Written By Theron
April 7, 2018, 2:47 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
I do not presume to speak for all nobles, just as it would be an even greater presumption to state, on behalf of commoners, what being common is like.
As I've told my cousin: all of us must carry our own weight in the world, lest we are someone else's burden.
As I've told my cousin: all of us must carry our own weight in the world, lest we are someone else's burden.
Written By Barric
April 7, 2018, 2:41 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Calarian
Congratulations cousin!
I wish you all the best when you eventually become a Wyrmguard, but we'll have to keep in touch!
I wish you all the best when you eventually become a Wyrmguard, but we'll have to keep in touch!
Written By Barric
April 7, 2018, 2:40 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Dominique
Congratulations Marquessa, I hope everything goes as planned and you are happy.
I am looking forwards to the wedding.
I am looking forwards to the wedding.
Written By Barric
April 7, 2018, 2:39 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
My luck must be changing and for the better.
The future is so bright... patience is a virtue.
I am glad I waited.
The future is so bright... patience is a virtue.
I am glad I waited.
Written By Jev
April 7, 2018, 2:29 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
What does it mean to be a commoner?
It means you're just some asshole.
What does it mean to be a noble?
Presumably a more important asshole.
It means you're just some asshole.
What does it mean to be a noble?
Presumably a more important asshole.
Written By Bastien
April 7, 2018, 2:20 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
To be noble is to be given.
To be common is to earn or die.
To be common is to earn or die.
Written By Reigna
April 7, 2018, 2:02 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
As I have been called to answer my own questions, I shall. Though your jibes do not go unnoticed, Voss.
What does it mean to be noble? The thing about this question is, I can only answer for myself. I can observe what I see in others, but I cannot know their minds unless they tell me. My knowledge of them is surface deep. I can answer only what I see and hear and assume. That is why I asked it. I wanted to see what other people feel and believe.
For me, my answers align closely to Duke Cassius. Nobility is about service. It is about understanding that your choices, your words, your actions are not solely your own. This is not to say I'm painting some picture of martyred nobility in chains. No. Skald tells us that we all have a choice -- but those choices are forever tied to consequences. So when I say it is about service, that is what the soul of nobility is. It is the *choice* made to sublimate all that you are into *who* you are. Who your family needs you to be. Your words, your actions, your inactions all reflect upon the greater organism that if your Family. That family extends out like tendrils of a vine, to your lieges and vassals, and most of all, above all else (for those of us who have lands to manage) the people who live within your demesne. Those are the lives that are most vulnerable. Most precious. Without their labor, without their lives, where does the food come from? The cloth, the leather, the ore, the day to day items that make life essential? It is their sweat that drives our economies. Our lives are to be a service to them. To ensure they have all the things they need to continue. Food to eat so they stay strong. So their families are happy and healthy. Security and safety in the form of guards and soldiers to protect them from Shav'Arvani raids and predation from animals. Without them nobility has no purpose. They do not live to serve us. We live to serve them. We are educated, we are clothed, we are afforded the trappings of power to better serve the people we are sworn to protect. We surrender ourselves to the betterment of our Houses. We give up the right to choose who we marry, though of late it seems to have become very in fashion to marry for love over duty. I cannot speak to that, beyond noting it. This is what I believe nobles *should* be. It is what I strive for in myself.
What does it mean to be a commoner? In this I can only theorize. I am not a commoner. But I imagine that their lives are also about service. Service to their families. Without being afforded the wealth that typically comes with bearing the name of a House of the Peerage, one must rely on those very people to ensure that the days work gets done. That your labors are enough to make do and ensure food is available, housing is secured. I imagine there is uncertainty and stress in not being able to know the people who make the rules. Really know them. To have to trust someone who seems so very different from you. Whose words and actions seem... unclear.
How does living in Arx skew our perspectives? There are a lot of nobles that live within Arx. I feel confident in my estimation in saying there are likely more nobles in Arx than in anywhere else in Arvum. Back where I grew up, on a tiny parcel of land given to my grandmother by her father when he passed away, we had a village of 200 people. There was a small market, a road that led to the next village three days ride away, they had an Inn, it was very fancy, and eventually to Blancbier. In my home I knew every soul there. I knew the names of everyone who lived in Apsfel Falls. I knew the soldiers and the farmers, I knew the fishermen and the tanners. I knew them. And they knew me. Well. Sort of, I was a quiet child. The point is, it was a much closer relationship. They could see how hard we worked to keep them safe. The sacrifices we made in our home for them. Things made sense. The give and take was clearer. The roles were easy to define and the rules we all lived by were simple. In Arx... there is no chance for that organic relationship. There is no obvious give and take between nobles who rule over land so far away and commoners who live within the city. I think it is the sort of situation that breeds a level of misunderstanding and results in mistrust. I think that if we can communicate and try to not assume we understand based on our own emotions or assumptions we might find ourselves building bridges.
