Written By Niamh
June 9, 2017, 9:41 a.m.(8/14/1006 AR)
Word of the Gold Order is spreading. Just this week I had a trade factor come to me with tales of a gloomy place he passed on the way into Arx, and dark whispers of it. I admit, I've never heard of the Brinemurk, but if what the merchant says is true, then it's something we'll definitely be looking into. Princess Lark has given permission to travel through Grayson lands, now I only need to get Sister Gisele to look into the history of the place to see if it's as bad as I was told. If so, then I'll call arms in the Order, find a ship, and head north to take care of the matter.
I only pray that it is not like Downing Glen. I do not wish to become trapped by a bodiless evil once more. Though... I should ask Aislin if she can spare a tracker from the Society.
I only pray that it is not like Downing Glen. I do not wish to become trapped by a bodiless evil once more. Though... I should ask Aislin if she can spare a tracker from the Society.
Written By Niamh
June 4, 2017, 10:11 a.m.(8/3/1006 AR)
I've spent the last few weeks tending to the Gold Order, riding from village to village in search of dedicated knights. It seems that in my time away much has happened in Arx. A friend has been murdered. A fine warrior companion was lost in the forest. Arx can be a dark place, but at least I had the weeks abroad to lighten my spirits.
Written By Niamh
May 20, 2017, 6:43 a.m.(7/1/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Max
Count Max has asked that the Gold Order open a chapter in the Isles. It is an unusual request from one of that fealty, but I cannot turn down the request. I will sail to Darkwater lands soon and see where we might place our new hall. He is a strange Islander, but I think they need a little strangeness.
Written By Niamh
May 20, 2017, 6:08 a.m.(7/1/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Isolde
I have met with Princess Isolde a few times now since the end of the siege, and was honored enough that she trusted me to escort her outside of the city walls. There's a lightness about her now that I much prefer over the world-weary, soul-heavy nature she had in our previous meetings. Whatever joy she has found, I pray she can keep. She's fast becoming a close friend.
Written By Niamh
May 13, 2017, 7:20 a.m.(6/15/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Cassandra
There was friction between the Faith and my family in the past year, when it seemed Shamanism was going to be declared anathema. But that stopped and I've had some good meetings with members of the Pantheon lately. Archlector Cassandra is among them. Earnest, straightforward, and dedicated to her cause, I'm pleased that she was able to come talk about the Gold Order with me.
Written By Niamh
May 10, 2017, 6:35 a.m.(6/9/1006 AR)
Everyone had their own thing to do on the way back from the wedding. The parties split and said their good byes and we set out towards Arx once more. Darren, Donella, Alis, Fiachra, Eirlys, Aislin and myself traveled together for a time. It was pleasant to just ride, to feel the sun, to hear the voices of friends. And I have to say, I have a newfound respect for Princess Donella and desire to spend time with her from this. This ride, too, though was to have an element of duty to it.
When we had slain the the Beast of Sanctum, months ago, we did not remove all the Shards that had served it. They attacked on our return ride. It was a brief battle, and testament that my companions are a fierce lot. The Shards were starved and weaker than when they torn through the Dragons prievously; we avenged those fallen Knights.
It seems that no matter wear I go, I end up cleaning Dusk continually. While not something I relish, it is a task I will take on gladly if it is to wipe away the blood of the Compact's enemies.
When we had slain the the Beast of Sanctum, months ago, we did not remove all the Shards that had served it. They attacked on our return ride. It was a brief battle, and testament that my companions are a fierce lot. The Shards were starved and weaker than when they torn through the Dragons prievously; we avenged those fallen Knights.
It seems that no matter wear I go, I end up cleaning Dusk continually. While not something I relish, it is a task I will take on gladly if it is to wipe away the blood of the Compact's enemies.
Written By Niamh
May 10, 2017, 6:35 a.m.(6/9/1006 AR)
I missed the celebrations held in Sanctum after the wedding, choosing instead to don my armor and tend to matters of Duty. With Muiryn, Aislin, and Joslyn in tow it was time to visit Downing Glen once more. The village there was much as I remembered it from my escape the first time. We scouted behind it to find a mine shaft, guarded by men wearing that horrid device of their master. Inside was not a mine but a temple instead.
