Posts from ☀️ Arselia and Akonia

Alaria arrives at the right hospital, and Marya is in charge of visitor reception.

—But why?... It's not easy to accept, but the bitter truth is that generations eventually pass away, and all that remains after them is memory. Whether good or bad, on the pages of imperial chronicles or in dynastic engravings, in the words of a storyteller or deep within your soul, as long as the memory lives, so does your legacy. To accept, preserve, pass on, and multiply it is a small way we can show respect to our ancestors.

- Yes, but if my ancestors hadn't decided to "annex" Criderar into the empire... maybe none of this would have happened.

Alaria arrives at the correct hospital, and Mary handles the reception of visitors.

"So many little hearts on the uniform. I guess this is the first time in my life I've seen a hospital where employees are allowed to express their individuality in this way. Well, everything happens for the first time," was the first thought that came to the Tanarian woman when she saw Mary. Perhaps someone else would have paid attention to the girl's appearance first, but Alaria had already been hardened by the Reimy fairies and Noir gnomes. And people, as the warrior knew, could sometimes look much younger than their actual age. Sometimes even without the use of magic.
— Good day," instead of staring aimlessly, the former inquisitor greeted, "I'm a volunteer cook from the SRI, Alaria Doran. I was told to come here.

Excuse me, - Beata addressed the receptionist, - who is currently dealing with the otherworldly beings? We heard that the Patriarch used to handle this, but he was apparently injured by some terrorist... Is he feeling better now?
- Yes... The Patriarch is a respected man, and we are a little worried about him, - Gillon said with a disarming smile. - But what if unfriendly otherworldly beings appear and don't want to be banished...?

- Currently, Sister Bazella, a student of His Holiness, is handling this. Would you like me to introduce you to her?

- Yes, but if my ancestors hadn't decided to "annex" Kredar into the empire... then maybe none of this would have happened.

—I doubt your ancestors were directly involved in this... although, who knows, maybe I've been disrespecting you all this time. —the knight shrugged. —More likely, they suffered from the ambitions of those who like to paint the map with the blood of their own people, just as much as mine did. Well, I recently spoke with a surviving compatriot, and he expressed an interesting thought: that the Kredar way of life—without a strong army, powerful allies, king-mages, and so on—would sooner or later lead to the conquest of this region. If not for resources, then simply for political gain. Of course, such an outcome doesn't evoke positive emotions in me towards the one who initiated this campaign; there's even a separate chapter about this in the "chronicles," but it's foolish to deny the rules of this world. In the end, under the empire, we enjoyed some degree of peace for much longer than if we had been conquered by some undead army. —Oops...

-- Why not go? I can. I'll see what kind of people these artists are.

Fortunately for Erephir, the universe wasn't meticulously keeping track of the hours at that particular moment, so she easily reached the art academy with Kalina. Despite the tragedy that had occurred, the educational institution was operating as usual, and they soon managed to address their question to one of the teachers.

- Eogan Lamark... - He reluctantly introduced himself. - Work? What kind of work... I don't want to work. I'm not some trembling creature, I'm a person... But if the idea is interesting, then maybe. Creating isn't the same as working. And you? - He looks at Erephir. - Are you also from Farrellia? Oh no... Violence won't help, just so you know. I'm not going home. I don't want to join the army.

- Currently, this is being handled by Sister Bazella, a student of His Holiness. Shall I introduce you to her?

The couple exchanged glances. Hearing the words "student of His Holiness," they breathed a sigh of relief internally. There was a chance that this wasn't some fanatic who was banishing all otherworldly beings left and right. Gion thought that he should probably leave; they had enough information. If they continued to distract the person from their work and show interest in aliens, they would definitely be suspected of something. Besides, this was the only service the church offered on the list, so they couldn't even claim they wanted to confess or receive a blessing. He was about to thank them for the information and turn to leave... ...but Beata decided otherwise. The prayer she had offered for Gion and her friendship with Zorica had planted a seed of faith in her, which grew stronger with each day. Sometimes, she found herself thinking that it would be nice to dedicate her life to serving God, but not with her rebellious nature and a record of all known and several unknown sins in human history. She had considered Eugene an authoritative and respected person ever since the incident with Rinze and the brainworm, and after the curse was lifted from Gion, his authority in her eyes had soared to the heavens. Eugene's student would most likely know where he is and what happened to him! Or at least pass on words of gratitude to him... She didn't want to ask her to deliver a gift, but a few warm words from grateful parishioners would surely cheer up the patriarch. - Yes, please introduce us, - she smiled. - ...if it's not too much trouble and she's not busy, of course, - Gion quickly added.

- Yes, please introduce me, - she smiled.
 - ...if it's not too much trouble and she's not busy, of course, - Guyon quickly added.

Want to send a gift?

