Written By Perronne
Oct. 26, 2018, 11:36 a.m.(11/17/1009 AR)
More royal births should be accompanied by free booze! Huzzah to the new princess! Do not allow her to drink until she can at least stand up straight! (Have to know what that's like before you can appreciate being so drunk you can no longer do it, after all.)
Written By Perronne
Oct. 19, 2018, 10:26 p.m.(10/22/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Thena
Just because of the Grandmaster's recent comments in her journal:
Here's my will! If I die, all my wealth and belongings go to the Faith. Specifically, as much it goes to the Knights of Solace as they wish for! If it can be delivered to the Grandmaster with a note using the word "schmoopiepooh" at some point, EVEN BETTER.
I leave the execution of this will to Father Aureth, mostly because I think it'd make him smile.
Here's my will! If I die, all my wealth and belongings go to the Faith. Specifically, as much it goes to the Knights of Solace as they wish for! If it can be delivered to the Grandmaster with a note using the word "schmoopiepooh" at some point, EVEN BETTER.
I leave the execution of this will to Father Aureth, mostly because I think it'd make him smile.
Written By Perronne
Oct. 17, 2018, 10:42 a.m.(10/18/1009 AR)
Well.
It has been a TIME! I mean, it's always a time. Time progresses, and that's the way of it. But it has been adventurous time! I went on an expedition (at last!) with my very good business partner, Mayir, and we actually ended up with a fairly decent set of takeaways from it - sometimes despite my best efforts. Don't judge! I'm just not very much a SEAFARER, really. And being inside of a great, spooky ship was very exciting, but also very wet and very full of sand. Sand is the enemy!
Anyway. We did bring back some nice pieces. And then I promptly got rather ill, and laid in my bed for a while bemoaning my fate. But once that was done, I went back to restoring and looking in my old stock for some materials, and finally, three more pieces are available at the shop! At least three - I might be able to get a couple more all ship shape (ha! See what I did there??) before the end of the day. I feel energetic! Productive! Profitable!
So, remember Storied Treasures, near the Blackrose Theatre for all of your occasional antique needs.
It has been a TIME! I mean, it's always a time. Time progresses, and that's the way of it. But it has been adventurous time! I went on an expedition (at last!) with my very good business partner, Mayir, and we actually ended up with a fairly decent set of takeaways from it - sometimes despite my best efforts. Don't judge! I'm just not very much a SEAFARER, really. And being inside of a great, spooky ship was very exciting, but also very wet and very full of sand. Sand is the enemy!
Anyway. We did bring back some nice pieces. And then I promptly got rather ill, and laid in my bed for a while bemoaning my fate. But once that was done, I went back to restoring and looking in my old stock for some materials, and finally, three more pieces are available at the shop! At least three - I might be able to get a couple more all ship shape (ha! See what I did there??) before the end of the day. I feel energetic! Productive! Profitable!
So, remember Storied Treasures, near the Blackrose Theatre for all of your occasional antique needs.
Written By Perronne
Oct. 14, 2018, 10:48 a.m.(10/12/1009 AR)
Ugh.
The Southern-leaning taverns are absolutely INSUFFERABLE today, and doing business with my Lycene contacts isn't exactly a barrel of laughs, either. Or, well, I guess it is. For THEM. Doesn't matter that I'm now sworn to the Crown, I've gotten asked five times today if oathbreaking is the new Oathlands fashion. Whoever one supports in this mess, it's still a serious matter of honor! Laughing is not appropriate.
And don't think I don't see you making those jokes about coveting other people's 'swords', too. I SEE YOU AND IT'S NOT AS FUNNY AS YOU THINK IT IS.
The Southern-leaning taverns are absolutely INSUFFERABLE today, and doing business with my Lycene contacts isn't exactly a barrel of laughs, either. Or, well, I guess it is. For THEM. Doesn't matter that I'm now sworn to the Crown, I've gotten asked five times today if oathbreaking is the new Oathlands fashion. Whoever one supports in this mess, it's still a serious matter of honor! Laughing is not appropriate.
And don't think I don't see you making those jokes about coveting other people's 'swords', too. I SEE YOU AND IT'S NOT AS FUNNY AS YOU THINK IT IS.
Written By Perronne
Oct. 13, 2018, 7:46 p.m.(10/10/1009 AR)
Wow, there's a lot of gossip in the streets right now about this whole Sword thing! I'd never think to see the day when a commoner, much less a Whisper, tries to demand her way into a noble house and marriage, either for herself, or for any children she might have, and to do it publicly! I'm reasonably sure that my mother's family is somewhere fanning themselves profusely in shock as they read the missives from Arx.
But, sadly, I'm also pretty sure they're not surprised. I mean, in the last several years, so many commoners have been raised to nobility or married into nobility for minor reasons, or no reason at all, that I doubt Bliss Whisper is the only ambitious courtier looking around and wondering, "Why not me?" and figuring out whatever they can do to get a piece of that action. The nobility has created this situation, both by allowing traitors and scoundrels like Everard to flourish until their villainy boiled over...wait, that's mixing a metaphor, maybe 'like Everard to simmer until their villainy boiled over'? Maybe that's better. Yeah, I like that! Um, but anyway - both by not addressing the dishonorable in their own ranks (and it isn't like Everard is the only Sword recently been found to act without honor, but who was protected and defended by peers anyway), and by so devaluing the gaining of a noble position that it seems a height anyone might acquire.
