Written By Lisebet
July 29, 2018, 10:52 a.m.(4/14/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Amari
Lady Amari, thank you so much for helping. I think you and Princess Coraline will do wonderfully well hosting the next event. Do let me know if there is anything I can do to help!
And thank you for the compliments.
And thank you for the compliments.
Written By Marian
July 29, 2018, 10:51 a.m.(4/14/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Jamie
My cousin you are a good man.
I have not spent time in recent years at your side on the road since I married into House Valardin after bending on knee. However, I doubt that any war could strip away the earnest boy that grew into a stalwart man that protects his people. Yes, you will have to find a way to get past the smells of burnt flesh, the screams in the night of the wounded, and the cracking of the bones that break under your heel. All of these horrors and more will live inside of you but they do not have to define you. Nor do they have to leak what little happiness there is from your existence.
I am still here. You are still here. And those that you fought, that would do harm to the Crown and Compact are not. You do not have to revel in the death, the destruction, or the blood. Do feel pride in your victory. Look upon the city that you helped protect. Do not feel bitterness. For your sword is not wasted. Your skills will not be left by the wayside. There are still battles to win. I know my brother is glad to have you by his side again.
I have not spent time in recent years at your side on the road since I married into House Valardin after bending on knee. However, I doubt that any war could strip away the earnest boy that grew into a stalwart man that protects his people. Yes, you will have to find a way to get past the smells of burnt flesh, the screams in the night of the wounded, and the cracking of the bones that break under your heel. All of these horrors and more will live inside of you but they do not have to define you. Nor do they have to leak what little happiness there is from your existence.
I am still here. You are still here. And those that you fought, that would do harm to the Crown and Compact are not. You do not have to revel in the death, the destruction, or the blood. Do feel pride in your victory. Look upon the city that you helped protect. Do not feel bitterness. For your sword is not wasted. Your skills will not be left by the wayside. There are still battles to win. I know my brother is glad to have you by his side again.
Written By Lisebet
July 29, 2018, 10:49 a.m.(4/14/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Gianna
I am pleased to know you enjoyed our Ladies' Night. It was lovely to be able to host and see you again. And your winnings were well deserved. I look forward to next time.
Written By Gwenna
July 29, 2018, 10:44 a.m.(4/14/1009 AR)
I painted a ship in colors that challenged me, though I do believe it was well received. Now I've the opportunity to try my hand at a large winter landscape, which may be equally challenging given my novice skill. Regardless, I'm glad to have another hobby project to put my mind to between other duties.
Written By Amari
July 29, 2018, 9:47 a.m.(4/14/1009 AR)
Skirt and Gown night was fun. Lady Lisebet did a really fine job hosting at Bold Espressions. Admittedly the game I suggested for the competition had a rough start, but it was fascinating to learn new things about the participants that otherwise wouldn't come up in polite conversation. Scars would not have been shown either, I suppose, depending on company. Thanks to everyone who bravely shared truths about themselves.
Next month's event will be co-hosted by myself and Princess Coraline. There will be some allowances made for the wearing of pants, I'm sure. If anyone has any preferences or suggestions for the occasion and happen to read my whites for some reason, please let me know.
Next month's event will be co-hosted by myself and Princess Coraline. There will be some allowances made for the wearing of pants, I'm sure. If anyone has any preferences or suggestions for the occasion and happen to read my whites for some reason, please let me know.
Written By Gianna
July 29, 2018, 8:59 a.m.(4/14/1009 AR)
I attended my second ladies night and came away with some coffee liquor to add to the cabinet at the office of the Bard's College. I always like to win a game. I also always like excellent ginger cake. Thank you!
Written By Jamie
July 29, 2018, 6:51 a.m.(4/14/1009 AR)
Most nights for me are a fight to settle my mind down enough to fall asleep. Like a separate entity out of my control, my thoughts are a whirlwind ranging from distant regrets of the past to anxiety over what tomorrow will bring. Ever since I returned home, I've felt like I live in this disconnected state, emotionally segregated from all others.
