Arx, After the Reckoning

Today it is my pleasure to say I have finally found a patron. Princess Macda will no doubt open new doors of experience for me, and I only pray to Vellichor that I can provide her what she seeks in return.

I braved the snow this week to meet with Mistress Caprice Artiglio. She was the first to respond to my request and I must say I'm quite pleased to have had the time to meet with her. It did not take her long at all to grasp what I wanted: a uniform, of sorts, blending elements of each fealty's style that I can wear when attending to my official duties with the Gold Order. I am no knight to take on the work they do, but as a research, I can still represent them when in their library or abroad on their behalf.

Over the past year in Arx I have met with several potential proteges. Some where pleasant meetings and close matches, others were far and away not what I was seeking. Or, let us be honest, I was not what they were seeking. That has changed.

This week I met with Lady Rey Laveer. In her I see so much of myself. Her desire to help her family, the need to create art to provide hope and inspiration.

So I am very pleased to write that Lady Rey has accepted my offer of Patronage. I am eagerly looking forward to see what she does for herself and Laveer.

Though Prince Artur was my patron for only a short time, I do cherish it. He is a fascinating story-teller, a fine giver-of-gifts, and always easy to speak with.

I have received a few questions of late about why I chose to make my recent proclamation on slave-create goods. I have heard several arguments for why the choice I have made may be wrong. This was expected, and such discourse is welcomed as it helps shape the proper outcome when the time to move from polite request to worded law arrives. It helps us all understand one another better.

Let me state up front, I have no desire to dictate how any in the Compact conduct their business or lives in their own lands. The decision made for Astarrea is for Astarrea. It is right for us. It is right for our business, for our ideals, for our codes. It is from a place of privilege, in having never had Thralls or Slaves and in conducting ourselves upon that stance, that we are able to make this happen now. That is not true for all of the Isles and in no way is the move to rid our lands of these foreign goods intended as a measure to shame our neighbors.

I. "As Arx endures, we will remember."

Most of us who have been in Arx for any length of time have had cause to visit the Hall of Heroes. This grand and hallowed structure has been consecrated by the blood and legends of our ancestors - be they by blood or philosophy - for the impact they had on ensuring our existence and impacting our cultures.

For many of the monuments in the front hall you will see either on their plaques or in historical records the phrase, "As Arx endures, we will remember." This was the promise the Compact made to these figures; a promise that their deeds, their values and ideals, and their names would not be forgotten. We promised to sing their songs and tell their tales in exchange for the services they rendered and the lives they gave to the cause of our existence. Our society began as an experiment in a new way of life, divorced from the ancient practices that had enslaved our people to the will of others.

Generations of our ancestors forgot those tales and stopped singing those stories. Our memory of their great deeds and what they stood for faded into little more than a few lines of words for scholars and theologians to puzzle through, to sort truth from allegory.

Thanks to the dedication of current Scholars we have started to glimpse the truth of those individuals. We know the views, philosophies, and causes that those storied individuals known as the Metallic Order fought and gave their lives to.

A thousand years ago, when House Marin was still the High House of the Isles, a daughter of their High Lord could stand the slavery her father forced on their people no more. She began breaking those shackles and for it was cast down from her position and family. But she continued to fight in the name of freedom and bringing justice for the enslaved. She was Cobalt, and we honor her in the House of Heroes.

A thousand years ago, a slave freed by Cobalt would adopt the lessons and philosophy of another storied hero. This freed slave would fight to his death to keep more from being enslaved. His name was Brimstone, and we honor him in the House of Heroes.

Wielding a flaming sword and wearing golden armor, a man would stand for what was right to the very end. His founding ideals were to oppose evil in all its forms, to suffer no ill towards any, and to actively reach out and fight for the rights of all people. This man had been a slave at the start of his life, and he ended his life as a free man in defense of one of the harshest attacks we had ever had brought against us. His name was Gold, and we honor him in the House of Heroes.

And while she is not remembered in the Hall of Heroes, let us not forget Queen Triscali Grayson. She who was a Metallic but chose to come back to the Compact to soothe the tensions of a succession crisis for the throne of the Compact. She knew many of our ancestors fled from foreign kingdoms to escape slavery. She saw the ills that the practice brought. And she forbade slavery in the Compact.

