When Beauty Is but a Facade for Impurity

[High_On_Math 398]

[!] Posted on walls around Haelun'or, perhaps distributed by hand, is a missive.  Its format is ugly but practical, and no creative embellishments grace its surface.

 

When Beauty Is but a Facade for Impurity

To the citizens and leaders of the Silver State of Haelun'or,

     Is it our blood that unites us, or our quest for purity?  'Tis surely our common journey towards increasing purity, for many 'thill of the purest blood have been swayed by the ways of the Lessers into engaging in impurity.  In doing so, they prove their blood of no use to them.  I am not saying that blood is of no use, but that when pure blood is not accompanied by pure actions, it can not truly be called pure.  To be pure, one must have both pure actions and pure blood.  While we, of course, all share High Elven ancestry, what sets us apart from the degenerate mali is our dedication to the values put forth by our common pursuit of purity.

     However, for the past decade I have seen impurity festering below the silver roads of our nation, as well as impurity festering in plain sight.  Because many 'thill do not have a strong grasp of the philosophy of purity, they fall away from its path without realizing that they have fallen away.  LET ME BE CLEAR.  It is not my intention to promote any sort of violence against this, as it is too ingrained in Haelun'orian culture to work.  More violence will only bring us closer to oblivion.  What I endeavor to do is to simply convince my fellow Haelun'or citizens of the importance of purity in keeping Haelun'or safe and prosperous and to convinced them to give up their impure ways.

     Firstly, I break the aspects of purity up into two groups: Logic and beauty.  Secondly, I argue that beautiful logic must come before sole beauty in order for a city to flourish.  Thirdly, I discuss several aspects of 'thill culture prioritizing sensuous beauty over logic.  Fourthly and finally, I put forth specific policies for our leaders to consider.

     Purity: Logic and Beauty

     There once live two elves.  One knew nothing of science, magic, alchemy, combat, or anything requiring logic, but had an exquisite skin care routine.  He always wore the purest clothing, and could name every wine in the tavern with just one sip.  Every day, he labored at writing music and poetry, carving pumpkins, and decorating his house with art.  The other was trained in combat and alchemy her entire life.  She knew nothing of art or wine, and wore plain clothes.  Her skin was so hideous that it was thought she carried some form of disease and some people considered throwing her into an acid pit.  Yet she had an impressive skill with the longsword and always carried many powerful potions with her.  One day, the later elf decided to attack the former elf's home, robbing him of his fine goods.  Who do you BLOODY DARN THINK WOULD HAVE WON?  WOULD THE FIRST ELF SUCCEED IN DEFENDING HIS HOME WITH A BLOODY PUMPKIN CARVING KNIFE?  Alas, The former elf took all of his goods away.  She spent her free time enjoying music and poetry, and carving pumpkins, yet she always remembered the importance of the disciplined mind and body to life.

     Neither of these elves had a pure life.  One was impure logically, or, to put it more simply, was an ignorant pleasure-addicted child in an adult's body.  The other was a brutish bandit, void of pure beauty.  Yet the brutish bandit was safe because of her logic, and that enabled her to pursue the finer things in life later.  First, we must secure Haelun'or.  Then we may devote ourselves to art.  And at the end of our common quest for purity should not lie logic or beauty, but logic and beauty.

     Current Problems in Haelun'or

• Tavern gatherings where most of Haelun'ors citizens gather to partake in intoxicating drinking present a threat to Haelun'ors safety.  If enemies were to strategically attack during this time, Haelun'or would be too drunk to defend itself.
• I have seen the vast majority of able bodied elves in our nation walking around in robes.  Long, flowing, impractical robes with many layers and exquisite lace work.  I have yet to see a single BLOODY ELF WEARING ARMOR OTHER THAN OUR OKARIR ORINMON VIRADIRAAR.  WILL ORINMON FIGHT OFF OUR ENEMIES SINGLE HANDEDLY?  The 'thill of Haelun'or must get out of their comfortable robes occasionally and patrol the streets in armor.
• Excessive focus on décor is killing our nation.  While the tavern is decorated with odd festive colors (arguably not even decorated with pure designs and colors), our defenses have yet to be improved.  If we put as much time into building weapons and defensive structures as well as maintaining what we already have as we put into petty decorations, where would we be?
• While the Azdrazi were beheading our Sohaer, I heard an elfess complain, "Can this be over? I just want to go back to carving pumpkins!" IF I NEED TO SAY MORE YOU ARE LOST.  GO, LIVE IN ELVENESSE WHERE YOU CAN PLAY WITH FLOWERS AND NOT WEAR CLOTHES.
• To my knowledge we have not yet discovered why there is a trail of blood, a torch, three black skulls, two purple flags, and a bizarre pit in our sewers.  I then find individuals dumping corpses into these very same sewers.  We walk above our sewers every day, while corpses rot and possibly cultic activity happens under our feet.  We ought to stop tossing dead bodies into the sewers and we ought to organize regular patrols of the sewers.
• Ideas that are fundamentally anti-logic are spreading.  Ideas that there are things that 'thill are, "Not meant to know."  To know is to be pure, to know is to increase in logic, and to follow a philosophy of not knowing is to follow a philosophy of impurity.

