Written By Merek
Oct. 8, 2020, 1:22 a.m.(3/1/1014 AR)
Relationship Note on Rukhnis
A good friend of mine, and our new Guildmaster. I needed to get around to writing about it. She's always there to talk if you need, and often will be working to be a better healer. Not a lot to say besides of the fact she is really skilled at what she does! I appreciate the guidance with the Guild also!
Written By Preston
Aug. 25, 2020, 6:33 a.m.(11/25/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Rukhnis
While I admire the sophistry, I fear it is not the same. When we speak of defending the innocent, we do not speak of only defending the innocent - there is no need to worry if all you would defend are innocent, because they never are. But yes, it can be extreme, it can be an absolute command. There are times when Templars step into hopeless battles to give the innocent time to escape, a hope for life. There are times as an order we march before we are ready in the hope of saving many - as we did to Sungreet. And we take the losses that this causes, with a heavy heart and much sadness.
However, we acknowledge the Templar path is one of devotion and not of comfort. Nor is it an easy one - and some do falter and fall. It is also not a specific oath we undertake, but one of Gloria's commands we observe.
Perhaps my words were harshly put, but there is a note of concern - Ras seeks for himself a new life, a new start. The oath...it is like encouraging yourself to move on by burning all that was behind you. It makes the fall that much greater. It makes the stakes that much greater. I perhaps would have counselled him to begin by proving to himself a little way on this journey before staking so much. But, I am also of the Orthodox. Our oaths are taken literally and in the spirit, in the broadest binding I suppose you might say. We are cautious with them. I know this is not the way in Arx, that we see much of the Pragmatic approach. Still. It is a serious undertaking, and one I wish him the best with - I believe he wishes to do good, in my experience his mind has always been to protect others and maybe in another life his soul will be a Templar.
However, we acknowledge the Templar path is one of devotion and not of comfort. Nor is it an easy one - and some do falter and fall. It is also not a specific oath we undertake, but one of Gloria's commands we observe.
Perhaps my words were harshly put, but there is a note of concern - Ras seeks for himself a new life, a new start. The oath...it is like encouraging yourself to move on by burning all that was behind you. It makes the fall that much greater. It makes the stakes that much greater. I perhaps would have counselled him to begin by proving to himself a little way on this journey before staking so much. But, I am also of the Orthodox. Our oaths are taken literally and in the spirit, in the broadest binding I suppose you might say. We are cautious with them. I know this is not the way in Arx, that we see much of the Pragmatic approach. Still. It is a serious undertaking, and one I wish him the best with - I believe he wishes to do good, in my experience his mind has always been to protect others and maybe in another life his soul will be a Templar.
Written By Sydney
Aug. 8, 2020, 12:32 p.m.(10/20/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Rukhnis
Let it never be said that Rukhnis Al-Katibi cannot dance.
Written By Evaristo
April 20, 2020, 11:23 p.m.(2/24/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Rukhnis
SOMEONE stole all me left shoes, apart from the ones I was wearing. No names mentioned. It was not Rukhnis. She won them fair and square.
It may be that I am willing to pay to get them back.
It may be that I am willing to pay to get them back.
Written By Oili
March 22, 2020, 9:56 p.m.(12/22/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Rukhnis
Oili has met several people who claim to be healers. Rukhnis might be the only person who actually rises to the standard. It's a topic that Oili is opinionated about and Rukhnis has managed to break through every standard she holds. Oili might think that she's hiding some baggage but Rukhnis can keep that to herself. All Oili cares about is how great of a healer she's found.
Written By Rysen
Feb. 7, 2020, 8:54 a.m.(9.492869130291005/21.600671296296294/1012.707739094191 AR)
Relationship Note on Rukhnis
The Knight and the Physician
One day I hope the Grand Vizier
And the Prophet of the Sands
Will curse and rue their dire foe:
The Knight of the Northlands,
For word will reach their greedy ears
That countless soldiers he had slain,
Who from the cruel Eurusi horde
Had wished Arvani to enslave.
And with him was a woman strong,
Beloved by spirits and the gods,
Who no weapon save her wisdom used
To save many from Death's jaws.
"The knight and the physician,
Tore like Lagoma's her'tic flame
Through our mighty army,"
The Vizier to the Prophet said,
"Nor did they merely decimate
Our slaves from Skal'daja,
But welcomed those whom freedom called
From fetters, one and all!
"The physician is Eurusi.
Her people laid to waste.
She should cower and be hopeless,
Yet countless lives she's saved!
"And with her stood the people
Who'd called the Desert Kingdoms home.
She to freedom lead them,
And your will has quite undone!"
"Silence!" shrieked the Prophet,
And beseeching powers dark
Reswore to conquer Arvum,
But failing still to mark
The courage of her defenders,
Like the knight and healer free;
Its foundation is the gift of Skald
Which through the heart of Arvum beats.