I believe any of us might be forgiven for not living up to the promise of our ancestors. We cannot be held accountable to a promise we did not know we were responsible for. But for me to know this and then turn my back upon the ideals they espoused? That I cannot do.

II. Practicality

It's understandable that several of the arguments brought against my proclamation revolve around the practicalities of the world we live in. They are persuasive arguments and there is validity in their logic. I do not dispute this, nor cast aspersions on those who have made them. I am thankful for the civility of the discourse I've been able to have around the matter. But let me address some of those matters here.

Lost Revenue: Not uncommon among the arguments of practicality of the matter is the revenue Astarrea will lose in not having these slave-wrought goods sold in our markets. This is true; we will likely lose some tax revenue. But let me ask you: how often do Eurusi or Cardian ships dock in your ports? How frequently do you find that injection of coin in your coffers? Astarrea's trade was built on the principles of freedom and forgiveness, not on importing exotic goods from foreign shores. The former pirates that have adopted our ways and given up their crimes, the freed thralls that have joined our tradesmen, the merchants that deal in our goods? They have built their fortunes not in trading slave goods, but in their dealings with the men and women of the Compact who respect their views. Our views. The loss of revenue is minimal.

The Value of Armor: I will not dispute that goods such as Pyreweave and Steelsilk make for phenomenal armor. While I am not a martial person, myself, I can grasp the value in having full freedom of movement while enjoying protection akin to a full set of plate. However I think it's important to understand that this is not the common sort of armor that most of soldiers wear. From a practical standpoint, the cost of creating such a set would be too high for any of our houses to outfit their entire armed force in. At best, a noble house outfits a few of its champions.

A wise military figure of our day has bid me not to underestimate the value such a champion can have for their House. Ten Million silver might see to the creation of steelsilk armor for our House Sword, and what wars or conflicts might then be averted because our Sword was so garbed? How many contests of honor might he win in such protection? Might not hundreds of lives be saved? Millions of silver that would be spent on death stipends avoid because of the expenditure?

As leaders of our peoples we must think about such things. We do not wish to throw lives away if we can stop it. We do not wish to spend money we may need for other matters. From that standpoint, this is a persuasive argument I do not easily cast aside.

But this is not theoretical arguments of logic but the reality of Astarrea and our people.

Ten million silver would free, on average, 400 thralls. 400 thralls that could choose to come and support Astarrea. 400 thralls and their families that could enhance our economy through their contributions, our military through their service, and our lives through their experiences and cultural offerings.

III. Honor and the Gods

More than that, while ten million silver might buy a fine set of steelsilk for our Sword it would in turn rob him of the one thing every House Sword must have: honor. For in buying these slave-made goods we would give lie to the principles of our house. By supporting the practices of slavers in exchange for potential safety, we would rob ourselves of the honor we have spent centuries building and betray the trust of those who came to Astarrea beause of it.

How well would stand before our gods if we did not make an effort to fight slavery wherever it has risen?

Lagoma charges us with change to improve ourselves towards the better. This is a change that will better align us with the ideals of the Pantheon.

Limerance tasks us with keeping our oaths and promises. I cannot allow us to be hypocritical by advocating for freeing Thralls in the Isles and then turn around and purchase goods I know were made by slaves.

The First Choice bids us to choose wisely, to not shackle others with slavery. Can I, in honoring Skald, claim to represent his ideals if I am providing economic support to the practice He finds most antithetical?

We must choose to fight how we can. For me that is with economics. I will not provide support to those that profit from practices I decry.

I may well die without ever seeing my dreams in this regard come to fruition, and likely without ever having even the stone-wrought memory of me placed in the Hall of Heroes. And this is ok. I must do what I must do to be able to live with myself and pass on into the embrace of the Queen of Endings knowing that I chased a dream and died doing so, and perhaps improved some lives other than mine along the way.

IV. Seekers

The members of House Melaeris are sometimes referred to as Seekers or Knights of the Sea. This too guides my decision.

