Written By Teagan
Feb. 4, 2019, 8:35 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
How many children would you sacrifice to see your goal achieved?
How many would you be allow another sacrifice and still name them your hero? Would it matter who the child belonged to? Or is it easier if the child is not yours? Can we rally behind a cause and ignore the fields running red so long as the cause is one near and dear to our heart? Is blood shed acceptable so long as the end result is the result we champion?
My blood is more valid than your blood... Or is it their blood is more valid than the blood over there, perhaps, because how many of us are willing to shed our own, in the end? Oh, surely, many of us are fighters ourselves, but when we call to arms it is not merely ourselves that answer the cry. It is us, our brothers, our sisters, our friends, and many we do not know.
So whose blood is acceptable upon the field? 'No one's' is the answer of cowards. We know we march towards war. Blood will be shed.
I choose the blood of those willing to shed it at my side.
I choose the blood of those who would shed it for a better future.
I choose the blood of those who speak out against human sacrifice, rather than excusing it.
How many would you be allow another sacrifice and still name them your hero? Would it matter who the child belonged to? Or is it easier if the child is not yours? Can we rally behind a cause and ignore the fields running red so long as the cause is one near and dear to our heart? Is blood shed acceptable so long as the end result is the result we champion?
My blood is more valid than your blood... Or is it their blood is more valid than the blood over there, perhaps, because how many of us are willing to shed our own, in the end? Oh, surely, many of us are fighters ourselves, but when we call to arms it is not merely ourselves that answer the cry. It is us, our brothers, our sisters, our friends, and many we do not know.
So whose blood is acceptable upon the field? 'No one's' is the answer of cowards. We know we march towards war. Blood will be shed.
I choose the blood of those willing to shed it at my side.
I choose the blood of those who would shed it for a better future.
I choose the blood of those who speak out against human sacrifice, rather than excusing it.
Written By Victus
Feb. 4, 2019, 7:47 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
I have nothing substantial to add to the arguments over the next few days, but there is something I wish dearly that would stop being conflated.
If you are a land holder within the Mourning Isles, do not act as though thralldom is meant to be beneficial for the ones within the system. Thralldom was conceived as a means of lawful punishment for criminals and those taken in war. Perhaps that is not how you specifically choose to treat them, perhaps you exercise differing rights and that is your right as a vassal.
But don't act like you do not have indentured peoples. Because that is what they are.
Thralldom is built upon repaying one's debt to society that is decided upon by ruling lords in their domains. You are not treating these people well by making their servitude more comforting for as long as they are forced into it. They are still /indentured/ and their quality of life would be vastly better if they were not so. There is no denying that and you look foolish if you try.
If you are a land holder within the Mourning Isles, do not act as though thralldom is meant to be beneficial for the ones within the system. Thralldom was conceived as a means of lawful punishment for criminals and those taken in war. Perhaps that is not how you specifically choose to treat them, perhaps you exercise differing rights and that is your right as a vassal.
But don't act like you do not have indentured peoples. Because that is what they are.
Thralldom is built upon repaying one's debt to society that is decided upon by ruling lords in their domains. You are not treating these people well by making their servitude more comforting for as long as they are forced into it. They are still /indentured/ and their quality of life would be vastly better if they were not so. There is no denying that and you look foolish if you try.
Written By Amund
Feb. 4, 2019, 7:03 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
Promises, especially those that are given in return for conditions to be met, are empty without a first gesture of goodwill, especially among the unknown. Trust is built and respect is earned. One may respect anyone whose craft involves the taking of lives, but can one trust her? As a sellsword, I know that being of negotiable loyalties arouses suspicion, maybe even derision. It doesn't matter whether you are selective about your contracts or not. And even so, it takes respect for your own craft so the people making contracts with you to lend you trust beyond the initial. Consistency is the best approach to business. So you show that you're competent, and that you're good on your part of the bargain; then business comes your way. On a tangent from that, however...
How long can one live before they lose every shred of humanity left in them, and all they've got are their instinct to survive and their base wants? Can you still be virtuous if you forego the certainty of death?
Or will you become a mere shred of your former self, living on your own myths? Some of the enemies common to the entire Compact fancy themselves to be gods and some may argue that the only way we can stop them from getting volunteers to their cause is to shatter their myth of godhood; by defeating them.
