Starlit Spark

Moderators: Forum Moderators, Active DMs

Post Reply
Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Mon May 22, 2017 10:52 pm

My name is Ceviran Tylen-Dan'ethe.

My sister Sienna says I should keep a journal. I don't know about that. I think there is a lot I ought to not write down. She says it will help me remember things.

I think she just wants to steal my journal and read it to tease me.

I have come back to the island of Arelith, my birth-place, a few winters past now, and I felt largely aimless, largely without place. I have few friends, and many I would oppose.

Yet a few nights past, while catching back up with Faeren, Horace came into the town and sought to attack her, and while I was trying to help protect her, it finally happened.

"This is not going to happen in my city."

When had it become my city? I was protecting a friend, and yet at the same time there was a sudden determination that this broken, in-need-of-guidance city called Cordor was home.

I suddenly have things I want to see done, and find myself drawn in the direction of conflict no matter which way I turn towards those goals... and yet, there is no more nervous tension and uncertainty, only resolution and determination.

I will share my spark with the world and make it a better place. This will be my thanks to Mystra for the gift I was given- I pray it pleases her.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Tue Jul 04, 2017 12:04 am

The Crack

Heavy

Day 1, Month 8, Year 130... this date marks the Destruction of Wharftown...and the Eagles and I, under my command, helped make that possible.

The sound of the opening salvo split the sky like a larger bolt of lightning that I can produce- and those aren't exactly small, if I say so myself. I have come far- but not far enough to prevent what that first salvo heralded.

The power behind the siege engines was immediately apparent, walls of buildings and fortified gates shattering equally under them, then exploding in flame as a the powder carried by the projectiles ignited.

I stopped and stared, surprising myself by the tear the sight brought to my cheek. This was my king's order... ensured and assisted by my own hand. I did not regret my choice, but I had tried so hard to find another way- wished there had been.

I regret the necessity.

Then the navy joined in on the bombardment with the next salvo, and I knew the town's fate before a man stepped foot inside its walls.

My wish was not answered on this day.

As I finally gave the Eagles the order to march, I found myself lingering to question how things had been allowed to go this long that they had gotten so bad...

And determined that I am not to allow it to repeat itself. To those who have loved Wharftown, and to the refugees that once called it "home," I am terribly sorry beyond what words can ever express. I did not start the war, and it was not my edict, but I ultimately agreed with it and enabled it, knowing that some of you would be displaced, while believing that the island will be safer for everyone- yourselves included- without Wharftown remaining as it was.

But I do not have time to commiserate, nor to grieve. The King has decreed that the ruin of Wharftown is to remain ruin under Cordorian control and watch. And the Banite church is surging in the wake of the destruction of the city.

What Armenius started is being taken up by larger hands. I see it coming - and I find myself doubting that I am worthy of the responsibility placed on my shoulders. Yet I was asked, and when I look around me, I see my potential replacements... I am not the strongest, by any measure, but I believe I still have the right ideals. There can not be that few out there that fit them.

I will find them- and we will turn the island into a place where one doesn't have to dread the loss of their homes over someone's grab for power, together.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Sat Sep 23, 2017 8:04 pm

Distant [Rubicon 2]

Let's see. Well. I suppose waiting three years to write again is going to catch up with me here. Let's try for succinct.

The Eagles were disbanded. They are replaced by the Ordo Cordoria.

Elwood placed a bounty on Faeren's head while she was pregnant for treason. Faeren, Jonah, and little Arabel have left the island so Arabel doesn't have to grow up being hunted.

He hired Khabul to do it.

Mostly I have stayed at home with Inge and worked on my gems and my jewellery and kept up with a quiet home life. Asmoria says it's not stressful to touch my mind anymore. That's a good sign, and yet...

I am still disappointed - and very angry. When I gave the order for the Eagles to march on Wharftown, I did so believing that Cordor was in the right- that we were above that-
better than our foes- because the moment we stop being better than them, we become the much larger threat we were seeking to eliminate in the first place.

