Mady 3067 Popular Post Share Posted April 19, 2023 Spoiler [!] A charcoal sketch created by a local Balianese artist depicting the Princess Elena and her time spent translating the seventh Lothar Tablet, circa 51 BA. The jingling of his wares came first, echoing throughout the city, akin to an owner luring their pet with the promise of treats. I often pay mine to the traveling merchants who frequent Atrus, and not for their wares. Stories which these men and women hold have always been more valuable to me than any simple trinket they carry around with them. Of course, I always buy a book or shiny object in payment for the stories shared, but nothing I would hold to such value. This time, an unfamiliar face entered our capital city. You would think this man was on his last journey, yet his frail and lean body pulled his cart up the hill solely by himself. Like a tree, the wrinkles on his skin presented like a storybook, displaying his age and the erosion life had upon his ancient body. Most merchants were older, yet this man could have been older than the continent by my guess. Regardless, his demeanor was kind and with shaking hands, he presented his wares to me. [!] The old merchant as he is approached by interested patrons of Atrus within the main city square. Cracked pottery and a few gold pieces were what he seemed most proud of in his display, although beneath a leather tarp I spotted a marble slab, something a bit unusual. At first he waved me off, insisting it was nothing of value and that I would have no interest in. It took a few moments of coaxing before I was given leave to look over the slab. At first, it seemed simple, a carved inscription of a foreign language along with an image of a man and woman. Its simplicity told me it did lack value, yet I recognized its features in a way. Could it be? The statistical possibility of such would be as low as less than a full decimal point. I had little time to decide as more customers had begun flocking to the cart. It would take seconds for me to provide the man with a coin pouch, and a palace stable boy to carry and escort the slab back to my rooms in the palace. My doubts remained as I fully began to examine the stone. It seemed newly carved and certainly did not depict an ancient stone lost to time with precious information of my peoples past. Typically these signs would deter me from any further investigation, yet it was the foreign language which stuck to my mind. I knew it was no current elvish, nor was it Raev or Naumariav. It was something much older. I was lucky to have acquired old Flexio translations from the works of High Pontiff Everard VI, as well as notes and research from Cardinal Teodosio’s own tablet translations of Old Bathalite at my disposal to crack the code My previous works in linguistics always seemed easily done as I have been studying the languages of Almaris for over a decade now. How hard could this translation truly be? Frottage was the easiest way for me to translate the slab without disturbing its artistic integrity. Using the parchment and charcoal to rub over the inscriptions, I was able to sketch and make footnotes separately without going through the grueling process of copying it by hand. It was a neat trick I picked up when I used to steal book pages from my fathers private collection. The translation of the text was not exactly hard. I saw it as a puzzle to unlock, or a key that needed maneuvering through a lock. A slippery key at that. Perhaps it was the notes I acquired or the experience I had in minor Flexio and linguistic translations, yet by the end of the hour I was done. My doubts were wrong. Somehow, by the grace of a higher being, a coveted Lothar Stone had fallen into my lap and I had translated it perfectly. Like the past tablets and their translations, this slab had its own theme. It was love. Spoiler [!] A local draftsman's depiction of the Mad King of Balian and his court, the rough image portraying the chaotic environment of the King’s government. Throughout the translation it was clear that the Old Bathalites rejected marriage without love. Without love and trust, no union was prioritized or forced. However, when the Bathalites did decide to wed, they did so with special votive sashes before a priest. These sashes represented a union which could also be for friendships, not just for lovers. These sashes represented more than just a marriage; they represented a connection to themselves, being a physical embodiment of their soul and emotions, only to be given away through an exclusive and binding agreement such as a marriage. These votive sashes would be given to someone by a parent, or in a way of showing more importance, they would weave or sew one themselves. This was a practice done by both men and women of all social standing and was unrestricted in gender or prestige. Although marriage was an exclusive agreement, concubinage was a very common practice, especially among elites in society. It was said that the Old Bathalite Mad King once held three dozen concubines apart from his wife. Many kings were polygamous and their concubines were held as possessions unlike a spouse who was considered an equal. While concubines were common, the marital and votive sash union stood firm. Where tombs of kings were discovered, a single sash belonging to their wife was placed over their heart in order to represent the sole binding agreement between a married couple. Something to take note of is that it is highly possible for the practice of giving a favor in knighthood originates from the votive sashes of the Old Bathalites as it is commonplace in many societies today. [!] A frottaged image of the carving