Written By Preston
Sept. 20, 2018, 12:47 p.m.(8/20/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
It is a clever point - though I would say it applies only should I be an absolutist and say there should never be questions. I merely deny the absolute that says there must always be a place for questions. It is a rather deeply unsatisfying position, but the truth is that like many things it is a judgement call. It is why the Godsworn are here, to spend time that others do not have in study of the Faith and dedicate ourselves to the Gods and hopefully make the right decision on when those calls need to happen.
As an aside, the issue of Marach is actually got around by the office of Carnifex - that which is necessary for the defense of the Faith is lawful in the eyes of the Faith. The offer about the history was a genuine one, your highness - I do not think we spend enough time understanding history, and thus what binds us far stronger than the small disagreements that might seek to separate us in the present.
As an aside, the issue of Marach is actually got around by the office of Carnifex - that which is necessary for the defense of the Faith is lawful in the eyes of the Faith. The offer about the history was a genuine one, your highness - I do not think we spend enough time understanding history, and thus what binds us far stronger than the small disagreements that might seek to separate us in the present.
Written By Preston
Sept. 20, 2018, 9:20 a.m.(8/19/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
It is to look at a matter from every possible perspective, Prince Mydas. Your words. The Lycene style is just that - to open up to question in public matters that some feel may be best done in private or not at all. Others would say some perspectives are unacceptable, and too close to the Abyss, too easy for someone to stumble and in the dark place a foot upon that ground. If that is a view you yourself hold, then I am glad - for it is a safer place to be and I am sorry for misunderstanding - but somehow I do not think it is.
My original point was you misunderstand when you say that the fear many have is of Tehom, when really it is fear of ourselves, fear of the mortal, because mortals slip and fall. Even the greatest of us. Equally when you say they do not worship Tehom - all worship Tehom in the Compact. The style of that worship may differ, it may be private rather than the public style, but they honour him all the same. If you know of those who deny the Gods worship, I am sure your Seraph would like to know their names so they can rectify the matter.
No, I read what you write very carefully Prince Mydas. And what you seek to champion. It speaks much to your dedication as a disciple - and your embracing of your return to the Lyceum.
My original point was you misunderstand when you say that the fear many have is of Tehom, when really it is fear of ourselves, fear of the mortal, because mortals slip and fall. Even the greatest of us. Equally when you say they do not worship Tehom - all worship Tehom in the Compact. The style of that worship may differ, it may be private rather than the public style, but they honour him all the same. If you know of those who deny the Gods worship, I am sure your Seraph would like to know their names so they can rectify the matter.
No, I read what you write very carefully Prince Mydas. And what you seek to champion. It speaks much to your dedication as a disciple - and your embracing of your return to the Lyceum.
Written By Preston
Sept. 20, 2018, 8:50 a.m.(8/19/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
Yet, not all perspectives are equal or even valid, your highness. Nor must all questioning, which by its very nature is to assert or introduce doubt into the existing opinion, be done in public where such questioning could disturb others who were previously certain in their faith and truths. I have had many questions in my time, after Fawkuhl, after Stormwall, I have sat and prayed to the Gods - including Tehom - to let me understand if my Faith was misguided, if I had trodden off the path. Those resolved themselves without the need to recourse to public questions, to shared celebration of questions as the Lycene celebrations of the 13th often do - and I think such public debate would have only served to harm, not to heal.
It is not a matter of extremes - questions have their place, and justice often requires them. Yet. Believing all can be questioned, and that there is room for compromise with any in the name of a greater peace, is not something that can ever have a place. It is to push the Mirrormask ideal to an extreme.
I know well Most Holy Orazio's thoughts, he and I have argued on occasion and he has taught me much. However I think you may misread the intent in his words. It is not to say that all questions are allowed and we should openly allow division or dissent without check. It is to say there are limits, there are points where debate may lead others that is beyond what the Faith will tolerate. And we will not compromise our sacred trust for momentary victories, or for the unity of the compact. If others err, we will correct them as loving parents, not stay quiet to avoid upset. The discussions in the Faith - over the Orthodox, the Lycene and Pragmatic styles - are over small matters. Style and nuance, over or under emphasis of certain tropes. Such discussion is fine, it does not weaken us. Yet, it must always be controlled. And when it goes too far, when people cross the threshold from discussion into dissent, from division into schism, so it is my order that brings correction and balance.