When I left, I was part of the brotherhood, a warrior, a Knight. I was young. Brash. Over confidant. Pleasant, to be sure. Loved by family and loving in return. I could feel. I could enjoy.
Combat. Loss. Sacrifice. It re-defined me. I became the Spear of the Greenwood. The Ranger of the Silver Order. I served and in serving, tempered myself and grew. Each day I would wake up and take the part of myself that I identified with, the part of myself that others back home identified me as, and I buried it. To leave it exposed to the atrocities I have witnessed would damage who I was irrevocably. At the end of the day, I would bring it back out again. Unpackage myself so that I could be free once more. Over time, this constant back and forth became more difficult... until one day, I didn't come back.
So I return home, lost and damaged - invisible scars cut deeper than any sword or arrow - to discover that the world I left behind continued to spin without me. It moved on. I see faces that I recognize, but do not recognize me in return though they see the face of their brother, their cousin. Have I changed that much?
The years I spent in service are lost to the changing times and bureaucracy as I discover my Knighthood stripped of me. That is the welcome I receive for years lost to war in the name of the Brotherhood.
War. It's something that is easy to read about in a book and look upon from the top of a hill. But standing in the mud and blood of friend and foe, or of seeing the burned down villages and the stench of corpses, many children... it stays with you forever, each moment, each pair of unseeing eyes further chipping away at the part of you that makes you who you are. It is not easy to make the decision to physically harm another living being - let alone take their life. Loose their spirit into the unknown.
Much of my struggle after returning home has been in learning how to become that person again. To become a man that wouldn’t look at a burned child and refer to them as a “critter.” To become a man that wouldn’t laugh at the struggles of another human being just to bury his own emotional turmoil behind a façade of the "professional soldier". I’ve come a long way and I try to tell myself I’m a good man and that the circumstances of my personality shift were unfathomable. At the end of the day, being torn in two different directions plays a large role in my restless nights and further reinforces this idea that I am caught in the middle of forces greater than I can truly appreciate.
It is things like this that I live with in my daily life, one of the many peculiar things about me that separate me from this world I was once a part of into my own purgatory.
I am a good man.
When I left, I was part of the brotherhood, a warrior, a Knight. I was young. Brash. Over confidant. Pleasant, to be sure. Loved by family and loving in return. I could feel. I could enjoy.
Combat. Loss. Sacrifice. It re-defined me. I became the Spear of the Greenwood. The Ranger of the Silver Order. I served and in serving, tempered myself and grew. Each day I would wake up and take the part of myself that I identified with, the part of myself that others back home identified me as, and I buried it. To leave it exposed to the atrocities I have witnessed would damage who I was irrevocably. At the end of the day, I would bring it back out again. Unpackage myself so that I could be free once more. Over time, this constant back and forth became more difficult... until one day, I didn't come back.
So I return home, lost and damaged - invisible scars cut deeper than any sword or arrow - to discover that the world I left behind continued to spin without me. It moved on. I see faces that I recognize, but do not recognize me in return though they see the face of their brother, their cousin. Have I changed that much?
The years I spent in service are lost to the changing times and bureaucracy as I discover my Knighthood stripped of me. That is the welcome I receive for years lost to war in the name of the Brotherhood.
War. It's something that is easy to read about in a book and look upon from the top of a hill. But standing in the mud and blood of friend and foe, or of seeing the burned down villages and the stench of corpses, many children... it stays with you forever, each moment, each pair of unseeing eyes further chipping away at the part of you that makes you who you are. It is not easy to make the decision to physically harm another living being - let alone take their life. Loose their spirit into the unknown.
Much of my struggle after returning home has been in learning how to become that person again. To become a man that wouldn’t look at a burned child and refer to them as a “critter.” To become a man that wouldn’t laugh at the struggles of another human being just to bury his own emotional turmoil behind a façade of the "professional soldier". I’ve come a long way and I try to tell myself I’m a good man and that the circumstances of my personality shift were unfathomable. At the end of the day, being torn in two different directions plays a large role in my restless nights and further reinforces this idea that I am caught in the middle of forces greater than I can truly appreciate.
