Written By Tikva
Sept. 11, 2017, 3:37 p.m.(3/12/1007 AR)
Relationship Note on Rymarr
Marquis Rymarr seems concerned about Inquisition scrutiny.
Hmmm. Perhaps he has something to hide after all.
Hmmm. Perhaps he has something to hide after all.
Written By Tikva
Sept. 10, 2017, 11:38 p.m.(3/11/1007 AR)
It's BLOODY COLD out here.
Written By Tikva
Aug. 29, 2017, 11:55 p.m.(2/12/1007 AR)
One of the principal risks, since time immemorial, when one is writing a journal about persons unnamed, is that of course no one will actually know against whom the slight is directed, and one may find that one has stung a number of people who suspect themselves in every sentence, while the target against whom one has aimed one's barb simply carries on in complete ignorance, cheerfully going about their day with no knowledge that you have sharpened your wit upon them.
But you know, we have always used the White Journals like this. It has been the case for centuries! With a team of researchers, I have been able to unearth the oldest such vague journal in living memory within the Archive of Vellichor, and I provide it now, with citations, in my own white journal, as an aid to memory and object lesson. Its text, entirely, is thus:
"Few things are as sad as how far some people go to get the last word." - King of the Compact Tyrval Ael'Noctis, Consort of Alarice the Great.
Food for thought!
But you know, we have always used the White Journals like this. It has been the case for centuries! With a team of researchers, I have been able to unearth the oldest such vague journal in living memory within the Archive of Vellichor, and I provide it now, with citations, in my own white journal, as an aid to memory and object lesson. Its text, entirely, is thus:
"Few things are as sad as how far some people go to get the last word." - King of the Compact Tyrval Ael'Noctis, Consort of Alarice the Great.
Food for thought!
Written By Tikva
Aug. 29, 2017, 9:47 a.m.(2/11/1007 AR)
Mistress Petal made my wedding gown. It's a lovely piece in deep green seasilk, and the hooded cloak she made to match is both charming and warm, perfect for how cold the weather has been lately.
Honestly I do believe she has made a good deal of my wardrobe, but the gown a lady marries in does tend to stick in her memory.
Honestly I do believe she has made a good deal of my wardrobe, but the gown a lady marries in does tend to stick in her memory.
Written By Tikva
Aug. 27, 2017, 11:28 p.m.(2/8/1007 AR)
Relationship Note on Audric
I am glad to welcome the new Baron Audric to the ranks of the peerage, and look forward to the day when some proud noble scion prepares to introduce him as his son-in-law.
Written By Tikva
Aug. 16, 2017, 12:29 a.m.(1/12/1007 AR)
Relationship Note on Tessa
While looking for something quite unrelated, Tiber's nanny Mariah came across some white journals from a simply darling person in the Archive and brought me copies to read.
I would like to say that I count myself wholly among her Admirers and look forward to read more of what she has to say in the future.
I would like to say that I count myself wholly among her Admirers and look forward to read more of what she has to say in the future.
Written By Tikva
Aug. 10, 2017, 5:58 p.m.(1/1/1007 AR)
Relationship Note on Calarian
Of course, my darling, _older_ cousin. A man of your age and experience has earned the pride of his heart for our House!
Written By Tikva
Aug. 10, 2017, 1:19 p.m.(1/1/1007 AR)
Relationship Note on Calarian
Prince Calarian believes that no bard will sing of his qualities, but I believe he is mistaken. The following is what I have penned. There's room for stanzas. His is, after all, the finest pen in the Compact.
Duty drives in Grayson gray, writ large upon the stage
Bold Calarian of Bastion, one among us
Armed with pen and ink, deadlier than warrior’s rage
For words shape thoughts where war might crush us
but peace forges links blazoned on the page.
Here is a man who wholly serves his House,
heart and mind and spirit these endeavors lent;
For the Crown and Compact took he a spouse
of the wilds, for men and spears and arrows spent,
yet by Limerance’s grace their bonds forged, roused—
Yet he lost her, her blood stained the forest red,
But duty sustained him, unfalt’ringly loyal—
He put love and duty over pride and marriage bed
and served the Crown, and won his Majesty Royal
a Queen, and peace, and alliance ‘tween peoples sped.
