Written By Roxana
Sept. 6, 2018, 12:35 a.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
Question of the Day
What was the most surprising and delightful thing that happened today?
If you can't think of an answer, what will you do tomorrow so you will have one?
I'll tell you mine, but you go first!
What was the most surprising and delightful thing that happened today?
If you can't think of an answer, what will you do tomorrow so you will have one?
I'll tell you mine, but you go first!
Written By Riagnon
Sept. 6, 2018, 12:32 a.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
If you don't want something knocked over and shattered, don't leave it laying around on some random table in the middle of a popular corridor where you know there's loads of foot traffic. That's just plain counterintuitive. Asking for trouble!
Additionally, that table is too narrow to house anything properly!
Additionally, that table is too narrow to house anything properly!
Written By Roxana
Sept. 6, 2018, 12:32 a.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Agostino
Agostino Alonso and I have known each other since we were gangly children. Well he was gangly, I never really was.
He is a childhood friend whom I know that I can trust and who is exceptionally skilled in areas such as organization and task management that I find are not my strengths. So of course I would hire him for my personal assistant, and pay him handsomely.
I don't know what this business is of him having another job but I'm certain if anyone can juggle more than one demanding set of expectations, he's the one!
He is a childhood friend whom I know that I can trust and who is exceptionally skilled in areas such as organization and task management that I find are not my strengths. So of course I would hire him for my personal assistant, and pay him handsomely.
I don't know what this business is of him having another job but I'm certain if anyone can juggle more than one demanding set of expectations, he's the one!
Written By Roxana
Sept. 6, 2018, 12:29 a.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Agostino
Tino,
Did you leave me a to-do list today? Because if you did, it turns out I can't find it anywhere. I was fairly certain the only thing I had to do was go over the designs for the atrium, select from a set of marble samples, and also several of silk and velvet for draperies. I narrowed everything down!
Won't be able to decide for certain until I show you though.
Also if you -did- leave a to do list, well we can find it! And I'll get started right on those things. Tomorrow.
-Roxy
Did you leave me a to-do list today? Because if you did, it turns out I can't find it anywhere. I was fairly certain the only thing I had to do was go over the designs for the atrium, select from a set of marble samples, and also several of silk and velvet for draperies. I narrowed everything down!
Won't be able to decide for certain until I show you though.
Also if you -did- leave a to do list, well we can find it! And I'll get started right on those things. Tomorrow.
-Roxy
Written By Derovai
Sept. 5, 2018, 11:31 p.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Jeffeth
Sir Bayweather, per a promise I made to someone, I mean to publicly inform you that someone is looking for you. Do let me know via messenger when you've found the person in question, or the person in question has found you.
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.
Written By Jael
Sept. 5, 2018, 11:06 p.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Petal
The honeybee dress is wonderful!
Written By Marian
Sept. 5, 2018, 11:02 p.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Arcadia
Your mentor is wise and you should heed his directions. You can do many things and be mediocre at them or choose a path and devote yourself singularly in excellence. For when you scatter your energies to the wind, they have no force if they are going in all directions. But when you focus all your energies in one spot that is when you're able to punch a hole in the universe and move something, make progress.
I look forward to seeing where this journey takes you.
I look forward to seeing where this journey takes you.
Written By Caspian
Sept. 5, 2018, 10:15 p.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Arcadia
Skald teaches us that we all have choice, and that our choices have consequences. That even the act of choosing, whether by action or inaction, will close some opportunities and open new ones.
And of course we are limited in our choices. By the realm of the possible, by our own aptitude, and by the actions, real or potential, of other people. There is no point in fretting that you can not achieve everything you want to do, for the freedom given by Skald is not the freedom to do what we want, but the freedom to do.
So go out there and do something. Just always consider what you're about to do.
And of course we are limited in our choices. By the realm of the possible, by our own aptitude, and by the actions, real or potential, of other people. There is no point in fretting that you can not achieve everything you want to do, for the freedom given by Skald is not the freedom to do what we want, but the freedom to do.
