Written By Tescelina
July 15, 2019, 11:29 a.m.(6/19/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Syd
We met at the Shrine of Gloria, in the wintertime.
You asked me about Queen Alarice and you brought me joy with your reasoning that Alarice the Cleaver is far more formidable a name than the Great. It was a sound argument! Amusement is rare in my heart. It is hard for me. I was glad to have met you. For your kindness.
You cared about others -- such as a young knight who is burdened by her duties, her past. Her failings. You cared for one who brought ruin unto himself -- you still found time to empathize. It is cruel and wicked for many to pit themselves against one, you believed. There is no righteousness to a mob. What a wicked irony.
These actions have drawn me from my stargazing and the world I see reminds me of why I look heavenward. But that is cowardice in a way, to neglect all around me for my own peace of mind. For the dazzling shine of those indifferent stars.
It is the sworn duty of a knight to protect the defenseless. We all have made these oaths.
If you shrink from this because those under threat are not like you, believe in different things, or come from a different walk of life, then you have failed. A knight is a symbol. Our actions are not reflections of the world, but are reflected in the world. If you cannot sustain the weight of that, than you have made an err.
Glory belongs to the righteous, to the world we protect. It is not ours to claim, but to give.
I suppose I cannot ask anything of the knights of the Compact -- Am I not the Knight of Sunflowers? I have failed too. But as I yet live, I will make right the wrongs that I am able by protecting those who cannot protect themselves.
Nothing else matters, what other reason is there to take up a sword, that vaunted instrument of killing, If not in the defense of the helpless? Be the Symbol you swore to become. The world needs the inspiration we provide more than ever.
You asked me about Queen Alarice and you brought me joy with your reasoning that Alarice the Cleaver is far more formidable a name than the Great. It was a sound argument! Amusement is rare in my heart. It is hard for me. I was glad to have met you. For your kindness.
You cared about others -- such as a young knight who is burdened by her duties, her past. Her failings. You cared for one who brought ruin unto himself -- you still found time to empathize. It is cruel and wicked for many to pit themselves against one, you believed. There is no righteousness to a mob. What a wicked irony.
These actions have drawn me from my stargazing and the world I see reminds me of why I look heavenward. But that is cowardice in a way, to neglect all around me for my own peace of mind. For the dazzling shine of those indifferent stars.
It is the sworn duty of a knight to protect the defenseless. We all have made these oaths.
If you shrink from this because those under threat are not like you, believe in different things, or come from a different walk of life, then you have failed. A knight is a symbol. Our actions are not reflections of the world, but are reflected in the world. If you cannot sustain the weight of that, than you have made an err.
Glory belongs to the righteous, to the world we protect. It is not ours to claim, but to give.
I suppose I cannot ask anything of the knights of the Compact -- Am I not the Knight of Sunflowers? I have failed too. But as I yet live, I will make right the wrongs that I am able by protecting those who cannot protect themselves.
Nothing else matters, what other reason is there to take up a sword, that vaunted instrument of killing, If not in the defense of the helpless? Be the Symbol you swore to become. The world needs the inspiration we provide more than ever.
Written By Khanne
July 15, 2019, 8:24 a.m.(6/19/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Mirk
Only ten, Cousin? Lucky...
Written By Victus
July 15, 2019, 6:07 a.m.(6/19/1011 AR)
Yesterday, I happened upon a rabbit with the reddest eyes. Now that alone is unusual, yet I was more surprised that the cat didn't immediately go for the kill. My leg is still sore from how fast she'd scaled me just to get away from the damn thing. I don't usually consider rabbits a frightening predator, so I really am hoping that was just a one-time thing.
If any happen to see a rabbit with red eyes in the future, I don't recommend one fucks with it.
If any happen to see a rabbit with red eyes in the future, I don't recommend one fucks with it.
Written By Arcadia
July 15, 2019, 6:02 a.m.(6/19/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Syd
Today, my heart is broken.
My friend is dead. Not a welcomed death warm in his bed and surrounded by those who loved him as he wished. But a cold and cruel one. One that had him hurt and broken.
Lord Syd was my friend. Not only my friend, but my teacher and mentor. The person who gave me sage advice and took me on crazy adventures with his words and gave me clarity about all the little things that make up a life.
My heart hurts to know we will never share any more wine, or be scolded by you about fanciful stories. No more scheming about flaming arrows or hearing you tell people I threw my guards out a window.
You, my friend will be greatly missed. There is not enough words to express my sorrow at this loss.
My friend is dead. Not a welcomed death warm in his bed and surrounded by those who loved him as he wished. But a cold and cruel one. One that had him hurt and broken.
