Written By Aureth
April 6, 2019, 11:39 p.m.(11/17/1010 AR)
I remember when birthdays were an occasion for a party. Today, I am scheduling... meetings.
This seems like an unfair trade.
This seems like an unfair trade.
Written By Aureth
March 21, 2019, 11:32 a.m.(10/12/1010 AR)
Heresy is not understandable confusion, it is heresy, and will be responded as such. Those who embrace it will have the opportunity to repent. Mercy to the repentant is a virtue. Yielding to defiance is not mercy but weakness. Those who are prepared to recognize that they have been led into error will be forgiven and embraced. Those who will not will face the consequences.
Do not stand with heretics. You will not enjoy the results.
Murder is a crime. Once a person has bent the knee and accepted the grace of the Compact, they have accepted its protection, and those to whom they are oathsworn have a holy duty to defend them as any other vassal. Neglecting those duties will, indeed, get you in hot water with the Church.
Breach of sanctuary is not the only crime. It is merely the one against which we have no choice but to act first and to act swiftly.
Also, if you honestly think you are going to win a "debate" against the Faith upon any of the above, I strongly suggest you rethink. While we are temperate men and women in many circumstances, we are also men and women of our _word_, and our oaths are given to protect the Faith and to defend the Faithful.
We will do so.
Do not stand with heretics. You will not enjoy the results.
Murder is a crime. Once a person has bent the knee and accepted the grace of the Compact, they have accepted its protection, and those to whom they are oathsworn have a holy duty to defend them as any other vassal. Neglecting those duties will, indeed, get you in hot water with the Church.
Breach of sanctuary is not the only crime. It is merely the one against which we have no choice but to act first and to act swiftly.
Also, if you honestly think you are going to win a "debate" against the Faith upon any of the above, I strongly suggest you rethink. While we are temperate men and women in many circumstances, we are also men and women of our _word_, and our oaths are given to protect the Faith and to defend the Faithful.
We will do so.
Written By Aureth
March 20, 2019, 10:17 p.m.(10/10/1010 AR)
There is literally no acceptable excuse for the spilling of blood upon holy ground after the grant of sanctuary. The guest rights of the Faith are inviolate and to suggest otherwise is an attack upon the body and heart of the Church.
We will investigate the news circulating from Oakhaven with the extreme care that this matter necessarily requires, and the liege lords of the guilty will have the opportunity to make right their transgressions by penance and punishment.
But make no mistake, this is an assault upon our very self, and it will not be tolerated.
We will investigate the news circulating from Oakhaven with the extreme care that this matter necessarily requires, and the liege lords of the guilty will have the opportunity to make right their transgressions by penance and punishment.
But make no mistake, this is an assault upon our very self, and it will not be tolerated.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 21, 2019, 9:21 p.m.(8/12/1010 AR)
I'm not sure whether it is an ass or a fool who invents his own facts in an argument, but it is certainly foolish to attempt to engage him.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 13, 2019, 12:45 p.m.(7/24/1010 AR)
It has come to my attention that I may have aggrieved someone by pointing out their true nature to them in a written missive.
Oh, dear. How unfortunate.
If you think my "hatred" of you is unfounded or unfair, I invite you to call for champions and have done. I'll apologize most prettily for my harshness if I lose, with specific examples of exactly how wrong I was about each of what I perceived to be your calumnies and ill deeds, so that everyone can know why your feelings were so unjustly hurt.
Oh, dear. How unfortunate.
If you think my "hatred" of you is unfounded or unfair, I invite you to call for champions and have done. I'll apologize most prettily for my harshness if I lose, with specific examples of exactly how wrong I was about each of what I perceived to be your calumnies and ill deeds, so that everyone can know why your feelings were so unjustly hurt.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 10, 2019, 9:18 p.m.(7/18/1010 AR)
Stand beneath the moon and see how it paints the world. The colors fade from life and all is black and white and gray and silver, and in the hush under the stars, each new breath has a flavor of possibility to it.
Each choice may bring you to a crossroads, and each may come as a new beginning.
Each choice may bring you to a crossroads, and each may come as a new beginning.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 6, 2019, 8:51 a.m.(7/9/1010 AR)
I appreciate that Master Fatchforth has corrected the record so to speak with respect to the issue of child thralls. And I'll apologize for being incorrect on that issue, for I know that my pen is one that some look to for guidance in matters of faith, which might make it one to seek certainty from in other matters. I don't actually recall if I addressed the issue of children in particular but I did have the mistaken impression that although children were not taken in Maelstrom that the vassal houses were autonomously free to do as they pleased.