So go out there and do something. Just always consider what you're about to do.
Written By Petal
Sept. 5, 2018, 5:28 p.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
I am not a very reliable person to place an order with. That is why I never charge until I am finished. True art comes when inspired and all my gowns are works of true art. I can't create the art on demand and I can't work through the labor of a do list. I frequently even have a hard time remembering what was ordered. The people of Compact have been amazing to me, a prodigal from Northern Mountains and for the most part very understanding about my order times. Sometimes I have a list of orders, but what I want to make is a honeybee gown or a swing. I am much more likely to be able to make something with flowers or animal or that Petichor might like. I apologize to those who are waiting while I make other things.
I would say I can't help, but maybe I can help it. But I don't think if I tried to help it and if I stayed strictly to the order list that I would still be the artist that I am. The beauty would be lost in the labor of obligation. The art would be swallowed up by the duty. You can place orders with me, at your own risk. It might get done. It might not get done. I will never take a single silver until and less it is done. If it is done, it will be a true piece of art, with sweat and love and energy put into it. It is more likely to be done if one wants bees, wild animals, wildflowers, phoenixes, dragons, roses, trees, blueberries or thistles. The things I love.
Petal
I would say I can't help, but maybe I can help it. But I don't think if I tried to help it and if I stayed strictly to the order list that I would still be the artist that I am. The beauty would be lost in the labor of obligation. The art would be swallowed up by the duty. You can place orders with me, at your own risk. It might get done. It might not get done. I will never take a single silver until and less it is done. If it is done, it will be a true piece of art, with sweat and love and energy put into it. It is more likely to be done if one wants bees, wild animals, wildflowers, phoenixes, dragons, roses, trees, blueberries or thistles. The things I love.
Petal
Written By Shard
Sept. 5, 2018, 5:13 p.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
Heroes and evil wizards are stories.
People are complicated. Reality is messy. People can do heroic things, they can do evil things, they can even be evil or heroic. Occasionally they can be both. Often they're also a bunch of assholes. And you only ever know about the ones who had their stories passed on and remembered. The people who get a statue are the ones who were popular enough to have someone build them one, but being popular isn't how you should measure heroism.
People are complicated. Reality is messy. People can do heroic things, they can do evil things, they can even be evil or heroic. Occasionally they can be both. Often they're also a bunch of assholes. And you only ever know about the ones who had their stories passed on and remembered. The people who get a statue are the ones who were popular enough to have someone build them one, but being popular isn't how you should measure heroism.
Written By Sina
Sept. 5, 2018, 3:26 p.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Arcadia
You always have a choice; to be the hero, or to be the evil wizard.
What defines a hero, and what defines an evil wizard? Well, I think things are a bit more complicated than they may seem, on the surface. Sure, everyone knows what a hero is. A person who is virtuous (or maybe even not that virtuous) but who does brave things, selflessly (or maybe not even selflessly), for the benefit of others (or for glory). A person who is lauded by their peers as someone who has done great deeds on behalf of House, Faith, Compact or family. A hero may give their life in the service of others, or walk away from a battle with deep scars for the rest of his life, but knowing that he has saved many lives in the process. A hero may simply disappear to unknown parts, like Lady Aislin, and no one will know what became of her, though her deeds and legacy will live on because of the great contributions she made while she was with us.
An evil wizard... well, they are a bit more complicated. Sometimes, the evil wizard may even think he is the hero, despite the damage and destruction he causes around him. Sometimes it turns out that the hero, while she may have had the best intentions, can cause unforeseen effects. For example, killing a monster, only to find out that a bigger, more dangerous monster is now freed by that act. The hero is still considered a hero, of course, because in the end, maybe she saved many people, allowing them to live on and fight another day. Maybe she found an artifact that turned the tide in a battle. Maybe she guided a ship home through treacherous waters, or saved children from a burning house. Her cause is just, her intentions good. But the evil wizard... will always be seen as an evil wizard, because of the way he presents himself.
