Written By Alarissa
Aug. 4, 2018, 10:02 a.m.(4/26/1009 AR)
Gods above save that child from my wrath.
Aeterna everwhere. Shreds of it.
I have to keep repeating to myself. "I will not murder the heir to Maelstrom." Lest I do so. She's only a baby. She doesn't know better.
I'll keep telling myself that.
Gods above I am never lending Genaile out ever again.
Everyone else is incompetant.
All that Aeterna.
Aeterna everwhere. Shreds of it.
I have to keep repeating to myself. "I will not murder the heir to Maelstrom." Lest I do so. She's only a baby. She doesn't know better.
I'll keep telling myself that.
Gods above I am never lending Genaile out ever again.
Everyone else is incompetant.
All that Aeterna.
Written By Gwenna
Aug. 4, 2018, 7:33 a.m.(4/26/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Riagnon
Should there be agreement from all parties for such, perhaps we should visit it and see that the small shrine you mentioned is at least tended to? It is spring, which I know doesn't make traveling in the northlands all that much more hospitable, but certainly easier now and even more so once summer comes to our world. I suspect Lord Alessandro would happy to assist and you could spend some time in your new homelands.
Written By Alessandro
Aug. 4, 2018, 2:57 a.m.(4/26/1009 AR)
My first sermon in the Shrine was the result of several months’ work, though more because of agonizing over the wording than anything else. One would think that giving a sermon would be similar to giving an argument in court, but I have found that it is really quite different -- this felt much more personal. It is difficult to put something important out into the world for scrutiny, especially something as close to my heart as my faith. However, having the support of my family and friends there made all the difference. I am so grateful for their presence, as well as for the presence of those who I met for the first time.
I was glad to share my thoughts with my listeners, and I hope that something in what I said sparked questions that can be explored through time spent in reflection. I know that I benefit from looking inward to recognize my own motivations, including negative ones, and if any of my words inspired a similar desire in someone else, then I will have done the work I set out to do.
I was glad to share my thoughts with my listeners, and I hope that something in what I said sparked questions that can be explored through time spent in reflection. I know that I benefit from looking inward to recognize my own motivations, including negative ones, and if any of my words inspired a similar desire in someone else, then I will have done the work I set out to do.
Written By Juniper
Aug. 4, 2018, 2:44 a.m.(4/26/1009 AR)
I really ought to record the perils of the journey from the North, or the events which have led to my leaving the immediate service of my Lady Rhea to enter into the keeping of the Whispers. Here in the House, in a room where only Whispers may go-- and now me among them!-- I sat down to pen this and found the words just wouldn't come. I've managed (with immense grace and dignity, befitting of my new station) to smear ink on my chin while I've dawdled and hemmed and hawed and tried to force the words to take to the page.
Note to self: do stop chewing on your pens.
So, instead of tales of travel and internal seachange, I will write this (with what ink remains to dip my pen into): the water, seen over city walls and the false-forest of masts in the Bay, is such a strange quicksilver shade when struck by sunlight that there needs to be a poet's word for that colour; it deserves capture. Is anyone up to the task? A word or phrase to encompass that flashing light and dark colour, where hue and movement join to make something wholly itself. The tangible and intangible blending...
No, it's gone, I've lost it. But I've a new home, a new room, and new mentors dueling for my affections (and ever so modestly declaring the other superior to themselves, how sweet and gracious are they!). Requiring more from the world tonight would just be greedy.
Note to self: do stop chewing on your pens.
So, instead of tales of travel and internal seachange, I will write this (with what ink remains to dip my pen into): the water, seen over city walls and the false-forest of masts in the Bay, is such a strange quicksilver shade when struck by sunlight that there needs to be a poet's word for that colour; it deserves capture. Is anyone up to the task? A word or phrase to encompass that flashing light and dark colour, where hue and movement join to make something wholly itself. The tangible and intangible blending...
