Written By Amund
Feb. 1, 2020, 3:44 p.m.(9.08478587962963/5.748009259259259/1012.6737321566358 AR)
Learning how to brawl is an essential component in the art of fighting and those that belittle it don't understand how important it is.
Conversely, a line of brawlers is not a great deterrent in comparison to spears or swords and shields.
Conversely, a line of brawlers is not a great deterrent in comparison to spears or swords and shields.
Written By Amund
Jan. 16, 2020, 11:26 p.m.(7/28/1012 AR)
Sometimes, the dead deserve every single honor that is afforded them. Sometimes, the departed is someone of incredible talent and a gargantuan heart, someone whose charity and inner beauty reflected in her talent.
Someone who is always willing to make a deal with someone in need, who is always willing to help people reach their ambitions in life.
There are no more words that need to be said, because as briefly as someone may touch your life, they may leave the greatest of impressions, and a mighty example to follow.
Thank you, Mistress Arcuri.
Someone who is always willing to make a deal with someone in need, who is always willing to help people reach their ambitions in life.
There are no more words that need to be said, because as briefly as someone may touch your life, they may leave the greatest of impressions, and a mighty example to follow.
Thank you, Mistress Arcuri.
Written By Amund
Jan. 5, 2020, 7:40 a.m.(7/4/1012 AR)
On Weapons and Wielders
Often one might think that any sword, axe, or spear will do, when that is not necessarily true. Especially for swords, where the size of the wielder, the length of his or her hand from wrist to the fingertips among other factors will determine how well they can wield it. The fact is, an oft underappreciated ability of blacksmiths in general is their capacity to properly measure a person and fit the weapon to those measurements, ensuring it doesn't throw the wielder off-balance, nor that it is too cumbersome to be used in the way it is meant to be used.
For instance, some smiths tend to measure the total length of someone's arm to determine how long a blade can be before it is no longer of utility to the user. This allows the wielder to use that weapon as an extension of their limb, and requires no great feat of physical strength; the key to a good attack is in the swing and how well executed it is, rather than any strain on the muscles of the arm itself.
With swords or weapons that are used with both hands, this is even more evident, given it takes some gyration of the torso to swing and subsequently connect the attack to greater effectiveness. Regardless, a smith has more understanding on how to make the blade more effective to the wielder at first than, perhaps, the wielder themselves.
So next time you get yourself a weapon made, or improved, or changed substantially to fit your specifications, make sure to let your smith know how much you appreciate their work.
Often one might think that any sword, axe, or spear will do, when that is not necessarily true. Especially for swords, where the size of the wielder, the length of his or her hand from wrist to the fingertips among other factors will determine how well they can wield it. The fact is, an oft underappreciated ability of blacksmiths in general is their capacity to properly measure a person and fit the weapon to those measurements, ensuring it doesn't throw the wielder off-balance, nor that it is too cumbersome to be used in the way it is meant to be used.
For instance, some smiths tend to measure the total length of someone's arm to determine how long a blade can be before it is no longer of utility to the user. This allows the wielder to use that weapon as an extension of their limb, and requires no great feat of physical strength; the key to a good attack is in the swing and how well executed it is, rather than any strain on the muscles of the arm itself.
With swords or weapons that are used with both hands, this is even more evident, given it takes some gyration of the torso to swing and subsequently connect the attack to greater effectiveness. Regardless, a smith has more understanding on how to make the blade more effective to the wielder at first than, perhaps, the wielder themselves.
So next time you get yourself a weapon made, or improved, or changed substantially to fit your specifications, make sure to let your smith know how much you appreciate their work.
Written By Amund
Jan. 1, 2020, 8:27 a.m.(6/24/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Tyrus
Welcome back. It is good to be out in the wild at times.
Written By Amund
Dec. 24, 2019, 2:15 p.m.(6/8/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Gaston
I did say at the onset that fire was going to solve that particular predicament, but you weren't quite conscious to hear it.
It's okay, though.
It's okay, though.
Written By Amund
Oct. 16, 2019, 12:49 a.m.(1/9/1012 AR)
Snow falls to remind some of us there won't be a time to rest.
Written By Amund
Oct. 8, 2019, 9:45 a.m.(12/22/1011 AR)
I need to stop getting these chills in the night; I dreamed of an unpleasant night visit, and the cold of the grave once more. A break from the usual, certainly, but more terrifying.
Written By Amund
Oct. 4, 2019, 1:48 p.m.(12/14/1011 AR)
The answer to existential questions isn't always obvious or as simple as we think.
But 'who am I' is a question I prefer to answer in the blacks.
But 'who am I' is a question I prefer to answer in the blacks.
Written By Amund
Sept. 26, 2019, 5:16 p.m.(11/27/1011 AR)
Any fight you cannot win through skill or strength must be won through adaptation. Sometimes, good things, like victory, come at hefty prices.
I will never forget my journey deep into the Telmarch's and the Bonespire's lands, to right ancient wrongs.
It taught me so much, and I am humbled. Both for seeing that all of my comrades were alive, and for the hard but unforgettable lessons learned with pain.
I will never forget my journey deep into the Telmarch's and the Bonespire's lands, to right ancient wrongs.
