Written By Victus
Sept. 10, 2019, 6:53 p.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
The price of ending thralldom. All knew it would never be easy.
This is the first of many, many difficulties along the way. I would expect that any who had advocated for thralldom's end would understand the true cost, and would be more than ready to weather the storm which comes. Every day it will become clearer that this is not just Thrax who suffers, but the whole of Arvum.
Now is the time for unity. Now, more than ever.
This is the first of many, many difficulties along the way. I would expect that any who had advocated for thralldom's end would understand the true cost, and would be more than ready to weather the storm which comes. Every day it will become clearer that this is not just Thrax who suffers, but the whole of Arvum.
Now is the time for unity. Now, more than ever.
Written By Wren
Sept. 10, 2019, 6:34 p.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
Fortune waxes and wanes, but a good merchant understands how to weather the storm. It seems there are plenty of storms to weather right now, but I suppose I should be thankful that the colder months are settling in. This will give me plenty of time to tally up which ventures have increased the coffers and what investments I need to trim as a loss. I'm sure father will be pleased to see me grace the family table more often during these months even if it is to peck around for some enlightenment.
Written By Selene
Sept. 10, 2019, 6:31 p.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
So many worry that no one is listening.
Written By Fecundo
Sept. 10, 2019, 6:28 p.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Miranda
Sistermine, while my wife may correct me, I believe you have to sit still in order to give birth...that may be the denial part in your case...
Written By Domonico
Sept. 10, 2019, 6:04 p.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Jasher
After returning from assisting Prince Jasher with his training exercise I must say I am cautiously optimistic about what we have achieved. The newly released thralls that had joined the navy have made a good, disciplined start.
If only the rest of the Isles would have the same discipline and trust in their fellows then the unrest may not be quite what it is now. Perhaps I am wrong though.
If only the rest of the Isles would have the same discipline and trust in their fellows then the unrest may not be quite what it is now. Perhaps I am wrong though.
Written By Delilah
Sept. 10, 2019, 5:57 p.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
Times change and we may fear what alters the way things went before. That is scarce reason to stop. Reflection may be required, a difference of strategy to meet new needs, but then is not the time to cease. Fear would curb our development and growth.
Written By Saoirse
Sept. 10, 2019, 5:09 p.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
I have to wonder why there are so many white journals that amount to simply love letters back and forth when we have actual men and women who ...deliver messages.
But then I remember that since time immemorial, people assume that the rest of the world wants to hear about how much you love Lady So n So and how great she is and, well. Here we are again.
But then I remember that since time immemorial, people assume that the rest of the world wants to hear about how much you love Lady So n So and how great she is and, well. Here we are again.
Written By Miranda
Sept. 10, 2019, 4:54 p.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Thea
From the Journal of Brenlin, Aide-de-Camp to Lady Miranda Rubino...
What is this world coming to?! Don't noble Ladies know when they are pregnant pain means the baby is coming?!
My Lady Love was there, thankfully, to see to Countess Arcadia's needs but... Oh my Gods!
And then, when the water broke all over Lord Martino's boots and... I thought for sure we were about to have hysterics!
Fortunately, the only hysterics were mine and I was swiftly distracted with missives for my Lady.
What is this world coming to?! Don't noble Ladies know when they are pregnant pain means the baby is coming?!
My Lady Love was there, thankfully, to see to Countess Arcadia's needs but... Oh my Gods!
And then, when the water broke all over Lord Martino's boots and... I thought for sure we were about to have hysterics!
Fortunately, the only hysterics were mine and I was swiftly distracted with missives for my Lady.
Written By Tyche
Sept. 10, 2019, 2:04 p.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Donato
I mourn the loss of my cousin Donato. Those who knew him knew that he lived with an almost unrivaled passion for life (and love).
There are incidents we can plan for, and games we can play, but the power of nature is beyond our control. For this perspective, and his trust in me, I thank him.
There are incidents we can plan for, and games we can play, but the power of nature is beyond our control. For this perspective, and his trust in me, I thank him.