As Seekers we have to blaze paths, set out the becon lights for others to follow, or return with knowledge of what we have found. This move is in support of that. I am proud of the fact that House Melaeris was the first House in the Isles to be thrall free, but that was there from our founding. I am even more proud of those houses that have taken steps to end the practice in their lands in this generation. It is to those houses who now follow in our footsteps, that the real struggles are presented. But just because Prince Victus now leads the Isles to ending thralldom; just because Kennex abolished the practice in their domain, Redreef makes strides, and others rally in support of the cause does not mean that Melaeris can rest easy.

We cannot just declare victory. There's so much more to do.

So we take our Light and we march ahead.

Yes, it is my sincere hope that others will follow the example we set.

No, I do not think it is the right decision for all of the Compact to make the same announcement I did. Our domains are different, our needs are different, our peoples rely on different things. We must be responsible with our choices and if suddenly ending the sell of imported slave goods would cause a collapse of some Lord or Lady's domain, then they absolutely owe it to their vassals to ensure it's done with thought and planning and at the time appropriate to them.

Watch to see were we stumble. Observe us and see where we overcome. Wait if you must.

Just know that for us, the Knights of the Sea, we must guard our honor. And that is something we cannot do while supporting slavers.

Lady Llewella Melaeris
Tradition is not to preserve the ashes, but to pass on the flame.
2/12/12 AR

For generations we have bought and sold goods from foreign nations not understanding their production or the requirements for getting them to our shores. We accepted the mystery and paid the silver for the strange cloths that were brought to us. I cannot say we truly understand the manufacture of these goods today, but we have learned more about those we trade with and the practices of their civilizations.

What I can say is that Melaeris does not condone the practice of slavery and will not support its institutions.

We hereby request of merchants using Astarrea that no goods from Eurus or Cardia be brought into our harbors; that no product of slavery be bought or sold within our borders or transported through them. We hereby request that these products likewise not be brought into the Melaeris Fasthold in Arx.

In the coming months we will be working with the trade factors, organizations, merchants and crafters that deal in Astarrea to ensure a concrete path forward. At the moment, this stands as a formal request. But rest assured, this will become the law of our land once our due dilligence towards our people and our allies has been performed.

Signed by my hand,
Llewella Melaeris
Voice of Astarrea
2/10/12 AR

"Not All The Isles."

Those four words are not the motto of my family, but they are repeated by those who have dealings with us more than the actual words sewn into our crests. They are the words that came to mind as I read the words of our Highlord in his recent discussion on the products of slavery that have become useful and fashionable.

Not All The Isles.

There is not a single stone of dragonweep, no scrap of Steelsilk, not a boot of Cardian Snakeskin to be found in Melaeris Fasthold. Travel to Astarrea and you will find many former thralls; not because we have complied with the wishes of House Thrax and removed their enslavement, but because we never had Thralls to begin with and have instead welcomed those who have become freed. We have invited them to the ongoing prosperity of our realm as equal citizens.

House Melaeris has always been a champion of the freedoms of humanity and our right not to be shackled to the will of another through anything other than our own choices. It is a history frought with times of friction when we have bristled against the decisions of House Marin and even, at times, House Tyde. For much of our existence we have been isolated from our neighbors at sea for our views.

Those four words I keep writing? The ones often attributed to us by our trade allies? This is what they refer to. Our fortunes have never been built on the backs of slaves or thralls, and never shall.

We have also given a home to anyone who agrees to follow our rules, our moral standpoints. The past is the past, there to be learned from but we cannot forever hold it against another if they show willingness to change. Lagoma would be quite wroth with us if we rejected someone's sincere efforts to change themselves to the better. Melaeris understands Prince Victus's concerns over possible hypocrisy. We do not demand he burn his steelsilk or his thrall-built ships. Only that he do better with his present and future than his past. So long as House Thrax continues to lead the way in ending thralldom and profiting from slavery they will have our support.

The harvest of this year's cherry groves has increased over the previous years. The increase in freed thralls that have come to Astarrea to take part in our traditions are to thank for this. They have brought different ideas with them as well as more labor to use, meaning fewer issues with the trees and more hands to harvest the fruits. I have sent word back to Vera that she should expect to see an increase in price per bushel to make up for the additional labor used.

