Written By Archeron
Aug. 13, 2018, 5:12 p.m.(5/21/1009 AR)
As an aside, if you would like to know about what happens if you do not allow scars to harden, if you insist on focusing on the wound and not the healing? Do feel free to seek out my dear cousin Reveka. Should you survive the search, I am sure her views are informative on the subject.
Written By Archeron
Aug. 13, 2018, 5:08 p.m.(5/21/1009 AR)
Apparently the discussion is on scars in the whites and what they mean. Though I cover them, I do not deny my scars - they are not small. What do they represent? Time. Each long scar bought me moments. Seconds. Each wrap of the thorn whip around my body drew my shot closer and, through the pain, the final arrow I loosed pierced my enemy's eye. And the difference between victory or defeat for my patrol.
What are they now? They are scars. Isn't the point that they heal over in time?
What are they now? They are scars. Isn't the point that they heal over in time?
Written By Archeron
Aug. 5, 2018, 7:28 a.m.(4/28/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Veronica
I promise, Amari will be well taken care of at Tyde Tower, and you are always more than welcome in our home - and indeed out at Tyde Hall as well. Though, the more I get to know Amari, the more I can appreciate how much you are all giving up.
Written By Archeron
July 14, 2018, 9:39 a.m.(3/10/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Amari
I'm quite lucky to have been paired with someone whose humour and life is so complimentary to my own, but also sufficiently different that there never seems to be a boring moment. And helpfully I remain the better archer, so my fragile ego can remain unbruised.
Written By Archeron
June 26, 2018, 6:58 p.m.(2/2/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Alarissa
You'd want a heavy cream sauce, Princess. That way the High Lord eating said Claw of Arx would not be aware of what meat he is eating until you reveal it at the end of the meal.
Written By Archeron
June 26, 2018, 4:49 p.m.(2/2/1009 AR)
Oh, and on the subject of archery champions duels....first blood tends to be rather permanent if it goes in the eye. Or the nose. Or the throat. And it is amazing how well an arrow can punch right through metal. Though I suppose with a sword you can also hit those places, but it somehow seems safer. I guess because the more armour you are wearing, the worse you are going to shoot if it is metal. So.
Still, it should be entertaining - and /that/ is the important thing about duels. Solving the dispute, entertaining the people. It would be kind of dull if they just safely tickled each other.
Still, it should be entertaining - and /that/ is the important thing about duels. Solving the dispute, entertaining the people. It would be kind of dull if they just safely tickled each other.
Written By Archeron
June 26, 2018, 4:30 p.m.(2/2/1009 AR)
Thank you to all for the messengers of congratulation - I hope equal numbers of condolences were sent to Lady Amari for being lumbered with me.
Marriage is a duty, it forms bonds of alliance between houses - in our case bonds between Keaton and Tyde, between Oathlands and Thrax. But. Sometimes duty can be pleasurable and gentle, and in Amari I have certainly a friend, but I hope in time more.
I am glad that we have this period of courtship, an old tradition that seems to not be in fashion at the moment. I'm glad that a marriage deal was reached. And I'm glad that Tyde has new friends.
We fall. We rise.
Marriage is a duty, it forms bonds of alliance between houses - in our case bonds between Keaton and Tyde, between Oathlands and Thrax. But. Sometimes duty can be pleasurable and gentle, and in Amari I have certainly a friend, but I hope in time more.
I am glad that we have this period of courtship, an old tradition that seems to not be in fashion at the moment. I'm glad that a marriage deal was reached. And I'm glad that Tyde has new friends.
We fall. We rise.
Written By Archeron
June 19, 2018, 6:46 a.m.(1/15/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Fredrik
It is easy to only think of our losses. The cousins I played with, a father who grows fainter in my memory each year, servants who cared for us, and a home I could not return to for 12 years, a name I could not claim. Yet, we should remember how others suffered, on both sides. The Redtydes fell early, because they held true to their oaths. It seems cruel that your reward for that is more loss now, even as the last of your house. I suppose news that some forswore the Compact, would rather live outside of it than under Donrai, it does mean there may be some of your relatives who might return to the compact now things have changed. Though, I am surprised the intensity with which grudges can be held for all these years - Reveka and her hunt for justice seems so futile now.
You know if we can help, we will. You honoured your oaths, we have always honoured ours.
You know if we can help, we will. You honoured your oaths, we have always honoured ours.
Written By Archeron
June 17, 2018, 2:24 p.m.(1/12/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Reigna
The Countess of Keaton, I have to admire how she stands for her house - a house which has build a reputation for its integrity. She is not someone I would willingly face across the negotiation table.
Written By Archeron
June 17, 2018, 2:23 p.m.(1/12/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Amari
As I get to know Lady Amari, I am always impressed that nothing seems to trouble her, nothing seems to dampen her spirits. She is most excellent company.
