Written By Vayne
April 11, 2022, 11:45 p.m.(6/13/1017 AR)
My door is always open. My ear is always attentive. My patience is depthless.
Written By Vayne
April 4, 2022, 11:38 p.m.(5/27/1017 AR)
Our words -- hanging like high notes, poised in the air -- have the ability to spring our souls to action, or are able to splinter it.
Use them with care.
Use them with care.
Written By Vayne
March 25, 2022, 10:05 p.m.(5/7/1017 AR)
We are a world within ourselves. One that mimics the world around us.
Written By Vayne
March 14, 2022, 9 p.m.(4/13/1017 AR)
You cannot make a mirror out of a brick.
Written By Vayne
March 12, 2022, 4:13 a.m.(4/7/1017 AR)
Foul moods are soothed by fair weather.
Written By Vayne
Jan. 7, 2020, 2:51 p.m.(7/9/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Gaston
I am gratified that your experience in the Shrine of Tehom was beneficial for you. If there is anything I can do to continue to be of assistance, you have only to reach out, and I would be delighted.
The creepiness fades over time.
The creepiness fades over time.
Written By Vayne
Oct. 21, 2018, 10:33 p.m.(11/8/1009 AR)
For discussion:
You are required to take all of the silver from a family, leaving them destitute. You may not ask for volunteers, and it must not be your own. This family must not then be given a gift to make up the loss. The silver is to be given to a merciless band of raiders who will - assuredly - pillage your whole village if you do not obey these strict commands and impoverish a family in your care.
Would you plan and implement a grievous but limited act of injustice in order to prevent someone else from carrying out a massive injustice with wider impact?
If you would, why?
If you would not, why not?
You are required to take all of the silver from a family, leaving them destitute. You may not ask for volunteers, and it must not be your own. This family must not then be given a gift to make up the loss. The silver is to be given to a merciless band of raiders who will - assuredly - pillage your whole village if you do not obey these strict commands and impoverish a family in your care.
Would you plan and implement a grievous but limited act of injustice in order to prevent someone else from carrying out a massive injustice with wider impact?
If you would, why?
If you would not, why not?
Written By Vayne
Sept. 27, 2018, 4:03 p.m.(9/6/1009 AR)
As I rummaged through Driskell's effects, I found this. I submit it for posterity, and so that Driskell's lessons - even the less theological - can be taught to others.
His entry states:
I sit here in Setarco at my southern star while battle preparations are underway like they have happened a myriad of times before, gazing in the pool and what is there beyond the reflection thinking about other times, places, people. My dark brother Mysterion, of green mothers, dragons and wyrms, stormborn, elves, of proteges and students, the mystery of the coin and such things that my mind is pulled towards.
Often, it is the little things which reinforce over time into something strong. The drip of water won’t cut a cavern, but after time can erode the greatest of walls. The highest sea cliffs stand proudly, but always will the constant embrace of the sea pull them down and create sand. And so, I find with mortals and immortals alike, that sometimes lessons and teachings are far more easily taken in and consumed willingly by a soul when it is hidden in plain sight. No doubt as before, my time will come and I will return from where I came and yet I will watch on from beyond and return as needed. We might say Non Omnis Moriar, but I think my friends would say after one of these, nom nom more.
Driskell’s Cookies for Lessons
- Half a cup of finely milled sugar from the Saffrons, it should look like dust or powder.
- 1 large egg representing Aion, Mortals and Tehom.
- 1 egg yolk representing the gold of lessons learned from sacrifices.
- 1/2 teaspoon of the finest salt made of Grayson tears. Or regular Thraxan salt will do.
- 2 tsp zest of any citrus of your choice. Beggars aren’t choosers.
- 1/2 tsp extract of vanilla. You may need to speak with an apothecary for this.
- A quarter cup of fresh Laurent heavy cream.
- 12 tablespoons of Laurent butter.
- 2 and 1/2 cups of flour
- 2 cups of that fancy chocolate broken up in bits
- 3 tablespoons of fine Laurent butter
- Other things that tickle your fancy for decorating
1. Cream together in a large bowl the butter and sugar until it is combined.
2. Separately, mix the egg and yolk, salt, vanilla, citrus zest and heavy cream and then add to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix together until you have a smooth batter.
3. Add the flour and mix until mixed.
4. Set your dough in the ice room and come back later on in a few hours. The goal is to cool, not to freeze. No one likes frozen dough.
5. Take out your chilled dough and let it sit for just a bit so it is slightly firm but not warm. With a well floured table or board, roll out enough of the dough until it’s about a quarter of an inch thick. Never ever re-roll the dough, do it once.
6. Cut out shapes specific to the lesson you’re teaching. I lately have been doing fish and sea animals, but whatever tickles my fancy to tie the lesson will do. Creativity is valued.
7. Bake the cookies for about 9 minutes, although little ones will of course need smaller amounts of time. The goal is to have a tender, not crisp, cookie with softer edges. They should have just the slightest hue of gold to them when you take them out of the oven, not ringed with brown.
