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Barlaam

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  1. Jurgen rests, wherever his God sent him, for better or for worse. Yet, of the few things he knew for certain, one was this: he had died defending Princess Catherine Barclay, and those that killed her were stranger Orenians. And indeed, many of those that had signed the Chancellor's declaration against the Prince, had been involved in a coup against the last Prince, which he himself had stopped. He had never asked for recognition, but the idea that he would be condemned for defending the Princess of his realm, and indeed somehow accused of murdering her (against all reason), by his own Chancellor... that would be beyond reason. And yet so it happened. He was accused of murdering the woman he died protecting, and his accuser lived even though she was executed. But at least now she, mayhaps, would **** off, and let his soul rest.
  2. The Primal Saints Although selfish and omphaloskeptic scholars of the modern age may find comfort and peace in their ‘own’ knowledge and wisdom, believing themselves enlightened and having surpassed their ancestors, in truth they could not be further from the truth. The history of this world is a history of a descent. A decline from an ancient bliss. A degeneration from the heroes of yore. And most of all, a dereliction of faith and duty. Learn the stories of those greatest among us, those heroes of old fables, those sacred fathers of our people. Pay heed to the great deeds and foolish mistakes of the fathers and uncles of all Descendants, of those to whom we owe the greatest respect and pay the least. Venerate the Primal Saints. St. Urguan of the Depths We begin with St. Urguan of the Depths. Born in the deepest parts of Aegis, those great caverns and ravines where the Sun did not shine, Urguan Father of Dwarvenkind was hardy from birth. There was not a moment of the prototypical Dwarf’s life, though he was not yet a dwarf, that was not dedicated to his labour. To travel, he mined and dug great tunnels. To earn his keep, likewise. To build great halls and chambers for his family, his parents, brothers, and later his children, to enjoy, he did the same… with his own blood, sweat and tears. He was strong, but he took no pride in it. He was diligent, but he did not know it. His endurance was unparalleled, but he would not brag of it. His brothers walked easily in the light, but he would not begrudge them it. St. Urguan knew not sloth, pride, nor envy. To gluttony, wrath and lust, he was yet a stranger. But, alas, even the most diligent of the sons of Man could not resist a reward for his efforts. Young Urguan, father of the Dwarves who were not yet dwarves, fell to the grave sin of greed. After all, he laboured hard, and these gems were but rare respites in an otherwise thankless toil. He had earned his reward. And indeed it is true, he had. To every man the fruit of his labours, so say the wise men. But as Urguan did not understand, there is more to life than wealth, and more to wealth than hoarding it. When Iblees offered him wealth beyond his imagination, he accepted, seeing it his due. And even when former’s horrid true form was revealed, while Urguan fought Denier with all the fury and strength of an angered Dwarf, he committed not fully to this fight--for he still hid his treasures in the ground, hoping to preserve them even in case of defeat. His love of wealth overcame his love for his kinsmen, offering his riches to the soil before them, the brothers he bled with. For this grave sin, God allowed Urguan to be cursed with squalidity and ugliness, and so the Dwarves became dwarves. Yet, Urguan the Great was neither vengeful nor angry after his punishment. He did not resent or curse God for letting him be punished in such a way, but rather he accepted his fate with humility, acknowledging his misdeeds. He lived the remainder of his life in great faith, imparting it to his people, and indeed the Dwarves remained devout Canonists until at least the 1300s. For his gracious apostolate to his people even in spite of his curses, which lesser men would have resented, and in recognition of his role in Auspice, we recognise Urguan as a Primal Saint. St. Malin of the Woodlands Malin, Father of the Elves. Where to begin with him? As the title suggests, he was born in the forests of Aegis, sheltered by the great canopy of those primevals woods. Perhaps it was this environment, surrounded by nature, which instilled in him such a great deal of care and compassion for all things. This was what Malin saw himself as first and foremost: a caretaker and a custodian. To his children he was a doting patriarch, and the great forests of Aegis were their patrimony, which he swore to defend for their sake, but also the sake of the forests themselves. And, while he may not have the same reputation for it as his brother Urguan, Malin was quite industrious too. It was he who first explored all the bounties of Aegis, naming all the creatures and inhabitants of the land. And it was by necessity for this task that his people created the first tongue, the other brothers apparently having not yet a need. He delighted in seeing the world and all that dwelled in it, in naming and describing them, and most of all in protecting them. The world was good, and St. Malin endeavoured to keep it that way. Alas, Malin was simply too fond of the world. The Lord God delighted in creation, and we all ought to appreciate this great gift, but what Malin lost sight of was what lay beyond. This world is only a transient thing, a mere ember that burns out too quickly, in the vastness of time. For all the world’s great bounties, one must never lose sight of the greatest reward of all, the Heavens all men were born to long for. Malin did, however, and he paid dearly for it. Worldliness was his downfall. For, indeed, men are caretakers and custodians of nature, as St. Malin exemplified. But this world only exists as a testing ground, a place for the Descendants to face trials of faith and virtue, and to overcome them. Therefore, there is no commodity in all of Creation which could ever be traded for loyalty to God. What one may think, and which Malin thought, is that it is licit to trade one’s own devotion to the Lord to provide for one’s offspring. For after all, what greater sacrifice could there be, to trade one’s soul for their children’s sake? But in truth, this is nonsense. No worldly benefit could ever be of any more use to the children of men than the example of their father. What good is it to protect and nurture them, if by doing so, you show them an example of cowardice? Malin hid from his battle, believing to protect his children was his greatest calling as a father. But his children’s lives were worth nothing compared to their souls, which he thrust into