I mean, I'm not really on Team Anyone here - sounds like Everard was a good face of the worst the nobility can be, but I can't say I like how Bliss Whisper has comported herself, either. Trying to force nobles into a marriage for herself or her children is extremely distasteful (especially to a House she claims she would not swear her service to), and she seems to think Telmar owes her the treatment they would give to an equal, and despite what the nobility likes to say when they want to be friends, the truth is that when a House's prestige or honor is on the line, commoners are not and shall never be treated as equals. Things like this are why! At this point, she's smeared a good amount of mud on their name, which is more vengeance than most commoners will ever see, so I think she should just accept a nice, large payout to go away, and go do something that gives her joy.
But, sadly, I'm also pretty sure they're not surprised. I mean, in the last several years, so many commoners have been raised to nobility or married into nobility for minor reasons, or no reason at all, that I doubt Bliss Whisper is the only ambitious courtier looking around and wondering, "Why not me?" and figuring out whatever they can do to get a piece of that action. The nobility has created this situation, both by allowing traitors and scoundrels like Everard to flourish until their villainy boiled over...wait, that's mixing a metaphor, maybe 'like Everard to simmer until their villainy boiled over'? Maybe that's better. Yeah, I like that! Um, but anyway - both by not addressing the dishonorable in their own ranks (and it isn't like Everard is the only Sword recently been found to act without honor, but who was protected and defended by peers anyway), and by so devaluing the gaining of a noble position that it seems a height anyone might acquire.
I mean, I'm not really on Team Anyone here - sounds like Everard was a good face of the worst the nobility can be, but I can't say I like how Bliss Whisper has comported herself, either. Trying to force nobles into a marriage for herself or her children is extremely distasteful (especially to a House she claims she would not swear her service to), and she seems to think Telmar owes her the treatment they would give to an equal, and despite what the nobility likes to say when they want to be friends, the truth is that when a House's prestige or honor is on the line, commoners are not and shall never be treated as equals. Things like this are why! At this point, she's smeared a good amount of mud on their name, which is more vengeance than most commoners will ever see, so I think she should just accept a nice, large payout to go away, and go do something that gives her joy.
Written By Perronne
Oct. 4, 2018, 11:58 a.m.(9/20/1009 AR)
I'm told there is someone asking for white journal entries about what ambition means?
Ambition is great! I guess, within bounds of sanity? Okay, so sometimes it isn't great. But as to what it IS...
To me, I guess it is having the confidence in yourself to know that you can accomplish more than you already have, joined with the willingness to make the sacrifices and take the risks to pursue closing that gap between what what you have accomplished and what you CAN accomplish.
It's great when your confidence is grounded in reality, and when your willingness is tempered by morality and honor! When it's not, well, do you want usurpers and madmen? Because that's how you get usurpers and madmen!
Ambition is great! I guess, within bounds of sanity? Okay, so sometimes it isn't great. But as to what it IS...
To me, I guess it is having the confidence in yourself to know that you can accomplish more than you already have, joined with the willingness to make the sacrifices and take the risks to pursue closing that gap between what what you have accomplished and what you CAN accomplish.
It's great when your confidence is grounded in reality, and when your willingness is tempered by morality and honor! When it's not, well, do you want usurpers and madmen? Because that's how you get usurpers and madmen!
Written By Perronne
Oct. 2, 2018, 4:49 p.m.(9/16/1009 AR)
Nobility. Huh.
I guess I have as much right to be noble as anyone - my mother was! Is. She's still alive! I hope? I mean, I'm pretty sure she is. I'm sure someone would have written if she wasn't.
Being a noble bastard is a weird thing, though, because you have a foot in both worlds, and can see the issues on both sides. I mean, I'm a threat to my half-siblings. I recognize that. I'm the firstborn, and if someone wanted, especially these days when commoners getting a title is becoming pretty commonplace (heh, pun intended!), and there's even some pretty recent precedent with noble bastards, that the NOBLE part entitles you to a title, even despite the COMMON part. In the end, it's one of the reasons I became Crownsworn, so that I couldn't be used like that against that half of my bloodline - as long as I hung around, there was always the chance that my feelings would turn, or someone could talk me into a very bad idea. So, I'm free and I'm happy!
And it wasn't always fair, growing up. The blooded side of my family was dutiful, but always very clear about expectations, and the expectations I could NOT have. I visited my mother regularly, but when we weren't meeting, then I stayed with and was expected to learn the duties of the upper level servants - the gameskeeper, the archivist, the tutors, the seneschal. Respected above a chamber maid, but not Family. I had to ACT like a noble, so I didn't embarrass anyone (and if I ever fell short of expectations, there wasn't anger - just resigned disappointment. After all, no one could expect better.), but they were always very good about making certain that I knew I wasn't one, and was never going to be one. Which hurt, sometimes, even if I didn't WANT to be one.
