Written By Fortunato
Nov. 20, 2018, 1:03 a.m.(1/10/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Preston
Remember it is not only the Abandoned who can be a resource for the enemy. Remember that to be a 'resource' is often to be a victim.
Remember that a member of the Compact is not protected from becoming the same. Not if you killed or drove off every strange man or a woman in a thousand miles. We all grieve, but there is no 'safe'. And you cannot slaughter a place into being safe.
Remember that a member of the Compact is not protected from becoming the same. Not if you killed or drove off every strange man or a woman in a thousand miles. We all grieve, but there is no 'safe'. And you cannot slaughter a place into being safe.
Written By Harper
Nov. 20, 2018, 12:26 a.m.(1/10/1010 AR)
Folks fight for a lot of things. I fought to protect the city and to keep the family and friends I care about safe and sound. Nothing real surprising in that, I'm sure. I'm sad for the folks we lost. But I'm also real glad for the ones that made it back.
I'm also happy that Uncle Cal, Kenna and Godric all came back in one piece with me. It was an honor to fight alongside all of you, and I'd do it again whenever any of you need me.
But now I reckon that I'm taking a little time to spend with my family. Think we've earned some time away. So I'll be off sailing for a few days with Magpie and Pie. Can't think of anything I'd rather be doing right now, honestly.
I'm also happy that Uncle Cal, Kenna and Godric all came back in one piece with me. It was an honor to fight alongside all of you, and I'd do it again whenever any of you need me.
But now I reckon that I'm taking a little time to spend with my family. Think we've earned some time away. So I'll be off sailing for a few days with Magpie and Pie. Can't think of anything I'd rather be doing right now, honestly.
Written By Shard
Nov. 20, 2018, 12:19 a.m.(1/10/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Preston
Those who died at the Lodge were killed by one person. Two if you count his master. A lot of the people he sent against us were also his victims. The forest is full of villages he emptied. The Northlands are covered in the unmarked graves and the absent camps of the people he took or murdered. You've paid a high price, we've all paid a high price, to stop him where we did. But the Abandoned have been paying that price for far, far, far longer than the Compact. You're not the only people to have stood up to him. You're not the only people who have lost friends, family, fellow warriors to him. You're not the only ones who grieve.
You're right that he uses the Abandoned. He takes or kills anyone that fall within his grasp, and they don't have massive stone walls, or siege weapons, or enormous armies and orders of knights. All they can do is run, or fight and die, or start listening to his lies because he takes the truth of what the Compact has done and twists it back on you, convinces them that the only way they can have safety, the only way to have justice, the only way to keep what is most important to them is to join him. If me and my tribe had not already known some of the truth about him, we might well have done the same.
The way to stop this man is not by doing more things that he will use against you. It's not by attacking the people who are caught in the middle and pushing them further and further into his reach. The way to stop this man is to find him, to kill him, to tear him to pieces and burn the remains, to grind the bones and the ashes until nothing is left.
And do the same damned thing to anyone else that ever tries to take his place. That's how any of us get justice for what he's done. Or revenge.
You're right that he uses the Abandoned. He takes or kills anyone that fall within his grasp, and they don't have massive stone walls, or siege weapons, or enormous armies and orders of knights. All they can do is run, or fight and die, or start listening to his lies because he takes the truth of what the Compact has done and twists it back on you, convinces them that the only way they can have safety, the only way to have justice, the only way to keep what is most important to them is to join him. If me and my tribe had not already known some of the truth about him, we might well have done the same.
The way to stop this man is not by doing more things that he will use against you. It's not by attacking the people who are caught in the middle and pushing them further and further into his reach. The way to stop this man is to find him, to kill him, to tear him to pieces and burn the remains, to grind the bones and the ashes until nothing is left.
And do the same damned thing to anyone else that ever tries to take his place. That's how any of us get justice for what he's done. Or revenge.
Written By Alrec
Nov. 19, 2018, 10:06 p.m.(1/10/1010 AR)
I do not know if this is the whiskey speaking but I have been thinking a lot about my name, Magaldi. I do not even know the face of the man who gave it to me. I don't even know what it means or where it comes from. It always sounded exotic, especially attached to a boy from the Mourning Sea. If it doesnt mean anything, why am I so attached to it?
Written By Meriah
Nov. 19, 2018, 9:57 p.m.(1/10/1010 AR)
I went and I survived and I saw death and I saw pain and sharpness.
And I saw all the things that I feared. Put into me by that Bringer, in that alley, so long ago.
