Written By Shard
July 27, 2020, 6:06 a.m.(9/23/1013 AR)
Someone I look up to, someone who would know, once told me that it’s not a sacrifice if it’s easy. I think about that now and then. I have been thinking about it even more, recently. It wasn’t a comfortable thing to hear, even if it’s something I knew beforehand. It made me question whether or not what I thought my sacrifice would be might not be enough.
Of course, it’s hard to think about that conversation without thinking about the rest. She said something unexpected. Something kind. Something entirely undeserved, as I immediately proved otherwise.
And I look back at that now, at things I did before and have done since, and I start to wonder if the sacrifice I thought I was making this entire time hasn’t become far, far too easy.
Of course, it’s hard to think about that conversation without thinking about the rest. She said something unexpected. Something kind. Something entirely undeserved, as I immediately proved otherwise.
And I look back at that now, at things I did before and have done since, and I start to wonder if the sacrifice I thought I was making this entire time hasn’t become far, far too easy.
Written By Shard
July 10, 2020, 6:11 a.m.(8/17/1013 AR)
I dream a lot, and a lot of those dreams aren't pleasant. That's not something that should be surprising to anyone, and it's certainly not something either surprising or uncommon among people who do a lot of fighting, particularly in wars. Soldiers, warriors, sellswords, hunters; it's not always the case, but there's probably something to be learned about a person who ends up, willingly or not, killing a lot of other people, and whether or not they ever have bad, bloody dreams. I don't know what it says about me that mine aren't usually about war.
The good ones, though, aren't usually very complicated. There's often a lot of running, but the enjoyable sort of running, the kind you do when you want to, or when you're the one doing the chasing. More smells and sounds than images. Crisp air. Pine trees. Bird calls. Campfire smoke. The crunch of half frozen grass or old snow. There are other people; I'm usually not running alone. Sometimes I smell blood in these dreams too, but it's from a successful hunt, not a battle.
One type of dream can flow into another. The nightmare I usually have tends to pop up when it's especially not welcome. It works both ways, though, sometimes a dream about a terrible night becomes a dream about a good one. Often in particularly weird or jarring ways. Even dreams that are just memories don't want to make too much sense.
And, no, I don't have a good reason as to why I'm bothering to write about dreams in the middle of the night instead of actually dreaming. I felt like it.
The good ones, though, aren't usually very complicated. There's often a lot of running, but the enjoyable sort of running, the kind you do when you want to, or when you're the one doing the chasing. More smells and sounds than images. Crisp air. Pine trees. Bird calls. Campfire smoke. The crunch of half frozen grass or old snow. There are other people; I'm usually not running alone. Sometimes I smell blood in these dreams too, but it's from a successful hunt, not a battle.
One type of dream can flow into another. The nightmare I usually have tends to pop up when it's especially not welcome. It works both ways, though, sometimes a dream about a terrible night becomes a dream about a good one. Often in particularly weird or jarring ways. Even dreams that are just memories don't want to make too much sense.
And, no, I don't have a good reason as to why I'm bothering to write about dreams in the middle of the night instead of actually dreaming. I felt like it.
Written By Shard
July 4, 2020, 12:16 a.m.(8/5/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Piccola
So, if someone robs someone else, and then sells what they stole, that's good business?
I suppose the line between banditry and business relies on who's doing the robbing and who's getting robbed.
I suppose the line between banditry and business relies on who's doing the robbing and who's getting robbed.
Written By Shard
July 2, 2020, 10:42 p.m.(8/2/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Lys
You never know, life is full of surprises.
Written By Shard
June 30, 2020, 7:34 p.m.(7/26/1013 AR)
There are times that I wonder about the cost of letting someone I don't trust pick up a sword.
I don't trust a lot of people.
I don't trust a lot of people.
Written By Shard
June 26, 2020, 2:30 a.m.(7/17/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Margot
I don't recall, in any of my responses, including the first one which you took enough offense to that you decided to call out someone most of the Peerage considers a commoner, saying what you want to do is slavery. I do recall saying, in various ways, including in great detail in my previous entry, that how you want to do it is a monumentally bad idea.
Your response was to attempt to insult me, imply I had no idea about the value of human life, and then claim that I, and others who criticized you, including the /First Liberator/, Paladin of Freedom, and former and first Archlector of the First Choice, have not done anything to help thralls or slaves and therefore have no business commenting on your efforts. Indeed, you implied that no one cares or is caring for the former thralls of Sungreet, when that is demonstrably untrue, and you did it to people that not only have repeatedly risked their lives to fight slavery, but were, in fact, people who risked their lives to help free those very same thralls, and who fought alongside them as part of that effort.
If I have to spell it out even further: me. That includes me.