Lord Syd was my friend. Not only my friend, but my teacher and mentor. The person who gave me sage advice and took me on crazy adventures with his words and gave me clarity about all the little things that make up a life.
My heart hurts to know we will never share any more wine, or be scolded by you about fanciful stories. No more scheming about flaming arrows or hearing you tell people I threw my guards out a window.
You, my friend will be greatly missed. There is not enough words to express my sorrow at this loss.
Written By Nurie
July 15, 2019, 4:30 a.m.(6/19/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Syd
When I heard the news about Lord Syd I had to sit for a few minutes. He was a kind man and quick witted and charming, though remembering names didn't seem to be his strong suit. The thought of how he is said to have died...makes me feel ill. He didn't deserve to die like that! Nobody does! May justice find those responsible swiftly!
I am so sorry that no one was there to help protect you when you needed it. And I also hope you landed more than a few blows in return. My heart is heavier today.
I am so sorry that no one was there to help protect you when you needed it. And I also hope you landed more than a few blows in return. My heart is heavier today.
Written By Shard
July 14, 2019, 11:57 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Arianna
Wait a minute, are you comparing contracts to oaths? Are you actually confusing a temporary business arrangement with an oath of fealty?
Written By Aureth
July 14, 2019, 11:44 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
Deva, out there somewhere in the yonder, just got a profound headache and doesn't know why.
Written By Shard
July 14, 2019, 11:36 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Arianna
I don't get paid for 'most things I do'. In addition, and it may shock you to learn this; most sellswords aren't nobles slumming it up to play soldier. Most sellswords have to buy their own food, shelter, and equipment, many sellswords have families relying on their work, and most of them don't get money handed to them whenever they have a whim. Doing the nobility's dirty work is expensive in both resources and actual lives, so damned straight you get charged when you want more people to stick on the front lines of your wars. You expect us to die for you, for free? With what rations, with what weapons, with what armor should we do that, exactly? Your own soldiers don't march without food and equipment, I wonder if Pravus sneers at them as well.
Written By Malesh
July 14, 2019, 11:28 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
It seems like I shall continue to do my duty and record my own personal history in journals so that our experiences and knowledge is not lost.
I hope I'll be forgiven for saving the reading of these things for your descendants.
I hope I'll be forgiven for saving the reading of these things for your descendants.
Written By Bliss
July 14, 2019, 11:23 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
In the end, there is nothing that brings me down more than stagnation. It can come in so many forms, and so many ways, that I often do not notice it creeping up behind me. We get ourselves comfortable in one thing, or define a role for ourselves, and feel we have to adhere to that role. We feel we can only be this one thing, and that we must act certain ways because we are. The Radiant must be a refined creature of effortless grace and beauty. A Champion must be showy, must be flashy, must be dramatic. A Lycene must raise eyebrows, a Northerner must be savage, an Oathlander shy in matters of sex and we start to narrow ourselves further and further with all these little limitations. Particularly those of us who are good at acting - we treat everything as a stage, and soon enough, we find ourselves trapped into a little box largely of our own making.
It is, in the end, of course, all bullshit.
If a label can be applied to us, we are the ones who are in charge of defining how we express that label, what it means, and how it is put out into the world. For me, the relevant labels are six: Champion, Whisper, Radiant, Lycene, Disciple, and largely the most important one, Bliss. Sometimes, I do not pay attention, and these words - and really, they are just words - sneak up on me, wrap me in chains, and suddenly I feel paralyzed until something happens that makes me lash out and snap them all.
Really, we are the ones who are in control of those chains. They are paper-thin, and while there might be consequences in tearing them apart, the freedom is more than worth it.
Whoever you are, whatever you are doing that is making you feel trapped, find the truth of yourself. Find who you want to be, find how it resonates with you, and be that person. Be more than the labels. A family name, a family motto, these are just guides, they are not codes that completely define who you are and who you must be. Remake yourself, constantly, into something better. Step things up. Be clever.
Or else you will never reach your full potential.
It is, in the end, of course, all bullshit.
If a label can be applied to us, we are the ones who are in charge of defining how we express that label, what it means, and how it is put out into the world. For me, the relevant labels are six: Champion, Whisper, Radiant, Lycene, Disciple, and largely the most important one, Bliss. Sometimes, I do not pay attention, and these words - and really, they are just words - sneak up on me, wrap me in chains, and suddenly I feel paralyzed until something happens that makes me lash out and snap them all.
Really, we are the ones who are in control of those chains. They are paper-thin, and while there might be consequences in tearing them apart, the freedom is more than worth it.
Whoever you are, whatever you are doing that is making you feel trapped, find the truth of yourself. Find who you want to be, find how it resonates with you, and be that person. Be more than the labels. A family name, a family motto, these are just guides, they are not codes that completely define who you are and who you must be. Remake yourself, constantly, into something better. Step things up. Be clever.