But I was also close enough to see the WORK that went into 'being noble'. Yeah, you get fancy clothes and food and lessons above and beyond the Church teaching, and servants and all of that. But you also have to take on terrible decisions. When food is short, you decide who eats. When bandits threaten your villages, you decide where to put your forces, knowing that your soldiers will die - and that you might be wrong, and your farmers and villagers might also die when the bandits strike elsewhere. You take on the burden of knowing you can start a war with a single sentence - whether you mean to or not. Your neighbors are always eyeing your land and your people, and the shavs grow bold to prey on any sign of weakness. When your vassals quarrel, you're expected to take a (delicate, respectful) hand in the matter to keep it from becoming a war. It's hard work, and when you get it wrong, people - a lot of people - die. And it all comes down to you, and your leadership. That's not a burden I want! And I feel like it's a burden that very few people, when you get down to it, want - so it's probably best to have a group of people who are (theoretically) trained from birth (and at least in my mother's family, the training to be proper nobility started VERY young) to handle all of that without going crazy or getting kicked out of the Compact or something.
Now, that's not to say a lot of nobles are actually very good at all of that? And a lot of them blow off anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or might make people angry at them so that they can spend taxes and energy on fun times and happy things instead. Sometimes they make huge mistakes, and sometimes they just don't care about doing what's right for the people, so long as they are praised by their friends or get to do something nice for someone they like. Or for themselves. And sometimes it feels like noble families have pretty much stopped preparing nobles for...nobling at things...
Huh. I think that I had started this out as intending to argue that noble duties demanded blooded nobility, but I dunno. I mean, if the nobility doesn't care about who gets to be noble, then why should anyone else? Although, in that regard - if the judgment of a born noble is no better or more worthy than the judgment of a born commoner, then why should they even get to decide who gets ennobled? Or gets to be the heir? Maybe the people in each demesne should choose who they want to lead them, and we can give whoever they choose the fancy title and the lands and the power. I don't think it should apply to their family, though - I mean, if nobility doesn't mean anything, then just being related to the lady in the shiny crown should mean less than nothing.
Although I suppose that really leads to whoever can get the most people with the sharpest swords to stab people for them ending up in charge, and then we're right back to nobility within a generation or two, I guess.
I guess I have as much right to be noble as anyone - my mother was! Is. She's still alive! I hope? I mean, I'm pretty sure she is. I'm sure someone would have written if she wasn't.
Being a noble bastard is a weird thing, though, because you have a foot in both worlds, and can see the issues on both sides. I mean, I'm a threat to my half-siblings. I recognize that. I'm the firstborn, and if someone wanted, especially these days when commoners getting a title is becoming pretty commonplace (heh, pun intended!), and there's even some pretty recent precedent with noble bastards, that the NOBLE part entitles you to a title, even despite the COMMON part. In the end, it's one of the reasons I became Crownsworn, so that I couldn't be used like that against that half of my bloodline - as long as I hung around, there was always the chance that my feelings would turn, or someone could talk me into a very bad idea. So, I'm free and I'm happy!
And it wasn't always fair, growing up. The blooded side of my family was dutiful, but always very clear about expectations, and the expectations I could NOT have. I visited my mother regularly, but when we weren't meeting, then I stayed with and was expected to learn the duties of the upper level servants - the gameskeeper, the archivist, the tutors, the seneschal. Respected above a chamber maid, but not Family. I had to ACT like a noble, so I didn't embarrass anyone (and if I ever fell short of expectations, there wasn't anger - just resigned disappointment. After all, no one could expect better.), but they were always very good about making certain that I knew I wasn't one, and was never going to be one. Which hurt, sometimes, even if I didn't WANT to be one.
But I was also close enough to see the WORK that went into 'being noble'. Yeah, you get fancy clothes and food and lessons above and beyond the Church teaching, and servants and all of that. But you also have to take on terrible decisions. When food is short, you decide who eats. When bandits threaten your villages, you decide where to put your forces, knowing that your soldiers will die - and that you might be wrong, and your farmers and villagers might also die when the bandits strike elsewhere. You take on the burden of knowing you can start a war with a single sentence - whether you mean to or not. Your neighbors are always eyeing your land and your people, and the shavs grow bold to prey on any sign of weakness. When your vassals quarrel, you're expected to take a (delicate, respectful) hand in the matter to keep it from becoming a war. It's hard work, and when you get it wrong, people - a lot of people - die. And it all comes down to you, and your leadership. That's not a burden I want! And I feel like it's a burden that very few people, when you get down to it, want - so it's probably best to have a group of people who are (theoretically) trained from birth (and at least in my mother's family, the training to be proper nobility started VERY young) to handle all of that without going crazy or getting kicked out of the Compact or something.
Now, that's not to say a lot of nobles are actually very good at all of that? And a lot of them blow off anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or might make people angry at them so that they can spend taxes and energy on fun times and happy things instead. Sometimes they make huge mistakes, and sometimes they just don't care about doing what's right for the people, so long as they are praised by their friends or get to do something nice for someone they like. Or for themselves. And sometimes it feels like noble families have pretty much stopped preparing nobles for...nobling at things...
