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Post by Ian Xanthe on Jan 27, 2007 5:38:12 GMT -8
*the journal is a medium sized black leather cover well worn with age. Across the cover is a silver inlaid spiderweb pattern whose clasp is a silver metal spider three inches in diameter. The pages within are yellowed and rough-hewn, those of the dreaming would know the paper to be goblin parchement*
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Post by Ian Xanthe on Jan 27, 2007 5:38:46 GMT -8
It has been many hundreds of years, since I have had the distinct honor of meeting a beautiful young woman, who walked with almost ethereal grace , carried herself with dignity,...and who, when she opened her mouth almost immediately produced a desire to poke her in the eye repeatedly with a mishapen twig, until she stopped talking...
But , lo, Glamour in all its infinite intricacies felt the need I suppose, to ream your unsuspecting narrator this fine day in the "Sandbox" as I have come to affectionately reffer to this -Gem- of wonder known as the Freehold of Mirage. If its not laughing its ass off, as I am thrown in the dungeon for my part in helping to end a conflict, and returning a book detailing our less eximpliary activites as Unseelie Fae, then surely Glamour has little better to do than watch in bemused satisfaction as the aforementioned young lady called me "Duke" or "your Grace" for the seventy-fifth....time.... Yes, ladies and gentlmen, a moment of silence for all the little Seelie out there, who are raised on the lie that all is right in the world , so long as everyone around them, can remember thier title... After a fun filled afternoon of trading wit and mirth in regard to the common folk, "belonging somewhere far beneath the bootheel of the nobility" and my "subtle", disagreement with that stance involving favorite phrases akin to "go to hell" as well as my colorful explination that the Commoners of this court and indeed any Fae society, made the noble what the were...all the while struggling to outwit the other for the....ONLY....seat in the library's main room. (Why the reverend librarian Rithalis didnt think to put an extra chair in there I will never know.) Let us move on to the focus of this prose...the unexpected attack on a member of this court earlier this evening by a coward hiding behind the guise of a mercenary sent by the rival kingdom we have all grown to love more than sliced bread. Thats right, none other than Conemarra. Unfortunately, said coward forgot to check his facts before hand (a note to all would-be assasins who may read this in the future: check your resident area paper for headlines such as "The War is over, Peace established, Tulip tossing begins Anew in the the Sandbox", before attempting to push the conflict into war.Or at least ask around a bit, and do some checking to make sure that the Queen, and Aedon hadnt worked everything out the night before over crumpets and tea.) After dealing with the aftermath of this attack, as the Grand Duke himself addressed the situation, and there was a wounded young woman, victimized at the very table that the rosebud, known as Seiren sat...the chief concern was not for the well being of all, the identity of the assasin, or even the tossing of tulips (she is Seelie afterall and I would have understood that)....no it was amazingly for....wait for it... thats right...her title, and name. How could I have forgotten in all of the bore-ish discussion about killing, and war, and vengence...to introduce her properly?
Ah well,...in the end we spent the rest of the evening, due to the "kindness" of both Grande Duke Stygians abupt departure with the woman who was attacked, and the abandonment of our dear Queen (she had paperwork to sign in her office it seems), I was left with the last standing order of our provicial monarch. To escort the young Seiren back to her bunk. Unfortunately she wished to go once more to library , where she and I intelligently avoided one another, until the idea struck us that perhaps I could show her a bit of this world. She was, afterall, stuck in this "beach with no shoreline" just as I had been when I first arrived. A quick excursion to Skara Brae and a lesson on the finer points of the use of the ferrying system to the mainland...and finally, a return to our dune covered wonderland.
Not once...not...one...miniscule....moment....during the entire day, was I called anything less than by my title. And not once did I actually follow through with drawing my sword and lopping her pretty little head off, which means I either need to work on giving less of a damn in general,...or perhaps after twelve hundred years...Im just getting to old...to bother...
Either way,...in the end...Im still smiling. She didnt back down from me, in all of my Unseelieness... Not once... and that says a great deal about the young woman. So, tomorrow being a new day and all... maybe Ill find a suitable twig to poke her in the eye with...
So thank you Glamour...for all the shit you pull when we aren't looking.
