Written By Aureth
June 13, 2020, 7:35 p.m.(6/20/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Aleksei
It is a duty of the Faith to challenge our congregations to examine what is not comfortable as we strive for the virtues of the gods. It is good to see the disciples of the First Choice continuing to hold to this truth, even if he's not a priest anymore.
Written By Aureth
June 3, 2020, 11:37 p.m.(6/1/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Niklas
"Thembarassment" is a truly excellent word for that feeling of shame you get witnessing the total absence of shame of another. Prince Niklas coined it. Very apropos.
Written By Aureth
May 26, 2020, 4:29 p.m.(5/12/1013 AR)
Disapproval is not a changeless thing, to be borne as a silent burden, helpless, powerless. When expressed, it is in hopes that those frowned upon will choose to correct their behavior for the better. If it were addressed to some immutable quality, it would not be disapproval at all, but something crueler.
We do not disapprove what cannot be corrected. Rather, we offer correction in hopes that the people will accept guidance, grow, and change.
We do not disapprove what cannot be corrected. Rather, we offer correction in hopes that the people will accept guidance, grow, and change.
Written By Aureth
May 23, 2020, 4:46 p.m.(5/6/1013 AR)
Relationship Note on Joscelin
I see several of your friends writing about your memory lately. I hope, out there in the world, you remember the touch you had on all our hearts.
But I don't wish you any better aim.
But I don't wish you any better aim.
Written By Aureth
May 22, 2020, 3:20 p.m.(5/4/1013 AR)
It's always so charming when noblemen think they can announce they are criminals for all to hear without the opprobrium of their peers.
Written By Aureth
May 18, 2020, 12:45 p.m.(4/24/1013 AR)
For Gild we make of ourselves charitable. We give of what we have earned by the work of our hands - or the work of our tenants' hands, or the fruits of our dominion - because to give where there is need is the work of she whose grace is giving. The principles of civilization demand that where there is hunger, we must work to provide surcease.
But, Father, there is always hunger.
This new scarcity of food is new, but we all know that there is always scarcity. Look to the work of Solace in the lowers. You need sojourn no further than down the hill to see knights sworn in Gild's service and brothers and sisters engaged in her work.
But, Father, there is never enough.
The incompleteness of labor is not a reason not to labor. It is from insufficiencies that sufficiency is built. There is grace in each gift. The gods do not demand perfection, but effort.
The Church condemns violence, but does so sorrowfully. If you are in hardship, seek out the brothers and sisters of the Faith. If you seek to render aid and know not where to lend the work of your hands, seek out Solace and their good works. They can always use another pair of hands.
But, Father, there is always hunger.
This new scarcity of food is new, but we all know that there is always scarcity. Look to the work of Solace in the lowers. You need sojourn no further than down the hill to see knights sworn in Gild's service and brothers and sisters engaged in her work.
But, Father, there is never enough.
The incompleteness of labor is not a reason not to labor. It is from insufficiencies that sufficiency is built. There is grace in each gift. The gods do not demand perfection, but effort.
The Church condemns violence, but does so sorrowfully. If you are in hardship, seek out the brothers and sisters of the Faith. If you seek to render aid and know not where to lend the work of your hands, seek out Solace and their good works. They can always use another pair of hands.
Written By Aureth
May 12, 2020, 6:55 p.m.(4/12/1013 AR)
I have little interest in the contretemps of the day but one point does bestir my pen.
The approval of a marital alliance by the Faith should never be taken as an approval of its politics. The Faith is not here to intervene in your political choices. We are here as custodians of your oaths, historians of record, guardians of your honor, but we are not here to make your choices for you. We uphold the dignity of your judgment and the gods have granted you freedom to make your own choices.
If you wish the Faith to weigh in upon those choices, of course you may ask any priest to tell you what they think, but when I am reviewing a marital alliance I am not suffering under the misapprehension that my opinion is being sought. While I understand it is difficult to believe, I do sometimes manage to keep those opinions to myself.
Rather, we undertake to ensure that no promise within the treaty is a breach, that no one's oaths are placed in immediate conflict, and that the laws of Limerance are upheld. This is ministerial, protective and important, but not - I must emphasize - political.
