frankdh

tbh my overall opinion is mechanics / accessability should be secondary to RP, or help to speed up access to rp. for getting blocks, our old CT block-hub was simple, straightforward, and above all, not time consuming. traveling from place to place, hub to hub, doesn't leave players with that satisfied feeling of "having worked for it"; it's just a tedious stipulation that drags out their resource gathering to build their settlement. settlements are essentially small businesses; as staff we should try to help those businesses open as quickly as possible. travel is getting people to that business. so this too, should be as streamlined as possible. I like our hubs on the current map, but fast travels should be used far more liberally. granted, I can admit that maybe with a smaller map, FT wouldn't be as necessary, and instead we could experiment with the speed boost again. adding more soulstone slots, however? sign me up. don't stop at four, give me five. tiles I will admit I have very little opinion on. as an NL the system was easy to understand, and it was cool to grind mina to buy more of them. but i do think a tile-maximum would be wise for nations. thank you for the transparency and interest in player perspective! looking forward to 9.0, and I hope my viewpoints were relevant to the topic.

((u still my fav renatus general tho, only real homies remember carolustadt))

pog

might be worth it to stick to the smaller map size, but maaaybe try having about 4k x 4k of usable space, right. then you could designate an outer "border" of the island/continent/whatever to be a sort of "outskirts" area for ST events, adventures, spooky volcano fantasy biome to explore, etc. gives both the players and staff some flexibility while keeping everyone more close-knit, and not forced to waste time traveling from settlement to settlement. also pls keep the deserts i miss the axios caliphate settlement so much

IGN: frankdh Category: visual arts Work: link version ok so i'll be real i think Azdromoth is pretty cool despite me being a druid, the rp i've experienced as both anne and earnest interacting with /witnessing him has been pretty wild and i always appreciated it @Malaise plays him as a very morally grey, nuanced character which i think is more interesting and refreshing than the typical "villain" kinda hope he beats the paladins no offense

tl;dr, as someone who wasted way too much time walking around on Atlas trying to find people, freebuild sucks massive doodoo. splits people up way too much and only feeds into the "there's too many settlements aaa!" issue. don't do it, don't try it. my hands ache just thinking about it

quick how do we make hookahs and the drugs where is the guide (asking for a friend)

heavy is the head

when I started playing earnest 3 years ago, I started him as an elven man of 60, raised by humans to be an over-achieving, hardworking butler who loved his profession. he served 5 emperors and was damn proud of it now though, uh, he ended up as a druid with a bad smoking habit and a fae plant for an arm (but he'll still tell you about how many emperors he worked for)

mizunos!! it's 16x16 but colorful and cozy. immersive enough to enjoy LOTC and the builds, but not try-hard depressing garbage like conquest, too. i hiiiighly recommend this pack alongside mizuno's "fresh leaves" add-on that makes the leaves less blocky. there's also a CIT pack you can use for special renamed items

okay, I understand a bit better now. thank you! I misunderstood that people were confusing the aging to such an extent. thank you very much!

can you clarify this a little more? I'm not sure how this alters the culture in rp at all. I don't see what the lack of mention will do to fix the conflict between physical maturity and cultural perspective, especially when this has been a cultural thing for years

Cardinal Providentia sweats nervously, reading through all the comparisons to scripture. That's not good!

Cardinal August manages to appear out of nowhere briefly to cast her vote before returning to her state of mourning.

