Written By Bliss
June 20, 2018, 4:19 p.m.(1/18/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mirari
Thanks for clarifying.
Time to go to the Commons, I suppose.
Time to go to the Commons, I suppose.
Written By Bliss
June 20, 2018, 12:46 p.m.(1/18/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Fairen
It is curious, isn't it?
So let me speak on this some, as someone who has Devoted herself to Him.
I do not believe I have consciously told a lie in ... Months, at the least. Perhaps longer. There have been cases where there have been, perhaps, lies by omission, but if I have it's because there is a single goal: to hold firm to the vows that I have sworn, and the trusts that have been placed in me, particularly as a Whisper.
This is not to say that there are times I won't, but they must be extreme, they must be to save lives or right some injustice that can only be righted in that way, when there is no other option left. Marquessa Quenia has provided an example of what I am talking about. Still, I would find myself torn on the matter, and I would find myself seeking penance of some kind to make it right in my head.
Without integrity, we cannot function. And you know? When I have told the truth to people, even when they didn't want to hear it, even when it meant I couldn't be that which they wanted to be, I've found it only earned their respect. Yes, they railed on me in the moment, but then they know that - no matter what - I will hold to my vows.
So let me speak on this some, as someone who has Devoted herself to Him.
I do not believe I have consciously told a lie in ... Months, at the least. Perhaps longer. There have been cases where there have been, perhaps, lies by omission, but if I have it's because there is a single goal: to hold firm to the vows that I have sworn, and the trusts that have been placed in me, particularly as a Whisper.
This is not to say that there are times I won't, but they must be extreme, they must be to save lives or right some injustice that can only be righted in that way, when there is no other option left. Marquessa Quenia has provided an example of what I am talking about. Still, I would find myself torn on the matter, and I would find myself seeking penance of some kind to make it right in my head.
Without integrity, we cannot function. And you know? When I have told the truth to people, even when they didn't want to hear it, even when it meant I couldn't be that which they wanted to be, I've found it only earned their respect. Yes, they railed on me in the moment, but then they know that - no matter what - I will hold to my vows.
Written By Bliss
June 17, 2018, 2 p.m.(1/12/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mayir
I don't know the first thing about sewing, I'm pretty terrible at holding my tongue, rowing is out for the foreseeable future, and the one time I tried to cook when I was still in Tor my father and I both fell disastrously ill. Disastrously. There's plenty more!
Thankfully these are things I can always have others do for me!
Your words are appreciated.
Thankfully these are things I can always have others do for me!
Your words are appreciated.
Written By Bliss
June 17, 2018, 2:04 a.m.(1/11/1009 AR)
In brighter news, the first Whisper Ball I've held seemed to go quite well.
I have no comment on anything else except that the timing irks me.
I have no comment on anything else except that the timing irks me.
Written By Bliss
June 16, 2018, 4:20 a.m.(1/9/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Aurelian
I never knew this man.
But people wrote similar things to what they are writing now about Everard Telmar when his betrayal was revealed.
Did both of these men have good qualities about them? Oh, yes. Almost certainly. But that is what is so insidious about treason and betrayals in particular. When a violent person commits a violent act in anger, it is nearly unremarkable. When someone acting shady ends up picking your pocket - are you really surprised? A powerful yet cruel head of house turning tyrant?
Treason is all the more cruel because it comes from those you thought were good, because every positive emotion you had, every experience you had, becomes twisted by its lens. No one in the Compact will ever see this man the same way again. Once you know what is under the mask, it's all there, out in the open.
Harden your hearts. He was not the first. He will not be the last. And even now, someone is suffering because of one of them, I can nearly guarantee it.
If that someone is you, dear reader: you have the truest, deepest sympathy I have to offer. If there is anything a simple Devotion can do to help, please reach out.
But people wrote similar things to what they are writing now about Everard Telmar when his betrayal was revealed.