You know, the murderous sellsword who has no regard for the value of human life? I have no interest in being paid for it, but if you want to put the price at a thousand silver per freed thrall and shower someone in coin, you could pay the Liberators what you'd owe me if I did. I'd have to find out the exact numbers, but it starts at a bare minimum of four million silver and climbs pretty fast from there.
First rule of combat: before you attack, know who it is you're picking a fight with.
Just some friendly advice, Duchess Tyde.
Your response was to attempt to insult me, imply I had no idea about the value of human life, and then claim that I, and others who criticized you, including the /First Liberator/, Paladin of Freedom, and former and first Archlector of the First Choice, have not done anything to help thralls or slaves and therefore have no business commenting on your efforts. Indeed, you implied that no one cares or is caring for the former thralls of Sungreet, when that is demonstrably untrue, and you did it to people that not only have repeatedly risked their lives to fight slavery, but were, in fact, people who risked their lives to help free those very same thralls, and who fought alongside them as part of that effort.
If I have to spell it out even further: me. That includes me.
You know, the murderous sellsword who has no regard for the value of human life? I have no interest in being paid for it, but if you want to put the price at a thousand silver per freed thrall and shower someone in coin, you could pay the Liberators what you'd owe me if I did. I'd have to find out the exact numbers, but it starts at a bare minimum of four million silver and climbs pretty fast from there.
First rule of combat: before you attack, know who it is you're picking a fight with.
Just some friendly advice, Duchess Tyde.
Written By Shard
June 25, 2020, 7:43 p.m.(7/16/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Haakon
They're reavers.
I'm sure I don't have to explain it to you, but for any non-Isles person reading this journal:
Thralldom is slavery, a majority of thralls are war thralls, quite a number of war thralls were not taken in battle, they were taken through raids, the ones who did the raiding were and are almost entirely reavers, because that's what reavers do, they did not care which Abandoned tribe or village did what when they picked targets for reaving, and neither did they care who they tossed into chains and sold back to the Isles, including children too young to even lift a weapon, even if they'd ever actually seen one before.
Reavers were the slave-takers (and in at least half of the Isles, still are). The reavers who did not want to be slave-takers have had nothing interrupt their reaving, and thus they are not the ones being told to go be liberators now. And I do not understand how anyone can know that and still think setting slave-takers who had no qualms whatsoever in who they killed, or who they enslaved, on nebulous targets like 'the Abandoned' and 'the Eurusi' and 'enemies', with the mandate of 'kill slavers now', are going to give one single, solitary fuck about whether they actually liberate anyone or not. Do we expect them to suddenly be devoted to the cause of abolition? Do we expect them to be restrained, and only 'rescue' actual slaves from actual slavers?
No. They're going to grab whoever they want, wherever they find them, and they're going to do what they've always done, which is to sell people. Because someone's buying, and buying at an extraordinarily high sum. And they're going to sell as many people as possible, because that is a damn lot of money. What's going to happen if Tyde refuses to buy? What do you think happened to a thrall they couldn't sell?
Never trust slave-takers to care about the freedom and well-being of someone they can make money from. Or someone they can't. And never trust anyone who only starts caring about the evils of slavery when you put a price on human beings and say you're buying.
I'm sure I don't have to explain it to you, but for any non-Isles person reading this journal:
Thralldom is slavery, a majority of thralls are war thralls, quite a number of war thralls were not taken in battle, they were taken through raids, the ones who did the raiding were and are almost entirely reavers, because that's what reavers do, they did not care which Abandoned tribe or village did what when they picked targets for reaving, and neither did they care who they tossed into chains and sold back to the Isles, including children too young to even lift a weapon, even if they'd ever actually seen one before.
Reavers were the slave-takers (and in at least half of the Isles, still are). The reavers who did not want to be slave-takers have had nothing interrupt their reaving, and thus they are not the ones being told to go be liberators now. And I do not understand how anyone can know that and still think setting slave-takers who had no qualms whatsoever in who they killed, or who they enslaved, on nebulous targets like 'the Abandoned' and 'the Eurusi' and 'enemies', with the mandate of 'kill slavers now', are going to give one single, solitary fuck about whether they actually liberate anyone or not. Do we expect them to suddenly be devoted to the cause of abolition? Do we expect them to be restrained, and only 'rescue' actual slaves from actual slavers?
No. They're going to grab whoever they want, wherever they find them, and they're going to do what they've always done, which is to sell people. Because someone's buying, and buying at an extraordinarily high sum. And they're going to sell as many people as possible, because that is a damn lot of money. What's going to happen if Tyde refuses to buy? What do you think happened to a thrall they couldn't sell?