All that was done, all that was taken from others, all that was sacrificed...

What was it for?

...Asmoria is looking at me and cringing again. I should stop writing about this.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:55 am

I'm starting to understand Faeren's fondness for Brogdenstein. I met new traveling companions there recently. We ascended the spires- a new destination for me. We did fairly well. We also stopped by the Manor of Mourn... the vampires there are still a bit beyond me... but I am close to a breakthrough with a new spell- I'll have to try again when I've mastered creating a burst of sunlight.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Sat Oct 28, 2017 4:24 am

Thunderstruck

It's been a while since I've written. I spent the better part of a year on the mainland tending to some business - business that I cannot discuss with Inge... or anyone, really. Loose lips sink ships, after all.

Inge and I have separated as a result. It was amicable- we cleared the air between us and we told each other how we feel. I am an elf that puts my duties first, and she is a woman who does the same.

However, she finally seemed to realize something that had caused me concern sometime ago. We age differently. Me going somewhere else for a year is a short trip for me- but not so for her. She is eager to start a family, but because of my duties that sometimes take me off the island I am not in a hurry- I want to be present in the life of any children I sire.

Ultimately, we still care deeply for each other but our paths are too different. Which is something I suspected all along.

It was very bittersweet, and I was very angry. I scoured my memory for some offense I might've committed against Hanali or Sune... an ill-fated task, for I suspect most gods do not contemplate matters in the same fashion we mortals do, even ones as long-lived as we elves.

I could come up with nothing, and when Alice happened by me inside the Brightwater Temple as I was standing to leave, I said something a little too honest, perhaps. I said that it was cruel that a duty to protect love should require one to sacrifice it. Alice was trying very sincerely to console me, but the harder she tried the angrier I got- I fled the temple before I said something unforgivable.

I may be a little hot-blooded at times, but even I'm not ignorant enough to offend the goddesses of love and luck at the same time.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:06 am

It's not my time

Cev didn't understand a lot about what was happening that night - first, his revival at the soul gate was almost instantaneous. He hadn't even really had a chance to start regretting allowing Tom to approach the exit of the barracks- Pierce had given him the go-ahead to leave, and Ceviran wouldn't have interfered.

Instead, Tom had used a Mask of Death on him. Ironic, really- he'd tried to get Mythkar to have those removed from the shop in his building. Their affiliation with the church of Cyric technically put them in violation of the mercantile laws. He'd be revisiting that discussion.

Then he'd been explaining what had happened to Pierce and Theo, and the same sensation as when the Soul Gate had flared and sent him back to Cordor overtook him- Pierce and Theo were left with the sight of Ceviran disappearing in a shower of electrical sparks, as if he hadn't been an elf in front of them just moments before.

To say he reappeared elsewhere would not quite be accurate - he was aware of the space around him, but not of his own body. A sense of awe overwhelmed him, as his vision- awareness?- settled itself onto a pair of luminous eyes surrounded by glowing stars.

A voice sighed, and he felt the overwhelming urge to prostrate himself in adulation- but his body, which he still had no actual awareness of, did not react to the urge or the thoughts. This caused him a moment of panic, and a soothing wave of reassurance rolled over him.

"Silly elf- like father, like son. You are too reluctant - but you are young enough to learn better. Pay attention, Ceviran."

So he did.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:05 pm

Radioactive in the Dark

[The edges of this page where the elf rested his wrist while he wrote are covered in soot and scorch marks.]

I might have let it go if he had stopped at my death. I started a fight, and I lost. I can accept that.

I
might have- then he inflicted so much damage to her, left her bleeding to die.

Not content, later he struck her face- bruised her.

He dares to touch what is
mine.

I know she asked me to let it go- but I can't. I want so badly to ruin him that writing about it brings a boiling rage that causes me to burn.

