Inevitability of the Exile (essay) - Revision history

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	{{~~essay~~ \| title = The Inevitability of the Exile \| author = Lord [[Xorus Kul'shin]]}}		{{creative-work \|title = The Inevitability of the Exile \|type = essay \|author = Xorus Kul'shin \|author-displayed = Lord [[Xorus Kul'shin]] \|date = 2015-01-02}}

	It is the tradition of most civilizations to make myths of their own history. These serve the twin virtues of self-deception and the deceiving of children, raising them on the apologetics of prior ages. Their character is thus fashioned, and so warped in the imagination. In the beginning it is innocuous, taking the form of noble lies regarding the properly mythical, whether "the gods" or whatever else, so long as they cannot be felt or immediately questioned. With time the storytellers grow bolder in their delusions, cleansing the past of the very blood that rains from the maelstrom of world history. Ire falls unto the whim of irony, and reality is lost to irreality.		It is the tradition of most civilizations to make myths of their own history. These serve the twin virtues of self-deception and the deceiving of children, raising them on the apologetics of prior ages. Their character is thus fashioned, and so warped in the imagination. In the beginning it is innocuous, taking the form of noble lies regarding the properly mythical, whether "the gods" or whatever else, so long as they cannot be felt or immediately questioned. With time the storytellers grow bolder in their delusions, cleansing the past of the very blood that rains from the maelstrom of world history. Ire falls unto the whim of irony, and reality is lost to irreality.

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	Fate is not always a cruel master. There is time, still, for our kin to right themselves. They may join us in their own pilgrimage to [[Rhoska-Tor]], becoming purified in both flesh and spirit, beyond good and evil, claiming the native tongue of the valences with which we are all born. We no longer concern ourselves with petty imperialism and imaginary borders of land, seeking instead to become the masters of existence itself. But the hour is dark, and not all are braced. Ask yourselves, "Who has become the prey of history?"		Fate is not always a cruel master. There is time, still, for our kin to right themselves. They may join us in their own pilgrimage to [[Rhoska-Tor]], becoming purified in both flesh and spirit, beyond good and evil, claiming the native tongue of the valences with which we are all born. We no longer concern ourselves with petty imperialism and imaginary borders of land, seeking instead to become the masters of existence itself. But the hour is dark, and not all are braced. Ask yourselves, "Who has become the prey of history?"

	For us the [[Horned Cabal]] have been an amusement, humanity a nuisance, the great terrors of recent years unworthy of concern. With the [[Althedeus\|rise]] of world threatening [[History of Fash'lo'nae ~~(saved post)~~\|powers]], and as the gods have openly [[Griffin Sword Saga\|waged war]] upon each other or [[Darkstone Castle (saved post)\|sought]] to walk the earth, the ways of old are quickly becoming eclipsed by those who would wield the dark arts. At a whim we may destroy the world, unleashing forces greater than the gods, whom we have treated with for millennia. There is no black art which might surprise us, no necromancer's guile that would impress, and all who know better have given us wide berth.		For us the [[Horned Cabal]] have been an amusement, humanity a nuisance, the great terrors of recent years unworthy of concern. With the [[Althedeus\|rise]] of world threatening [[History of Fash'lo'nae\|powers]], and as the gods have openly [[Griffin Sword Saga\|waged war]] upon each other or [[Darkstone Castle (saved post)\|sought]] to walk the earth, the ways of old are quickly becoming eclipsed by those who would wield the dark arts. At a whim we may destroy the world, unleashing forces greater than the gods, whom we have treated with for millennia. There is no black art which might surprise us, no necromancer's guile that would impress, and all who know better have given us wide berth.

