Written By Aureth
Dec. 6, 2018, 10:03 p.m.(2/17/1010 AR)
Self-improvement is a grand goal, and I would discourage no one from seeking it. There are times, though, that a person seeks to scratch out depths of water from a surface no deeper than sand and silt.
It is the gift of Lagoma that we may learn and grow, but individuals still have strengths and weaknesses. Learn and grow, but remember your human limits, and do not expect the impossible, or you will only disappoint yourself.
It is the gift of Lagoma that we may learn and grow, but individuals still have strengths and weaknesses. Learn and grow, but remember your human limits, and do not expect the impossible, or you will only disappoint yourself.
Written By Aureth
Dec. 2, 2018, 7:16 p.m.(2/8/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Juniper
A bat.
There are things the world has lost for good, but I'm not in the habit of accepting that.
There are things the world has lost for good, but I'm not in the habit of accepting that.
Written By Aureth
Nov. 20, 2018, 10:56 p.m.(1/12/1010 AR)
Death spun our souls from her own blood. It is not a gift reserved to those who live within the Compact.
The Abandoned you kill today could be reborn as your granddaughter tomorrow.
I have had reason to consider, in my musings on the topic of life, death and choice, that there are bonds between many of the gods in the Pantheon. Much has been written of the fidelity between Gloria and Limerance. Some has been written of the connection between Limerance and the Sentinel, on the virtues and demands of truth, duty, and honor.
Death sets you on your path, and the choices you make from there define it. I won't call it a binding between Death and Skald, for Skald suffers no bonds. But the fact of the matter is, the choices you make are what write your story, and that story is the weave whose weft and warp is the gift you give to Death, in return for your life, when she gathers you into Her embrace at the end of your days.
So. If you choose to bend the knee, and embrace the Compact, and the Faith, that is a choice that carries meaning, and entitles you to the fidelity and benefit of being a liege-sworn, oathbound citizen of the Compact, beneficiary of our history and our traditions and our cultural grace. And if you choose to reject the fidelity of the Faith, and the protection of the Compact, and live as an outlaw, a barbarian, or heretic, that choice, too, carries meaning. And that meaning makes you an enemy. Perhaps you made that choice because you were deceived. Perhaps you made that choice because you were afraid. Perhaps you made that choice because the life you live has turned you entirely to evil. Perhaps you made that choice because we failed to reach you, for one reason or another. Perhaps you made that choice because you have not yet had the opportunity to make another, because of where, and how, and to whom you were born. However.
I write now to caution from removing the humanity of your enemy. She is a human being. She has a human soul. When she dies, she will return to Death's embrace, as you will. That doesn't mean that she isn't an enemy. But it does mean that she is not a monster.
Fight your enemies. Fight them with honor, as you swore to Gloria. Perhaps that is a fidelity between Death and Gloria.
The Abandoned you kill today could be reborn as your granddaughter tomorrow.
I have had reason to consider, in my musings on the topic of life, death and choice, that there are bonds between many of the gods in the Pantheon. Much has been written of the fidelity between Gloria and Limerance. Some has been written of the connection between Limerance and the Sentinel, on the virtues and demands of truth, duty, and honor.
Death sets you on your path, and the choices you make from there define it. I won't call it a binding between Death and Skald, for Skald suffers no bonds. But the fact of the matter is, the choices you make are what write your story, and that story is the weave whose weft and warp is the gift you give to Death, in return for your life, when she gathers you into Her embrace at the end of your days.
So. If you choose to bend the knee, and embrace the Compact, and the Faith, that is a choice that carries meaning, and entitles you to the fidelity and benefit of being a liege-sworn, oathbound citizen of the Compact, beneficiary of our history and our traditions and our cultural grace. And if you choose to reject the fidelity of the Faith, and the protection of the Compact, and live as an outlaw, a barbarian, or heretic, that choice, too, carries meaning. And that meaning makes you an enemy. Perhaps you made that choice because you were deceived. Perhaps you made that choice because you were afraid. Perhaps you made that choice because the life you live has turned you entirely to evil. Perhaps you made that choice because we failed to reach you, for one reason or another. Perhaps you made that choice because you have not yet had the opportunity to make another, because of where, and how, and to whom you were born. However.
