Written By Sparte
Dec. 2, 2019, 9:39 a.m.(4/20/1012 AR)
Dame Tom's stoatlets are nearly of age to go off on their own. They seem a tad larger than usual for stoats, but maybe that is just because I've been helping keep them fed so they'll grow. She did a fine job with them through that difficult winter, didn't lose a single one. I wonder if she'll agree to come back to Arx with me once they leave the burrow.
Written By Sparte
Nov. 24, 2019, 8:38 p.m.(4/5/1012 AR)
They brought the dawn. It cost them everything, and they went to do so because I asked. Because of my words, and their beliefs. We all knew the risks. We all believed them worth it.
May I be honored to know you once more in the turning of the wheel.
May I be honored to know you once more in the turning of the wheel.
Written By Sparte
Nov. 19, 2019, 4:34 p.m.(3/23/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Cambria
A succinct truth.
Written By Sparte
Nov. 19, 2019, 11:41 a.m.(3/22/1012 AR)
One of the shovels shattered while I was shoveling snow today. The chill was in the metal and the craftsmanship flawed, caught a cobblestone just the wrong way and snap. Handle can be reused, at least. I checked the other shovels in the barracks and they're all roughly the same make, the sort sold for a copper a piece or two if you're generous.
There has to be a decent craftsman somewhere in Arx making shovels.
There has to be a decent craftsman somewhere in Arx making shovels.
Written By Sparte
Nov. 13, 2019, 11:41 p.m.(3/11/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Fatima
Princess Fatima erred. The Faith and her House declared it so, and penance was assigned.
She could have ignored that penance. She could have done the bare minimum, or found some other way to be granted leniency.
Instead, I've learned, she did more than was asked.
I trust Legate Cassandra's word when she says Princess Fatima went beyond what was asked to prove herself, and I trust Legate Cassandra's decision to declare the penance met.
I trust Highlord Victus, and his decision to return her title.
I cannot forget what happened. Perhaps if I were a better person I could, but forgetting is not within my power.
Trust is.
I choose to trust in the decisions of others whom I respect. I will hear no ill spoken of Princess Fatima for those unfortunate events that led to this penance. She walks a path renewed, and any who treat her otherwise will find no succor from me.
She could have ignored that penance. She could have done the bare minimum, or found some other way to be granted leniency.
Instead, I've learned, she did more than was asked.
I trust Legate Cassandra's word when she says Princess Fatima went beyond what was asked to prove herself, and I trust Legate Cassandra's decision to declare the penance met.
I trust Highlord Victus, and his decision to return her title.
I cannot forget what happened. Perhaps if I were a better person I could, but forgetting is not within my power.
Trust is.
I choose to trust in the decisions of others whom I respect. I will hear no ill spoken of Princess Fatima for those unfortunate events that led to this penance. She walks a path renewed, and any who treat her otherwise will find no succor from me.
Written By Sparte
Nov. 13, 2019, 11:31 p.m.(3/11/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Tatienne
Anger can burn brightly, but what does an uncontrolled flame serve? Do not let anger make you a pariah. Too many are already walking that journey in Arx. Please, think of ways to use your outrage to better things. There will be those deserving of righteous fury. This is not that time.
That thralldom itself is slavery?
That is simply untrue.
That there are those who misuse thralldom as an excuse to treat people as slaves?
Unquestioned.
The evidence of that truth is readily apparent. House Thrax made the choice to push for reforms to Thralldom, and in more and more of the houses that give fealty to Thrax, thralldom is forever ended. That number will continue to grow.
There are many traditions the Compact has attempted to shed in our long history. Ending an old way of doing things is often painful and slow, and it sometimes fails. It is a test of character for those who lose in the process, but also for those who stand to gain.
But what of you? When your anger towards Princess Fatima was challenged, you admitted you knew not what you were talking about. You kept the anger, and lashed out at the Highlord of Thrax instead. The man who has passed those laws that will lead to the end of Thralldom. The one who has made the difficult decisions that give what you want a chance of happening in our lifetimes.