Then again, can we really do that when we think we're above practicality? Do you learn from your heroes or do you worship them? Because one takes the whole. The other blinds oneself to the truth of their exemplars.
How long can one live before they lose every shred of humanity left in them, and all they've got are their instinct to survive and their base wants? Can you still be virtuous if you forego the certainty of death?
Or will you become a mere shred of your former self, living on your own myths? Some of the enemies common to the entire Compact fancy themselves to be gods and some may argue that the only way we can stop them from getting volunteers to their cause is to shatter their myth of godhood; by defeating them.
Then again, can we really do that when we think we're above practicality? Do you learn from your heroes or do you worship them? Because one takes the whole. The other blinds oneself to the truth of their exemplars.
Written By Valdemar
Feb. 4, 2019, 6:29 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Aleksei
If you truly believe that thralldom is not slowing down in the face of recent reforms, you are hopelessly disconnected from reality. But then, I understand this is a problem with zealots.
Written By Willow
Feb. 4, 2019, 6:11 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
There is no point in trying to make the First Liberator understand the logic entailed in taking a methodical and incremental path toward a goal. It's /right there/ in his title that that is going to fly in the face of his beliefs.
What really surprised me was seeing the Legate pretend that I was talking about the people in thr Mourning Isles and not the ones involved in the actual conversation we were having and then tell /me/ that /I/ was making up facts.
Argue amongst yourselves.
What really surprised me was seeing the Legate pretend that I was talking about the people in thr Mourning Isles and not the ones involved in the actual conversation we were having and then tell /me/ that /I/ was making up facts.
Argue amongst yourselves.
Written By Willow
Feb. 4, 2019, 5:29 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Aleksei
And have they argued it here, in the context of the discussion that we have all been participating in the past few days? No. And that is the context of the comment. No one in this discussion. And indeed, in this discussion, literally no one has taken that position.
I am not being duped into anything. I am merely not a revolutionary who believes that the damage and upheaval such would cause when forced before its time would be worth it in order to end something I ideologically oppose sooner rather than later.
I am not being duped into anything. I am merely not a revolutionary who believes that the damage and upheaval such would cause when forced before its time would be worth it in order to end something I ideologically oppose sooner rather than later.
Written By Shard
Feb. 4, 2019, 4:01 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Willow
Are you running a high fever right now?
Written By Caspian
Feb. 4, 2019, 3:42 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
I'm looking for two things. I'm looking for former thralls who would want the chance to speak about thralldom at the Asembly of Peers and a head of house who would give us the chance to speak. If you are in ether of these two camps please reach out to me.
Written By Victus
Feb. 4, 2019, 3:20 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
I really cannot understand why my daughter asks for something and then hits the ground screaming after she receives it. Does everyone's child not make sense?
Written By Willow
Feb. 4, 2019, 2:53 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
No one is saying "not now". No one.
You want steps? I've personally bought the debt of ten thralls to be freed.
What have you done besides rail and build straw men?
I am going to continue doing what I have been doing and working with the people who are building the framework to make the goal possible to achieve, rather than continuing to engage with you about this.
At least the other actually works toward my goal of getting people out of thralldom.
You can work toward it too, or you can continue to complain that its not being done quickly enough to suit you. You want an end to child thralls? Consider donating tonthe charity buying down all their debts. There /are/ actual steps you can take besides talking. Thursday's Child exists specifically toward that end, and as of this week, has managed to free nearly twenty percent of them.
You want steps? I've personally bought the debt of ten thralls to be freed.
What have you done besides rail and build straw men?
I am going to continue doing what I have been doing and working with the people who are building the framework to make the goal possible to achieve, rather than continuing to engage with you about this.
At least the other actually works toward my goal of getting people out of thralldom.
You can work toward it too, or you can continue to complain that its not being done quickly enough to suit you. You want an end to child thralls? Consider donating tonthe charity buying down all their debts. There /are/ actual steps you can take besides talking. Thursday's Child exists specifically toward that end, and as of this week, has managed to free nearly twenty percent of them.
Written By Alarissa
Feb. 4, 2019, 1:39 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
Ten thousand.
In amidst all the squabbling and yelling, the debating about the morals and the choices put before us. The infighting that nothing is being done.