Sometime perhaps, your highness, we will hold a night of canticles about the fall of Marach and the rise of the Orthodox. It is almost time for the Feast of Alor Valardin once more, after all.
It is not a matter of extremes - questions have their place, and justice often requires them. Yet. Believing all can be questioned, and that there is room for compromise with any in the name of a greater peace, is not something that can ever have a place. It is to push the Mirrormask ideal to an extreme.
I know well Most Holy Orazio's thoughts, he and I have argued on occasion and he has taught me much. However I think you may misread the intent in his words. It is not to say that all questions are allowed and we should openly allow division or dissent without check. It is to say there are limits, there are points where debate may lead others that is beyond what the Faith will tolerate. And we will not compromise our sacred trust for momentary victories, or for the unity of the compact. If others err, we will correct them as loving parents, not stay quiet to avoid upset. The discussions in the Faith - over the Orthodox, the Lycene and Pragmatic styles - are over small matters. Style and nuance, over or under emphasis of certain tropes. Such discussion is fine, it does not weaken us. Yet, it must always be controlled. And when it goes too far, when people cross the threshold from discussion into dissent, from division into schism, so it is my order that brings correction and balance.
Sometime perhaps, your highness, we will hold a night of canticles about the fall of Marach and the rise of the Orthodox. It is almost time for the Feast of Alor Valardin once more, after all.
Written By Preston
Sept. 20, 2018, 5:42 a.m.(8/19/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
I think you may misunderstand some of the concerns around Tehomic worship in the manner embraced by the Lycene traditions, your highness.
It is not fear of Tehom himself but of what he might bring, and what the response in people might be that urges caution. That Tehom is a god you assert as an inviolable truth, yes? As we would all. So already we accept some truths are beyond question. To enter doubt there - to suggest one /could/ question that can lead to no further enlightenment, for we already know Tehom is a God, and instead can only invite heresy and worse should someone think otherwise.
Further, to revel in public questions and doubt risks bringing forth something much worse - hesitation and its ultimate form, inaction. These small things could cost the individual dearly, and even the Compact. They give succor and comfort to the Abyss in all its form, because good men will stand by, and in so doing cast down all that is good about them. There are some in the extreme of the Orthodox, yes, who say Tehom is the abyss - this is not how I think the vast majority of the Orthodox feel. But I think we would say that improper and incautious worship /could/ be a route to the Abyss, as it was for the heretic Marach. That is why there is a balance. The Orthodox take a conservative view on it, that we must question in private or in confidence with a Godsworn, that these doubts will be banished by faith - not that they themselves bolster our faith. Lycene take the balance the other way, that we must embrace these doubts in public, we must question. The Graysons between. But none I hope would fail to worship Tehom as a God - even if our methods of that worship differ - nor would they question his divine nature.
It is always welcome to consider the nuance of the Faith and the different attitudes within it - it is something to be encouraged. If I may be bold enough to enter a small note of rebuke, those who are disciples should be wary of pronouncements about the fate of souls. That is a heavy topic, and one which should be undertaken only with the consideration and solemnity of the Godsworn.
It is not fear of Tehom himself but of what he might bring, and what the response in people might be that urges caution. That Tehom is a god you assert as an inviolable truth, yes? As we would all. So already we accept some truths are beyond question. To enter doubt there - to suggest one /could/ question that can lead to no further enlightenment, for we already know Tehom is a God, and instead can only invite heresy and worse should someone think otherwise.
Further, to revel in public questions and doubt risks bringing forth something much worse - hesitation and its ultimate form, inaction. These small things could cost the individual dearly, and even the Compact. They give succor and comfort to the Abyss in all its form, because good men will stand by, and in so doing cast down all that is good about them. There are some in the extreme of the Orthodox, yes, who say Tehom is the abyss - this is not how I think the vast majority of the Orthodox feel. But I think we would say that improper and incautious worship /could/ be a route to the Abyss, as it was for the heretic Marach. That is why there is a balance. The Orthodox take a conservative view on it, that we must question in private or in confidence with a Godsworn, that these doubts will be banished by faith - not that they themselves bolster our faith. Lycene take the balance the other way, that we must embrace these doubts in public, we must question. The Graysons between. But none I hope would fail to worship Tehom as a God - even if our methods of that worship differ - nor would they question his divine nature.