Written By Sparte
Sept. 10, 2019, 1:21 p.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
How can you mend a broken object without first knowing how it was made?
How can you rewrite a song without first knowing what music is?
There must always be the first person to try to do something. Craftsmanship and Art, both are the domain of Jayus. All started someplace, somehow.
That first person to venture forth, that pathfinder, did something impossible. They did something that had never been imagined before. Maybe many people imagined the same thing all on their own. Imagine if a thousand souls today all had the same idea, and all made it true each by themselves. A wonder yet greater.
Then, inevitably, objects break. From wear, from rust, from the simple passage of time. Songs that have been sung too many times grow old, stale, ordinary. This, too, is taught by Jayus with the shattering of the shrine each year to raise a new one. That creation is a cycle.
Where then do those who go back and make the old new again fall? The first to mend the broken, the first to weave new emotion into old music. I believe all would agree what they achieved is different from creating something new, albeit similar.
I wonder if there is a new answer to that question. Or, will it just be a rephrasing of an older answer?
How can you rewrite a song without first knowing what music is?
There must always be the first person to try to do something. Craftsmanship and Art, both are the domain of Jayus. All started someplace, somehow.
That first person to venture forth, that pathfinder, did something impossible. They did something that had never been imagined before. Maybe many people imagined the same thing all on their own. Imagine if a thousand souls today all had the same idea, and all made it true each by themselves. A wonder yet greater.
Then, inevitably, objects break. From wear, from rust, from the simple passage of time. Songs that have been sung too many times grow old, stale, ordinary. This, too, is taught by Jayus with the shattering of the shrine each year to raise a new one. That creation is a cycle.
Where then do those who go back and make the old new again fall? The first to mend the broken, the first to weave new emotion into old music. I believe all would agree what they achieved is different from creating something new, albeit similar.
I wonder if there is a new answer to that question. Or, will it just be a rephrasing of an older answer?
Written By Rysen
Sept. 10, 2019, 12:19 p.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Niklas
I spent a significant part of my life training for maintaining diplomatic relations with the Shav'arvani in Northlands, which often involves fighting - not necessarily because negotiations failed (though that did sometimes occur), but because in the north, the struggle for survival is an unshrouded daily reality. That reality shapes the values of the people who live there, and many a chieftain or matriarch will not even speak to a diplomat from the Compact unless they can prove that they are strong and hardy, blessed by Petrichor and the spirits, and the quickest method they have to determine such fitness is through ritual combat.
In seeking to continue my studies in the arts of diplomacy, I was honored to accept an invitation to learn from Prince Niklas Grayson, where I was exposed to a whole different manner of diplomacy, which has opened my eyes to methods which I have seen firsthand to be exceedingly effective. Prince Niklas is a gifted speaker on any subject, but his method of teaching is entertaining as well as enlightening. He asked me questions, dilated on my responses, provided examples and seasoned the lessons with humorous digressions, which, in the end, proved further illustrations of his points and principles.
I also had the privilege of accompanying the prince on a diplomatic meeting he had been asked to join, involving representatives of Houses Twinstone and Wolfhall and a dispute over some stone that had been quarried and transported, and the price to be paid for it. Prince Niklas listened to both representatives and lauded both Houses for their contributions to the Crownlands. He then gave a hilarious account of an intractable baron whose greed had prevented him from coming to terms with his allies, and whom he had made the principle character in a satiric play he had written that had been recently performed in Arx. We had all seen the play, and laughed together at coming to know the inspiration for that truly unfortunate character. Prince Niklas went on to say that this poor Baron was now so reviled in polite society, that even the commoners in Arx will not acknowledge him, and, that his daughter, for lack of a better option, had married a profligate merchant. Perceiving the prince's aim, I added that I had last seen this merchant in the Golden Hart, gambling away the last of the poor baron's wealth in the most dissipated and shameful manner. Happily, the diplomats of House Twinstone and House Wolfhall decided to accept Prince Niklas's mediation, and offered him several personages who might be a good fit for the villain of his next play.