What does it mean to be noble? The thing about this question is, I can only answer for myself. I can observe what I see in others, but I cannot know their minds unless they tell me. My knowledge of them is surface deep. I can answer only what I see and hear and assume. That is why I asked it. I wanted to see what other people feel and believe.
For me, my answers align closely to Duke Cassius. Nobility is about service. It is about understanding that your choices, your words, your actions are not solely your own. This is not to say I'm painting some picture of martyred nobility in chains. No. Skald tells us that we all have a choice -- but those choices are forever tied to consequences. So when I say it is about service, that is what the soul of nobility is. It is the *choice* made to sublimate all that you are into *who* you are. Who your family needs you to be. Your words, your actions, your inactions all reflect upon the greater organism that if your Family. That family extends out like tendrils of a vine, to your lieges and vassals, and most of all, above all else (for those of us who have lands to manage) the people who live within your demesne. Those are the lives that are most vulnerable. Most precious. Without their labor, without their lives, where does the food come from? The cloth, the leather, the ore, the day to day items that make life essential? It is their sweat that drives our economies. Our lives are to be a service to them. To ensure they have all the things they need to continue. Food to eat so they stay strong. So their families are happy and healthy. Security and safety in the form of guards and soldiers to protect them from Shav'Arvani raids and predation from animals. Without them nobility has no purpose. They do not live to serve us. We live to serve them. We are educated, we are clothed, we are afforded the trappings of power to better serve the people we are sworn to protect. We surrender ourselves to the betterment of our Houses. We give up the right to choose who we marry, though of late it seems to have become very in fashion to marry for love over duty. I cannot speak to that, beyond noting it. This is what I believe nobles *should* be. It is what I strive for in myself.
What does it mean to be a commoner? In this I can only theorize. I am not a commoner. But I imagine that their lives are also about service. Service to their families. Without being afforded the wealth that typically comes with bearing the name of a House of the Peerage, one must rely on those very people to ensure that the days work gets done. That your labors are enough to make do and ensure food is available, housing is secured. I imagine there is uncertainty and stress in not being able to know the people who make the rules. Really know them. To have to trust someone who seems so very different from you. Whose words and actions seem... unclear.
How does living in Arx skew our perspectives? There are a lot of nobles that live within Arx. I feel confident in my estimation in saying there are likely more nobles in Arx than in anywhere else in Arvum. Back where I grew up, on a tiny parcel of land given to my grandmother by her father when he passed away, we had a village of 200 people. There was a small market, a road that led to the next village three days ride away, they had an Inn, it was very fancy, and eventually to Blancbier. In my home I knew every soul there. I knew the names of everyone who lived in Apsfel Falls. I knew the soldiers and the farmers, I knew the fishermen and the tanners. I knew them. And they knew me. Well. Sort of, I was a quiet child. The point is, it was a much closer relationship. They could see how hard we worked to keep them safe. The sacrifices we made in our home for them. Things made sense. The give and take was clearer. The roles were easy to define and the rules we all lived by were simple. In Arx... there is no chance for that organic relationship. There is no obvious give and take between nobles who rule over land so far away and commoners who live within the city. I think it is the sort of situation that breeds a level of misunderstanding and results in mistrust. I think that if we can communicate and try to not assume we understand based on our own emotions or assumptions we might find ourselves building bridges.
Written By Cassius
April 7, 2018, 2:02 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Derovai
Ah, but there is the rub of it, so to speak. A commoner can be given many opportunities in life. Whether by chance or design, they can achieve much the same skills as any nobility. And can even achieve much the same level of responsibility. To steal a local example? Grandmaster Thena commands more men at arm's than I likely ever will, and has an incredible amount of responsibility, and she is a commoner. She also has done a wonderful job with it, as far as I have seen, and Gods praise her for it.
No, I think much of it comes from expectation to use the opportunities granted to nobility as a whole. As a rule, almost all nobles (and of course I know there are exceptions) are afforded better than their commoner counterparts. And, as a whole, wield more social standing and public image, whether they use it or not. But what good is such, if you do not? Perhaps that is it, the increased resources we have. The ability to, with but a few words in the right ear or, as is the case with many, just a few words written on paper and a letter to your men or to the bank?