Written By Archeron
May 28, 2018, 1:56 p.m.(11/12/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Amari
The Lady Amari seems in many ways similar to me - the sensible love of the forest and the outdoors. I'll maintain a badger is preferable to a small goat, but, still. We must accept these differences in life.
What she did make me think of with her questions about Thrax, is the view that we are scary. As I wrote about Victus, he can seem scary yet I have no fear because he is a man who is trying to be just. For my part, I wonder if I try to - if not be scary - if I cultivate a stand off nature? I do like to observe, even within social situations. I like to provoke others to emotional reaction, so I can understand them at their most honest, least guarded. Does that make me a bad person? Perhaps. I could say I am just a product of my past - that I avoid people because people are unreliable. They will say they are there to protect you, and then they will die. Everyone has these secrets they hold, and the dangers of those secrets are played out on everyone. I could say it is because the woods are my home. But in truth it is because I do not know my place, or how I relate to others. I am voice of a house I spent most of my life hiding my heritage to. I am an archer and woodsman of a fealty that values personal combat and the sea over the land.
Perhaps the secret to finding myself isn't in withdrawing into myself, but in seeking to expand my thoughts by meeting with others. Perhaps. It is worth a try.
What she did make me think of with her questions about Thrax, is the view that we are scary. As I wrote about Victus, he can seem scary yet I have no fear because he is a man who is trying to be just. For my part, I wonder if I try to - if not be scary - if I cultivate a stand off nature? I do like to observe, even within social situations. I like to provoke others to emotional reaction, so I can understand them at their most honest, least guarded. Does that make me a bad person? Perhaps. I could say I am just a product of my past - that I avoid people because people are unreliable. They will say they are there to protect you, and then they will die. Everyone has these secrets they hold, and the dangers of those secrets are played out on everyone. I could say it is because the woods are my home. But in truth it is because I do not know my place, or how I relate to others. I am voice of a house I spent most of my life hiding my heritage to. I am an archer and woodsman of a fealty that values personal combat and the sea over the land.
Perhaps the secret to finding myself isn't in withdrawing into myself, but in seeking to expand my thoughts by meeting with others. Perhaps. It is worth a try.
Written By Archeron
May 25, 2018, 8:22 a.m.(11/3/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Sina
Trying to understand why Donrai Thrax did anything is like trying to hold back the tides that lap at Maelstrom's docks. It is a task without end and you will be mad long before it is finished.
I am lucky in that I did not meet the man in his lifetime. Everything Abbas thought he had to do to safeguard the Isles, Donrai was willing to do and revel in. He was the true embodiment of our cruelty, of our excess. He is a reminder of what Thrax can be if we are unleashed from our moral compass, if we do what we can because we please. To reave and destroy and hurt with no care or end. In that sense though, Donrai was a cure for us from that.
Look at the time since his passing. Even as Thrax houses rise, as we restore ourselves, there has not been a return to reaving. Tyde ships have not raided Grimhall lands. Grimhall has not raided the Grayson coast. Bodies do not rise on the clifftops, crucified to warn our enemies that we have been, and will go where we please. Look at what he has left in his wake. Prince Victus is more a victim of Donrai than most - he was at times the sword that Donrai chose to wield, to do his deeds. And now, Victus leads as a modern ruler. He is decisive, but he also seeks advice. He rules by consent with his nobles. He is a man who is worthy of respect far more than his predecessor. Because he builds Thrax. He doesn't use it as a tool, he works for the good of Thrax, not burning Thrax for his own good. And as a person he might be scary at times, but I have never felt that fear myself. Because I know he wishes to be just. And I trust him.
When Kennex decided to abolish Thralldom - whatever you think about their rashness or righteousness - you saw the ships of all of the Isles there helping, and many of their former Thralls now live on Tyde Isle as freemen, some as scholars in our University others tend the woods, and all the other jobs men have. The pressure on Kennex was relieved, they were allowed to breath again, and restore themselves to their feet even if it will be a time before they are healthy again. I do not think that would have happened under the man I understand Donrai to have been. Seeing them struggle on the ground, the weight of their decision crushing their chest, pressing the air from their bodies....I think he would have added his boot to their throat, and smiled as he watched the fires die out. Or worse, had another man take that burden while he watched.
I am lucky in that I did not meet the man in his lifetime. Everything Abbas thought he had to do to safeguard the Isles, Donrai was willing to do and revel in. He was the true embodiment of our cruelty, of our excess. He is a reminder of what Thrax can be if we are unleashed from our moral compass, if we do what we can because we please. To reave and destroy and hurt with no care or end. In that sense though, Donrai was a cure for us from that.