I learned a great deal from Prince Niklas, and am most grateful for his lessons. When we parted ways, he even gifted me a copy of the classic guide to diplomacy, _In Defense of Lying_, the works of Giovinazzo Pravus. I will cherish it.
In seeking to continue my studies in the arts of diplomacy, I was honored to accept an invitation to learn from Prince Niklas Grayson, where I was exposed to a whole different manner of diplomacy, which has opened my eyes to methods which I have seen firsthand to be exceedingly effective. Prince Niklas is a gifted speaker on any subject, but his method of teaching is entertaining as well as enlightening. He asked me questions, dilated on my responses, provided examples and seasoned the lessons with humorous digressions, which, in the end, proved further illustrations of his points and principles.
I also had the privilege of accompanying the prince on a diplomatic meeting he had been asked to join, involving representatives of Houses Twinstone and Wolfhall and a dispute over some stone that had been quarried and transported, and the price to be paid for it. Prince Niklas listened to both representatives and lauded both Houses for their contributions to the Crownlands. He then gave a hilarious account of an intractable baron whose greed had prevented him from coming to terms with his allies, and whom he had made the principle character in a satiric play he had written that had been recently performed in Arx. We had all seen the play, and laughed together at coming to know the inspiration for that truly unfortunate character. Prince Niklas went on to say that this poor Baron was now so reviled in polite society, that even the commoners in Arx will not acknowledge him, and, that his daughter, for lack of a better option, had married a profligate merchant. Perceiving the prince's aim, I added that I had last seen this merchant in the Golden Hart, gambling away the last of the poor baron's wealth in the most dissipated and shameful manner. Happily, the diplomats of House Twinstone and House Wolfhall decided to accept Prince Niklas's mediation, and offered him several personages who might be a good fit for the villain of his next play.
I learned a great deal from Prince Niklas, and am most grateful for his lessons. When we parted ways, he even gifted me a copy of the classic guide to diplomacy, _In Defense of Lying_, the works of Giovinazzo Pravus. I will cherish it.
Written By Miranda
Sept. 10, 2019, 10:07 a.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Arcadia
In that moment when you witness a soon-to-be-mother starting labor pains and she seems to be in denial, you wonder if, when that moment comes to you, would you also be in denial? Or would you embrace the moment eagerly.
I hope the latter for myself, one day.
I hope the latter for myself, one day.
Written By Martino
Sept. 10, 2019, 9:36 a.m.(10/22/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Arcadia
My arrival into the Bold Espressions triggered the birth of your child.
You may name it after me.
You may name it after me.
Written By Arcadia
Sept. 10, 2019, 2:28 a.m.(10/21/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Donato
I received word of Count Donato Inverno today and my heart feels heavy with grief.
He was my first love and one of the first people to catch my attention on my return to Arx. It is so easy to lay blame and only remember the bad when things sour, but at times like this, I try to remember the good and how the world is a little smaller without him.
I adored the intensity of his personality. The love that easily shone for his home and people in his words. It was his joy at adventure that drew me in and the big dreams he had that had me enthralled.
The last time we spoke, he told me he was a shark. That he would never be happy until he conquered the world. The sea. He thrived on all adventure. I take some comfort that he died at sea on an adventure and not as an old man in bed. He would of hated the limitations old age would of imposed on him.
He was my first love and one of the first people to catch my attention on my return to Arx. It is so easy to lay blame and only remember the bad when things sour, but at times like this, I try to remember the good and how the world is a little smaller without him.
I adored the intensity of his personality. The love that easily shone for his home and people in his words. It was his joy at adventure that drew me in and the big dreams he had that had me enthralled.
The last time we spoke, he told me he was a shark. That he would never be happy until he conquered the world. The sea. He thrived on all adventure. I take some comfort that he died at sea on an adventure and not as an old man in bed. He would of hated the limitations old age would of imposed on him.
Written By Reese
Sept. 9, 2019, 4:33 p.m.(10/20/1011 AR)
Lady Mabelle is doing lots of things right. Including giving out cookies right. They are very yummy. I am super honored she considers me a friend.