A cardinal walked through the city of Providence. August was able to remember just a few months prior having spoken to Anna Mariya and Velu, where the clergyman gushed of the great significance in the chapel being in the heart of the palace grounds, as it was a symbol for faith being the heart of the Orenian Empire, the Heart of Humanity. The days to come, that then stretched into months, left August watching a whirlwind. The chapel felt hollow, and the self-destruction of an Empire in an identity crisis left August sitting on the steps of Providence’s cathedral, as the cardinal prepared for what may come. But with all the harm done, there was a moment of great healing. A letter was written soon after. 10th of Horen’s Calling, 1850 Like a comet of silver through the sky, a moment of great joy has blessed the faithful. Everard VI has at last welcomed the daughters of Horen to stand beside their brothers, to preach the word of God. I would like to extend my own personal welcome to all women hoping to take to this path, as I can testify that committing oneself to walking with God brings great solace, understanding, and compassion, when one truly learns to listen. Yet, it can also bring great challenges, as one assesses their own character. For much of my life, I have been a very quiet individual in my learning, but with a great passion for equality. I grew up at the height of Rosemoor’s call, as women across the empire yearned to strengthen the power of their voice. For it to not only be heard, but truly listened to, respected, and unquestioned. Even still, as a child who bore witness to such a fight, I would capture the moment within my heart and carry it with me through my years as an acolyte, and priesthood. I would let it inspire me, and my sole moments of courage and outspokenness were always tied to the great wish of such equality being seen within the Church’s own ranks. Inspired by great women such as Princess Imperial Elizabeth Anne, and Archchancellor Josephine Augusta, I have never let go of this dream. As I rise to the rank of cardinal mere months prior to this officially extended right, I would simply like to announce a small matter of my birth. Plainly, that I am simply a woman-- nothing more, nothing less, and that is a truth I no longer have the wish to hide. Signed, Her Eminence, August, Cardinal Providentia

August weeps in great joy, a life goal finally accomplished. The cardinal only wished Princess Imperial Josephine was here to see it.

"This is a dark time for Humanity," August would murmur, the cardinal standing in the cathedral of Providence. "When the heart of Humanity, our faith, is impaled so wantonly for selfish gain, it is only a matter of time before corruption takes hold and infects the body."

"Nice!" says Vicar August, happy to be here.