We as a community, as a people, as members of the Compact have banded together and over the past two and a half years have managed to bring to freedom ten thousand children. I have placed four million of my own coin where my House's mouth is. We will place much more between now and when it ends. But for now? There are ten thousand freed. Half of what Kennex turned loose. Without danger. Without peril. Without discord and threat. It has started a change, invoked a ban upon even making any more. Not enough, I am sure, would be the claim by many. But it is a start. A peaceful one. It is a transition that will start the wave rolling.
I will take the time to venture forth and thank the gods after I set about to sealing these missives and finalizing these last few of this batch. You will see me about the temples and I hope that I will see you. That your hearts be light as mine is at the moment. And filled with determination.
There are forty more and I'll not rest till each no longer has a proverbial or physical shackle upon them.
In amidst all the squabbling and yelling, the debating about the morals and the choices put before us. The infighting that nothing is being done.
We as a community, as a people, as members of the Compact have banded together and over the past two and a half years have managed to bring to freedom ten thousand children. I have placed four million of my own coin where my House's mouth is. We will place much more between now and when it ends. But for now? There are ten thousand freed. Half of what Kennex turned loose. Without danger. Without peril. Without discord and threat. It has started a change, invoked a ban upon even making any more. Not enough, I am sure, would be the claim by many. But it is a start. A peaceful one. It is a transition that will start the wave rolling.
I will take the time to venture forth and thank the gods after I set about to sealing these missives and finalizing these last few of this batch. You will see me about the temples and I hope that I will see you. That your hearts be light as mine is at the moment. And filled with determination.
There are forty more and I'll not rest till each no longer has a proverbial or physical shackle upon them.
Written By Caspian
Feb. 4, 2019, 1:39 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
'Not now' 'Not now' 'Not now' repeats over and over again the crowd who don't think we should abolish thralldom as part of Brass' deal. When? How? You stand against the morally right thing. You say no but you don't say any alternative. If you are serious about abolishing thralldom then convince your house to propose a plan at the next Assembly of Peers to abolish thralldom within this generation or put your pen down.
Written By Tikva
Feb. 4, 2019, 1:35 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
As a Senior Inquisitor for the Crown, and as a Voice of House Grayson, I have had considerable reason to consider the matter of the administration of justice within Arx and the Crownlands. For us, thralldom has been unlawful for centuries, and it is easy to stand in this position, as a harbor for those thralls who escape their masters seeking freedom, and to make judgment upon our island neighbors for how they treat their criminals. Yet there is a compassionate argument that at least the thralls whose indentured labor is their punishment are better off than they would be in other areas. I read these in some consternation because I do not see that it does any honor to the gods or to your House to claim that requiring endless labor of a person is in some such way "better" as a punishment merely because the criminal continues to have a beating heart.
What do you do with those who break the law?
For a start, we execute murderers. We execute murderers cleanly -- or as part of their trial by combat, ofcourse -- for their pain is no gift to anyone, not even the families of their victims.
We execute those who venture into the realm of rapine and dishonorable marauding, for their crimes are an affront to the Gloria, and they are a blight upon the face of Arvum.
We execute traitors, for suffering treachery against an oath to the King is an affront to gods and men alike.
For those who break lesser oaths or conspire to treachery without accomplishing it, we may choose exile over execution, and deny those who do this the protections of the Compact. This ultimately most likely results in death.
For those who commit acts of grand theft, we require restitution entire, through the seizure of property, and if that cannot be accomplished because the crime is too great, it is up to the individual jurist to decide whether that requires a taking of flesh, or exile. Some judges take a hand, or a foot, but leave a person in such a state that they may continue to make a livelihood for themselves.
For those who commit acts of penury, simple assault, rampant disorder or riot, restitution may be sufficient, perhaps in combination with time in the stocks as a demonstration to the public that their crimes will not be tolerated.
If you would care, as essayists, to address the issue of what else to be done with those who break faith with the Compact, perhaps it can be done, but I frankly cannot imagine what you might propose.
What do you do with those who break the law?
For a start, we execute murderers. We execute murderers cleanly -- or as part of their trial by combat, ofcourse -- for their pain is no gift to anyone, not even the families of their victims.
We execute those who venture into the realm of rapine and dishonorable marauding, for their crimes are an affront to the Gloria, and they are a blight upon the face of Arvum.