Huh. I think that I had started this out as intending to argue that noble duties demanded blooded nobility, but I dunno. I mean, if the nobility doesn't care about who gets to be noble, then why should anyone else? Although, in that regard - if the judgment of a born noble is no better or more worthy than the judgment of a born commoner, then why should they even get to decide who gets ennobled? Or gets to be the heir? Maybe the people in each demesne should choose who they want to lead them, and we can give whoever they choose the fancy title and the lands and the power. I don't think it should apply to their family, though - I mean, if nobility doesn't mean anything, then just being related to the lady in the shiny crown should mean less than nothing.
Although I suppose that really leads to whoever can get the most people with the sharpest swords to stab people for them ending up in charge, and then we're right back to nobility within a generation or two, I guess.
Written By Perronne
Oct. 2, 2018, 9:35 a.m.(9/15/1009 AR)
As I was filing this journal, the Scholar I handed it too nicely flagged me down and reminded me, with a rather devious grin, that it might help people if I got the name of my shop correct.
It is Storied Treasures. Not Treasured Stories.
In my defense, I hate mornings! I think I'm going to go hide from Vellichor's laughter, now.
It is Storied Treasures. Not Treasured Stories.
In my defense, I hate mornings! I think I'm going to go hide from Vellichor's laughter, now.
Written By Perronne
Oct. 2, 2018, 9:07 a.m.(9/15/1009 AR)
Fabric is important.
I mean, obviously. We're not savages - and I don't think even savages typically go around nude, even if it would show off the tattoos a bit better. But! Not the point. What I mean is that when someone crows about a purchase of fabric, or precious stones, or pastries, or reasonably priced antiques (do consider Storied Treasures for your antique needs!), then it says a couple of things. One, trade routes are open. That's really important! Not just so merchants don't starve to death, which I am generally in favor of, but also because the same roads and ship routes which bring that fancy fabric bring food to Arx, and all the other cities of the Compact. The second thing is says is that we're okay. We can spend time and money and thought on good things.
That's really important! Markets run as much on confidence as fact, and in the Compact, all of us look to the nobility, especially, to guide how afraid we should be, and whether we can feel confident trading, or whether we need to be laying in supplies and buttoning up defenses. When the nobility is afraid and talking about how they're worried about dying and destruction and DOOM, and they're the ones with the armies and the fancy swords and the castles and the thick-walled keeps, then those of us down here know that we need to be TERRIFIED. Because our protectors aren't sure they can pull this off, whatever 'this' is. That means lots and lots of regular people without fancy swords and keeps and armies are about to die, and we're usually not happy about it! Which means a lot of different economic things happen, none of them really all that good - you can have runs on basic food, driving the price up to the point where the poor can't afford it, you can get instability in the streets, rise in theft, and people choosing to leave areas of threat to try and find safety. Which both drains resources from where they WERE, but also strains resources where they GO, and sometimes those people end up becoming bandits out of necessity, or are attacked or driven away from where they try to settle. Which also disrupts trade and markets, and makes it more dangerous for merchants to travel from place to place.
It's good, economically speaking, for the nobility to have a sense of perspective, and make sure to keep things as normal as possible whenever possible! Which means, yes, talking about the awesome fabric you bought, the parties you went to, the fantastic antiques you purchased from Treasured Stories (located near the Blackrose Theatre!), and so forth. As long as you do, then my businesses run the way they are supposed to run, and my potential customers don't start fleeing for the hills or preparing for the end of the world.
I mean, obviously. We're not savages - and I don't think even savages typically go around nude, even if it would show off the tattoos a bit better. But! Not the point. What I mean is that when someone crows about a purchase of fabric, or precious stones, or pastries, or reasonably priced antiques (do consider Storied Treasures for your antique needs!), then it says a couple of things. One, trade routes are open. That's really important! Not just so merchants don't starve to death, which I am generally in favor of, but also because the same roads and ship routes which bring that fancy fabric bring food to Arx, and all the other cities of the Compact. The second thing is says is that we're okay. We can spend time and money and thought on good things.
That's really important! Markets run as much on confidence as fact, and in the Compact, all of us look to the nobility, especially, to guide how afraid we should be, and whether we can feel confident trading, or whether we need to be laying in supplies and buttoning up defenses. When the nobility is afraid and talking about how they're worried about dying and destruction and DOOM, and they're the ones with the armies and the fancy swords and the castles and the thick-walled keeps, then those of us down here know that we need to be TERRIFIED. Because our protectors aren't sure they can pull this off, whatever 'this' is. That means lots and lots of regular people without fancy swords and keeps and armies are about to die, and we're usually not happy about it! Which means a lot of different economic things happen, none of them really all that good - you can have runs on basic food, driving the price up to the point where the poor can't afford it, you can get instability in the streets, rise in theft, and people choosing to leave areas of threat to try and find safety. Which both drains resources from where they WERE, but also strains resources where they GO, and sometimes those people end up becoming bandits out of necessity, or are attacked or driven away from where they try to settle. Which also disrupts trade and markets, and makes it more dangerous for merchants to travel from place to place.
It's good, economically speaking, for the nobility to have a sense of perspective, and make sure to keep things as normal as possible whenever possible! Which means, yes, talking about the awesome fabric you bought, the parties you went to, the fantastic antiques you purchased from Treasured Stories (located near the Blackrose Theatre!), and so forth. As long as you do, then my businesses run the way they are supposed to run, and my potential customers don't start fleeing for the hills or preparing for the end of the world.