this isn't a common thing ryloth ur just an ass-hole specifically

THERE IS NO INNOVATION IN FAITH Written by Father August in the year 1839. Foreword This paper is written both in defense of those who may call for certain good and necessary reforms in the Church, and in defense of the Church herself. As men of the cloth we are called to be shepherds over the flocks of men, and to provide for them such solace and wisdom as we may offer. It is my intention to ensure that the Church’s righteous authority is defended and that the spiritual welfare of the faithful flourishes eternally. “So to you sons of Joren I admonish: There is no innovation in faith” (Spirit 2:17). The 17th verse of the Epistle to the Jorenites is perhaps one of the most cited in our Church. It is the sword of the aged hierophant and the young firebrand alike, pulled from its scabbard at the whisper of the word “change.” But what does it mean? Often, the verse is taken to mean “Canonism does not (or should not) change.” This is a simple enough interpretation, and it is very appealing to those who seek the immediate surety. But we should recall that our most immediate understanding of any verse is often not its full meaning. Our personal interpretations are colored by our own circumstances and whatever extra-scriptural notions we have of Canonism. We are called to analyze this verse in particular, Spirit 2:17, because it is essential to our understanding of the Church’s potential to grow and change alongside the faithful. In preparation, we will briefly review the practice of Scriptural interpretation. Interpreting Scripture We are guided first by the principle that the Scrolls have only recently been published in the common tongue. This is because an untrained eye may unintentionally misunderstand Scripture; God charged the Church to instruct us in understanding Virtue because we cannot do it alone. In order to emphasize the importance of a broad, contextual reading of Scripture, we shall illustrate a common misunderstanding: The Epistle to the Magi appears, at a glance, to condemn magic entirely. In the epistle, Ex. Owyn speaks harshly of arrogant mages and accuses them of desiring to usurp God. Often, individuals have interpreted this to mean that magic itself is arrogance, and therefore forbidden. But a closer reading shows that the Epistle criticizes its arcane readers not for practicing magic, but for why and how they practice it. In fact, Ex. Owyn even implies that if God has given them the gift of magical ability, (much like a doctor with a God-given gift for medicine) then they ought to use their talent, but in humble service to others rather than selfishly. This is reflected in the Church’s stance towards magecraft: though it is dangerous, it is not of itself sinful. In keeping with this, the Church has even canonized St. Lorethos of Rhen as patron saint of virtuous mages. Likewise, Ex. Sigismund’s own legitimized brother, Diedrik Barrow, served as a virtuous water mage in his court and even became Regent of the Raev. With this example in mind, as we interpret the commonly cited Epistle to the Jorenites, we will remember that a ‘plain text’ reading of a single verse rarely provides the answer we seek. We must also rely upon related verses, the teachings of the Church, and the context in which the verse was revealed. The Verse For the reader’s convenience, we provide the entirety of the Epistle to the Jorenites, with the verse in question underlined at the end. (2) Epistle to the Jorenites 1 Grace to you and peace from our Lord GOD, the Most Merciful, Singular, and Omnipotent. 2 I am Owyn Son of Godwin, servant of the Lord, called to prophetic vocation in His service. 3 Verily, brother, the Lord GOD spoke the Virtue to Horen. 4 And verily you are commended for your virtue in defense of man, for indeed your own king kept me from death. 5 But while you preserve the kingdom of man, the kingdom of GOD languishes. 6 The Lord is the Lord GOD without peer, but you have failed in your defense of His word. 7 Indeed, your own brothers mingle the word of lesser beings among His, and lapse in His commands for favor of new and foreign ways. 8 This is a sin of great heedlessness, for the Word of GOD lasts into the eve of the world, and the fruit of virtue cannot rot. 9 Whatever the Lord GOD spoke, the Lord GOD spoke indeed. 10 His word is not abrogated, never annulled. 11 So I find that you are strict in your arms, but lax in your prayers. But to pray is to gird the spirit. 12 The hand of GOD is the greatest weapon to bear, and His word is the paramount strategy. 13 There can be no laxity in faith for any reason, not war nor peace, not wealth nor poverty. 14 The Lord lasts through all adversities, for He is their source and their remedy—without Him, they are uncured. 15 Verily brother, the Lord GOD is the eternal GOD, and he gives no exception to holiness. 16 His word is the lasting word, and it is the only Virtue. 17 So to you sons of Joren I admonish: There is no innovation in faith. 18 For GOD is as he was and shall be, and the holiness of Horen is the holiness of all men, forever. Now that we can see Spirit 2:17 in its full context, certain details are revealed to us that make it clear that “Canonism does not (or should not) change” is too overbroad an interpretation. In the Epistle, God is using Ex. Owyn to chastise the Jorenites. Specifically, He chastises them for: Failing defense of God’s word (2:6) Mingling the word of lesser beings among His (2:7) Lapsing in His commands in favor of new and foreign ways (2:7) Being lax in their faith and their prayers (2:11) (2:13) Further, there are several implied criticisms: Purporting to abrogate or annul the Word of GOD through false revelations (Spirit 2:10) from lesser beings (2:7) Making exceptions to holiness (2:15) based on temporary circumstances such as war (2:13) Ex. Owyn, however, does not mention any specific exceptions to holiness that the Jorenites made aside from being lax in prayer, nor does the prophet call out any particular false revelations to which they adhered. Unfortunately, we have few records outside of Scripture about what the Jorenites of Edel were like. However, there