No, it's gone, I've lost it. But I've a new home, a new room, and new mentors dueling for my affections (and ever so modestly declaring the other superior to themselves, how sweet and gracious are they!). Requiring more from the world tonight would just be greedy.
Written By Vanora
Aug. 4, 2018, 2:21 a.m.(4/26/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Calypso
You are lovely and I'm always so pleased when we get to visit with you, even if it is only for a short while.
I hope the stretch between isn't so long this time.
I hope the stretch between isn't so long this time.
Written By Vanora
Aug. 4, 2018, 2:20 a.m.(4/26/1009 AR)
A List: Thirteen things that I would enjoy right now
1. Hot bath, extra scalding, flower-scented oils
2. New dress, something silk and airy enough to hide my figure while still keeping me cool
3. New Tiara: Oh wait I have one, thank you Mirari.
4. Hugging Mirari, because she's so lovely.
5. A nap on the beach, some afternoon when the sun is high.
6-13. To jump into the future and no longer be with child.
So Exhausting
1. Hot bath, extra scalding, flower-scented oils
2. New dress, something silk and airy enough to hide my figure while still keeping me cool
3. New Tiara: Oh wait I have one, thank you Mirari.
4. Hugging Mirari, because she's so lovely.
5. A nap on the beach, some afternoon when the sun is high.
6-13. To jump into the future and no longer be with child.
So Exhausting
Written By Vanora
Aug. 4, 2018, 2:17 a.m.(4/26/1009 AR)
My dear little one,
Let me tell you about the world around you, three months or so before you join us here, your awaiting family.
Your family is House Grimhall of Grihem's Point, one of the oldest and proudest Houses in the Mourning Isles. It comes with shadows as all family names do, those whose deeds we seek to emulate and those whom we vow to never be anything like. The truth is we all end up somewhere in the middle...it is the seeking each day again and again to do what you feel is right that makes you into a man, into a human being. When you err, remember that. The error is in the past as soon as you acknowledge it, and your ability to change the world around you renewed with every decision.
Your family is House Grimhall of Grihem's Point, a lineage that I have learned does come directly from Grihem the Explorer, a man described in old legends as 'fearless'. Your family motto 'Fear is the Guardian of Hate' I have considered many times, never certain if I understand it appropriately or not. I'm sure your father and grandfather, your aunts and uncles and cousins, will all share their versions of the motto, or what they inspire. I think at its most basic, the words remind you not to let fear get the best of you, for fear can lead to hate and hate is further from rationality. Though sometimes I convince myself of entirely different meanings.
Your family is House Grimhall of Grihem's Point, which makes you even more so than most a creature who will grow between two times and two worlds. The traditionalists and progressives of the Isles continue to have ideological clashes and resentment breeds deep...but so too do we understand that the question of 'will we survive and how' must be answered before 'how will we govern our people.' You are the future, born in the traditionalism of the past. What you grow up to be I think, is someone no one has fully imagined yet.
Let me tell you about the world around you, three months or so before you join us here, your awaiting family.
Your family is House Grimhall of Grihem's Point, one of the oldest and proudest Houses in the Mourning Isles. It comes with shadows as all family names do, those whose deeds we seek to emulate and those whom we vow to never be anything like. The truth is we all end up somewhere in the middle...it is the seeking each day again and again to do what you feel is right that makes you into a man, into a human being. When you err, remember that. The error is in the past as soon as you acknowledge it, and your ability to change the world around you renewed with every decision.
Your family is House Grimhall of Grihem's Point, a lineage that I have learned does come directly from Grihem the Explorer, a man described in old legends as 'fearless'. Your family motto 'Fear is the Guardian of Hate' I have considered many times, never certain if I understand it appropriately or not. I'm sure your father and grandfather, your aunts and uncles and cousins, will all share their versions of the motto, or what they inspire. I think at its most basic, the words remind you not to let fear get the best of you, for fear can lead to hate and hate is further from rationality. Though sometimes I convince myself of entirely different meanings.