Now that I've returned. Unharmed. I feel--better?
I feel strangely better.
I feel alive with quiet determination.
And I saw all the things that I feared. Put into me by that Bringer, in that alley, so long ago.
Now that I've returned. Unharmed. I feel--better?
I feel strangely better.
I feel alive with quiet determination.
Written By Macda
Nov. 19, 2018, 4:58 p.m.(1/10/1010 AR)
From the Raconteur.
Just Keep Lying
==============
I want to know if it was love,
- Blessed of Gold, I never loved her.
Another one, another you?
- It wasn't me, there I said it.
- Smell of your hair, a blushing rose.
- You. could. be. the. one. for. me.
Or another body to get tangled in.
If anything was there, you dragged us low.
A physical kiss is nothing without trust.
You close your eyes to what you've done.
- The body that lies with her is foreign,
- She never remains after rising sun.
- Bright Eyes, she can't know love.
- Made of Gold, I never loved her.
Another one, another you.
It wasn't love, dare I say it.
A heart will swell before it hardens,
With a touch of ice, it grows cold.
Another wound that'll never heal.
I've left bare what keeps my soul.
- Bright Eyes, she doesn't know my love.
Blessed of Iron, I know, you never loved her.
Just Keep Lying
==============
I want to know if it was love,
- Blessed of Gold, I never loved her.
Another one, another you?
- It wasn't me, there I said it.
- Smell of your hair, a blushing rose.
- You. could. be. the. one. for. me.
Or another body to get tangled in.
If anything was there, you dragged us low.
A physical kiss is nothing without trust.
You close your eyes to what you've done.
- The body that lies with her is foreign,
- She never remains after rising sun.
- Bright Eyes, she can't know love.
- Made of Gold, I never loved her.
Another one, another you.
It wasn't love, dare I say it.
A heart will swell before it hardens,
With a touch of ice, it grows cold.
Another wound that'll never heal.
I've left bare what keeps my soul.
- Bright Eyes, she doesn't know my love.
Blessed of Iron, I know, you never loved her.
Written By Delilah
Nov. 19, 2018, 4:14 p.m.(1/10/1010 AR)
Six hundred dead. Six hundred Knights taken to the Wheel in the ultimate defense for the Lodge and, with it, the city.
It sings of a tale told long ago of another set of Knights who raised their swords against impossible odds. Each and every stroke they took against the enemy weakened the opposing hordes massed to slaughter the vulnerable, the unarmed, the helpless. Yet they stood. They stood knowing their deaths would be reckoned in that hour, that what they faced so greatly outnumbered each individual man and woman. What courage would it take to stare into the maw of an unspeakable horror, one whose craft and make hearken to an ancient, primeval age captured only in the ripples of ink on the page and the deepest tidings of the soul?
I cannot fathom what kind of mettle they possessed to hold the line. To raise their shield against the blistering heat and then their sword arm against the abject terror crashing down upon them, heavy and potent as any cavalry charge heard thundering across the plain. No wall held back the foe they faced, no wall could. Nothing but their commitment, their vows, their promise to one another and themselves held them fast.
You cannot sing of the bravery of any sacrifice without countenancing the human cost. The very real consequence of asking a man to stand against a forest fire raging in front of him is tremendous. Ask a woman to hold the line against a great wave sweeping down the shore. Tell them to hold true against the uncanny forces of shadow and terror wound out from the deepest corners of the world. How would most of us fare? Not well, I imagine.
Yet they did. They held and fought with their last breaths. They raised their failing limbs and fought a little longer. When their peers fell, gutted or burnt or crumpled, they took another swing or made another shot. They took another opportunity in hopes it might swing the balance to our favour, away from abject loss.
They wound spells of steel and silver, of hope and heartache, into something as potent as any spell in a bard's tale. They wove courage and training into a thick fabric that would put steelsilk and alaricite to shame. All that, one by one, even as the threads frayed and lives gave out.
One by one they stitched together the Compact then.
Six hundred did it again at the Lodge. In the same spirit they raised their blades, shields, and bows. They set their spears. They rode in valiant triumph and against the wall of uncertain outcomes, fear, and despair. In the trees, warriors unnumbered have proven themselves, tried by the worst of the moment.
Remember who we all are. Know that flame was never extinguished and stands in the outstretched hand. It burns in the weary eyes meeting a Mercy's gaze, and in the flashing edge of training swords.
Thank you, for those who gave all they could. It seems wrong that I sit here to write when another gave their life in place of those who could not. I will never wield a sword the way that a fallen knight or a veteran of the Lodge can. It's not about equivalency, but I digress.