Never trust slave-takers to care about the freedom and well-being of someone they can make money from. Or someone they can't. And never trust anyone who only starts caring about the evils of slavery when you put a price on human beings and say you're buying.
Written By Shard
June 25, 2020, 5:29 a.m.(7/15/1013 AR)
Stupid fortune teller bullshit. I can't blame anyone for reading things into it, especially these days, I can only be severely annoyed at the author all over again. Reminds me of something I ran into once; you see the trick, you know the absolute lie, and it still ends up bothering you.
No one is destined to do anything. Especially me.
No one is destined to do anything. Especially me.
Written By Shard
June 24, 2020, 11:03 p.m.(7/15/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Haakon
So many Islesmen buying and selling people for silver does tend to leave that impression.
Written By Shard
June 24, 2020, 8:20 p.m.(7/14/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Margot
It's Prima Shard, by the way.
If that's uncomfortable, I'm also Captain-General Shard. I run that mercenary company now.
If that's uncomfortable, I'm also Captain-General Shard. I run that mercenary company now.
Written By Shard
June 24, 2020, 8:05 p.m.(7/14/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Margot
It's extraordinarily funny that you feel the need to lecture me on the value of life and the importance of freedom. Let's just say that if you were offering money for freeing thralls and slaves without the stipulation that they must be brought to House Tyde, you would currently owe me more money than possibly anyone has ever owed to any sellsword at any time in the history of this entire city. Which makes this conversation a bit awkward for you.
By the way, I'm a sellsword because prodigals that come to Arx tend to vanish into the Lowers, often quite literally. Prodigals that aren't slaves or children (usually both) don't generally get charity from the nobility, and that charity usually only lasts so long. Being a sellsword was work that got me out of the Lowers, and, ironically, taking on an absurdly dangerous profession is why I didn't end up dead and dumped into the harbor. By the way, on the subject of charity, if you ever wonder why most prodigals, or commoners in general, like the Faith better than they like you, well, there you go, I've already revealed that mystery.
I accept that you're a woman who isn't entirely familiar with these things, so I, a woman who is /far/ too entirely familiar with these things, will elaborate a bit. You're correct that sellswords often kill people for money, but sellswords do that killing for money because people with that money (quite often nobles), pay them to do exactly that, with terms laying out which people, where, and how many. Sellswords exist because the people that sneer at them for being sellswords are quite often the same people willing to pay them to kill other people. Sellswords work on contract.
But as you brought up the subject of freedom and valuing human life, the only reason I lived long enough to end up in the Lowers is because a sellsword /didn't/ fulfill a contract to kill me and everyone I knew, a contract that he received from a Compact noble who wanted us dead because we were freefolk that happened to wander into lands he didn't actually hold but considered his. His enemies, in other words. You're familiar with that. But why didn't the sellsword fulfill the contract? It was because we paid him more.
Maybe don't lecture me on not knowing the value of human life. I know the exact value of human life here. I know exactly what price was put on my head, and why a bunch of nomads, who have to carry everything they own, had enough coin to buy off the leader of a mercenary company and every single sellsword he had with him.
Because it wasn't much.
By the way, I'm a sellsword because prodigals that come to Arx tend to vanish into the Lowers, often quite literally. Prodigals that aren't slaves or children (usually both) don't generally get charity from the nobility, and that charity usually only lasts so long. Being a sellsword was work that got me out of the Lowers, and, ironically, taking on an absurdly dangerous profession is why I didn't end up dead and dumped into the harbor. By the way, on the subject of charity, if you ever wonder why most prodigals, or commoners in general, like the Faith better than they like you, well, there you go, I've already revealed that mystery.
I accept that you're a woman who isn't entirely familiar with these things, so I, a woman who is /far/ too entirely familiar with these things, will elaborate a bit. You're correct that sellswords often kill people for money, but sellswords do that killing for money because people with that money (quite often nobles), pay them to do exactly that, with terms laying out which people, where, and how many. Sellswords exist because the people that sneer at them for being sellswords are quite often the same people willing to pay them to kill other people. Sellswords work on contract.
But as you brought up the subject of freedom and valuing human life, the only reason I lived long enough to end up in the Lowers is because a sellsword /didn't/ fulfill a contract to kill me and everyone I knew, a contract that he received from a Compact noble who wanted us dead because we were freefolk that happened to wander into lands he didn't actually hold but considered his. His enemies, in other words. You're familiar with that. But why didn't the sellsword fulfill the contract? It was because we paid him more.
Maybe don't lecture me on not knowing the value of human life. I know the exact value of human life here. I know exactly what price was put on my head, and why a bunch of nomads, who have to carry everything they own, had enough coin to buy off the leader of a mercenary company and every single sellsword he had with him.