Take the advice others have given if you will not take my own. There are ways to make a difference. This? this isn't any of them.
That thralldom itself is slavery?
That is simply untrue.
That there are those who misuse thralldom as an excuse to treat people as slaves?
Unquestioned.
The evidence of that truth is readily apparent. House Thrax made the choice to push for reforms to Thralldom, and in more and more of the houses that give fealty to Thrax, thralldom is forever ended. That number will continue to grow.
There are many traditions the Compact has attempted to shed in our long history. Ending an old way of doing things is often painful and slow, and it sometimes fails. It is a test of character for those who lose in the process, but also for those who stand to gain.
But what of you? When your anger towards Princess Fatima was challenged, you admitted you knew not what you were talking about. You kept the anger, and lashed out at the Highlord of Thrax instead. The man who has passed those laws that will lead to the end of Thralldom. The one who has made the difficult decisions that give what you want a chance of happening in our lifetimes.
Take the advice others have given if you will not take my own. There are ways to make a difference. This? this isn't any of them.
Written By Sparte
Nov. 12, 2019, 10:02 p.m.(3/9/1012 AR)
A lesson I've valued, from my time as a member of The Salon, is that an argument having a flaw does not discredit the rest of it. Even were a person to argue the sky is green, they may still shed some beauty or wisdom in how they recount the movement of the clouds.
Yet even with that lesson in hand, I am constantly caught off guard by the impulse to call out seeming contradictions. The entry before me is an important diplomatic gesture, if nothing else. I don't want to spurn such an opportunity for discourse.
That impulse today wins out. To say a burden rests on no one that is laid upon one soul ten thousand fold? It comes across like someone extolling the virtues of a particularly pretty archway, with no grasp of what a keystone is, nor what happens if it ever breaks.
Yet even with that lesson in hand, I am constantly caught off guard by the impulse to call out seeming contradictions. The entry before me is an important diplomatic gesture, if nothing else. I don't want to spurn such an opportunity for discourse.
That impulse today wins out. To say a burden rests on no one that is laid upon one soul ten thousand fold? It comes across like someone extolling the virtues of a particularly pretty archway, with no grasp of what a keystone is, nor what happens if it ever breaks.
Written By Sparte
Nov. 12, 2019, 11:05 a.m.(3/8/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Rinel
I have no idea what trouble you've brought on your head this time, as I've seen your temper put you in trouble many times now. Some very deservingly.
Yet, the way you write about what you've done gives me reassurance. It doesn't sound like anger on your own behalf. It sounds like you're fighting for someone else.
May they recognize what you're doing for them and have the good sense to not let your effort be wasted.
Yet, the way you write about what you've done gives me reassurance. It doesn't sound like anger on your own behalf. It sounds like you're fighting for someone else.
May they recognize what you're doing for them and have the good sense to not let your effort be wasted.
Written By Sparte
Nov. 11, 2019, 10:28 a.m.(3/6/1012 AR)
Dragonweep always seemed a precious, unobtainable thing to me, as a boy. The sort of gem that stories are made of. As Arvum has prospered, I've seen more and more examples of Dragonweep being used than I ever imagined. This simple seeming stone that, never the less, was a thing of wonder. Too many, and in many cases the stone was sought not because of how special it was, but because of how expensive it was. A statement of wealth, more than a statement of any other purpose.
On the one hand, I regret that Dragonweep will for so many return to simply being a thing dreamed and imagined. On the other, I am glad it will no longer be a discussion piece to be worn once then shoved into a dusty jewelry drawer.
On the one hand, I regret that Dragonweep will for so many return to simply being a thing dreamed and imagined. On the other, I am glad it will no longer be a discussion piece to be worn once then shoved into a dusty jewelry drawer.
Written By Sparte
Nov. 5, 2019, 4:50 p.m.(2/23/1012 AR)
I've been back to visit Dame Tom again. The travel to the lodge is more difficult with the snow so thick, I can understand why so many in the Northlands simply look outside during the winter and don't.
Still, the trip was worthwhile. There isn't much to hunt right now and a little extra food for the stoatlets was welcome. She has found herself a fine spot to keep warm in between their little playhunt excursions when the snow is calmer. That is not often of late.