It is things like this that I live with in my daily life, one of the many peculiar things about me that separate me from this world I was once a part of into my own purgatory.
I am a good man.
Written By Silas
July 29, 2018, 6:08 a.m.(4/14/1009 AR)
I competed in the Melee of the Tournament of Swords and, true to form, took third place. But I had fun.
Contrary to what some may believe, the victor of most free-for-alls aren't the most ferocious, have the shiniest sword or armor, or possess the most renown or fame. In fact, those traits likely get you knocked out first.
Contrary to what some may believe, the victor of most free-for-alls aren't the most ferocious, have the shiniest sword or armor, or possess the most renown or fame. In fact, those traits likely get you knocked out first.
Written By Alessandro
July 29, 2018, 3:45 a.m.(4/14/1009 AR)
I have spent the last week in the Shrine of the Thirteenth, and while I spend more time there than most, it was an interesting experience to be there and looking at it through a different lens, that of the Scholars. It has also certainly been a change to hear so much speaking going on inside it, but there has still been plenty of time for quiet contemplation.
I have often wondered what exactly each Silent Reflection thought was important enough to give up their ability to speak and write for -- and then by extension, whether there would be anything I would give up that ability for, and what that might be. It is a purely theoretical exercise, of course, but the more I learn, the more that question comes to the forefront of my mind. For a Scholar to go against their vows in such a fundamental way, while an egregious breach of their sacred trust, takes a different kind of courage that I cannot begin to comprehend.
I wonder if the Silent Reflection I passed on my way out today would still tell me that whatever secret he revealed was worth it.
I have often wondered what exactly each Silent Reflection thought was important enough to give up their ability to speak and write for -- and then by extension, whether there would be anything I would give up that ability for, and what that might be. It is a purely theoretical exercise, of course, but the more I learn, the more that question comes to the forefront of my mind. For a Scholar to go against their vows in such a fundamental way, while an egregious breach of their sacred trust, takes a different kind of courage that I cannot begin to comprehend.
I wonder if the Silent Reflection I passed on my way out today would still tell me that whatever secret he revealed was worth it.
Written By Sina
July 29, 2018, 1:59 a.m.(4/14/1009 AR)
This week has been somewhat of a chaotic week, filled with surprising twists and turns. It has been a challenging lesson in change, and I find myself nearing the end of the week with far greater responsibilities than I had expected or planned. But I shall take these responsibilities and carry them with honor as I can in service to the Gods, the Order of Vellichor, the Crown, and the people of Arvum.
Change can be a difficult process, and I know that there may be times that will challenge all of us in our lives. For me, this is one of those times, as my path takes another unexpected turn. We can only trust in Lagoma's light to guide our way along the path, though it is always our own free choice whether or not we wish to follow that light. Change can be a painful process, however, and that same flame that lights our path may also cleanse and purge us of any false expectations or preconceptions of where our lives may lead us.
I am humbled by the trust that has been placed in me as I prepare to take on the mantle of Prelate. I have never considered myself to be much of a leader, and never imagined that I would take on such a role. My entire life, I have been a servant, and shall continue to be such in my own eyes. I shall do my utmost to do this position justice that I might aid the Archscholar and our Magister of the Academy in these trying times.
Change can be a difficult process, and I know that there may be times that will challenge all of us in our lives. For me, this is one of those times, as my path takes another unexpected turn. We can only trust in Lagoma's light to guide our way along the path, though it is always our own free choice whether or not we wish to follow that light. Change can be a painful process, however, and that same flame that lights our path may also cleanse and purge us of any false expectations or preconceptions of where our lives may lead us.