8. Once you’ve baked the cookies, I enjoy melting the chocolate and drizzling it or dipping a slight portion. Sometimes I then crush nuts, or chop berries or other things, to dust the wet chocolate to give it more visual appeal. Be careful with the cookie, they are tender and will break if you rush the process; nothing ever good came from hurrying. Remember you’re investing time and care, which is what makes them so good.
Find a little box or basket and present them to the person you speak with, and deliver the lesson or truth while they’re consuming.
His entry states:
I sit here in Setarco at my southern star while battle preparations are underway like they have happened a myriad of times before, gazing in the pool and what is there beyond the reflection thinking about other times, places, people. My dark brother Mysterion, of green mothers, dragons and wyrms, stormborn, elves, of proteges and students, the mystery of the coin and such things that my mind is pulled towards.
Often, it is the little things which reinforce over time into something strong. The drip of water won’t cut a cavern, but after time can erode the greatest of walls. The highest sea cliffs stand proudly, but always will the constant embrace of the sea pull them down and create sand. And so, I find with mortals and immortals alike, that sometimes lessons and teachings are far more easily taken in and consumed willingly by a soul when it is hidden in plain sight. No doubt as before, my time will come and I will return from where I came and yet I will watch on from beyond and return as needed. We might say Non Omnis Moriar, but I think my friends would say after one of these, nom nom more.
Driskell’s Cookies for Lessons
- Half a cup of finely milled sugar from the Saffrons, it should look like dust or powder.
- 1 large egg representing Aion, Mortals and Tehom.
- 1 egg yolk representing the gold of lessons learned from sacrifices.
- 1/2 teaspoon of the finest salt made of Grayson tears. Or regular Thraxan salt will do.
- 2 tsp zest of any citrus of your choice. Beggars aren’t choosers.
- 1/2 tsp extract of vanilla. You may need to speak with an apothecary for this.
- A quarter cup of fresh Laurent heavy cream.
- 12 tablespoons of Laurent butter.
- 2 and 1/2 cups of flour
- 2 cups of that fancy chocolate broken up in bits
- 3 tablespoons of fine Laurent butter
- Other things that tickle your fancy for decorating
1. Cream together in a large bowl the butter and sugar until it is combined.
2. Separately, mix the egg and yolk, salt, vanilla, citrus zest and heavy cream and then add to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix together until you have a smooth batter.
3. Add the flour and mix until mixed.
4. Set your dough in the ice room and come back later on in a few hours. The goal is to cool, not to freeze. No one likes frozen dough.
5. Take out your chilled dough and let it sit for just a bit so it is slightly firm but not warm. With a well floured table or board, roll out enough of the dough until it’s about a quarter of an inch thick. Never ever re-roll the dough, do it once.
6. Cut out shapes specific to the lesson you’re teaching. I lately have been doing fish and sea animals, but whatever tickles my fancy to tie the lesson will do. Creativity is valued.
7. Bake the cookies for about 9 minutes, although little ones will of course need smaller amounts of time. The goal is to have a tender, not crisp, cookie with softer edges. They should have just the slightest hue of gold to them when you take them out of the oven, not ringed with brown.
8. Once you’ve baked the cookies, I enjoy melting the chocolate and drizzling it or dipping a slight portion. Sometimes I then crush nuts, or chop berries or other things, to dust the wet chocolate to give it more visual appeal. Be careful with the cookie, they are tender and will break if you rush the process; nothing ever good came from hurrying. Remember you’re investing time and care, which is what makes them so good.
Find a little box or basket and present them to the person you speak with, and deliver the lesson or truth while they’re consuming.
Written By Vayne
Sept. 27, 2018, 10:51 a.m.(9/6/1009 AR)
Months after his demise, I find myself wading through the personal effects of Brother Driskell, trying to honour his will and give the things he owned to the people he believed would value them most.
It is a daunting task. Not just because I rediscover I miss my friend each time I open those chests, but because the man had a surprising number of possessions. I would suspect no one would imagine just how many things he owned. I always took him for an ascetic, but perhaps that was just one more of the ways in which he was unlike anyone I have ever known.
I will need more baskets, I'm afraid, as I'm loath to send thirty messengers to one person, each carrying a different thing.
It is a daunting task. Not just because I rediscover I miss my friend each time I open those chests, but because the man had a surprising number of possessions. I would suspect no one would imagine just how many things he owned. I always took him for an ascetic, but perhaps that was just one more of the ways in which he was unlike anyone I have ever known.
I will need more baskets, I'm afraid, as I'm loath to send thirty messengers to one person, each carrying a different thing.
Written By Vayne
May 1, 2018, 5:54 p.m.(8/27/1008 AR)
It is a fine line between revenge and justice. It is narrow, but deep enough to swallow a man, a woman, a whole family, even a princedom.
Tehom's precepts remind us to seek balance, and to use our darkest impulses toward beneficial ends.
