Written By Rysen
May 12, 2020, 11:52 p.m.(4/13/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
I'm not disagreeing with your assessment of Lord Alecstazi here, but you're not exactly a charmer, and his responses are far more embarrassing than I could have dreamed.
I leave for the Northlands to fight the Ravens, and writing about my family helps keep me focused. If you don't want to read it, don't. One thing I learned about myself when I was with Lord Ian and Lady Brianna in captivity is that I am not a man without fear. I must simply do what I can to face it.
I leave for the Northlands to fight the Ravens, and writing about my family helps keep me focused. If you don't want to read it, don't. One thing I learned about myself when I was with Lord Ian and Lady Brianna in captivity is that I am not a man without fear. I must simply do what I can to face it.
Written By Sydney
May 1, 2020, 10:49 p.m.(3/19/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
Again, thank you.
Written By Lucita
April 26, 2020, 12:54 p.m.(3/8/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
Thank you.
Written By Bellamy
April 5, 2020, 9:46 p.m.(1/22/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
My first impression of this woman, who I have come to learn is 'Prima' Shard, was that of a brutal warrior. She spoke of gruesome implements of war and hunting as if they were common day things. However, as we have continued to encounter each other she has oddly been kinder to me than people of Arx, I have encountered. Meaning no insult to the Prima, but I have glanced at her journals and have caught wind of people speak of her...
I must wonder if I am so annoying to my own people that a Prodigal that many would consider a rabble-rouser has been kinder to me in her unadulterated indifference than born citizens of the Compact?
I must wonder if I am so annoying to my own people that a Prodigal that many would consider a rabble-rouser has been kinder to me in her unadulterated indifference than born citizens of the Compact?
Written By Tarik
Feb. 9, 2020, 5:18 p.m.(9.660543568121692/23.990439814814813/1012.7217119640102 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
Well, Shard is Shard. I would love to call her my friend, but I also would love to have a million silver in the bank too.
Written By Niklas
Dec. 15, 2019, 1:09 a.m.(5/17/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
My Nan used to tell us that one.
She did funny voices for the different beasts.
I miss her. Too bad she was eaten by bears.
She did funny voices for the different beasts.
I miss her. Too bad she was eaten by bears.
Written By Aureth
Nov. 12, 2019, midnight(3/7/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
I share your certainty that the idiot in question acted as you write. Else he would have received a much harsher punishment.
Were we standing in the heart of Orthodoxy, that question of intent would matter not at all, for the Seraph of Sanctum would hold that sanctuary has been breached.
The mercy of the Faith, however, is to recognize that no blood was spilled upon holy ground in pursuit of this folly. The Faith militants' blades are stayed. They will fall upon the defiant neck. We do not squander our might upon mere foolishness.
It is when we are faced with defiance, misguided and unrepentant, that we must act.
Were we standing in the heart of Orthodoxy, that question of intent would matter not at all, for the Seraph of Sanctum would hold that sanctuary has been breached.
The mercy of the Faith, however, is to recognize that no blood was spilled upon holy ground in pursuit of this folly. The Faith militants' blades are stayed. They will fall upon the defiant neck. We do not squander our might upon mere foolishness.
It is when we are faced with defiance, misguided and unrepentant, that we must act.
Written By Amari
Nov. 2, 2019, 12:25 a.m.(2/15/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
Thank you for the clarification. It really wasn't necessary, but I'll give it all due consideration.
Written By Fortunato
Oct. 31, 2019, 8:42 p.m.(2/13/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
Ahahaha! We need to talk about paintings, Prima Shard.
Written By Vincenzo
Oct. 31, 2019, 8:17 p.m.(2/13/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
You're better than this.
Imagine, Shard, if every single artist and crafter out there decided they won’t help you because you put down crafters and dismiss their art and work as "not doing anything".
You’d have no food, shelter, armor, weapons and more.