It would ease my heart to say that the shav'arvani we found guarding that place recognized the authority of the House of Greenmarch and yielded to us, but that would not be the truth of the matter. We visited violence upon them and stole into their sanctum to find a blind man with the legs of a goat waiting for us. What foul power rested inside him we did not know at the time, but he was only the gatekeeper. One that Shard was removed from this spin of the great wheel of life we continued to explore the temple.
Long, long ago it seems a giant of some sort and fallen in with dark powers, but his high priest coveted them more. The priest betrayed his master and gained some semblance of immortality in the rites that followed, setting himself up as a powerful spectre in that unholy place. We slew his reincarnation and fled as the temple crashed down around us. Further details will be given to the Scholars and the Society of Explorers; I dare not record them here.
Muiryn's wounds will heal and I've stopped coughing blood at least. Joslyn proved more than capable.
Aislin... I would have torn that temple apart stone by stone if that creature had not released her. But she, too, will be fine.
It would ease my heart to say that the shav'arvani we found guarding that place recognized the authority of the House of Greenmarch and yielded to us, but that would not be the truth of the matter. We visited violence upon them and stole into their sanctum to find a blind man with the legs of a goat waiting for us. What foul power rested inside him we did not know at the time, but he was only the gatekeeper. One that Shard was removed from this spin of the great wheel of life we continued to explore the temple.
Long, long ago it seems a giant of some sort and fallen in with dark powers, but his high priest coveted them more. The priest betrayed his master and gained some semblance of immortality in the rites that followed, setting himself up as a powerful spectre in that unholy place. We slew his reincarnation and fled as the temple crashed down around us. Further details will be given to the Scholars and the Society of Explorers; I dare not record them here.
Muiryn's wounds will heal and I've stopped coughing blood at least. Joslyn proved more than capable.
Aislin... I would have torn that temple apart stone by stone if that creature had not released her. But she, too, will be fine.
Written By Niamh
May 10, 2017, 6:23 a.m.(6/9/1006 AR)
The journey to Sanctum was made all the more pleasant by having a large party to travel with. And by having a ship up the river that would let Gyrd on, though I had to pay a premium to bring enough feed for the beast. Still, if I was to ride as often as I knew I would, I wanted my mount with me. A few days out of armor while riding the current was the best part, though. As comfortable as I've become in the plate, and as grateful as I am for rubicund over steel for weight, the chance to wear just a tunic and pants was welcomed with open arms.
Fiachra and Alis had a beautiful ceremony, as one would expect of the Valardins. Full of pomp and ceremony, ritualized to within an inch of its life, and deeper in meaning than I bet many would look for. Edain has named Fiachra Warden of the West and put him in charge of chasing fugitives. There's something fitting about the Warden and the Champion of the West being wed. I hope he's happy. It still feels too much like the next pebble in the Greenmarch diaspora.
Fiachra and Alis had a beautiful ceremony, as one would expect of the Valardins. Full of pomp and ceremony, ritualized to within an inch of its life, and deeper in meaning than I bet many would look for. Edain has named Fiachra Warden of the West and put him in charge of chasing fugitives. There's something fitting about the Warden and the Champion of the West being wed. I hope he's happy. It still feels too much like the next pebble in the Greenmarch diaspora.
Written By Niamh
May 7, 2017, 6:38 a.m.(6/2/1006 AR)
Normally I would allow the Scholars of Vellichor to write my white journals for me, but today I am too weary to trudge to the Archives this morning. I trust Aislin will understand if I use her paper and desk and write them here, so I can watch her sleep a little longer. She did not fare as well as I in the battle last night, but at least she was able to walk home. At least the siege is broken.
Prince Edain held the western ramparts! There were some slips, and at times we were pushed hard, but we came through it all. Princess Katarina and Prince Valerion helped guide the ballista with skill and precision. Sir Roland has marked himself as a man I must meet, for he held his own with a beautiful sword in a deadly dance. Fiachra was wounded, but will will live, and like Qaali showed himself to be a fantastic archer, calm under pressure. Never have I been so glad to see Eirlys and Alis as they made their way in with some relief, either.
