Written By Brigida
Oct. 3, 2018, 12:26 p.m.(9/18/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Felicia
Philosophy and the study of logic and ethics may have gone out of fashion around the time of the Crownbreaker Wars, but they are always worth revisiting.
You may wish to look up Markhos of Sanctum, who wrote on logical fallacies such as the fallacy of relative privation.
People can be concerned about two things.
Sometimes the second worry makes the first easier to bear. Things that may be otherwise overwhelming, such as the possibility of eminent death and widespread destruction, especially when preparations have been made and one finds oneself going over the same thoughts over and over again until they are on the brink, are made less so by having something like, say, scandal over a title bequest, to focus on.
You may wish to look up Markhos of Sanctum, who wrote on logical fallacies such as the fallacy of relative privation.
People can be concerned about two things.
Sometimes the second worry makes the first easier to bear. Things that may be otherwise overwhelming, such as the possibility of eminent death and widespread destruction, especially when preparations have been made and one finds oneself going over the same thoughts over and over again until they are on the brink, are made less so by having something like, say, scandal over a title bequest, to focus on.
Written By Blacktongue
Oct. 3, 2018, 12:07 p.m.(9/18/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Lore
See the sailing of the adventurer,
I think she's chuffed at the venturer.
Uncle finds it hard to see the artist,
Overshadowed by the gregarious chartist.
Who is that knowing near the Eurus?
I think she ought to discuss this.
Her vessel of choice is merchant ship,
She ran away - gone - poof on an ocean trip.
She returns to Arx and the Lyceum,
We brace ourselves for whatever may come.
I think she's chuffed at the venturer.
Uncle finds it hard to see the artist,
Overshadowed by the gregarious chartist.
Who is that knowing near the Eurus?
I think she ought to discuss this.
Her vessel of choice is merchant ship,
She ran away - gone - poof on an ocean trip.
She returns to Arx and the Lyceum,
We brace ourselves for whatever may come.
Written By Karadoc
Oct. 3, 2018, 11:48 a.m.(9/18/1009 AR)
The act of performance is an art in itself, distinct from one's abilities as a musician or as a pianist. Sitting here (now at the pianoforte bench -- writing this so that I can later have it transcribed to my journal) it's perfectly possible to be an amazing pianist without being an amazing musician, and to be a great musician and yet have quite average skills at an instrument. It's all in the presentation, isn't it?
I can play certain pieces by memory now, but I doubt that I would be able to play with the same finesse in public. So, I refrain from doing so. Although, I recall a past attempt -- after months of lessons, my lovely parents arranged a debut with some overly complicated concerto that I (the exact age escapes me -- old enough to rest my feet on the floor) had perfected -- to a small gathering of friends and family. I was so nervous that I vomited on the keyboard (and a little on Ennettia. Still sorry for that, Nettles) and left, never to return.
It was fucking hilarious.
I can play certain pieces by memory now, but I doubt that I would be able to play with the same finesse in public. So, I refrain from doing so. Although, I recall a past attempt -- after months of lessons, my lovely parents arranged a debut with some overly complicated concerto that I (the exact age escapes me -- old enough to rest my feet on the floor) had perfected -- to a small gathering of friends and family. I was so nervous that I vomited on the keyboard (and a little on Ennettia. Still sorry for that, Nettles) and left, never to return.
It was fucking hilarious.
Written By Karadoc
Oct. 3, 2018, 11:33 a.m.(9/18/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Leola
Scholars, please, add the following note to my White Journal:
In the untimely OR timely (depending upon how well you knew me and liked -- or despised me) end, I commit ink to these parchment pages the following:
Should I die unmarried and without heirs, I request that my protege Dame Leola Allenatore (the Paladin of Groves, a knight of Southport) be elevated to the title of Lady and adopted into House Saik and stand in as my heir. For all of her years of faithfully unwavering service (even if she still wears cotton and remains unyieldingly polite) she will receive her due reward (NOT punishment) and be offered the mantle of Voice for the House and act as plenipotentiary for the current Baroness -- or anyone else.
By my hand, blah-blah-blah,
Lord Karadoc Saik.
In the untimely OR timely (depending upon how well you knew me and liked -- or despised me) end, I commit ink to these parchment pages the following:
Should I die unmarried and without heirs, I request that my protege Dame Leola Allenatore (the Paladin of Groves, a knight of Southport) be elevated to the title of Lady and adopted into House Saik and stand in as my heir. For all of her years of faithfully unwavering service (even if she still wears cotton and remains unyieldingly polite) she will receive her due reward (NOT punishment) and be offered the mantle of Voice for the House and act as plenipotentiary for the current Baroness -- or anyone else.