Look at the time since his passing. Even as Thrax houses rise, as we restore ourselves, there has not been a return to reaving. Tyde ships have not raided Grimhall lands. Grimhall has not raided the Grayson coast. Bodies do not rise on the clifftops, crucified to warn our enemies that we have been, and will go where we please. Look at what he has left in his wake. Prince Victus is more a victim of Donrai than most - he was at times the sword that Donrai chose to wield, to do his deeds. And now, Victus leads as a modern ruler. He is decisive, but he also seeks advice. He rules by consent with his nobles. He is a man who is worthy of respect far more than his predecessor. Because he builds Thrax. He doesn't use it as a tool, he works for the good of Thrax, not burning Thrax for his own good. And as a person he might be scary at times, but I have never felt that fear myself. Because I know he wishes to be just. And I trust him.
When Kennex decided to abolish Thralldom - whatever you think about their rashness or righteousness - you saw the ships of all of the Isles there helping, and many of their former Thralls now live on Tyde Isle as freemen, some as scholars in our University others tend the woods, and all the other jobs men have. The pressure on Kennex was relieved, they were allowed to breath again, and restore themselves to their feet even if it will be a time before they are healthy again. I do not think that would have happened under the man I understand Donrai to have been. Seeing them struggle on the ground, the weight of their decision crushing their chest, pressing the air from their bodies....I think he would have added his boot to their throat, and smiled as he watched the fires die out. Or worse, had another man take that burden while he watched.
Written By Archeron
May 13, 2018, 6:31 p.m.(9/25/1008 AR)
So, along with other tasks, I have somehow volunteered myself to approach other fealties about marriage matches for myself and my sister. I guess the work of a Voice is never quite straight forward. I suppose, dear scholar, I should apologise publicly to those nobles who will have to deal with me in this - it is not always the most enjoyable conversation.
Written By Archeron
March 20, 2018, 7:13 p.m.(5/23/1008 AR)
Setarco. It is the isles, but it is not The Isles. Funny, I am sure many Thrax over the years have tried to be here, and now we find ourselves invited, to help it be held no less. And I have taken another boat ride. But which will this be? One of the boat rides that is simply sat, or the one which will in someway change my life? The last took Aislin, so this one should be kind. I hope.
And still.
My cousin commands the enemy. My supposedly dead cousin. I cannot imagine the rage in her, all that time away, sitting. It was easy to hate Thrax, if that had festered, then I cannot imagine what that does to a person, to their very being. Yet. She bears the name Tyde. And House Tyde survives once more. I cannot help but feel she deserves a chance to know that perhaps there is some chance at peace for her. And that Tyde commands her obedience. A last chance for her to turn from whatever drives her.
If she will not, then I just hope she stays well clear of these walls. There are few enough Tydes, to have to kill one myself would feel like a betrayal, but a necessary one if we must.
And still.
My cousin commands the enemy. My supposedly dead cousin. I cannot imagine the rage in her, all that time away, sitting. It was easy to hate Thrax, if that had festered, then I cannot imagine what that does to a person, to their very being. Yet. She bears the name Tyde. And House Tyde survives once more. I cannot help but feel she deserves a chance to know that perhaps there is some chance at peace for her. And that Tyde commands her obedience. A last chance for her to turn from whatever drives her.
If she will not, then I just hope she stays well clear of these walls. There are few enough Tydes, to have to kill one myself would feel like a betrayal, but a necessary one if we must.
Written By Archeron
March 13, 2018, 1:51 p.m.(5/9/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Sparte
If you are doing a history of slavery, why on Arvum are you talking about Thralldom? I do not do a study of horses by talking about deer just because they both stand on four legs.
Written By Archeron
Jan. 26, 2018, 10:16 a.m.(1/15/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Harlan
That was a very creepy way to put it, Cousin.
Written By Archeron
Oct. 8, 2017, 5:09 p.m.(5/12/1007 AR)
Relationship Note on Lethe
She is settling in well to the city - and off with Margot on a mission. I worry a little, I would rather keep Lethe and Margot both safe, but then what would I be saving them from? Life? It is my job as her brother, as Margot's cousin, to keep them safe - but not my job to try and change them or stunt their lives. it is a hard balance. But I trust Margot to keep Lethe safe. And I trust Lethe to come home.
Written By Archeron
Oct. 8, 2017, 5:07 p.m.(5/12/1007 AR)
Relationship Note on Margot
My cousin gave me a new bow - an old artifact - to use and look after. It is easy to forget that it was not long ago that family had a very different meaning for all of us. Still. I am glad to help Margot out however I can. While Lethe and I had each other, and our mother, Margot was alone for a long time.
Written By Archeron
Oct. 1, 2017, 4:53 p.m.(4/26/1007 AR)
Relationship Note on Alarissa
It was lovely to have Princess Alarissa visit for tea again - Thrax is much stronger for her joining our ranks. She has brought a new perspective that is refreshing, and I am wish her and Prince Victus all the best.
Written By Archeron
Sept. 24, 2017, 6:53 p.m.(4/10/1007 AR)
Relationship Note on Margot
Home safe and sound - and with more vassals. A good piece of work cousin.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.