Because it wasn't much.
Written By Shard
June 18, 2020, 11:35 p.m.(7/3/1013 AR)
There are people that don't belong in the forest.
No, I shouldn't say that, more: there are people that don't know how to belong in the forest. They take the 'dominion' part of Petrichor and just...I suppose that's not all of Petrichor, right? The thing is, regardless, you can't civilize the whole damn continent. You can't turn everything into homesteads and neat little rows of bushes and trees, with clean paths and grass only in some places with only certain flowers in others. You can't put prey over here and predators over there and stick them in neat little pens where they can all get fed regularly out of a dish. You can't put leashes on everything. You cannot, ultimately, tell all of the wilds what to do.
And you shouldn't. There are always frightening things lurking in the dark. There are always things you don't quite understand. The world is vast, and ultimately strange, and that's fine. You can light a lantern in the forest, you just can't chase away every shadow. You might discover you don't even want to. Some shadows are kind.
There are people that don't know how to belong in the forest. But, the thing is, they live there anyway.
No, I shouldn't say that, more: there are people that don't know how to belong in the forest. They take the 'dominion' part of Petrichor and just...I suppose that's not all of Petrichor, right? The thing is, regardless, you can't civilize the whole damn continent. You can't turn everything into homesteads and neat little rows of bushes and trees, with clean paths and grass only in some places with only certain flowers in others. You can't put prey over here and predators over there and stick them in neat little pens where they can all get fed regularly out of a dish. You can't put leashes on everything. You cannot, ultimately, tell all of the wilds what to do.
And you shouldn't. There are always frightening things lurking in the dark. There are always things you don't quite understand. The world is vast, and ultimately strange, and that's fine. You can light a lantern in the forest, you just can't chase away every shadow. You might discover you don't even want to. Some shadows are kind.
There are people that don't know how to belong in the forest. But, the thing is, they live there anyway.
Written By Shard
June 10, 2020, 5:33 a.m.(6/13/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Rymarr
I didn't really know Tescelina. We spoke in passing. I remember the name. I remember some of the conversations. She once showed me a letter five hundred years old that moved her to tears, and she wasn't afraid to show it. I don't remember, in any of those very brief moments, ever seeing her afraid. That's not a very good eulogy, though. It's what I have.
I knew Rymarr, but not well. We weren't exactly friends, or enemies; I think I'd describe him as a skilled commander and occasional asshole who trusted me to do my job enough that he kept calling me back to do more of it, even when I fucked up in some embarrassing ways. Distant but devoted to his duties and his family, if that even makes any sense. I went on several missions with him, for money and without. There's one in particular that I remember. It was a /very/ memorable trip.
It occurs to me that there are an awful lot of people from that mission who are dead or gone now. Aislin. Thena. Esoka. Now Rymarr. It's not a curse, of course, it's just time. Time and choices.
I knew Rymarr, but not well. We weren't exactly friends, or enemies; I think I'd describe him as a skilled commander and occasional asshole who trusted me to do my job enough that he kept calling me back to do more of it, even when I fucked up in some embarrassing ways. Distant but devoted to his duties and his family, if that even makes any sense. I went on several missions with him, for money and without. There's one in particular that I remember. It was a /very/ memorable trip.
It occurs to me that there are an awful lot of people from that mission who are dead or gone now. Aislin. Thena. Esoka. Now Rymarr. It's not a curse, of course, it's just time. Time and choices.
Written By Shard
June 8, 2020, 4:21 a.m.(6/9/1013 AR)
I have been in a lot of battles, and not all of them as a hunter. A few times I was just a scared girl tasked with leading away younger children. Once I climbed a tree to hide and hoped the enemy tribe's warriors wouldn't look up. it was easier, in hindsight, than hiding from a predator. Human noses can't track you up trees.
There was a distinction between warrior and hunter, though not as much as there is here. My tribe had no warriors. My tribe had no interest in war. But we lived by hunting, hunting was quite literally the difference between life and death. A hunter, then, is someone who keeps the tribe alive by killing what is needed. Usually, that meant rabbits, birds, hare. Often caribou, occasionally moose. Sometimes, it means killing a predator looking to kill you, and /sometimes/, that predator is not an animal.
We had no warriors, but we did /kill/ warriors. Warriors in heavy armor wielding heavy weapons aren't very good at climbing trees. They aren't very good at chasing people down. Burdened horses can't run as fast, and burdened war horses aren't used to racing through thick forest. Warriors are used to charging lines, to formations, to meeting enemies head on who will meet them head on. Warriors raise banners and shout battle cries. Hunters are silent. Noise gives away your position, and your numbers. Noise alerts prey. You don't charge a mountain lion head-on. You don't get within reach of a bear. You don't stand in front of a charging herd and expect them to stop for you. Hunters do not fight like warriors if they can help it, and if they do have to, then best to stack the odds in your favor.