     Recommended Actions

• Mandate military service for all able bodied citizens; Establish individuals whose job it is to record all citizens military activities and assess whether they are truly serving the military.  Create a legal system of punishment for those who do not engage with their duties sufficiently.
• Mandate basic medical training for all able bodied citizens.  Thill live is valuable beyond measure and it is shameful to lose a life due to lack of nearby medically trained people.
• Require each citizen to chose a practical career to which they will devote themselves.  Such careers may be but are not limited to: Magic, Alchemy, Metal working, horse breeding and training, hound breeding and training, devotion to the military, devotion to the field of medicine, devotion to work in the government, gathering specific resources, gathering knowledge.  Establish individuals whose job it is to record all citizens' career activity and to track the goods and services they have provided to the state.  Establish a legal system of punishment for those who do not engage with their duties sufficiently.
• Request the same amount of taxes from all citizens, regardless of house; Redo housing assignments based off of whether or not a citizen has a family, and if so, how large is that family.  The larger the family a citizen has, the larger and nicer the house they will be allotted will be.
• Put a cap on the number of able bodied citizens allowed to consume alcohol at a given time.
• Establish education programs to re-educate citizens who do not care to follow purity.
• Members of the Sillumir shall have atronach limb replacements paid for by the government in compensation for their commitment to give their bodies up to the State.
• Establish a public cemetery and area for cremating bodies, so that we no longer dump corpses into our sewage, polluting the water below our glorious home.

 

-Luthriel X., Stewardess of the Silver State

Edited October 27, 2021 by High_On_Math
Brain fart grammar mistakes

[Caelria 2618]

Othelu Orrar's tortured Elven soul felt the faintest, shimmering moment of pride and calm wash over as it was devoured by the hunters of the afterlife. Surely this particular Elf either shared some hint of his common sense, or had read his postings. 

[Slorbin 1771]

Aether Mill'nara sneaks a single pamphlet out of the silver city, reading it intently. She laughs- not a laugh of mockery, but one of jovial agreeance. "Ti, Ti, this is what the ferrymen call.. 'based', is it?"

[ItsMrCannibal 119]

Llywelyn Amlugol would be hit in the back of the head by this missive in the form of a paper glider, which promptly got stuck in his hair bun, reaching up to grab onto the piece of paper with his flour covered hands the redheaded mali read over it for a few moments before a cheerful grin spread across his face! "Oh excellent! I needed some kindling to get the oven's fire going" And with that he scrunched up the missive into a loose ball and proceeded to light it up with a flint and steel to begin the fire within the tavern's oven. He was making delicious baked treats to go with the booze.

[Minuvas 2837]

An Elf would look to Minuvas in Ephesius, telling him of events in Haelun'Or and asking his opinion. 

 

After adjusting his wig and doublet, he would put down his tea and remark. 

 

"Forgive me friend. Unlike some of our Kin, I don't think it my business to interject with an opinion on every dithering matter of the day in other Elven principalities. So long as they keep their ideas of 'purity' confined within their walls, I don't care how they wish to flagellate themselves..

 

I wish them luck, regardless. I do share sorrow at the unfortunate state of their defenses and wish their Sohaer to safety, I am going to presume then that Savoy - their leal protector is proving less than capable of providing for and defending Elves as they promised?  "

 

He would not , however, toss the missive into the fire. Instead stacking it in a pile next to all the other Haelun'Or missives about acid baths, purity trials, and mandatory re-education programs for the uninitiated. "Let the Aheral here decide for themselves..." He would think aloud to himself. 

 

[Allien 423]

18 hours ago, ItsMrCannibal said:

Llywelyn Amlugol would be hit in the back of the head by this missive in the form of a paper glider, which promptly got stuck in his hair bun, reaching up to grab onto the piece of paper with his flour covered hands the redheaded mali read over it for a few moments before a cheerful grin spread across his face! "Oh excellent! I needed some kindling to get the oven's fire going" And with that he scrunched up the missive into a loose ball and proceeded to light it up with a flint and steel to begin the fire within the tavern's oven. He was making delicious baked treats to go with the booze.

Kàsthinia Amlugol watched as her cousin tossed the sheet into the oven's flames, setting her drink onto the bar's countertop "Not important, I suppose?" The elfess chuckled, before shifting her gaze elsewhere to observe the tavern further "Lovely decorations these are; quite festive of you."

Edited October 28, 2021 by Lleanna