This morning, though, Arx is a graveyard. Perhaps that is fitting since they say it is the Death's city. The bodies of our soldiers, those of the shavs we fought, have been stacked like cord wood in places and laid in honor at others. We must bury them, or burn them, and move forward with the lives they gave theirs defending.
It is not all bad news. Now that the siege is over we will set out for Sanctum. I will take Muiryn, Aislin, and Joslyn to Downing Glen to tend to the presence there. Then we'll turn to Sanctum, see Alis and Fiachra wed in the eyes of the Pantheon, and come home again. Out of the city, riding with loved ones and friends... it'll be a good rest for the soul before the work begins again.
Thank you to all who fought with us. Thank you to everyone that held their line.
Prince Edain held the western ramparts! There were some slips, and at times we were pushed hard, but we came through it all. Princess Katarina and Prince Valerion helped guide the ballista with skill and precision. Sir Roland has marked himself as a man I must meet, for he held his own with a beautiful sword in a deadly dance. Fiachra was wounded, but will will live, and like Qaali showed himself to be a fantastic archer, calm under pressure. Never have I been so glad to see Eirlys and Alis as they made their way in with some relief, either.
This morning, though, Arx is a graveyard. Perhaps that is fitting since they say it is the Death's city. The bodies of our soldiers, those of the shavs we fought, have been stacked like cord wood in places and laid in honor at others. We must bury them, or burn them, and move forward with the lives they gave theirs defending.
It is not all bad news. Now that the siege is over we will set out for Sanctum. I will take Muiryn, Aislin, and Joslyn to Downing Glen to tend to the presence there. Then we'll turn to Sanctum, see Alis and Fiachra wed in the eyes of the Pantheon, and come home again. Out of the city, riding with loved ones and friends... it'll be a good rest for the soul before the work begins again.
Thank you to all who fought with us. Thank you to everyone that held their line.
Written By Niamh
May 4, 2017, 11:34 a.m.(5/24/1006 AR)
5/24/1006 AR, during the Siege of Arx, I have completed a segment of my life. I have resigned from the Guild of Champions - and sincerely wish them well. The Champions have been my home for four years, and I have learned much from them during that time. I will always be there if they have need of me, for they are my friends. But that part of my life is done and it is time for the new.
As part of my new life, unburdening myself from the past, I hereby forgive Prince Luca for the slight of not inviting me, his best friend, to his wedding.
Today, on 5/24/1006 AR, the Gold Order of the Dragon is officially founded.
As part of my new life, unburdening myself from the past, I hereby forgive Prince Luca for the slight of not inviting me, his best friend, to his wedding.
Today, on 5/24/1006 AR, the Gold Order of the Dragon is officially founded.
Written By Niamh
May 2, 2017, 6:23 a.m.(5/18/1006 AR)
When not drilling unskilled swordsmen from the Lowers, or taking them on patrol, I have spent more time in the siege reading than I would care to admit or ever though likely. That Aislin has a tome for nearly anything I've been looking for has helped considerably, and reading while soaking in a hot bath is a luxury I never imagined before. Though, as a side note, I do need to replace 'Scholar Archibald's History of Sanctum.' I'll have to see if anyone has a copy...Nyx startled me, and... well, I'm sure you can see where this goes.
I have been reading mostly about the knightly orders that have existed in the past in Arvum. The Order I'm creating will be a militant one and I believe I've found a model that will work for organization. We will have three branches organized beneath the Grand Master, each represented on an advisory council for the Order itself, and each with an important part to play in in our mission.
There will be the Knights. Men and women from around the Compact who hold a Knighthood from their liege will form the core of the militant order. These will be heavy horse that we will see well trained, exemplars of virtue and honor.
There will be the Sergeants. Men and women who are trained in battle but not knighted. Armsmen and specialists who will help oversee our efforts to seek out the evils of the world and eradicate them.
Then there will be the Sages, men and women learned and kept out of combat, who will help not only research our foe and chronicle our history but also tend to our intellectual and spiritual needs.
I have been reading mostly about the knightly orders that have existed in the past in Arvum. The Order I'm creating will be a militant one and I believe I've found a model that will work for organization. We will have three branches organized beneath the Grand Master, each represented on an advisory council for the Order itself, and each with an important part to play in in our mission.