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Post by Ian Xanthe on Jan 27, 2007 5:40:03 GMT -8
I sit here with this kerchief tied to my arm. It displays the house Eiluned emblem, and is emboidered with Seirens name, and I cannot help but grin.I had thought it an amazing victory, distracting the young Dame long enough to ensure she didnt rise when the Queen entered Court yestereve, in retrospect however this band around my arm is proof that Glamour still dispises me. Having to pretend to be appalled that I had been tricked into recieving the token takes a great deal out of an old man. In the end, I walked away from court to my meeting with Alyssia and Etrirc with a smile on my face. Its been years since the Fiona in me could walk a bit a taller as the Champion to a young lady. Glamour knows how she is going to use this arrangement, but I look forward to the havoc I can wreak in the meantime. A part of me understands Seirens concern with the current state of the Noble standing in the Sandbox. Ive seen it a thousand times before in the kingdoms of the Dreaming. Shes young and really doesnt know any better than to buy into the programming that those around her have force fed since her birth. Its the grand joke that Glamour plays on us. But I am pleased to report that a meeting with one of the orcs that haplessly wandered into our Sandy Kingdom earlier today went amazingly well. He has agreed (at sword point and a promise to end his life otherwise) to find a twig of unparalleled pointiness with which to poke the young Dame in the eye. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing what avenue of zealous abandon the Dame takes next in her grand reformation. Seirens vigor in support of her Seelie beliefs is almost as deeply rooted as my desire to tear those beliefs down and beat them to a small bloodied pulp. Thank you once again Glamour, for the shit you pull when we arent looking...the humor of your pageant and its circular reasoning, isnt lost on this old man.
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Post by Ian Xanthe on Jan 27, 2007 5:41:48 GMT -8
Dawn in the Sandbox is most assuredly one of the most beautiful sights this tragic kingdom has to offer, aside from the moody rain that sometimes washes through the area, turning the playpen into a wonderously muddy nightmare until the waters dry. (walking through the palace during the rainy weeks when I first arrived was an exercise in patience on Julianna's part. In the end Ill never know how she looked at me, with a smile on her face, and could genuinely ask how my day was, especially after leaving my muddy pawprints from the front door in a train across the floor ,....the walls.....the cieling.....) But its into a cloudless morning that I have walked and now sit on this dune to the east of the Sand Castle. I am most assuredly Unseelie, love the dark, and the gloom...but somehow, no matter what world Im in, I cant deny the simple majesty displayed as the sun crests over the horizon to mark a new day...despite my best efforts to prevent it from doing so. I had realized this morning in a blinding flash of epiphany (blinding more due to the searing sun and me not paying a damn bit of attention because I was lost in thought as old men are prone to be, to the fireball and where it was in relative location to my eyes) that while I had given Seiren some basic direction in where to begin exploring this world, your sarcastic narrator has still yet to explore much of it himself...So, with this book in tow (because its the only one that is going to listen to me ramble...) I'd like to at least rememdy some of that oversight on this ....nifty....bright....Seelie, dammit why do they get so many sushiny , tulip tossing days!? Maybe Ill send a letter to Glamour and ask it to look into that....amongst other things. Any way....yeah....me and my book of to explore and such... I found this....book, alright...."found" maybe isnt the word. "Borrowed" is a better word , so Ill stick with that....I "Borrowed" this runebook, from some mage named Neville...after he fell down on the street and was unconcious....after his head hit the butt of the pommel on my sword, ....after I asked nicely to borrow it and he told me to bugger off....after...well, you get the idea. Anyway...I uh...found and borrowed this runebook to the major cities across this fair land known as Sosaria. "Where better" I says to myself "than to start with the pride and joy of this civilizations accomplishments , in Britain?"
Im sitting here in a tavern named The Cats Cradle, near the bank and I have to say, ...if this is city is the pride and joy of Britannia than somewhere along the way Glamour started taking a piss on the mortal populace too. Its almost deserted, and maybe Im wrong...but a capital city bustling with activity,....should be , well....bustling....I think. But I digress, here comes my shot of brandy and glass of ale... Onward to the industrious farming community of Jhelom, where my friend ....some guy whos name I cant remember says Ill find the best livestock in all that is the known world. What a treat....what a rare gem of city whos streets are littered with dung piles, and dirty farmers. Im amazed that the smell can hang so putridly in the air for so .....very long...and Ive just noticed a cow giving me the eye. One moment... I...uh....yeah....cows dont have horns...and I dont think they paw the ground after you give them the finger in response to thier eyeballing ya. I...should probably go so- (writing trails off in a streak)
Alright, I dont think much of this "Sosaria" in general but I will give credit where credit is due, and a hearty warning to all who may read this sometime after Im dead...
"BEWARE THE BULLS OF SOSARIA"
At this point Im sure you're laughing your ass off at my astute revelation. But seriously, the damn bovine must have been a ninja in some other life. I ran (quit snickering. Thats right I ran, ....and you would have run too if Glamour had given a bull of all things the authority to cash your karmic check) like five blocks winding down alleys...and then in the silence of post persuit Im thinking to myself "Ian, you have outwitted the kismetical forces of Glamour once again" until I hear the snort behind me...and I know before I turn that Glamour in all of its ineffible grace, is now giving me the finger. So I turned...and there it stood...the damn bull.