I write now to caution from removing the humanity of your enemy. She is a human being. She has a human soul. When she dies, she will return to Death's embrace, as you will. That doesn't mean that she isn't an enemy. But it does mean that she is not a monster.
Fight your enemies. Fight them with honor, as you swore to Gloria. Perhaps that is a fidelity between Death and Gloria.
Written By Aureth
Nov. 16, 2018, 6:34 p.m.(1/3/1010 AR)
Mourning is not about who a person was, but about what the person mourning lost when they died.
Grief is not moral superiority. I myself have often remarked upon the way a nitwit will become a noble paragon as soon as you start to write the eulogy. Ultimately, we crush failings into shadow and place our dead upon a plinth. Who cares? They're not listening anymore. You can't correct their flaws or persuade them to change or coax an apology or shame or humiliation from their bones.
Nitwits have friends and families too. Does it bother you?
One day, it will be your lover, your sister, your father, your child whose body is laid to rest because their soul is fled to the Mother of Beginnings.
Have a little human empathy. It helps.
Or don't. The gods grant us the freedom of our own paths as well as our own hearts. Skald would never tell anyone not to be an asshole.
Grief is not moral superiority. I myself have often remarked upon the way a nitwit will become a noble paragon as soon as you start to write the eulogy. Ultimately, we crush failings into shadow and place our dead upon a plinth. Who cares? They're not listening anymore. You can't correct their flaws or persuade them to change or coax an apology or shame or humiliation from their bones.
Nitwits have friends and families too. Does it bother you?
One day, it will be your lover, your sister, your father, your child whose body is laid to rest because their soul is fled to the Mother of Beginnings.
Have a little human empathy. It helps.
Or don't. The gods grant us the freedom of our own paths as well as our own hearts. Skald would never tell anyone not to be an asshole.
Written By Aureth
Nov. 9, 2018, 9:42 a.m.(12/17/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Fortunato
It might be easier to find your inner child if you ever outgrew yours.
Written By Aureth
Nov. 8, 2018, 3:50 p.m.(12/15/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Juniper
I am working with the talented and creative Whisper, Juniper, on a fundraising project for a future improvement to the Shrine of the Lost that I think will be very exciting for the Faith. She has created a truly delightful event plan, of the kind that requires a sense of fun that means you must be at least a little in touch with your inner child, and there will be fabulous prizes to be won.
I hope that anyone who is interested in the future of Aion's shrine -- or in winning prizes and having a good time in an enormous and officially sanctioned pillow fight -- will mark their calendars for Aion's Grand Melee. It's going to be a blast.
I hope that anyone who is interested in the future of Aion's shrine -- or in winning prizes and having a good time in an enormous and officially sanctioned pillow fight -- will mark their calendars for Aion's Grand Melee. It's going to be a blast.
Written By Aureth
Nov. 1, 2018, 11:26 a.m.(12/1/1009 AR)
What does it mean, to be a disciple?
There are many men and women who are devout, who follow the paths of the gods as best they can, yet do not ask to serve in this role. Some do it because their love for the concept of the god is so powerful that they wish to demonstrate it through works and deeds. Some do it because their role in life enables them to give back, and they recognize the honor in spending their privilege so.
Yet it is important to remember that a discipleship is service. It is something that is done for the Faith of the Pantheon, for the community and the laity.
It is not, and never has been, an entitlement, to be granted as a gift or touted like a prize. It is work. Labor of your hands, your heart, your mind.
If you serve out of love, if you serve out of duty, if you serve out of a desire to give back, if you serve because you enjoy the social connection and the benefit of spending time and energy upon and with the congregation of your temple, and you reap the rewards of association with the Faith, of community and love and grace-- I mean, it's not really for me to tell you why you serve.