There will be the Knights. Men and women from around the Compact who hold a Knighthood from their liege will form the core of the militant order. These will be heavy horse that we will see well trained, exemplars of virtue and honor.
There will be the Sergeants. Men and women who are trained in battle but not knighted. Armsmen and specialists who will help oversee our efforts to seek out the evils of the world and eradicate them.
Then there will be the Sages, men and women learned and kept out of combat, who will help not only research our foe and chronicle our history but also tend to our intellectual and spiritual needs.
Written By Niamh
April 24, 2017, 7:26 p.m.(5/3/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Max
Say what you will about Count Maximilian Darkwater; I can only speak of him in my own experience. He has been swift to offer his aid, whether to me personally or to the Compact, and is not afraid to use his influence to help a good cause.
Written By Niamh
April 24, 2017, 7:25 p.m.(5/3/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Cara
Princess Cara and I have different viewpoints on how to accomplish an objective, but we both agree the objective needs to be accomplished. I am pleased to know she will lend her wisdom to temper my enthusiasm.
Written By Niamh
April 24, 2017, 7:24 p.m.(5/3/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Lark
Her Grace, Crown Princess Lark Grayson, is a remarkable woman. There are few instances where I would ever wish to be caught between herself and Princess Cara again. Yet having born up under their scrutiny I feel more confident in my own cause. Her Grace has agreed to be a sponsor in the Order of the Golden Dragon and has drawn on Grayson funds to aid in the establishment of our headquarters. I look forward to working with her further in this and other matters.
Written By Niamh
April 22, 2017, 9:39 a.m.(4/25/1006 AR)
I received a messenger recently from someone I have known for years. This bastion of worldly wisdom has, perhaps more often than she realizes, made me reflect on her words frequently over the years we have known one another. She asked me, in a way, how I felt about honor. I spent a while in the Archives reading about honor, thinking back to the things that Sir Marcel taught me in our time together, and on my own understanding.
Honor began as a reference not for one's character or moral code, but for own's holdings. A freeman's plot of land, a knight's manor and so on where their honor. To stake their honor upon something meant to risk all that they had, a wager against an outcome. It showed that the person in question held the outcome of something in such high regard, such worthiness, that they were willing to gamble all they had to see it through. To say "I stake my honor on it," is to pledge all one's wealth on that statement.
Now, centuries after the concept was born, we have morphed honor into something else. The Scholars tell me that language does that; it changes as the people that speak it change, and the only languages that don't evolve are those belonging to a people who no longer live. Now honor has become the measure of how well one's actions match their stated code of morality. Do their actions match their words?
The question posed to me was: Does your honor make you feel high and mighty, untouchable?
The implication was that honor was a concept of the lofty, and not one that held no value to those who work for a living as it were.
Here I find a flaw. Honor, whether in the original definition or the modern, applies to everyone. We all have those things we would risk everything for. Family, friends, loved ones, neighbors. We all have those lines we will not cross. Actions we will not take.
So does my honor make me feel high and mighty? Untouchable?
No. My honor makes me feel like myself. It's an assurance that I am, at the end of my day, still the person I want to be, and not someone that's become who someone else wants me to be. And I am grateful for this challenge. Thank you, Harpy, for keeping me true to myself.
Honor began as a reference not for one's character or moral code, but for own's holdings. A freeman's plot of land, a knight's manor and so on where their honor. To stake their honor upon something meant to risk all that they had, a wager against an outcome. It showed that the person in question held the outcome of something in such high regard, such worthiness, that they were willing to gamble all they had to see it through. To say "I stake my honor on it," is to pledge all one's wealth on that statement.
Now, centuries after the concept was born, we have morphed honor into something else. The Scholars tell me that language does that; it changes as the people that speak it change, and the only languages that don't evolve are those belonging to a people who no longer live. Now honor has become the measure of how well one's actions match their stated code of morality. Do their actions match their words?
The question posed to me was: Does your honor make you feel high and mighty, untouchable?
The implication was that honor was a concept of the lofty, and not one that held no value to those who work for a living as it were.