And the sonofabitch was smiling...(a smile that somehow relayed , "you, Duke Xanthe, are about ten seconds away from a ninja bovine experience.")
Ive never seen a bull smile, and never in all of my thousand years has a bull ever gone "cloak-and -dagger" and snuck up on my unsuspecting ass before. If I hadnt been there, I wouldnt have believed such an insane story myself... So I did what any Fiona would do if they were face to face with what could only be the smartest cow on the face of this planet, and most assuredly a worthy Foe: I drew my blade and fought like a madman. The battle raged for minutes, across the streets of the town, through shop window, into back alleys, and finally to the waters edge where Bill (I named him Bill because he fought like a "Bill" i used to know) the Bull, and I finally had to call it a draw and go on with our lives.."William" , I says to him while trying to catch my breath, "that was a good fight...thank you." and on all that is Unseelie I swear that William looked me square in the eye and said, "woulda been, if you werent such a pansy."...I left...I left fast...I opened my runebook, and just started mashing little blue buttons while looking wide-eyed at Bill, until I wasnt on that damn beach anymore...
So here I sit in this hole in the wall bar, someplace called the "Salty Dog Saloon" in a town whos name escapes me at the moment. Yep, needed a shot or two after the "Bill experience". And for some reason, Im suddenly wondering what Seiren is up to today. (*note scrawled to the side in the margin of the page: "See if orc has found suitable stick"*) Shes probably planning her strategic approach to the rebuilding of the Halls of Faedom. I wouldnt doubt writing some tretise on the complexities of proper courtly behavior at this very moment...
Wow....two shots turn into thiry fast...glad I made it back to my cell.... Why in the hell do I live in a jail cell...? Maybe its ....time....to move back to the palace...... right after I take.....a na- (the writing trails off the page in one long line)
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Post by Ian Xanthe on Jan 27, 2007 5:43:46 GMT -8
Blind faith .
Ill never understand why so many possess it...
She gave me the books tonight, to read. Her "Codes" as it were, presented to all those gathered like some sort of edict passed down from on high...Ive read the damn things five times, just to make sure that I hadnt ...misunderstood. That she really had written and meant the things she printed. Seiren, comes from a sidhe house prized for its ability to see beyond the veil of bullshit that the Seelie court seems to forcefeed all unfortunate enough to throw thier lot in with it. She preaches vehemetly to me (usually said sermon is proceeded by a meticulously pronounced," Duke Xanthe") about truth and undeniable truth in the Seelie Escheat. I asked her where her truths come from...what source, and all she could give in reply was they are as they have always been. Which translates roughly, "I copied them as they have been dictated to our Court, without question, for thousands of years, and have chosen to follow them to the depths of hell and back, without realizing that the Seelie code itself is already the worst hell I could endure." How!?....how could such an intelligent young woman, a promising Eiluned sorceress, buy into a code that she herself has only read? All I have...ALL I have...is what I Ive learned personally, in my life. Regardless of the time spent living, no one should be denied the right to live as they wish, to learn, and adjust...to write thier own code... Seelie or Un-...no one... Where is her code when she speaks to a Commoner as though they were cattle!? Where in her code does it say they are beneath even the decency of calling them by thier name!? So I...made a few Unseelie , editorial adjustments to her code...in hopes that one day ...far from now, you dear reader...can take the two, throw them BOTH out of the window, and write your own...or...at least understand a grump, whos been alive....too long...
(What follows are additions written in an obviously different hand, with little regard to frill, or even space for that matter. The notes are written under lines, in margins, and all throughout the text.)
*The Code of Chivalry is neatly added in below*
Chivalric Code (a line is drawn through the title)
"The fucking Truth..."
Chivalric code and honor manifests as the highest state of being.
Chivalric code and honor manifests when a group of aloof nobles (Seelie and Unseelie) have nothing better to do than talk about how wonderful they are, and how much they deserve everything they have. More often than not one of the "have-nots" who are "beneath them" finds a dagger, a pair of soft soled boots, and gives them exactly what they deserve.
