "liar" shortly after encountering him. After he became an demi-Alicorn god and became the living embodiment of Truth, his telepathic and empathic abilities were enhanced tenfold to the point where he can invoke confessions, and see people as living corpses the more evil and insidious they are.
• Really Royalty Reveal: While confronting the corrupt arch-priest who was about to send a crowd of forcibly-conscripted and barely-trained soldiers to fight yet another pointless "holy war", he would tear off his traveling cloak in front of everyone, unveiling himself as a demi-divine Prince of the Terran Empire.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: A canonized Codexverse quote has him give a vicious one to a Pony priestess who turned out to be an Autorist, misleading her followers into committing acts of racial supremacy under the guise of a righteous cause.
  Prince Written Word: You LIAR. Preaching racial supremacy to your people in the guise of righteousness, misleading them to believe that what horrific crimes they would do were for the greater good, while YOU ALONE revel in the cruelty you perpetuate... You are a DISGRACE to your position and title.
• Reincarnation: It's implied that he is a reincarnation of one of Golden Scepter's Imperium-era Golden Generals - specifically General Faithful Belief, who turned against Golden Scepter the latter put an entire city to the torch and thoroughly disavowed Faithful Belief's... beliefs as punishment for encouraging public deification of him. This trope ends up being discussed when a heated argument with Written Word later causes Golden Scepter to wonder if all of his sons, including Written Word, are reincarnations of the same Generals that he had "treated so poorly". Luminiferous assures him that even if they are, all of his sons are still unique individuals with their own thoughts and feelings, and he has enough knowledge and experience to ensure that they'll have the "brighter future" that his Golden Generals did not. True to form, it's because of Golden Scepter's good parenting that Written Word would eventually realize his folly of encouraging religious devotion and promote true faith instead, avoiding the past mistakes made by Faithful Belief and leading to his Ascension.
• Rousing Speech: Because he (supposedly) embodies Golden Scepter's conviction and ability to inspire, Written Word is able to make grandiose and impassioned speeches that inspire people to do the right thing, boost morale, and break his listeners out of their stupor. His entry explains that his ability to give these kind of speeches is due to being an empath, which makes him very in tune with other people's emotions, as well as his own. Thus, Written Word is fairly easy to upset, especially when confronted with situations of profound suffering and despair. One particular incident that occurred before his Ascension had him give a speech to his surviving army of Pony soldiers after watching them alternate between crying for a divine savior and letting themselves get killed by the demons in despair, which made Written Word realize the true value of faith, rather than simply its religious aspects. This induces a Mass "Oh, Crap!" reaction from the demons themselves upon seeing that his speech actually worked.
  Prince Written Word: BROTHERS AND SISTERS-IN-ARMS! You, your friends, and your loved ones have spent your ENTIRE LIVES under the cruel dogma of tyranny, wallowing in despair and hopelessness, only to cry to the heavens for help once you are finally FREED! If that is what your former leaders taught you to do, then... NO MORE! You all got this far because you decided to put your trust and faith in a complete stranger who came to your homes one day, and helped you when you needed it most! So I ask for you- no, I PLEAD for you to take that same trust and faith you previously showed me, and use them to empower yourselves! Empower EACH OTHER! For when we are standing together, united as ONE... NOTHING COULD HOPE OR DARE TO TRY STOP US!
• Saying Too Much: During a heated argument with Golden Scepter, he accidentally revealed his secret religious activities while calling out his father for not "helping" his family or his subjects. He would regret it immediately. However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it eventually led to Written Word realizing the folly of religious devotion and Ascending because of it.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Deconstructed. He defied the laws banning public worship of his family in secret because he wanted to show his love and devotion to his father, and because he believed he could help his mortal subjects by preaching Golden Scepter's values to them. However, Golden Scepter put said laws in place because he didn't want his subjects to rely on him so much or fall into religious stagnation, excess, and corruption as he had witnessed many times in the past. When Written Word accidentally revealed his religious activities during a heated argument with him, Golden Scepter set his son straight by explaining to him what he's actually doing and telepathically showing him his own memories and experiences with religion. Written Word was so shaken that he left home, with his father's blessing, to do some soul-searching.