Vadrien... you will pay.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:23 am

A taste of things to come

I have spent much of this past moon in meditation, reflecting on how I wound up where I am, a second time, when in truth both times I was trying to avoid exactly the situation I find myself in again; that of Knight-Commander. General. Whatever the title, the meaning is the same.

I am responsible for the devlopment and training of a competent guard force for the city - a guard force that should be compassionate but firm, that will protect the city and its King from threats internal and external, and who shall enforce the laws passed by the city's elected officials.

This does not
sound like it should be an inherently difficult task, because a city of people on a frontier-like island with only a sparse littering of settlements and an undercity should naturally want to pull together to make life on the island better for themselves and their neighbors, and for the sake of their children.

And yet, I frequently find myself frustrated by the willingness of people who should be banding together against common foes of all peoples to instead fight with each other. I am no paladin, but the Banite church is a menace and any efforts it makes at treaties should be treated as nothing more than attempts to conveniently stockpile force until the treaty expires -or they terminate it, most likely at swordpoint.

Despite this, I have found allies who do share my vision of a better Cordor and a better island this time around. Perhaps I'm better at finding them almost a decade later, or perhaps Tymora is being generous- who can say?

I nearly quit two ten-days ago. I was arguing with the chancellor about the Banite church and Vangier. Then I was arguing with Nehala about that and other things. I have spent literal days justifying myself to one person or another as to this decision or that one.

Besides the fact that the last time I led Cordor's guardforce we
razed Wharftown to the ground, this is the other main reason I told anyone who asked that I'd prefer to not ever be commander again.

It all just piled up on me all of a sudden, at the realization that nearly a decade later I was going through what nearly destroyed me before my own people would have considered me an adult a second time. Alastair and Nehala both began trying to talk me out of it... and then we had a guest.

Stellen Varg. For a brief moment, I was ecstatic. The argument used to trap me was that there were no other acceptable candidates for command... here, right in front of me, was my solution to that problem. I am certain many people did not
like when Varg was a commander, but I am also certain he was incredibly effective at his job and that had a lot to do with it.

But he's leaving the island. And he came to give me a dagger that has been passed down from commander to commander (Knight-Commander, in this case). The rule of accepting said dagger was that I couldn't quit if I took it.

I am not certain exactly which gods that I honor were involved in the timing of such a gesture, from such a noteworthy individual, but suddenly everything seemed to click into place - a paradigm shift, as it were. I had been whining about not wanting authority, yet I had accepted said authority already.

I am no longer a child. No more running away.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Fri Mar 23, 2018 6:11 am

A lot has happened. I would say I should keep a more active journal, but the truth is that anytime I would sit and write in this, I usually feel there are more productive uses of my time. As if my time spent is somehow beyond my control.

Aila is still missing. Nehala has left the island- she is pregnant and expecting. She doesn't feel safe on the island. I am ecstatic- I can use one of father's spells to bridge the sea and see her on a regular basis. And yet... the distance gnaws, when I must return, even if I know I can see her again in a few days.

I turn the frustration into motivation for the days ahead to come. It is all I can do- to make the island safer, so my wife, the mother of my child, will feel safe, here, on this island that I cannot help but consider home.

I've been asked a time or three, what it was about this island that was so important to me. About the city of Cordor. Why I serve, why I protect it, why I even
care. The answer is complex, but simple. Still, simple things are often the most difficult for me, and it took me a while to be able to answer this honestly.

This island is where my mother and father forged their most important connections to others... and it is the same for me. The city of Cordor, and my time serving in its guard, have led me to meet people I could not imagine not having had or continuing to have in my life. Why did any of them come? Why do any of us come to consider it home? I do not know what their many and varied answers are, but for me, it doesn't matter.

What matters it that they did, and that if it weren't for Cordor I wouldn't have met any of them. Even Nehala... this city and my service here brought me Nehala. How can I do anything other than defend this city like the blessing it has been to my life, and help make it into the best version of itself it can be?

I have been presented with a disturbingly logical hypothesis recently that will require a trip into the palace to investigate. I sincerely hope the theory is wrong- which
could ironically cost me my job. That's okay, though. There are two viable replacements for me finally, although I lean to one slightly more than the other.