I am humbled by the trust that has been placed in me as I prepare to take on the mantle of Prelate. I have never considered myself to be much of a leader, and never imagined that I would take on such a role. My entire life, I have been a servant, and shall continue to be such in my own eyes. I shall do my utmost to do this position justice that I might aid the Archscholar and our Magister of the Academy in these trying times.
Written By Isidora
July 29, 2018, 1:49 a.m.(4/14/1009 AR)
It is my first day back in the city after a hiatus of sorts. I'm not quite sure what I have gotten myself into but it is something important I can feel it in my bones.
First I cared for a patient. Fecundo. Several broken ribs. Clavical. Humors out of kilter. Worked with Coraline Thrax to administer the leeches and to redress the wounds. I should check on him to make sure he is in better condition on the morrow.
Then Coraline, I would say dragged me however that would imply that I had no voice in the matter, lead me to a woman's social gathering. It was interesting to say the least. The coffee was good. Cookies were fantastic. In the end I wound up in the Order of East Light. Fighting the darkness. isn't there a joke about a Mage who fights the darkness. Anyway, it seems like a noble and honorable cause that I can aid in the fight of. And my siblings thought I was a 'lesser' Valardin due to my disinterest in becoming a Knight. I can be a Knight against disease. More deadly against unbalanced humors than a person with a sword.
I digress. Till the morrow. Good night.
First I cared for a patient. Fecundo. Several broken ribs. Clavical. Humors out of kilter. Worked with Coraline Thrax to administer the leeches and to redress the wounds. I should check on him to make sure he is in better condition on the morrow.
Then Coraline, I would say dragged me however that would imply that I had no voice in the matter, lead me to a woman's social gathering. It was interesting to say the least. The coffee was good. Cookies were fantastic. In the end I wound up in the Order of East Light. Fighting the darkness. isn't there a joke about a Mage who fights the darkness. Anyway, it seems like a noble and honorable cause that I can aid in the fight of. And my siblings thought I was a 'lesser' Valardin due to my disinterest in becoming a Knight. I can be a Knight against disease. More deadly against unbalanced humors than a person with a sword.
I digress. Till the morrow. Good night.
Written By Lilith
July 28, 2018, 11:14 p.m.(4/13/1009 AR)
I came to Arx two weeks earlier than I promised because I wanted to settle into the city like a warm bath before I needed to get busy with my responsibilities. Then I decided to contact the Palace and ask to host an Observer Luncheon. They agreed and I officially began to work. But this was hardly what I consider work, really. I was meeting new people. I was getting to know my new Observers. That's hardly work to me.
Well, I guess I also helped with the renovations to the Melaeris Fasthold and whipped together our Melaeris Crusaders. I couldn't believe the state of their schedules. I had that licked within twenty minutes. That's hardly work. I guess I did spend a few hours interviewing them. But that was hardly work. I like discussing that sort of stuff.
In two weeks. In two weeks, that's when I start my real work. Now to go meet with Lady Prisila to discuss our Houses. That's hardly work, either. She's a good friend!
Well, I guess I also helped with the renovations to the Melaeris Fasthold and whipped together our Melaeris Crusaders. I couldn't believe the state of their schedules. I had that licked within twenty minutes. That's hardly work. I guess I did spend a few hours interviewing them. But that was hardly work. I like discussing that sort of stuff.
In two weeks. In two weeks, that's when I start my real work. Now to go meet with Lady Prisila to discuss our Houses. That's hardly work, either. She's a good friend!
Written By Joscelin
July 28, 2018, 10:51 p.m.(4/13/1009 AR)
Aurora and Eithne are going to give me gray hairs faster than any pair of siblings in the Crafters Guild. Mark my words, scholar, Arvum.
Written By Aurora
July 28, 2018, 10:29 p.m.(4/13/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Eithne
Ehh...Eithne is ok. If sweating over a hot forge and looking gross most of the time is your thing. And eyebrows. When she was younger she would lose her eyebrows /all the time/.
I like eyebrows.
I like eyebrows.
