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________________________________________________________________________________________ The best revenge is not to be like your enemy. -Aurolos Hyptos ______________________________________________________________________________________ In these days, I have found myself pondering the ways of our people. Ostracized for a period of over a dozen years, I have yet been engaged in the furthering of wellness and progress through the realms of descendants, all to further the honor and standing of my motherland, my eternal citystate. Grand trials I had given myself, to prove my worth to my kin. From winning through spear and honorably conduct, the ear of the Rex on behalf of our citystate, and in serving to secure the lands and standing of our kin in the multitudious lands of valah, and others I care ne mention; I knew there was mystery yet to be dealt. For why else, would they, my kin, blessed of mind and beautiful of form, maintained my status as ostracized? I sought, though, In the depths of my soul, and the memories of my silver blood, handed to me by my pure ancestors, I have studied on the words of my beloved maheral, and was given the wisdom of those most ancient. Words that seemed so simple, so easy, yet so real, echoed through the mouth of Anaxagoras who stood at the threshold of that city of the pure ones to which we may pass. "Stay Humble" Long have we reigned, for thousands of years, unending has been our gracious and eternal motherland, and our blessed race. Often have we, in those long intervening years, as our elders saw fit, have we taken down to pen and scroll what was deemed necessary in life. Our poetry, our pedantry, our techniques and our sacred traditions. Yet by the whims of the forms and great spirits, throes of battle, and the wishes of those who come after the wise ones of the ancient age, our wisdoms from those antique times often shrink, in what many would deem, necessary areas. Yet, how is it we can reclaim those wisdoms of the ancient age? Some of the ancestors who lived through it, are often tight lipped, if they so chose to be. Though it is in the depths of our minds and our selves we may come to see the truest nature of our philosophy. Within that Temple Sublime, we can nourish our silver souls and bodily forms, and therefore, bring about the philosophy most sacred to us in this mortal material world, for which we are so connected. -Taken from the work 'Ay'Haelun'or! by the famed philosopher Braxus Ni’leya Recommended reading for the astute ___________________________________________________________ "-Only time can heal what reason cannot." -Calisto Hyptos _____________________________________________________________ Truly, we are blessed creatures, for within our very forms, is the highest form of mortal soul. So mighty are its components, which are found individually amongst certain lessers, is brought into totality within our own being. Because of this, our grand work, Maehr'sae Hiylun'ehya, is what is most necessary to see ourselves continue on the pure path and attain the highest heights, to return to the 'source' that eternal, first pure principle. Yet, taken literally, the saying of Maehr'sae Hiylun'ehya conveys already an exoteric literal meaning. 'Continue to gain (in progress) and in health'. yet, lliran, what can we truly say we gain, if we do ne challenge ourselves? The reasonable soul says we seek to do what is within our power to affirm our maehr'sae hiylun'ehya The spirited soul longs for greater, and draws the spirited onwards towards maehr'sae hiylun'ehya even through difficulties The Appetitive soul hungers to take maehr'sae hiylun'ehya, and take it most well. All three of them together? That is the Mali'thilln who seeks the heights of her maehr'sae hiylun'ehya We are born pure, yet as we age, time expresses itself in our form just as it does in any manner of thing, from well formed tree, to a weathered mountain. Even pure silver tarnishes if it is not maintained. Polished. The Iron Temple is representative of Stress. Its a way we can control the manner in which we stress our physical forms, because we can develop a routine. One day you work your arms, your torso, your legs... Then Athletics, and skill, silver tongue, and weights... etc you are putting yourself in the same environment over and over because you are looking to focus upon the certain skills or parts of your form you are wishing to develop. But. What are you developing, regardless of what muscle or part of your form you are training? Your mind. Your body is merely an expression of your mentality across time. If you are consistently putting yourself in an environment that emphasizes strength, of form, and of mind, then the body reflects that. The only way we can strengthen our mind is by doing uncomfortable things. Going to the Iron Temple when you start out, may not be fun because it may be difficult. But if it was not difficult, it is not worth doing. This is the teaching of Larihei most evident. For she had given away her position, high in the kingdom of Malin the father, to pursue higher heights, the founding of a citystate is no easy task. Over time, you develop a tolerance for that stress. Yet, it doesn't get easier. You get stronger. I recommend, every mali'thilln performs bodyweight training. It allows for defining of the individual mali'thilln's form, but mastering the core carries on to every other form of training, physical or mental. Would a magician accept someone who is not disciplined as one of his apprentices? How would a mason, or a fisher, or a smith, or sillumir fare if he is not consistently dedicating themselves to something which would otherwise tarnish in the sun and rain? __________________________________________________________________________________ "Have I been made for this, to lie under the blankets and keep myself warm?" -Anaxagoras Hyptos. Unsatisfied. - there was little challenge after the wars of exodus, before the wars of Acalanti during the resplendent days of the first silver city ______________________________________________________________________________ Just as in anything worthy of Maehr'sae Hiylun'ehya, to sculpt one's self greater at the Iron Temple requires dedication, you must be consistent, not for but one month, perhaps more than a year, but for a decade. What comes