This is love of Limerance, family, and faith’s grace,
when a man’s passion he spends for fealty,
and trust in him could never be misplaced,
for upholding the family by the hand of the deity
is the best love of a prince, no matter how he self-efface.
Duty drives in Grayson gray, writ large upon the stage
Bold Calarian of Bastion, one among us
Armed with pen and ink, deadlier than warrior’s rage
For words shape thoughts where war might crush us
but peace forges links blazoned on the page.
Here is a man who wholly serves his House,
heart and mind and spirit these endeavors lent;
For the Crown and Compact took he a spouse
of the wilds, for men and spears and arrows spent,
yet by Limerance’s grace their bonds forged, roused—
Yet he lost her, her blood stained the forest red,
But duty sustained him, unfalt’ringly loyal—
He put love and duty over pride and marriage bed
and served the Crown, and won his Majesty Royal
a Queen, and peace, and alliance ‘tween peoples sped.
This is love of Limerance, family, and faith’s grace,
when a man’s passion he spends for fealty,
and trust in him could never be misplaced,
for upholding the family by the hand of the deity
is the best love of a prince, no matter how he self-efface.
Written By Tikva
Aug. 3, 2017, 12:43 p.m.(12/15/1006 AR)
I loved the royal wedding. Of course, I pretty much love all weddings that I attend ... as there is little that delights me more as the public celebration and embrace of pure oaths of loyalty. Yet I am delighted to see a little spectacle in our spectacle.
At the reception, I watched King Alaric IV and Queen Symonesse greeting their guests and was charmed and delighted by the warmth both showed to each individual they greeted. I'm sure I even witnessed a _group hug_! It gives me new hope for the future, just the joy and kindness and good feelings that I feel like I witnessed, and I'm sure I saw smiles on faces from every House in the Compact.
Yes, all right, the spiders were a little creepy and unsettling, but if they really did weave that glorious wedding gown, sign me up for a set of my own please!
At the reception, I watched King Alaric IV and Queen Symonesse greeting their guests and was charmed and delighted by the warmth both showed to each individual they greeted. I'm sure I even witnessed a _group hug_! It gives me new hope for the future, just the joy and kindness and good feelings that I feel like I witnessed, and I'm sure I saw smiles on faces from every House in the Compact.
Yes, all right, the spiders were a little creepy and unsettling, but if they really did weave that glorious wedding gown, sign me up for a set of my own please!
Written By Tikva
July 31, 2017, 11:48 p.m.(12/10/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Eleyna
Met Princess Eleyna Velenosa very briefly at the event the other day and discussed projectile weaponry and angular momentum ... Her dress was just killer! Next time I run into her I've got to try and compare notes.
I mean it's easy to be distracted from fashion with all the leaping and stabbing and rolling in the sand going on at a dueling tourney. . .
I mean it's easy to be distracted from fashion with all the leaping and stabbing and rolling in the sand going on at a dueling tourney. . .
Written By Tikva
July 30, 2017, 6:56 p.m.(12/7/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Laric
The Master of Questions has learned what happens when you send me a rhyme in the mail!
Written By Tikva
July 30, 2017, 6:55 p.m.(12/7/1006 AR)
A SONG FOR THE INQUISITION:
In service to Crown and Compact,
the Inquisition holds oath to combat
the enemies of the Crown and the light
and those bound all unwilling in that fight
are caught betwixt all in a fearsome plight
Bold and fierce as a light in dark places
our men and women stand, frontward faces,
‘gainst monstrosities rising from the depths
even to confront us on the palace steps,
when their dastardly plans we did intercept.
An evil man whose name I won’t speak
In shadows cloaked and authority peaked—
We struck him down upon the stones
when he dared to subvert the Throne
alongside our brethren in the King’s Own
Now for his Majesty, we serve as sword
to pierce darkness and seek the horde
The questions we put to them all
will bring forth justice, truth, withal
and with that truth, we’re standing tall.