Of course, in the end, all of us are human. All the same basic shape, and mostly the same basic hopes and dreams. But nobles are born into the priviledge of being provided with those basic dreams and the power of influence as a rule, whereas (most) commoners are certainly not. This does not make them lesser people, it is just that nobles can and should use this upbringing and influence to better themselves and their people, and society. Outliers may exist, that is the glory of the variety of humanity, but I think this is much of what being a noble is.
No, I think much of it comes from expectation to use the opportunities granted to nobility as a whole. As a rule, almost all nobles (and of course I know there are exceptions) are afforded better than their commoner counterparts. And, as a whole, wield more social standing and public image, whether they use it or not. But what good is such, if you do not? Perhaps that is it, the increased resources we have. The ability to, with but a few words in the right ear or, as is the case with many, just a few words written on paper and a letter to your men or to the bank?
Of course, in the end, all of us are human. All the same basic shape, and mostly the same basic hopes and dreams. But nobles are born into the priviledge of being provided with those basic dreams and the power of influence as a rule, whereas (most) commoners are certainly not. This does not make them lesser people, it is just that nobles can and should use this upbringing and influence to better themselves and their people, and society. Outliers may exist, that is the glory of the variety of humanity, but I think this is much of what being a noble is.
Written By Venturo
April 7, 2018, 1:30 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
It's been pleasing to see so many in and out the door of the taproom; each with their own story to bring, their own addition to the atmosphere. For those who haven't visited, but are interested to try the variety of drinks you might have heard of or read about in the whites of others? I'd suggest coming in over the next couple of weeks before the list changes out. Summer is upon us, and the drinks in the limited and reserved sections will be changed to match the switch of seasons.
Written By Derovai
April 7, 2018, 1:16 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Cassius
We should talk about the opportunities of different upbringings sometime, Duke Cassius. I may not be able to stitch a fine tapestry, or dance while leaping about like a deer, but I do think that we commoners have many opportunities as well. We need only look for them and be attentive to them when they arrive. That, I think, is the difference; they are not thrust in our laps as they are the nobles'. But opportunities are still there, many and varied.
What opportunities do you imagine to be uniquely aristocratic?
What opportunities do you imagine to be uniquely aristocratic?
Written By Cassius
April 7, 2018, 1:07 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
To be a noble?
To be born a noble is to be born with an ever-present duty. Duty to your house, duty to your family, duty to your people, duty to the Gods, and to the Compact as a whole. It is to be born with the best of what your family can provide, in most cases. The best food, education, healthcare, and entertainment. With this? Comes increased expectations. A noble should not be held to the same standards as a commoner, in most cases. No, he should be held higher, because he has had all the opportunities that his upbringing has provided him. He is supposed to be better at his craft, whatever it may be. Now, is this always the case? No, of course not, but a noble should always /strive/ for this.
To live with the knowledge that the weight of duty and responsibility for more than yourself (sometimes your entire fealty) is always there? That's what I think it means to be a noble.
To be born a noble is to be born with an ever-present duty. Duty to your house, duty to your family, duty to your people, duty to the Gods, and to the Compact as a whole. It is to be born with the best of what your family can provide, in most cases. The best food, education, healthcare, and entertainment. With this? Comes increased expectations. A noble should not be held to the same standards as a commoner, in most cases. No, he should be held higher, because he has had all the opportunities that his upbringing has provided him. He is supposed to be better at his craft, whatever it may be. Now, is this always the case? No, of course not, but a noble should always /strive/ for this.
To live with the knowledge that the weight of duty and responsibility for more than yourself (sometimes your entire fealty) is always there? That's what I think it means to be a noble.
Written By Fortunato
April 7, 2018, 12:55 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
What does it mean to be a noble?
Some of you feel you are born to authority and responsibility. Some of you feel you are born to wealth and pleasure. You may make decisions that lead to death or elevation. Or you may make no decisions of much weight. But certainly nobility is meant to mean leadership, responsibility, your house and all the lands beneath under your care. If your lands fail, distant as some of them may be, this is at your door, and so your every waking hour must be toward improvement or, at least, mitigation of disaster.
That is what a noble is supposed to be. A noble is also supposed to be a glittering nexus of entertainment, wise and witty and fun, capable of throwing parties and/or being irritable in ways their people find funny. This is all ideal, of course, and we all fall short of ideals.
What does it mean to be a commoner?