We execute traitors, for suffering treachery against an oath to the King is an affront to gods and men alike.
For those who break lesser oaths or conspire to treachery without accomplishing it, we may choose exile over execution, and deny those who do this the protections of the Compact. This ultimately most likely results in death.
For those who commit acts of grand theft, we require restitution entire, through the seizure of property, and if that cannot be accomplished because the crime is too great, it is up to the individual jurist to decide whether that requires a taking of flesh, or exile. Some judges take a hand, or a foot, but leave a person in such a state that they may continue to make a livelihood for themselves.
For those who commit acts of penury, simple assault, rampant disorder or riot, restitution may be sufficient, perhaps in combination with time in the stocks as a demonstration to the public that their crimes will not be tolerated.
If you would care, as essayists, to address the issue of what else to be done with those who break faith with the Compact, perhaps it can be done, but I frankly cannot imagine what you might propose.
Written By Aleksei
Feb. 4, 2019, 12:02 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Archeron
Fucking hell. Is he really -- can you just copy down that line? From the journal? Just that one line, yeah--
"In a generation or two, perhaps 50 years from now, I wonder if there will be Thralldom in the Isles even without an overt attempt to end it?"
...yes? Yes, definitely? Yes, absolutely? Yes, the vast majority of houses in the Mourning Isles are traditionalists who are clinging tight to it forever unless someone makes them stop?
There is not some magic wave of progressivism -- is that a word? -- that is seducing all the traditionalists. The traditionalists will happily take your money and then be mad at you that you used it to buy thrall debt and forgive it.
Thralldom is not _slowly down_. They _keep making new ones_.
"In a generation or two, perhaps 50 years from now, I wonder if there will be Thralldom in the Isles even without an overt attempt to end it?"
...yes? Yes, definitely? Yes, absolutely? Yes, the vast majority of houses in the Mourning Isles are traditionalists who are clinging tight to it forever unless someone makes them stop?
There is not some magic wave of progressivism -- is that a word? -- that is seducing all the traditionalists. The traditionalists will happily take your money and then be mad at you that you used it to buy thrall debt and forgive it.
Thralldom is not _slowly down_. They _keep making new ones_.
Written By Perronne
Feb. 4, 2019, 11:57 a.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
For those reading the various debates regarding thralldom who want to see an excellent illustrations of the horrors of the practice straight from the pen of a practitioner, look no further than Lord Archeron Tyde's recent entries. Not only the horrors of the practice on thralls, I mean, as much as people try really, really hard to talk about how not owning yourself and being forced to labor without compensation or any hope of release isn't REALLY as bad as every single one of them knows that it is, I realize that it can be hard to really care about what happens to people you don't have to see, or talk to, and who you don't have to care about. And the Isles are generally pretty good about trying to keep their thralls out of sight of the rest of the Compact, so that no one has to think about it too much, and so the only voices talking about what it's like to be a thrall are, well, those who work the thralls for their own profit.
But consider for a moment the economic and societal repercussions of the phrase regarding thrall debt: "Some represent actual debt - failed merchants, traders gone wrong, swindlers, hustlers." Aside from the casual inclusion of legitimate traders and merchants in with swindlers and hustlers in order to vilify them, I urge anyone reading this journal (who is, let's face it, likely to be of the merchant classes, and understand what it means to BE a merchant, and know that your entire livelihood can be gone in one bad deal - or one unjust action from someone who has the power to take from you without compensation, and also hi! Hope you're doing well out there, and I'm sorry, I'm sure I'll get back to cheerful stuff eventually!) to consider what it means to be a merchant in the Isles. To be one of the thousand marginal traders, knowing that your fortunes, your life, are already at the whims of so much. But in the Isles, not only are they at the mercy of time, tides, and bandits, but also knowing that a single bandit attack on your caravan might not just cost you everything you own, your pride and honor, your ability to feed your family - but it also means that you can be thrown into chains for the entirety of your life, not to work as an honest woman, but to BE WORKED like a beast of the field, beaten, sold, and broken at the whim of your owner. And no one will care, because now you're a criminal. At least the Inquisition would go after the richest of the merchant classes, and not the poorest. Their accusations were also more interesting - I mean, if I am going to be abducted and tortured and murdered, I'd definitely want it to be for something exciting like treason, rather than just having a bad run in the markets.