Does this sound dishonorable? We didn't think so, but the Compact measures war differently. The hard truth is that individual soldiers are expendable, and mercenaries even more so. The Compact deals with armies of thousands, tens of thousands, so it can absorb far more losses. To us, even one dead hunter was a blow. One dead hunter meant less chance at survival, even if we won the battle. We could not afford dead hunters, and almost always there were far more warriors than hunters.
Stand and die gloriously? I've heard incredible stories of heroes that did exactly that. But they did it for a purpose. They did it to save other people. That's why people still tell stories about them. Standing and dying gloriously meant the tribe would also die. I won't pretend that sometimes that wasn't necessary. We had stories about hunters who would pick a patch of ground and hold it until they were killed. Sometimes a hunter would stay behind while the rest of us fled in order to lure our enemies away long enough for us to escape. Twice in my memory, they didn't return. Making that kind of sacrifice is what my parents chose. But there was always a purpose, they were always doing it to save other people.
So a hunter is also someone who keeps the tribe alive by killing /who/ is needed. And /only/ who, or what, is needed. We had no interest in war, only survival. It was extremely difficult to adjust to the way things work here, and twice as hard to adjust to being a warrior. I like to fling myself at worthy causes still, to protect people. I like to act like a hunter, rather than just fight like a hunter, whenever I can. That makes me a terrible sellsword, and it always has, but it's not my fault I'm the one in charge now, seeing as Audric wouldn't listen to me no matter how many times I demonstrated it, and then he went and died.
So. I've been in a lot of battles. I've fought a lot of wars. Setarco was probably the largest, and the battle at the Lodge was probably the most dangerous, even not fighting with the main force. Some battles, though, aren't the most glorious. Some battles you don't fight alongside warriors, or soldiers. Some battles, /some/ battles, you get to fight as a hunter, even when you're right up in the face of a man a foot and a half taller than you with enough armor to outfit ten other men, with thousands of his friends coming up behind him. Sometimes you make a stand so that other people can get away, so that other people can live. Sometimes you stop running, you pick a patch of ground, and you dare them to take it away from you, and sometimes, /sometimes/...
...Sometimes you actually win.
There was a distinction between warrior and hunter, though not as much as there is here. My tribe had no warriors. My tribe had no interest in war. But we lived by hunting, hunting was quite literally the difference between life and death. A hunter, then, is someone who keeps the tribe alive by killing what is needed. Usually, that meant rabbits, birds, hare. Often caribou, occasionally moose. Sometimes, it means killing a predator looking to kill you, and /sometimes/, that predator is not an animal.
We had no warriors, but we did /kill/ warriors. Warriors in heavy armor wielding heavy weapons aren't very good at climbing trees. They aren't very good at chasing people down. Burdened horses can't run as fast, and burdened war horses aren't used to racing through thick forest. Warriors are used to charging lines, to formations, to meeting enemies head on who will meet them head on. Warriors raise banners and shout battle cries. Hunters are silent. Noise gives away your position, and your numbers. Noise alerts prey. You don't charge a mountain lion head-on. You don't get within reach of a bear. You don't stand in front of a charging herd and expect them to stop for you. Hunters do not fight like warriors if they can help it, and if they do have to, then best to stack the odds in your favor.
Does this sound dishonorable? We didn't think so, but the Compact measures war differently. The hard truth is that individual soldiers are expendable, and mercenaries even more so. The Compact deals with armies of thousands, tens of thousands, so it can absorb far more losses. To us, even one dead hunter was a blow. One dead hunter meant less chance at survival, even if we won the battle. We could not afford dead hunters, and almost always there were far more warriors than hunters.
Stand and die gloriously? I've heard incredible stories of heroes that did exactly that. But they did it for a purpose. They did it to save other people. That's why people still tell stories about them. Standing and dying gloriously meant the tribe would also die. I won't pretend that sometimes that wasn't necessary. We had stories about hunters who would pick a patch of ground and hold it until they were killed. Sometimes a hunter would stay behind while the rest of us fled in order to lure our enemies away long enough for us to escape. Twice in my memory, they didn't return. Making that kind of sacrifice is what my parents chose. But there was always a purpose, they were always doing it to save other people.
