Burning bridges

Well I finally stopped debating and took some action.

I have left the Clerics Guild for good.
I wrote a farewell note, which I handed to Scyber to send to the Guild as a whole, I packed up all of my things from the guild building and I left.
(I still have my island, and will keep it until I can find another quiet spot to make a natural haven in.)

I realised the only thing keeping me was the people.
I had lost all faith in the stability of realm, the likelihood of anything happening for UK timed people, my search for the natural in the 'realm of castles' and my ability to work with the 'free' roleplay model.
So my heart wasn't truly there anymore. Better to have a cleric who still has faith to lead.
So I say farewell to Parlamay, my created Goddess, and hope that she ends up in safe hands.
I say farewell to all the wonderful clerics who I have had the honour of being with over this year,
and as I approach my Rez day, I look at how I might find future inspiration in Second Life.

Anyone with any ideas?

Freedom

Last night I was inworld for a cleric meeting. It was to be a speakers meeting with our new Divine Emissary Scyber Magne, to go over various Guild things and plan ahead.
Malakyte, Scyber, Alphonsus and myself attended.

I must say it was great to see Alph again after so long, even if it was to see him cut down his involvement in the guild and step down as Emissary.

Anyway it became apparent soon that the meeting was going to take a different tack, when we discovered that the new dark realm ruler Sarin had started his own cleric group, with 9 members worshiping 5 dark Gods who don't even appear in our Pantheon. Then we also discovered that the founder of the group was the realm queen Leanne.

I have spoken briefly to Sarin in the past about another issue, and he seemed OK, just having fun roleplaying and doing his evil thing.
However he has a very different view of the realm than I do I suspect. His world is driven mainly by him, he plays the moment, not the game as a whole, 'If it feels right, go with it'. I guess he's a shootem up player, rather than a strategist.
I tend to over think things, look at the intricacies of the world, feel the threads that bind us and try and strengthen them. I have always played strategy and puzzle games.
I would love to know how the realm leaders play Triskele.

It has always been billed as a freer place than Everwind was, in fact Leanne recently told me in plain words that all Guilds were instructed to NOT copy Everwind in any way.
And yet Guilds were formed, and encouraged to develop and make rules and guidelines and get people involved in 'group belonging', not just individual roleplay.
I was asked to help out, despite wanting to be just a plain acolyte again, and I agreed (foolishly or not)
So for the last 4 months or so, Alph, Mal and I have been working hard to make the guild, form orders, recruit clerics, write spell lists, create Pantheons, provide a place for worship, decide ranks, make tasks etc, etc,... which we have been hard at work doing.

So the question is this. Have we got it wrong?
Is what they want in Triskele a truly free roleplay? one driven by the individual, free to do as they please. Anarchic, independent, dynamic, ever changing and unbound.
Or is it one where the individual is guided by the group? Ordered, loyal, steady, joined by friendship and boundaries, honourable.

One is very different from the other, both can be great in their own ways, both with brilliance and flaws.

If the first is what is wanted, then we have wasted the last 4 months setting boundaries that were not required.
If so, then the Clerics can be freed, to roam where they will *chuckles* do as they please, worship whomever they choose, and I can head off into the ether and find my nature Goddess somewhere else.

Isn't it funny...

.......you moan about the lack of buses and then three come along at once.

After my gloomy post earlier, it seems fate is determined to show me up.

Arriving in the realm tonight I decided to go explore the new islands. Passing the gyspy camp on the way, I stopped to warm myself at the fire and ended up, three giant mugs of mead later, chatting away. I have missed that kind of RP, I have spent so much time sitting in the guild doing admin.
Unfortunately I crashed and had to re-log, but arrived at the guild to meet two new people, one of whom joined as a Twilight sister, and the other who took away information on the guild to enable her to make up her mind.

Then, glory be, I made contact with Alphonsus, and cleared up about three things in the space of a couple of minutes ,I could have kissed him if I knew how!

Suddenly the realm doesn't seem so gloomy

*whistles a wee tune as she heads off to bed*

I really have to write something....

I have been in Geek for too long methinks!
Even if only to get rid of the last post, its time I wrote something, just haven't been too inspired by anything recently.
A quick Triskele catch up then.
Alphonsus has been off sick (hope you feel better soon) and I have missed him. While he's been away I have been doing all sorts of things, but have been unable to clear them with him, so I hope he approves when he gets back.
I have rented a cottage in Triskele village and set up a temporary Cleric Guild in it. I checked with Wisold (the king) and he said this would be ok, he even waived the prim limit a bit for me, which is good because it is only 80 prims and I have added over 160! I really hope I am not pushing it too much, but I am sure they will tell me if I am.(no more to add now anyhow its all done)
I made some candles and cloaks for the others in Paramay order and I reworded the cleric spell list to make it less mage like (have passed on copies to Alph and Mal for comments).
I have also been having fun creating a few cleric animation's, and am considering having a vendor in the market, but have never sold anything before so I am not too sure about it.
I also have been making a temple, based on some of the things I saw while on holiday in Orkney last year (and I don't mean the inside of Aberdeen children's hospital, which I saw a lot of on that holiday too, long story). I don't know if I will ever have a place for it, but its very enjoyable being creative.
So even though RP is minimal, creativity has been high.
In RL, work is starting to get busy now, so SL will have to take a back seat soon I think.
That's about it, glad to lose the last post (but one day I will post the wonder woman costume picture)

The Good, the Bad and the Neutral

Things in Triskele are a bit all over the place at the moment. Bri, the leader of the clerics guild has resigned, and there is a feeling that he was pushed rather than give a golden handshake. I have no idea what it was all about, and I don't really want to know, but I have been plodding along in my UK timezone, working on Parlamay as I go.
From reading Malakytes blog, it seems that Alphonsus will be taking over as leader, so I am sure he will inform us all of the situation once he's 'in post'.