Remember.
That was their gift and a legacy that will live on.
Remember always.
It sings of a tale told long ago of another set of Knights who raised their swords against impossible odds. Each and every stroke they took against the enemy weakened the opposing hordes massed to slaughter the vulnerable, the unarmed, the helpless. Yet they stood. They stood knowing their deaths would be reckoned in that hour, that what they faced so greatly outnumbered each individual man and woman. What courage would it take to stare into the maw of an unspeakable horror, one whose craft and make hearken to an ancient, primeval age captured only in the ripples of ink on the page and the deepest tidings of the soul?
I cannot fathom what kind of mettle they possessed to hold the line. To raise their shield against the blistering heat and then their sword arm against the abject terror crashing down upon them, heavy and potent as any cavalry charge heard thundering across the plain. No wall held back the foe they faced, no wall could. Nothing but their commitment, their vows, their promise to one another and themselves held them fast.
You cannot sing of the bravery of any sacrifice without countenancing the human cost. The very real consequence of asking a man to stand against a forest fire raging in front of him is tremendous. Ask a woman to hold the line against a great wave sweeping down the shore. Tell them to hold true against the uncanny forces of shadow and terror wound out from the deepest corners of the world. How would most of us fare? Not well, I imagine.
Yet they did. They held and fought with their last breaths. They raised their failing limbs and fought a little longer. When their peers fell, gutted or burnt or crumpled, they took another swing or made another shot. They took another opportunity in hopes it might swing the balance to our favour, away from abject loss.
They wound spells of steel and silver, of hope and heartache, into something as potent as any spell in a bard's tale. They wove courage and training into a thick fabric that would put steelsilk and alaricite to shame. All that, one by one, even as the threads frayed and lives gave out.
One by one they stitched together the Compact then.
Six hundred did it again at the Lodge. In the same spirit they raised their blades, shields, and bows. They set their spears. They rode in valiant triumph and against the wall of uncertain outcomes, fear, and despair. In the trees, warriors unnumbered have proven themselves, tried by the worst of the moment.
Remember who we all are. Know that flame was never extinguished and stands in the outstretched hand. It burns in the weary eyes meeting a Mercy's gaze, and in the flashing edge of training swords.
Thank you, for those who gave all they could. It seems wrong that I sit here to write when another gave their life in place of those who could not. I will never wield a sword the way that a fallen knight or a veteran of the Lodge can. It's not about equivalency, but I digress.
Remember.
That was their gift and a legacy that will live on.
Remember always.
Written By Preston
Nov. 19, 2018, 3:40 p.m.(1/10/1010 AR)
As I think of our losses at the Lodge, as I see the debate over Bliss Whisper's comments, I cannot help but think about grief. It is a hard and horrid think to lose someone, whether a loved one, someone you are responsible for, or simply a friend, a compatriot. But, those that died were killed by those who live their life outside the compact, or by their beasts or those weapons forged with their blood and sinew. And so we grieve. We grieve because of the lives ended, the stories cut short, the tomorrows that will never be. And we should - it is natural.
But we should also ask how we came to this situation, how we could have stopped it. In the times of peace and comfort between these fights, some nobles try to bring more of the Abandoned into the compact - these are noble efforts and well worth pursuing. But we never then address the question of what of those who refuse to bend the knee. What of those who will not agree? The answer so far is that we leave them. The attitude given is that they are harming no-one. That they should be allowed to live their life how they wish. And a blind eye is turned to the slow drip of bodies that arrive at Arx, or at Sanctum or at any other holding where Abandoned tribes prey on our caravans, attack pilgrims, attack patrols. I understand this. We want to be good and gentle, we must never allow the innocent to come to harm, we must always do our best to save people.
That is why we supported Princess Reese in her efforts to convince the tribes of the Gray Forest to bend the knee. That is why we supported the Barony of Saik. That is why we have always, and will always, help those who wish to convince the abandoned to return to the love of the Compact and of the Faith. They should be given that choice. But once that choice is made, if that choice is to reject the compact, we must accept they are outside. We must push them from lands that our people need, we must push them away from our roads and settlements. And those who have made that ultimate choice, and who worship our enemies, I do not need to tell you what must be done - anyone who loves the Gods knows. It doesn't need to be done because it is easy. It doesn't need to be done because it is what we want to do. Because it is neither of those things. It needs to be done because we swore to protect our people. As knights. As Faith Militant. As nobles. As the Iron Guard. However we swore, that is our duty.