So the correction here is that new thralls continue to be made, but not new child thralls. Crimes are still punished with thralldom and war thralls are still taken, but House Thrax has undertaken progressive measures to ensure that children are not among them. I have no desire to diminish the efforts at incremental change that Prince Victus has undertaken during his reign, as I believe he knows.
I don't pretend to believe that this means thralldom is on the verge of petering out on its own, but anything I wrote to the contrary with respect to the age of indentured persons should be corrected.
So the correction here is that new thralls continue to be made, but not new child thralls. Crimes are still punished with thralldom and war thralls are still taken, but House Thrax has undertaken progressive measures to ensure that children are not among them. I have no desire to diminish the efforts at incremental change that Prince Victus has undertaken during his reign, as I believe he knows.
I don't pretend to believe that this means thralldom is on the verge of petering out on its own, but anything I wrote to the contrary with respect to the age of indentured persons should be corrected.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 4, 2019, 11:49 a.m.(7/6/1010 AR)
The idea that no one is arguing not to abolish thralldom is ludicrous and ignorant. Perhaps in Arx proper, in the commons and in the salons, many assume that thralldom should go and merely argue about how or when to do it. But to pretend that this is an accepted commonality of the Mourning Isles is to simply invent nonsense and call it fact.
The idea that thralldom will magically disappear in the next 50 years is similarly ludicrous and ignorant. Numerous vassal houses sworn to Thrax have continued, with the autonomy that is their right, to act as though the progressive steps put into place by present Mourning Isles leadership do not exist, or at least exist with a minimum of impact upon them.
They are still taking new thralls. Right now. Today. This is not a practice that is on the way towards extinction otherwise unchecked.
Stop inventing new "facts" to populate debates with. The art of orderly debate does not include pissing in my ear and telling me it is raining.
The idea that thralldom will magically disappear in the next 50 years is similarly ludicrous and ignorant. Numerous vassal houses sworn to Thrax have continued, with the autonomy that is their right, to act as though the progressive steps put into place by present Mourning Isles leadership do not exist, or at least exist with a minimum of impact upon them.
They are still taking new thralls. Right now. Today. This is not a practice that is on the way towards extinction otherwise unchecked.
Stop inventing new "facts" to populate debates with. The art of orderly debate does not include pissing in my ear and telling me it is raining.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 3, 2019, 9:49 p.m.(7/5/1010 AR)
I should like to congratulate Lord Riagnon Acheron and his new wife, Lady Kenna Acheron, on a very clear and well-diagrammed courtship, culminating in their new marriage. May Limerance bless your union in mutual understanding.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 3, 2019, 9:46 p.m.(7/5/1010 AR)
I will note for the purposes of debate that what House Kennex did was to eradicate thralldom within its borders without preparation or plan, upon no timetable but immediately.
To pretend that we discuss an equivalent situation with Brass's proposal is the height of disingenuity.
To pretend that we discuss an equivalent situation with Brass's proposal is the height of disingenuity.
Written By Aureth
Feb. 3, 2019, 12:21 p.m.(7/4/1010 AR)
Anyone waving their progressive credentials while arguing with Aleksei Morgan about thralldom is a fool.
Written By Aureth
Jan. 27, 2019, 7:28 p.m.(6/18/1010 AR)
The real question is not 'is this a stupid question,' but 'what information do I already have that would make this question unnecessary?'
If you persist in asking questions to which you already know the answers, it does not mean that you are a fool, but it might mean that your rhetoric is a little stale, and people around you may tire of doing the labor of answering for you.
If you persist in asking questions to which you already know the answers, it does not mean that you are a fool, but it might mean that your rhetoric is a little stale, and people around you may tire of doing the labor of answering for you.
Written By Aureth
Jan. 20, 2019, 9:11 p.m.(6/4/1010 AR)
Brass is my personal guest and the guest of the Faith of the Pantheon. I have extended that hospitality to him without regret. I have read a few statements on the matter from a few people and I believe that there are many people in the city who may be confused about what exactly it is that Brass has done wrong in his long life. I've read many accusations that are frankly nonsense and I assume they are the results of gossip and confusion. I strongly suggest finding out what you're talking about before you express your condemnation.
For his past actions against the Wheel, he has been forgiven and restored by the grace of the Queen of Endings. If this were not so, you would not see my hand reached out to him in friendship. Which it is, and shall remain. The gods do not demand perfection. Restoration and restitution may be possible from even the bleakest of depths. Choice is key to this. Remember your free will. It's important.