• Semi-Divine: Has a demi-divine heritage by virtue of his father, Golden Scepter, being an extremely ancient and powerful Alicorn god. After he Ascended, he himself became an Alicorn demigod, the Codexverse equivalent of an infant divine.
• Shaming the Mob: As he is (supposedly) the embodiment of Golden Scepter's ability to inspire others, this has happened a few times.
  • Once, together with his friend, Prince Ivory Star, Written Word hijacked a Poenan church sermon held by a mortal priest of the Poenan goddess Lamperielpida and managed to convince the attendees to turn away from the Poenan faith by making them question the beliefs they were taught, and asking them if being ruthlessly persecuted for even minor crimes and mistakes is what they or anyone else would want.
  • Written Word also furiously lambasted a religious Terran congregation of Mag'nean religions for portraying the 'King in Heaven' as a psychopathic, egomanical tyrant who demands submissive, fanatical worship/obedience from his worshipers. His speech effectively shamed the entire sect, convincing many worshipers to leave while the priests changed their texts and tune to properly reflect the King in Heaven's merciful and fatherly love for his 'children'.
    Prince Written Word: The King in Heaven that you worshipped... he does NOT demand blind obedience. He is not a harsh slave-master or robot-maker who wants his keep creation ignorant, childlike and compliant to his whims and wishes. He wanted his children to think for themselves, to take the effort and responsibility to learn from the world and from their own deeds and follies, and in doing so, become better, and make the world a better place. He was a parent who wanted his children to grow up, and be able to find their own way in the world... let this be how he is revered.
• Sibling Team: He would team up with his older/younger brothers on numerous occasions.
  • In one incident, he teamed up with Fanged Paw in fighting and killing Onda Ryggraden, an evil Deer Lich warrior/pirate who was worshiped as a "god" and summoned to sow terror by a clan of fallen and malicious warriors.
  • During the "Storm King Crisis", Written Word would work closely with another older brother, Bright Eyes, in inspiring Faith and Hope in the mortal populace by protecting those caught in the crossfire, and motivating soldiers by giving them a reason to continue fighting. His entry notes that it's not the first time this happened, as they had teamed up in the past.
  • He would work with Bright Eyes again when they heard telepathic calls for help coming from Rosy Dreams, a psychic Earth pony filly. First, they would track her down to the mansion where Rosy was abused and isolated in for years, and after rescuing her, they would apprehend and arrest Sweet Words, Rosy's sexually abusive father. After that, they would rescue Rosy from a magically-induced coma by enlisting Crimson Star to help them mind-walk into her dream world, and fight the dream entity Sweet Words created to prevent his daughter from escaping.
• So Proud of You: When Golden Scepter heard news of a demon infestation and that one of his sons became an Alicorn, he would go visit the Pony kingdom that Written Word had just liberated. It's noted that he was "proud beyond measure" after learning what Written Word had been up to since leaving home, as to him, it's a sign that his son had finally matured and saw the truth in what he tried to teach him about the folly of religious worship.
• Super-Speed: He can temporarily invoke this effect by boosting his own speed with wind magic. The same thing applies to any ally he boosts.

T - Z

• Technical Pacifist: Described as such in his entry. He is a powerful Alicorn demigod who knows how to fight and crush his enemies, but because of his compassion, he prefers to seek non-violent solutions to problems. However, he acknowledges the necessity of killing even if he doesn't enjoy it, which is why his martial philosophy is "Speak softly and carry a big stick", where he won't hesitate to strike hard and fast if need be. His chapter, the Word Bearers, take after him - it's mentioned in his entry that those who underestimate them tend to pay dearly for it.