is a single helpful verse in the Gospel: “Though the people of Edel were virtuous, they were steeled by warfare, and neglected prayers in favor of battle. They were cold and had no mirth in them, for Edel was the last good kingdom of Horen’s people. Owyn kept to his prayers, and for three years he led the forces of King Joren.” (Gospel 4:3-5) By combining these verses from the Spirit and the Gospel we can determine a few things: The Jorenites evidently overemphasized their role as defenders of the faith to such a degree that they no longer actually defended the Word of GOD; they allowed lesser scriptures to annul the Virtue, justifying certain behaviors in order to better practice warfare. In particular, these behaviors are related to neglecting prayer and being mirthless. In summary, when Ex. Owyn accused the Jorenites of “innovation in faith,” he was saying that they had attempted to supersede the word of God with the false beliefs of lesser beings. This leads us to an interesting question: Did the Prophets Innovate? The Scrolls themselves depict incidents that an armchair theologian might derisively call ‘“innovation.” Examples of these include: Ex. Godfrey created the Holy Orenian Empire as a distinct entity from the Old Kingdom of Oren (6:34-36) Ex. Sigismund permanently divided the spiritual and temporal authorities of the prophets (7:60) The Auspice promises that one day, all shall have a law unto their own kind (Auspice 3:16) In response, one might say “Veto! These are matters of prophecy, of the divine will. They are not comparable to the innovations of men.” He would be correct to say it. The prophets were empowered by God with an otherwise unique authority to make changes in the temporal and spiritual world. But we should also recall another verse from the Epistle to the Jorenites: “His word is not abrogated, never annulled” (Spirit 2:10). That is to say, although the Jorenites were wrong to accept false prophets, it was not only in the falseness of these prophets that they erred. It was also unacceptable that any lesser being, regardless of their rank, would wrongfully attempt to annul God’s commands or the order He set forth. This verse asserts Scripture’s authority to speak on God definitively and further emphasizes that His word does not change, whether by the order of a false prophet or even a true one. To demonstrate that even a true prophet cannot change God’s Word, we provide an excerpt from the Gospel, describing an event in the life of Ex. Godfrey: (7) The Book of Sealing “... 13 And he saw that his people were virtuous. Godfrey became proud of his holiness, and he sought to speak and unspeak the will of the Lord. 14 He said to his people “Lo, we are the purest of God’s sons, and never have our prophets failed. 15 And we will go to the lands of the other sons of the first man and woman, and we will make them like unto us.” 16 So the Lord saw that Godfrey went into strange lands. 17 He spoke the word of God, which was good. 18 But he also spoke of man’s perfection, and the foreigner was made to grovel before man in worship. 19 The world lived in terror of the Lord, and not in love. 20 Thus the Lord was wroth with Godfrey and He spoke 21 “Lo, you have been proud and called My work your own.” The prophet’s assertion that human beings were perfect and ought to be worshipped by other races was in flat contradiction to the Virtue and the Spirit. Thus, God chastised Ex. Godfrey for mingling his own personal beliefs and authorities (those of a lesser being, even a prophet) with those of God (the greatest being). However, notice that God does not chastise Ex. Godfrey for his other acts of evangelization, even when they involved vast changes in the ordering of the world. For example, aside from inventing the Empire (Gospel 6:34-36), the prophet is also responsible for the very title of pontifex and the laurel of prophets given to James I (Gospel 6:60-62). These are immense changes in the functioning of the temporal and spiritual world by God; the prophet had granted to another man the authority given to him by God. Why was this acceptable to the Lord? Because Ex. Godfrey’s error was not that he changed the Church and the Empire to meet the needs of the time, but instead that he tried to overrule the Word of God. No one’s authority, not even that of a prophet, can supercede God’s Word. As for God Himself, He tells us “And as I am eternal, you are transient, and there is no eternity without Me” (Virtue 7:5). The verse forbidding the annulment of Scripture is not only a command, but also a promise from God that His Word is unchanging. We see then that the Exalted did not innovate--or rather, where they did innovate, God was very firm in correcting their mistakes. Now we are able to make a useful distinction, that of ‘innovation in faith’ versus ‘enactment of faith’. To innovate in faith is to attempt to change or contradict its eternal nature, as described by God in the Holy Scrolls. To enact faith is to, by following the command of God and developing an understanding of His Scripture, apply the Word to this ever-changing terra. When Ex. Owyn created the priesthood, when Ex. Godfrey created the Empire and the Pontificate, and when Ex. Sigismund divided the crown and laurel, each of these were enactments of scriptural commands; they sought to achieve the will of God as it was revealed to them. However, this leads us to another question, one more relevant to a world after the age of prophets: How Does the Church Enact Scripture and Prophetic Authority? The most important verse to remember in answering this question is “So My promise is kept: the waters of prophecy are frozen until the last day, and My Seal is placed upon them. And with the third son of spirit, no more shall a prophet rule as king; the crown and the laurel are two in harmony, like unto Evaristus and Clement.” (Gospel 7:58-60) At first, this excerpt may be somewhat confusing. While the waters of prophecy are frozen until the last day, the crown and the laurel of the prophets remain. Has God, in proclaiming this, hollowed out the authority of the laurel? Is it now no more than a ring of leaves-- a mere symbolic reminder of the Church’s