By my hand, blah-blah-blah,
Lord Karadoc Saik.
Written By Harlex
Oct. 3, 2018, 11:28 a.m.(9/18/1009 AR)
Once at a tavern I met a Blackwoods soldier. His name was Hawkins. This was maybe two years before I came to Arx. He was a private and he was dealing with, still, the sudden changes for him and his people.
He said that things felt much better now but he still had trouble adjusting.
He said that he was focusing his attention on a young woman.
He said he wanted to tell her that she had hair like a sunny day of rain. I don't know what that means, but I told him he should tell her that, and he said he never felt like such a boy than when she spoke to him.
We drank plenty of beer and a few tilts of whisky. He showed me a knife-trick he knew. And he asked me how I learned to sleep comfortably in a saddle while on a long march. I told him, you never really learn to do it comfortably. Eventually we parted ways.
I don't know if there is yet an accounting of the dead for those two hundred lost, but I hope he isn't among them.
And if he is, than I hope he had a chance to tell that young woman what he thought so that, if nothing else, she mourns him. That's all a soldier can ask for in the end. That someone misses them when they are gone.
He said that things felt much better now but he still had trouble adjusting.
He said that he was focusing his attention on a young woman.
He said he wanted to tell her that she had hair like a sunny day of rain. I don't know what that means, but I told him he should tell her that, and he said he never felt like such a boy than when she spoke to him.
We drank plenty of beer and a few tilts of whisky. He showed me a knife-trick he knew. And he asked me how I learned to sleep comfortably in a saddle while on a long march. I told him, you never really learn to do it comfortably. Eventually we parted ways.
I don't know if there is yet an accounting of the dead for those two hundred lost, but I hope he isn't among them.
And if he is, than I hope he had a chance to tell that young woman what he thought so that, if nothing else, she mourns him. That's all a soldier can ask for in the end. That someone misses them when they are gone.
Written By Mydas
Oct. 3, 2018, 11:11 a.m.(9/18/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Rosalie
A good point that seems to have been overlooked too often.
Written By Lore
Oct. 3, 2018, 10:57 a.m.(9/18/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Blacktongue
Awwwwww, love you too, Uncle!
Written By Mydas
Oct. 3, 2018, 10:53 a.m.(9/18/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Felicia
I know it is difficult for you to comprehend, so allow me to put it in terms you'll understand.
It's like chasing after a special sword before the corpse of its previous wielder has cooled.
It's like chasing after a special sword before the corpse of its previous wielder has cooled.
Written By Blacktongue
Oct. 3, 2018, 10:28 a.m.(9/18/1009 AR)
What is irritating to your heart, doesn't go away, and makes you miserable with delight?
I call them family.
I call them family.
Written By Mikani
Oct. 3, 2018, 9:21 a.m.(9/17/1009 AR)
You ever have something to say and you just can't find the right words?
I had an essay to describe my feelings over what I have been reading in the Whites .... the discouragement at seeing how the peerage is seeking to see what divides us instead of what brings us together.
Instead I will state this. It is a summation of maybe a very heart filled essay of bullshit.
I was born a Thrall - the lowest echelon of society.
I became a free commoner - the middle.
I am now ennobled - the top.
Being at all three of these tiers I can tell you that there is always something you trade for something else when you move to the next or different level. Yet that does not make your dedication any less. You learn at every level that your life isn't really your own. You can control different things depending upon the level ... but the basic truth is the same. Either you make the rules or you live by them. Either you are ruled or you are held accountable for all your rulings. In the end it is the same. Our lives are part of a bigger whole. We are a society. We function as one and we need to start thinking of it as such.
With the threats knocking at our door we need to either fight together or die apart.
I had an essay to describe my feelings over what I have been reading in the Whites .... the discouragement at seeing how the peerage is seeking to see what divides us instead of what brings us together.
Instead I will state this. It is a summation of maybe a very heart filled essay of bullshit.
I was born a Thrall - the lowest echelon of society.
I became a free commoner - the middle.
I am now ennobled - the top.
Being at all three of these tiers I can tell you that there is always something you trade for something else when you move to the next or different level. Yet that does not make your dedication any less. You learn at every level that your life isn't really your own. You can control different things depending upon the level ... but the basic truth is the same. Either you make the rules or you live by them. Either you are ruled or you are held accountable for all your rulings. In the end it is the same. Our lives are part of a bigger whole. We are a society. We function as one and we need to start thinking of it as such.
With the threats knocking at our door we need to either fight together or die apart.