• Telepathy: He's a powerful telepath due to his Truth domain enhancing his existing psychic powers. In addition to mind-reading and psychic communication, he can invoke confessions from people by slowly breaking down their psychological inhibitions, which he combines with his natural kindness and speaking skills, making his target(s) feel at ease with being open with themselves as well as their horrible actions and traits. This is a rather effective way in helping people deal with problems they're unable or unwilling to deal with. However, he can brute-force confessions out of his targets by bringing their worst actions and memories to the forefront, though he only saves this for those who deserve it. However, this will not work on those who have strong psychic shields or those who are deeply insane, such as the zombified pony, Grey Hoof.
• Too Much Information: Apparently, he would hole himself up in his room and get into a Troubled Fetal Position after Golden Scepter told his sons stories about the Alicorn Civilization's Free-Love Future as well as his own sex life. Golden Scepter would later apologize to him for traumatizing him and his brothers with such sensitive information, but it was noted that this was when the process of Broken Pedestal towards his father started.
• Tornado Move: One thing he can do with his wind magic is create powerful cyclones and tornadoes, should he get motivated to attack offensively.
• Troubled Fetal Position: He was later found holed up in his room coiled in this position, after Golden Scepter told his sons stories about both the Alicorn Civilization's Free-Love Future and his own sex life.
• True Companions: Justified. Written Word's military chapter, the Word Bearers, are described by his entry as being more like a family than a chapter. This is because Written Word taught his subordinates not to rely on him so much, as it encourages Blind Obedience, instead putting faith and trust in both their leader and each other. This resulted in them gaining a reputation for being a tight-knit community.
• Turn to Religion: A combination of idolizing Golden Scepter for being a loving father and benevolent deity, and trying to answer the question whether mortal sapientkind is capable of governing themselves without divine help or not, influenced Written Word into secretly joining the priesthood. This would get him in trouble when he accidentally revealed it during a heated argument with Golden Scepter later on, as religious worship of the royal family was officially banned in the Terran Empire. Golden Scepter set him straight by gently deconstructing his motives and behavior, and telepathically showed his son his own memories of religion, leaving Written Word quite shaken. This kicked off a process of Character Development in which Written Word realized the true value of faith after rescuing a backwater Pony kingdom from a demon-influenced religion during one of his travels across Equus, ultimately leading to his Ascension.
• Walking the Earth:
  • Much like what Golden Scepter had done years before, Written Word would travel across Equus. Though in his case, it was to search for answers to his existence and purpose in life, after a double-whammy of having his motives and actions deconstructed by his father for getting involved in religion, as well as being telepathically shown his father's own memories involving religious excess. This would ultimately lead to his Ascension when he came across a Pony kingdom that was suffering from an extremely corrupt religion during one of his travels, and realized the true value of faith while saving said kingdom from the demons that created its religion.
  • It's noted by his entry that post-Ascension, he had grown to love traveling and would continue to do so when not attending to his royal duties. He would be accompanied by either the Word Bearers, his military chapter, Prince Sparkling Wing, or his brothers.
• What the Hell, Hero?: After learning that Fanged Paw gave Crimson Star such a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown that the latter had to be taken to the royal infirmary to recover, Written Word would call out the former on his bullying, because even if Crimson Star had previously been an arrogant and insufferable jerk, he's still one of his brothers, and Written Word didn't agree with how Crimson Star was badly treated after he was blinded in a carriage accident. It was noted that at this point, Fanged Paw had started regretting his actions so deeply that he didn't even argue back.
• White Hair, Black Heart: Averted. Despite having a white mane and tail, as well as white spots on his blue pelt, he's actually a very compassionate, kind, and helpful stallion.
• Winged Unicorn: He eventually became a demi-Alicorn god after realizing the true value of faith, inspiring his surviving soldiers to have faith and trust in each other, and killing a horde of demons and their Queen with the help of his forces.

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