Diary of a Daggerspell

[SongSinger]

Entry 1, Winter, AR 158 - Deception and Greater Good

Waking is easy. The cold barely touches, the embrace of the wind is all the wonder one needs. The freedom to choose one's bindings is important. The freedom to break them is equally so. Today those bindings were taken for a cause greater than the self.

The training is well, the shape and form refined. The dance is light, the sting is harsh, the art strikes only the wicked of heart,
The footsteps are clean, the touch of snow reminds. The will is steel, the grace is warm, the longer we calm coming storm.

It sings in two.
Few know.
Foes weep soon.
They know not why.

But they will know.

[SongSinger]

Entry 2, Winter, AR 158 - Deception and Trust

The arrow flows like water over an impossible stream, carried on a current unseen to it's final rest.
They who release it are unseen, but heard. They must be heard, for it is the greatest sound of all, the test.
It's enemies stumbled upon they with the daggers, but knew not that fated foe's face.
Perhaps those with such goals will soon learn the price of their unholy disgrace.

Twin dancing, it is grace, it is light, it is pure in mastery.
Two flashes of light, their edges cure to blight, the souls of damned exposed to fright, fear will come to the night.

The one who already fears is wrong. Alone they are, yearning. They find it in strange places, but will soon see;
There was never a fear. The Two would never misunderstand. The Blades always strike when certain, never in doubt.

And these blades do not doubt.

[SongSinger]

Entry 3 - Winter, AR 158 - Deception and Hope

Early hours, the waking sounds of woe and horror, the whispers of fear and lament, exposure and threat,
The tentative steps taken were soon leaps of compassion, the reserve maintained and the facade of calm fades,
This was a hurting soul, this was a punished soul, a troubled and yearning soul, one the daggers would answer.
And so into dusk words ushered back and forth, kindness was ensured, pains inured, scorching wounds of betrayal cured

It would take time, the scars would remain,
Deft dancers in dusky sky would have to make new claim,
And so Daggers responded and offered the place,
A sanctuary for their sacred grace.

And the enemy yet does not know,
But they will know,
Their crimes grow,
But soon their numbers will slow,
As these blades will show,

Daggerspell does not forget. Justice does not end with death.
Daggerspell does not forgive. Justice does not end with pain.

It all ends with atonement, and reconciliation.

[SongSinger]

Entry 4 - Winter, AR 158 - Deception and Love

Heat and blaze, scorched earth and lifeless wastes. The secrets and serenity found, the mysteries time unveils.
Ignorance is bliss but also death, it is a tool for betrayal, for torture, for evil.
To inform and to remind, to reveal and to grow, these are the bonds love appreciates most.
A day has come that this binding both blessing and curse was both

Greater good demands that sometimes the smoke and mirrors must be used to protect.
Greater good derives from compassion, love, honesty, justice and kindness without abuse.
Greater good rejects manipulation, hate, lies, abuse and cruelty.
Greater good is the ambition.

When it was done, when parted words offered, this Daggerspell pondered deeply of a future,
Where the love discovered would remain in lives beyond this, where hope was fulfilled, where grace was restored,
Perhaps in service, perhaps in earnest intent, perhaps in conviction the whispers can be silenced.
There must be a way. There always is.

History will be a reference. The daggers will be a guide. Freedom will be the answer.
Failure means death.

[SongSinger]

Entry 1 - Spring, AR 159 - Deception and Truth

"For what reason do you raise your blade? And when does that blade fall?"
The question that is asked of all, no matter the creed, no matter the cause, no matter the call,
The twin blades held in the hands ever the same, never with shame, but always with that query enflamed, with but just a name,
Dagger's reason is not fame, it is not to blame, and it is not to claim or tame.

Daggerspell aims for justice, in all it's forms. In all it's goals. We raise our blades for Greater Good, to aid and help the kind.
Daggerspell strikes for hope, in all it's shapes. In all it's expectation. We hide our blades for Greater Good, to fight the fear of hate.
Daggerspell reaches for truth, in all the light's grace. In all it's understanding. We show our blades for Greater Good, when the time calls.

And our blades fall from our hands with last breath, carrying out our duty.

I know this, as Daggerspell. But as a person- I am still scared. May the Shaper's guidance linger fresh in my mind in the years to come.

There is much corruption that must be corrected and cut away from this place. And it is a war to be fought on multiple fronts.
From the suffocation, to the isolation, to distorted truths, to unending hatred twisting, to ignorance endangering.

"For what reason do you raise your blade?"
I am a Guardian. My words like my blade will be sharp, my heart will be focused to the edge.
There, my purpose is clear-
Evil must be brought to justice.

[SongSinger]

Entry 1 - Summer, AR 159 - Deceptions and Veils

It gnawed, the meeting place, the destination, the future.
It scoured, the sea, the shadows, the past.
It repulsed, the slavers, the collars, the cold,
These daggers were meant to fight these. One day.

A meeting was arranged, to add credible face to the faceless form. To prevent alarm, to avoid overt charm.
The one known as Derlson, an idealist with realism. To grow in heart, she aches inside and out.

Daggerspell notices much but most of all we notice people. Myon's rampant behaviour a double edged blade.
They are respectably hostile with those below. They are woefully disrespectful of those above.
Perhaps they hold a separate standard for their own conduct.
It seems they do not read their own history books, any longer.
Or perhaps, they take only what they care to use.

A thought came to this Daggerspell, that these isle breed apathy to what comes before.
Ironic that discover of a guild of scribes lead by a possible friend is taking wing.
It has inspired a cunning idea- and a way to abate this terrible ignorance of mistake after mistake.
May it serve for a guide, in a way that is more appealing than words upon a page.