Because there is a cost for allowing Abandoned tribes to exist as a resource for our enemy close to our own people when they refuse to join the compact. We just paid the latest instalment of that price. And I for one will pay no longer.
But we should also ask how we came to this situation, how we could have stopped it. In the times of peace and comfort between these fights, some nobles try to bring more of the Abandoned into the compact - these are noble efforts and well worth pursuing. But we never then address the question of what of those who refuse to bend the knee. What of those who will not agree? The answer so far is that we leave them. The attitude given is that they are harming no-one. That they should be allowed to live their life how they wish. And a blind eye is turned to the slow drip of bodies that arrive at Arx, or at Sanctum or at any other holding where Abandoned tribes prey on our caravans, attack pilgrims, attack patrols. I understand this. We want to be good and gentle, we must never allow the innocent to come to harm, we must always do our best to save people.
That is why we supported Princess Reese in her efforts to convince the tribes of the Gray Forest to bend the knee. That is why we supported the Barony of Saik. That is why we have always, and will always, help those who wish to convince the abandoned to return to the love of the Compact and of the Faith. They should be given that choice. But once that choice is made, if that choice is to reject the compact, we must accept they are outside. We must push them from lands that our people need, we must push them away from our roads and settlements. And those who have made that ultimate choice, and who worship our enemies, I do not need to tell you what must be done - anyone who loves the Gods knows. It doesn't need to be done because it is easy. It doesn't need to be done because it is what we want to do. Because it is neither of those things. It needs to be done because we swore to protect our people. As knights. As Faith Militant. As nobles. As the Iron Guard. However we swore, that is our duty.
Because there is a cost for allowing Abandoned tribes to exist as a resource for our enemy close to our own people when they refuse to join the compact. We just paid the latest instalment of that price. And I for one will pay no longer.
Written By Elora
Nov. 19, 2018, 2:09 p.m.(1/9/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Gabriel
Duke Bisland,
I can certainly help with training the cat to stay off of laps and furniture! Plus I have a slew of cat toys I can offer. Let me know if you'd like some assistance.
I can certainly help with training the cat to stay off of laps and furniture! Plus I have a slew of cat toys I can offer. Let me know if you'd like some assistance.
Written By Samuele
Nov. 19, 2018, 1:25 p.m.(1/9/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Domonico
Making Relationships in the city has been quite easy as of late. Yet, none of them has been interesting as meeting you. Again sometime. The wine was great after all.
Written By River
Nov. 19, 2018, 11:31 a.m.(1/9/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Orathy
Love is a silly thing, it is awkward, it ignores so many flaws, mends wounds, highlights slights, and hurts, and heartache. But I can truly say, that I love you, and will continue to love you. I hope it makes you better and I hope it helps you find some peace and brings some light back to your eyes. From one bleeding heart to a heart of stone, aim higher, reach for the stars as I do the same, my Husband.
Written By Sabella
Nov. 19, 2018, 11:24 a.m.(1/9/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Octavia
You sound just like your brother!
Written By Victus
Nov. 19, 2018, 10:06 a.m.(1/9/1010 AR)
A soldier's life is sacrifice in service. A soldier's life rarely ends in a pleasant retirement.
We will always need to sacrifice just the right amount to keep this world safe from the enemies that plague us.
The Compact sacrifices much. But we do not waste the lives of those who defend us. Every death, a purpose.
Nobody who has died in defense of the Lodge has died invain. That will be enough.
We will always need to sacrifice just the right amount to keep this world safe from the enemies that plague us.
The Compact sacrifices much. But we do not waste the lives of those who defend us. Every death, a purpose.
Nobody who has died in defense of the Lodge has died invain. That will be enough.
Written By Auda
Nov. 19, 2018, 8:47 a.m.(1/9/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Enyo
What's that saying? Best friends for life?
I'm not sure how we missed each other growing up, but I'm glad we've found each other now!
I'm not sure how we missed each other growing up, but I'm glad we've found each other now!
Written By Lisebet
Nov. 19, 2018, 8:37 a.m.(1/9/1010 AR)
Lured out for an evening by Lord Pharamond, I enjoyed watching the sparring at the Golden Hart. Though I do not spar myself, I enjoy the camaraderie. Princess Valencia is a wonderful hostess.
It was good to meet new people and run into acquaintances I've not seen in quite some time, even if I didn't stay perhaps as long as I could have.
It was good to meet new people and run into acquaintances I've not seen in quite some time, even if I didn't stay perhaps as long as I could have.