	Those of the old nations would do well to consider the unprecedented chaos of the past few decades. Their city-states now exist only as islands in a sea of orcs and trolls, when once Elves could walk the breadth of the empire unarmed without fear. The world is on the precipice of a tidal shift, and those not ready to rise with it will be lost to the Abyss. The twilight of the idols begins, and all who fall with them, too, shall become the myths of powers long past. When we tell our own children what had preceded them, there will only be the inevitability of the exile, those who banished themselves rather than embrace their higher destiny.		Those of the old nations would do well to consider the unprecedented chaos of the past few decades. Their city-states now exist only as islands in a sea of orcs and trolls, when once Elves could walk the breadth of the empire unarmed without fear. The world is on the precipice of a tidal shift, and those not ready to rise with it will be lost to the Abyss. The twilight of the idols begins, and all who fall with them, too, shall become the myths of powers long past. When we tell our own children what had preceded them, there will only be the inevitability of the exile, those who banished themselves rather than embrace their higher destiny.

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VANKRASN39 moved page The Inevitability of the Exile to Inevitability of the Exile (essay): naming convention

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INIQUITY: /* II. The Hierarchy of Undeath */

2015-02-22T06:25:21Z

II. The Hierarchy of Undeath

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	When our military forces stood before the blackened keep of Maelshyve, the conventional battle was allowed to progress as planned until its futility became obvious. [[banshee\|Banshees]] proved powerful enough to cripple almost all of the living. The battle was lost. It was at that point --- the undeniable failure of conventional warfare --- that we released thousands of the [[lesser demon\|lesser demonic]]. These malevolent spirits, hardly needing to be very powerful individually, wreaked havoc on her hordes. They had no sense of whom to obey, instantly collapsing her ranks into chaos.		When our military forces stood before the blackened keep of Maelshyve, the conventional battle was allowed to progress as planned until its futility became obvious. [[banshee\|Banshees]] proved powerful enough to cripple almost all of the living. The battle was lost. It was at that point --- the undeniable failure of conventional warfare --- that we released thousands of the [[lesser demon\|lesser demonic]]. These malevolent spirits, hardly needing to be very powerful individually, wreaked havoc on her hordes. They had no sense of whom to obey, instantly collapsing her ranks into chaos.

	Unable to control her most mindless underlings, the unliving immediately turned on the [[orc\|orcs]] and [[troll\|trolls]]. [[human\|Men]] fell before the harrowers, weeping with the gnashing of teeth. Those who were not lost to the demonic fled back into the fortress, attacked on all sides, with the undead giving them chase. When the battlefield was cleared of any significant power, the fabric of reality was torn with such might that all within were not only destroyed, but thrust into a nothingness from which nothing escapes. The flows of essence were so badly strained, warped with such power, it was impossible to wield any counter magic.		Unable to control her most mindless underlings, the unliving immediately turned on the [[orc\|orcs]] and [[troll\|trolls]]. [[human\|Men]] fell before the harrowers, weeping with the gnashing of teeth. Those who were not lost to the demonic fled back into the fortress, attacked on all sides, with the undead giving them chase. When the battlefield was cleared of any significant power, the fabric of reality was torn with such might that all within were not only destroyed, but thrust into a nothingness from which nothing escapes. The [[flows of essence]] were so badly strained, warped with such power, it was impossible to wield any counter magic.

	Within moments her elite were wiped from existence entirely, unable to reforge themselves in our world. Thousands were slain instantly. The skies rained tears of blood. The tremendous spectacle of unrestrained violence, of sheer devastation, masked the enormity of what had just happened. Her forces obeyed mostly undead of the lesser demonic. And so, bringing forth the lesser demonic, her own horde was turned against her. We had summoned our own necromancers, and they had found her wanting.		Within moments her elite were wiped from existence entirely, unable to reforge themselves in our world. Thousands were slain instantly. The skies rained tears of blood. The tremendous spectacle of unrestrained violence, of sheer devastation, masked the enormity of what had just happened. Her forces obeyed mostly undead of the lesser demonic. And so, bringing forth the lesser demonic, her own horde was turned against her. We had summoned our own necromancers, and they had found her wanting.