So a hunter is also someone who keeps the tribe alive by killing /who/ is needed. And /only/ who, or what, is needed. We had no interest in war, only survival. It was extremely difficult to adjust to the way things work here, and twice as hard to adjust to being a warrior. I like to fling myself at worthy causes still, to protect people. I like to act like a hunter, rather than just fight like a hunter, whenever I can. That makes me a terrible sellsword, and it always has, but it's not my fault I'm the one in charge now, seeing as Audric wouldn't listen to me no matter how many times I demonstrated it, and then he went and died.
So. I've been in a lot of battles. I've fought a lot of wars. Setarco was probably the largest, and the battle at the Lodge was probably the most dangerous, even not fighting with the main force. Some battles, though, aren't the most glorious. Some battles you don't fight alongside warriors, or soldiers. Some battles, /some/ battles, you get to fight as a hunter, even when you're right up in the face of a man a foot and a half taller than you with enough armor to outfit ten other men, with thousands of his friends coming up behind him. Sometimes you make a stand so that other people can get away, so that other people can live. Sometimes you stop running, you pick a patch of ground, and you dare them to take it away from you, and sometimes, /sometimes/...
...Sometimes you actually win.
Written By Shard
June 1, 2020, 10:53 p.m.(5/25/1013 AR)
I get angry. It keeps me going when I'd otherwise stop, and I've been going my entire life. Angry my entire life. Anger is a fuel. Anger can be directed when you understand it. Aimed like a weapon. Anger /is/ a weapon. You can wield it, or it will wield you, and you'd better pick one or the other because if you don't, it will go ahead and decide for you.
And once you understand anger? Understand it thoroughly, understand yourself thoroughly, understand /why you are angry/ and /what you are angry about/...well. Then it's a different sort of weapon. You can both attack and defend yourself with a blade.
People go on about how angry I am. They act like I'm going to explode at any moment, as if I'm the most unreasonable person in the city; and, sure, I'm not going to stand here and claim I'm always reasonable, or that I don't let my temper get away sometimes. But the thing is, I understand my own anger. Sometimes people /should/ be angry about things. A lot of things. Sometimes getting angry is the only right thing to do. So, I get angry. I get angry so that I don't get /angrier/. Does that make any sense? It's the truth. Can you imagine what would happen if I just /never/ let any of that out?
I can.
And once you understand anger? Understand it thoroughly, understand yourself thoroughly, understand /why you are angry/ and /what you are angry about/...well. Then it's a different sort of weapon. You can both attack and defend yourself with a blade.
People go on about how angry I am. They act like I'm going to explode at any moment, as if I'm the most unreasonable person in the city; and, sure, I'm not going to stand here and claim I'm always reasonable, or that I don't let my temper get away sometimes. But the thing is, I understand my own anger. Sometimes people /should/ be angry about things. A lot of things. Sometimes getting angry is the only right thing to do. So, I get angry. I get angry so that I don't get /angrier/. Does that make any sense? It's the truth. Can you imagine what would happen if I just /never/ let any of that out?
I can.
Written By Shard
May 23, 2020, 2:20 p.m.(5/6/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Dio
I am not going to try to explain to you how the Iron Guard and private, hired security work, or how they're different, there is not enough time in the day to keep leading you down this magical journey of discovery. You're welcome to ask them if we're somehow stepping on their toes when we get hired for jobs in the city, or the Crafters Guild if it's bullying to ensure as many people from the Lowers as possible can get food without being jumped.
Most of my sellswords either live in the Lowers or used to, by the way. Including me. Oh no, a twist.
Anyway, you seem a little mad about me having coin, Marquis Seraceni, which is strange, because you kept talking about how people of the Lowers could 'grasp opportunity' and make a lot of money. Guess how I made my money, which I am now choosing to spend on helping the Lowers, rather than helping myself to what I think the Lowers can give me? I grasped opportunity.
I just didn't grasp it from you. Because you're a pirate. Is 'take everything' not working out?
Most of my sellswords either live in the Lowers or used to, by the way. Including me. Oh no, a twist.
Anyway, you seem a little mad about me having coin, Marquis Seraceni, which is strange, because you kept talking about how people of the Lowers could 'grasp opportunity' and make a lot of money. Guess how I made my money, which I am now choosing to spend on helping the Lowers, rather than helping myself to what I think the Lowers can give me? I grasped opportunity.
I just didn't grasp it from you. Because you're a pirate. Is 'take everything' not working out?
Written By Shard
May 22, 2020, 3:50 p.m.(5/4/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Dio
Wow, okay, I see I'm going to have to go through this step by step with you. Have you never dealt with mercenaries? That's unusual for a noble. I guess you're a pirate, so you just sit on a ship and shout at anyone daring to do things you don't like on land.
Step one: client asks to hire the Valorous Few (in this case, the Crafters Guild, through Felix)
Step two: terms are discussed. How many, how long, what specifically they want done.