Moving on from the more self-interested commentary, consider this phrase from Lord Archeron's recent journal: "The other is that the Isles is a place where a life has a value. I don't mean to say that other fealties are different. But I mean in this case a quite literal value. People are weighed in silver, and dispensed with in the same fashion. It is hard and cruel. " First, let us be clear that the lord admits that this is cruelty, entrenched and enshrined and supported. But also think about the poison of culture that this entire idea represents! As a merchant, I can tell you that how people look at INVENTORY and how people look at PEOPLE has to be different. You can't treat your inventory as a person - in order to make a profit, you have to be willing to buy and sell inventory, to dump it when it won't make a profit, and to control where it goes and how it is used - and it is always USED, never consulted on its opinion on the matter. And when you start having people AS inventory, then you can't keep that apart for long, and this is what happens. Lord Archeron is entirely right: in the Isles, you are weighed in silver, and it is cruel. And it has repercussions for everything else about the Isles that is hard, and cruel. Those things aren't inevitable. It's not something in the water, or the air, or a weird sort of brain fever that invades your mind as soon as you set foot on the Isles and turns you into a large, grumpy monster. It's an addiction, a poison. It's the collected result of misery perpetrated on other human beings over centuries, of the lies and dishonor one must embrace in order to weigh people's worth in silver, to treat people as inventory, to teach your children how to capture, break and work other human beings until they drop and are thrown away.
But consider for a moment the economic and societal repercussions of the phrase regarding thrall debt: "Some represent actual debt - failed merchants, traders gone wrong, swindlers, hustlers." Aside from the casual inclusion of legitimate traders and merchants in with swindlers and hustlers in order to vilify them, I urge anyone reading this journal (who is, let's face it, likely to be of the merchant classes, and understand what it means to BE a merchant, and know that your entire livelihood can be gone in one bad deal - or one unjust action from someone who has the power to take from you without compensation, and also hi! Hope you're doing well out there, and I'm sorry, I'm sure I'll get back to cheerful stuff eventually!) to consider what it means to be a merchant in the Isles. To be one of the thousand marginal traders, knowing that your fortunes, your life, are already at the whims of so much. But in the Isles, not only are they at the mercy of time, tides, and bandits, but also knowing that a single bandit attack on your caravan might not just cost you everything you own, your pride and honor, your ability to feed your family - but it also means that you can be thrown into chains for the entirety of your life, not to work as an honest woman, but to BE WORKED like a beast of the field, beaten, sold, and broken at the whim of your owner. And no one will care, because now you're a criminal. At least the Inquisition would go after the richest of the merchant classes, and not the poorest. Their accusations were also more interesting - I mean, if I am going to be abducted and tortured and murdered, I'd definitely want it to be for something exciting like treason, rather than just having a bad run in the markets.
Moving on from the more self-interested commentary, consider this phrase from Lord Archeron's recent journal: "The other is that the Isles is a place where a life has a value. I don't mean to say that other fealties are different. But I mean in this case a quite literal value. People are weighed in silver, and dispensed with in the same fashion. It is hard and cruel. " First, let us be clear that the lord admits that this is cruelty, entrenched and enshrined and supported. But also think about the poison of culture that this entire idea represents! As a merchant, I can tell you that how people look at INVENTORY and how people look at PEOPLE has to be different. You can't treat your inventory as a person - in order to make a profit, you have to be willing to buy and sell inventory, to dump it when it won't make a profit, and to control where it goes and how it is used - and it is always USED, never consulted on its opinion on the matter. And when you start having people AS inventory, then you can't keep that apart for long, and this is what happens. Lord Archeron is entirely right: in the Isles, you are weighed in silver, and it is cruel. And it has repercussions for everything else about the Isles that is hard, and cruel. Those things aren't inevitable. It's not something in the water, or the air, or a weird sort of brain fever that invades your mind as soon as you set foot on the Isles and turns you into a large, grumpy monster. It's an addiction, a poison. It's the collected result of misery perpetrated on other human beings over centuries, of the lies and dishonor one must embrace in order to weigh people's worth in silver, to treat people as inventory, to teach your children how to capture, break and work other human beings until they drop and are thrown away.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 4, 2019, 11:49 a.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
The idea that no one is arguing not to abolish thralldom is ludicrous and ignorant. Perhaps in Arx proper, in the commons and in the salons, many assume that thralldom should go and merely argue about how or when to do it. But to pretend that this is an accepted commonality of the Mourning Isles is to simply invent nonsense and call it fact.