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	{{essay \| title = The Inevitability of the Exile \| author = Lord [[Xorus Kul'shin]]}}		{{essay \| title = The Inevitability of the Exile \| author = Lord [[Xorus Kul'shin]]}}



	It is the tradition of most civilizations to make myths of their own history. These serve the twin virtues of self-deception and the deceiving of children, raising them on the apologetics of prior ages. Their character is thus fashioned, and so warped in the imagination. In the beginning it is innocuous, taking the form of noble lies regarding the properly mythical, whether "the gods" or whatever else, so long as they cannot be felt or immediately questioned. With time the storytellers grow bolder in their delusions, cleansing the past of the very blood that rains from the maelstrom of world history. Ire falls unto the whim of irony, and reality is lost to irreality.		It is the tradition of most civilizations to make myths of their own history. These serve the twin virtues of self-deception and the deceiving of children, raising them on the apologetics of prior ages. Their character is thus fashioned, and so warped in the imagination. In the beginning it is innocuous, taking the form of noble lies regarding the properly mythical, whether "the gods" or whatever else, so long as they cannot be felt or immediately questioned. With time the storytellers grow bolder in their delusions, cleansing the past of the very blood that rains from the maelstrom of world history. Ire falls unto the whim of irony, and reality is lost to irreality.
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	The idea of an "inventor" of veil piercing, in short, is manifestly absurd. No one would believe such a thing, unless they were hopelessly ignorant of arcane knowledge. It was something that was slowly developed in various forms, with countless precursors, as all inventions, and first known only as a terrifying facet of nature. Without the aid of higher understanding all sorts of misconceptions are allowed to fester in the imagination, which is how careless wording by the [[Illistim]] led countless laymen to believe [[Despana]] invented Undeath, having read a book on the subject of necromancy.		The idea of an "inventor" of veil piercing, in short, is manifestly absurd. No one would believe such a thing, unless they were hopelessly ignorant of arcane knowledge. It was something that was slowly developed in various forms, with countless precursors, as all inventions, and first known only as a terrifying facet of nature. Without the aid of higher understanding all sorts of misconceptions are allowed to fester in the imagination, which is how careless wording by the [[Illistim]] led countless laymen to believe [[Despana]] invented Undeath, having read a book on the subject of necromancy.


	==Introduction==		==Introduction==
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	==II. The Hierarchy of Undeath==		==II. The Hierarchy of Undeath==


	In the early days of the war with Despana, Vaalor mistook her for a warlord, the undead merely another horde of barbarians. Warfare had become predicated on a classical theory of tribulation, the so-called "asymmetry" where defense is the inherently stronger position. Brigands would be broken by overextending themselves, and disorganized marauders out of the mountains would scatter, falling prey to division and conquest. It was possible at the height of the [[Elven Empire]] to think of war as a ceremonial pretense of aristocracy, a bit of sporting violence followed with a gentleman's peace without consequence.		In the early days of the war with Despana, Vaalor mistook her for a warlord, the undead merely another horde of barbarians. Warfare had become predicated on a classical theory of tribulation, the so-called "asymmetry" where defense is the inherently stronger position. Brigands would be broken by overextending themselves, and disorganized marauders out of the mountains would scatter, falling prey to division and conquest. It was possible at the height of the [[Elven Empire]] to think of war as a ceremonial pretense of aristocracy, a bit of sporting violence followed with a gentleman's peace without consequence.
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	Those of the old nations would do well to consider the unprecedented chaos of the past few decades. Their city-states now exist only as islands in a sea of orcs and trolls, when once Elves could walk the breadth of the empire unarmed without fear. The world is on the precipice of a tidal shift, and those not ready to rise with it will be lost to the Abyss. The twilight of the idols begins, and all who fall with them, too, shall become the myths of powers long past. When we tell our own children what had preceded them, there will only be the inevitability of the exile, those who banished themselves rather than embrace their higher destiny.		Those of the old nations would do well to consider the unprecedented chaos of the past few decades. Their city-states now exist only as islands in a sea of orcs and trolls, when once Elves could walk the breadth of the empire unarmed without fear. The world is on the precipice of a tidal shift, and those not ready to rise with it will be lost to the Abyss. The twilight of the idols begins, and all who fall with them, too, shall become the myths of powers long past. When we tell our own children what had preceded them, there will only be the inevitability of the exile, those who banished themselves rather than embrace their higher destiny.