Your family is House Grimhall of Grihem's Point, which makes you even more so than most a creature who will grow between two times and two worlds. The traditionalists and progressives of the Isles continue to have ideological clashes and resentment breeds deep...but so too do we understand that the question of 'will we survive and how' must be answered before 'how will we govern our people.' You are the future, born in the traditionalism of the past. What you grow up to be I think, is someone no one has fully imagined yet.
Written By Riagnon
Aug. 4, 2018, 1:24 a.m.(4/25/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Gwenna
We have a small, little-known shrine to the Thirteenth in the Acheron Domain. A left-behind from Mydas's day, sure, but our mother was Southern in her beliefs, too. I'm ashamed to admit that it spooks me, and is more neglected these days than any shrine ought to be. But you being so open minded inspires me to be the same.
Written By Gwenna
Aug. 3, 2018, 10:39 p.m.(4/25/1009 AR)
More curious than devout, really, I attended a very interesting sermon honoring the Thirteenth. I feel like I learned a bit more about balance and considering such things before making judgments, so am quite glad to have attended. As well, Lord Alessandro did a truly marvelous job and perhaps my familiarity with him made it all the easier for me to sit and listen.
Written By Oliver
Aug. 3, 2018, 10:09 p.m.(4/25/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Joscelin
Joscelin has been ill, so in between fussing at her to get back into bed and putting out several buckets through the house and her shop because I know she can't stay /in/ bed, I've been stepping in to assist with some Guild matters as well (mostly to keep her in bed, but really, she's very stubborn). I've often watched Josie work Guild matters from the sidelines, so it was interesting to walk a mile in her shoes, so to speak. There's been contracts written, loans given, merchant issues handled, and honestly?
Honestly, I can't even begin to tell you how impressed I am with my wife and her abilities to juggle all of this on the regular.
The Guild really couldn't ask for a better Guildmistress. And I couldn't ask for a better wife.
Even though she really, really, REALLY needs to GET BACK TO BED!
Honestly, I can't even begin to tell you how impressed I am with my wife and her abilities to juggle all of this on the regular.
The Guild really couldn't ask for a better Guildmistress. And I couldn't ask for a better wife.
Even though she really, really, REALLY needs to GET BACK TO BED!
Written By Lucita
Aug. 3, 2018, 8:08 p.m.(4/25/1009 AR)
Teething. Even a nanny and servants need a break when twins teeth and turn into grumps and never are asleep at the same time. My friends who have children will certainly understand why I've not been around quite as much the last week or so.
Written By Monique
Aug. 3, 2018, 8 p.m.(4/25/1009 AR)
What would you like to know about?
Written By Modi
Aug. 3, 2018, 6:21 p.m.(4/25/1009 AR)
It has been only a few short days since I set foot in Arx. A month since I'd bent the knee. It is a strange feeling being surrounded by walls so high, to see so many new faces everyday as well. I fear I may never get used to it. Perhaps it is just anxiety? I do not know.
I've met few other prodigals since my arrival. They tell tales that we are not treated kindly within the Compact's society. I suppose I will have to watch myself closely, but the few tutoring sessions I've had on social propriety seems to stem the bulk of the rudeness.
I hope to find a place to rest my head soon enough. Sleeping beneath canopies in the lower boroughs does not lend itself to safety and the ground is hard. I've not been kind to my back and I will pay for it. Oh well, these houses are tall. Surely one of them will open its doors soon enough.
I've met few other prodigals since my arrival. They tell tales that we are not treated kindly within the Compact's society. I suppose I will have to watch myself closely, but the few tutoring sessions I've had on social propriety seems to stem the bulk of the rudeness.
I hope to find a place to rest my head soon enough. Sleeping beneath canopies in the lower boroughs does not lend itself to safety and the ground is hard. I've not been kind to my back and I will pay for it. Oh well, these houses are tall. Surely one of them will open its doors soon enough.