The Ten Commandments of the Code of Chivalry
(or as it is more commonly known, ten ways to screw up, and pay for it dearly)
I. Thou shalt believe all that the Escheat teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
(Question everything, change it, scrutinize it, tear it apart into its bits, breathe it in, and drink it down....and in the end, make it somthing more tangible than anything any written word can convey....make it YOURS. )
II. Thou shalt defend the Escheat.
(To hell with the Escheat...thats right, both of em...defend it only after completing step one above. Then stand your ground with the certainty of "Self-Defense")
III. Thou shalt repect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
(Weakness is a way to use another. Plain and simple...and its effectiveness lies in most all of us who are Fae (with flaws according to house and Kith) have at least one. If you want to "win", use it against your enemy, and know that there are those who will always be there to take advantage of the same opportunity in regard to you. If however, you simply dont want to "lose" then the fight, isnt really what you think it is....and understand that the most important weaknesses to defend, are your own.)
IV. Thou shalt love the freehold in the which thou wast born.
("Thou Shalt give due to the person in charge of the Freehold, and hold unto them reverence just for being born in thier domain." Bullshit- Love, Live, screw, and die, on your own terms by your own choosing. Birth means you survived long enough to make a descision, that being to live...and that life is your own to do with as you will.)
V. Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
(*several half words are scratched out here* fine, I can't argue that point (being Fiona). If you have the scruples to call a person your enemy then you owe it to yourself, and to them to not back down.)
VI. Thou shalt make war against banality without cessation, and without mercy.
(This is the biggest lie of them all...the nobles cannot rule without this lie, its so ingrained into the Fae psyche. Glamour is free...and change is good. Anything that sits will stagnate, but the Nobles sit in thier lofty abodes raining down hellfire upon all that is bane. Why you ask? To distract the Fae nations from seeing that thier nobles believe so strongly in right of Ascension, and that the Kings and Queens are all on thier throne rather permenantly until removed. "Anything that does not change stagnates...Glamour is free..." What could support the idea of bane more readily than the killing of dream than a caste system promotes in its divine right of a few over that of the many? Who is killing the dream? You need not look as far as the necromantic to find your answer. Simply look to a throne now and again. The Courts once changed...a Summer and a Winter...Seelie and Unseelie. The cycles have ended all throughout the Dreaming. Sadly, the most ravenous killer of the dream are Fae...killing one dream at a time, one throne at a time...one Fae...at a time.)
VII. Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of the Escheat.
("Thy feudal duties" are only yours, if you choose to accept thier weight in the first place. If you do, hearty nobles, choose this mantle of duty, know that it is the yoke that forever chains you to the plow, and know that the plow isnt tilling soil...but lives.)
VIII. Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
(Pledge it, swear it, carve it into your forehead....so long as you dont oath it, your word is your own. Lie when you must, and when you must not, ....dont. Its as simple as that. Honor is a lie in its most accepted definition. Change is good, all things cycle. Honor is as situational and subjective as one may need it to be.)
IX. Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.
(Give if you can, take if you must, and steal when neccissary. Life isnt fair, be it mortal, Fae or otherwise. The balance that once was, is no longer. Make it right for you, and yours, and so long as you can live with it, ...dont look back)
X. Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice, Banality, and Evil.
(Honestly, to any Seelie who may read this after Im gone...if this were truly a feasible tenant of Noble bearing, and Chivalric attitude, then all claiming to be noble, would constantly be at arms with almost every aspect of the crumbling , and easily abused Feudal System. Civil war would be a constant state of being for our kind. But then again, maybe thats not a bad idea. Force the cycle of change , and know that Evil, and Bane, and Injustice wear both the mantle of demons, as well as crowns. Fight what you truly feel should be battled, and do not regret your descision to do so. Good and Evil, right and wrong, Bane and Glamour...the only difference between the extremes are the masks they wear. Which of the two is "best" in the end, is arbitrary. Both still wear thier masks, which means both are hiding the truth. Its up to the individual to find thier own truth)
The Code of Chivalry