	[[Category:Elven Cultures]]
	[[Category:Dark Elven Cultures]]
	[[Category:Faendryl]]		[[Category:Faendryl]]

INIQUITY: /* II. The Hierarchy of Undeath */

2015-01-10T09:25:18Z

II. The Hierarchy of Undeath

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	At one time, wars could be settled with the blood of gladiators, such was the supremacy of Elven might. It was a more civilized age, the rule of higher races. What Despana brought forth was something altogether different. No one had ever wielded the black arts to such scale, much less with such hierarchy or transcendence of purpose. The fog of war has no meaning with the undead; a restless army, without survival instinct, changes the calculus irrevocably. All of the rules were turned against us, and the Vaalor were made to fall on their own swords.		At one time, wars could be settled with the blood of gladiators, such was the supremacy of Elven might. It was a more civilized age, the rule of higher races. What Despana brought forth was something altogether different. No one had ever wielded the black arts to such scale, much less with such hierarchy or transcendence of purpose. The fog of war has no meaning with the undead; a restless army, without survival instinct, changes the calculus irrevocably. All of the rules were turned against us, and the Vaalor were made to fall on their own swords.

	Most of her horde was quite weak by Elven standards. Her foul infantry was mostly formed of walking corpses, often spreading themselves with cursed diseases, transforming those they molested with incurable wounds. Colloquially, these illnesses were "the [[Red Rot]]." A single bite, a single scratch, and the victim would be added to her own arms. Thus skill was negated, unless it was flawless. It was a paradox that confounded the military theory of a whole age, an aberration of the cosmic order; it was a legion whose weakness was its strength, and for which strength was the greatest weakness.		Most of her horde was quite weak by Elven standards. Her foul infantry was mostly formed of walking corpses, often spreading themselves with cursed diseases, transforming those they molested with [[The Battle of ShadowGuard, A soldier's journal (An eyewitness account)\|incurable wounds]]. Colloquially, these illnesses were "the [[Red Rot]]." A single bite, a single scratch, and the victim would be added to her own arms. Thus skill was negated, unless it was flawless. It was a paradox that confounded the military theory of a whole age, an aberration of the cosmic order; it was a legion whose weakness was its strength, and for which strength was the greatest weakness.

	Whichever method was used, there was a single dark purpose. It was not enough to steal the souls of her enemies, for the undead are not equally useful for all ends. Those who fell before her became forms which act as servants for higher masters. They would mindlessly obey any dark power greater than themselves, whether [[skeletal lord\|skeletal lords]] or [[ghoul master\|ghoul masters]], all the way up to the virtually indestructible [[lich\|liches]].		Whichever method was used, there was a single dark purpose. It was not enough to steal the souls of her enemies, for the undead are not equally useful for all ends. Those who fell before her became forms which act as servants for higher masters. They would mindlessly obey any dark power greater than themselves, whether [[skeletal lord\|skeletal lords]] or [[ghoul master\|ghoul masters]], all the way up to the virtually indestructible [[lich\|liches]].
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	And that was how Despana, greatest of the plaguelords, was slaughtered --- by the virtue and grace of the black arts. It was a singular event upon which one can only rebuke the inevitable or embrace it with total conviction, the kind of pivotal moment that changes the course of history forever. The Illistim can only make their case by lying through omission. Horrified by what they had just seen and felt, our cousins were in shock, turning away in terror from the Abyss. The very gods were silent.		And that was how Despana, greatest of the plaguelords, was slaughtered --- by the virtue and grace of the black arts. It was a singular event upon which one can only rebuke the inevitable or embrace it with total conviction, the kind of pivotal moment that changes the course of history forever. The Illistim can only make their case by lying through omission. Horrified by what they had just seen and felt, our cousins were in shock, turning away in terror from the Abyss. The very gods were silent.



