AstriaS

Sure, I'm in.

The High Keeper notifies residents of the palace that the Royal Household are now officially recorded and accounted for.

The High Keeper sends out a letter in return, notifying Iain that his information has been documented. The High Keeper issues the following, brief letter;

The High Keeper issues responses to several submitted forms, notifying the senders that their information has been documented.

The High Keeper blinked at the submission, and scribbled the information into her ledger under the 'persons of interest' section.

[!] Couriers take to the roads of Norland, bearing missives to all known members of the Edvardsson, Eiriksson and Freysson Clans. Announcement of a New Rurikid Registry Issued The Grand Harvest, 1794 By Order of High Keeper Alisa Camian Citizens of Norland, In preparation for the impending migration of our people, unstoppable as the destruction of Arcas appears to be, the Hearth Council calls for a reexamination and documentation of the Rurikid bloodline. This is for the purposes of modernizing the Kingdom’s documentation, the correction and elimination of any errors within said documentation, and the creation of a thorough, complete record of the current bearers of the Herald’s blood prior to the impending move. Those who would have their name recorded in this new registry must provide their names to the King and High Keeper, along with proof of their lineage. Those who do not reside within the Kingdom of Norland will, additionally, be required to appear in person before the King and High Keeper. Those who do not register or whose lineage cannot be proven shall not be recorded as Rurikid and will be required to take up the surname of Ash, should they not already bear a name unconnected to the Rurikid Clans. As a further reminder, only those with a patrilineal connection to Thoromir I will be considered Rurikid. Those whose family line connects them to the Herald by way of a mother will be required to take the surname of Ash and forego recognition as members of the Rurikid bloodline. Furthermore, those of Rurikid blood who are not of the Red Faith shall also be denied. Should one be declared an Ash and persist in their use of a surname attached to one of the Rurikid Clans, they shall, regardless of reason, be charged with treason and considered an enemy of the Throne, the Faith and the Kingdom as a whole. In the Father’s Name, High Keeper Alisa Camian [!] A small form is included with the letter, to be returned to the capital.

[The Red Faith would like to know your location.]

Basically this, yes. To add to this as another leader of a human religion, which similarly (until recently) has a history of being less-than-tolerant of homosexuality, it’s important to allow for room for reform, but also to ensure that this reform comes in the form of legitimate RP. As stated above, forcing a change for the sake of OOC sentiment ends up being a disservice to the greater whole of the narrative. Take, for example, the more recent increase in tolerance in Norland and the Red Faith. While, yes, a decent number of Norland’s current players fall somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum, this wasn’t the driving force behind the increase in tolerance. It came as a result of a series of decisions and moves which opened the way for change. In large part, it was spurred by the presence of a homosexual character in a position of power, and a respect for that character IRP. And it’s entirely possible that future reforms will lead things back in the opposite direction. In short, bad things in the real world will still exist in an RP world. People will still have to face adversity and discrimination in an RP world. It’s up to the characters to decide how they react to it, and whether they will pursue change. Pushes for reform will always exist in the real world, and they should, therefore, also exist in the world of RP. Not to mention that reformation can make for some lovely conflict RP. And finally, as stated many times in this thread, using IRP prejudices as an avenue to enact one’s own prejudices is another thing entirely. Just roll with RP and engage with the good and bad elements of the world as your character would see fit.

The High Keeper finished her notes from the meeting and raised a mug of ale to the shining future of the Highlander race.

The High Keeper lets out a small, amused cackle, the porcelain mask covering her features giving off an eerie, echoey ring. “How very kind of him to write,” She commented in mildly amused sarcasm to the other Keepers present. “What a waste of air this so-called ‘Sultan’ is. Truly, I cannot imagine thinking this is a threat worth any seriousness. The demons send petty displays of common gore and brutality in an attempt to unnerve those of us who have spent our lives- spilled our blood and tears- looking into the face of darkness. How... Flawed their understanding of their enemy is. Such a... Disconnect between the damned and the living. To think they can sunder our spirits with hastily-written, poorly-worded threats, and to send them by such a... Painfully eyeroll-inducing method. Let the halfwit hellspawn come. We shall meet them with steel.” Sylvia Camian paints a large pink heart on the side of a newly-bored cannon with a little, half-crazed laugh.

Neat ice metal is neat. +1

The High Keeper reads over the document with a quiet, jaded cackle of amusement.

Somewhere in Norland, a young woman, now an adult in her own right, remembered a song the bard had sung about her all those years ago. Unaware of the man’s departure from the mortal plane, she hummed the melody of his song as she went about her day, a smile on her face.

The High Keeper nodded in approval as she heard the news. “Only thing a bandit deserves in life is a short drop followed by a sudden stop. Give ‘em hell.”

The High Keeper signs her name to the document. Velsyni Indoren nodded contently as she restocked the shelves of her store in Morsgrad’s market square. “Nice.”

As much as I hate playing the part of the cynical pessimist, I feel this needs to be said; As good of a message as this is-- and it’s a very good message, don’t misunderstand-- it seems to me that this is a lot of words with little weight behind them. As great as it would be for everyone to play nice, the fact remains that due to inaction on the part of all parties involved, nothing will change. So long as the powers that be, either by intention or ignorance, willingly turn a blind eye to the issues in question for whatever reason, there will continue to be no confidence in the system. With no confidence in the system, people won’t step forward when they’re mistreated. When people stop stepping forward, the inaction appears justified, and the cycle continues. Nothing will change, harassment and toxicity will continue. tl;dr: If you want change, the way to do it is through principle and integrity, not just telling people to be better. Change is achieved by action. Signed, Astria, Local Cynic

The High Keeper silently objected to the addition of the word ‘Holiness’ to her name as she read over the document. But she chose to just shrug it off with a sigh.

No. Just because other settings have guns doesn’t mean this setting needs guns. Especially when there are already enough issues with powergaming and misunderstandings with the weapons we already have. Keep things simple, and keep with the existing vibe. That being said. This is just my personal preference. If firearms are the will of the people, then so be it.