Judging from how they've grown, come Spring they'll be big enough to go venture off on their own and start their own little stories. They show every indication of being just as independent and stubborn as their mother.
I still don't for the life of me know who in Arx has a male stoat. This is her second litter, and the father wasn't /that/ stoat. I asked last time.
Still, the trip was worthwhile. There isn't much to hunt right now and a little extra food for the stoatlets was welcome. She has found herself a fine spot to keep warm in between their little playhunt excursions when the snow is calmer. That is not often of late.
Judging from how they've grown, come Spring they'll be big enough to go venture off on their own and start their own little stories. They show every indication of being just as independent and stubborn as their mother.
I still don't for the life of me know who in Arx has a male stoat. This is her second litter, and the father wasn't /that/ stoat. I asked last time.
Written By Sparte
Nov. 3, 2019, 10:59 a.m.(2/18/1012 AR)
Participating in the tournament held by Legate Cassandra was an honor, and the blows I am now mending were a humbling testament to the skills of all those I faced.
I enjoyed being able to test my skill against so many capable combatants, and I look forward to when next I will have such an opportunity to honor Gloria.
I enjoyed being able to test my skill against so many capable combatants, and I look forward to when next I will have such an opportunity to honor Gloria.
Written By Sparte
Oct. 30, 2019, 2:17 p.m.(2/10/1012 AR)
Today I've been thinking about Awareness of Self. I see this as the ability to notice what we ourselves are doing, understand the reasons for why we're doing those things, and remember those details over time. Not just how we are now, but how we were and what has changed.
I've hit a wrinkle that I'm not sure how to address. The greater our self-awareness, the more likely we are to notice our own mistakes. Our deviations, our exceptions. The greater our self-awareness, the less we are inclined to give the appearance of a cut and dry stance on anything. Nuance slips in, questions slip in, and those questions grow complicated. It is part of the process and I feel it is critical to growth.
And yet, the people who appear the more sure of themselves, those who give the sense that they know themselves better than others know themselves, often have no outward signs of examination of self. The confidence of others can be an intoxicating thing, but it so often stems from simplicity. I've witnessed, but in myself and others, what happens when a question is posed that shatters a simple perspective. Strengths are revealed as fragilities. Confidence as bravado.
But not always.
Sometimes those people who display strength really have done that introspection. Sometimes they really have the resolve and certainty they display, the confidence they confess. Not because they avoid difficult questions with simplicity, but because they've already embraced the uncertainty and set a course true to who they are. I think, at least for me, that is what makes confidence so contagious. What makes leaders great.
Telling them apart is a different matter entirely.
There is that wrinkle, though. That thing I can't figure out.
Is being in that process of questioning, in that process of uncertainty, a good thing? Is it something a person should aspire to experience? Where is the line between doubt that leads to growth and doubt that leads to despair?
I've hit a wrinkle that I'm not sure how to address. The greater our self-awareness, the more likely we are to notice our own mistakes. Our deviations, our exceptions. The greater our self-awareness, the less we are inclined to give the appearance of a cut and dry stance on anything. Nuance slips in, questions slip in, and those questions grow complicated. It is part of the process and I feel it is critical to growth.
And yet, the people who appear the more sure of themselves, those who give the sense that they know themselves better than others know themselves, often have no outward signs of examination of self. The confidence of others can be an intoxicating thing, but it so often stems from simplicity. I've witnessed, but in myself and others, what happens when a question is posed that shatters a simple perspective. Strengths are revealed as fragilities. Confidence as bravado.
But not always.
Sometimes those people who display strength really have done that introspection. Sometimes they really have the resolve and certainty they display, the confidence they confess. Not because they avoid difficult questions with simplicity, but because they've already embraced the uncertainty and set a course true to who they are. I think, at least for me, that is what makes confidence so contagious. What makes leaders great.
Telling them apart is a different matter entirely.
There is that wrinkle, though. That thing I can't figure out.