It is always welcome to consider the nuance of the Faith and the different attitudes within it - it is something to be encouraged. If I may be bold enough to enter a small note of rebuke, those who are disciples should be wary of pronouncements about the fate of souls. That is a heavy topic, and one which should be undertaken only with the consideration and solemnity of the Godsworn.
Written By Rosalie
Sept. 19, 2018, 8:14 p.m.(8/18/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
I rather like Tehom, he seems to go hand in glove with Skald's teachings, and he shows that sometimes you have to go hunting in the shadows if you want to find the light. Besides, his shrines are SO quiet and peaceful.
Written By Gerard
Sept. 19, 2018, 7:13 p.m.(8/18/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
Contrasting thought, in relation to your metaphor about the guard at the fire: If the guard stands near the fire, but with their eyes turned outward, they can bask in the warmth of it, while keeping their sight ready for what comes.
While those who fight the darkness must always be on the lookout for it, and be aware of its ways, but mindful of straying too far from the light, lest the darkness surround them.
While those who fight the darkness must always be on the lookout for it, and be aware of its ways, but mindful of straying too far from the light, lest the darkness surround them.
Written By Reigna
Sept. 18, 2018, 1:39 p.m.(8/16/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
It was not that before I became a mother I had no ambitions to make the world a better place, it was more that the urge was amorphous and unfocused. I wanted to do good, to be good. But as I carried my first child that shapeless urge became so much more defined. It still was vague, a desire for the world to be safer for my child. It was when I was carrying my second, Talis, that I was called by duty to Stormwall. What I saw there, the experiences I had, it crystallized everything. What drives me now is the need to make this world safer, better for my boys. For my daughter of heart if not blood.
It is a sobering thing, to hold that small child and look into their trusting eyes and realize that you are responsible for them. That you are their whole world.
There is an almost parental role taken by a noble to their charges. We provide safety, we provide opportunity, we are there to help them flourish and be successful, but there is a distance inherent to that relationship. For all the similarities, there is a barrier, while a good lord loves their people and in turn the people love them, it is not at all the same as holding your child in your lap, looking into their eyes.
It is a sobering thing, to hold that small child and look into their trusting eyes and realize that you are responsible for them. That you are their whole world.
There is an almost parental role taken by a noble to their charges. We provide safety, we provide opportunity, we are there to help them flourish and be successful, but there is a distance inherent to that relationship. For all the similarities, there is a barrier, while a good lord loves their people and in turn the people love them, it is not at all the same as holding your child in your lap, looking into their eyes.
Written By Caspian
June 27, 2018, 1:44 p.m.(2/4/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
Considering slavery is illegal and they are being held in slavery, it's not illegal to escape Thralldom, much like it isn't illegal to escape from a kidnapper. This is one of those situations where The Crown looks the other way not because those who practice Thralldom are in the right, but because a civil war in The Mourning Isles would be too blood and too costly.
Written By Orazio
June 27, 2018, 12:18 p.m.(2/4/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
In regards to Prince Mydas' question regarding thralldom and its ends:
Within the Mourning Isles, such things would likely be prosecuted as their lords dictate. Outside the Mourning Isles, no right-thinking lord, lady, or commoner would ever return an escaped thrall to thralldom, as they are simply executing the right enshrined in every other part of the Compact to sever one's connection with one's fealty and seek out service to the Crown instead. If violence was involved, some lords might choose to leverage judgement on such a newly freed person, or return them to their home fealty for judgement, but I suspect that the individual details of the case would matter a great deal.
There is a reason why the only thralls in Arx tend to be the most broken of will, or the ones with relatives of tender age or circumstance back under the direct authority of their lords where they can receive the punishment for any escapes, and why thralls are rarely, if ever, allowed outside the Thrax ward.