along with discipline within the Iron Temple, comes discipline outside. It allows you to stay focused when things become uncomfortable and uncertain. Creating a mindset, a mentality which cannot be broken. You're going to be physically intimidating. Being weak is not something to be ashamed of. Staying weak, now that is an impurity at the highest heights. For it is to cast away the silver, into the rain, and perhaps you may retrieve it when necessary, but only if you can pick it out from the other cobbles on the street with the tarnish it has accumulated. Every mali'thilln is born with the potential to become stronger, in every way, and if you go through your entire life without expressing this potential, then you will eventually regret it. That is sad. By strengthening your mind, you are also sculpting the body of dreams, the perfect A e s t h e t i c that has been sought by even our most ancient, and perhaps most advanced, forebares. So what is there to lose? It takes effort? YES! Everything that is worth it takes effort. That is why we are here. __________________________________________________________________ Conceal a flaw, and the world will imagine the worst. _____________________________________________________________ There are lessons I have learned, in the studyhalls of War, of Theory, of Law, of Love. Those that have shown cracks in perfect marble, yet fret not do I, in the face of the backhanded act, of the shadowy moves of detractors, or the wayward stories told by snakes behind the back. Lessons I have taken, from that Temple of Iron, I have used to sculpt my form, and my mind, into those of great strength. Standing before the court, when death was called upon me, shrink, I did not. Shirk, did I not. I engaged it truly, welcoming my fate, for it was chosen by those chosen by el'maheral. By his very words, which are those of Larihei, I know what is real. We Mali'thilln sing not our triumphs to others, we sing not our worthy accomplishments, and we contain ourselves, within a stoic and placid demeanor, but we do not shy away when it is others who sing our praises, who call the city to revel on our behalf, for our deeds are what mark us in this world. We are the manifestation of purity, of Larihei The Prophet's vision onto this world. For all that we are, and all the perfection we may attain, and eternity we may earn, it is important above all #Stay Humble -Pamphilos Callidora Hyptos

-Average Day in Haelun'cihi right now ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brothers, Sisters, I wish to further conversation. We exist as individuals in this time of great strife. Those who have the power to act, and further not only our impacts on the world, but the impacts upon the very nature of being. Ones mind drifts into the nature of being. For truly, if we are most blessed, and every elf a hero seeking to become ever-greater, ever-perfect, why would we seek to end what makes us strive hardest for ever greater perfection? Picture for me this. You are standing before your fellows in the Amphitheater, the comrades of your band. Over the better part of the decade you've been practicing your oration, your acting, and your epic recitation, and though you are overwhelmed with praise from the crowd, you saw 'Them' get more... What is a Mali supposed to do in such circumstance? Become more perfect! That's it! It is through this fact, that a being left unchallenged is one stagnant, progressing not. So, knowing this, and knowing your rival well, why would you ever do more than to punish them? Hear me out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now don't get me wrong, Heroes. Just as we may be from rival City-States, great cultures of peoples most ancient but at odds, it is for this purpose eternal rivalry must be understood for the betterment of each other. The ever perfection of you and your rival tracks not just at this macro-cosmical scale, but even to us as great singular individuals. We shall not forget, lliran, that just because you are at war, especially a war of domination, one must never forget their purity of mind, thought, and body. Though I sought to stray away from such seemingly 'charged' terms as purity, what with the many newly impure coming to terms with their state, but we must also keep in mind, such a state was brought about by mainly one reason. The killing of rivals. Now, nobody said anything about killing one's enemies. Those auxillary who stand before you as foes to be bested. For in the great field of legendary combat, where myth is made, we must exert our force to overcome ALL the armor of another. But, examples of fine heroes who, defeated upon the field, were made to submit before you. Punished much, through injuries sustained, or defeat having felt, it is by right of victor to do as he pleases, but to end the feared rival, they who had inspired your own greatness beaten into a prisoner? To deny him his end on the field in service to his citystate, and himself is also a disservice to you, and the legends and myths we may all enjoy in times to come. Picture for a moment. The mighty hoplites of two great citystates, an army of valah auxillary and rowers, and ten blessed citizen hoplites. Their ship of painted sails crashes upon the shore, and they meet in the field with an army of another great citystate. Another hundred auxillary and twelve rival hoplites... The battle fierce as auxillary face one another to keep them from the phalanx as both sides of beautiful citizens, each an individual with rights, privileges, and heroes of great family battle to see themselves greatest. Shields pressed to shield, and spikes thrust. Until one gains the upperhand. You look to your brother as a spike glanced over the shield, ending him quickly. Every loss felt gravely, but the fight continues on. When one side victorious, perhaps of the result of two champions choosing to duel for victory, fine judgement leads to greater legend. The taking ransom, or a piece of panoply or a trading good may be a powerful lesson to learn, yet to end who you have before you, with no chance to bare arms in noble defense? A sight most savage. Most disappointing. After all, we are cousins. Why, but the most extreme of circumstance, do you deny yourself the competition? Don't wanna work too hard? -The Elven Phalanxes, powerful formations of each respected citystate.