Fritaux

Anseld attaches an update to the original announcement, as well as a setlist with festival music.

– T H E R I V E R R U N N I N G F E S T I V A L – – Owynsburg – Friday 5/8/2020 – ~5-12 PM EST – H E A R , H E A R !!! Ye’ Heartlanders, Ye’ Highlanders Lads ‘n lasses, this Saint’s Weekend marks a merry celebration of LIFE, LOVE, AND LIBERTY! The RIVER RUNNING FESTIVAL! Folk far and near, rich and poor, high and low- all are invited to a night of FOOD, SPIRITS, and MUSIC! Ye’ can expect contests in drinking, wrestling, and dancing- all to the tune of HIGHLAND FOLK SONGS and DAELISH JIGS! Try our fine selection of cod, salmon, baked potatoes, and butter-fried mushrooms. It’s a POTLUCK- so you’re welcome to bring your own dishes! Whiskey, wine, and beer will all be available to celebrants- YE’ BEST ENJOY RESPONSIBLY! OUTLINE: (Times TBA) I) Wrestling Contest II) Lord’s Prayer III) Supper IV) Drinking Contest V) Dancing VI) Open Stage VII) Second Supper VIII) Bonfire GOD Bless! Father Anseld Dunaidh U P D A T E !!! Good Folk, The FESTIVITIES will begin at (( 5 PM )) today and continue into the evening! Proceeds from food will be used in service of Kaedreni poor, either in the provision of amenities and books or assistance with property taxes. If ye’ would like to make a donation or assist with running the festival, seek me--Father ANSELD--out at your convenience. Godspeed, my children!!!

Thesis – The Sibylline Lesson By Father Anseld Dunaidh – Reverend ☩ GLORIA PATRI ET HORENO, ET OMNIBUS SANCTIS! “And as I have created the struggles of the world and the spirit, so too do I bring their remedies. For I have given you the pains of the world, and I have given you their cure.” VIRTUE V:VI – VII ☩ Hear ye’, hear ye’! Good folk of Oren, Nearly two and a half centuries have elapsed since the end of St. Daniel’s reign (1471-1512). The High Pontiff was a learned man, truly, with an inclination to scholarly matters and theology. A true Sibyl, I’d say, though I should elaborate on the meaning of such a term. The word ‘sibyl’ is of heathen origins, referring to one who claims to see the future. ‘Tis–in some ancient texts–reserved for females. Do I call the High Pontiff a Prophetess? Nay, nay. He was no such thing. But he did set a precedent in the Church for theological analysis. He bestowed upon us categories to describe the clerical disciplines. “Sibyllism” is but one of four. It refers to those of the erudite persuasion, who occupy themselves with mathematics, engineering, art or philosophy. Scholars, I say, in service of the Church and God’s good word. As all things in God’s theater of virtue, I believe the Sibylline discipline exists not only for its own sake, but to teach the rest of us an important lesson. In honor of Good Horen and his numerous qualities, the Sibyls place great import in the Scrolls Of Virtue, or Septalogue, of which I myself am very fond. They are exemplars of personal virtue and rigorous scholarship, dedicating their lives to education and the written word. I honor them for that, for these very things are what carry the Empire’s light onward, bestowing wisdom and civility upon our children. Upon our future. And that is the first half of the lesson- regard these clerics for their endeavors. An Orenian should never negate their critical importance. In times of peace, education and scholarship should be among our highest priorities. The Empire’s glory neither begins nor ends with strength of arms alone. Alas, as a scholar myself, I hold the Sibyllists to a healthy standard of criticism. Thus, the second half of our lesson explores how these disciplinarians fall short. Mistake this not for a drab and droning list of pros and cons, nor an overtly vitriolic condemnation. Rather, it is a cautionary analysis. When one dedicates themself too fervently to the learned disciplines, it becomes easy to forget the outside world. The mathematician or philosopher, overly-engrossed in his work, lives a life of abstraction and conjecture. There is a place for this, certainly, in our academies, but it comes with the risk of severing oneself from the world at large. From the Empire. Indeed, some Sibylline clergymen care little for their community’s. As a consequence, they may shirk from their duties as a shepherd of God’s flock. That, I say, is not befitting of any Canonist Exemplar. Since the Sibyls hold Good Horen in such regard, let us look to Book II of Gospel... regarding his life. XXIX: ”So Horen was inspired with the Word of GOD, and he returned to his people.” XL: ”He went into his camp and found that two thirds had fallen into iniquity, and they embattled Horen’s tabernacle but could not enter it.” ... XLIII: ”Horen wept for his people, for the sinful could not approach him.” XLIV: ”He went into the tabernacle and spoke with his wife, who advised him of the sin that corrupted the world.” XLV: ”Horen went out of his tabernacle and found that in their wrath and wickedness, the unholy had slain each other.” XLVI: ”They lay upon the ground with the body of Saul, and the whole camp was unclean.” And since some are so entangled in worldly mysteries, let us look to Epistle VII of Spirit... addressed to sorcerers. XI: “So I find that you seek impossible knowledge not for the good of your fellows, or precious wisdom, but in the desire of power.” XII: “Indeed, this is an insatiable desire, for none can overcome the Lord.” XIII: “This is the sin of envying GOD, a desire which cannot be attained, and the deepest blasphemy.” XIV: “Verily, brother, the Lord GOD is the Most Incomparable, and none can surpass Him.” XV: “And verily you must find satisfaction in service of your own realm, and the realm of all men.” Fair reader, who I assume to be a Man Of The Cloth or True Canonist, let me ask ye’ this. Did Horen, in all his virtue and exalted glory, ever turn from his community? Did he not weep for their sins- and their slaughter? Did he not strive to do better by them? And let me ask ye’ this. Is there not a fundamental similarity between a scholar and a sorcerer whose primary occupations are the unraveling of mysteries, and whose possible motive is the acquisition of power and greatness among men? There is but one greatness, brothers and sisters, and that is God’s Greatness. His Word is not meant to be thrown to the wind. I say, my regard extends to those scholars who do not fall prey to temptation. The ones whose academic endeavors benefit the community and respect the scripture. A cleric is a shepherd of the virtuous. Shall a good shepherd leave his flock to the wolves? ☩ ET MISERICORDIA EJUS A PROGENIE IN PROGENIES TIMENTIBUS EUM. “So I am the Most High, and in pursuit of My Virtue, I bid my faithful this: You shall not judge your own virtue, be it great or small, for all fall short of Me.” VIRTUE VII:VIII ☩