The final pieces are coming. Soon would-be apprentices will be presented, with hope.
The one known as Fryar remains under threat. The Daggerspell has always been.
The greater good is beyond merely shedding blood. The Daggerspell knows the longer battle.
The terror exists in possible corruption. The Daggerspell meditates and reflects.

The Willows Cult remains a threat. The one known as Fryar has seen the notes. He knows the truth.
Their movements and affiliations are becoming easier to track. One can only step so lightly when they walk a dark path.
Soon blades will meet. Even as they attempt to build strength, all they do is make the task easier.
As they take steps to try and secure power, they weaken themselves.
As humans would say- a bullseye on the back.

Perhaps one day, no mask will be needed. Perhaps it will be pulled aside.
And perhaps they will see that under all the mirrors and smoke was a person doing their best for Greater Good.

[SongSinger]

Entry 1 - Fall - AR159

Deception and Daggerspell

Justice is a concept that goes beyond revenge, and beyond compassion.
Sometimes it is a shield- and sometimes it is an axe.
It is the heartbreak of a mislead heart, and the closing of the chapter for the aggrieved.
It is the solemn duty of a stalwart soul, and the prayer to gods of kindness.

When awakened this morn, I remembered some words of wisdom offered.
Three sides to a coin, be patient, learn the conflict, and judge accordingly.
I watched quietly, I waited quietly. The adventurers move about in organised chaos.
The black hand has begun to show it's foul shadow. It will take blades to cut it to size.

It is curious then that the lingering promise of violence echoes archaically in this land.
This daggerspell who had come to this place, had heard of it's tales and it's need for justice;
It just as much requires a steady mind, which is difficult to maintain the chaos.
Perhaps it is time to find more likeminded, and engage more directly.

Perhaps it is time for Daggerspell to step out.

[SongSinger]

Entry 2 - Winter - AR 159

Deception and Redemption

This Daggerspell did meet in secret with one forlorn and worn. Their scars were bare, more so than they realised. For form so weary, barely held together by the shackles of human flesh and blood, their heart torn in twain between facing their past and running in fright.

Part of me wishes I had yet more to tell her. Part of me wishes that with her situation, she never should have run- but she is here now, with wave after wave crashing upon her with each decision, each attempt to run further and further.
This put in mind the ideal of redemption, and it's often flawed but sometimes rarely obtained gift.

Would that this individual sought new life, truly, then perhaps it could be offered with singular purpose.
Perhaps Daggerspell might offer that purpose over time, when their goals properly align.
But first. Steps must be taken to strip away a blight.

May this judgement be fair and the fall of this blade be swift.

[SongSinger]

Unnumbered Entry - Unknown - AR 160

Deception and Chains

Every individual has a choice to make.
Every person a decision that will ultimately affect everything they know and even things they don't.
For every reaction, another chains onward.
For every minor word, every crossing of blades, every whispered prayer, our world changes.

For this Daggerspell, for those who are yet to arrive, this archipelago is what would happen if all the world were squashed in a single place.
For this Daggerspell, the coldness and pain and hope and joy is all compounded and crushed together in this strange space outside solace.

I wish, I hope, I can now begin to make a difference.

It is strange that lately I understand him better now, that I understand what lead to the echoes of lingering days and the faith being so tested.
Violence is infectious here, wanton and true. There is stark disregard for the lives of the ignorant or mislead. Instead regarded as evil as those who manipulate them, part of me knows that this comes from the old pains of deception and betrayal.

This makes me consider exactly how one should operate. How should one adjust and aid those in distress, those who struggle and despair.
There are some lost.
Those who came before, I see the struggle and see it eternal.
Perhaps never will there be an end, but in this place what is 'good' is debated far too much.
I will seek the wisest of the isles to help guide my dagger before I act more directly.

[SongSinger]

Summer - AR 160

Deception and Retribution

Daggerspells purpose is clear- to root out evils and corruption in societies. It is clear then that even the very existence of an organisation seems to strike fear of judgement.
Every city has a past, and it's secrets. None of them remain secret for long when the source of oppression exists- lust for power.

So far each city could be called guilty in its own right, but ultimately two of the main offenders exist. They are physically powerful, but emotionally weak, lashing in violence, prone to displays of unecessary grandeur, and dismissive of the crimes of their kin. They do not hold theirs to the same standards as they hold others, and their hypocrisy is easy to expose.

Part of this Daggerspell knows that this plan might endanger many.
But.
This is justice.
By tolerating the morally weak attempting to discredit and harm the good, cowed in their fear to properly oppose necromancers and infernalists, abyssalists and sharrans.
Within their own walls, they are infested themselves, the evidence in apparent superiority being fouled by childish methods to inconsequential offenses.
Murder on this isle is too easily dismissed by the powerful, executions encouraged like sweet summer outings by supposed 'Good' upon this isle- despite that murder without proper justice is evil in itself.

Too long it seems the races here are so obsessed in their conflict that they do not understand properly why conflict between those races began- when goblins would steal children or murder travellers, when necromancers would murder and overstep the balance to practice their unholy art.
So maddened and misunderstanding now that a mere word provokes violence, which begets more and more violence.

This Daggerspell watches in horror and dismay as those who claim themselves paragons of their societies would otherwise simply truly be brigands and bandits, serial killers and encourage the very evils they attempt to fight.
Fear, oppression through force of arms over the smallest slight.
A wake up call is required, it is believed.
A reminder that their ways can come with a price.

Sometimes Justice is a shield- sometimes it is an axe.