Note: I was just posting this on the Arboreals board, and was about to
remove my ads when Catira summarily outguilded me. I invite all of you
to look into this deeply.

To give the public some background, basically Catira recently initiated
a referendum based on her personal feelings, and guild law was rapidly
changed to make it illegal for any Arboreal to advertise or sell
animals. Rather than seeking any dialogue with me to understand what my
stance or activities are in that area, her approach from first to last
was "remove your ads or else." I was not aware of the change in law at
first, but when it was pointed out I asked for time to consider the
matter and seek discussion with other guild leadership -- but Catira
wanted immediate compliance.

Since I believe it is wrong to simply bow to pressure (unless the
situation is an emergency, which this clearly was not), I wanted to be
sure that this hastily-passed new policy was carefully looked at and
explained, since the motivation behind it was Catira's (completely
erroneous) assumption that anyone who advertised animals for sale must
be low, greedy, and exploitative. To get a fair hearing and a chance for
discussion, I posted about this matter on the Arboreals board, seeking
help and understanding from my fellow Arboreals, and then I had to leave
the realms for the rest of the month.

Today when I arrived, I rushed straight to the nearest newsroom, hoping
to find some clarity on the matter. I was not disappointed. Aside from
an inaccurate and skewed post in which Catira tried to make me out to be
a dishonest and terrible person, there were a number of helpful
responses on the Arboreals board. Nazarar, particularly, had contributed
a very reasonable and persuasive post.

So, persuaded by this reasonable discussion and now feeling comfortable
about the best course of action, I was just in the very act of making
this post when Catira suddenly outguilded me. Sad and ironic, isn't it?
And it is a real loss for the Arboreals, for I would have been a very
useful member and could have done much to promote the well-being and
advancement of the guild. Anyway, for the benefit of the public as well
as for those Arboreals who were cheated of a chance to see my response
on their own board, which would have put everything in perspective, here
is the post I was just making when summarily outguilded by someone who,
apparently, just couldn't wait a moment longer:

------

First of all, I would like to sincerely thank everyone who took the time
to respond with an earnest and well-thought-out post. I would like to
point out a couple of things which were obscured or overlooked in this
barrage of posts, but overall I am grateful for the response. I assure
you all, this was my first opportunity for real dialogue on the subject,
and I think it is healthy for the guild to see it unfold.

Secondly, I meant no insult whatsoever to the guild leaders. The fact is
(and this is important for all to know, especially Selanya and Faelana),
I was NOT offered any chance to explain myself to Catira. I inscribed
and kept a complete scroll of the conversation, and basically what she
said over and over again was "remove your ads, or else."

I tried to gain some time for a proper examination of the issue and a
chance to talk with other guild leaders, I even messaged Selanya that I
was being pressured to make an immediate change without a chance to
think or discuss, but Catira was completely inflexible, demanding
immediate compliance "or else." Sadly, I had no idea that Faelana was
available to be of any help in the matter -- I was understandably upset
and feeling greatly stressed at the sudden demands.

Now, thanks to this discussion coming out in the open, we at last have a
dialogue. And, further thanks to the well-thought-out post by Nazarar, I
have a good sense of the reasoning behind the guild's change of policy,
and furthermore my mind and heart agree with him. I will be explaining
my stance publicly at some point, but again I assure you all, it was
never about the gold.

I still maintain that Catira's actions were hasty, based on presumption
and bias, since she never asked to speak with me on any of this before
initiating the changes, but that is all by the way. She is passionate
about her beliefs, and I admire that. It is still also true that I was
-not- given any real chance to explain myself, but thanks to this board
I did finally get some semblance of a dialogue from other guild members.

Again, I will explain myself more fully later, but this board is for
concerns which affect the entire guild -- and my personal philosophy and
beliefts can be explained at another time and in another place for those
who are interested in them.

I have worked for a long time to find homes for the many animals I
befriended and lovingly trained in my years here in Aetherius, and it
has begun to be clear that few prospective companions for these noble
creatures are as idealistic as I am. In other words, it is difficult to
find sufficiently loving and caring homes for all of them, as my
standards are very high. Again, I have not "sold" animals as such. I
have been a matchmaker between animals and loving companions, and have
received great joy from making both parties happy.

Under the circumstances, as Nazarar so reasonably pointed out, it makes
sense to release most of them into the wild, rather than wait for the
ideal companions to appear. I will do this with love in my heart, as I
was already doing anyway over time, since it does seem the best course
of action for the benefit of the creatures for whom I care so deeply.

To repeat, I was -already- releasing animals over time, and have been
refusing most new requests for training for some years now. But it
seems, as Nazarar pointed out, that time is not on the side of finding
adequate homes for most of these dear creatures. I will accelerate my
releasing of them, so that both they and I may be free.

And now that there has been reasonable discussion, and I now feel right
about this, I will be removing my advertisements -- which, after all,
were only intended to find homes for the animals I had -already-
befriended and trained -- and placing an ad asking those people with
animals entrusted to me for training to come and pick up their
companions. Frankly, I could use a rest.

I do think it is essential to distinguish between the "selling" of
animals and the receiving of fair compensation for training them. Those
of us who are transcendent in Taming are in a unique position to
properly train animals to their highest capability. And it is only right
that others will seek us out for our services. For the time that we have
the animals in our care, there are stable and kennel fees to cover, and
there is also the considerable time investment of training to be
compensated.

So this will need to be treated as a -separate- issue, and this concern
is one of the main reasons that I was looking for more time to discuss
this new law before simply making a change in my ads. We most definitely
need to allow for the legitimacy of compensation for the training of
animals, at the request of their sapient companions, and this will most
likely require further dialogue. In the meantime...

Thank you, again, my dear Arboreals, for rising to this occasion with
nobility of spirit, clarity of mind, and goodness of heart. I am honored
to walk among you.

May we all walk in enlightenment and peace.

------

So, people of Aetherius, there it is. I will alter my ads at my leisure,
as this latest turn of events has left me feeling rather disgusted with
the whole matter, and I am not feeling up to making any more major
changes this month.

I guess the lesson in all this is, know your guild leaders well so that
you can carefully steer around the ones who are too enamored of their
own power. Alas, I was naive, believing that fairness and reason would
win the day. It is a hard lesson, but perhaps a useful one.

I still wish the Arboreals all the best, and hope for better days for
all.

Penned by my hand on the 6th of Ferinus, in the year 486 AD.