Written By Artur
Oct. 3, 2018, 9:02 a.m.(9/17/1009 AR)
I lost my father when I was still young. Not an extraordinary thing, of course. A lot of people these days have lost far more.
I was lucky though in that my father passed down a few things to me and they quickly became treasures of mine, things I hold onto in memory of him. I had cause to think of this just recently when reading many of the touching wills people have been recording.
I cannot imagine what rift must form between a parent and a child in order for a father to disinherit their daughter and deny them their birthright. Losing my father was painful enough; I cannot imagine how I would have felt to watch my inheritance given to a servant (even a very capable and devoted one).
Being one of the nobility is something that comes with a lot of duties and I think most of us shoulder them to the extent we can.
Duty to the crown, to the gods and to the common folk are all important parts of that, but sometimes (especially recently) I wonder whatever happened to duty to family.
To me at least, family is everything and it always has, and always will, come first among loyalties.
I was lucky though in that my father passed down a few things to me and they quickly became treasures of mine, things I hold onto in memory of him. I had cause to think of this just recently when reading many of the touching wills people have been recording.
I cannot imagine what rift must form between a parent and a child in order for a father to disinherit their daughter and deny them their birthright. Losing my father was painful enough; I cannot imagine how I would have felt to watch my inheritance given to a servant (even a very capable and devoted one).
Being one of the nobility is something that comes with a lot of duties and I think most of us shoulder them to the extent we can.
Duty to the crown, to the gods and to the common folk are all important parts of that, but sometimes (especially recently) I wonder whatever happened to duty to family.
To me at least, family is everything and it always has, and always will, come first among loyalties.
Written By Felicia
Oct. 3, 2018, 8:56 a.m.(9/17/1009 AR)
Did I miss something?
Two hundred soldiers have died... and people are bickering over whether the right person got the coronet before the corpses have even cooled.
No, scholar... I didn't mean for you to... fine. Sure. Just add it in there with the rest of them.
Two hundred soldiers have died... and people are bickering over whether the right person got the coronet before the corpses have even cooled.
No, scholar... I didn't mean for you to... fine. Sure. Just add it in there with the rest of them.
Written By Edain
Oct. 3, 2018, 7:55 a.m.(9/17/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Marian
I don't think there is anyone that can disparage what you have done or given of yourself for the Compact, and I would happily fight anyone that thinks differently, if not the for the fact you would whip my ass (again) for trying to be your white knight when you need no one to be a white knight for you.
But something you said made me realize there is one thing we have never really talked about, and perhaps I should share this thought here.
I have never consider you or any of the Greenmarch to have not been noble by birth. You are the descendants of Marcus of the Greenwood. A man of noble Oathland bloodline. A man that saw something was very wrong with the Last King of Sanctum before even Dame Sugan did by some accounts. A man that we recently learned gave his life to defend the gods of the Pantheon.
Even though the cultural differences have made things challenging and tensions and misunderstandings have happened and will continue to do so. I have never seen the Greenmarch as 'Savages we made noble.' I have always seen them as a noble bloodline that found it's way home.
But something you said made me realize there is one thing we have never really talked about, and perhaps I should share this thought here.
I have never consider you or any of the Greenmarch to have not been noble by birth. You are the descendants of Marcus of the Greenwood. A man of noble Oathland bloodline. A man that saw something was very wrong with the Last King of Sanctum before even Dame Sugan did by some accounts. A man that we recently learned gave his life to defend the gods of the Pantheon.
Even though the cultural differences have made things challenging and tensions and misunderstandings have happened and will continue to do so. I have never seen the Greenmarch as 'Savages we made noble.' I have always seen them as a noble bloodline that found it's way home.
Written By Delilah
Oct. 3, 2018, 7:34 a.m.(9/17/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Luca
None Greater seems to be begging for the ocean to prove the ship otherwise. Call me overly creative, but that feels like a nautical tragedy in the making.
Written By Norwood
Oct. 3, 2018, 7:28 a.m.(9/17/1009 AR)
No, I have nothing to add to the discussion. It is in no way my place to speak, but thank you for asking.
Written By Rosalie
Oct. 3, 2018, 6:36 a.m.(9/17/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Marian
I hate to say this, Princess, because I do respect you and the path your story took but... you also weren't chosen for those roles over a living direct blood relative that may have (rightly) presumed that the station would be hers, upon the death of her father. When your first husband died, you were not named the new High Lord of Valardin over His Grace. This daughter of Geraint's has been effectively removed from succession without any explanation or reason. This isn't just about one commoner's being ennobled. Its also about another ennobled commoner being snubbed most effectively by her own father. Who would want to come back to that, Princess? From what I understand, she is the reason her family bent the knee and were ennobled in the first place. Are you truly going to say that she -deserved- that treatment?