If the theory is right, I'm still probably going to upset a lot of nobles. Which is a plus, but the king being held captive or in a coma, or worse, dead, is still a pretty big weight on the other side of the scale.

It's sort of a lose-lose situation... but I can't ignore it. I'll need to contact the Derlsons. And Quentin. So many things are happening. To be honest, I am a little relieved Nehala is out of reach on the mainland.

Time to rock the boat
hard.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Wed Apr 18, 2018 5:28 am

A Perfect Circle - Judith (Explicit!)
"You're such an inspiration for the ways
That I'll never ever choose to be."

Broken.

Broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken broken.

Father was right. The Harp of this island is broken. I didn't believe it- I've heard father's stories of my grandparents. Their fighting together to interfere with various organizations, their membership in the silver knights and spellguard.

I want what they had. I want to work with a group that should be above such callous methods- to ward off nefarious influences and threats to the peace and well-being of good kind folk that are ill-equipped to defend themselves from such things.

For the crime of daring to reveal my own identity to a select few that I trust to not betray me, they voted to kill me- the one who met me, included. Their argument is that by outing myself, I have made myself vulnerable to being tortured for information on them. Which presumes that I would give such information, or that one of the people I told will inevitably betray me.

They cast away my life for things that have not happened, deemed me expendable for failures that have not- and will not- happen. They elected their own personal security over the sanctity of life.

I believe there is potential in one. She did not seem to be happy with what she'd voted to do. She met with me, instead. She told me that she was prepared to erase my mind, or kill me if necessary, but she would prefer I just agree to give them information regularly and not reveal myself to anyone else.

The truth is that I am far from the first Harper to out themselves to individuals they trust. But on this island those that Harp are so meek they would rather kill one of their own than let them tell the people closest to them that should know, for fear that the Black Hand or Zhentarim will attack.

To me, this means they're already losing- but they don't see it that way, and I haven't figured out how to show them that what they've voted to do is exactly the sort of thing the people we're supposed to be fighting against would do.

Mystra help me- they are broken, but I want to fix them. Can I even? I am all about leading by example, but I am terrified of what it means if I fail despite all my best intentions. I am cooperating, although I've strongly protested the notion that my own anonymity should not be my own to protect or waive so long as I only waive my own.


If I can't fix them...then what?

They believe I am easily disposed of. Perhaps they are right... but I have a child to return to, and an island to turn into a home.

I will do everything in my power to help them, to better them- I will overlook that they threw away my life in fear- although I will never forget it.

And if they do it to another- I guarantee they will regret it.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Wed May 23, 2018 9:30 pm

Once I was Seven Years Old...

Dearest Mother and Father,

I am writing this letter because I cannot imagine either of you vanishing from my life with no word and no explanation- not knowing would hurt far worse than knowledge. At least I think so.

I am going below into the underdark. I am not going with the intention of spying, or infiltrating. I am going with the intention of being enslaved and absorbed into Andunor's society. Aila is still lost down there... and there is a necromancer who inflicted a plague on the city that is going to kill Seel. Astra and Snow and Jacob have been unable to reverse the mutations.

I am aware of the risk I face as an elven slave- of the things I will be subjected to, and of what I will be called upon to do for survival. I am doing it to save people, but I do not believe that will excuse my actions. When I return, I will likely have many things to answer for- and I cannot promise I will have a good defense for all or any of them. All I will be able to do is try to make up for them, if I am allowed the opportunity.

I have been planning this for several years, but I could not go with all the other obligations still needing tending to. In truth, I still feel I am abandoning much- but I am, at heart, a little selfish myself, and I cannot stand to know my sister is lost down there any longer- or that one who stood by me and did so much for me during my command will die if I do nothing.

Mother, I will always be your Light- even when I steep myself in darkness. Believe in me, and I swear I will always shine for you.