	==III. False Dualities==		==III. False Dualities==

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	==Introduction==		==Introduction==

	Fables are not meant to peer into the heart of being, as though we were [[Koar]], struggling to subsume all of the world within ourselves. They belong within the storm and trouble of the ages. There is no truly "new" magic, for instance, a truth the Illistim know only too well. That is the point of giving excesses of emphasis on summoning in the Second Age. Whether they were deceived or complicit hinges on such context, which is why their art is all the more deceiving. Our tradition is to embrace history with the fluidity of will, not to embalm all of our yesterdays in the death mask of a timeless shroud.		Fables are [[Dark Elven Horror Stories\|not meant]] to peer into the heart of being, as though we were [[Koar]], struggling to subsume all of the world within ourselves. They belong within the storm and trouble of the ages. There is no truly "new" magic, for instance, a truth the Illistim know only too well. That is the point of giving excesses of emphasis on summoning in the Second Age. Whether they were deceived or complicit hinges on such context, which is why their art is all the more deceiving. Our tradition is to embrace history with the fluidity of will, not to embalm all of our yesterdays in the death mask of a timeless shroud.

	It would be as though a hammer were taken to the great ocean of time, reflecting the past into a shattered mirror of meaning. When the world has been ripped apart with the winds of chaos and preternatural ferocity, with all that was and ever will be unfolded before you, perspective is best warped through thousands of odd angles. As rainbows emerge from the spray, so too truth rises from stormy weather. Wisdom is the blood of our imperial majesty. World history flows with the perfection of the glorious state.		It would be as though a hammer were taken to the great ocean of time, reflecting the past into a shattered mirror of meaning. When the world has been ripped apart with the winds of chaos and preternatural ferocity, with all that was and ever will be unfolded before you, perspective is best warped through thousands of odd angles. As rainbows emerge from the spray, so too truth rises from stormy weather. Wisdom is the blood of our imperial majesty. World history flows with the perfection of the glorious state.

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INIQUITY: /* Introduction */

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Introduction

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	Without such violence we would be left blind to the shifting gales of time, unable to recognize the threats of the immediate from the crises of old. The world comes to know itself through our struggle. Such was the [[Age of Chaos]], and the untimely myth of its demise. And so, warding against the wandering eye of the storm, our purpose here is a childish exercise.		Without such violence we would be left blind to the shifting gales of time, unable to recognize the threats of the immediate from the crises of old. The world comes to know itself through our struggle. Such was the [[Age of Chaos]], and the untimely myth of its demise. And so, warding against the wandering eye of the storm, our purpose here is a childish exercise.

	It is customary for the youth of the Faendryl to address ancient debates as though they were recent, keeping the flames of conflict burning in the moment, so the historical is not relegated to the kind of graven epitaphs found in the idle scribblings of [[Meachreasim]]. The exile of House Faendryl will be redressed without the weak excuse making of "opportunism", speaking of what followed as flowing from the inflexibility of ideologies held out of joint with time. It was the world that changed with the force of inevitability, and thus it is the story of those who refused to change with it.		It is customary for the youth of the Faendryl to address ancient debates as though they were recent, keeping the flames of conflict burning in the moment, so the historical is not relegated to the kind of graven epitaphs found in the idle scribblings of [[Meachreasim Illistim\|Meachreasim]]. The exile of House Faendryl will be redressed without the weak excuse making of "opportunism", speaking of what followed as flowing from the inflexibility of ideologies held out of joint with time. It was the world that changed with the force of inevitability, and thus it is the story of those who refused to change with it.