Written By Alexandre
July 28, 2018, 9:41 p.m.(4/13/1009 AR)
So far, I must say all of my experiences encountering new people have gone exceptionally well. I have come out of each meeting with further insight, enlightenment and the sentiment that it was always time well spent.
Still, there are many more to meet yet, especially with so many cousins (and sisters!) spread out over the fealties. I look forward to every single one!
Still, there are many more to meet yet, especially with so many cousins (and sisters!) spread out over the fealties. I look forward to every single one!
Written By Alexis
July 28, 2018, 7:38 p.m.(4/13/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Eithne
While I would of course prefer that people offer at least some of their business to me, I can only concur with Princess Coraline's assessment of Mistress Eithne. She is a master of the craft, and a constant inspiration.
Written By Alexis
July 28, 2018, 7:36 p.m.(4/13/1009 AR)
It is a shame that I missed out on this Tournament of Swords, but needs must - and I'm sure I'll be able to catch up later. For if the event was such an unqualified success as the journals indicate, I expect there will be a repeat, sooner rather than later.
Written By Gwenna
July 28, 2018, 6:31 p.m.(4/13/1009 AR)
I want to paint something, having had inspiration for one just recently and completed it. I have been feeling somewhat disconnected and painting has always seemed to help me focus and recenter myself. It puts the mind almost singularly on a task with little room for other thoughts, at least for me. I am not very skilled at such, but it is so much more about the process than the result. Yet to paint, I need a subject and that is where I find myself stuck. A ship? A mountain? None of these are really calling to me. Maybe this is part of the process as well, I guess.
Written By Coraline
July 28, 2018, 6:28 p.m.(4/13/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Eithne
At the Tournament of Swords last night it was mentioned by a few that Mistress Eithne was a fantastic armorsmith, I wish to say that this is very much the case and in fact I shall be seeking to commission a set of rubicund from her. Perhaps, if I can find someone who is so inclined, I might ask it to be modeled for me as well because frankly I couldn't model to save my life. I am so much better at being punted across the sands by some of the phenomenal warriors Arx has to offer, at least this way it won't lead to quite as many bruises.
If you are looking for amazing armor that is a wearable work of metal art, come see Mistress Eithne.
If you are looking for amazing armor that is a wearable work of metal art, come see Mistress Eithne.
Written By Talwyn
July 28, 2018, 6:04 p.m.(4/13/1009 AR)
I'm back in the city again. Arx embraces me with the usual fanfare of tourneys and loud, devastating brightness to make up for the frosty chill in the air. In the Lycene cities, I walked about in the lightest shirt of linen or cambric, and never even thought of a coat. Luckily Zephirine thought to pack heavier things or else sent word ahead to have them prepared for me. Who should have thought it was so blindingly chilly at predawn still, this late into the season?
Lycene air, sweet with flowers and wine and the murmur of music, contrasts most dramatically with Arx's bracing quality. But here is where my music begins again. Here is where the flames blown bright and healthy shall take hold, and with them, heat the catalyst of creativity. I can already feel the stirrings as I stretch my feet and my mind.
There is no lack of talent, no lack of brilliant performers and creative minds gathered together within these walls. Should it take me all year, I hope to meet them all and admire their work. They breathe life into the atmosphere over the city that sparkles in all facets of possibility. I in turn hope to offer what I may to further diversify a symphony of many remarkable souls.
Lycene air, sweet with flowers and wine and the murmur of music, contrasts most dramatically with Arx's bracing quality. But here is where my music begins again. Here is where the flames blown bright and healthy shall take hold, and with them, heat the catalyst of creativity. I can already feel the stirrings as I stretch my feet and my mind.
There is no lack of talent, no lack of brilliant performers and creative minds gathered together within these walls. Should it take me all year, I hope to meet them all and admire their work. They breathe life into the atmosphere over the city that sparkles in all facets of possibility. I in turn hope to offer what I may to further diversify a symphony of many remarkable souls.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.