Father... it has been close to a decade since we have spoken. I have hated you, and even despised your....our...name.

I am a fool, and I didn't understand then. I'm sorry. You were right about so many things, and so much of it I couldn't understand until I felt the weight of the lives of others on my shoulders- and the weight of losing some of them.

I love you both with all my heart. Keep Nehala company for me until I return; she will probably try to storm the Underdark if when she finds out. Show her the twins. She will possibly hate me for this...but she will stay for them.

Your son,
Ceviran Tylen-Dan'ethe
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:05 pm

Judas

That went about as well as I expected, although I had hoped for better. It perhaps would have been kinder to not have befriended Jadoth- but I believe I can be the friend that proves him wrong.

He has informed the Radiant Heart of my plan... which means Quentin will also try to stop me.

Quentin isn't on my list. I am vain and proud, and I believe Jadoth is wrong... but I also know Quentin will be able to strike me down if he needs to. Jadoth would, as well, but it would break him.

I knew this would be hard- I did not expect others to agree. But I had hoped for things to go so much more cleanly. I couldn't keep it from Jadoth, though. He put his trust in my honesty, and I can't betray him by sneaking out on him like that- even if it means he fights me every step of the way.

He's not wrong- I will attack
almost anyone Vance orders me to. I gave my word. Five years for helping finding my sister. I know I will do wrong. I will walk down a path no one would have ever really expected of me... I will do it with remorse, but I will do it with all my ability.

Mother, Father, Nehala, the twins, Astra, her twins, Jadoth, Aila, and King Edward. They are untouchable. Asking me to fight them will
terminate my requirement to obey.

To everyone else- I am sorry, but my family comes first, and I am tired of waiting. I will make amends if I am able- even if I must eventually pay them in blood.

But first, I will save my sister- no matter who doubts me.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Wed Jun 27, 2018 9:27 pm

Finger Eleven - One Thing
If I traded it all
If I gave it all away for one thing
Just for one thing...
It is done. I now wear around my neck a collar that many in my life have struggled to remove and keep from spreading.

And I donned it voluntarily.

The slavemaster was ill, so I have been remaining in the house in the meantime until Vance can finalize the paperwork. His stipulations were reasonable- more-so than I expected. I am not to go to the surface without his permission, nor contact my friends on the surface through other means without the same.

I will keep the details of my time under his service to myself until the time of his death, but I shall write them down here for my own memory's sake. One day my children and Nehala will know what took me from them for five years, even if they are unlikely to observe the passage of time while I am here and they are on the mainland.

I do not mistake his intentions for benign, but I can very much see why Jadoth wanted to trust him. I am not his only slave- and those he owns seem to be relatively happy, or at least happier than they would be if they had other owners.

For now, I am attempting to keep an eye on Kalyin, and understand Emelina more. Kalyin I see as a threat (to Vance, and by extension, my goals down here regarding my sister), and Emelina I see as lost in the darkness.

Perhaps I can spread some light even while I walk in the darkness. Time will tell.

In the meantime, I will focus on my Undercommon and Xanalress studies.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Fri Aug 17, 2018 7:05 am

The Light brings Hope...but it can also Burn.

I am the same, but I am different. My sister is free- I am glad. She says she walked in on her own power, and that I'm an idiot.

I am glad, but I am angry. I reached out to her. Five years she had to send some sort of word. She refused summons, she ignored letters and runners...

When I heard she may have been brainwashed, and she disappeared, and time crept by... what else was an older brother to do but go looking for his lost little sister?

My sister has always been like this, running off into danger regardless of the consequences...perhaps that is partly my father's fault, and it is most certainly mine for always running to the rescue. This is no different, except this time she extricated herself.

I am glad, but actions have consequences, and I gave my word. So now, I suppose, she will know how the shoe is on the other foot, or however the expression goes.

My name means Light.

I gave my word- and I will keep it. Vance currently has me targeting Banites. I can most certainly live with that. And Aila shall have to, as well.