Did both of these men have good qualities about them? Oh, yes. Almost certainly. But that is what is so insidious about treason and betrayals in particular. When a violent person commits a violent act in anger, it is nearly unremarkable. When someone acting shady ends up picking your pocket - are you really surprised? A powerful yet cruel head of house turning tyrant?
Treason is all the more cruel because it comes from those you thought were good, because every positive emotion you had, every experience you had, becomes twisted by its lens. No one in the Compact will ever see this man the same way again. Once you know what is under the mask, it's all there, out in the open.
Harden your hearts. He was not the first. He will not be the last. And even now, someone is suffering because of one of them, I can nearly guarantee it.
If that someone is you, dear reader: you have the truest, deepest sympathy I have to offer. If there is anything a simple Devotion can do to help, please reach out.
Written By Bliss
June 15, 2018, 10:10 p.m.(1/9/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Laric
Quite.
We real dragons roar and make our presences known.
We real dragons roar and make our presences known.
Written By Bliss
June 13, 2018, 8:20 p.m.(12/24/1008 AR)
To the Dame Talenthia Tael'Nal'Thal of the Nox'Alfar:
Congratulations on your victory in the most recent competition, and accept this public acknowledgement by me of your existence as one of the many prizes which will surely be lauded upon you. Know that if you send me two likenesses of yourself, I will keep one on display, and return the second, kissed by myself, and with my autograph scrawled across it.
To the rest of the Nox'Alfar, I expect to hear of a more lively and creative show next year. I am always pushing my boundaries and it does not do to have my fans not doing the same.
With kisses, both of steel and lips,
Bliss, the Greatest Arvani
Congratulations on your victory in the most recent competition, and accept this public acknowledgement by me of your existence as one of the many prizes which will surely be lauded upon you. Know that if you send me two likenesses of yourself, I will keep one on display, and return the second, kissed by myself, and with my autograph scrawled across it.
To the rest of the Nox'Alfar, I expect to hear of a more lively and creative show next year. I am always pushing my boundaries and it does not do to have my fans not doing the same.
With kisses, both of steel and lips,
Bliss, the Greatest Arvani
Written By Bliss
June 12, 2018, 10:04 a.m.(12/21/1008 AR)
High Lord Valardin and Thrax are right, of course. You can hire anyone you wish, and anyone can accept.
You really shouldn't, though, and I will say this every time it needs to be said. Read back through my Whites if you must, I've laid this all out before.
I've called for Champions, let's be done with it until Baron de Lire responds to the challenge.
You really shouldn't, though, and I will say this every time it needs to be said. Read back through my Whites if you must, I've laid this all out before.
I've called for Champions, let's be done with it until Baron de Lire responds to the challenge.
Written By Bliss
June 12, 2018, 1:02 a.m.(12/20/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Audric
Whining?
No, darling Baron, I don't believe you understand the role of the Champions Guild in Arvian society if you think I am whining.
Hire Champions for duels. Anything else and you are doing yourself and centuries of traditions a disgrace.
No, darling Baron, I don't believe you understand the role of the Champions Guild in Arvian society if you think I am whining.
Hire Champions for duels. Anything else and you are doing yourself and centuries of traditions a disgrace.
Written By Bliss
June 12, 2018, 12:58 a.m.(12/20/1008 AR)
I hadn't realized that Baron de Lire had joined the Champions Guild.
Yes, Scholar, I'm aware that he hasn't. That's the point.
Yes, Scholar, I'm aware that he hasn't. That's the point.
Written By Bliss
June 9, 2018, 4:31 a.m.(12/14/1008 AR)
Never let it be said that I do anything at all halfway.
Written By Bliss
June 7, 2018, 3:41 p.m.(12/7/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Margret
I'm two glasses of wine in and starting to feel better myself.
Hardly my first time at this game, but ow. Ow. Why would you ever play that game with me? I'm going to win every time.
Yes, Scholar, I do define this state as winning.
Hardly my first time at this game, but ow. Ow. Why would you ever play that game with me? I'm going to win every time.
Yes, Scholar, I do define this state as winning.
