This will be a lengthy post.
Aetherius, we've had some wonderful moments.
Although this vessel of flesh that carries my spirit is relatively young, my soul has been living amongst you for almost two centuries. I've met some wonderful people during this time and I have witnessed some extraordinary events which made me invest much more than the most valuable possession that we all have but fail to value - time. And now, here I sit, writing this post which marks the end of my journey, asking myself where did we go wrong? How did we ever allow our beloved realm to end up this way?
Today I awoke from my slumber to instantly get killed by Ruga in Ithaqua. He seemed quite proud of his ability to murder a dormant Ithaquan in a council which is as empty as my inventory. Shouts were thrown in an attempt to establish his dominance and whilst I understand that Antimagick and Magick have been at a war for a long time, I can't help but to stress the fact that raiding an empty council is as brave as submerging yourself in the deepest waters with prickly pears in your possession.
The truth is, most of our combatants have left. If this is a fight for supremacy then I must say, you have finally won it. Congratulations. I do wish to ask, does it truly feel like a victory? As I was once a magicker, I understand how you felt when the odds were against you. I was frustrated too, however, I can't help but feel like this victory is rather sour as you did not win based on your combat prowess but through divine intervention.
But that's no fault of your own! You merely asked and you've received it. The problem lies with the way everything was handled and I will not get into details. As far as I understand, this subject is not to be discussed anymore and that pretty much applies to every subject that underlines flaws in the divine interference, regardless of whether facts are presented or not.
Once upon a time, our desires and opinons mattered and they brought about changes which improved our experience, great changes, not minor fixes. Once upon a time, our voice was powerful enough to change the course of this realm. However, that no longer applies. Our differences and feuds took over and we ceased to communicate as one. We prioritised destroying the enemy, weakening their professions and manipulating technicalities, and sacrificed the strength that we've had when we united as members of this realm. We are no longer able to rise above our personal points of view to improve things. As a result, we cannot impose any accountability on divine intervention.
When the death experience penalty was removed, I didn't say anything although, in hindsight, one can hardly care about dying if there is no cost to it. The minor changed caused a problem - we could not put a price on one's life and we could no longer value or be concerned with the intricacies of death.
When professions were made available to everyone, I didn't say anything either, although in hindsight, one can hardly care about guilds if there is no penalty for leaving them anymore. This change caused a massive problem - we had no purpose left for guilds anymore and all the wonderful lore that came with them ceased to matter.
When Stavenn fell, I was a bit concerned but I didn't say anything as I wasn't a Stavennite. In hindsight, this created a massive problem - a lot of people left and we lost that demonic aspect which was as fascinating when acted by those who were immersed in it.
When artifacts began to emulate cross-circle abilities and the lines between magick/demonick/am were distorted, I started asking questions but I was quickly silenced by a lot of people as there were some practical advantages to owning them. This, of course, raised another problem when it comes to our identity and our values.
When rules were not clearly defined and seemed to be applied discretionary, I think a few of us started asking for clarification but we were told that some things will be handled on a case by case basis and that we should just be reasonable before acting.
What is reasonable, I ask you? How can the term reasonable be judged based on an objective standard when reason is the sum of all our experiences and backgrounds. We have been told that we are all unique and we can forge our own purpose when embarking on this journey. Everything that can be justified through our perception should be deemed to be valid, however, this too is no longer feasible. We have reached a point where our actions, no matter how justified, are deemed to be invalid if someone takes offence. Therefore, my personality can be silenced if someone else does not agree with it.
But this is our fault, right? Wanting to find refuge in a realm where we can forge our destiny is an unrealistic expectation, right? Those that realised this have left and shortly, others will leave too. We have voiced these problems out numerous times and yet, some of you chose to side with the divine because their incorrect decisions and approaches did not impact you directly. The question is, who will fight for your rights when all of us have left?
But where was I? Oh... yes, the victors! Congratulations to the victors. You are now able to stomp on all the other factions. I do hope you enjoy yourselves, however, I fear that it will be a short-lived victory. You will soon have nobody to fight.
Farewell.
Penned by my hand on the 19th of Vita, in the year 245 AM.