Step three: I tell them how much that's going to cost, based on all of those things. Here's where it gets complicated, I'm sorry, maybe the Scholar can help you.
Step three-a: In this case, given the situation in the Lowers, I offer to do it at cost. That means the Valorous Few does not actually make any profit. Usually we make a lot of profit, at least for commoners. It doesn't stack up to taxes given to nobles, usually, but it's probably pretty similar to what pirates get, if they're decent pirates, except the people who hire us are willing to pay us.
Step three-a-a: Since I said 'at cost' and not 'free', that means we're still getting paid. Except that, as you may note (but probably not, I understand this is difficult), I said that /I/ was not taking a cut of this. That means I, personally, am working for free. This is the part where you were actually right, hooray! I am a shitty mercenary for working for free, in this one case.
Step three-a-b: In this case, I tell the Crafters Guild what it will cost to give my sellswords a very nice payout in which they will be allowed to comfortably support their families (this means they get to eat, and they don't get kicked out of wherever they're living. Hooray!). I note that it's possible for me to do it for half of that money, but it would take a lot of convincing, because, while I can use funds from the company's account to make up the difference, I probably wouldn't be able to make up /all/ of the difference. It's good to pay sellswords well, they aren't very happy when you don't.
Step four: Usually, we haggle. Haggling means they tell me why they shouldn't have to pay that much, I tell them why they should, we argue (this is an important tradition. See? I respect some traditions), and sometimes we come to a compromise. Other times, I exhaust them by continuing to argue (I'm good at this!), and they agree with me that they should actually pay that much.
Step four-a: But in this case, the Crafters Guild doesn't argue, because we both agree this is an unusual situation. I quoted them a fair price, they agreed to pay me a fair price. They decide to pay me the first amount I cited, which means all of my sellswords get a nice, comfortable payment while they're going through hard times.
Step five: We get paid. Hooray! I split the money between all of the sellswords who were hired for this job.
Step five-a: In this case, I take no cut. The company takes no cut. That means I eat whatever other costs there might be, and I don't get any money. This is, as I mentioned, the part where you're actually correct (hooray!) and I am a shitty mercenary, because I'm handling this for free. I am. Not my people. Me. Not them. if you can't understand this difference, I'm afraid I just can't help you there.
Step six: We do what we were hired to do.
Step six-a: So the Crafters Guild gets what they paid for: security while they feed hungry people. Hooray!
Now, I have no fucking idea when you think I ever spoke for the Faith or the Crown, when I started ordering people around (except the people I hired, that's my job), when I shit on any traditions (in this case, though sometimes I do shit on traditions!), or claimed that I was the only one who had the right solution (I just said your solution was blatantly self-serving, not the actual generous offer you keep claiming it is, do you think your solution is the only solution?). That sounds like shit you just made up! Boo.
P.S.: Guess who also kills slavers? Lots of people! Including me. Wow, imagine that, it's amazing.
Step one: client asks to hire the Valorous Few (in this case, the Crafters Guild, through Felix)
Step two: terms are discussed. How many, how long, what specifically they want done.
Step three: I tell them how much that's going to cost, based on all of those things. Here's where it gets complicated, I'm sorry, maybe the Scholar can help you.
Step three-a: In this case, given the situation in the Lowers, I offer to do it at cost. That means the Valorous Few does not actually make any profit. Usually we make a lot of profit, at least for commoners. It doesn't stack up to taxes given to nobles, usually, but it's probably pretty similar to what pirates get, if they're decent pirates, except the people who hire us are willing to pay us.
Step three-a-a: Since I said 'at cost' and not 'free', that means we're still getting paid. Except that, as you may note (but probably not, I understand this is difficult), I said that /I/ was not taking a cut of this. That means I, personally, am working for free. This is the part where you were actually right, hooray! I am a shitty mercenary for working for free, in this one case.
Step three-a-b: In this case, I tell the Crafters Guild what it will cost to give my sellswords a very nice payout in which they will be allowed to comfortably support their families (this means they get to eat, and they don't get kicked out of wherever they're living. Hooray!). I note that it's possible for me to do it for half of that money, but it would take a lot of convincing, because, while I can use funds from the company's account to make up the difference, I probably wouldn't be able to make up /all/ of the difference. It's good to pay sellswords well, they aren't very happy when you don't.
Step four: Usually, we haggle. Haggling means they tell me why they shouldn't have to pay that much, I tell them why they should, we argue (this is an important tradition. See? I respect some traditions), and sometimes we come to a compromise. Other times, I exhaust them by continuing to argue (I'm good at this!), and they agree with me that they should actually pay that much.