Here I find a flaw. Honor, whether in the original definition or the modern, applies to everyone. We all have those things we would risk everything for. Family, friends, loved ones, neighbors. We all have those lines we will not cross. Actions we will not take.
So does my honor make me feel high and mighty? Untouchable?
No. My honor makes me feel like myself. It's an assurance that I am, at the end of my day, still the person I want to be, and not someone that's become who someone else wants me to be. And I am grateful for this challenge. Thank you, Harpy, for keeping me true to myself.
Written By Niamh
April 20, 2017, 11:02 a.m.(4/21/1006 AR)
I find myself in a rather unique position, having been born Abandoned and now walking among the ranks of Arvani. I grew up in the Oathlands, tucked away in the Greenwood, and knowing the Knights of Valardin - the Dragons - as a terror to our people whispered in stories. They were an enemy to be respected, for their prowess was acknowledged even among the shav'arvani. We all knew that should we cross the line, the Dragons would come for us. A few years later and I am AM a Dragon. I knelt when Greenmarch did and I trembled in fear of a trap as Prince Radley annointed me a Knight of Valardin. Over the news few years I would come to learn, and appreciate, just what it means to wear the white dragon emblem.
As an Oathlander I now understand and appreciate this above all: high or low born, if you are in distress, you pray for a dragon. You take knee before the gods and you request that Gloria send you aid in the form of a chivalric champion in that blue and white surcoat. It gives hope to all the people of the Oathlands, strengthens them with courage, and lets them know that if injustice should arise, someone will be there the Champion their cause. When I came to Arx, I joined the Champions because I felt the embodied that spirit the closest of any in the city.
Now, as I have lived in Arx for a few years, I have come to another understanding. Many people throughout Arvum do not have a dragon to pray for. They do not have a comforting sense of roving chivalry there for justice and light. This is not to say that the Princes and Lieges of the other Principalities do not provide their people! No! It is just that there is not a common symbol that all reach out to in the same way. After sitting through the Siege of Arx, I can say, resolutely, it is time for that to change. It is time for everyone under the Compact to have a beacon of hope, a symbol of the fires of retribution, and a light to stand against the darkness encroaching.
I have begun speaking with the High Lords, the Knights of Solace, and the Inquisition to overcome this problem. The ORDER OF THE GOLDEN DRAGON, named in honor of Aurumadin and Lord Goldenpyre's sacrifice, shall be the dragons that all of Arvum can pray for. I seek to forge a new Chivalric Order, drawing from the heroes of all our peoples. Together we will range forth and slay the evil that persecutes our people. Together, we will stand up to those who call on the Abyss. Together we will bring hope to the hopeless.
I seek to form this group with as much freedom to act as is possible. It is one I wish to be largely self-funded and self-sufficient, though which will continue to act in cooperation with those organizations it would border (The Inquisition and the Knights of the Faith). It would be an order of those who can dedicate their lives and time to its completion entirely.
This is my dream for you, Arvum. I hope you share it with me.
Niamh Greemarch
Knight of Valardin
Grandmistress Champion
As an Oathlander I now understand and appreciate this above all: high or low born, if you are in distress, you pray for a dragon. You take knee before the gods and you request that Gloria send you aid in the form of a chivalric champion in that blue and white surcoat. It gives hope to all the people of the Oathlands, strengthens them with courage, and lets them know that if injustice should arise, someone will be there the Champion their cause. When I came to Arx, I joined the Champions because I felt the embodied that spirit the closest of any in the city.
Now, as I have lived in Arx for a few years, I have come to another understanding. Many people throughout Arvum do not have a dragon to pray for. They do not have a comforting sense of roving chivalry there for justice and light. This is not to say that the Princes and Lieges of the other Principalities do not provide their people! No! It is just that there is not a common symbol that all reach out to in the same way. After sitting through the Siege of Arx, I can say, resolutely, it is time for that to change. It is time for everyone under the Compact to have a beacon of hope, a symbol of the fires of retribution, and a light to stand against the darkness encroaching.