The Compact is multi-faceted, it requires all sorts of diverse people, backgrounds and capabilities to be able to work. We’re stronger together, and thinking that any one vocation is worth more than another is gross ignorance.
I give thanks that I'm able to support the Templars and see to it that their economic power and equipment capability are getting stronger and threats to the Faith are stomped out. It means if I'm doing my job as a crafter and artist, they can do their job even better which brings safety for commerce and life to thrive. Yes, even making damn paintings or an outfit that transcends to become a masterpiece that inspires others to act. Just like the bravery of you on the battlefield can inspire other soldiers to give just a little bit more which could make all the difference.
Imagine, Shard, if every single artist and crafter out there decided they won’t help you because you put down crafters and dismiss their art and work as "not doing anything".
You’d have no food, shelter, armor, weapons and more.
The Compact is multi-faceted, it requires all sorts of diverse people, backgrounds and capabilities to be able to work. We’re stronger together, and thinking that any one vocation is worth more than another is gross ignorance.
I give thanks that I'm able to support the Templars and see to it that their economic power and equipment capability are getting stronger and threats to the Faith are stomped out. It means if I'm doing my job as a crafter and artist, they can do their job even better which brings safety for commerce and life to thrive. Yes, even making damn paintings or an outfit that transcends to become a masterpiece that inspires others to act. Just like the bravery of you on the battlefield can inspire other soldiers to give just a little bit more which could make all the difference.
Written By Apollo
Oct. 31, 2019, 1:16 p.m.(2/12/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
It's sort of funny to have something a crafter does derided for being like a painting.
I made a choice about the materials I would work - a couple of them, actually, for reasons that differ but aren't particularly germane to the discussion - some months ago. I wrote about one of those decisions in the whites but otherwise made no announcement. It's not particularly a balm for my heart; at least once a week I have a conversation with a peer or moneyed merchant who would like me to work with stuff I don't, an unpleasant conversation at best. How dare I, one fine lord suggested, withhold armor that could on the field of battle be the difference between his life and his death? How DARE I.
I dare because I hold myself to count for the work of my own hands. There are many excellent reasons that I favor, to get specific, exotic hides from Arvum to Cardian snakeskin. One amongst them is that - for a fraction of the cost of a set of Cardian snakeskin, and in a fraction of the time, I can furnish a set of exotic leathers. The hides are less expensive to start; Cardian snakeskin is as likely to turn a needle as a sword besides, and so the work is slow, requires meticulous concentration, and the result as subject to the whims of the material as the skill of the tanner. On the rare occasion that skill and an exceedingly cooperative hide align, the quality that can be achieved is considerable, and might exceed the protection offered by armor based on exotic hides by a slim margin. A margin that I can't imagine is worth spending ten times the coin - coin that might have bought the services of another half dozen men skilled with a blade, and their armor as well.
Is a whisper of a chance that you, yourself, will survive - in this slimmest of margins between a killing strike that my exotic armor would not protect you, but Cardian snakeskin would - worth more than well-protected friends on the field of battle? Wealth isn't endless. I don't have to imagine this is the sort of reckoning that military leaders have to do all the time; it happens enough in my presence. But those calculations are also informed by armorsmiths and tanners. We know our trade, we know our wares, we know what goes into what we do. I would hold this in contrast to a painting, but there isn't a contrast. A painter knows her art, too, and the purposes to which it can be turned.
I also know a bit about markets and how they work. The Compact buys plenty enough of fireweave (or did) and steelsilk that - in the absence of fireweave after the embargo was announced - the price of steelsilk doubled. That doesn't happen in absence of demand; there might have been a fluctuation, but to double indicates a certainty that the price will be paid. Even before the embargo the price at market for steelsilk was vastly inflated over its cost in Cardian markets, or so I am told. What we don't manage in volume we make up for in pure profit - which inflates the impact of any decision to turn from that material to another.