With respect to the questions of politics and economics surrounding his offer of aid, that is separate, I think, from my respect for his person.
It should come as no surprise that the Legate of the Lost and acting Archlector of the Liberators should support an option that abolishes slavery in all its forms. Yet I think there is room for discussion here about how to blunt the edges of the economic disaster this represents.
There is a question of whether a thing is worth doing in the long term even if it hurts us in the short term.
For his past actions against the Wheel, he has been forgiven and restored by the grace of the Queen of Endings. If this were not so, you would not see my hand reached out to him in friendship. Which it is, and shall remain. The gods do not demand perfection. Restoration and restitution may be possible from even the bleakest of depths. Choice is key to this. Remember your free will. It's important.
With respect to the questions of politics and economics surrounding his offer of aid, that is separate, I think, from my respect for his person.
It should come as no surprise that the Legate of the Lost and acting Archlector of the Liberators should support an option that abolishes slavery in all its forms. Yet I think there is room for discussion here about how to blunt the edges of the economic disaster this represents.
There is a question of whether a thing is worth doing in the long term even if it hurts us in the short term.
Written By Aureth
Jan. 11, 2019, 6:51 p.m.(5/5/1010 AR)
A prayer to Thirteen:
We remember that the light of the pilgrims is compassion for others. Commerce is growth in your own pockets commensurate with growth in another's, and both of you profit thereby. A thoughtless reach for wealth is not an embrace of prosperity, but its empty, hollow echoes. Wealth in and of itself is no wickedness, but wealth pursued by means that forget the needs of others reflects no virtue. Do not forget what your wealth means, nor what it is for, nor why we perform gifts and charity.
We do not forget that blood spilled for its own sake is no glory. We embrace an honor that remembers the humanity of our opponents, and reject accolades earned spent in the deaths of children. We reject utterly those who would kill an unarmed opponent, an innocent, a child. We reject and condemn those who murder recklessly, with abandon, without thought to the honor of the act, or to the identity of their victims. I condemn you for this if you treat acts of slaughter as acts of honorable warfare.
We remember that an act of creation, an act of creativity, is an essential act of hope, a celebration of our better natures. We reject the feeling of helplessness, of misery and unhappiness, that would stifle joy and prevent us from reaching out and embracing the arts. Allow solace to come to your heart if you have need of it and reject the lure of apathy and regret, for you are alive, and with life, there is hope.
We recall in our hearts the importance of our given word, and its representative value as betokens the love and duty we owe one another. We hold our vows in our hearts and souls as the greatest pinnacle of our achievement, not because to hold them is _required_ of us, but because it is _difficult_, and there is value in that very weight. These are burdens we choose, and we choose them because we love them, and we love them because we love each other. We do not forget what it means to be forsworn, and we do not forsake each other.
We do not forget the value of our freedom, for without choice, all else falls away into slavery. We own the responsibility for our choices, because we are creatures of our own agency and will. We will not shunt responsibility for choices we make onto others, for we know that to do so is to accept that we have been enslaved.
We remember that no mistake is permanent, that no step onto the dark path is permanent, that no error can be so unforgivable that it cannot be learned from, embraced, developed and changed. We recognize that there are times when we are wrong, and we remember that to remain the same is to be stagnant, to be static, to be frozen in place, unchanging, unliving. To grow is to live, and to change is to grow, and we do not forget the healing grace of becoming anew.
We know the value of remembering our history, for we see what there is to fear in repeating it. We condemn ignorance as a greater risk than foolishness, for wisdom must be grounded in knowledge, or there is none at all.
We do not forget the grace in the light of the sun, the sweetness of the waters, the dance of life upon the wind. We embrace the light without fear of the dark, but we remember that the darkness lurks, and without it there would be no light, and without light no darkness to grant each other meaning. We embrace the freedom of the wind and waves, and we are grateful for the opportunity to quench our thirst, because we remember what it is to make do with drought.
We remember the grant of plenty that is the world around us, the green things and the golden, the life that swells and grows from each hillock, field, and dell. We embrace the gift of sanctuary and of hospitality and remember that without these things there is nothing but bleakness and waste. We condemn waste and are grateful for plenty, for we know what it is to be without and plagued with famine.