The threat we face is dire,
And no illusions do I hold -
Yet offer up this soaring verse
In aspirations bold!
One day I hope the Grand Vizier
And the Prophet of the Sands
Will curse and rue their dire foe:
The Knight of the Northlands,
For word will reach their greedy ears
That countless soldiers he had slain,
Who from the cruel Eurusi horde
Had wished Arvani to enslave.
And with him was a woman strong,
Beloved by spirits and the gods,
Who no weapon save her wisdom used
To save many from Death's jaws.
"The knight and the physician,
Tore like Lagoma's her'tic flame
Through our mighty army,"
The Vizier to the Prophet said,
"Nor did they merely decimate
Our slaves from Skal'daja,
But welcomed those whom freedom called
From fetters, one and all!
"The physician is Eurusi.
Her people laid to waste.
She should cower and be hopeless,
Yet countless lives she's saved!
"And with her stood the people
Who'd called the Desert Kingdoms home.
She to freedom lead them,
And your will has quite undone!"
"Silence!" shrieked the Prophet,
And beseeching powers dark
Reswore to conquer Arvum,
But failing still to mark
The courage of her defenders,
Like the knight and healer free;
Its foundation is the gift of Skald
Which through the heart of Arvum beats.
The threat we face is dire,
And no illusions do I hold -
Yet offer up this soaring verse
In aspirations bold!
Written By Rysen
Dec. 22, 2019, 10:29 p.m.(6/5/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Rukhnis
In an attempt at wit, I made a joke in extremely poor taste about a medallion I'd won in a contest at an event put on to benefit people in the Lowers, believing the medallion was made by our Minister of Medicine, Rukhnis al-Katibi. Rukhnis and I arrived in Arx around the same time, and I am not ashamed to say that, after many long adventures and experiences together, she is one of my closest and most trusted friends. She saved my life many times with her skill in medicine, and my soul many times with her wisdom.
One manifestation of her wisdom is her ability to temper my pride, and prevent me from causing harm where she knows I meant none. She wrote to me recently, and the letter is worth reproducing here in full:
Lord Rysen,
I wish you to write a letter of apology to Miss Zettie Bissel, Crooked Tree Court, the green door on the north corner. She is a young woman of fourteen years whom I treated shortly after I began working at the Commons Clinic. Two of the fingers on her right hand were crushed in an accident with a wagon gate and had to be removed. Her heart was nearly broken by this because it was her life's dream to become a jewelcrafter one day. However, I assured her that I had seen others with injuries as serious as her own who had nevertheless learned to be so clever with their remaining fingers that their dexterity yet surpassed those whose hands were intact. When I wanted simple medallions for the wellness festival I commissioned her to create them, telling her they would be won and worn by noble lords and ladies and others among the great people of Arx. I doubt that she reads the Whites herself, but if word ever reaches her ears of what you wrote about your own prize, she will be devastated. I hope you will tell her that you did not mean it, and you only wrote as you did because you wished to play a joke on me instead.
Peace and honour,
Rukhnis
I truly meant no disrespect to the fine work of Miss Zettie Bissel of Crooked Tree Court. The craftsmanship on the medallion was superb, and I was, in fact, making a poor attempt at humor. I have already written to Miss Zettie personally, and in recompense, I am happy to sponsor her apprenticeship to a leading jeweler of the Crafter's Guild, where I am most confident she'll excel. I will be wearing my second place medallion with pride everywhere I go for two weeks, and spending some time in the Shrine of the Thirteenth to reflect on my actions and seek greater wisdom for the future.
One manifestation of her wisdom is her ability to temper my pride, and prevent me from causing harm where she knows I meant none. She wrote to me recently, and the letter is worth reproducing here in full:
Lord Rysen,
I wish you to write a letter of apology to Miss Zettie Bissel, Crooked Tree Court, the green door on the north corner. She is a young woman of fourteen years whom I treated shortly after I began working at the Commons Clinic. Two of the fingers on her right hand were crushed in an accident with a wagon gate and had to be removed. Her heart was nearly broken by this because it was her life's dream to become a jewelcrafter one day. However, I assured her that I had seen others with injuries as serious as her own who had nevertheless learned to be so clever with their remaining fingers that their dexterity yet surpassed those whose hands were intact. When I wanted simple medallions for the wellness festival I commissioned her to create them, telling her they would be won and worn by noble lords and ladies and others among the great people of Arx. I doubt that she reads the Whites herself, but if word ever reaches her ears of what you wrote about your own prize, she will be devastated. I hope you will tell her that you did not mean it, and you only wrote as you did because you wished to play a joke on me instead.