These are practical pieces of a decision that was ultimately decided by my faith. Not the Faith, mind - only my own faith with the gods, which I try to let guide me. As I see opportunities to follow that decision with action that will help those enslaved, I will, and do.
I made a choice about the materials I would work - a couple of them, actually, for reasons that differ but aren't particularly germane to the discussion - some months ago. I wrote about one of those decisions in the whites but otherwise made no announcement. It's not particularly a balm for my heart; at least once a week I have a conversation with a peer or moneyed merchant who would like me to work with stuff I don't, an unpleasant conversation at best. How dare I, one fine lord suggested, withhold armor that could on the field of battle be the difference between his life and his death? How DARE I.
I dare because I hold myself to count for the work of my own hands. There are many excellent reasons that I favor, to get specific, exotic hides from Arvum to Cardian snakeskin. One amongst them is that - for a fraction of the cost of a set of Cardian snakeskin, and in a fraction of the time, I can furnish a set of exotic leathers. The hides are less expensive to start; Cardian snakeskin is as likely to turn a needle as a sword besides, and so the work is slow, requires meticulous concentration, and the result as subject to the whims of the material as the skill of the tanner. On the rare occasion that skill and an exceedingly cooperative hide align, the quality that can be achieved is considerable, and might exceed the protection offered by armor based on exotic hides by a slim margin. A margin that I can't imagine is worth spending ten times the coin - coin that might have bought the services of another half dozen men skilled with a blade, and their armor as well.
Is a whisper of a chance that you, yourself, will survive - in this slimmest of margins between a killing strike that my exotic armor would not protect you, but Cardian snakeskin would - worth more than well-protected friends on the field of battle? Wealth isn't endless. I don't have to imagine this is the sort of reckoning that military leaders have to do all the time; it happens enough in my presence. But those calculations are also informed by armorsmiths and tanners. We know our trade, we know our wares, we know what goes into what we do. I would hold this in contrast to a painting, but there isn't a contrast. A painter knows her art, too, and the purposes to which it can be turned.
I also know a bit about markets and how they work. The Compact buys plenty enough of fireweave (or did) and steelsilk that - in the absence of fireweave after the embargo was announced - the price of steelsilk doubled. That doesn't happen in absence of demand; there might have been a fluctuation, but to double indicates a certainty that the price will be paid. Even before the embargo the price at market for steelsilk was vastly inflated over its cost in Cardian markets, or so I am told. What we don't manage in volume we make up for in pure profit - which inflates the impact of any decision to turn from that material to another.
These are practical pieces of a decision that was ultimately decided by my faith. Not the Faith, mind - only my own faith with the gods, which I try to let guide me. As I see opportunities to follow that decision with action that will help those enslaved, I will, and do.
Written By Elisha
Oct. 19, 2019, 10:12 p.m.(1/17/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
We cannot trace the routes of the swallows who cut the air over the roofs,
carving long invisible curves with their wings,
darting now to chase a mosquito,
spiraling now upward,
grazing a pinnacle,
alighting atop a marble crown.
When you travel this far north of the Compact, you arrive in a land where every face is a map, and every map a face: in the nameless capital city, you rejoice in observing all the bridges over the canals, each different from the others: cambered, covered, on pillars, on barges, suspended, with rusty balustrades. Mullioned windows overlook arcades and terraces, lancet windows rise above flagstone paths, windows surmounted by stained-glass roses spill lamplight into courtyards of blue and white tiles.
And yet, at every point in the city, your eyes cannot but be drawn to the statue of three kings on high marble platforms, each with a scarred face, each with the curve of swallows' wings describing invisible sigils above him.
The first king's face is a map of duty, glory, and victory, and his hand is a gleaming golden gauntlet. The second's king's face leads to vengeance, his map a labyrinth of intricate beauty and absolute control.
The third king stands above his brothers; when you kneel before him, he tells you that nobody can possess a map, and then he tells you why.