But one thing your service will remain is a privilege, not a right. You don't get to decide the borders of that privilege. You don't determine your own role within the Faith or your own place within your discipleship.
Discipleship is, at its fundament, an act of humility. It is an act of submission to the gods and to the Dominus. It is a humility that is cleansing for many palates, in lives ripe with wealth and privilege, to reach back and give unto others what you were born into, and I honor you for it.
But when you let go of that humility, you may also find that you are letting go of your discipleship.
There are many men and women who are devout, who follow the paths of the gods as best they can, yet do not ask to serve in this role. Some do it because their love for the concept of the god is so powerful that they wish to demonstrate it through works and deeds. Some do it because their role in life enables them to give back, and they recognize the honor in spending their privilege so.
Yet it is important to remember that a discipleship is service. It is something that is done for the Faith of the Pantheon, for the community and the laity.
It is not, and never has been, an entitlement, to be granted as a gift or touted like a prize. It is work. Labor of your hands, your heart, your mind.
If you serve out of love, if you serve out of duty, if you serve out of a desire to give back, if you serve because you enjoy the social connection and the benefit of spending time and energy upon and with the congregation of your temple, and you reap the rewards of association with the Faith, of community and love and grace-- I mean, it's not really for me to tell you why you serve.
But one thing your service will remain is a privilege, not a right. You don't get to decide the borders of that privilege. You don't determine your own role within the Faith or your own place within your discipleship.
Discipleship is, at its fundament, an act of humility. It is an act of submission to the gods and to the Dominus. It is a humility that is cleansing for many palates, in lives ripe with wealth and privilege, to reach back and give unto others what you were born into, and I honor you for it.
But when you let go of that humility, you may also find that you are letting go of your discipleship.
Written By Aureth
Oct. 25, 2018, 10:02 p.m.(11/16/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Aleksei
You know I'm here for this.
Written By Aureth
Oct. 16, 2018, 3:35 p.m.(10/16/1009 AR)
Some scholars have thought for years that it is not actually possible to live a perfect life, paying perfect adherence to each of the concepts of each of the gods, because some of the demands and duties that arise from each of these concepts conflict. A Paragon of Lagoma might well drive a Paragon of the Sentinel insane, for the same reason that a Paragon of Limerance and a Paragon of Skald could easily end up at loggerheads. Yet it is our desire among the Faithful not to achieve perfection but to seek it, for the power of true righteousness is in the journey. We recognize that we are each fallible, that our choices make us who we are and define our lives as much as our beginnings and endings do.
Yet there are clear wrongs that come far from failures to enact a perfect life. When you act in direct opposition to a concept empowered by a god -- when you yield to a lust for power, to an avarice stripped of charity, if you seek to obliviate life rather than to embrace it, when you choose dishonorable murder instead of honorable combat. And those are wrongs. And we understand that when we commit those wrongs, we are seen to do so, in the eyes of gods if not of men and women, for the gods are always _watching_; the Sentinel knows what is done, and the Sentinel may not be empowered to act, and punish, for that is left to us, to the work of our hands, but the _knowledge_ will continue to exist.
When your dark deed is _seen_, then. What does that mean? What does it mean to be known to have done an evil? It does not mean that you are evil. Does it? A human soul is, of the primum from which it was spun, a divine creation, and it is the nature of humanity, beloved or accursed, to grow, to change, to develop, not just to be. So it is the nature of faith that if you have done an evil act, you are not _doomed_ by that act. You can grow and change. It is Skald's gift that you may make a choice. It is Lagoma's gift that you may grow and change.
But the Sentinel is watching. You cannot simply _say_ that you are sorry, and continue to do evil, and be redeemed. Redemption requires labor. The labor required is redress. And before there can be redress, there must be acknowledgment. You can't be sorry generally because evil things may have happened at some point. You must say, I did this evil thing, and I regret this evil thing, and it is my desire to work to undo evil.