upon the Lothar Stone, the depiction of King Lothar and his wife, Hiwot and their exchange of votive sashes. Should one’s gaze pivot from the central point of the image, they may take note of the two knights lingering in the background, both adorned in their own sashes as a symbol of brotherly companionship in battle. Translated by Elena of Balian The people of Bathali are friends of love. Each love is a ray of the Holy Light, illuminating creation. Love comes to us first from our Creator. And passes through the family who births us. However we are also gifted new love throughout our lives. It is among these gifts we will find our chiefest love. This is the person with whom we unite our spirit. We have a ceremony for the honoring of our chiefest love. We practice this rite only once while our beloved lives. First we call upon a priest to witness us. And we thank the Creator for this gift. We remove our starry sash and exchange it with our beloved. This symbolizes the holy union of our spirits. Thereafter, in all matters we are as one heart. Our mother is the mother of our beloved. Their stars are our stars. Most often a man will give his sash to his wife. For it is impossible that two will marry unless they are each other’s chiefest loves. However the exchanging of sashes is practiced even by eunuchs in our land. For love is a matter of spirit rather than flesh. The light of the stars cannot be held with two hands. In this way, friends may also make their hearts one. This year it was done by two companion-knights. They were the son of Louis and the son of Cyricus. Thereafter they shared everything. Many women lamented, for they were graceful and their families held much property. No one gives a sash if they do not have one. They must first don their own sash as a mark of thanks to the Creator. We show we are thankful for our own heart and for the gift of our spirit. Our sash is donned when we are ready to love. Therefore when it is given away, the sash is of great significance to us. It is most commendable if woven by the giver. But the love with which it is given is more serious. Some of us have bought our sashes or inherited them. Two things are never done: Never have both sashes come from the same giver. Two spirits must be joined, and one heart is not united to itself. Never have kinsmen exchanged sashes. One family is not united to itself. If a stranger or beggar wishes to wear a sash but has none, the priest will tear a strip from his own robe. If a lover has no hands for weaving, their family will weave one. In the province of love, no one can be destitute. There are no foreigners in the land of love. In this manner, the priest of Peroz has torn his robe for many. Mighty among them was my love Hiwot, a Sahiri lady. She was foreign to us and the priest tore a sash for her. but he did not know she was skilled in swordplay and therefore nimble of hands. She had woven her own sash. And so it was finished. It was true. I had discovered a Lothar Stone and done what very few had done in translating its ancient and lost language. Was I wrong to withhold such a discovery? No. This was mine to claim and the ache behind my eyes was worth each and every minute without blinking and working by candlelight. Of all the stones I could have stumbled upon, I was given one that contains the most inconclusive and capricious of topics that I can not claim to have proper comprehension of. Yet, these people who came before me and who once called the lands of my home their own, have sent me this knowledge of which I grow to understand. Love is different than many believe it to be, according to the old Bathalites. It is not something that comes second, it is the priority to them and marriage and unions come second. Feeling and emotions take the forefront of their intentions and I can not help but admit I will never be able to visualize a society without the politicking and diplomatic etiquette we use in our time. Of course with customs and traditions lost to time, they often do not fit into the puzzle that is our current society and will not, no matter a willingness to revert to our ancient customs. [!] An image of a scholarly woman wearing the votive sash of her beloved in ancient Balian, a group of Royal Concubines traveling in a group through the grand courtyard. Although adultery may still be commonplace, I see no positive way for such a practice to come back in the form of concubinage, yet the votive sashes are something I believe to be an important symbolic practice that I hope to one day elope back into Balianese society. Relationships - love, friendship and trust is more important that we often recognize and I am firmly of the opinion that this should be reestablished. The Kingdom of Balian and its people are pure and passionate in their beliefs and in recognizing the importance of those passions, I believe only good may come. I call upon the courts to introduce and encourage the custom of votive sashes and I plead to the Basilica La Sorella and the clergymen and women within to seek out those in need and provide sashes to. In times of turmoil and strife such as now, love and friendships are of the utmost importance to remind ourselves that we are not alone and we are all descendants of brothers. Signed, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, Princess Elena Casimira, The Princess Royal of Balian, Countess of Rosemoor Spoiler Big thank you to @Cracker for allowing me to have this roleplay experience and for having the brainpower to come up with such an interesting event-line for Balian! 34 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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