The path of the hero and the villain can be equally treacherous. Sometimes, what we perceive as an evil wizard, may actually be the man trying to save us all, but his methods are so unconventional and strange that none recognize him for what he is. Sometimes the hero we thought we knew turns out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, hidden in a cloud of deceit only to betray us in the end. And of course, sometimes, maybe even most of the time, a hero is just that - a hero, and a villain is just a villain, and both are exactly as they seem to be.
It is the rare evil wizard, in truth, that actually thinks of himself as evil, I would imagine. Like heroes, evil wizards think they are doing the right thing. They think /they/ are the heroes, the ones who are doing right by the world, the ones who want to make the world a better place, from their own perspective, even if it means destroying or enslaving it. This, of course, doesn't mean that they are right. But in their mind's eye, they are following the righteous path, while we are the ones who are deluded.
So what it all comes down to is your choice, and your unique perspective. Everything you do, whether for good or ill, may have consequences. And people may try to warn you of those consequences, and advise against an action you have proposed. But in the end, it's your choice, whether to heed that advice, or to go on your merry way anyway. The consequences remain, however, whether you choose to consider them or not. And those consequences will define how people perceive you: as a hero, or an evil wizard, or anything in between.
What defines a hero, and what defines an evil wizard? Well, I think things are a bit more complicated than they may seem, on the surface. Sure, everyone knows what a hero is. A person who is virtuous (or maybe even not that virtuous) but who does brave things, selflessly (or maybe not even selflessly), for the benefit of others (or for glory). A person who is lauded by their peers as someone who has done great deeds on behalf of House, Faith, Compact or family. A hero may give their life in the service of others, or walk away from a battle with deep scars for the rest of his life, but knowing that he has saved many lives in the process. A hero may simply disappear to unknown parts, like Lady Aislin, and no one will know what became of her, though her deeds and legacy will live on because of the great contributions she made while she was with us.
An evil wizard... well, they are a bit more complicated. Sometimes, the evil wizard may even think he is the hero, despite the damage and destruction he causes around him. Sometimes it turns out that the hero, while she may have had the best intentions, can cause unforeseen effects. For example, killing a monster, only to find out that a bigger, more dangerous monster is now freed by that act. The hero is still considered a hero, of course, because in the end, maybe she saved many people, allowing them to live on and fight another day. Maybe she found an artifact that turned the tide in a battle. Maybe she guided a ship home through treacherous waters, or saved children from a burning house. Her cause is just, her intentions good. But the evil wizard... will always be seen as an evil wizard, because of the way he presents himself.
The path of the hero and the villain can be equally treacherous. Sometimes, what we perceive as an evil wizard, may actually be the man trying to save us all, but his methods are so unconventional and strange that none recognize him for what he is. Sometimes the hero we thought we knew turns out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, hidden in a cloud of deceit only to betray us in the end. And of course, sometimes, maybe even most of the time, a hero is just that - a hero, and a villain is just a villain, and both are exactly as they seem to be.
It is the rare evil wizard, in truth, that actually thinks of himself as evil, I would imagine. Like heroes, evil wizards think they are doing the right thing. They think /they/ are the heroes, the ones who are doing right by the world, the ones who want to make the world a better place, from their own perspective, even if it means destroying or enslaving it. This, of course, doesn't mean that they are right. But in their mind's eye, they are following the righteous path, while we are the ones who are deluded.
So what it all comes down to is your choice, and your unique perspective. Everything you do, whether for good or ill, may have consequences. And people may try to warn you of those consequences, and advise against an action you have proposed. But in the end, it's your choice, whether to heed that advice, or to go on your merry way anyway. The consequences remain, however, whether you choose to consider them or not. And those consequences will define how people perceive you: as a hero, or an evil wizard, or anything in between.