Written By Perronne
Sept. 27, 2018, 10:51 a.m.(9/6/1009 AR)
Well, that's done.
The first few pieces from my carefully hoarded collection of 'Silly Years' pieces have been placed for display and sale in Storied Treasures. This is probably a sin, and I am going to have to donate money to Jayus as an apology for unleashing these things back on the world.
But they weren't doing ME any good in my warehouse, so off they go. Gods help us all.
The first few pieces from my carefully hoarded collection of 'Silly Years' pieces have been placed for display and sale in Storied Treasures. This is probably a sin, and I am going to have to donate money to Jayus as an apology for unleashing these things back on the world.
But they weren't doing ME any good in my warehouse, so off they go. Gods help us all.
Written By Perronne
Sept. 26, 2018, 10:13 p.m.(9/4/1009 AR)
I have completed the first of my relic-hunts-by-commission.
It's a bit odd, especially since it didn't involve much travel or delving into dangerous ruins. (Which is a shame! I miss both those things, and I wish I could do them again!) It did involve breaking out some of my rarer treasures so that I could trade for the desired item, however.
See, I probably need to explain this, at least briefly. There aren't a lot of journals about it, I don't think - one, because it's not particularly important, and two, because I suspect everyone was deeply, culturally embarrassed. But if you're a student of history, then you know about the Crownbreaker War and that it was a pretty terrible thing with not a whole lot of joy and happiness, but definitely with a whole lot of death, misery, and lots of people chopping each other into tiny bits.
So, when all of THAT died down, there was a rather peculiar sort of artistic revival. I guess you could call it a revival. Not many people wanted to memorialize the Wars, because quite frankly, pretty much everyone spent a lot of time killing everyone else, and no one was PARTICULARLY proud of it in the end. So in the period after the Wars, a lot of the art isn't about the usual heroics. Instead, artists were commissioned - or maybe just demanded - to throw off the shackles of history and memorial and dismal memory, and instead enshrine happiness, joy, and spontaneity. WHEE!
Afterwards, the art of this period got quietly filed under the label of "The Silly Years" and everyone tried very hard to pretend that they weren't involved. Most of the art was 'accidentally' broken in the generations after, because really, who wants some of this stuff to be seen by actual people.
Turns out, some people do! And will trade other things for it. And I am reminded that I have a whole crate of Silly Years items in storage which aren't doing anyone any good in there. I'll probably put them out for display at the shop in the upcoming days, see if anyone's feeling silly.
It's a bit odd, especially since it didn't involve much travel or delving into dangerous ruins. (Which is a shame! I miss both those things, and I wish I could do them again!) It did involve breaking out some of my rarer treasures so that I could trade for the desired item, however.
See, I probably need to explain this, at least briefly. There aren't a lot of journals about it, I don't think - one, because it's not particularly important, and two, because I suspect everyone was deeply, culturally embarrassed. But if you're a student of history, then you know about the Crownbreaker War and that it was a pretty terrible thing with not a whole lot of joy and happiness, but definitely with a whole lot of death, misery, and lots of people chopping each other into tiny bits.
So, when all of THAT died down, there was a rather peculiar sort of artistic revival. I guess you could call it a revival. Not many people wanted to memorialize the Wars, because quite frankly, pretty much everyone spent a lot of time killing everyone else, and no one was PARTICULARLY proud of it in the end. So in the period after the Wars, a lot of the art isn't about the usual heroics. Instead, artists were commissioned - or maybe just demanded - to throw off the shackles of history and memorial and dismal memory, and instead enshrine happiness, joy, and spontaneity. WHEE!
Afterwards, the art of this period got quietly filed under the label of "The Silly Years" and everyone tried very hard to pretend that they weren't involved. Most of the art was 'accidentally' broken in the generations after, because really, who wants some of this stuff to be seen by actual people.
Turns out, some people do! And will trade other things for it. And I am reminded that I have a whole crate of Silly Years items in storage which aren't doing anyone any good in there. I'll probably put them out for display at the shop in the upcoming days, see if anyone's feeling silly.
Written By Perronne
Sept. 25, 2018, 11:29 p.m.(9/3/1009 AR)
Several of the journals that people are talking about these days are mentioning, you know, the Thirteenth.
I don't particularly like him. I mean, I'm from the Oathlands, so I suppose that's not a surprise. We don't really TALK about him much, and while it's acknowledged that he's a part of the Pantheon, it's sort of like...you know that family member, right? They're blood, so they're invited to all the gatherings, but everyone secretly hopes they don't show up, and spends most of the dinner stepping gingerly around them and hoping that THIS year, the drink sends them straight from sober to asleep without the ranting and spitting stage in-between. That's kinda the Thirteenth, or was when I was growing up.
I do see value in his teachings, I guess. Not so much in the questioning; it tends to be nobles who talk a lot about the sacred right of questioning, because they're used to having the power to question things and not get stabbed or tossed out of their homes for it, and I suspect it really burns a lot of their bottoms that there might be anyone, even gods, who someone might suggest they SHOULDN'T question. So, of course, the Thirteenth appeals on that level. For me, I guess it's more the cautionary tale part of it - there but for the grace of the gods go I.