Within the Mourning Isles, such things would likely be prosecuted as their lords dictate. Outside the Mourning Isles, no right-thinking lord, lady, or commoner would ever return an escaped thrall to thralldom, as they are simply executing the right enshrined in every other part of the Compact to sever one's connection with one's fealty and seek out service to the Crown instead. If violence was involved, some lords might choose to leverage judgement on such a newly freed person, or return them to their home fealty for judgement, but I suspect that the individual details of the case would matter a great deal.
There is a reason why the only thralls in Arx tend to be the most broken of will, or the ones with relatives of tender age or circumstance back under the direct authority of their lords where they can receive the punishment for any escapes, and why thralls are rarely, if ever, allowed outside the Thrax ward.
Written By Edain
June 27, 2018, 12:14 p.m.(2/4/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
While I do not recall an official stance of the court, I can tell you how I would rule on such a case within the Oathlands. Slavery is outlawed in Compact as a whole and the Oathlands upheld slavery as illegal an immoral long before the Reckoning and the forging of the Compact. We consider Thralldom to still be a form of slavery, even if a more limited one.
Were a Thrall to escape and find themselves in the Oathlands we would respect thier rights as provided under the Compact for non Oathbound, unlanded non nobility, who have the ability to live where ever they choose.
Now of course if thier escape involved murder or other egregious crime we would cooperate with investigation into the matter and consult with the Crown to see if such warranted trial in thier former home, but otherwise we consider them free citizens of the Compact at that point.
Were a Thrall to escape and find themselves in the Oathlands we would respect thier rights as provided under the Compact for non Oathbound, unlanded non nobility, who have the ability to live where ever they choose.
Now of course if thier escape involved murder or other egregious crime we would cooperate with investigation into the matter and consult with the Crown to see if such warranted trial in thier former home, but otherwise we consider them free citizens of the Compact at that point.
Written By Victus
June 26, 2018, 11:22 p.m.(2/3/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
Now a wolf-dog ain't a bad idea. Aggressive but not /entirely/ likely to rip your throat out.
Hmm... I'll need to do some 'research'.
Hmm... I'll need to do some 'research'.
Written By Thena
June 23, 2018, 11:29 p.m.(1/25/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
Mistress Mirari Corsetina was not a Champion when Duchess Pravus chose her, or if she was, she denied it. Apparently she joined the Guild without informing the Legat.
But she and the Duchess don’t care what anyone thinks, I’m pretty sure.
But she and the Duchess don’t care what anyone thinks, I’m pretty sure.
Written By Talen
June 17, 2018, 7:04 p.m.(1/12/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
My brother-in-law's ability to lead people in a shared endeavour when tasked to do so is one I have come to appreciate. Prince Mydas Velenosa is an asset to the House. I do not say that lightly.
Written By Belladonna
June 3, 2018, 11:30 p.m.(11/28/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
Clearly you've gone soft. You're writing in the Whites again. Softy.
((Because Cassius would have wanted you teased for this))
((Because Cassius would have wanted you teased for this))
Written By Eleyna
June 3, 2018, 10:13 p.m.(11/28/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
Marriage is making you mushy, brother.
Written By Calista
June 3, 2018, 10:03 p.m.(11/28/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
Did we just become best friends?
Written By Jaenelle
May 20, 2018, 5:04 p.m.(10/12/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
Who are you, and what is it you want, Ettore?
Written By Talen
May 15, 2018, 8:19 p.m.(10/2/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
There are likely few who your cousin would entrust the discovery of this injustice more. I will work with you, not just at the Archduchess' decree, but because you are my brother now.
I'm just confused on -one- little point.
Who plays the bad cop?
I'm just confused on -one- little point.
Who plays the bad cop?
Written By Cassius
April 8, 2018, 11:31 a.m.(7/7/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
my dear cousin, if I cannot see the worst people might say about me, what sort of man am I? One should know the worst, along with the best.
I think you of all people should understand, worshipper of Tehom and all.
Yes, I am aware this was public. Even better.
I think you of all people should understand, worshipper of Tehom and all.
Yes, I am aware this was public. Even better.
Written By Talen
March 21, 2018, 10:37 p.m.(5/26/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Mydas
Welcome home, Ettore. At last.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.