Written By Margot
Sept. 9, 2019, 3:45 p.m.(10/20/1011 AR)
I would like for once for my largest issue of the day to be entirely mundane: something that can be solved with gentle wards, cold coin or a knife to the heart.
Written By Quenia
Sept. 9, 2019, 2:55 p.m.(10/20/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Sebastian
Speaking of gifts, I was recently given a most wonderful painting by Lord Sebastian Pravus. It was truly remarkable, and although he said I could include it in the crafter's extravaganza I intend to hold, should I want to, it was clearly a gift. I have chosen to keep it, as it was my dreams that inspired its making. It is now sitting on display within the halls of Domus Igniseri. I think I may move it from the corridor to the Great Hall, however, where it can appropriately shine as much as the starry display he painted for me.
Written By Caith
Sept. 9, 2019, 2:46 p.m.(10/20/1011 AR)
I have heard that there are flowers that grow beneath rocks! Flowers!! Beneath /rocks/! I will never stop being fascinated by all the strange and wonderful things in this world. What do they look like? What do they smell like? How do they even manage to grow under there? Do they have muscles? As they grow, do they push the rock off them as if to say: 'Surprise! HERE I AM'? Can someone bring me a bouquet -- wait, no. Plucked flowers die and such rare and amazing things as under-rock-blooms should be allowed to flourish.
Does anyone want to go on a rock-turning adventure with me? It sounds like an amazingly fun prospect and even if we don't find any, won't that just be a lovely walk about town?
Does anyone want to go on a rock-turning adventure with me? It sounds like an amazingly fun prospect and even if we don't find any, won't that just be a lovely walk about town?
Written By Elisha
Sept. 9, 2019, 2:15 p.m.(10/20/1011 AR)
A murmuration of starlings thickens into a city that is visible when you lean out from the edge of the plateau at the hour when children carry cupped candles to their small beds. This soaring city thins in dimly dusk-lighted alleys, it collects the shadows of gardens, it raises towers with glossy wings; and if the evening is misty, a hazy glow swells like a milky sponge at the foot of the never-still flocks.
Travelers on the plateau watch the bird-catchers watching the nets above which the city stretches and shifts, and long to lose themselves among the fluttering streets.
(There is more to this story--the shape of candle flames cupped by small hands, the plateau standing in the shadow of taller plateaus--but I abandon the ending to you, princess, like a bird released from a cage or an arrow from a bow--)
Travelers on the plateau watch the bird-catchers watching the nets above which the city stretches and shifts, and long to lose themselves among the fluttering streets.
(There is more to this story--the shape of candle flames cupped by small hands, the plateau standing in the shadow of taller plateaus--but I abandon the ending to you, princess, like a bird released from a cage or an arrow from a bow--)
Written By Quenia
Sept. 9, 2019, 2:15 p.m.(10/20/1011 AR)
Resource production within House Igniseri has been at an all time high. There are three of us which allow the house to flourish, each with our own expertise. This has allowed us to gather a large majority of the resources in house for the agricultural center we are building - a task that is well under way now and should be completed in these next few months.
Because of this, I've been able to gift my lovely cousin, Baroness Lucita, with a gift most exquisite; a dragonweep gem. When I first started managing House Igniseri I never thought we could afford such commodities, especially not when Luis wanted to buy one for the sword he was creating. But now, as I see us start to flourish and grow, they are within our grasp. It was fortunate that one was on sale at the broker for a reasonable sum, so I gladly made a gift of it.
I look forward to seeing how Lucita intends to make use of it. It shall look rather lovely, I am certain, paired with whatever outfit she means to wear.
Because of this, I've been able to gift my lovely cousin, Baroness Lucita, with a gift most exquisite; a dragonweep gem. When I first started managing House Igniseri I never thought we could afford such commodities, especially not when Luis wanted to buy one for the sword he was creating. But now, as I see us start to flourish and grow, they are within our grasp. It was fortunate that one was on sale at the broker for a reasonable sum, so I gladly made a gift of it.
I look forward to seeing how Lucita intends to make use of it. It shall look rather lovely, I am certain, paired with whatever outfit she means to wear.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.