jeopardy, along with his own, by refusing to lead them against evil. Nevertheless, the Lord God scorns no man for good intentions, and St. Malin remained a faithful patriarch to his people. Though he was punished with infertility, for allowing his offspring to take precedence over his faith, he did not scorn this. Instead, he used his blessing of immortality to guide and teach his people to live well and love God for many centuries, before finally departing into the seas at peace. As the patron saint of nature and fathers, we honour St. Malin. St. Krug of the Desert Oft maligned as he is, in truth, there are not enough words in all the world’s languages to sing the praises of the desert father. It is impossible to speak of St. Krug without doing so; there is hardly a word to describe him which is not a compliment. Do you not know, children of men, that St. Krug was the one and only Brother to resist Iblees? We humans, in our ARROGANCE, speak of Ex. Horen as the one good faithful Brother, but in truth it was Krug and KRUG ALONE who rejected the Denier and all his false promises. No bribes or gifts, no promises or compliments, nothing could convince the desert father to accept Iblees. Whereas Malin was swayed by the promise of children, Urguan by wealth, and Horen by immortality, there was not one thing that could tempt Krug. Born in the harshest climes of Aegis, living the most meagre existence he could carve out, luxury was foreign to him. And yet, he never faltered. His faith in God was too strong. The desert saint knew that God would provide, even in the hottest of days and the coldest of nights, and what God would give would be enough. With this pure faith, nothing could tempt him. Alas! For his great faith and virtue, Krug was hated the most of all by the Denier, and he suffered greatly for it. First, as Krug charged against Evil itself, his skin was burnt, turning green and molten for his troubles. But later, even as the Denier was defeated, Krug suffered a great curse he had done nothing to deserve. Availer 1:63 “And you Krug, the most hated of The Descendants, you shall always have the lust of war. You are strong? Well the strength shall be used against your brothers, used to pillage and murder! Your lust for battle shall be unsatiated and your descendants shall grow ugly and heartless.” This curse was unique. Unlike the others, which merely cast afflictions upon the Descendants, this curse was equal parts prophecy and affliction. For the Denier knew the results of his curse, he knew the evils his curse would drive Krug to commit. The third-born son, furious at the destruction his brothers had caused, and at Horen’s place as prophet when he had betrayed God for worldly boons, went to war against the tribe of Humans. God had favoured weak, faithless traitors over his own people, who stood steadfast in the face of all adversity. Commanded by his curse to yearn ever for bloodshed, Krug could only settle this one way. And so, the last faultless Brother did sin, as he marched his forces to spill the blood of his kinsmen, and led them into a pointless battle. It is from this date that we count our years, as during this fruitless assault our great father, Horen himself, was murdered in his sleep by the first goblin. And Krug wept, for the dearest of his brothers had died by his own bloodlust. And so Krug the Warrior became Krug the Kinslayer. And yet, cursed with bloodshed as he was, Krug was also blessed by the Aengul Availer with the gift of honour. And so when the armies of Harren, firstborn of Horen, marched against the Orcs at Kramoroe, Krug would not see his nephew dead. Three times Krug threw Harren to the ground in their duel, and three times Krug relented to let his nephew regain his feet. When Harren slew the Kinslayer, he went gladly, apologising to his kinsman and to God as the colour drained from his face. Krug sinned once, and sinned terribly, but he repented as an example for all of us. The desert father serves as an example for how even the most virtuous of us may fall to sin, but also for how we may recover from it, for God rejects the repentance of no man, not even the greatest of sinners. And so we look to St. Krug to teach us how to resist temptation, how to endure punishments we may not deserve, and most of all, how to repent for the evil that we may do. Ex. Horen of the Plains There is not much need to speak of Ex. Horen. Any man even faintly acquainted with the faith knows of the first prophet and his life. There is no simpler or briefer way to describe our father than as “Leader”. Leadership was at the core of Horen’s being. He, more than any other Brother, exemplified statecraft, and sought more strongly than any to lead his people into a brighter future, even once he was gone. Indeed, it could be argued that the man had no concern other than the future of his kingdom. Whereas Malin was a custodian, and Urguan and Krug merely saw themselves as teachers to their people, Horen was king. He was forward-looking in a way none of his brothers were, and saw himself as the founder of a society that would have to live on long beyond him. But this, alas, was where the trouble lay. Statebuilding is a difficult task and Horen saw, perhaps prophetically, that no state that was not perfected would live on beyond him. He needed time to build his country, his Oren. But time is a precious resource, and our dear father had not nearly enough to achieve his aim. So, when the Denier promised him immortality, he jumped at the opportunity--seeing a chance to offer all his people a stable and happy forever. But, of course, nothing is that simple. Paying homage to a worldly spirit in search of worldly pursuits is no way for a king to behave. A king must seek the best for his subjects, sure, but his subjects’ souls come before their worldly livelihoods. It is better for a man to suffer a thousand pains and be saved, than to live luxuriously and be damned. Horen did not understand this, and he and his people suffered greatly for it. Although he made the deal to help them, it ended up harming them. There’s a lesson in this: the road to the Nether is paved with good intentions. Yet, as we know, God chose Ex. Horen as his prophet. The Lord God does not choose perfect tools, for none exist, but rather he appropriates imperfect tools to do his perfect work. When we look to our imperfect father, our prophet, we see leadership, we see simple yet strong faith, we see concern for one’s subjects, and we see love--love for his people foremost. To me, it is a mystery why Horen was chosen as the prophet, for God’s plans are beyond our understanding, yet chosen he was, and so as the foremost primal saint we honour him.
  3. "My favourite moment in Kortrevich history is when Rodrik defected and invaded Haense." says Jurgen Barclay.
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