Written By Corban
Nov. 19, 2018, 8:32 a.m.(1/9/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Lilia
How glad I am that my cousin, Lady Lilia, has rejoined us in the Capital. Although she may not formally be family any longer and though I may no longer live at the Telmar Tower, her presence in the City makes my life brighter. I am glad that my cousins and brothers alike are here, so that we might enjoy each other's support and company and fellowship.
Welcome, Lilia. You will soon be consumed with duties and other matters. But for now, I am glad I was one of the first to welcome you and take tea and cookies together.
Welcome, Lilia. You will soon be consumed with duties and other matters. But for now, I am glad I was one of the first to welcome you and take tea and cookies together.
Written By Corban
Nov. 19, 2018, 8:25 a.m.(1/9/1010 AR)
"She thanked Death for granting her the time that had been given to her, and hoped that her offerings had pleased Her. She thanked Death for what was to come, and said whether it was her enemies on her blade, or her own soul returning to the wheel, that she hoped it was a gift worthy of the Queen of Endings. She said though her own name may be lost forever, and her deeds go unrecorded, and she might die unknown, unmourned, and unremembered, that she still thanked the gods for the chance to live as a knight and to die as one, and she asked for nothing to be changed in that regard."
* * *
I have been thinking about this passage (which I have slightly edited for this forum) these past days. Many have written moving remembrances of individual soldiers and others who fell in the defense of the Lodge. But my thoughts lie with the six hundred Templars and Knights of Solace -- godsworn and disciples alike -- who fell. Their names may be quickly forgotten, recorded in the journals of their Orders and in condolence letters to families, but little mentioned after. They may have few journals recording their deeds and lives, because many that serve the Faith come from the ranks of orphans and others whose only families may have been the sisters and brothers that fell alongside them.
I will not call them heroes. Instead I will pay them a higher compliment: They did their duty. They faced unspeakable horrors and though they were but Children of Skald, they did not break. They did not run. They stood. They fought. And they died.
I thank the Queen for the privilege of letting them live and die as knights and in service of the gods. I hope their sacrifices pleased Her and their courage pleased Gloria. And I pray for their everlasting repose until the Queen decides it is time for their return.
* * *
I have been thinking about this passage (which I have slightly edited for this forum) these past days. Many have written moving remembrances of individual soldiers and others who fell in the defense of the Lodge. But my thoughts lie with the six hundred Templars and Knights of Solace -- godsworn and disciples alike -- who fell. Their names may be quickly forgotten, recorded in the journals of their Orders and in condolence letters to families, but little mentioned after. They may have few journals recording their deeds and lives, because many that serve the Faith come from the ranks of orphans and others whose only families may have been the sisters and brothers that fell alongside them.
I will not call them heroes. Instead I will pay them a higher compliment: They did their duty. They faced unspeakable horrors and though they were but Children of Skald, they did not break. They did not run. They stood. They fought. And they died.
I thank the Queen for the privilege of letting them live and die as knights and in service of the gods. I hope their sacrifices pleased Her and their courage pleased Gloria. And I pray for their everlasting repose until the Queen decides it is time for their return.
Written By Josephine
Nov. 19, 2018, 1 a.m.(1/8/1010 AR)
This past week was a success. Saik was upon the lips of all, the Baroness Regent too. The hard work even placed the Arcuri name upon the lips of many. And so I repeat this again. It takes a significant portion of coin, but it's to a greater goal. Across the isles the Arcuri name means metalsmithing. This much I know. We are noted for our filigree, the same attention to detail that my mother taught me. That I have taught my daughters and sons. As fine as an Arcuri's filigree. They will speak this in the city, I will see to it. Displays of our family's work everywhere till they flock to the shop. And along the way? Along the way I will bring houses that should shine and gleam like the gems that I work with. Ones that should have more attention brought to them. Last weeks was Saik. These next two weeks, Whitehawk and Riven. Let us see how this goes\
Written By Luis
Nov. 19, 2018, 12:58 a.m.(1/8/1010 AR)
Relationship Note on Carmen
An interesting character. I do hope she finds her furs, it is not good to wander about the Winter nights without a proper source of warmth... If only there were a proper person whom could help the Lieutenant out.
Oh wait...
Oh wait...
Written By Luis
Nov. 19, 2018, 12:58 a.m.(1/8/1010 AR)
The Lodge still stands. Such a marvel to see the compact rally and once again defend itself from the darkness that threatens us constantly. Where will they strike next? We shall have to always remain vigilant.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.