From the window of his new home, the Cardinal’s Acolyte looks out upon the sloped roofs of Kaedrin. Sunlight filters through the clouds, shining upon the streets. He smiles. ”Gloria in excelsis Deo. And bless the Diocese.”

Thesis – Perfecting The Ancient Vision By Anseld Of Oren – Acolyte To His Eminence Laurence August Pruvia – Cardinal Of Ves ☩ GLORIA PATRI ET HORENO, ET OMNIBUS SANCTIS! “The youngest was Horen, who was neither tall nor short, not frail nor fierce, and he acted with wisdom and restraint. Thus he did not share his brother’s ambitions, except to praise GOD.” GOSPEL I:XL – XLI ☩ Hear ye’, hear ye’! Good people of Oren, Be not fooled by the fine-soled shoes on your feet, or the paved roads beneath them. Be not swayed by modern conceit, or visions of wealth and gems. Ye’ may look upon our ancestors and say, “By Jove, we’ve come so far. Look at those medieval savages- look at how they wallowed in mud and waved their lances around! The barbarians!” ‘Tis true, I concede. We have come far. And yet, with all their flabberghast and pearl-clutching, the typical modernist extends these stereotypes to Men Of The Cloth. With quiet spite and private contempt, they berate our spiritual guides and call them relics. Relics! Imagine that. I harbor no resentment nor ill will for these folk. They are my brothers and sisters of the Empire, in most cases, with the exception of seditionists or foreign agents. But these same folk, in the comfort of their high walls and teeming burghs, have forgotten how close barbarity truly is. It hides in the forests and ruins of man. It festers in shadow. Any wayfaring stranger or common agrarian knows of what I speak- bandits and highwaymen. These vultures know not but lives of predation and theft. They do not embody the Canonist Virtue of Diligence. Their ‘labor’ is not GOD’s labor. It is wicked and sinful. I say, GOD does not punish. He protects. And so too does His Word, which is meant to guide us toward lives of prosper and virtue. He intended for mankind a glorious, righteous Empire–Oren no doubt–with rulers who embodied His Word, guided by the vigilant hierarchy of the Church. And it is this great body, this beast of nations, which keeps the barbarity at bay. The very crux of civility extends from the Seven Virtues of Canonism, without which we would resort to bestial savagery. They are detailed in the Septalogue, received by no other than Exalted Horen himself, youngest son of the first man and father of humanity. Let us look to his example. Fair Horen was a man of discipline, reservation, and faith. Neither fierce nor passive, as his brothers, but with a lasting devotion to GOD. He was a builder of cities. A leader among men. A guide. His ancient vision for us, derived from GOD’s eternal word, is threatened every day by those who wear the facade of ‘progress.’ I ask ye’- would any of them be literate, if not for the Church? Would ancient works of art, grandeur, and history have survived the hordes of time, if not for the Church? To these men and women I say thusly: the way forward is not a complete abandonment of our traditions and values. Horen’s tribe were not barbarians. They were wise, pious folk... far ahead of their time. Their vision, of a people prospering in the great theater of virtue, has yet to be fully realized. Still, we are closer than ever. I beseech ye’, heed my words. The way forward is the perfection of Horen’s vision. We must follow his example, and the Church that upholds it, for it is precisely what separates us from the common beast, bandit, or barbarian. There is nothing ‘natural’ about it. We mortals have an innate weakness, a proclivity for sin. Through self-discipline, persistence, and intestinal fortitude, we must strive to do better. Better... in the eyes of GOD, for the true abundance is His abundance. ☩ GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO, ET IN TERRA PAX HOMINIBUS BONAE VOLUNTATIS! “Horen wept for his people, for the sinful could not approach him. He went into the taber- -nacle and spoke with his wife, who advised him of the sin that corrupted the world.” GOSPEL II:XLIII – XLIV ☩

A beggar in Helena tucks a filthy, discarded copy of the newspaper into his bag. Late in the afternoon, he sits beside one of the picturesque canals to read. ”Dancing in wheatfields? The mad lasses! I s’pose it’s a suitable expedient to witchcraft.”