We recall the need for truth and sincerity in our dealings, with each other and before the gods. We know that no matter how much we insist upon the truth of a lie, the deceiving veil pulled over our fellow humanity's eyes will not deceive the gaze of the Watcher who sees all. We remember that falsehood is a flimsy precipice on which to build a reputation, a policy, a life. And we know that liars, ultimately, will find their falsehoods known, and the achievements they earned with their false tongues will be scattered like ashes before the searing fire of the truth that will scour them from this world.
We know that this life too shall pass, and that when it is over, we shall return to the loving arms of the Mother of Beginnings who wove us from herself. We remember her gladly, for without her we know that there would only be the curse of nothingness.
We remember that the dark mirror held up to the light is necessary, for without the dark, the light would have no meaning.
We remember that the Dream is what we make of it. We will stand, and we will make it together.
We remember that the light of the pilgrims is compassion for others. Commerce is growth in your own pockets commensurate with growth in another's, and both of you profit thereby. A thoughtless reach for wealth is not an embrace of prosperity, but its empty, hollow echoes. Wealth in and of itself is no wickedness, but wealth pursued by means that forget the needs of others reflects no virtue. Do not forget what your wealth means, nor what it is for, nor why we perform gifts and charity.
We do not forget that blood spilled for its own sake is no glory. We embrace an honor that remembers the humanity of our opponents, and reject accolades earned spent in the deaths of children. We reject utterly those who would kill an unarmed opponent, an innocent, a child. We reject and condemn those who murder recklessly, with abandon, without thought to the honor of the act, or to the identity of their victims. I condemn you for this if you treat acts of slaughter as acts of honorable warfare.
We remember that an act of creation, an act of creativity, is an essential act of hope, a celebration of our better natures. We reject the feeling of helplessness, of misery and unhappiness, that would stifle joy and prevent us from reaching out and embracing the arts. Allow solace to come to your heart if you have need of it and reject the lure of apathy and regret, for you are alive, and with life, there is hope.
We recall in our hearts the importance of our given word, and its representative value as betokens the love and duty we owe one another. We hold our vows in our hearts and souls as the greatest pinnacle of our achievement, not because to hold them is _required_ of us, but because it is _difficult_, and there is value in that very weight. These are burdens we choose, and we choose them because we love them, and we love them because we love each other. We do not forget what it means to be forsworn, and we do not forsake each other.
We do not forget the value of our freedom, for without choice, all else falls away into slavery. We own the responsibility for our choices, because we are creatures of our own agency and will. We will not shunt responsibility for choices we make onto others, for we know that to do so is to accept that we have been enslaved.
We remember that no mistake is permanent, that no step onto the dark path is permanent, that no error can be so unforgivable that it cannot be learned from, embraced, developed and changed. We recognize that there are times when we are wrong, and we remember that to remain the same is to be stagnant, to be static, to be frozen in place, unchanging, unliving. To grow is to live, and to change is to grow, and we do not forget the healing grace of becoming anew.
We know the value of remembering our history, for we see what there is to fear in repeating it. We condemn ignorance as a greater risk than foolishness, for wisdom must be grounded in knowledge, or there is none at all.
We do not forget the grace in the light of the sun, the sweetness of the waters, the dance of life upon the wind. We embrace the light without fear of the dark, but we remember that the darkness lurks, and without it there would be no light, and without light no darkness to grant each other meaning. We embrace the freedom of the wind and waves, and we are grateful for the opportunity to quench our thirst, because we remember what it is to make do with drought.
We remember the grant of plenty that is the world around us, the green things and the golden, the life that swells and grows from each hillock, field, and dell. We embrace the gift of sanctuary and of hospitality and remember that without these things there is nothing but bleakness and waste. We condemn waste and are grateful for plenty, for we know what it is to be without and plagued with famine.
We recall the need for truth and sincerity in our dealings, with each other and before the gods. We know that no matter how much we insist upon the truth of a lie, the deceiving veil pulled over our fellow humanity's eyes will not deceive the gaze of the Watcher who sees all. We remember that falsehood is a flimsy precipice on which to build a reputation, a policy, a life. And we know that liars, ultimately, will find their falsehoods known, and the achievements they earned with their false tongues will be scattered like ashes before the searing fire of the truth that will scour them from this world.
We know that this life too shall pass, and that when it is over, we shall return to the loving arms of the Mother of Beginnings who wove us from herself. We remember her gladly, for without her we know that there would only be the curse of nothingness.
We remember that the dark mirror held up to the light is necessary, for without the dark, the light would have no meaning.
We remember that the Dream is what we make of it. We will stand, and we will make it together.