In other words, if you don't own your shit, you will never, ever be able to clean it up. The reek of it will stick to you, invisibly. Like it is trapped upon the treads at the bottom of your shoe.
Yet there are clear wrongs that come far from failures to enact a perfect life. When you act in direct opposition to a concept empowered by a god -- when you yield to a lust for power, to an avarice stripped of charity, if you seek to obliviate life rather than to embrace it, when you choose dishonorable murder instead of honorable combat. And those are wrongs. And we understand that when we commit those wrongs, we are seen to do so, in the eyes of gods if not of men and women, for the gods are always _watching_; the Sentinel knows what is done, and the Sentinel may not be empowered to act, and punish, for that is left to us, to the work of our hands, but the _knowledge_ will continue to exist.
When your dark deed is _seen_, then. What does that mean? What does it mean to be known to have done an evil? It does not mean that you are evil. Does it? A human soul is, of the primum from which it was spun, a divine creation, and it is the nature of humanity, beloved or accursed, to grow, to change, to develop, not just to be. So it is the nature of faith that if you have done an evil act, you are not _doomed_ by that act. You can grow and change. It is Skald's gift that you may make a choice. It is Lagoma's gift that you may grow and change.
But the Sentinel is watching. You cannot simply _say_ that you are sorry, and continue to do evil, and be redeemed. Redemption requires labor. The labor required is redress. And before there can be redress, there must be acknowledgment. You can't be sorry generally because evil things may have happened at some point. You must say, I did this evil thing, and I regret this evil thing, and it is my desire to work to undo evil.
In other words, if you don't own your shit, you will never, ever be able to clean it up. The reek of it will stick to you, invisibly. Like it is trapped upon the treads at the bottom of your shoe.
Written By Aureth
Oct. 16, 2018, 3:12 p.m.(10/16/1009 AR)
No message fails to change when it reaches its audience. Words spoken are never the same as words heard. Intention does not reality make.
A skilled speaker takes into account the prism through which her audience views her words, and accommodates it accordingly. An unskilled speaker expects others to listen with the same ear as with which he speaks.
A skilled listener listens for the intent behind the words. An unskilled listener hears merely what comes out of a speaker's mouth.
The context of a message always changes its contents, either purposefully or without purpose. If you divorce words from their context, you create different meaning than was intended. If you analyze speech within the context of its being spoken, you will be more likely to understand its intended meaning.
The study of history is, generally, a study of fragments stripped of their context, being forced through the prism of the expectations of the present day.
What will future historians make of what we record for Vellichor now? What expectations will these words conform to, a hundred years from now?
Hell, what expectations will these words fail to conform to tomorrow?
What will you be remembered for saying? What would you prefer to be remembered for saying?
A skilled speaker takes into account the prism through which her audience views her words, and accommodates it accordingly. An unskilled speaker expects others to listen with the same ear as with which he speaks.
A skilled listener listens for the intent behind the words. An unskilled listener hears merely what comes out of a speaker's mouth.
The context of a message always changes its contents, either purposefully or without purpose. If you divorce words from their context, you create different meaning than was intended. If you analyze speech within the context of its being spoken, you will be more likely to understand its intended meaning.
The study of history is, generally, a study of fragments stripped of their context, being forced through the prism of the expectations of the present day.
What will future historians make of what we record for Vellichor now? What expectations will these words conform to, a hundred years from now?
Hell, what expectations will these words fail to conform to tomorrow?
What will you be remembered for saying? What would you prefer to be remembered for saying?
Written By Aureth
Oct. 2, 2018, 4:11 p.m.(9/16/1009 AR)
At least Master Rook can be relied upon to be generally aesthetic about his absurd wealth. I've never seen him in public and not thought him well turned out.
Written By Aureth
Oct. 2, 2018, 4:06 p.m.(9/16/1009 AR)
I find it amusing that so many nobles are leaping to the defense of the commons because some random commoner was jumped up among them and they desperately need to save face about it.
Ladies, gentlemen: please. You fool no one.