Or else you will never reach your full potential.
Written By Sylvi
July 14, 2019, 11:19 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Tyrus
My big brother, the last surviving sibling, after so much we've gone through, we are reunited once more! Thirteen years ago, he was taken from me, and I thought that I had seen the last of him. He was always there for me, gathering books he thought I would like from the library when I was too weak to stand. He's stay and we'd read books together. Sometimes the same, sometimes we'd read different books while he stayed in the room with me.
In the years since he was gone, I dove into those books as my sole solace, learning to work with my weakness, fighting it to get them myself, growing stronger, growing up. I had to learn to be strong without him. Now, he's back, after I had accepted long ago that he was lost to the sea. Now? After all this time, all that lost time is returned to me.
I don't think of it as thirteen years lost, it feels more to me that all those years going forward that I had already thought gone. It's a chance I never thought I would get back. So, I'm here in Arx, with Tyrus. I don't remember ever being happier.
In the years since he was gone, I dove into those books as my sole solace, learning to work with my weakness, fighting it to get them myself, growing stronger, growing up. I had to learn to be strong without him. Now, he's back, after I had accepted long ago that he was lost to the sea. Now? After all this time, all that lost time is returned to me.
I don't think of it as thirteen years lost, it feels more to me that all those years going forward that I had already thought gone. It's a chance I never thought I would get back. So, I'm here in Arx, with Tyrus. I don't remember ever being happier.
Written By Khanne
July 14, 2019, 11:15 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
Is there a book somewhere called 'How to make enemies and piss people off'? If so... I think someone read it. If not, perhaps they should write it with their narcissistic opinion and experience.
Or perhaps, they should learn more about things they deign to speak of before putting ink to parchment.
Or perhaps, they should learn more about things they deign to speak of before putting ink to parchment.
Written By Sylvi
July 14, 2019, 11:03 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
The journey over was rather uneventful, and yet, I felt as though I had been run through the most horrific ordeal upon that wretched vessel. I know my family was worried about whether I was fit to sail in my condition, and I fear they may have a point. But I survived, and have come to witness the city finally in all its splendor. I've heard some say Arx is the greatest city in the realm, and though my home certainly will always hold a special place in my heart, I have discovered one thing.
I am most certainly going to never grow tired of exploring the Great Archive, so even if I never quite brave the boat back home... I don't think I will ever have any immediate plans to leave.
I am most certainly going to never grow tired of exploring the Great Archive, so even if I never quite brave the boat back home... I don't think I will ever have any immediate plans to leave.
Written By Jeffeth
July 14, 2019, 11:01 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
I need a bird trainer. Please.
Written By Bliss
July 14, 2019, 10:55 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
The more I hear about a certain group of people, the more I see them write, the more they primp themselves up and act like they are the best people in all of Arvum because of how they are culturally, the more I realize that despite this being all they want to do, they really are just amateurs.
Here is a tip that I think many people need to learn: If you have to blatantly tell people how good you are at something, you are doing a bad job at selling it, particularly if it is something that is more subtle. Let your reputations speak for themselves. The rest of us will sit over here, pat you on the head, and tell you how very special and right you are just because we don't want to hear any more of it.
Here is a tip that I think many people need to learn: If you have to blatantly tell people how good you are at something, you are doing a bad job at selling it, particularly if it is something that is more subtle. Let your reputations speak for themselves. The rest of us will sit over here, pat you on the head, and tell you how very special and right you are just because we don't want to hear any more of it.
Written By Ajax
July 14, 2019, 10:49 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Kenna
It will always be okay. Eventually anyway.
Written By Ajax
July 14, 2019, 10:48 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Leonaess
Our newest addition. A healer of skill, I look forward to seeing what you're able to accomplish.
Written By Ajax
July 14, 2019, 10:48 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
As the heat breaks. I love the cool slowly edging into the air especially during the evening. It almost makes me feel young again. Now what to do about the grey in my hair?
Written By Bree
July 14, 2019, 10:47 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
Relationship Note on Felix
The best of all smiths. He created Kindness, my new blade, out of diamondplate. And now I can kill things with KINDNESS. Isn't that the best? I can stab with Kindness, and slice with Kindness, and poke with Kindness. The number of things I can do with Kindness are endless! Cannot wait to test her out.
Written By Jeffeth
July 14, 2019, 10:46 p.m.(6/18/1011 AR)
It is so lovely to have so many close Brothers and Sisters back in the city. Sir Brannen, Dame Bree, I am so glad you are here and I am looking forward to what we will do together.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.