• Live to serve King and Freehold. (Appearing to serve, looks very much like genuine servitude...and is often enough) • Live to defend Crown and Freehold and all it holds dear. (Live to defend that which you love, no king , no kingdom...will ever be worth more) • Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. (so long as you can live with yourself, to hell with what the rest think. Honor and respect fluctuate like a tide...all you need do is swim with its flow) • Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. (Live for anything in your life worth risking its end to protect.) • Never attack an unarmed foe. (Indeed, beat them sensless, run them through, place an arrow in thier skull from afar. Kill an unarmed Foe, before they have the opportunity to do the same to you, but dont simply attack them in most cases that will just piss them off. If you cannot separate the honor felt for them from the neccessity to live...then t hey are not your Foe.) • Never use a weapon on an opponent not equal to the attack. (so many rules for combat and warfare, Im suprised any Seelie survived to this day.) • Never attack from behind. (in other words, give them a chance to kill you? Brilliant wisdom.) • Avoid lying to your fellow man. (all truth is subjective to the observer) • Avoid cheating. (in any matter, save that of a mate, do what you must in accordance with your feeling.) • Avoid torture. (*just smirks*) • Obey the escheat of king, freehold, and chivalry. (obey your own precepts, whatever they may be...no regrets) • Administer justice. (one would wonder if this could be used to skate around the torture rule above) • Protect the innocent. (only a child is innocent...and in all things children are worth the protecting) • Exhibit self control. (better yet...learn to truly control yourself...and do not regret your descisions) • Show respect to authority. (Show respect where it is earned. Otherwise you only feed the lie.) • Respect women. (or know that your life will end at one of thier hands in ways more brutal than any formorian could devise, should you not.) • Exhibit Courage in word and deed. (Be who you are, truly. And that is enough.) • Defend the weak and innocent. (weakness has little to do with innocence...defend what is worth defending.) • Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms. (Witch hunts never get old...do they? Nor does seeing the horror on a "Just man's" face, when he realizes after the burning is done, that he should be next on the stake) • Crush the monsters that steal our land and rob our people. (Fucking nobles! ) • Fight with honor. (Fight with tooth and nail if you must. Honor is relative to the fighter...and his foe, and may differ in application greatly between the two.) • Avenge the wronged. (Avenge those worth avenging...whether right or wronged) • Never abandon a friend, ally, or noble cause. (Friend and ally perhaps, ....but anything arrogant enough to be "noble" usually isnt...) • Fight for the ideals of king, freehold, and chivalry. (Fight for all that matters to you, and see that these ideals are what you too often are truly struggling against) • Die with valor. (Valor, Honor, all are simply intangible descriptions of philosophies whos meanings are as discardable as the life that slips from you. Die with somthing you can truly feel...die with passion.) • Always keep one's word of honor. (this is the only tenant, that assures honor in a subjective, and therefor, feasible way) • Always maintain one's principles. (if this can be followed...then regret shoud be abandoned...) • Never betray a confidence or comrade. (so long as you are not betraying yourself, do as you must) • Avoid deception. (and decieve when you must) • Respect life and freedom. (respect what has earned your respect...) • Die with honor. (Die with no regrets...) • Exhibit manners. (and remember that a king can be told to go to hell, and if done so with adequate manners, will be smiling all the way down .) • Be polite and attentive. (unless the situation calls for alternate means of "communication") • Be respectful of host, women, and honor. (it is little wonder at this point that woman scribed this...seem repetative?) • Loyalty to freehold, King, honor, freedom, and the code of chivalry. (Loyal to yourself, thats all that matters in the end) • Loyalty to one's friends and those who lay their trust in thee. (if they lay thier trust in you...and you feel you deserve it, then give what you can in return)
In the end Words...Codes...contain no awareness...they can only trigger awareness. It does little good to try to impress a man with a thought they can not relate to. But if you can make him aware of the obvious, ...that could change his life. A few persons realizing the obvious create a chain reaction. There is nothing so potent as an Idea whos time has come.By doing nothing more than accepting what is obvious, a man can change the world. Glamour is Free...Change is good... The world is constantly changing...and constantly Being changed. My Point in all this...? We build walls of Edict and code...walls that are as trusted as time itself...but if a person, Seelie or Unsselie, can simply climb the wall that surrounds who they truly are and accept thier own descisions and beliefs are as valuable as a library of those that have come before..., right or wrong...all the way to its top, and simply...honestly ask "What am I doing here...?"
The Truth ( all the honor, and valor, and Code they will ever need) of the matter is simply, "taking responsibility."
Beware Symmetry....
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Post by Ian Xanthe on Mar 20, 2008 16:35:51 GMT -8
Has it really been a year since I’ve written in this book….?
I guess it has.
Gah damn , it seems like only a few months. Well dear reader, Seiren’s been gone awhile now, Im still living in the snowbox, and time marches on. Though it’s passing seems more spent in reflection of time long gone than in the present. I am a Sidhe though so I’m guessing that’s no surprise to most. My forgetfulness is getting worse… I hadn’t noticed how bad until this past year and a half spent around people again. I miss the seclusion of Widow’s Web sometimes. Nobody there to notice my drifting into memories for hours at a time.
I have this little notepad I carry around with me to write down where I am outside the freehold here in Sosaria. I end up in the middle of some Dungeon a few hours into hunting and forget otherwise…
Heh…nothing like being in the middle of some fuckin’ hole in the ground and suddenly realizing you don’t know where you are…or the way out…
I try to hide it....
* written shakily * damn you glamour…
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