Some random commoner was elevated to the nobility! This happens periodically, particularly when someone decides to piss off all their relatives by doing it by will when they won't be alive to suffer the consequences.
My sympathies to you all. It does, indeed, reflect rather badly upon the Peerage when someone is elevated for no apparent reason, because it highlights how little attention any of you remember to pay to the duties that accompany your privilege. You don't need to worry about the commons having their feelings hurt about this. Instead, I recommend you work to benefit the commons in a concrete way, according to the duties laid upon you by your task as liege and lady, and cease hand-wringing about whether or not we are sad because someone said we aren't nobles.
Most commoners are busy going about their day, working hard at their lives, and are not interested in faffing about with you except to be irritated when you condescend to them about how envious of your wealth they must be.
Death spun every soul and placed it in this world, and she will come for you when you are finished. Each of you began in this life in a particular place, in a particular family, or not. What does that mean? Look to Limerance for guidance; or to Lagoma; and always, remember Skald.
Ladies, gentlemen: please. You fool no one.
Some random commoner was elevated to the nobility! This happens periodically, particularly when someone decides to piss off all their relatives by doing it by will when they won't be alive to suffer the consequences.
My sympathies to you all. It does, indeed, reflect rather badly upon the Peerage when someone is elevated for no apparent reason, because it highlights how little attention any of you remember to pay to the duties that accompany your privilege. You don't need to worry about the commons having their feelings hurt about this. Instead, I recommend you work to benefit the commons in a concrete way, according to the duties laid upon you by your task as liege and lady, and cease hand-wringing about whether or not we are sad because someone said we aren't nobles.
Most commoners are busy going about their day, working hard at their lives, and are not interested in faffing about with you except to be irritated when you condescend to them about how envious of your wealth they must be.
Death spun every soul and placed it in this world, and she will come for you when you are finished. Each of you began in this life in a particular place, in a particular family, or not. What does that mean? Look to Limerance for guidance; or to Lagoma; and always, remember Skald.
Written By Aureth
Sept. 24, 2018, 2:23 p.m.(8/28/1009 AR)
I think that it takes self-awareness, maturity and dignity to look at one's schedule for the week and recognize when there are too many demands on one's time to do all that one has inveigled oneself into.
A discipleship is a true commitment to the Faith of the Pantheon. It requires a minimum of ten hours per week. You can absolutely worship, devotedly, pray, daily, contribute, as much as you can, without having those ten or more hours of your life to dedicate to the gods. And that is _okay_.
Know yourself. Know your limits. If you are called to serve, great! I'm glad to have you. If you want to serve but you just don't have the time right now, _that's also fine_. You can return to being a disciple when the other needs and responsibilities of your life permit.
Love the gods, embrace the Faith, serve your community, but also take care of yourself. Stressed, panicking, burned out disciples are of benefit to nobody, least of all the Faith.
A discipleship is a true commitment to the Faith of the Pantheon. It requires a minimum of ten hours per week. You can absolutely worship, devotedly, pray, daily, contribute, as much as you can, without having those ten or more hours of your life to dedicate to the gods. And that is _okay_.
Know yourself. Know your limits. If you are called to serve, great! I'm glad to have you. If you want to serve but you just don't have the time right now, _that's also fine_. You can return to being a disciple when the other needs and responsibilities of your life permit.
Love the gods, embrace the Faith, serve your community, but also take care of yourself. Stressed, panicking, burned out disciples are of benefit to nobody, least of all the Faith.
Written By Aureth
Sept. 24, 2018, 2:03 p.m.(8/28/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Magpie
I think you've had a little too much fish with your breakfast.
Written By Aureth
Sept. 23, 2018, 9:19 p.m.(8/26/1009 AR)
When I was a boy, I had one little brother to look out for. I never stopped, but family is more than the blood you share. Family is the bonds of love and choice as much as it is who you're born to. Our parents grant us our beginning, but like the Mother of all Beginnings, they do not define what comes next.