But truth our goal, and justice plain
Neither graft nor unnecessary pain—
It is grit we must have, the requisite
strength of purpose to Inquisit—
for it seems mysteries expand, infinite.
In service to Crown and Compact,
the Inquisition holds oath to combat
the enemies of the Crown and the light
and those bound all unwilling in that fight
are caught betwixt all in a fearsome plight
Bold and fierce as a light in dark places
our men and women stand, frontward faces,
‘gainst monstrosities rising from the depths
even to confront us on the palace steps,
when their dastardly plans we did intercept.
An evil man whose name I won’t speak
In shadows cloaked and authority peaked—
We struck him down upon the stones
when he dared to subvert the Throne
alongside our brethren in the King’s Own
Now for his Majesty, we serve as sword
to pierce darkness and seek the horde
The questions we put to them all
will bring forth justice, truth, withal
and with that truth, we’re standing tall.
But truth our goal, and justice plain
Neither graft nor unnecessary pain—
It is grit we must have, the requisite
strength of purpose to Inquisit—
for it seems mysteries expand, infinite.
Written By Tikva
July 26, 2017, 5:02 p.m.(11/27/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Audric
I am personally certain that Captain Audric of the Valorous Few has rescued a kitten orphanage from certain destruction and I am so appalled to read people maligning his good name this way.
Written By Tikva
July 23, 2017, 6:55 p.m.(11/21/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Ainsley
Aside from the vows that were traditional in our ceremony, I included these, and now chronicle them in my white journal:
I give you my solemn oath, before Limerance, that I will protect you, my husband, as I will protect your children, and your family.
I give you my solemn oath, before Limerance, that I will allow you to protect me, as you will protect my children, and our family.
I promise to love you with all the power of my heart. I promise to honor your worth with every fragment of my being. And though ours is a love match with all the passion of our beating hearts, if love one day is not enough, I swear to you and to Limerance that honor and duty will always be.
I swear to be the mother to your children, the mother that they deserve, that I will never abandon them, or forget them, or leave them behind.
I promise my service to your House, with everything that I have and everything that I am. I promise never to forget the houses that I come from, but that none shall be greater than Grayson to me. I promise I will never forget the duty I will owe our vassals in the house of their liege.
I promise I will do my utmost to be a Princess worthy of the title.
I love you.
I give you my solemn oath, before Limerance, that I will protect you, my husband, as I will protect your children, and your family.
I give you my solemn oath, before Limerance, that I will allow you to protect me, as you will protect my children, and our family.
I promise to love you with all the power of my heart. I promise to honor your worth with every fragment of my being. And though ours is a love match with all the passion of our beating hearts, if love one day is not enough, I swear to you and to Limerance that honor and duty will always be.
I swear to be the mother to your children, the mother that they deserve, that I will never abandon them, or forget them, or leave them behind.
I promise my service to your House, with everything that I have and everything that I am. I promise never to forget the houses that I come from, but that none shall be greater than Grayson to me. I promise I will never forget the duty I will owe our vassals in the house of their liege.
I promise I will do my utmost to be a Princess worthy of the title.
I love you.
Written By Tikva
July 6, 2017, 12:50 a.m.(10/14/1006 AR)
I am delighted to record just how well fundraising efforts for the Crown School are going. The idea is simple, in case anyone is for some reason reading my white reflections that has not yet been pigeonholed about this: that there be a safe place, a boarding school with a classroom, for parentless children to be educated, a companion effort to that of the Knights of Solace and the Whispers in refitting the building sometimes known as the Tragedy. The school will have bunkrooms for the children, a kitchen and dining area for them to eat, and at minimum one classroom, perhaps more. The idea is that the Crown will fund this as a place where the youth of Arvum may learn and grow, where craftspeople and knights seeking apprentices might go to find young people of some beginnings in education, and indeed, where we may teach classes for other children, given the availability of instructors and staff to do so.
There was some discussion in the Ministry of Civil Development for using the school, as well, as a place where displaced adults might also be able to learn and seek some benefit. These ideas are not so fully formed as the plan for the school itself. But ideas only grow, especially with the help and support of so many behind it.