The approval of a marital alliance by the Faith should never be taken as an approval of its politics. The Faith is not here to intervene in your political choices. We are here as custodians of your oaths, historians of record, guardians of your honor, but we are not here to make your choices for you. We uphold the dignity of your judgment and the gods have granted you freedom to make your own choices.
If you wish the Faith to weigh in upon those choices, of course you may ask any priest to tell you what they think, but when I am reviewing a marital alliance I am not suffering under the misapprehension that my opinion is being sought. While I understand it is difficult to believe, I do sometimes manage to keep those opinions to myself.
Rather, we undertake to ensure that no promise within the treaty is a breach, that no one's oaths are placed in immediate conflict, and that the laws of Limerance are upheld. This is ministerial, protective and important, but not - I must emphasize - political.
Written By Aureth
April 26, 2020, 11:54 p.m.(3/9/1013 AR)
I have earned in my lifetime a reputation for being the kind of man who says what he thinks.
I won't say that it isn't so.
I come by it honestly, in that I learned it from my mother. Myrinda Grayhope was a woman who knew how not to hold her tongue. She knew how to push. There were times she pushed too far. But there were times, also, that she was fearless in a world of fear. She taught me about courage. She taught me about standing up for myself. More importantly, she taught me about standing up for other people.
She was the finest tailor in the city. That is, I'm sure there were other people who might have competed for the title while she was alive, but none of them were my mother, so I'm confident in writing that she was the finest tailor in the city. She was a true master of her craft. Her apprentice, Mistress Talia, has done her the honor of continuing the legacy of her work, creating a brilliant echo of the artistry of her needle. It is a tremendous burden, having learned from the best.
But what I learned from my mother isn't artistry. I never had the knack. What I learned from her was how to use my words. You can do a lot with them. Tremendous amount of power of the right word in the right place.
Second to her artistry, third to her courage, was my mother's aim. Myrinda Grayhope knew precisely where to aim her rage. It wasn't at her equals, for the most part - or if it was, that was in decent private. It wasn't at her inferiors. I've spent years studying etiquette as an adult, mastering the art of manners, and so much of what I have learned in studying etiquette is what my mother knew intuitively, by instinct. What she knew, those lessons in courtesy, in social maneuver, in public understanding -- it all comes down to _where to aim_.
And timing. But mostly, aim. A few words about aim.
You don't need to castigate your inferiors. It's crass. It's crass because they can't fight back. If a social inferior scorns you, pity them. They've made themselves ridiculous. If a social equal scorns you, challenge them to a duel, because they have assaulted your honor. But if a social superior scorns you, well -- you've made your point. You forced them to acknowledge you. You forced them to elevate you. You have already won.
Because that's what it does. If someone beneath you attacks and you respond? You've brought them down to your level.
When I was a lad, I learned that lesson as the man shouting on high. And now, I stand at the other end, and I find that the same lessons I learned from Myrinda Grayhope remain as salient and sane now as they were when I was the one doing the shouting.
My mother made a lifetime's work of bringing down the mighty.
I wonder, sometimes, what she would think of that now.
I won't say that it isn't so.
I come by it honestly, in that I learned it from my mother. Myrinda Grayhope was a woman who knew how not to hold her tongue. She knew how to push. There were times she pushed too far. But there were times, also, that she was fearless in a world of fear. She taught me about courage. She taught me about standing up for myself. More importantly, she taught me about standing up for other people.
She was the finest tailor in the city. That is, I'm sure there were other people who might have competed for the title while she was alive, but none of them were my mother, so I'm confident in writing that she was the finest tailor in the city. She was a true master of her craft. Her apprentice, Mistress Talia, has done her the honor of continuing the legacy of her work, creating a brilliant echo of the artistry of her needle. It is a tremendous burden, having learned from the best.
But what I learned from my mother isn't artistry. I never had the knack. What I learned from her was how to use my words. You can do a lot with them. Tremendous amount of power of the right word in the right place.
Second to her artistry, third to her courage, was my mother's aim. Myrinda Grayhope knew precisely where to aim her rage. It wasn't at her equals, for the most part - or if it was, that was in decent private. It wasn't at her inferiors. I've spent years studying etiquette as an adult, mastering the art of manners, and so much of what I have learned in studying etiquette is what my mother knew intuitively, by instinct. What she knew, those lessons in courtesy, in social maneuver, in public understanding -- it all comes down to _where to aim_.