I'm a merchant! My job is to get money from other people, in exchange for goods and services, and to profit by the exchange of it! No profit, no food. No food, very sad Perronne who fades away dramatically on the side of a road, inconsiderately leaving her dead body for some poor bastard (probably not an ACTUAL bastard) to find. Yes, yes, I suppose I COULD wander off somewhere more private to die, but I'm going to tell you right here and now, if I starve to death in penury, I plan to do it as PUBLICLY AS POSSIBLE! But I'd really rather not. Where was---oh, right! I'm a merchant! I like acquiring money! Which means that there's always a temptation to acquire more money than a fair and equitable exchange could give. There's always that feeling that, hey, this person could stand to pay a LITTLE more, even when maybe they really can't. And I'm pretty good at my job! I could push them into it with the right words, the right framing. Or just outright cheat them. I COULD do those things.
I don't. I work really hard to make sure I don't. But I think, maybe, for me, the Thirteenth's place in the Pantheon that really resonates with me is that he's the guy who reminds you that you're never pure. There's always a bit of darkness in your soul that you have to be on guard against, that you have to fight against and make sure that it never becomes the biggest part of your soul. You can starve that piece, you can try and whip it into shape. But you can't really ignore it. Because if you pretend it isn't there, then that darkness can sort of seep into everything you do, and you justify it, because you can't imagine that you could be evil. But all of us CAN be evil.
The Thirteenth reminds us of that, I think. But sort of in the way certain bad smells can warn you of rotten food? You can't expose yourself to it too much, or else the bad smell starts to smell normal, and you start eating a lot of stuff you shouldn't. So, I guess, look to the Thirteenth as a reminder of what you DON'T want to be, but it's the rest of the Pantheon that shows us what we DO want to be...and for me, that shows me pretty well where I want to spend most of my time.
I don't particularly like him. I mean, I'm from the Oathlands, so I suppose that's not a surprise. We don't really TALK about him much, and while it's acknowledged that he's a part of the Pantheon, it's sort of like...you know that family member, right? They're blood, so they're invited to all the gatherings, but everyone secretly hopes they don't show up, and spends most of the dinner stepping gingerly around them and hoping that THIS year, the drink sends them straight from sober to asleep without the ranting and spitting stage in-between. That's kinda the Thirteenth, or was when I was growing up.
I do see value in his teachings, I guess. Not so much in the questioning; it tends to be nobles who talk a lot about the sacred right of questioning, because they're used to having the power to question things and not get stabbed or tossed out of their homes for it, and I suspect it really burns a lot of their bottoms that there might be anyone, even gods, who someone might suggest they SHOULDN'T question. So, of course, the Thirteenth appeals on that level. For me, I guess it's more the cautionary tale part of it - there but for the grace of the gods go I.
I'm a merchant! My job is to get money from other people, in exchange for goods and services, and to profit by the exchange of it! No profit, no food. No food, very sad Perronne who fades away dramatically on the side of a road, inconsiderately leaving her dead body for some poor bastard (probably not an ACTUAL bastard) to find. Yes, yes, I suppose I COULD wander off somewhere more private to die, but I'm going to tell you right here and now, if I starve to death in penury, I plan to do it as PUBLICLY AS POSSIBLE! But I'd really rather not. Where was---oh, right! I'm a merchant! I like acquiring money! Which means that there's always a temptation to acquire more money than a fair and equitable exchange could give. There's always that feeling that, hey, this person could stand to pay a LITTLE more, even when maybe they really can't. And I'm pretty good at my job! I could push them into it with the right words, the right framing. Or just outright cheat them. I COULD do those things.
I don't. I work really hard to make sure I don't. But I think, maybe, for me, the Thirteenth's place in the Pantheon that really resonates with me is that he's the guy who reminds you that you're never pure. There's always a bit of darkness in your soul that you have to be on guard against, that you have to fight against and make sure that it never becomes the biggest part of your soul. You can starve that piece, you can try and whip it into shape. But you can't really ignore it. Because if you pretend it isn't there, then that darkness can sort of seep into everything you do, and you justify it, because you can't imagine that you could be evil. But all of us CAN be evil.
The Thirteenth reminds us of that, I think. But sort of in the way certain bad smells can warn you of rotten food? You can't expose yourself to it too much, or else the bad smell starts to smell normal, and you start eating a lot of stuff you shouldn't. So, I guess, look to the Thirteenth as a reminder of what you DON'T want to be, but it's the rest of the Pantheon that shows us what we DO want to be...and for me, that shows me pretty well where I want to spend most of my time.
Written By Perronne
Sept. 23, 2018, 10:10 p.m.(8/26/1009 AR)
People are interesting!
I think a lot about making money, I suppose. Money is useful for many things, and not having it means hunger and homelessness and a lot of very unpleasant things! But really, one of the things I enjoy most about being in the work I am is taking an interest in people. Everyone wants something, and everything has something worthwhile to offer in return for the things they want. But beyond desire, people are just so INTERESTING. Everyone has a story, a history, something that drives them.
I don't know why I'm writing this, really. Except that it's something good for me to remember.
