EoE III | Emerald Mortality

[Amayonnaise 1553]

 

Exploration on Emerald
.III.
Avyndriel of the Sun

 

 

 

“To will change upon the self, is to change the world.

Only through Will can all balance be attained.”

 

- The Axiom of Will, Teachings of Sister Hurricane -

 

 

Emerald Mortality

 

Following a discussion held with a friend, the concept of giving one’s life to the Druidic Mission and what such entails began to linger within my mind.

 

The Emerald Path focuses so heavily upon the enforcement of one’s will and living within the moment, but to also uphold the necessity of perspective from various angles, that I fear it fails to acknowledge how these two principles struggle to overlap in a heated conflict. For example, if an individual found themselves involved in a conflict in which they were suddenly faced by a great enemy, their will would either carry them forth to seek victory whilst the heat of the battle would prevent them from taking a moment to examine their available paths.

 

The most obvious option would be to momentarily retreat, enabling them to examine the entire battlefield to determine whether a full withdrawal is necessary, but when faced with such a great enemy it is highly unlikely they’d be permitted such an opportunity.

 

In the face of this comes the ultimate query; is it Emerald to seek a glorious death through the ultimate drive of will, or to retreat when capable and reassess your chances of victory versus defeat?

 

Personally, I believe the answer to be neither of these. There is no shame in fearing death and fighting to keep your life, especially when such a life could change the tides in future battles. However, as one of the last War-Clerics of the Stag, I also believe the concept of a glorious death to be false. One does not simply perish in a “blaze of glory”, as such a death then shifts into a grab at fame. The only difference in this context is a death of planned sacrifice, as we saw with Tanila and her restoration of Ando Alur’s tragedy, though even this was an event wreaked with sorrow and pain for all involved.

 

However, to assume all sacrifices, whether planned or not, to be the same is the very opposite of Emerald. It should be understood that the concept of perspective within the Emerald Principles is an understanding that no two incidents will ever be identical. It is with this that I came to understand the truth in this concept of death within a heated, unpredictable battle; 

to be Emerald is to sharpen your mind to be capable of rapidly gaining perspective in the most dire of situations - to make immediate assessments and decisions. 

 

To be Emerald is to trust your gut and intelligence, and to know when to push through will, and retreat with perspective.