	==I. The Precedence of Arcane Knowledge==		==I. The Precedence of Arcane Knowledge==

INIQUITY: /* I. The Precedence of Arcane Knowledge */

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I. The Precedence of Arcane Knowledge

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	What, pray tell, was the debate? The impression is that this was so obvious, there was nothing argued at all. That what the Faendryl strategists had done at [[Maelshyve]] was extremely dangerous has never been disputed. What meaning could danger even have when one hangs from the edge of oblivion? It was not a question of whether it was an existential threat, but rather if it was worth swapping the immediate for the everlasting. Which was the greater hazard?		What, pray tell, was the debate? The impression is that this was so obvious, there was nothing argued at all. That what the Faendryl strategists had done at [[Maelshyve]] was extremely dangerous has never been disputed. What meaning could danger even have when one hangs from the edge of oblivion? It was not a question of whether it was an existential threat, but rather if it was worth swapping the immediate for the everlasting. Which was the greater hazard?

	The Great Tear was not without precedent in its scale of violence. The wound was weak compared to the collapse of the major portal that wracked the [[Southron Wastes]], and nothing out of the ordinary course of natural events. Flow storms tear at the fabric of reality with far more reckless abandon than any sorcery, with rifts to the Pales ripped open at random without any control whatsoever. These hurricanes of magical power have plagued us since before recorded history, owning much of the responsibility for the demonic in the religious superstitions of all cultures. Celestial alignments wreak their own havoc.		The Great Tear was not without precedent in its scale of violence. The wound was weak compared to the collapse of the major portal that wracked the [[Southron Wastes]], and nothing out of the ordinary course of natural events. [[Flow storms]] tear at the fabric of reality with far more reckless abandon than any sorcery, with rifts to the [[Pales]] ripped open at random without any control whatsoever. These hurricanes of magical power have plagued us since before recorded history, owning much of the responsibility for the demonic in the religious superstitions of all cultures. Celestial alignments wreak their own havoc.

	While our forebears knew the "Veil" would be torn so badly it would never heal, there was little question that such violence was nothing new to the world, much less the Southron Wastes. Its very existence says as much. The [[Eyes of Koar]] would seal the Void, as they had since the First Age. Perhaps some high malevolent walking through the utter blackness would have forced the gods, who were unsurprisingly absent, to finally intervene on behalf of the civilization they were so willing to abandon. Such "hubris" was anathema to our cousins, all the more so because our ancestors were right.		While our forebears knew the "Veil" would be torn so badly it would never heal, there was little question that such violence was nothing new to the world, much less the Southron Wastes. Its very existence says as much. The [[Eyes of Koar]] would seal the Void, as they had since the First Age. Perhaps some high malevolent walking through the utter blackness would have forced the gods, who were unsurprisingly absent, to finally intervene on behalf of the civilization they were so willing to abandon. Such "hubris" was anathema to our cousins, all the more so because our ancestors were right.
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	The exile was chosen on a poetic premise: "Let them live with what they hath wrought, if truly it be not so dangerous!" Whatever was to come of it was our burden, as we took it upon ourselves to act alone. With each passing day our continued existence is a source of spite for our kin, as our survival irrefutably proves that they were completely wrong. Turning instead to their other argument, intended to appeal to the wounded pride of the [[Vaalor]], we must address the inexorable necessity of the Faendryl method. Having dispensed with their sophistry in their own terms, we will move on to the intrinsic nature of The Exile.		The exile was chosen on a poetic premise: "Let them live with what they hath wrought, if truly it be not so dangerous!" Whatever was to come of it was our burden, as we took it upon ourselves to act alone. With each passing day our continued existence is a source of spite for our kin, as our survival irrefutably proves that they were completely wrong. Turning instead to their other argument, intended to appeal to the wounded pride of the [[Vaalor]], we must address the inexorable necessity of the Faendryl method. Having dispensed with their sophistry in their own terms, we will move on to the intrinsic nature of The Exile.



	==II. The Hierarchy of Undeath==		==II. The Hierarchy of Undeath==

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	[[Category:Elven Cultures]]		[[Category:Elven Cultures]]
	[[Category:Dark Elven Cultures]]		[[Category:Dark Elven Cultures]]
			[[Category:Faendryl]]