Written By Bliss
June 6, 2018, 9:13 p.m.(12/5/1008 AR)
When I arrived in Arx five years ago, I stepped off the carriage with my sword arm in a sling, with no title, with hardly a silver to my name, a strong voice and a drive to succeed. I walked directly to Whisper House, got an audience with the Radiant, and was accepted as an apprentice beginning that very day. Learning how to be a Whisper was perhaps the most grueling experience of my life - I had some experience with the Peerage, but I was raw, unrefined, angry and spiteful. But I was determined to improve and become the best I could be.
I am still many of those things, but with the support of Whisper House and endless hard work on my part, I am living a life I never imagined when I first left Tor all those years ago, and I am a far better person for it. I work every day to improve - every member of Whisper House does. None of us are ever content with where we have landed, otherwise we never would have become Whispers in the first place. I grew up in the drill grounds of Tor, alongside the future Rose, the generals, the finest soldiers and officers. It's where I learned to fight. My life has been one of literal blood, sweat, and tears.
Nothing comes remotely close to the utterly grueling work and training I went through to become a Whisper. Not even getting my arm back to its former speed.
---
When discussing anything regarding Whisper House, the first thing you must understand is why we were founded and what our purpose is. From there, our relationship to the Peerage and to the other Courtier houses of Arvum can be better understood.
Since our inception, Whisper House has operated under the direct patronage of the Crown. Queen Alarice set up the House under the first Radiant, Caithness Anthy, a brilliant diplomat and a woman of extreme charm and grace, at a time when a loose Compact needed to be drawn together and made stronger. It is this diplomatic work which remains at our core. We fiercely neutral so that we can negotiate the best deals between the noble houses to not only their mutual benefit, but that of all of Arvum. We have the finest performers and entertainers so that the Peerage has a place to come together and mingle without any of the weight of House tied to an event and so that there is no concern of what the appearance of a Lord at an event might mean.
We maintain the highest standards in etiquette, beauty, and elegance within our walls because the decisions that are made in Whisper House affect the lives of every member of the Compact, and the difference between two duchies going to war can be whether or not one of the Dukes involved is already annoyed because his tea is too cold, or whether he is in a great mood due to having a childhood favorite meal prepared the best he has ever had. Thousands of lives can hinge on such small things.
Many of these things can be found in other Courtier houses, it is true.
But perhaps the most important thing is our secrecy. I take this rule very seriously - particularly as a Devotion of Limerance - and I am just as serious about enforcing it. Whether it is just company with a Whisper that is being sought or whether it is advisement on heavy and sensitive matters of state, a Whisper can be trusted fully on such things, though we will, of course, refuse any service that would betray the Compact. The individual contracts are just as important as any advising matters - we know all too well how heavy the burdens of state weigh, and we are there to help make sure they do not break those who bear them. This part is often underestimated or dismissed, but our House words are what they are for a reason.
This is just some of what we do in Arx proper. We also do work around the Compact - more than many might expect. We smooth disagreements, arrange needed meetings, call in favors, and quite simply make things work and happen.
In light of all this, I do not think it difficult to understand why we choose to live in comfort and beauty. The work - both public and private - is draining, and we earn every silver that we are paid. That silver then goes to make sure we ourselves do not break by letting us enjoy what we have earned, but it also goes to making sure that we are the finest in Arx in terms of fashion and our trappings. No noble should ever be ashamed to have a Whisper on their arm for an event, because of who we are and everything we stand for.
---
As for the other Courtier houses, I am in agreement with Lumen Whisper: I welcome them and the services they provide. Perhaps they can even inspire us to do even better. That would not be a bad thing.
However, they are not Whisper House, which is a statement I don't think really needs to be written. Many of our courtiers do come from the other schools, elevated and trained and then retrained to their full potential once they come here. But our roles, our goals, and what we can do - they are distinct from one another.
I will say one last thing, one important correction: Whisper House does not just support our own performers. We do not turn everything inward, we are not self-indulgent without purpose. We teach, we provide opportunity, and we provide support of other nature as well. We simply have the highest standards for such things, for to bear the support of Whisper House, they must.