If I were her, I certainly wouldn't want to come back to what is almost certain to be the sneers and unfavorable opinions of the Compact. We are not a kind people, overall. She is a wounded woman, politically speaking, and the sharks will smell the blood in the water. Her home, her family, has just been taken from her. Whatever she worked towards has now gone to someone else. Would -you- want to be so snubbed, Princess? Wherever that girl is, I can only feel sorry for her and wish her luck on her journey.
If I were her, I certainly wouldn't want to come back to what is almost certain to be the sneers and unfavorable opinions of the Compact. We are not a kind people, overall. She is a wounded woman, politically speaking, and the sharks will smell the blood in the water. Her home, her family, has just been taken from her. Whatever she worked towards has now gone to someone else. Would -you- want to be so snubbed, Princess? Wherever that girl is, I can only feel sorry for her and wish her luck on her journey.
Written By Marian
Oct. 3, 2018, 5:17 a.m.(9/17/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Reigna
I wasn't born a noble. I became a lady when I bent on knee to the Compact. When I married Prince Valen for love, I became a princess.
I wasn't trained from childhood to be a knight. But when my first husband fell at the Tragedy of Sanctum, I picked up his heirloom sword, and defended the remaining members of Valardin. I was named Sword of Sanctum for my efforts.
I wasn't groomed to be Warchief of Redrain but when my second husband was murdered after calling the banners, I led the armies of the Compact to victory, putting the needs of the Compact over the twins that were in my belly.
Marquessa Reigna Keaton, am I worthy to lead despite being a prodigal? Am I one of your exceptions? How many times did I have to bleed for the Compact to be as worthy as a noble born into that family? How many deeds did I have to perform?
Remember she is just starting her journey as a leader. When I married Prince Valen, no one knew how my story would unfold. Rather than set criticism, celebrate when those before her fell, she stepped in to take the mantle. In my mind that is a better measure of a leader than circumstance of birth.
I wasn't trained from childhood to be a knight. But when my first husband fell at the Tragedy of Sanctum, I picked up his heirloom sword, and defended the remaining members of Valardin. I was named Sword of Sanctum for my efforts.
I wasn't groomed to be Warchief of Redrain but when my second husband was murdered after calling the banners, I led the armies of the Compact to victory, putting the needs of the Compact over the twins that were in my belly.
Marquessa Reigna Keaton, am I worthy to lead despite being a prodigal? Am I one of your exceptions? How many times did I have to bleed for the Compact to be as worthy as a noble born into that family? How many deeds did I have to perform?
Remember she is just starting her journey as a leader. When I married Prince Valen, no one knew how my story would unfold. Rather than set criticism, celebrate when those before her fell, she stepped in to take the mantle. In my mind that is a better measure of a leader than circumstance of birth.
Written By Eurion
Oct. 3, 2018, 2:33 a.m.(9/17/1009 AR)
I am sore in places I didn't know you could be sore - but I feel that this imparts on me even more lessons on how to defend myself. I shall remember that it hurts! I am so grateful for the lessons from Lord Arik Halfshav and then for the extra lesson I received from Princess Reese Grayson - and watching the spar between Lord Halfshav and Lieutenant Valtyr was extraordinary and thrilling. I will definitely go back to the training center, just for the fun of it.
Written By Khanne
Oct. 2, 2018, 11:38 p.m.(9/17/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Riagnon
Stay away from Champ, the pygmy goat of excellence. He is not bear food. Thankfully, he is also not gray, so perhaps he is already safe.
Written By Riagnon
Oct. 2, 2018, 11:13 p.m.(9/17/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Reigna
*****************************
Keaton Pgymy Goat Order Slip
*****************************
1. Pet or Food? ____Food (for a bear)_____
2. Quantity? ____1?_____
3. Gender preference? ____What?_____
4. Color of fur? ____Gray?_____
5. Personality (Can impact flavor)? ____Condescending_____
6. Age (Definitely impacts behavior and flavor)? ____Normal_____
7. Pick up or Delivery? ____Delivery_____
Keaton Pgymy Goat Order Slip
*****************************
1. Pet or Food? ____Food (for a bear)_____
2. Quantity? ____1?_____
3. Gender preference? ____What?_____
4. Color of fur? ____Gray?_____
5. Personality (Can impact flavor)? ____Condescending_____
6. Age (Definitely impacts behavior and flavor)? ____Normal_____
7. Pick up or Delivery? ____Delivery_____
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.