Step four-a: But in this case, the Crafters Guild doesn't argue, because we both agree this is an unusual situation. I quoted them a fair price, they agreed to pay me a fair price. They decide to pay me the first amount I cited, which means all of my sellswords get a nice, comfortable payment while they're going through hard times.
Step five: We get paid. Hooray! I split the money between all of the sellswords who were hired for this job.
Step five-a: In this case, I take no cut. The company takes no cut. That means I eat whatever other costs there might be, and I don't get any money. This is, as I mentioned, the part where you're actually correct (hooray!) and I am a shitty mercenary, because I'm handling this for free. I am. Not my people. Me. Not them. if you can't understand this difference, I'm afraid I just can't help you there.
Step six: We do what we were hired to do.
Step six-a: So the Crafters Guild gets what they paid for: security while they feed hungry people. Hooray!
Now, I have no fucking idea when you think I ever spoke for the Faith or the Crown, when I started ordering people around (except the people I hired, that's my job), when I shit on any traditions (in this case, though sometimes I do shit on traditions!), or claimed that I was the only one who had the right solution (I just said your solution was blatantly self-serving, not the actual generous offer you keep claiming it is, do you think your solution is the only solution?). That sounds like shit you just made up! Boo.
P.S.: Guess who also kills slavers? Lots of people! Including me. Wow, imagine that, it's amazing.
Written By Shard
May 22, 2020, 2:04 a.m.(5/3/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Dio
That's not what I wrote, and I'm not your mate. I wrote that I was paying them plenty so that they could feed their families, and I'm paying myself nothing. Do you need a scholar to help you parse simple sentences? I'm sure they'd be happy to.
Why don't you go kill slavers yourself, instead of trying to convince people to go die for you? 'Pens'. Yes, I'm very convinced of your generosity when you talk about those living in the Lowers like they're dumb animals who can't see you for what you are. If they wanted to go be your servants or your fodder, nothing has stopped them from doing it before. And if you think they're such children that they need to be led to grasp opportunity, I question whether you've ever set one fucking foot off the main road of the Lowers in your entire life.
I wouldn't really recommend trying it for the first time now, though. The Faith is very diligent in their duty to teach even the poorest person to read.
Why don't you go kill slavers yourself, instead of trying to convince people to go die for you? 'Pens'. Yes, I'm very convinced of your generosity when you talk about those living in the Lowers like they're dumb animals who can't see you for what you are. If they wanted to go be your servants or your fodder, nothing has stopped them from doing it before. And if you think they're such children that they need to be led to grasp opportunity, I question whether you've ever set one fucking foot off the main road of the Lowers in your entire life.
I wouldn't really recommend trying it for the first time now, though. The Faith is very diligent in their duty to teach even the poorest person to read.
Written By Shard
May 21, 2020, 5:04 a.m.(5/1/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Dio
Yes, that's what I was saying. You're pirates trying to plunder. Thanks for agreeing with me, I knew we could come to a mutual understanding.
We can also agree I'm a shitty mercenary since you think being a mercenary means taking advantage of starving poor people. Sellswords actually make coin from taking advantage of well-fed rich nobles who want more people to stand on the front lines and die for them, which sounds incredibly familiar for some mysterious reason. I think the reason for the mystery is that you're not paying nearly enough. Probably because you're pirates.
Mercenaries that spend their time taking advantage of starving poor people that can't pay them are what we call 'incompetent fucking morons'.
We can also agree I'm a shitty mercenary since you think being a mercenary means taking advantage of starving poor people. Sellswords actually make coin from taking advantage of well-fed rich nobles who want more people to stand on the front lines and die for them, which sounds incredibly familiar for some mysterious reason. I think the reason for the mystery is that you're not paying nearly enough. Probably because you're pirates.
Mercenaries that spend their time taking advantage of starving poor people that can't pay them are what we call 'incompetent fucking morons'.
Written By Shard
May 20, 2020, 3:05 p.m.(4/28/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Ophira
I didn't exactly have to /try/. I have eyes. They're what I use to keep reading all these attempts at trying to sell and then justify a scheming political move.
If you want to give assistance, donate to the Faith's efforts, or the Crafters Guild. It's not a generous offer to let desperate, hungry people go put themselves at risk to make you money, and then tell them they can donate /their/ coin to the cause. It's trying to grow your domain, your power, and your coffers by taking advantage of a city-wide crisis to convince crownsworn to shift their allegiances.
If you want to give assistance, donate to the Faith's efforts, or the Crafters Guild. It's not a generous offer to let desperate, hungry people go put themselves at risk to make you money, and then tell them they can donate /their/ coin to the cause. It's trying to grow your domain, your power, and your coffers by taking advantage of a city-wide crisis to convince crownsworn to shift their allegiances.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.