The Grayhope family has known this lesson well, and perhaps they have for as long as we've held the name -- or longer, considering what I've learned about our roots. Your family is who you make of it.
I know that when I passed on the reins of the Grayhopes to Magpie a few years ago I could not have made a wiser choice. He was a good boy - a rascal, but a good boy - and he has grown to be a fine man - a scoundrel, but a fine man. And I make him an exemplar of this, because he has taken that lesson to heart. As the love we've borne him, he has taken it into his heart to reach out to others. The trust and loyalty he's granted to my cousin and protege Mayir as voice and business partner has been worth watching, but family isn't limited by pragmatism. Sometimes, love is the only limit there is
I could not be prouder of Magpie Grayhope and Harper Ashdown for adopting Pie together. He could not have better models for generosity of the heart, nor for filial loyalty and friendship.
This is true devotion to Limerance, granting bonds of love and family where otherwise there were none, and to Gild, in whose name charity is done.
For all our Hopes, gods bless you.
The Grayhope family has known this lesson well, and perhaps they have for as long as we've held the name -- or longer, considering what I've learned about our roots. Your family is who you make of it.
I know that when I passed on the reins of the Grayhopes to Magpie a few years ago I could not have made a wiser choice. He was a good boy - a rascal, but a good boy - and he has grown to be a fine man - a scoundrel, but a fine man. And I make him an exemplar of this, because he has taken that lesson to heart. As the love we've borne him, he has taken it into his heart to reach out to others. The trust and loyalty he's granted to my cousin and protege Mayir as voice and business partner has been worth watching, but family isn't limited by pragmatism. Sometimes, love is the only limit there is
I could not be prouder of Magpie Grayhope and Harper Ashdown for adopting Pie together. He could not have better models for generosity of the heart, nor for filial loyalty and friendship.
This is true devotion to Limerance, granting bonds of love and family where otherwise there were none, and to Gild, in whose name charity is done.
For all our Hopes, gods bless you.
Written By Aureth
Sept. 11, 2018, 6:53 p.m.(7/28/1009 AR)
My hero is Peanut.
Written By Aureth
Sept. 8, 2018, 12:41 p.m.(7/21/1009 AR)
The nature of empathy is to stand in the place of another person, and to imagine what they feel and how they got to the place where they are. Though some have natural instincts and social intelligence, others do not, yet the study of others can develop the skill over time.
You can absolutely have complete empathy for another person and still demolish them for their position. A human being has value even when completely wrong. That doesn't mean they should simply be left to blunder in the dark and lead others astray.
It is amazing how far a person can lead others down wrong paths because no one will intervene with the truth for fear of being "the bad guy".
Being wrong is not an indelible trait. It can be changed.
You can absolutely have complete empathy for another person and still demolish them for their position. A human being has value even when completely wrong. That doesn't mean they should simply be left to blunder in the dark and lead others astray.
It is amazing how far a person can lead others down wrong paths because no one will intervene with the truth for fear of being "the bad guy".
Being wrong is not an indelible trait. It can be changed.
Written By Aureth
Sept. 7, 2018, 10:41 p.m.(7/20/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Elloise
Sparrow.
Written By Aureth
Sept. 6, 2018, 12:10 p.m.(7/17/1009 AR)
Obviously the correct course for anyone who believes they deserve an apology from another person is to publicly insult their honor, their fitness to hold title, the structural integrity of the system that put them in place, their family, and, of course, their dog. If you've tried all of the above except for the last, clearly the dog is all that is left.
I can't believe so many etiquette manuals leave this out.
I can't believe so many etiquette manuals leave this out.
Written By Aureth
Sept. 5, 2018, 11:07 p.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
Skald would never tell you that you lack the choice to be an evil wizard. Merely that if you choose an action, you also choose its consequences.
I don't know why you wouldn't choose to be a _good_ wizard, though. I mean, given the option.
I don't know why you wouldn't choose to be a _good_ wizard, though. I mean, given the option.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.