Clea came to rescue me... I am touched. We met only briefly, yet she took such a risk. I regret it was for naught, but am glad I was able to direct her away without incident.

My closest friends, I think, believed if they sent word my sister was free, and sent a rescuer, that I would abandon my promise and flee Vance for help being freed, where I would promptly be scolded for the next few decades about my foolishness.

I am ashamed that they think that of me. I suspect I know what they would argue- that if it were in his best interests, Vance would break his word in a heartbeat... but how can we claim to be better than that, or ever expect them to live up to a better example, if we cast such things aside when it is convenient to us?

I pray Mystra and Tymora continue to walk with me- things have gone remarkably smoothly so far...
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Tue Sep 25, 2018 6:36 pm

I am not happy right now, in many, many ways. Ways that make me burn with anger and hide myself away from everyone for fear I will lash out.

This was my choice.

I cannot linger on the thoughts. No matter how hard I try, I cannot see how any older brother with an inkling of love for his little sister could have stayed above any longer without acting. Not when others were trying to convince him she might be dead, no matter how well-meaning they were. It shows a baffling lack of empathy that at times saddens me and at other times enrages me to the point of trembling fury and necessitates meditation.

Actions have consequences.

I should have expected this. I will not dwell. I'm doing a poor job of not dwelling. Which leads me to the reason I started this entry. Most of this journal has been based around the events that have occurred since I came to the island. People are mentioned, but they have been ancillary to a small portion of history.

I will not discontinue that, but for now, I think, the next few entries should be about the names of the people that are a part of my life, and what they have meant to me. I think such sentiments and feelings are poorly relayed in words in comparison to the passion with which they are capable of burning inside one- such sentiments can only be understood when they are felt for oneself.

But people have shaped my life- and if this is to be read in any kind of context at all, they should certainly be included. After all... they are my reason for living, even if I sometimes want to shock them to the point their hair stands on end.

At the end of the day, thinking about them still fills me with a warmth and light- because they are there for me to want to shock in the first place.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Wed Sep 26, 2018 11:26 pm

Faeren.

If any name should be mentioned first, it is this one. Rebellious, stubborn, passionate, caring, and loyal. Beyond my parents and the fact that the island of Arelith is my birthplace, Faeren was my recruiter into the Cordorian guard. She was also my first friend here, and my first infatuation. I grew to love her, although early on I realized she had feelings for Jonah and those feelings took a less romantic turn.

She was what first made this island home for me.

I accepted my first command because of her. Because with all that we had been through, I believed we could do good for the city of Cordor, together, and because I believed if I had not, she likely would have left the guard and the city.

Yes, a part of me had come to consider the city my home and care for it as well- and others within it besides her. But without her...

If you had told me when I was a child that I would willingly lead an army- twice- I would have laughed in your face and blown a raspberry to let you know just how absurd that notion was. Being tied down by politics is something I abhor and dread, and any office of importance, military or otherwise, is riddled with them.

Faeren was, as I have mentioned in this journal, eventually spat upon by corrupt officials in the city we served- officials that I did not do a good enough job policing as guard commander, who eventually hunted her while she was pregnant with Jonah's child- though thankfully she and Arabel both survived, and fled the island.

Faeren was my first real friend on the island, and at the time, I trusted her more than anyone else- and she trusted me, in turn. When the world was too much, she was my counsel, my confidante, and my rock- I knew I could rely on her.

She endured so much for me under my command. My failure in her safety is one I grieve to this day- even though she would insist there is nothing to forgive, even though if she thought there was I am sure she would forgive me a dozen times over...

It is a failure that I have not forgiven myself.

I'm sorry, Faeren, and I pray that you, Jonah, and little Arabel are well and truly happy.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Tue Nov 27, 2018 1:23 am

Nehala.

If I am to write properly about Nehala, it will take a great deal of time and a gathering of thoughts. She has been many things to me, and she and our children are everything to me.