If there is any performer or artist in the city who is struggling - do send me, or whoever is Softest at the time, a missive. I will be happy to see what we can do for you.
-- Softest Whisper Bliss
I am still many of those things, but with the support of Whisper House and endless hard work on my part, I am living a life I never imagined when I first left Tor all those years ago, and I am a far better person for it. I work every day to improve - every member of Whisper House does. None of us are ever content with where we have landed, otherwise we never would have become Whispers in the first place. I grew up in the drill grounds of Tor, alongside the future Rose, the generals, the finest soldiers and officers. It's where I learned to fight. My life has been one of literal blood, sweat, and tears.
Nothing comes remotely close to the utterly grueling work and training I went through to become a Whisper. Not even getting my arm back to its former speed.
---
When discussing anything regarding Whisper House, the first thing you must understand is why we were founded and what our purpose is. From there, our relationship to the Peerage and to the other Courtier houses of Arvum can be better understood.
Since our inception, Whisper House has operated under the direct patronage of the Crown. Queen Alarice set up the House under the first Radiant, Caithness Anthy, a brilliant diplomat and a woman of extreme charm and grace, at a time when a loose Compact needed to be drawn together and made stronger. It is this diplomatic work which remains at our core. We fiercely neutral so that we can negotiate the best deals between the noble houses to not only their mutual benefit, but that of all of Arvum. We have the finest performers and entertainers so that the Peerage has a place to come together and mingle without any of the weight of House tied to an event and so that there is no concern of what the appearance of a Lord at an event might mean.
We maintain the highest standards in etiquette, beauty, and elegance within our walls because the decisions that are made in Whisper House affect the lives of every member of the Compact, and the difference between two duchies going to war can be whether or not one of the Dukes involved is already annoyed because his tea is too cold, or whether he is in a great mood due to having a childhood favorite meal prepared the best he has ever had. Thousands of lives can hinge on such small things.
Many of these things can be found in other Courtier houses, it is true.
But perhaps the most important thing is our secrecy. I take this rule very seriously - particularly as a Devotion of Limerance - and I am just as serious about enforcing it. Whether it is just company with a Whisper that is being sought or whether it is advisement on heavy and sensitive matters of state, a Whisper can be trusted fully on such things, though we will, of course, refuse any service that would betray the Compact. The individual contracts are just as important as any advising matters - we know all too well how heavy the burdens of state weigh, and we are there to help make sure they do not break those who bear them. This part is often underestimated or dismissed, but our House words are what they are for a reason.
This is just some of what we do in Arx proper. We also do work around the Compact - more than many might expect. We smooth disagreements, arrange needed meetings, call in favors, and quite simply make things work and happen.
In light of all this, I do not think it difficult to understand why we choose to live in comfort and beauty. The work - both public and private - is draining, and we earn every silver that we are paid. That silver then goes to make sure we ourselves do not break by letting us enjoy what we have earned, but it also goes to making sure that we are the finest in Arx in terms of fashion and our trappings. No noble should ever be ashamed to have a Whisper on their arm for an event, because of who we are and everything we stand for.
---
As for the other Courtier houses, I am in agreement with Lumen Whisper: I welcome them and the services they provide. Perhaps they can even inspire us to do even better. That would not be a bad thing.
However, they are not Whisper House, which is a statement I don't think really needs to be written. Many of our courtiers do come from the other schools, elevated and trained and then retrained to their full potential once they come here. But our roles, our goals, and what we can do - they are distinct from one another.
I will say one last thing, one important correction: Whisper House does not just support our own performers. We do not turn everything inward, we are not self-indulgent without purpose. We teach, we provide opportunity, and we provide support of other nature as well. We simply have the highest standards for such things, for to bear the support of Whisper House, they must.
If there is any performer or artist in the city who is struggling - do send me, or whoever is Softest at the time, a missive. I will be happy to see what we can do for you.
-- Softest Whisper Bliss
Written By Bliss
June 4, 2018, 3:48 p.m.(12/1/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Fianna
I would wear this. Without hesitation.