The mines have seen an uptick as well. A new charter was granted to a company of entirely freed-thralls and they have struck upon several veins.

At the same time, piracy continues to take its toll. We will have to step up our patrols along the trade routes to compensate, which means a need for additional taxes on the goods that come and go from Astarrea's harbor. That one bears some thought before implementation. Perhaps the new headquarters for the Redwood Mercs will help curtail a little of the lawlessness.

Llewella Melaeris
1011/12/20 AR

Yesterday I hosted the first official meal for Melaeris since I became Voice. It was a heartening experience that left me pleasantly surprised at the attendance we had. Having expected only Amir and Dariel to show up, perhaps Prince Artur, I was overjoyed to have twice that many in attendance. You never know what you will get when you host a meal for friends and family.

A special thanks to everyone who joined in. Prince Artur, Lords Dariel and Amir, Ladies Iseulet and Catalana, and Master Mayir.

I was pleased to hear that the Order of East Light has made significant progress on their efforts, and more so that many of those participating in the effort were freed thralls. Treating people like people, and not animals to be whipped, goes a long way in showing them respect. Respect, being treated as humans and not animals, is one of the many efforts we must undertake if we are to integrate these people into our society.

Amir has returned to Arx.

The house was growing incredibly quiet without other members of the family to have around. Seeing him come home has made me smile. Now our Sword resides in Arx, and I have further dinner companions. I'm sure that with him here we'll make further progress on making Melaeris a name that's known, not one that's been forgotten.

Today I am pleased to write that my search for a patron has come to an end. I now walk with Prince Artur Redrain to guide me. A fellow artist, I look forward to seeing how his adventures and connections might inspire me to improve myself and Melaeris.

Countess Rifella Strongmast will celebrate her birthday in the coming fall. She has served our house well in her decades and I will see that she has a grand party as a show of our thanks.

It's been slow findinging entertainers in Arx who wish for the coin. I will have to expand further afield and may just hire from Astarrea itself and pay for their voyage here.

I have received the latest reports from Astarrea and am pleased with the progress being made. We have opened new shafts in the mines that have paid off in abundance and the House prospers for it.

I finished the knight's tale triptych last week and placed it in the Crimson Square for display. Art should not be hidden or seen by only a few. On my way to the bank this evening the painting is gone.

I do not wish it returned. I only pray that it inspires someone to greater acts of honor and glory, or gives them solace in the ones they already endeavor to complete.

Summer has arrived. Spring in Arx was already warm and even though I can smell the sea on the winds that come over the walls, it's not the same as Astarrea. The cherry mead that my dear cousin sent me from home helps, especially chilled in the cellar before it's brought out.

I woke earlier this week with an image in my head that I could not be rid of.

A knight sits beneath a willow, the sunset warming the pond at his side and remaining the only testament to the time of day. He's old, his beard long and gray and his wrinkles and scars many. Across his lap rests his sword, his head bows. In slumber? Prayer? Having already drawn his final breath?

I can't quite make out the sigil on his surcoat, but that will come.

This is to be the final panel of a triptych. I just have to see the first two before it comes together.

Lady Sudara Pravus is the second of that house that I have played hostess to this week. Her company was enjoyable and it was easy to become lost in her instruction on the finer points of influencing the masses. No one who spends time with her will know her for anything but what she is: a deeply devoted scholar with the polish of nobility.

I met with Princess Cassima Thrax today to discuss matters of mutual interest: coins and how to use them. It was inevitable that our conversation regarding economic interest should turn to the freeing of Thralls across the isles. Melaeris holds a rather unique honor in history as never having had thralls and I am not surprised that some would look at how we have done things to see if it holds a key for the future. I will say that speaking with Her Highness was a pleasurable experience. I find her insightful, and the conversation we had regarding the future of thralls was one that showed the depth of her wisdom.

I've returned to Arx and cannot help but be struck by how empty the halls of Melaeris are here. There are the servants and statues for company but little else.

The statues remind me of home at least. Everywhere these odd figures of knights in poses one would not normally put knightly statues. Crying. Praying. It makes me wonder what the history of each figure is, and realize that I do not know the answers at all.

What makes you cry, Sir Marble? To whom are you praying, Sir Granite?