The idea that thralldom will magically disappear in the next 50 years is similarly ludicrous and ignorant. Numerous vassal houses sworn to Thrax have continued, with the autonomy that is their right, to act as though the progressive steps put into place by present Mourning Isles leadership do not exist, or at least exist with a minimum of impact upon them.
They are still taking new thralls. Right now. Today. This is not a practice that is on the way towards extinction otherwise unchecked.
Stop inventing new "facts" to populate debates with. The art of orderly debate does not include pissing in my ear and telling me it is raining.
The idea that thralldom will magically disappear in the next 50 years is similarly ludicrous and ignorant. Numerous vassal houses sworn to Thrax have continued, with the autonomy that is their right, to act as though the progressive steps put into place by present Mourning Isles leadership do not exist, or at least exist with a minimum of impact upon them.
They are still taking new thralls. Right now. Today. This is not a practice that is on the way towards extinction otherwise unchecked.
Stop inventing new "facts" to populate debates with. The art of orderly debate does not include pissing in my ear and telling me it is raining.
Written By Aleksei
Feb. 4, 2019, 11:12 a.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Willow
"Literally no one is arguing not to abolish thralldom."
I'm afraid you've never been to the Mourning Isles.
I have heard many, many people argue as to the perfectly fit morality of thralldom. Many.
The Isles are not just full of houses that only want _more time_ to abolish thralldom. You're being fooled into this idea in order to think that only my side is the _unreasonable_ one. The Isles are full of traditionalist houses who _never want to abolish thralldom_. Because they do not find it immoral. They do not find it equivalent to slavery. And because it _benefits them to never get rid of it_.
It's tradition, after all. And the Isles don't love anything more than tradition.
Maybe people should actually talk to Brass about the potential of timing and planning other than to apparently ask him for _fifty years_.
I'm afraid you've never been to the Mourning Isles.
I have heard many, many people argue as to the perfectly fit morality of thralldom. Many.
The Isles are not just full of houses that only want _more time_ to abolish thralldom. You're being fooled into this idea in order to think that only my side is the _unreasonable_ one. The Isles are full of traditionalist houses who _never want to abolish thralldom_. Because they do not find it immoral. They do not find it equivalent to slavery. And because it _benefits them to never get rid of it_.
It's tradition, after all. And the Isles don't love anything more than tradition.
Maybe people should actually talk to Brass about the potential of timing and planning other than to apparently ask him for _fifty years_.
Written By Samantha
Feb. 4, 2019, 11:11 a.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
As the discussion on thralls resumes, I am once again reminded of the essay I wrote back in 1005, that I decided to enter again into the journals last year. Perhaps it is time once more:
I wrote an essay on thralldom back in 1005, which some like-minded people saw fit to publish. I've included a portion of it below:
1007: It is a truth nigh-universal that the state of thralldom is only a scant step above the institution of slavery. The premise of this system is that of indentured servitude, with few if ever any earning their wage with the intent to release them from their eventual debt. More frequently thralls die in servitude, and it is not unknown for their debt to be further passed down to their offspring, who must in turn engage themselves into the system in order to pay it off, while acruing more debt.
1005: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is also a truth night-universal that the institution of thralldom is regarded in disdain by almost all the regions of our great kingdom, save amongst the Thrax, from which it originates. In the past, thralls who have escaped have been welcomed into the service of other lords and masters in order to prevent their return to such a demeaning and inhumane circumstance. However, this was done as a quiet measure, with no one truly daring to openly challenge the convention. Until now, all objection has been subversive. But if the nobility of our great land is to truly act in the name of the people they have by the grace of the Gods been granted to lead, this social construct must be confronted, and a solution must be sought.
Dear friends, it may seem on the surface that an immediate abolishment of thralldom is the natural conclusion to such thoughts, however that is the furthest from the case. It is important to remember that the House of Thrax and its banner Houses are strong, providing members of our great land, and to simply insist that they revert an entrenched element of their culture and economy would be to do them a disservice. We must not throw the lives of so many into chaos, not only those who gain directly from thralldom, but also those who live simpler lives that are dependent on a secure economy and would suffer as a result of too swift a change, and for thralls themselves, who would eventually need to realize a new way of thinking about their personal value and worth. Change and growth are painful processes, but with guidance and support, great change for the betterment of all men and women may happen.