Still seems a little tame, though?
Still seems a little tame, though?
Written By Bliss
May 31, 2018, 3:57 p.m.(11/20/1008 AR)
I have spent this morning in contemplation of my reflection, looking in the mirror, watching her. This beautiful, scarred creature with such an easy smile, who feels everything so deeply.
I understand that to some, this is a difficult, terrifying task to perform. I know some even might think this is dangerous. But I have never been in doubt about who I really am - and I will fully admit, there are days that I am more her than I am the being I normally see myself as.
Is it so easy to look upon someone, I wonder, and see only the person that you wish to see, not who they really are? The answer is, of course, yes, unless you make sure to look with a critical eye. Watch how they behave with those they are trying to impress. With those they could care less about. Who they actively want to destroy. When they're angry. When they're afraid of loss. When they have something to prove. When they have nothing to prove. If you wish to really know a person, try to find a way to get them to show all these sides of themselves. You will see what emerges, you will see what they truly value - or even what they only value at those times. It is all important. Ignoring these sides of someone is dangerous. It is a lesson we have all learned far too often easily; it is a lesson far too easily forgotten.
There is much I could say about who I am seeing right now, but as I look between parchment and mirror, I realize these are things for the Blacks, or for private conversation - or perhaps better off left unsaid. She doesn't frighten me, though.
How could she, really?
I understand that to some, this is a difficult, terrifying task to perform. I know some even might think this is dangerous. But I have never been in doubt about who I really am - and I will fully admit, there are days that I am more her than I am the being I normally see myself as.
Is it so easy to look upon someone, I wonder, and see only the person that you wish to see, not who they really are? The answer is, of course, yes, unless you make sure to look with a critical eye. Watch how they behave with those they are trying to impress. With those they could care less about. Who they actively want to destroy. When they're angry. When they're afraid of loss. When they have something to prove. When they have nothing to prove. If you wish to really know a person, try to find a way to get them to show all these sides of themselves. You will see what emerges, you will see what they truly value - or even what they only value at those times. It is all important. Ignoring these sides of someone is dangerous. It is a lesson we have all learned far too often easily; it is a lesson far too easily forgotten.
There is much I could say about who I am seeing right now, but as I look between parchment and mirror, I realize these are things for the Blacks, or for private conversation - or perhaps better off left unsaid. She doesn't frighten me, though.
How could she, really?
Written By Bliss
May 29, 2018, 4:13 a.m.(11/14/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Ann
A thing I learned this week was you can, in fact, oversaturate your tea with Limerance's Libertia. While his gift is a wonderful, wonderful thing, it is not so much when the powder forms into a sludge at the bottom of your cup.
The wonderful solution to this is that it blends well into soups, and I am looking into recipes which incorporate the flowers into salads and the like. I am willing to make this sacrifice, go through the meals with the failed taste tests, for the good of Arvum.
And for myself. These stories are terrifying and I want no part of them.
As for the matter of spitting versus swallowing-
[Scholar's Note: Please stop.]
The wonderful solution to this is that it blends well into soups, and I am looking into recipes which incorporate the flowers into salads and the like. I am willing to make this sacrifice, go through the meals with the failed taste tests, for the good of Arvum.
And for myself. These stories are terrifying and I want no part of them.
As for the matter of spitting versus swallowing-
[Scholar's Note: Please stop.]
Written By Bliss
May 27, 2018, 3:56 p.m.(11/11/1008 AR)
It seems I have a new title now, even if 'Softest' is an unusual word to ever describe me. Except for my hair.
There is a lot of work to do, and my thoughts this week are too jumbled to be able to put down a White fit for public consumption beyond that.
There is a lot of work to do, and my thoughts this week are too jumbled to be able to put down a White fit for public consumption beyond that.
Written By Bliss
May 22, 2018, 10:38 a.m.(10/15/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Orazio
Regarding Twins:
That idea of the Gods decreeing a bounty of children would be why I am making my tea so strong, Legate. I simply want nothing to do with it. My own, personal tribute to Skald, I suppose, given the other topic of conversation in the Whites today.