And timing. But mostly, aim. A few words about aim.
You don't need to castigate your inferiors. It's crass. It's crass because they can't fight back. If a social inferior scorns you, pity them. They've made themselves ridiculous. If a social equal scorns you, challenge them to a duel, because they have assaulted your honor. But if a social superior scorns you, well -- you've made your point. You forced them to acknowledge you. You forced them to elevate you. You have already won.
Because that's what it does. If someone beneath you attacks and you respond? You've brought them down to your level.
When I was a lad, I learned that lesson as the man shouting on high. And now, I stand at the other end, and I find that the same lessons I learned from Myrinda Grayhope remain as salient and sane now as they were when I was the one doing the shouting.
My mother made a lifetime's work of bringing down the mighty.
I wonder, sometimes, what she would think of that now.
Written By Aureth
March 18, 2020, 11:02 a.m.(12/13/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Tanith
I've never had a bag of rabbit testicles but I suppose you could try frying them in oil.
Written By Aureth
March 4, 2020, 4:16 p.m.(11/14/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Aleksei
Legacy is what you have done, not only what you are remembered for.
Aleksei Morgan is going to be remembered in the history of the Faith for being the first Archlector of the First Choice in this new era of memory and understanding, and his dedicated service as Liberator and First Liberator even after his unexpected family obligations required that he ask to be released from the priesthood.
But the godsworn are sworn to all the gods, and our work is not limited to the service of any one. Aleksei's work spanned the whole Pantheon, and it had a direct impact on how we worship, particularly here in the capital. As I see his work continuing to shape the future of ritual, as the mantle of what he has done is taken up by priests long after his departure, I see a legacy to be proud of, and the damn kid isn't even 30.
Aleksei Morgan is going to be remembered in the history of the Faith for being the first Archlector of the First Choice in this new era of memory and understanding, and his dedicated service as Liberator and First Liberator even after his unexpected family obligations required that he ask to be released from the priesthood.
But the godsworn are sworn to all the gods, and our work is not limited to the service of any one. Aleksei's work spanned the whole Pantheon, and it had a direct impact on how we worship, particularly here in the capital. As I see his work continuing to shape the future of ritual, as the mantle of what he has done is taken up by priests long after his departure, I see a legacy to be proud of, and the damn kid isn't even 30.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 18, 2020, 11:03 p.m.(10.42366691468254/17.725347222222222/1012.7853055762235 AR)
Relationship Note on Aleksei
Peanut is very charming, but you are way less likely to leave hair all over the floor.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 13, 2020, 2:24 p.m.(10.041055307539683/3.2990972222222226/1012.7534212756283 AR)
Relationship Note on Tomwell
Thoughts on the nature of an ending . . .
In ways, this isn't one. It may be a long journey, it may be one that you don't return from in this life, but whether it is or isn't, what you are to me isn't gone, and the lessons we learned together with whole hearts will be with us always. We sacrificed together, and that is the kind of thing that doesn't go away.
In other ways, it is: an ending, and a new beginning, with all the bitterness and sweetness that might contain in either concept. Love isn't selfish. It doesn't hoard to itself what is, what was, what could be. It permits us to grow. I know that whatever this is, you chose it, and that means that I can open my arms, and my heart, and let it happen with the force of benediction. It doesn't mean that I won't miss you, your warmth, or your humor, or the fathomless depths of compassion in your eyes.
But it's a gift to give on, not to hoard. Bless you on your road, my dearest boy, my sweet friend, and may whatever aerie you reach fill you with wonder in your new beginning.
In ways, this isn't one. It may be a long journey, it may be one that you don't return from in this life, but whether it is or isn't, what you are to me isn't gone, and the lessons we learned together with whole hearts will be with us always. We sacrificed together, and that is the kind of thing that doesn't go away.
In other ways, it is: an ending, and a new beginning, with all the bitterness and sweetness that might contain in either concept. Love isn't selfish. It doesn't hoard to itself what is, what was, what could be. It permits us to grow. I know that whatever this is, you chose it, and that means that I can open my arms, and my heart, and let it happen with the force of benediction. It doesn't mean that I won't miss you, your warmth, or your humor, or the fathomless depths of compassion in your eyes.