I think a lot about making money, I suppose. Money is useful for many things, and not having it means hunger and homelessness and a lot of very unpleasant things! But really, one of the things I enjoy most about being in the work I am is taking an interest in people. Everyone wants something, and everything has something worthwhile to offer in return for the things they want. But beyond desire, people are just so INTERESTING. Everyone has a story, a history, something that drives them.
I don't know why I'm writing this, really. Except that it's something good for me to remember.
Written By Perronne
Sept. 23, 2018, 9:47 a.m.(8/25/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Mayir
Working with a partner is a pretty new thing for me, really. I've hired people on before, and been hired on before, but those were all specific term relationships where the responsibilities and the division of the profits were explicitly spelled out at the start, and once the task was concluded, we all went on our way. Traveling as much as I did, there wasn't much opportunity to form lasting relationships, even if I'd wanted to.
But working with Mayir is actually quite fun. We don't necessarily see eye-to-eye on everything, but then, if we did that would be boring. And I suspect that I am the junior partner in this arrangement, just for reasons of still being the newcomer to the city and its markets, not to mention that I am on my own, and Mayir has a larger support network. But even so, he's always courteous and friendly and true. I'd say he reminds me of an Oathlander in that, but he'd probably be offended. For no reason! We are good people, and not nearly as stodgy as most people think us!
It is a good partnership, and a good friendship, too. I like having friends!
But working with Mayir is actually quite fun. We don't necessarily see eye-to-eye on everything, but then, if we did that would be boring. And I suspect that I am the junior partner in this arrangement, just for reasons of still being the newcomer to the city and its markets, not to mention that I am on my own, and Mayir has a larger support network. But even so, he's always courteous and friendly and true. I'd say he reminds me of an Oathlander in that, but he'd probably be offended. For no reason! We are good people, and not nearly as stodgy as most people think us!
It is a good partnership, and a good friendship, too. I like having friends!
Written By Perronne
Sept. 15, 2018, 8:27 p.m.(8/10/1009 AR)
Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!
It wasn't easy, but the first copies of my Almanac went out over the last couple of weeks, and they have found themselves in good hands. People are using it! People like it! People are PAYING me for it! This is only the first step, of course. The first step, and the first edition. Everyone knows a good almanac has to be updated regularly, and with things as chaotic as they are, I'll have to work to keep on my toes and stay on top of things. Can't let my skills OR knowledge get stale!
I'll also probably need to hire help. I won't have the ability to just take off and spend a few years walking the roads again. Not if I want to advance along the path that is greater than the one just under my feet. I have also, of course, donated a substantial amount to the Church to celebrate and thank the Gods for my success! Especially Gild - lady of charity and of civilization, you who smile upon those who strive to achieve without exploiting or abusing those beneath us, who earn and do not steal, lady of the silver coin, I thank you and I honor you, I hope, in all that I do and all that I strive to be.
I think some time at the shrine is in order!
It wasn't easy, but the first copies of my Almanac went out over the last couple of weeks, and they have found themselves in good hands. People are using it! People like it! People are PAYING me for it! This is only the first step, of course. The first step, and the first edition. Everyone knows a good almanac has to be updated regularly, and with things as chaotic as they are, I'll have to work to keep on my toes and stay on top of things. Can't let my skills OR knowledge get stale!
I'll also probably need to hire help. I won't have the ability to just take off and spend a few years walking the roads again. Not if I want to advance along the path that is greater than the one just under my feet. I have also, of course, donated a substantial amount to the Church to celebrate and thank the Gods for my success! Especially Gild - lady of charity and of civilization, you who smile upon those who strive to achieve without exploiting or abusing those beneath us, who earn and do not steal, lady of the silver coin, I thank you and I honor you, I hope, in all that I do and all that I strive to be.
I think some time at the shrine is in order!
Written By Perronne
Sept. 12, 2018, 9:07 p.m.(8/2/1009 AR)
I am alive!
I am not going to fancy parties again. Not even the Lyceum events are quite so, uh, exciting as that! I did get to wear my beautiful beautiful dress, though. And there was a woman dressed in dragonweep! I hope she's okay. She seemed nice, and probably wasn't quite as willing to murder everyone as the hosts! I probably will not get a chance to meet the suppliers. Woe.
The food was also very good, and there was ice! Real ice!
But as a tip for the next people from gods-only-know-where who want to find things that have been lost or stolen. If you have that much money to throw around, you might want to consider employing some discreet local agents before escalating to noblenapping! I know a new detective agency and everything! Just, it helps keep the chances of war being declared to a minimum, and nobody has to get thrown out windows or chopped up or threatened. Keep it in mind!
I am not going to fancy parties again. Not even the Lyceum events are quite so, uh, exciting as that! I did get to wear my beautiful beautiful dress, though. And there was a woman dressed in dragonweep! I hope she's okay. She seemed nice, and probably wasn't quite as willing to murder everyone as the hosts! I probably will not get a chance to meet the suppliers. Woe.
The food was also very good, and there was ice! Real ice!
But as a tip for the next people from gods-only-know-where who want to find things that have been lost or stolen. If you have that much money to throw around, you might want to consider employing some discreet local agents before escalating to noblenapping! I know a new detective agency and everything! Just, it helps keep the chances of war being declared to a minimum, and nobody has to get thrown out windows or chopped up or threatened. Keep it in mind!