We now have enough funds to begin construction, and my ambition knows greater heights now: what if we had more than one classroom? What if we built a fenced practice yard so that the children might take exercise away from the common street?
I have spoken to so many about this, yet even as I pen these words it occurs to me, others that I might seek out. . .
There was some discussion in the Ministry of Civil Development for using the school, as well, as a place where displaced adults might also be able to learn and seek some benefit. These ideas are not so fully formed as the plan for the school itself. But ideas only grow, especially with the help and support of so many behind it.
We now have enough funds to begin construction, and my ambition knows greater heights now: what if we had more than one classroom? What if we built a fenced practice yard so that the children might take exercise away from the common street?
I have spoken to so many about this, yet even as I pen these words it occurs to me, others that I might seek out. . .
Written By Tikva
June 27, 2017, 7:03 p.m.(9/25/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Magpie
I admit to some curiosity about the couch in question, considering its provenance and its position in certain negotiations . . .
But not _that_ much curiosity.
But not _that_ much curiosity.
Written By Tikva
June 18, 2017, 6:50 p.m.(9/5/1006 AR)
A song for a friend I would have known better, and a song for a friend who I hope shares and will appreciate the sentiment.
We stand upon the precipice of life
Behind us is toiling, ahead of us strife
Meaning, for us, comes in the in-between
and at the end it seems we return to the Queen.
All of us lose, even when we can win;
Part of our stories end as each one begins.
I cannot sing a ballad of what came before
The words leave my throat all raw and sore--
Shine on, bright spirit, with your Order of Gold
We'll carry on your torch like yon heroes of old
and light the way clearer, hearts high in our chests
Losing you will never mean giving up on your quest.
We'll beat back the darkness, and remember your blade,
I'll sing this song for you, against every cruel shade--
The bright Niamh Greenmarch, beloved of many,
and believe me, sweet Champion, if it honors you any:
I'll hold your name in my heart as I crush them to dust.
We stand upon the precipice of life
Behind us is toiling, ahead of us strife
Meaning, for us, comes in the in-between
and at the end it seems we return to the Queen.
All of us lose, even when we can win;
Part of our stories end as each one begins.
I cannot sing a ballad of what came before
The words leave my throat all raw and sore--
Shine on, bright spirit, with your Order of Gold
We'll carry on your torch like yon heroes of old
and light the way clearer, hearts high in our chests
Losing you will never mean giving up on your quest.
We'll beat back the darkness, and remember your blade,
I'll sing this song for you, against every cruel shade--
The bright Niamh Greenmarch, beloved of many,
and believe me, sweet Champion, if it honors you any:
I'll hold your name in my heart as I crush them to dust.
Written By Tikva
June 4, 2017, 10:05 p.m.(8/4/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Samantha
Marquesa Samantha was of great help to me as my agent in negotiating my marriage alliance with House Grayson, a woman of poise and good sense, who knows when to let her hair down. I'm so glad she was willing to help me out, because it would have been so odd to negotiate on my own behalf as a Voice of my House.
Thank you so much, my lady, for all your help. I consider you a true friend of my heart and always shall.
Thank you so much, my lady, for all your help. I consider you a true friend of my heart and always shall.
Written By Tikva
June 4, 2017, 10:03 p.m.(8/4/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Cara
Cara Grayson is a lady of both grace and sensibility, and I am over the moon to be joining her family.
She has reasonable plans for the rearing of her children, and I look forward to seeing how Tiber grows alongside them in the bonds of good fellowship, as the ward of their family.
She delighted me by reaching out to me as a one-day future cousin, and I am so happy to call her friend, and look forward to seeing her darling daughters grow.
Seriously, so cute.
She has reasonable plans for the rearing of her children, and I look forward to seeing how Tiber grows alongside them in the bonds of good fellowship, as the ward of their family.
She delighted me by reaching out to me as a one-day future cousin, and I am so happy to call her friend, and look forward to seeing her darling daughters grow.
Seriously, so cute.
Written By Tikva
June 4, 2017, 10:01 p.m.(8/4/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Laric
I have a wicked plan to hug him once we are family!
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.