[August Prompt] Propaganda

3. Mages may be depicted, but shouldn’t be painted as heroes.

Corraine was a traveler, moving from town to town, never overstaying her welcome in one place or another. During the summer months, she was more easily tolerated—the villages experienced more visitors, and she could more easily be lost among the crowd, especially now that her magic had grown to a point where she could control the noxious odor of her fungal magic more efficiently. So, wherever she stayed, she could stay for longer and truly get to know the town where she resided, rather than passing by too quickly to truly experience it. She had been residing in the town of Stonebrush for a few weeks now thanks to the kindness of a retired Order mage who had offered her a place to stay, and felt she had a good handle on the atmosphere of the bustling village.

Walking through the town square, Corraine had come to understand that, In Stonebrush, she would get some odd looks. Given her fungal-wrapped form, this was nothing new to her, so, though she shrank back away from the worst stares, she could generally let it slide. She knew trust in mages was low here. The destruction caused by corrupted mages had hit the village hard, disrupting the supply lines that purchased the mined material that made up the town’s major export. So, the people here didn’t care much for mages—though, thankfully, her peaceful ways had earned a modicum of trust, and so she only got weird looks rather than chased out of town.

Just about everyone from the village had gathered in the town square below the rickety stage, eagerly anticipating their performance. Corraine had decided to attend despite her better judgement, curiosity having gotten the better of her-- she had fully expected the mage-praising thespians to be chased off the stage with tomatoes to the jeers of the crowd. She had been certain she was about to witness an angry mob, but instead was met with entranced townsfolk oo-ing and ah-ing as the actors depicted powerful mages take down the great beast. Even when the performance showed the destruction brought by the mage’s powers during the hunt, the people paid no mind and still cheered on the victory of the magic users. To Corraine, it made no sense. Why was a town so hurt by the poor handling of a monster by the mages so quick to forget it if it happened on a stage?

Corraine noticed it later, too—in a town that had previously given her suspicious looks, she, one of the few mages, was now treated like a hero too, even though she had had nothing to do with the hunts. Shopkeepers thanked her for her service (she was too shy she to say she had done nothing to deserve their thanks), and the tavernkeeper paid for her drink. For the few days after the play, the townsfolk smiled at her when she walked. It was completely different to how she had been treated before, all because they had seen a play depicting mage heroics.

Though perhaps she should have been grateful, Corraine hated the sudden change. These people had witnessed propaganda and decided to practically worship the ground mages walked upon. Even if the mage had done nothing for them. They didn’t know if she was a good person, yet simply for her magic, she was treated well now. What if she had been greedy, or willing to manipulate these people? With their sudden trust in her, she could have scammed or hurt someone easily.

So, Corraine came to dislike the propaganda of the summer theater. Mages were many things, but to presume them to be heroes was an invitation for disaster.