Written By Cassima
Aug. 3, 2018, 5:12 p.m.(4/25/1009 AR)
I have lived in an unhappy limbo for nearly a year now.
There is no end in sight.
I wonder at these wells of resilience people often speak of. Mine feel drained to my very bones.
There is no end in sight.
I wonder at these wells of resilience people often speak of. Mine feel drained to my very bones.
Written By Agostino
Aug. 3, 2018, 4:24 p.m.(4/25/1009 AR)
So, after spending a week in the Shrine of the Thirteenth, a number of lessons come to mind. Besides the obvious, of course. "Don't break your vows, especially to the Gods." That really should go without saying, but I'll include it here for the sake of completion.
More important than that, perhaps, is "consider your vows carefully". One hears so many stories of vows made in haste, and the trouble that can come of that sort of thing. Even with some forethought, not all oaths are going to be easy to keep, but you can save yourself a lot of extra headaches if you just take a moment before speaking.
Another that seems lost on many people, though, is less pithy, but no less important in its way. Most people likely assume that the Silent Reflections became what they are because of wickedness. That they broke their vows for personal gain. However, the truth is that many, perhaps even the majority, went back on their oaths because they learned some secret that they felt it was of vital importance to share. They were, through no fault of their own, put in a position where they had to choose between their vows and the common good, and chose the latter knowing full well what consequences they would suffer for it. This is not to say that they made the right choice. Only the Gods can say for sure whether that is the case or not. I just know that if I cannot even imagine what it would be like to stand in that position, with that choice ahead of me, I feel reluctant to judge them, myself.
More important than that, perhaps, is "consider your vows carefully". One hears so many stories of vows made in haste, and the trouble that can come of that sort of thing. Even with some forethought, not all oaths are going to be easy to keep, but you can save yourself a lot of extra headaches if you just take a moment before speaking.
Another that seems lost on many people, though, is less pithy, but no less important in its way. Most people likely assume that the Silent Reflections became what they are because of wickedness. That they broke their vows for personal gain. However, the truth is that many, perhaps even the majority, went back on their oaths because they learned some secret that they felt it was of vital importance to share. They were, through no fault of their own, put in a position where they had to choose between their vows and the common good, and chose the latter knowing full well what consequences they would suffer for it. This is not to say that they made the right choice. Only the Gods can say for sure whether that is the case or not. I just know that if I cannot even imagine what it would be like to stand in that position, with that choice ahead of me, I feel reluctant to judge them, myself.
Written By Delilah
Aug. 3, 2018, 3:23 p.m.(4/25/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Tabitha
It's still not too late to bring home an orphan, you know.
We have all these rooms and plenty of time -- well, some of us -- to see to providing a healthy, wholesome environment for a child to thrive.
We have all these rooms and plenty of time -- well, some of us -- to see to providing a healthy, wholesome environment for a child to thrive.
Written By Delilah
Aug. 3, 2018, 3:21 p.m.(4/25/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Fecundo
Sound information that needs to be commonplace for all those considering a venture forth over the sea or into the woods or plains.
Even within the walls of a city, trouble may strike unexpectedly. Preparations in advance often determine the difference between disaster and escaping with minor damage or no harm at all.
Check your provisions. Do not rely on someone else preparing them for you, check them yourself. Understand how to use the equipment you have. It is no good having a rope without the least idea of how to effectively tie a knot or a lantern without the correct oil to fuel it. In cold climes, warm clothes and blankets are essential, but so too is a way to have liquid water. Melting snow can expend considerable fuel, which may be scarce, and eating ice or snow can greatly reduce one's body temperature. Easy way to die overnight.
Lord Rubino strikes on the key point above all: a plan. Have a good idea of what to do. Have a better idea when things go wrong.
