Written By Lys
Jan. 10, 2024, 1:27 a.m.(7/11/1021 AR)
(1/8/1010 AR)
Willow. Valt. Willow. Valt. Names, supposedly, of my parents. Or at the very least the last known names of them. Two con artists trying to trick what they thought was a noble out of their savings, and ending up with a child with a con artist for their ploy... One rotten to the core, and the other an inveterate liar.
Jokes on me, I guess.
Written By Lys
Jan. 10, 2024, 1:10 a.m.(7/11/1021 AR)
I stood from before him and on shaky feet walked away, I did not look back. I will not look back.
Mae would tell me that all things end and to rejoice in the ending for it brings a new beginning.
Written By Aconite
Jan. 9, 2024, 10:44 p.m.(7/11/1021 AR)
Now I see a way.
Written By Giada
Jan. 9, 2024, 10:33 p.m.(7/11/1021 AR)
Written By Lianne
Jan. 9, 2024, 5:25 p.m.(7/11/1021 AR)
Relationship Note on Apollo
(8/23/1014 AR)
It felt, for a moment, as if he wished to use me as a weapon against himself. The cut would've hurt us both, though him more grievously, I imagine. Guilt is a terrible thing.
I wonder, though, if I already am, without trying. There's a shape to his pain that I can't fully see. It's easy to imagine it's a matter of language; I never understand the fullness of what he communicates, and I've come to accept this. This feels different, like I can't see it because I'm a part of it, my perspective limited. When I look at it like that, I can trace the pain back to the beginning. Every step along the way. What a burr and burden I've been.
Not only that, I know. And yet...
Written By Lianne
Jan. 9, 2024, 5:24 p.m.(7/11/1021 AR)
Relationship Note on Aleksei
(10/2/1007 AR)
Of all the things which have brought me joy this week, it is the peace which Aleksei and I have found which makes me happiest. I do not expect that it will last; there is too much inherent tension in our opposing positions on so very many things, no matter how much we might agree on others. I will, however, enjoy this armistice for as long as it lasts. I rather like being able to think of him as a friend again.
I believe it was seeing another misunderstand my intentions that leant him some empathy, that reminded him I am not so cold and cruel as I can sometimes seem when I am pursuing understanding so doggedly. It was a matter of perspective, being on the outside of the conversation, an observer rather than participant.
He does seem tired, though. Increasingly. Each new struggle wears him away a little more. I want to ask if he feels the weight of his chains.
I also want to not lose this friendship while I have it.
Written By Fatima
Jan. 9, 2024, 5:01 p.m.(7/11/1021 AR)
Sharks have fins AND wings. They swim among the clouds, and are your friends.
I once saw a man heroically pull a child out of Darkwater. It was a miracle to behold.
I saw a woman hurl herself willingly into that same water in order to help protect the world, though few would know it.
Written By Apollo
Jan. 9, 2024, 2:36 p.m.(7/10/1021 AR)
Written By Theo
Jan. 9, 2024, 1:45 a.m.(7/9/1021 AR)
A dangerous courtier, unseen, moves to and fro.
In chambers hushed, where whispers softly tread,
Loyalty is woven, like silken threads.
Through gilded halls and mazes of deceit,
Where every smile conceals a hidden feat,
The courtier, a phantom in the courtly dance,
Draped in loyalty, a cloak of circumstance.
To sovereign's whim, allegiance tightly bound,
Yet secrets held in depths where trust is found.
A double-edged embrace, this loyalty,
A dance with shadows, veiled in secrecy.
In silence, ears attuned to every word,
A pledge unbroken, though unseen, unheard.
Through coded language and a knowing glance,
The courtier protects, with loyalty's advance.
With parchment quill, a letter takes its flight,
Words veiled in layers, shrouded from the light.
A maze of verses, labyrinthine, deep,
Where loyalty and treason interweave.
The dangerous courtier, a guardian unseen,
Navigates realms where truth and lies convene.
In loyalty's name, a solemn vow is sworn,
Yet, in the shadows, loyalty is reborn.
For in this world of courtly intrigue,
Where fealty's touch is gentle and discreet,
The courtier, a keeper of the hidden lore,
Knows loyalty is power, forevermore.
Written By Fatima
Jan. 9, 2024, 1:40 a.m.(7/9/1021 AR)
Day One:
I rejected the advice of a friend, knowing it might put others in danger.
The Marin'alfar are gone, but not forgotten.
Snow is as hot as the desert sands.
Written By Theo
Jan. 9, 2024, 1:35 a.m.(7/9/1021 AR)
Written By Denica
Jan. 8, 2024, 11:07 p.m.(7/9/1021 AR)
Written By Lianne
Jan. 8, 2024, 6:09 p.m.(7/9/1021 AR)
(7/6/1008 AR)
It occurs to me only after penning my last entry that I really ought to write this one as well, that I should document, to some degree, my most recent excursion into the tunnels below Aviaron's Peak.
I went because Fortunato asked. Perhaps I should write more on him as well. Another time.
I went because Mydas has my loyalty, even if Aviaron's Peak is no longer his to worry over.
I went because I thought I could help.
There was little help I could offer beyond naming the Reflections at every level, calling attention to their influence. Legion, Despair, Knave. Mydas wouldn't let me speak the Sleeper's name. We argued over whether the fifth level was for Blight or Veil, though Avarice clearly had the sixth.
On the seventh, Fortunato painted. He painted vast dwarven cities and, when he was done, dust rumbled from the walls to reveal the destruction wrought by the thing trapped under the tunnels, to show how both sides worked together to contain it. Balance and cooperation.
Proof of that which I most crave. Proof that it serves a purpose. Proof that it works.
Still, it was all unsettling. After, as a few of us sat around talking, I held to Fortunato's arm and took comfort there.
I should write him. I should visit. I should ask him to paint Avarice for me next.
Written By Lianne
Jan. 8, 2024, 6:08 p.m.(7/9/1021 AR)
(3/9/1010 AR)
All the forgetfulness befalling Arx so suddenly can mean only one thing. Does the snow suggest another hand or is it simply a little fear to go with the forgetting?
Add to that the odd autopsy which Juliana and I performed earlier, the sand hissing about a reckoning, about the sleeper awakening.
I look at what I have to work with, and I despair... and I wonder then if I brought this on myself. This is, after all, the path I've chosen.
Written By Medeia
Jan. 8, 2024, 1:53 p.m.(7/8/1021 AR)
And though I am sad to see him - and his brother, Filip - leave us, I am incredibly excited about the fact that these recent unions between Saik and Ravenseye and Byrne allows us to claim a familial tie to every fealty of the Compact. These connections will bring new and different opportunities, strengthening our houses. It has been my greatest joy and honor to be able to support Saik and the people of Saikland Greens.
Written By Sen'azala
Jan. 8, 2024, 6:11 a.m.(7/8/1021 AR)
Relationship Note on Valdemar
No, the self righteous zealotry is the part where I wholeheartedly believe that Cardia, the Dune Kingdoms, and the Undying Empire all deserve to fucking burn at the hands of the people they enslaved, and that a world where survival is wildly uncertain is better than a world that's simply not worth saving.
Written By Valdemar
Jan. 7, 2024, 10:57 p.m.(7/7/1021 AR)
Written By Jan
Jan. 7, 2024, 9:58 p.m.(7/7/1021 AR)
Written By Raven
Jan. 7, 2024, 9:57 p.m.(7/7/1021 AR)
Written By Rosalind
Jan. 7, 2024, 9:13 p.m.(7/7/1021 AR)
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.