Peace and honour,
Rukhnis
I truly meant no disrespect to the fine work of Miss Zettie Bissel of Crooked Tree Court. The craftsmanship on the medallion was superb, and I was, in fact, making a poor attempt at humor. I have already written to Miss Zettie personally, and in recompense, I am happy to sponsor her apprenticeship to a leading jeweler of the Crafter's Guild, where I am most confident she'll excel. I will be wearing my second place medallion with pride everywhere I go for two weeks, and spending some time in the Shrine of the Thirteenth to reflect on my actions and seek greater wisdom for the future.
Written By Rysen
Dec. 19, 2019, 3:57 p.m.(5/26/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Rukhnis
Your sober insights and predictions are frighteningly accurate.
Know that as I write this, however, I'm smiling smugly. For all your intelligence and prescience, this world must be a boring place; whereas I, whose wild hopes lead to devastating disappointments, am never bored.
Know that as I write this, however, I'm smiling smugly. For all your intelligence and prescience, this world must be a boring place; whereas I, whose wild hopes lead to devastating disappointments, am never bored.
Written By Rysen
Oct. 22, 2019, 5:07 p.m.(1/22/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Rukhnis
Ode to the Assistant Guildmaster of the Physicians
Rise! O star from distant dunes!
Who traveled far 'neath sun and moon,
Who faced with strong and upright heart
Untold woe till meeting here in Arx,
When choosing free to join my House,
You've showered it in great renown,
Where countless wounds, and plagues, and pain
You banished with skilled medicine,
Till Lagoma's bright and chosen flame
Has with heartfelt pride proclaimed
Your service to the Compact's folk,
Whether noble or the lowest born,
All you aid with patient grace -
My own among the lives you've saved.
Rise! O brilliant, blazing star!
Our love from you will never part!
Rise! O star from distant dunes!
Who traveled far 'neath sun and moon,
Who faced with strong and upright heart
Untold woe till meeting here in Arx,
When choosing free to join my House,
You've showered it in great renown,
Where countless wounds, and plagues, and pain
You banished with skilled medicine,
Till Lagoma's bright and chosen flame
Has with heartfelt pride proclaimed
Your service to the Compact's folk,
Whether noble or the lowest born,
All you aid with patient grace -
My own among the lives you've saved.
Rise! O brilliant, blazing star!
Our love from you will never part!
Written By Elisha
July 4, 2019, 12:18 p.m.(5/25/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Rukhnis
My sigil is not an unburied skull,
laughing,
but a newborn's head,
crowning.
I am the queen of furrows.
The ditch that
embraces
a body
exhausted from life
and
the channel from which life,
refreshed,
gasps to breath
again.
I am a mother first.
* * *
You enter the city through Fontanel Gate, which is guarded by red wardens who cast oblique glances at your bundles. You pass beneath an archway and find yourself within a tunnel; its compact fullness surrounds you; carved in its walls is a pattern of shattered diamonds that tell the tale of Skald's inevitable victory over Fate.
You advance for hours and it is not clear to you whether you are already in the city's midst or still outside it. Every now and then at the edges of the street, a cluster of black spires seems to indicate that from there the city's texture will thicken. However, you find instead other vague spaces: a neighborhood of metallic workshops, warehouses packed with bijous, a reflecting pool surrounded by scrawny shrines.
If you ask the people you meet, 'Where is the city?' they make a broad gesture which may mean 'Here,' or 'Farther on, or 'All around you,' or even 'In the opposite direction.'
Finally you reach a gate guarded by red wardens who cast oblique glances at your bundles. Stepping into a tunnel carved with the tale of Fate's decision to defeat Skald, you realize that this city is only ever the outskirts of itself.
laughing,
but a newborn's head,
crowning.
I am the queen of furrows.
The ditch that
embraces
a body
exhausted from life
and
the channel from which life,
refreshed,
gasps to breath
again.
I am a mother first.
* * *
You enter the city through Fontanel Gate, which is guarded by red wardens who cast oblique glances at your bundles. You pass beneath an archway and find yourself within a tunnel; its compact fullness surrounds you; carved in its walls is a pattern of shattered diamonds that tell the tale of Skald's inevitable victory over Fate.
You advance for hours and it is not clear to you whether you are already in the city's midst or still outside it. Every now and then at the edges of the street, a cluster of black spires seems to indicate that from there the city's texture will thicken. However, you find instead other vague spaces: a neighborhood of metallic workshops, warehouses packed with bijous, a reflecting pool surrounded by scrawny shrines.
If you ask the people you meet, 'Where is the city?' they make a broad gesture which may mean 'Here,' or 'Farther on, or 'All around you,' or even 'In the opposite direction.'
Finally you reach a gate guarded by red wardens who cast oblique glances at your bundles. Stepping into a tunnel carved with the tale of Fate's decision to defeat Skald, you realize that this city is only ever the outskirts of itself.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.