Is being in that process of questioning, in that process of uncertainty, a good thing? Is it something a person should aspire to experience? Where is the line between doubt that leads to growth and doubt that leads to despair?
Written By Sparte
Oct. 29, 2019, 7:29 p.m.(2/9/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Lucita
Today I visited Mount Sparte for the first time, using a little time off. Did a little snow sculpting.
It was supposed to be shaped like a giant stoat, but that ended up looking more like a winter fox, so we'll go with that.
Hope the continued snowfall doesn't ruin it before the kids can enjoy it.
It was supposed to be shaped like a giant stoat, but that ended up looking more like a winter fox, so we'll go with that.
Hope the continued snowfall doesn't ruin it before the kids can enjoy it.
Written By Sparte
Oct. 23, 2019, 3:19 p.m.(1/24/1012 AR)
In recent journals by two people I respect, the conflict during the Crusade of Broken Mirrors where Templars crossed swords with the Knights of the Library has been reopened. To what purpose and reasoning I do not know, but I feel it worthwhile to add a brief contribution for the clarity of those delving through the whites about those events. I do this as a Scholar and Disciple.
My contribution is on the nature of our oaths and vows. While each have distinctions, I will refer to both as oaths for brevity. I feel both fall under what I wish to share, and an honorable person would treat both with the same strength.
Our oaths can put us in conflict with one another, even when given with good intent and for the same purpose. It is a risk we must accept when we devote ourselves. Even were two to give oaths to the same cause or person, the wording of those oaths may put them in conflict.
I believe the historic example in discussion was such a case. The Templars were bound, as were the Knights of the Library and the Scholars, to action. Action to purge heresy, and action to protect knowledge. That brought them into an unfortunate conflict, but it would have been worse would one or the other simply stood aside. Certainly the Templars were the stronger force, and surely history remembers their victory for that truth. Yet because ideals were upheld, because oaths were kept, this sad moment in history did not diminish the value of those oaths for future generations.
This was not the only, or even the most recent such challenge to the faithful. In the time of the Crownbreaker Wars we faced what is remembered as the Crownbreaker Schism. In that time we had two Dominus rise, and both excommunicate one another.
History remembers the victor and the Reformation of the faith. History tells us who was right and who was wrong in that conflict, and as history is often written by the victor, I know of no accounts that conflict. What I do know, is that there was knowledge once more lost to us because of that, in an effort to once more purge what was seen as heresy. Only this time, too many who would have defended knowledge had already been put to the sword by King Darius Thrax.
Imagine, if you will, those who were not at the heart of that conflict. Those who did not have the clarity history or first hand knowledge of events offer. Imagine yourself the seraphs of a small village, or another faithful far removed in the countryside. News comes, and you are suddenly facing two claiming the authority to speak for the gods. Each with their own claim to authority, urging you to reject the other. Whether written in good faith or with lies, imagine facing that choice while trying to keep the oaths and ideals of your faith.
I do not presume to know which answer I would have given, I only hope knowledge of our history will aid others if ever they face such a choice.
My contribution is on the nature of our oaths and vows. While each have distinctions, I will refer to both as oaths for brevity. I feel both fall under what I wish to share, and an honorable person would treat both with the same strength.
Our oaths can put us in conflict with one another, even when given with good intent and for the same purpose. It is a risk we must accept when we devote ourselves. Even were two to give oaths to the same cause or person, the wording of those oaths may put them in conflict.
I believe the historic example in discussion was such a case. The Templars were bound, as were the Knights of the Library and the Scholars, to action. Action to purge heresy, and action to protect knowledge. That brought them into an unfortunate conflict, but it would have been worse would one or the other simply stood aside. Certainly the Templars were the stronger force, and surely history remembers their victory for that truth. Yet because ideals were upheld, because oaths were kept, this sad moment in history did not diminish the value of those oaths for future generations.
This was not the only, or even the most recent such challenge to the faithful. In the time of the Crownbreaker Wars we faced what is remembered as the Crownbreaker Schism. In that time we had two Dominus rise, and both excommunicate one another.