...She's probably going to be pretty upset when I tell her what's been going on later. Time to start contemplating how to grovel and beg for forgiveness.

I miss her.


Following this unfinished entry, a handful of pages are left blank.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Tue Nov 27, 2018 1:42 am

Astra.

My first impression of Astra was of a mousy wisp of an elf (not that I'm one to talk!) happier to blend into the wall than to be noticed, who also happened to clearly be a mage.

If the rest of the world stops at this surface impression of Astra, there is much they do not see.

She is resourceful, driven, and kind. I count myself lucky for her friendship.


This entry is also left unfinished, followed by several blank pages.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Mon Nov 11, 2019 4:44 am

Final Entry- From Spark to Blaze
Egypt Central - Citizen Radio

And I've had to wait long enough, I can't turn back now, there's no givin' up, you can believe in that. You can believe in that.
Standing there on the other side of the portal, the grass around me smoulders and scorches, small wisps of smoke rising as I trembled in fury.

"Be master of yourself, not slave to your emotions." Father's words. I close my eyes, and take a deep, steadying breath. The smoking stops, although the grass remains scorched.

Breathe in, breathe out. They have caused enough harm without me adding to it in a fit of temper.

No longer a Harper... it is ironic, but I do not feel the loss, do not feel their sanction or lack thereof means anything. The High Harpers of this island are hypocrites in the fullest... In the same breath as claiming I was being unreasonable for holding them accountable for things done eighteen winters past, crimes they
claim they had nothing to do with- they repeated the same offense; threatened to exterminate me, beyond resurrection, unless.

Because that worked out so well the first time, right?

Eighteen winters is nothing to an elf, and perhaps if they took a broader approach to it, they might understand their mistake. Perhaps they meant to do well, once, but their methods do not differ from those they claim to oppose, and no matter which side one serves, the ends cannot justify the means.

I asked for a simple olive branch- not even an obligation to myself. I was refused. So be it- those who give no trust, shall receive none.

They were right about one thing- this is an opportunity. I will not waste it, as they wasted theirs.

They have forsaken their oaths to Oghma, their pledge to liberty and truth. I will not allow them to meddle in my home anymore. I do not have to violate my oaths of their anonymity to stop them.

If they are foolish enough to underestimate me again, then let them come for me- and they will do it themselves. I am my mother's and my father's son- and I will not go quietly into the night.

Reap what you sow.

...And I've had friends walk away, I will never understand the choice they made, you can believe in that, you can believe in that.
Last edited by Aelryn Bloodmoon on Tue Dec 24, 2019 10:30 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Arelith Supporter
Arelith Supporter
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:57 pm

Re: Starlit Spark

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Tue Dec 24, 2019 10:28 pm

Author's Note:

Hey! I had someone contact me out of concern that the "Final" entry (which is now actually done - it took me a while to put it together in a way that conveyed what personally mattered to Cev's story without revealing any sensitive information) meant Cev was getting rolled.

That's a possible outcome of things that have led to this, but for anyone who did have any actual interest in this as it's been written over the years, I intend for this to be a large transition point for Cev, and the start of a "second book" as it were. He's pretty upset, so we'll see how long this next one lasts. 8-)

I still have a few unfinished entries in this journal, because the writer's block demon is very real, and it likes to chew on me whenever I sit down to type, but when I get around to making a first entry in his second journal, I'll edit this one with a link to it at the end.

I want to thank everyone that I've played with here over the years on Cev, some mentioned here in the journal and many more not. You've all helped make it a fun ride full of twists and turns, and I hope I contributed to your fun along the way as well. I started Cev with some base line beliefs and outlooks, and a list of simple and long-term goals (achievements/failures) that I'd like to have impact and shape his life at some point, and went from there, and everyone and the world of Arelith at large has made it quite the ride!

Cheers for the past, and hope for the future,

Aelryn Bloodmoon
Bane's tyranny is known throughout the continent, and his is the image most seen as the face of evil.
-Faiths and Pantheons (c)2002

Post Reply