* * *
(You are correct, my tragic and solemn queen, that you can beat me if you choose, or even kill me. However, you are wrong in imagining that this makes you remarkable. There isn't a sullen thug or spoiled child in Arx who could not beat me, if they chose, or kill me. My life is the most tenuous of the invisible curves described by the swallow's wings--and you must bow to the statue of your choosing.)
carving long invisible curves with their wings,
darting now to chase a mosquito,
spiraling now upward,
grazing a pinnacle,
alighting atop a marble crown.
When you travel this far north of the Compact, you arrive in a land where every face is a map, and every map a face: in the nameless capital city, you rejoice in observing all the bridges over the canals, each different from the others: cambered, covered, on pillars, on barges, suspended, with rusty balustrades. Mullioned windows overlook arcades and terraces, lancet windows rise above flagstone paths, windows surmounted by stained-glass roses spill lamplight into courtyards of blue and white tiles.
And yet, at every point in the city, your eyes cannot but be drawn to the statue of three kings on high marble platforms, each with a scarred face, each with the curve of swallows' wings describing invisible sigils above him.
The first king's face is a map of duty, glory, and victory, and his hand is a gleaming golden gauntlet. The second's king's face leads to vengeance, his map a labyrinth of intricate beauty and absolute control.
The third king stands above his brothers; when you kneel before him, he tells you that nobody can possess a map, and then he tells you why.
* * *
(You are correct, my tragic and solemn queen, that you can beat me if you choose, or even kill me. However, you are wrong in imagining that this makes you remarkable. There isn't a sullen thug or spoiled child in Arx who could not beat me, if they chose, or kill me. My life is the most tenuous of the invisible curves described by the swallow's wings--and you must bow to the statue of your choosing.)
Written By Sydney
Oct. 19, 2019, 9:05 a.m.(1/16/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
Met with Shard again. Try as I might, I can't seem to get a smile out of her that doesn't look threatening - of course, it probably doesn't help overmuch that we have a point of contention between us. Still, I can't bring myself to dislike her. She follows her own compass, and sticks to it like a fucking arrow that's already been loosed. Unwavering?
She's... I don't know - dangerous? But dangerous in the way that appeals to me. (Not that sort of appeal.) ((...I don't think?))
Just once I'd like to share enough drinks with her to actually get her past talkin' about something beyond current events, but we seem to always be interrupted by something or another.
She's... I don't know - dangerous? But dangerous in the way that appeals to me. (Not that sort of appeal.) ((...I don't think?))
Just once I'd like to share enough drinks with her to actually get her past talkin' about something beyond current events, but we seem to always be interrupted by something or another.
Written By Belladonna
Oct. 17, 2019, 11:21 a.m.(1/12/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
Well put. Your thoughts were quite enjoyable to read and think of. Thank you for taking the time to write them. Although I will never fully appreciate snow and winters, I respect one's love for their homeland greatly.
On a more humorous note, not meant to offend any Northerners:
You do make winter sound like my late mother. That is much appreciated, despite not being the intention of your journal.
On a more humorous note, not meant to offend any Northerners:
You do make winter sound like my late mother. That is much appreciated, despite not being the intention of your journal.
Written By Rysen
Oct. 14, 2019, 1:52 p.m.(1/6/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
Keeping one's head in the sand exposes the neck and the whole body. 'Tis better to look your enemies and rivals in the eye, I think.
While there's been a lot of talk about the initial offers made by the empires, there's very little discussion of counter offers or negotiation. Perhaps the situation has changed, and those empires who made an initial offer in hopes of maximizing their benefit at our expense, will now accept an arrangement that minimizes their losses.
It might also be worth asking why, if these empires are so powerful, have they not simply invaded Arvum already? Perhaps we are mightier than we think we are, and all we need is a little bravery as some have suggested, or perhaps the wider world holds a delicate balance of power, and they are reluctant to commit many resources to oppress a people who prize freedom, sovereignty and the gods above all else, a people who will never surrender, and who will fight to the last, while other powers stand ready at their own doorstep.