History remembers the victor and the Reformation of the faith. History tells us who was right and who was wrong in that conflict, and as history is often written by the victor, I know of no accounts that conflict. What I do know, is that there was knowledge once more lost to us because of that, in an effort to once more purge what was seen as heresy. Only this time, too many who would have defended knowledge had already been put to the sword by King Darius Thrax.
Imagine, if you will, those who were not at the heart of that conflict. Those who did not have the clarity history or first hand knowledge of events offer. Imagine yourself the seraphs of a small village, or another faithful far removed in the countryside. News comes, and you are suddenly facing two claiming the authority to speak for the gods. Each with their own claim to authority, urging you to reject the other. Whether written in good faith or with lies, imagine facing that choice while trying to keep the oaths and ideals of your faith.
I do not presume to know which answer I would have given, I only hope knowledge of our history will aid others if ever they face such a choice.
Written By Sparte
Oct. 23, 2019, 2:19 p.m.(1/24/1012 AR)
I don't know who needs to read this, but please do not toss buckets of saltwater on the streets in an attempt to get rid of the current ice and snow.
You will just make the street worse for everyone and it will smell like a fish market. Yes, salt helps control ice. To a point. That isn't how you do it, and it doesn't work when it gets this cold besides.
You will just make the street worse for everyone and it will smell like a fish market. Yes, salt helps control ice. To a point. That isn't how you do it, and it doesn't work when it gets this cold besides.
Written By Sparte
Oct. 18, 2019, 9:46 p.m.(1/15/1012 AR)
I don't know how to write this. I've written it five times and scraped the page again and again. I see the traces of ink that my penknife could not erase, echoes of what I might've written.
I feel a mix of things both good and bad right now about myself and it all comes to one clear truth.
There is so much I still don't know.
I feel a mix of things both good and bad right now about myself and it all comes to one clear truth.
There is so much I still don't know.
Written By Sparte
Oct. 16, 2019, 9:50 a.m.(1/10/1012 AR)
I've been lucky enough to get my cloak looked at by a professional seamstress at last. I was given a solid earful for the shoddy stitchwork I did patching the holes, and another when she started digging the wax out I'd stuck in to keep the water from running through, then when I admitted I had torn the hem on purpose for something to tie off a wound? I was given the distinct impression admitting to further mistreatment of the garment would be the last thing I ever did.
The restoration work they performed was nothing short of extraordinary. I can still find the mends because I know where to look and only because of that. They've been paid for their solidly performed work, and I'll be sending over a box of pastries from Lottie's once a week for a while besides. I realize I may well need to mend this cloak again, and I would rather be welcomed back if I do than have to find another.
The restoration work they performed was nothing short of extraordinary. I can still find the mends because I know where to look and only because of that. They've been paid for their solidly performed work, and I'll be sending over a box of pastries from Lottie's once a week for a while besides. I realize I may well need to mend this cloak again, and I would rather be welcomed back if I do than have to find another.
Written By Sparte
Oct. 11, 2019, 11:45 a.m.(12/28/1011 AR)
A curious phrase.
'There isn't anything new in the world except to those who are new to the world.'
I wonder if there is truth to it, or if it is just hyperbole. Either way it made me think about things from a new direction, so I'm sharing it in the hopes someone else will find it more useful than droll.
'There isn't anything new in the world except to those who are new to the world.'
I wonder if there is truth to it, or if it is just hyperbole. Either way it made me think about things from a new direction, so I'm sharing it in the hopes someone else will find it more useful than droll.
Written By Sparte
Oct. 9, 2019, 11:57 p.m.(12/25/1011 AR)
I can't say anything that will make the situation better.
Hire a champion.
Hire a champion.
Written By Sparte
Oct. 7, 2019, 3:48 p.m.(12/21/1011 AR)
I found Dame Tom, she's been raising a second litter of stoats out by the Lodge. She seems fine, but I figure too many people who adopted stoats last time were lousy parents to them. I won't be adopting them out to anyone this time, you want to win over a stoat you've got to do it yourself.
But if you're serious about it, I'll introduce you to the litter.
But if you're serious about it, I'll introduce you to the litter.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.