I have begun speaking with the High Lords, the Knights of Solace, and the Inquisition to overcome this problem. The ORDER OF THE GOLDEN DRAGON, named in honor of Aurumadin and Lord Goldenpyre's sacrifice, shall be the dragons that all of Arvum can pray for. I seek to forge a new Chivalric Order, drawing from the heroes of all our peoples. Together we will range forth and slay the evil that persecutes our people. Together, we will stand up to those who call on the Abyss. Together we will bring hope to the hopeless.
I seek to form this group with as much freedom to act as is possible. It is one I wish to be largely self-funded and self-sufficient, though which will continue to act in cooperation with those organizations it would border (The Inquisition and the Knights of the Faith). It would be an order of those who can dedicate their lives and time to its completion entirely.
This is my dream for you, Arvum. I hope you share it with me.
Niamh Greemarch
Knight of Valardin
Grandmistress Champion
Written By Niamh
April 15, 2017, 3:22 p.m.(4/12/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Armel
Sir Armel has been most helpful in my pursuit of the Order of the Golden Dragon. His talks have been supportive and instructive both, and give me hope that this can be done without stepping on the toes of the Faith. That he has recently made himself something of a hero - even if he doesn't quite believe in true heroes himself - during the siege will no doubt help.
Now if he could just learn to spar. Maybe he's just too old to keep up.
Now if he could just learn to spar. Maybe he's just too old to keep up.
Written By Niamh
April 8, 2017, 12:34 p.m.(3/26/1006 AR)
When I first set out to come to Arx it was by a circuitous route that followed the coast down into the Lyceum and around the southern tip of Arvum to come up. I could have came by more expedient routes, certainly, but I was newly a member of the Compact and flush with the excitement that brings - an excitement of knowing that previously closed places were open to me now. An excitement that only another prodigal could truly appreciate. During this trip we took a rest in Tor and among the marvels and splendors of the Rose Fortress I still remember a Devotion that was staying at our inn.
She was worn and weathered, skin sunbaked and her mahogany air streaked with the steel that you could see in her spirit. She walked with a bit of a hitch in her step and while you knew it pained her, it was an old and familiar pain that she had already learned to live with and had forgotten consciously it was part of her. Well-traveled, this one, if you understand me. I sat in the corner and listened to her tales for hours; she had traveled more of Arvum than I, at the time, even knew existed. I was fascinated with her words in a way few others have ever been able to do.
Among the tales that Devotion Esme had to tell was a curious one of the Last Knight of Menzonga. Menzonga had been an island in the chain of which Setarco takes part, once famed for its "knights." I use quotes here on purpose, for it was not an order of knighthood as I may wish to think of it, coming from the Oathlands. The Knights of Menzonga were an order of men and women who, once taking their vows, left Menzonga and never returned home again. Each of them knew that as soon as they gave their vows, their lives would be given in service, never their own again, and never would their lives end in peace of on the shores of their birth. Yet they did it, for this was the demand of their patron god - the one we call the Thirteenth.
The Knights of Menzonga, the Devotion told us, dedicated themselves to challenging those who would be leaders of men outside of the norm. When a Lord of Lady did not have an heir of their body and had to choose between others, they might summon a Knight of Menzonga and ask that the possibilities be tested. It was not a simple test of arms, but one of character. The Knights of Menzonga, you see, would personify the evil and villain, the tyranny, that could be, and see if the would-be-heir for their ability to overcome such things. In more traditional Oathlands tales, they would be the Black Knight in the story. But before any testing was done, the Knights would always ask the Lord one question.
"Do you see us for what we are, and accept what we do?"
That question has always struck me and stuck with me. It's something we should all ask ourselves more often when we go after what we want. Too often we're ready to take what's offered, or go after what we want, and not see it for what it truly represents. We trick ourselves into believing that those around us are good for us, or that we'll remain on the high, moral ground despite the dross we walk with. And really, it is two questions, equally important.
"Do you see us for what we are?" If you are to share a journey, even a short one, in this life with another, do you see them for what they are? Truly?
"Do you accept us for what we do?" If you see them true, do you accept them, without reservation, for what they do and understand that in doing so you accept some measure of responsibility for it?