It taught me so much, and I am humbled. Both for seeing that all of my comrades were alive, and for the hard but unforgettable lessons learned with pain.
Written By Amund
July 27, 2019, 7:08 p.m.(7/16/1011 AR)
If you must teach morals, do so sparingly and with correct timing. And do not discount the power of questioning; only those that are truly free have the luxury of being able to do so.
Written By Amund
July 23, 2019, 8:35 a.m.(7/8/1011 AR)
There are many different kinds of threats. Some are covert, some are overt and some only get better with time, while others welcome open defiance the more they are used. The application of threats can be a good substitute to force, in moderation.
Written By Amund
Feb. 21, 2019, 10:24 p.m.(8/13/1010 AR)
People who look up to the skies in hopes of a savior are the people who have no problem letting others bleed and die while they break their fast in the morning.
The choice is in the hands of five. I can only hope they can live with their choice, whatever it is.
In the end, that's what it amounts to, isn't it? We can say whatever we like, petition any number of people, but the choice isn't ours to make. The only choice we can afford to make is how best to survive uncertain times.
Also, if someone is gifting you a rotting donkey's corpse, you probably should look it in the mouth, you know. Just saying.
The choice is in the hands of five. I can only hope they can live with their choice, whatever it is.
In the end, that's what it amounts to, isn't it? We can say whatever we like, petition any number of people, but the choice isn't ours to make. The only choice we can afford to make is how best to survive uncertain times.
Also, if someone is gifting you a rotting donkey's corpse, you probably should look it in the mouth, you know. Just saying.
Written By Amund
Feb. 14, 2019, 12:45 a.m.(7/25/1010 AR)
Days pass, and the storm draws nearer.
Written By Amund
Feb. 6, 2019, 1:57 a.m.(7/9/1010 AR)
I do hope 'widespread famines', 'indiscriminate looting' and 'possible criminals of Shav origin and not on the loose' are part of the consideration of the offers on the table. Not that I believe disgusting practices need to continue, but I'm selfishly more than a little interested in the continued prosperity of these lands.
And, you know. You can't expect a chair with four legs to be upright once you smash one of its back legs. That's just silly.
And, you know. You can't expect a chair with four legs to be upright once you smash one of its back legs. That's just silly.
Written By Amund
Feb. 5, 2019, 7:43 a.m.(7/7/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
Nothing I've written is about you, Your Majesty.
Written By Amund
Feb. 4, 2019, 7:03 p.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
Promises, especially those that are given in return for conditions to be met, are empty without a first gesture of goodwill, especially among the unknown. Trust is built and respect is earned. One may respect anyone whose craft involves the taking of lives, but can one trust her? As a sellsword, I know that being of negotiable loyalties arouses suspicion, maybe even derision. It doesn't matter whether you are selective about your contracts or not. And even so, it takes respect for your own craft so the people making contracts with you to lend you trust beyond the initial. Consistency is the best approach to business. So you show that you're competent, and that you're good on your part of the bargain; then business comes your way. On a tangent from that, however...
How long can one live before they lose every shred of humanity left in them, and all they've got are their instinct to survive and their base wants? Can you still be virtuous if you forego the certainty of death?
Or will you become a mere shred of your former self, living on your own myths? Some of the enemies common to the entire Compact fancy themselves to be gods and some may argue that the only way we can stop them from getting volunteers to their cause is to shatter their myth of godhood; by defeating them.
Then again, can we really do that when we think we're above practicality? Do you learn from your heroes or do you worship them? Because one takes the whole. The other blinds oneself to the truth of their exemplars.
How long can one live before they lose every shred of humanity left in them, and all they've got are their instinct to survive and their base wants? Can you still be virtuous if you forego the certainty of death?
Or will you become a mere shred of your former self, living on your own myths? Some of the enemies common to the entire Compact fancy themselves to be gods and some may argue that the only way we can stop them from getting volunteers to their cause is to shatter their myth of godhood; by defeating them.
Then again, can we really do that when we think we're above practicality? Do you learn from your heroes or do you worship them? Because one takes the whole. The other blinds oneself to the truth of their exemplars.
Written By Amund
Feb. 3, 2019, 11:34 p.m.(7/5/1010 AR)
You may have spent two centuries building a bridge. Can you really be excused for the tens of thousands of people killed when you destroy it in two hours?
Written By Amund
Jan. 21, 2019, 12:04 p.m.(6/6/1010 AR)
Ultimately, one hopes that those who are endowed to make the choices that affect the rest of us remember the strengths of each and are led by reason, rather than ideals, misguided or not. Ideals may exist outside of reality. Bread does not. And everybody has to eat.
Written By Amund
Jan. 21, 2019, 11:51 a.m.(6/6/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Preston
Your assumption is that the ways of the people and their culture will cease to exist when there are external pressures. You give the Arvani too little credit. It doesn't matter who the overlord is. Banners will always change with conquest and diplomacy. What won't is how people go about their business. That, in the end, is culture. It's intrinsic to the way people live.
Written By Amund
Jan. 20, 2019, 2:28 p.m.(6/4/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Preston
Pontificating about survival is all good and well until you understand it is, verily, not a virtue. It's a requirement. And that has a cost in and of itself.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.