I do not believe that all Thrax or all of their bannermen believe in maintenance of this institution, but are perhaps cautious of speaking out against it. They are a proud, strong people. If any were able to face such a significant alteration of their lives and culture, it would be them.
But what solutions may we offer, to ease the pains that would surely come from such a deconstruction? How can we buffer our fellows who, if they choose to commit to this course, will surely suffer from the loss of an established institution? Can solutions be found at the Crown level? Through the support of the other Great Houses? Perhaps, if House Thrax is so willing, a kind of council can be formed to discuss the topic of gradual abolishment in a way that minimizes the impact.
All men and women deserve the right to shape their destiny in as much as they are able, in the loyal and willing service to those responsible for their mutual care. To trap any in less is to reduce them to a state of chattel. If your great kingdom is to be a beacon of true greatness and utopia, we can no longer quietly avoid the inequality present within the realm. It must be faced head on, but respectfully and with consideration for those who will need to prepare for the brunt of this change. Anyone familiar with the natural world knows this to be true: the strongest creatures of the forest and sea survive by adapting to their circumstances. It is not easy, but for doing so, they become stronger, swifter, and more powerful than before. If we can succeed in this my friends, it makes not just the House of Thrax more powerful, but it will bring greater power to us all, throughout the realm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1007: Today, things are very different. Progress has been slow - and I believe that this is a good and right pace for the progress necessary. As justice begins to be tempered by compassion, as reform evolves the way crime and punishment are dealt with. And reform has come from some of the most unexpected parties involved. One of the reasons that despite our philosophical differences, Deepwood has such strong trade ties with Thrax and most of its vassals - because by aiding in providing a stable economy, I can reduce the financial burden that would come from the abolition of thralldom as it progresses
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1010: Here we are again. I don't find my stance on the matter changed; that slow progress is best for the health of both the Compact and the people who need to learn to be free. And with the matter now leaning into a fundamental question about how we're going to live our lives, and how the lives of our children and our children's children will be lived after us, I feel compelled to note that at the end of it all, the hardest path will likely be the one that allows us to keep our souls intact.
I wrote an essay on thralldom back in 1005, which some like-minded people saw fit to publish. I've included a portion of it below:
1007: It is a truth nigh-universal that the state of thralldom is only a scant step above the institution of slavery. The premise of this system is that of indentured servitude, with few if ever any earning their wage with the intent to release them from their eventual debt. More frequently thralls die in servitude, and it is not unknown for their debt to be further passed down to their offspring, who must in turn engage themselves into the system in order to pay it off, while acruing more debt.
1005: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is also a truth night-universal that the institution of thralldom is regarded in disdain by almost all the regions of our great kingdom, save amongst the Thrax, from which it originates. In the past, thralls who have escaped have been welcomed into the service of other lords and masters in order to prevent their return to such a demeaning and inhumane circumstance. However, this was done as a quiet measure, with no one truly daring to openly challenge the convention. Until now, all objection has been subversive. But if the nobility of our great land is to truly act in the name of the people they have by the grace of the Gods been granted to lead, this social construct must be confronted, and a solution must be sought.
Dear friends, it may seem on the surface that an immediate abolishment of thralldom is the natural conclusion to such thoughts, however that is the furthest from the case. It is important to remember that the House of Thrax and its banner Houses are strong, providing members of our great land, and to simply insist that they revert an entrenched element of their culture and economy would be to do them a disservice. We must not throw the lives of so many into chaos, not only those who gain directly from thralldom, but also those who live simpler lives that are dependent on a secure economy and would suffer as a result of too swift a change, and for thralls themselves, who would eventually need to realize a new way of thinking about their personal value and worth. Change and growth are painful processes, but with guidance and support, great change for the betterment of all men and women may happen.
I do not believe that all Thrax or all of their bannermen believe in maintenance of this institution, but are perhaps cautious of speaking out against it. They are a proud, strong people. If any were able to face such a significant alteration of their lives and culture, it would be them.