I am a commoner, but I couldn't tell you what a commoner is supposed to be. Servile? Independent? A placid servant, a dynamic, hungry worker who frightens the peerage as he climbs? Bound for the Faith? Bound for the fields? Bound to buy and sell? We are freer than nobility in one sense. Our purpose is to be given to us by our betters, but we can go Crownsworn, we can opt to be free of anyone else's purpose -- in theory. In practice, a commoner has responsibilities taken and responsibilities imposed. A commoner, most of us, have little power, and if we have few lands to worry over while we sleep, we instead worry about food or safety or coin. Or growth. You nobility see us as something to be taken care of, and we occasionally fear your whims, knowing our ability to counter them is limited.
What does it mean in Arx?
I've only lived in Arx. I don't think I'd much like being a commoner in a fealty outside a city. I'd feel isolated, powerless, more likely to end up bound to the fields, more likely to be vulnerable to whims. It does seem more likely I would have no noble friends, or few of them. My arrogance may have never developed, haha! But perhaps that is desirable.
Some of you feel you are born to authority and responsibility. Some of you feel you are born to wealth and pleasure. You may make decisions that lead to death or elevation. Or you may make no decisions of much weight. But certainly nobility is meant to mean leadership, responsibility, your house and all the lands beneath under your care. If your lands fail, distant as some of them may be, this is at your door, and so your every waking hour must be toward improvement or, at least, mitigation of disaster.
That is what a noble is supposed to be. A noble is also supposed to be a glittering nexus of entertainment, wise and witty and fun, capable of throwing parties and/or being irritable in ways their people find funny. This is all ideal, of course, and we all fall short of ideals.
What does it mean to be a commoner?
I am a commoner, but I couldn't tell you what a commoner is supposed to be. Servile? Independent? A placid servant, a dynamic, hungry worker who frightens the peerage as he climbs? Bound for the Faith? Bound for the fields? Bound to buy and sell? We are freer than nobility in one sense. Our purpose is to be given to us by our betters, but we can go Crownsworn, we can opt to be free of anyone else's purpose -- in theory. In practice, a commoner has responsibilities taken and responsibilities imposed. A commoner, most of us, have little power, and if we have few lands to worry over while we sleep, we instead worry about food or safety or coin. Or growth. You nobility see us as something to be taken care of, and we occasionally fear your whims, knowing our ability to counter them is limited.
What does it mean in Arx?
I've only lived in Arx. I don't think I'd much like being a commoner in a fealty outside a city. I'd feel isolated, powerless, more likely to end up bound to the fields, more likely to be vulnerable to whims. It does seem more likely I would have no noble friends, or few of them. My arrogance may have never developed, haha! But perhaps that is desirable.
Written By Derovai
April 7, 2018, 12:38 p.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Reigna
"What does it mean to be a noble?"
An example I heard of this recently was from a young lord who told me he had a wealth of free time without the mantle of responsibility. Before people assume that I am talking about all nobles, I note I am not, only that such a claim is impossible as a commoner. One either has responsibility, or a complete inability to enjoy their free time -- the beggar on the street may not have much responsibility, but surely much of his free time is a struggle to exist. The fact that one may claim to freely enjoy that lack of responsibility they possess seems to me to be a distinctly noble privilege.
"What does it mean to be a commoner?"
Other than that, the exact same thing as it does a noble, absent coffers of cash at the ready and the pressure of marrying at or above your station wherever possible. The gulf that separates noble from commoner is, in many cases, only a puddle. I need only point to several recent marriages, and several not so recent ones as well, to obviate that. There is no different placement as Marquis Leary suggests, no levels or ranks, and I would discourage others from thinking so, as it is a trap of its own making. People who draw distinctions that do not exist do so at their discredit and disservice.
"Does living in Arx, a large city with an uncommon ratio of nobles to commoners skew our perceptions of one another?"
I grew up in Arx, so it's hard for me to say what a different city might look like. I told the Seraph my first childhood memory, and I won't repeat it here, but it bears a fine witness to this question. As far as skewed perceptions, I doubt it. I see clearly. I see the good and bad in all; I find the conduct of some commoners wanting, and I find the conduct of some nobles wanting. I don't stand on ceremony with either. How, though, would you answer this question, Countess? Considering our deep and abiding friendship as it is, I would be interested to know how you see commoners besides myself.