(OOC Credit to Stephen King for the question)
She was worn and weathered, skin sunbaked and her mahogany air streaked with the steel that you could see in her spirit. She walked with a bit of a hitch in her step and while you knew it pained her, it was an old and familiar pain that she had already learned to live with and had forgotten consciously it was part of her. Well-traveled, this one, if you understand me. I sat in the corner and listened to her tales for hours; she had traveled more of Arvum than I, at the time, even knew existed. I was fascinated with her words in a way few others have ever been able to do.
Among the tales that Devotion Esme had to tell was a curious one of the Last Knight of Menzonga. Menzonga had been an island in the chain of which Setarco takes part, once famed for its "knights." I use quotes here on purpose, for it was not an order of knighthood as I may wish to think of it, coming from the Oathlands. The Knights of Menzonga were an order of men and women who, once taking their vows, left Menzonga and never returned home again. Each of them knew that as soon as they gave their vows, their lives would be given in service, never their own again, and never would their lives end in peace of on the shores of their birth. Yet they did it, for this was the demand of their patron god - the one we call the Thirteenth.
The Knights of Menzonga, the Devotion told us, dedicated themselves to challenging those who would be leaders of men outside of the norm. When a Lord of Lady did not have an heir of their body and had to choose between others, they might summon a Knight of Menzonga and ask that the possibilities be tested. It was not a simple test of arms, but one of character. The Knights of Menzonga, you see, would personify the evil and villain, the tyranny, that could be, and see if the would-be-heir for their ability to overcome such things. In more traditional Oathlands tales, they would be the Black Knight in the story. But before any testing was done, the Knights would always ask the Lord one question.
"Do you see us for what we are, and accept what we do?"
That question has always struck me and stuck with me. It's something we should all ask ourselves more often when we go after what we want. Too often we're ready to take what's offered, or go after what we want, and not see it for what it truly represents. We trick ourselves into believing that those around us are good for us, or that we'll remain on the high, moral ground despite the dross we walk with. And really, it is two questions, equally important.
"Do you see us for what we are?" If you are to share a journey, even a short one, in this life with another, do you see them for what they are? Truly?
"Do you accept us for what we do?" If you see them true, do you accept them, without reservation, for what they do and understand that in doing so you accept some measure of responsibility for it?
(OOC Credit to Stephen King for the question)
Written By Niamh
April 6, 2017, 10:04 a.m.(3/21/1006 AR)
Much of my day to day life is taken over by The Champions. When I first came to Arx, it was the Guild that most embodied the spirit of honor and chivalry that I, as a newly minted Oathlands Knight, wished to be. Even today I strive, though sometimes I fail, to live my life by knightly codes. Since the Siege I have had more time to contemplate what it means to be a Knight.
To be a Knight and to be a Champion hold certain basics in common. You defend those who cannot stand for themselves. You bear the brunt of certain consequences for those that need the help. As a Knight I would take what violence might be visited on another on myself instead. I would stand infront of the brigands trying to raze a village of such were required. Champions take the wounds of a duel on behalf of another.
This bearing if consequences is pivotal to the Knight. You CHOOSE to take action because it is the right thing to do. You ACCEPT the consequences of that action because that is the honorable thing to do. As a Knight we must recognize this. We stand between others and the darkness of the world. We accept the consequences of our stand and hold the line. We do not let others bear our burdens if we are capable of doing so alone.
We do not let others bear our scars when we have flesh left to take them.
To be a Knight and to be a Champion hold certain basics in common. You defend those who cannot stand for themselves. You bear the brunt of certain consequences for those that need the help. As a Knight I would take what violence might be visited on another on myself instead. I would stand infront of the brigands trying to raze a village of such were required. Champions take the wounds of a duel on behalf of another.
This bearing if consequences is pivotal to the Knight. You CHOOSE to take action because it is the right thing to do. You ACCEPT the consequences of that action because that is the honorable thing to do. As a Knight we must recognize this. We stand between others and the darkness of the world. We accept the consequences of our stand and hold the line. We do not let others bear our burdens if we are capable of doing so alone.
We do not let others bear our scars when we have flesh left to take them.
Written By Niamh
March 19, 2017, 7:01 a.m.(2/13/1006 AR)
Relationship Note on Edain
He offered to punch someone for me. It's an offer I'm keeping in the bank, for sure.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.