Even within the walls of a city, trouble may strike unexpectedly. Preparations in advance often determine the difference between disaster and escaping with minor damage or no harm at all.
Check your provisions. Do not rely on someone else preparing them for you, check them yourself. Understand how to use the equipment you have. It is no good having a rope without the least idea of how to effectively tie a knot or a lantern without the correct oil to fuel it. In cold climes, warm clothes and blankets are essential, but so too is a way to have liquid water. Melting snow can expend considerable fuel, which may be scarce, and eating ice or snow can greatly reduce one's body temperature. Easy way to die overnight.
Lord Rubino strikes on the key point above all: a plan. Have a good idea of what to do. Have a better idea when things go wrong.
Written By Sabella
Aug. 3, 2018, 3:04 p.m.(4/25/1009 AR)
I have been keeping mostly to myself to heal for the past week and was hesitant to venture out, but I had duties to perform and Scholar Oswyn recommended some fresh air to keep my spirits up, so I went out yesterday a bit before the painting party and while I was very nervous the sky didn't fall and nothing terrible happened.
Quite the contrary, actually, some amazing things happened! The painting party at the Menagerie was very, very well attended and the children seemed to have a tremendous amount of fun! All of the citizens of Arx that turned out were wonderful--they regaled them with stories, helped them paint rocks (and sometimes each other), shared food and company and it was all around a fantastic time! We received several donations for the Faith to aid in helping all the orphanages in the Lowers and Lady Rosalie Redtyde actually adopted one of the orphans at the party, a special, lucky little girl named Kes! Who I hear is going to be the best dressed little girl in all of Arx if Lady Rosalie has anything to say about it!
It was so--it was such an act of love and kindness and restored my faith in the world. It truly did. Seeing everyone so entertained and happy and people giving their time just to be there. It was truly wonderful.
My thanks to everyone that showed up and engaged! Your rocks have all been delivered to the Shrine of Jayus to add to the wall there! Make sure you visit to see if you can pick yours out!
Quite the contrary, actually, some amazing things happened! The painting party at the Menagerie was very, very well attended and the children seemed to have a tremendous amount of fun! All of the citizens of Arx that turned out were wonderful--they regaled them with stories, helped them paint rocks (and sometimes each other), shared food and company and it was all around a fantastic time! We received several donations for the Faith to aid in helping all the orphanages in the Lowers and Lady Rosalie Redtyde actually adopted one of the orphans at the party, a special, lucky little girl named Kes! Who I hear is going to be the best dressed little girl in all of Arx if Lady Rosalie has anything to say about it!
It was so--it was such an act of love and kindness and restored my faith in the world. It truly did. Seeing everyone so entertained and happy and people giving their time just to be there. It was truly wonderful.
My thanks to everyone that showed up and engaged! Your rocks have all been delivered to the Shrine of Jayus to add to the wall there! Make sure you visit to see if you can pick yours out!
Written By Bianca
Aug. 3, 2018, 2:41 p.m.(4/25/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Fecundo
Lord Fecundo Rubino spreads wise words in regards to the preparations and execution of would-be heroes and adventurers.
Too often we forget that there is more to a victory than a passionate clashing of swords. That there is more to victory than victory in it of itself.
May all hear this man's recommendations of knowledge, patience and temperance 'lest they take to the field or adventure unprepared for the breadth of what it is to truly succeed.
Too often we forget that there is more to a victory than a passionate clashing of swords. That there is more to victory than victory in it of itself.
May all hear this man's recommendations of knowledge, patience and temperance 'lest they take to the field or adventure unprepared for the breadth of what it is to truly succeed.
Written By Marian
Aug. 3, 2018, 1:34 p.m.(4/24/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Cullen
You have learned all that I can teach you. You are soaring on the winds of change. May your journey ahead be less turbulent than the present circumstances. I look forward to seeing what changes will come. You are capable of great things. Do not lose Faith.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.