Written By Calandra
Sept. 5, 2018, 3:07 p.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
A near-death experience at the Memorial Park (and no, that is not a pun intended) has become a warm memory. These are strange days.
Written By Sabella
Sept. 5, 2018, 2:09 p.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
I think it is likely quite common for evil wizards to be considered heroes. After all, we all start out striving towards a goal that we think is noble, do we not? But our noble goal may not be another's. Or the noble goal may become twisted along the way. The Gyre was brought about by someone pursuing evil with the intent to vanquish it and was instead turned by it. Perhaps the evil wizard is just protecting her people. Perhaps she is acting in self defense, yet that fact is never reported on and she is a hero to her land. Perhaps she is desperate and does not understand a situation. Perhaps she is not acting of her own accord, but knows that if she can just hang on long enough she can turn it all around!
We never really know another person's story. Especially if we don't ask! And having a label of 'evil wizard' often means people don't ask. And they still should. Knowing why a person is doing something can be important to stopping it.
But, I have moved away from something I wanted to actually talk about today, gentle readers! Lord Grady Deepwood and I, along with his protege Mistress Josephine and probably many others are going to host a fundraiser for the Lodge of Petrichor! I am asking people to put together baskets to be raffled off! You can put whatever you'd like in them be it armor or clothing or baked goods or books or whatever strikes your fancy! Though I do hope that people put things in that they would like to receive. Lord Grady is also looking for items to put up for raffle as well, so if you want to put together a basket please contact me and if you want to offer an item then contact Lord Grady! We will be offering raffle tickets in unlimited amounts so start saving up! And all proceeds will go directly to the defense of the Lodge of Petrichor from the most recent threat.
And it will also be a brilliant party!!
We never really know another person's story. Especially if we don't ask! And having a label of 'evil wizard' often means people don't ask. And they still should. Knowing why a person is doing something can be important to stopping it.
But, I have moved away from something I wanted to actually talk about today, gentle readers! Lord Grady Deepwood and I, along with his protege Mistress Josephine and probably many others are going to host a fundraiser for the Lodge of Petrichor! I am asking people to put together baskets to be raffled off! You can put whatever you'd like in them be it armor or clothing or baked goods or books or whatever strikes your fancy! Though I do hope that people put things in that they would like to receive. Lord Grady is also looking for items to put up for raffle as well, so if you want to put together a basket please contact me and if you want to offer an item then contact Lord Grady! We will be offering raffle tickets in unlimited amounts so start saving up! And all proceeds will go directly to the defense of the Lodge of Petrichor from the most recent threat.
And it will also be a brilliant party!!
Written By Khanne
Sept. 5, 2018, 1:46 p.m.(7/16/1009 AR)
I'm not sure how common it is for evil wizards to be considered heroes
Just a thought...
Just a thought...
Written By Perronne
Sept. 5, 2018, 12:20 p.m.(7/15/1009 AR)
I have been writing.
I have been writing a LOT. A whole bunch of this was pre-written, of course, over the years I've been on the roads (and off the roads!) of Arvum, but it all has to be written again, in the same document this time. I haven't really been doing much except working and writing for the last couple of weeks. Oh! And helping with a certain project, but that is also work, so my new rooms are just a mess of parchment, ink, wood shavings, rope and chain bits, and so forth.
It's actually been very exciting! There's something about looking back on things you wrote years ago that both bring back those memories, but also help you recognize how you've changed and learned and grown. Sometimes I think maybe that's one of the big reasons, even more so that the preservation of knowledge, that Vellichor has us write our journals - has EVERYONE write journals, not just the people who make the big decisions, or who are present for those events that really end up counted as 'history' when it's all said and done. But even for someone like me, I can read the words of Perronne-of-five-years-ago, and I can remember the things she was learning, and how some of them ended up being wrong, but some of them were RIGHT, and I shouldn't forget either what I learned, or that it might change as I learn even more.