An example I heard of this recently was from a young lord who told me he had a wealth of free time without the mantle of responsibility. Before people assume that I am talking about all nobles, I note I am not, only that such a claim is impossible as a commoner. One either has responsibility, or a complete inability to enjoy their free time -- the beggar on the street may not have much responsibility, but surely much of his free time is a struggle to exist. The fact that one may claim to freely enjoy that lack of responsibility they possess seems to me to be a distinctly noble privilege.
"What does it mean to be a commoner?"
Other than that, the exact same thing as it does a noble, absent coffers of cash at the ready and the pressure of marrying at or above your station wherever possible. The gulf that separates noble from commoner is, in many cases, only a puddle. I need only point to several recent marriages, and several not so recent ones as well, to obviate that. There is no different placement as Marquis Leary suggests, no levels or ranks, and I would discourage others from thinking so, as it is a trap of its own making. People who draw distinctions that do not exist do so at their discredit and disservice.
"Does living in Arx, a large city with an uncommon ratio of nobles to commoners skew our perceptions of one another?"
I grew up in Arx, so it's hard for me to say what a different city might look like. I told the Seraph my first childhood memory, and I won't repeat it here, but it bears a fine witness to this question. As far as skewed perceptions, I doubt it. I see clearly. I see the good and bad in all; I find the conduct of some commoners wanting, and I find the conduct of some nobles wanting. I don't stand on ceremony with either. How, though, would you answer this question, Countess? Considering our deep and abiding friendship as it is, I would be interested to know how you see commoners besides myself.
Written By Marian
April 7, 2018, 11:56 a.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Edain
You have left a great legacy for future generations to remember Lord Commander Dayne Valardin. I look forward to hearing which knight will become the first Commandant of Dayne's Academy.
Written By Corban
April 7, 2018, 11:47 a.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Edain
I was delighted to hear of the Dayne Valardin Academy from the High Lord of the Oathlands.
It is impossible to sum up what the great Lord Commander means to me. I look forward to giving the Academy established in his name what aid and assistance that I can.
It is impossible to sum up what the great Lord Commander means to me. I look forward to giving the Academy established in his name what aid and assistance that I can.
Written By Fairen
April 7, 2018, 11:36 a.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Reigna
In either case, noble or commoner, these are titles of duties. The only difference is where on the spectrum of servitude you are placed. Whether your scope of personal impact is large, or perhaps your impact is on a smaller, but equally important scope. It is my opinion that all of the subjects of the Compact, from commoner up to the King himself have a responsibility to the greater good of the Compact itself. Nobles who stray from their duties, or commoners who stray from the law threaten to betray that duty and violate this responsibility.
As for your latter question posed, it is my perception that this is indeed the case. From my view point, Commoner and Noble alike have become closer in relation than they naturally would in their home domains.
As for your latter question posed, it is my perception that this is indeed the case. From my view point, Commoner and Noble alike have become closer in relation than they naturally would in their home domains.
Written By Marius
April 7, 2018, 11:34 a.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Simone
You are my calming light. Always shine in the darkness.
Written By Marius
April 7, 2018, 11:20 a.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
I have settled back into the rhythm of the city after my return, if you can call the fact that I no longer find the never-ending noise of the inhabitants endearing settled. It is a cacophony of clamoring, a competition as to who and what can out-bellow everything else. The din of servants, the clang of arms practice, the distant hum of the population living their lives.
When in the Greenwood, I feel lost and out of the loop of the happenings in the Compact, guilty that I am not there to tend to anything that happens directly. Yet when I am in the city, all I want is to return to the slower pace and sounds of nature, and the calm life of Greenhaven.
I am a man with two homes that no longer fully belong in either.
When in the Greenwood, I feel lost and out of the loop of the happenings in the Compact, guilty that I am not there to tend to anything that happens directly. Yet when I am in the city, all I want is to return to the slower pace and sounds of nature, and the calm life of Greenhaven.
I am a man with two homes that no longer fully belong in either.
Written By Reigna
April 7, 2018, 11:15 a.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
I put forth these questions and invite all answers to any who might read this:
What does it mean to be a noble?
What does it mean to be a commoner?
Does living in Arx, a large city with an uncommon ratio of nobles to commons skew our perceptions of one another?
What does it mean to be a noble?
What does it mean to be a commoner?
Does living in Arx, a large city with an uncommon ratio of nobles to commons skew our perceptions of one another?
Written By Karadoc
April 7, 2018, 10:46 a.m.(7/5/1008 AR)
Relationship Note on Lucita
My liege-lady and sweet cousin: the sound of your hand smacking your brow sounds like applause... and when paired with the occasional smile... that does suffice.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.