But what solutions may we offer, to ease the pains that would surely come from such a deconstruction? How can we buffer our fellows who, if they choose to commit to this course, will surely suffer from the loss of an established institution? Can solutions be found at the Crown level? Through the support of the other Great Houses? Perhaps, if House Thrax is so willing, a kind of council can be formed to discuss the topic of gradual abolishment in a way that minimizes the impact.
All men and women deserve the right to shape their destiny in as much as they are able, in the loyal and willing service to those responsible for their mutual care. To trap any in less is to reduce them to a state of chattel. If your great kingdom is to be a beacon of true greatness and utopia, we can no longer quietly avoid the inequality present within the realm. It must be faced head on, but respectfully and with consideration for those who will need to prepare for the brunt of this change. Anyone familiar with the natural world knows this to be true: the strongest creatures of the forest and sea survive by adapting to their circumstances. It is not easy, but for doing so, they become stronger, swifter, and more powerful than before. If we can succeed in this my friends, it makes not just the House of Thrax more powerful, but it will bring greater power to us all, throughout the realm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1007: Today, things are very different. Progress has been slow - and I believe that this is a good and right pace for the progress necessary. As justice begins to be tempered by compassion, as reform evolves the way crime and punishment are dealt with. And reform has come from some of the most unexpected parties involved. One of the reasons that despite our philosophical differences, Deepwood has such strong trade ties with Thrax and most of its vassals - because by aiding in providing a stable economy, I can reduce the financial burden that would come from the abolition of thralldom as it progresses
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1010: Here we are again. I don't find my stance on the matter changed; that slow progress is best for the health of both the Compact and the people who need to learn to be free. And with the matter now leaning into a fundamental question about how we're going to live our lives, and how the lives of our children and our children's children will be lived after us, I feel compelled to note that at the end of it all, the hardest path will likely be the one that allows us to keep our souls intact.
Written By Preston
Feb. 4, 2019, 9:08 a.m.(7/5/1010 AR)
It is strange. The more I learn about things that are going on, more paths close off, more options become unacceptable. The more I learn the more convinced I am that the path which I have suggested is the right course. Yet the further down this path I go, the harder each step becomes.
For so many years I have yearned to have the leash removed from the Faith Militant, for us to be allowed to act. Yet. In always being under controls, our choices were never fully our own. We were subsumed to the paths of others, never wholly responsible for all the rippling consequences. If I pursue this path, it is a path I forged, one I recommended, one I championed. The deaths - and there will be many - will be on my shoulders. The disruption will be my fault. And yet, to not act is to abandon the path that Gloria commands, it would be to allow innocents to come to harm, it would be to allow our enemy a foothold in our lands, it would be to allow those who have set themselves against Gloria to live.
So I must act, and hope others follow. Act and hope it meets with approval. I can bear the weight of more deaths around my neck, I can weep once more in the shrines at the loss. But I could not bear to see Gloria's disciples ignore her commands because of a moment of self doubt.
For so many years I have yearned to have the leash removed from the Faith Militant, for us to be allowed to act. Yet. In always being under controls, our choices were never fully our own. We were subsumed to the paths of others, never wholly responsible for all the rippling consequences. If I pursue this path, it is a path I forged, one I recommended, one I championed. The deaths - and there will be many - will be on my shoulders. The disruption will be my fault. And yet, to not act is to abandon the path that Gloria commands, it would be to allow innocents to come to harm, it would be to allow our enemy a foothold in our lands, it would be to allow those who have set themselves against Gloria to live.
So I must act, and hope others follow. Act and hope it meets with approval. I can bear the weight of more deaths around my neck, I can weep once more in the shrines at the loss. But I could not bear to see Gloria's disciples ignore her commands because of a moment of self doubt.
Written By Norwood
Feb. 4, 2019, 7:19 a.m.(7/5/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Adalyn
My daughter is very correct and I have no shame in admitting this.
I will confront hundreds of human foes over the prospect of another mythical beast that should remain in the stories we tell our children to get them to obey.
The centipedes were enough for me for an entire lifetime, and they were only the most recent nightmare before my sword.
I will confront hundreds of human foes over the prospect of another mythical beast that should remain in the stories we tell our children to get them to obey.
The centipedes were enough for me for an entire lifetime, and they were only the most recent nightmare before my sword.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.