Written By Perronne
Sept. 11, 2018, 3:58 p.m.(7/28/1009 AR)
Heroes.
I think we'll never know most of the real heroes in the world. Not the ones with titles, who have noble families willing to spend enough silver to save a hundred towns from starving for the next decade so that they can have a statue built in the Hall. Those people may be perfectly nice, and brave, and kind, and all of that. But there are thousands of people like that in the Compact, and some just have...more resources to devote to being better known than others.
But I think most heroes don't have that. Because I think that one of the things that defines a hero, for me, is the person who realizes that they are all alone, in the dark, where there is no one to see what they do, and no one to remember their name. And while in that long dark, they realize that if they do the right thing, they will die alone, and no one will ever know. Or people WILL know, but they will disapprove because sometimes the popular thing, the thing that makes people cheer your name and build monuments to you, isn't actually all that right. Or they could walk away, and live a long and happy life. And maybe get called a hero for other things.
And they do the right thing anyway. And they die, without fanfare or reward or the expectation of either. They die so that others might live and never know their name - or need to know it.
We'll never see statues or memorials to most of the heroes of the Compact, I think. Sometimes, I stand in ruins, though, and I find something that tells a story that lets me see them, just for a moment. Standing and holding the line so that others might thrive, with no expectation of survival. I don't know that I could ever do something like that. It terrifies me. I'm not cut out for it. But I say a prayer for them, the forgotten defenders, whenever I visit the Shrines.
I think we'll never know most of the real heroes in the world. Not the ones with titles, who have noble families willing to spend enough silver to save a hundred towns from starving for the next decade so that they can have a statue built in the Hall. Those people may be perfectly nice, and brave, and kind, and all of that. But there are thousands of people like that in the Compact, and some just have...more resources to devote to being better known than others.
But I think most heroes don't have that. Because I think that one of the things that defines a hero, for me, is the person who realizes that they are all alone, in the dark, where there is no one to see what they do, and no one to remember their name. And while in that long dark, they realize that if they do the right thing, they will die alone, and no one will ever know. Or people WILL know, but they will disapprove because sometimes the popular thing, the thing that makes people cheer your name and build monuments to you, isn't actually all that right. Or they could walk away, and live a long and happy life. And maybe get called a hero for other things.
And they do the right thing anyway. And they die, without fanfare or reward or the expectation of either. They die so that others might live and never know their name - or need to know it.
We'll never see statues or memorials to most of the heroes of the Compact, I think. Sometimes, I stand in ruins, though, and I find something that tells a story that lets me see them, just for a moment. Standing and holding the line so that others might thrive, with no expectation of survival. I don't know that I could ever do something like that. It terrifies me. I'm not cut out for it. But I say a prayer for them, the forgotten defenders, whenever I visit the Shrines.
Written By Perronne
Sept. 10, 2018, 7:24 a.m.(7/25/1009 AR)
Hmm. War with shavs, while costly in lives, tends to be good for other sorts of business. Expect the weapons, lumber, and steel trade around Ischia to rise. Of course, anyone paying attention to previous developments in this area should not be surprised! The southern Lyceum should be a good place to ship the war goods of war for a bit. One thing in reading the proclamations that I did not understand: What is a Platinum Ban? There isn't enough of the stuff to warrant banning it, really! And it's harmless - or as harmless as any shiny metal that represents a great deal of wealth can be. Which means that when people die over it, it's usually malice, and not an inherent property of the metal. I think. I haven't really ever had enough platinum to test that! Maybe it's actually secretly poisonous?
Written By Perronne
Sept. 8, 2018, 4:57 p.m.(7/22/1009 AR)
Oh, I am so nervous!
And I'm not even going. I should be going! I want to be going! But I have clients who I agreed to meet with, and I don't want to put this off any longer. So I shall entrust this to people who I think I CAN trust, and hope that it works out. May the Pantheon watch over them in their journey, and may they come back safe!
And hopefully with some things which can be restored and sold! Money is nice.
And I'm not even going. I should be going! I want to be going! But I have clients who I agreed to meet with, and I don't want to put this off any longer. So I shall entrust this to people who I think I CAN trust, and hope that it works out. May the Pantheon watch over them in their journey, and may they come back safe!
And hopefully with some things which can be restored and sold! Money is nice.
Written By Perronne
Sept. 6, 2018, 9:11 a.m.(7/17/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Jyri
I have never had a story written about me, especially such a lovely one! I have never been a wolf!
Now, thanks to Kennelmaster Jyri, I have been able to experience both of those things, and it was wonderful! Okay, only a wolf in metaphor. I did not get on all fours and run around baying at the moon, and if I did, I probably wouldn't need the Kennelmaster to show me how to do it. I assume it's pretty simple! But probably gives you a back ache after a while.
The Kennelmaster writes very good stories, is what I mean to say.
Now, thanks to Kennelmaster Jyri, I have been able to experience both of those things, and it was wonderful! Okay, only a wolf in metaphor. I did not get on all fours and run around baying at the moon, and if I did, I probably wouldn't need the Kennelmaster to show me how to do it. I assume it's pretty simple! But probably gives you a back ache after a while.
The Kennelmaster writes very good stories, is what I mean to say.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.