So, to those who are boasting of meting out revenge, be wary. Use your desire for revenge to fuel a pursuit of justice, but do not allow the thrill of pursuing vengeance to drag you into that deep ravine.
It is a most difficult thing to climb out of once you're there.
As always, the Shrine of the Thirteenth stands ready to support and lend guidance to any who find themselves struggling to avoid that ravine.
Tehom's precepts remind us to seek balance, and to use our darkest impulses toward beneficial ends.
So, to those who are boasting of meting out revenge, be wary. Use your desire for revenge to fuel a pursuit of justice, but do not allow the thrill of pursuing vengeance to drag you into that deep ravine.
It is a most difficult thing to climb out of once you're there.
As always, the Shrine of the Thirteenth stands ready to support and lend guidance to any who find themselves struggling to avoid that ravine.
Written By Vayne
April 16, 2018, 2:07 p.m.(7/23/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Monique
Of course, I blamed no victims. I simply pointed out that if it was a joke, it was related to the stereotype of Oathlanders having terrible sense of humour.
Your advice to our fellow Oathlanders is the same I would give, so we're of similar mind, there.
Your advice to our fellow Oathlanders is the same I would give, so we're of similar mind, there.
Written By Vayne
April 16, 2018, 12:35 p.m.(7/23/1008 AR)
Lady Saoirse might have just been making a tongue-in-cheek joke, related to the stereotype of Oathlanders not having a very good sense of humour.
If she was, then the point has been well-made indeed by the replies.
If she was, then the point has been well-made indeed by the replies.
Written By Vayne
April 16, 2018, 12:05 a.m.(7/22/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Dominique
That is an astute learning. Imputing one's values to others is more often than not a sure way to find yourself frustrated, angry, betrayed, and disappointed. Better instead to learn from the other how they understand a value. What you do after that - whether you help them see things your way, agree to disagree, or so on - is up to you.
Written By Vayne
April 15, 2018, 11:21 p.m.(7/22/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Orazio
I would've enjoyed that trip to the Oathlands.
But I suppose I understand why I might have been excluded from it.
But I suppose I understand why I might have been excluded from it.
Written By Vayne
March 20, 2018, 3:05 p.m.(5/23/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Eirene
Lady Eirene
Feeling the hate you feel is wholly natural. Sitting with it and understanding it can spur you on to do more than you ever thought you could against your enemy - to win where you might never have been able to.
It can also tempt you and corrupt your soul if you give yourself over to it.
Do not be mastered by your hate, my Lady, but master it for your own purposes. If the Shrine of Tehom can be of any help in this matter, we stand ready to serve.
Feeling the hate you feel is wholly natural. Sitting with it and understanding it can spur you on to do more than you ever thought you could against your enemy - to win where you might never have been able to.
It can also tempt you and corrupt your soul if you give yourself over to it.
Do not be mastered by your hate, my Lady, but master it for your own purposes. If the Shrine of Tehom can be of any help in this matter, we stand ready to serve.
Written By Vayne
March 17, 2018, 3:23 p.m.(5/17/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Jericho
Highness,
I am sorry for your loss, which I know rends at your heart and soul. While I did not know Lady Eirlys, I saw in our one meeting the sort of woman she was, and we are all worse off at her parting.
If I or the Shrine of the Thirteenth can be of assistance in this time - if a balm can be offered - please do not hesitate to send word.
I am sorry for your loss, which I know rends at your heart and soul. While I did not know Lady Eirlys, I saw in our one meeting the sort of woman she was, and we are all worse off at her parting.
If I or the Shrine of the Thirteenth can be of assistance in this time - if a balm can be offered - please do not hesitate to send word.
Written By Vayne
March 17, 2018, 3:19 p.m.(5/17/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Eirlys
I met the Lady Eirlys exactly once, when she was discussing plans to marry Prince Jericho. She impressed me then, with the grandness of her heart.
I heard about her passing. That she died protecting another is unsurprising to me.
I regret I did not have the chance to know her better. She seemed like a woman of rare quality.
I heard about her passing. That she died protecting another is unsurprising to me.
I regret I did not have the chance to know her better. She seemed like a woman of rare quality.
Written By Vayne
March 12, 2018, noon(5/7/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Derovai
A fine sentiment, Master Voss. For whatever it's worth, I agree with you.
I'll let you decide whether that validates or invalidates your position...
I'll let you decide whether that validates or invalidates your position...
Written By Vayne
Feb. 26, 2018, 7:18 p.m.(4/8/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Cassima
Highness, I would suggest perhaps you mean to say that fear keeps us from doing the things we *believe* will harm us.
Being afraid of the dark doesn't mean the dark will harm us, just that we think it might.
Being afraid of the dark doesn't mean the dark will harm us, just that we think it might.
Written By Vayne
Feb. 26, 2018, 4:24 p.m.(4/7/1008 AR)
What would you do, if you weren't afraid?
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.