That idea of the Gods decreeing a bounty of children would be why I am making my tea so strong, Legate. I simply want nothing to do with it. My own, personal tribute to Skald, I suppose, given the other topic of conversation in the Whites today.
Written By Bliss
May 21, 2018, 8:34 p.m.(10/14/1008 AR)
I have made a habit recently: Every time twins are announced, I have been making my tea slightly stronger.
I am damn near chewing it, at this point.
What happened while I was sick last winter? What were you people doing?
Besides the obvious, of course. I need no instruction on the mechanics of the act.
I am damn near chewing it, at this point.
What happened while I was sick last winter? What were you people doing?
Besides the obvious, of course. I need no instruction on the mechanics of the act.
Written By Bliss
May 21, 2018, 3:04 a.m.(10/12/1008 AR)
The sun is setting, providing a code on what has been one of the more intense weeks of my life. Of course, not near the most - the Nox'Alfar continue to rightfully hold that honor, and Arx is a candle to the bonfire they provide - and much of this might be forgotten in time. Yet, I cannot deny that as I prepare to sleep, I find not only my world changed, but the seeds of change I will bring to Arx have been planted.
My return to the dueling grounds, while I did not meet with victory, cannot be seen by me as anything other than success. Sir Jeffeth and I worked together to provide two shows, a simple taste of what is to come. This seems to have ignited the flaming wind which I rode until now, only finally taking a moment to take a breath and step off.
There are many things I can think of to say about this week, but perhaps most critical is that inspiration is flowing. People are being inspired to argue, to rage, to smugness, to poorly attempted clever tricks, to insults. All of this is true. It is part of what comes out of us when we allow what is most human to come out.
But people are also being inspired to art, to excellence, to laughter, to higher levels of discourse, wit, determination, love, fame, passion, romance, loyalty, brilliance, enthusiasm, curiosity.
I will always take the second list, even if it means the first must thrive as well.
I wrote many weeks ago about passion, how I believe it must be the driving force in all that we do, how without it our lives are hollow versions of themselves. We shy away from embracing them fully, we shy away from who we truly can be, we cripple ourselves.
I received a number of confused responses to this, or those tutting at me as if I were naive. Most notable was the Lady Margerie Keaton, wondering how I had not been burned.
The question baffles me. Of course I have been burned to my very core. Fire consumes its fuel. This is an inevitability. Unchecked, it wreaks horrific destruction.
But from that fire comes light, warmth, and everything else we need to sustain ourselves. I do not fear the flame. I embrace it.
My return to the dueling grounds, while I did not meet with victory, cannot be seen by me as anything other than success. Sir Jeffeth and I worked together to provide two shows, a simple taste of what is to come. This seems to have ignited the flaming wind which I rode until now, only finally taking a moment to take a breath and step off.
There are many things I can think of to say about this week, but perhaps most critical is that inspiration is flowing. People are being inspired to argue, to rage, to smugness, to poorly attempted clever tricks, to insults. All of this is true. It is part of what comes out of us when we allow what is most human to come out.
But people are also being inspired to art, to excellence, to laughter, to higher levels of discourse, wit, determination, love, fame, passion, romance, loyalty, brilliance, enthusiasm, curiosity.
I will always take the second list, even if it means the first must thrive as well.
I wrote many weeks ago about passion, how I believe it must be the driving force in all that we do, how without it our lives are hollow versions of themselves. We shy away from embracing them fully, we shy away from who we truly can be, we cripple ourselves.
I received a number of confused responses to this, or those tutting at me as if I were naive. Most notable was the Lady Margerie Keaton, wondering how I had not been burned.
The question baffles me. Of course I have been burned to my very core. Fire consumes its fuel. This is an inevitability. Unchecked, it wreaks horrific destruction.
But from that fire comes light, warmth, and everything else we need to sustain ourselves. I do not fear the flame. I embrace it.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.