Wisdom is kinda memory, isn't it? Remembering things, and moving forward with what you learned from them. And journals and Archives are sort of all of our memories all mushed together, so that we don't just have to learn from our own experiences, but can also learn from the lives of others. Of course, what I'm writing now isn't a journal! I mean. What I'm writing RIGHT THIS SECOND is a journal, because look! I'm writing in my journal! But the project which I am currently undertaking but which I am not in the immediate process of writing in as of this very moment, but which I will soon be back in the process of writing in as soon as I am finished writing this particular thing which is a journal and not a proje--
Sod it. I'm just going to submit this journal and get back to work!
I have been writing a LOT. A whole bunch of this was pre-written, of course, over the years I've been on the roads (and off the roads!) of Arvum, but it all has to be written again, in the same document this time. I haven't really been doing much except working and writing for the last couple of weeks. Oh! And helping with a certain project, but that is also work, so my new rooms are just a mess of parchment, ink, wood shavings, rope and chain bits, and so forth.
It's actually been very exciting! There's something about looking back on things you wrote years ago that both bring back those memories, but also help you recognize how you've changed and learned and grown. Sometimes I think maybe that's one of the big reasons, even more so that the preservation of knowledge, that Vellichor has us write our journals - has EVERYONE write journals, not just the people who make the big decisions, or who are present for those events that really end up counted as 'history' when it's all said and done. But even for someone like me, I can read the words of Perronne-of-five-years-ago, and I can remember the things she was learning, and how some of them ended up being wrong, but some of them were RIGHT, and I shouldn't forget either what I learned, or that it might change as I learn even more.
Wisdom is kinda memory, isn't it? Remembering things, and moving forward with what you learned from them. And journals and Archives are sort of all of our memories all mushed together, so that we don't just have to learn from our own experiences, but can also learn from the lives of others. Of course, what I'm writing now isn't a journal! I mean. What I'm writing RIGHT THIS SECOND is a journal, because look! I'm writing in my journal! But the project which I am currently undertaking but which I am not in the immediate process of writing in as of this very moment, but which I will soon be back in the process of writing in as soon as I am finished writing this particular thing which is a journal and not a proje--
Sod it. I'm just going to submit this journal and get back to work!
Written By Lou
Sept. 5, 2018, 9:51 a.m.(7/15/1009 AR)
Why did I volunteer? Why? I'm certainly going to hate myself all throughout this process. There will be many trips to many locations in the woods in between, I'm certain of it.
But, the thought of getting so lovely a vessel to sail on, that's more than worth it. There are places to go, things to explore, people to meet. Uncharted territories.
Assuming, of course, they let me. I'm going to drown myself in events and being social, so I'm banking on that.
World, ready or not, I'm coming for you!
But, the thought of getting so lovely a vessel to sail on, that's more than worth it. There are places to go, things to explore, people to meet. Uncharted territories.
Assuming, of course, they let me. I'm going to drown myself in events and being social, so I'm banking on that.
World, ready or not, I'm coming for you!
Written By Lisebet
Sept. 5, 2018, 9:16 a.m.(7/15/1009 AR)
The stories for Gild event was hosted by Archlector Etienne the other day. I went and I listened to the stories of generosity and giving, and how Gild has impacted people. I could not think of a story to tell. Perhaps by the next such event, I will have come up with a story I can share.
Written By Niklas
Sept. 5, 2018, 9:09 a.m.(7/15/1009 AR)
Surely by now everyone has heard of my heroic deeds in the market yesterday, so there's really no need to recount them here.
Except to note that they were truly heroic and I was QUITE dashing.
Except to note that they were truly heroic and I was QUITE dashing.
Written By Thena
Sept. 5, 2018, 8:49 a.m.(7/15/1009 AR)
Relationship Note on Arcadia
Listen to everyone's advice, smile and nod, think it over, and then do what you want.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.