- Eogan Lamark... - he reluctantly introduced himself. - Work? What kind of work... I don't want to work. I'm not some trembling creature, I'm a person... But if the idea is interesting, then maybe. Creating is not the same as working. And you?... - He looks at Erefir. - Are you also from Farrellia? Oh no... Violence won't help, just so you know. I won't go home. I don't want to join the army.

"He looks like a man afflicted by a curse, I had a similar feeling with Metarma... But what if that's the case? A curse of apathy?"

-- Erefir Linel Darvining, -- a bow, after Kalina introduced herself. -- No army, believe me, just an art enthusiast.)

The redhead lets Kalina explain, but since there was a chance that the knight was also taken for diplomatic assistance, if necessary, she is ready to take over and provide it, just as Amamius assisted Erefir in the past...

Want to send a gift?

I wrote above that we can't. We just want to check on the status and pass on a few words from the Carneol team. We don't really want to send a gift through a random acquaintance.

Maintaining a stoic expression and preventing any emotions from betraying his inner state, Aiyano responds to the poignant tale:
- The question here is whether this can be considered a disrespect to the artist's path or to the muse itself? Or perhaps both? After all, a person wouldn't seek help with such a problem if they weren't experiencing pangs of conscience that they couldn't resolve on their own, or if both of these concepts were irrelevant to them.

Crossing his arms and closing his eyes, he continues:
- A person, by their very nature, is unable to overcome the needs of their body, even if some of them are considered more shameful. However, by a strange twist of fate, this particular need doesn't fall into the category of insurmountable ones. But that's not the point right now. The answer to this dilemma lies within your own heart. What exactly do you define as a "muse," and do you consider yourself a professional in your field, or at least someone involved in it, and what meaning do you ascribe to this concept? - His eyes open and gaze at his interlocutor. - The boundaries of what is morally permissible tend to change from person to person or from society to society, and trapping yourself in the confines of someone else's perspective will sooner or later lead to unhappiness. Consider whether it is acceptable for a "muse" - a sublime image that inspires people to do great and good things - to be depicted in a shameful way, reduced to the level of any other "victim" of your brush, just to satisfy your fleeting animalistic urge? Not necessarily just on canvas, but even in your thoughts. Don't you imbue this word-concept with a certain aura of otherworldly unattainability, designed to stir your soul rather than your flesh? And ask yourself the same question regarding the craft of an artist. Is this the kind of path you have been building your whole life, is this how you imagined yourself as a child? Have you ever had boundaries of what is permissible and principles of self-respect in your craft, and does this event fit into them? If the answer to all these questions is "yes," then... In that case, there should be no moral dilemma for you, and as long as you engage in this kind of creativity in private, without making it public, no one has the right, or even the ability, to forbid you from doing so.

He pauses.
- ...However, if any of these questions cause you discomfort and a degree of disagreement, however small, then this means that the overwhelming emotions in your soul prevail over the base impulses. Another person might try to deconstruct this statement, saying something like, "what is considered a high or low impulse is only named as such by the speaker, in order to give these concepts a false evaluative coloring." But I will tell you that this is not the case. Simple things come easily and therefore do not have high value. For example... a bar owner who becomes one out of a desire to create a cozy place where he can meet people with their amazing stories, and eventually starts indulging in his own drinks, and spends his days in this state until his untimely death, trading his dream for it; so too, if you have high ideals in your heart, you will inevitably betray them, wasting your talents on petty passions. Everything worthwhile in this life is not easy to achieve, and the cost of these things is made up of subjective factors as well. By singling out your muse from the rest and honoring it by not reducing it to the level of all the others - preserving its ideal image, and at the same time establishing fundamental boundaries for your artistic craft, you will ultimately get from the muse and from your craft what you could not get in any other way - moral, professional, and spiritual satisfaction and fulfillment at the highest levels. Are you familiar with the concept that true love begins at the moment of death or separation? This is not a guide to criminal acts, but simply an illustration of the principle - a spiritual Platonic connection can give a person what the flesh cannot. And this is not a loss, as it may seem at first glance, but rather a transfer of your love to a rare and higher spiritual order, which is otherwise fundamentally impossible. So... Answer the questions above for yourself, and you will understand everything.

Added 3 minutes ago
and what kind of aura is it imbued with

Where are the others?

It reminded me that I always leave this field blank in D&D character sheets, except in situations where the GM says that it also needs to be filled in.

Alaria is obviously Stockings Good, indeed.
Erephir is Suzerainful Neutral (actually, I think she's slightly stronger lawful good than the rest, but this classification doesn't really fit well overall).

I agree, this classification isn't flexible enough to describe characters, but it's too iconic to forget about.

In chaotic evil, you need Nischo, by the way, not Merel. He was neutral evil. And in lawful evil, it's definitely Rinze.