Perhaps they remember something we don't. It would not be the first time an ancient treaty that we had somehow forgotten was affecting the Compact, in which case our brightest researchers and cleverest diplomats might find us leverage with other significant powers.
Embassies are putting the cart before the horse - but it not an option that should be foreclosed upon forever. Let us first find a worthy ally.
Our diversity is our strength. Let those who excel in negotiation negotiate, and those who excel in the application of force prepare their weapons. In that way, when it comes time to deal with the greatest threats to our sovereignty, we will know all of our options, and trust in our leaders to choose the best of them.
Should we find ourselves on a battlefield facing the legions of some invader, Captain-General, I hope you trust that no foe shall attack your flank while I draw breath to defend it, but I respectfully ask you to give some consideration to those who wish to test soft power, as sometimes a Whisper or quill may preserve cherished traditions, and allow thousands of souls to flourish a bit longer in the Dream.
While there's been a lot of talk about the initial offers made by the empires, there's very little discussion of counter offers or negotiation. Perhaps the situation has changed, and those empires who made an initial offer in hopes of maximizing their benefit at our expense, will now accept an arrangement that minimizes their losses.
It might also be worth asking why, if these empires are so powerful, have they not simply invaded Arvum already? Perhaps we are mightier than we think we are, and all we need is a little bravery as some have suggested, or perhaps the wider world holds a delicate balance of power, and they are reluctant to commit many resources to oppress a people who prize freedom, sovereignty and the gods above all else, a people who will never surrender, and who will fight to the last, while other powers stand ready at their own doorstep.
Perhaps they remember something we don't. It would not be the first time an ancient treaty that we had somehow forgotten was affecting the Compact, in which case our brightest researchers and cleverest diplomats might find us leverage with other significant powers.
Embassies are putting the cart before the horse - but it not an option that should be foreclosed upon forever. Let us first find a worthy ally.
Our diversity is our strength. Let those who excel in negotiation negotiate, and those who excel in the application of force prepare their weapons. In that way, when it comes time to deal with the greatest threats to our sovereignty, we will know all of our options, and trust in our leaders to choose the best of them.
Should we find ourselves on a battlefield facing the legions of some invader, Captain-General, I hope you trust that no foe shall attack your flank while I draw breath to defend it, but I respectfully ask you to give some consideration to those who wish to test soft power, as sometimes a Whisper or quill may preserve cherished traditions, and allow thousands of souls to flourish a bit longer in the Dream.
Written By Sina
Oct. 11, 2019, 8:09 a.m.(12/28/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
Thank you for the clarification!
Written By Peri
Oct. 10, 2019, 8:35 a.m.(12/26/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
People forget that he is not the only one in Arx from that land. I don't know that we would have any choice in the matter for who would staff the embassy or represent them as diplomat. Using the analogy of Lord Rysen, if there are more virtuous relatives perhaps they would apply their influence as to who should represent them. It is a big if, to be clear.
Written By Bree
Oct. 9, 2019, 6:05 p.m.(12/25/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
I have had time to sit with my thoughts, to ruminate on them, and to decide that sometimes the harder decision must be made. I don't believe it cowardly of me to express a gratitude that I did not have to make it, but in the end a man was most likely saved from an even worse fate, and that is saying something.
Written By Cahal
Oct. 7, 2019, 8:26 p.m.(12/21/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
You made the hard choice when we had reached stalemate in a difficult situation.
Whilst I am not entirely happy about you taking the decision without me.
You should know that I do believe it was the right one.
Thank you.
Whilst I am not entirely happy about you taking the decision without me.
You should know that I do believe it was the right one.
Thank you.
Written By Ophelia
Sept. 21, 2019, 11:42 a.m.(11/16/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Shard
They certainly do! And it's a good thing that I, too, am armed to the teeth!
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.