special mission to instruct in Virtue? No, certainly not. The Church must maintain some of the prophets’ spiritual authority in order to instruct others in Virtue; how could crown and laurel reign in harmony, if the crown maintains its worldly power, but the laurel has been annulled? From this, we can understand that the waters of prophecy and the laurel of the prophets are signs of the different duties of the Exalted. The waters of prophecy divinely inspired the Exalted. From that inspiration, they authored their respective Scrolls. The laurel (which originally symbolized both temporal and spiritual authority) conferred upon them the ability to interpret and enact the Scripture they revealed. In placing His seal upon the waters of prophecy, God has told the world that there shall be no further revelation until the end of days. But what remains is enactment-- the authority of the Church to instruct and shepherd the faithful, to establish for them certain rites and rules, and altogether to act as the prophets did when they performed their other spiritual duties outside of revelation. This is a somewhat novel argument. However, we should note that it is not a novel theology. Rather, it is an attempt to acknowledge and make concrete the implicit authority upon which the Church’s very existence relies. In order to support this formulation, the following section provides examples of the Church’s enactment of Scripture and of prophetic authority throughout the ages. In a word, examples of “change.” When Has the Church Enacted Scripture and Prophetic Authority? CANONISM: We will lead with the most salient example, which is the very name of our religion and our Church. It is not widely known, but the term ‘Canonism’ is entirely post-Prophetic. This name is a creation of St. High Pontiff Daniel the Great himself, announced in an address to the faithful 24 years after the death of Ex. Sigismund. In it, he acknowledged the revelation of the Scripture and said “it is clear that all who follow our communion are, at heart, Canonist.” This is the first recorded use of the word, and in common parlance, it might be called an ‘innovation’. But it was, in reality, an enactment of the prophets’ authority. The beatific High Pontiff sought to unify the various rites of the True Faith with a single, overarching term which acknowledged their shared scripture (the Canon, as the Scrolls are sometimes called). THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD: We may stretch farther back in history, however, to the time of the Silence. Ex. Owyn anointed Evaristus and Clement as “joint bearers of the laurel of Horen” (Gospel 5:3). Yet the twin High Priests did not continue Ex. Owyn’s practice. They were succeeded by a single High Priest, as were all of their successors. If this was an innovation, then why was it not scourged away at the end of the Silence, as all other corruptions of the Church were? THE PUBLICATION OF THE HOLY SCROLLS: More recently, an enactment by St. High Pontiff James II in 1753-- the publication, for the first time in history, of the entire Holy Scrolls in the common tongue. This was by all accounts an extreme change from the Church’s previous policy, but one almost universally welcomed. CLERICAL CELIBACY: The Church has, at various times and in various pontificates, set requirements for celibacy of priests. A myriad of High Pontiffs have at first mandated celibacy for all priests, then later only for priests of a certain rite, then later for only bishops, then later for Pontificate alone, and occasionally the High Pontiff himself has even been legally wed. MONASTICISM: There is not a single figure in the Holy Scrolls who swore vows of celibacy or poverty; indeed, the Scripture at no point ever commends permanent celibacy as laudable. Rather, it says to take of the physical pleasures of intercourse carefully. In this way, the very institution of monasticism is an enactment of the command of God to take pleasure carefully. A monk or nun, by swearing a vow, commits themselves to an even higher standard of virtue than God asks of them. THE PLURALITY OF CANONIST STATES: It was widely accepted from the reign of Ex. Godfrey onwards that the Holy Orenian Empire had immediate and unquestionable dominion over all mankind; the Church has even, at some points, advocated for this. Yet today the Church not only permits a plurality of sovereign Canonist princes, but even encourages the development of new sovereign principalities. These are not examples of innovation in faith, but rather of the Church’s ability to respond to the world around her and to virtuously fulfill the duties that God assigned her. Conclusion First, reader, I thank you for your attention. I freely admit that this paper was arduous to write; therefore, I expect it will be even more arduous to read. However, I have only raised this issue because I wish to illuminate the opportunities available to us. The current era is far-removed from that of the prophets, but with God’s grace, they have entrusted the Mother Church with a solution: the power to enact His Scripture in such ways as are necessary for the instruction of virtue. My intent behind this long discussion has been to emphasize the importance of change and to eliminate the fear of it. We welcome progress joyfully, emboldened that God has given us the tools to achieve it. “He entrusted to them the Word of GOD, which were the Virtue and the Spirit, and charged them to instruct their brethren in the path of holiness. At Owyn’s command, the brothers set shepherds over the flock of men, and so created a priesthood for their instruction, in anticipation of the second son of spirit.” (Gospel 5:4-5) “The priesthood of Owyn, of Evaristus and Clement, carried out His command faithfully and preserved the Word of GOD, the Spirit and the Virtue.” (Gospel 5:24) “So Godfrey called the priests of the Lord together, and bade them to agree upon rites and hymns that all men should use.” (Gospel 6:50) I remain a servant of God and a servant to you, reader. May this work be of use to you in your path to holiness. PAX VOBIS, Father August

discord: frankdh#1224 ign: frankdh skin title: tangerine dreams bid: 250