Written By Aureth
Jan. 9, 2019, 10:10 p.m.(5/1/1010 AR)
Unity is not a virtue recognized by the Faith of the Pantheon. Other priests have written about this before me, and more eloquently than my pen, but it's important to think about why. Unity _may_ be admirable, but the pursuit of unity as a goal in and of itself rather than as _part_ of something else leads to homogeneity of purpose, of identity, or understanding. And that, in itself, is antithetical to the virtue of Choice.
Call not for unity. Call for compassion, for understanding, for communication and creativity and common sense in a world sorely lacking in that. But not unity.
Standing together is great when you're standing together _for_ something. But don't just stand because someone else is standing.
Call not for unity. Call for compassion, for understanding, for communication and creativity and common sense in a world sorely lacking in that. But not unity.
Standing together is great when you're standing together _for_ something. But don't just stand because someone else is standing.
Written By Aureth
Jan. 4, 2019, 1:36 p.m.(4/19/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Torian
Master Culler, I do suggest you be careful not to confuse Magpie and Alaric. While both are charming and handsome in their separate ways, it would probably upset the King's Own if you threw tomatoes at the wrong one.
Written By Aureth
Jan. 3, 2019, 4:25 p.m.(4/17/1010 AR)
I am not sure any man truly knows his own reputation. What do others think about what you do, and what value is there in what they think about what you do?
I believe there is a personal honor in being passionately consistent in your positions; about retaining an integrity to your continuity of purpose, to your consistency of passion.
I have never been one to shy from the courage of my convictions. I understand that there are times when this has led me to wrong choices. I have never been less vehement when I have been incorrect than when I have been entirely right and righteous. It is the curse of the passionate to charge whole-heartedly into the incorrect.
Anyone can make a mistake. But what do you do when you are corrected? Do you cling staunchly to your position, arguing all the more vehemently for what is plainly untrue? Do you attempt to pretend that it was never your position in the first place, disclaiming responsibility for your own words? Do you acknowledge the points where you were incorrect, accept new information and attempt to do better in the future?
It is the answer to _this_ question -- what you do when you discover you are wrong -- that defines character. Your character is shown by your choices.
Own them.
I believe there is a personal honor in being passionately consistent in your positions; about retaining an integrity to your continuity of purpose, to your consistency of passion.
I have never been one to shy from the courage of my convictions. I understand that there are times when this has led me to wrong choices. I have never been less vehement when I have been incorrect than when I have been entirely right and righteous. It is the curse of the passionate to charge whole-heartedly into the incorrect.
Anyone can make a mistake. But what do you do when you are corrected? Do you cling staunchly to your position, arguing all the more vehemently for what is plainly untrue? Do you attempt to pretend that it was never your position in the first place, disclaiming responsibility for your own words? Do you acknowledge the points where you were incorrect, accept new information and attempt to do better in the future?
It is the answer to _this_ question -- what you do when you discover you are wrong -- that defines character. Your character is shown by your choices.
Own them.
Written By Aureth
Dec. 23, 2018, 1:10 p.m.(3/22/1010 AR)
I strongly encourage houses considering treaties to spend time and care crafting their alliances. Consider not only what your alliance will look like now, but also what it will look like ten years from now. Speak to priests and disciples of Limerance while you are involved in the process of crafting your agreements in the first place. Talk to a lawyer about what your treaty language will actually do to you should you come to a point in the future where one or another party in privity to an agreement will be seeking release from their oath.
This isn't about me. Ilvin is a very nice man who shouldn't have to deal with all this.
This isn't about me. Ilvin is a very nice man who shouldn't have to deal with all this.
Written By Aureth
Dec. 9, 2018, 11:49 a.m.(2/22/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Joscelin
I am pleased to report that my finger bones have entirely recovered from the trauma they suffered while I aided one of my oldest friends in welcoming her ferocious daughter, Ianthe Myrinda, into the world. Ianthe M is every bit as fierce as her mother and as her namesake and I am certain she is blessed with a soul that either has or could wrestle wild tigers into submission with her bare hands.
Written By Aureth
Dec. 7, 2018, 5 p.m.(2/18/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Perronne
You definitely may disagree with me.
But I maintain that to believe your limits are other than they are is no way to exceed them; it merely sets you up for failure.
To know what you _can_ do, and to strive for the impossible anyway, is different than to simply believe from the start your reach exceeds galaxies.
But I maintain that to believe your limits are other than they are is no way to exceed them; it merely sets you up for failure.
To know what you _can_ do, and to strive for the impossible anyway, is different than to simply believe from the start your reach exceeds galaxies.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.