But it's a gift to give on, not to hoard. Bless you on your road, my dearest boy, my sweet friend, and may whatever aerie you reach fill you with wonder in your new beginning.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 5, 2020, 3:13 p.m.(9.368827298280424/14.654328703703705/1012.6974022748567 AR)
Relationship Note on Tanith
You don't know the half of it.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 4, 2020, 5:21 p.m.(9.30384300595238/11.015208333333334/1012.6919869171627 AR)
When times are the bleakest, that is the time when it is vital to hold on to your sense of humor. To remember your humanity. To laugh in the face of doom. I therefore have some advice for any who would cast spurious judgments on those whose public faces bear a smile.
Put a sock in it.
Put a sock in it.
Written By Aureth
Jan. 22, 2020, 8:50 p.m.(8.386240906084655/15.629490740740742/1012.6155200755071 AR)
Relationship Note on Alarissa
It is so, historically, Princess Alarissa Thrax and I frequently have had occasion to disagree, on numerous subjects, but it is difficult to argue with her sense of fashion. Her most recent collection modeled on behalf of the Faith has made this plain, and I believe it worthy of note.
Written By Aureth
Jan. 15, 2020, 2:04 p.m.(7/25/1012 AR)
Emilia Godsworn is fortunate in the mercy of the Templars and the Faith.
Extremely fortunate.
Extremely fortunate.
Written By Aureth
Jan. 7, 2020, 5:46 p.m.(7/9/1012 AR)
A prayer for the newborn:
Mother of Beginnings, Protector of the Wheel,
We honor your touch with heartfelt zeal;
Queen of the Twilight, Spinner of Souls,
We thank you for this gift, tiny and whole.
Mother of Beginnings, Guardian of Spirit,
We sing now your praise and pray that you hear it
For there is nothing more precious to you or I
Than a life new in the cradle, low-born or high-
A new life, a new hope, a new opportunity,
A chance at choice to grace our community
We sing now of welcome to the child, this gift,
and in hymnal to you our voices will lift
Mother of Beginnings, Protector of the Wheel,
In this moment of joy a new future's revealed,
and we honor your grant of this new beginning--
for each blessed day the Wheel keeps on spinning.
Mother of Beginnings, Protector of the Wheel,
We honor your touch with heartfelt zeal;
Queen of the Twilight, Spinner of Souls,
We thank you for this gift, tiny and whole.
Mother of Beginnings, Guardian of Spirit,
We sing now your praise and pray that you hear it
For there is nothing more precious to you or I
Than a life new in the cradle, low-born or high-
A new life, a new hope, a new opportunity,
A chance at choice to grace our community
We sing now of welcome to the child, this gift,
and in hymnal to you our voices will lift
Mother of Beginnings, Protector of the Wheel,
In this moment of joy a new future's revealed,
and we honor your grant of this new beginning--
for each blessed day the Wheel keeps on spinning.
Written By Aureth
Dec. 27, 2019, 3:12 p.m.(6/14/1012 AR)
For Rinel I write here publicly that I also mourn the fate of the apostate who was cast from us, who bore the name of Elisha Arrynfield.
I mourn that he would not be saved; that his choices drove him to a point where the Faith could no longer extend mercy.
I mourn for the lives of the Abandoned who are beyond our reach, for all souls are sacred, and all life has the possibility of grace.
I castigate no compassion. Yet reason must not be forsaken for it.
I mourn that he would not be saved; that his choices drove him to a point where the Faith could no longer extend mercy.
I mourn for the lives of the Abandoned who are beyond our reach, for all souls are sacred, and all life has the possibility of grace.
I castigate no compassion. Yet reason must not be forsaken for it.
Written By Aureth
Dec. 26, 2019, 6:28 p.m.(6/13/1012 AR)
I have had occasion to wonder, before, the limits of truth that people want to hear at funerals. It's a difficult balance to strike, even when one is actually making the effort.
Written By Aureth
Dec. 25, 2019, 5:09 p.m.(6/11/1012 AR)
Relationship Note on Mayir
By the grace of Gild, your prosperity only brings me pride and pleasure.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.