I have used the three aspects idea, and made a note for new clerics about them, which is the reason for the blog. I showed this to someone tonight and we ended having a conversation about how to define 'Good' and 'Neutral'.
Here is the notes on Parlamay and her aspects, sorry if its a bit long, but it informs the debate.

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Parlamay- Goddess of Nature
Favoured Weapon: Longbow
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Forests, Fauna and Flora
Parlamay. The ever changing Goddess of Nature.
Like the cycle of the seasons, followers of Parlamay recognise that nature is fluid, it waxes and wanes, it is born, dies and is reborn a new.
As nature is, so is She.
Beautiful, ugly, loving, destroying, kind and harsh.
Yet without one there is no other, nature in perfect balance.
Followers of Parlamay live in harmony with the world around them, they are in tune with the land, they know its secrets and protect its children.
All those who respect nature can expect help, guidance and protection from the clerics of Parlamay, yet those who would harm the land and its creatures can expect the wrath of the Goddess through her chosen ones.
Clerics of Parlamay reflect the different aspects of the Goddess, and as a novice cleric you will be helped to find the path right for you. You will progress up the normal cleric ranks ie: Acolyte, Subdeacon,Cleric,High Cleric, but your duties will depend on the aspect you are aligned with.
Parlamay cleric aspects are Dawn, Noontide and Twilight, sisters and brothers

DETAILS OF THE ASPECTS
Dawn brothers and sisters
Dawn clerics run like the deer, see like the hawk, and fight like the mother bear. They are the active, protectors of the land. They roam the wild woods with the rangers, and dance with the elves and fairies. When battle is called, they are first to attend, running among the injured and helping where they can. They carry the bow, and will not hesitate to use it to defend the children of the Goddess. They are the keepers of Spring/Early Summer, and lead worship at these times of the year. They also help those who are pregnant or trying to conceive.
Dawn clerics wear blues and greens only

Noontide sisters and brothers
Noontide clerics care like the mother elephant, protect like the polar bear, and teach like the meercat.
They are the mothers and fathers of the order. They work with the peoples and creatures of the Goddess, listening, healing and caring for Her children.
They welcome new clerics, and are always ready to help a stranger. They tend to the land, grow the herb's, and keep the guild and temple well cared for. They take the time to discuss the Goddess with those who would listen. They do not carry weapons, and will not rush into conflict, but are able to protect themselves should the need arise. They are the keepers of Summer/Harvest and lead worship at those times of year. They help those with children or young animals, and preside over weddings.
Noontide clerics wear gold, yellow, orange or red only

Twilight brothers and sisters
Twilight clerics are wise like the raven, secretive as the shrew, and sharp as the peregrine.
They keep the secret knowledge of the Goddess.
They are advisers in times of need and able to judge a situation well. They know what happens in the realm, and may have contact with mages and rulers. They see the dark side of nature as being an important counter balance to the light, and although never evil, they will speak with those of the dark side. They do not rush to give opinions, but watch and choose their timing carefully.
They are the keepers of Late Autumn/Winter and lead worship at those times.
They may carry knives, and will use them if deemed necessary. They understand that death is a part of life, and will help those who are dying or have lost a loved one. They know the secrets of resurrection and are in charge of bringing loved ones back through the veil.
Twilight clerics wear, purple, black and silver only.
--------------------------------------------------------------

SO...In my mind I had the Dawn as neutral, Noontide as good with neutral leanings and Twilight as neutral with dark (not evil) leanings.
However my friend felt that Dawn was good, Noon was neutral and Twilight neutral/dark.

My reasoning was that the Dawn are like the rangers, protecting the creatures of the land and the land itself from harm, not aligned to political sides, but simply to the Goddess. Go getter's, action types. Therefore Neutral
Where as Noon, are non-combative, nurturing types. Healers and counsellors. Working with the people of the realm more. Pacifist activists. Therefore Good

In a roleplay environment the ideas of Good and Evil are very clear cut, whole races are automatically considered Evil (with few exceptions), or Good. A 'Goodie' would be unlikely to help an evil race, even if they were dying in front of them, where as a neutral character would.

So my friend argues (roughly, excuse me friend if i get this wrong) that the Dawn clerics are much more black and white, going with gut instinct , rushing into battle to defend, more childlike in their viewing of the world, therefore aligned more with 'Good'
Whereas the Noon clerics are more able to weigh a situation, helping whoever comes their way, even healing the evil races. They stand back passively from a fight, not involving themselves. Therefore 'Neutral'

This is something I struggled with in Everwind realm, because characteristics that I would consider in RL to be good, ie: helping all in need or not carrying a weapon, might actually be considered 'neutral', or even worse I might be seen as aiding the Dark side by healing one of their number.

I suppose this happens in Real Life sometimes also. The Quakers who refused to fight in the War, were doing what they felt was good, however many didn't see it that way. Do we sometimes have to do hard things for the greater good? or are we simply justifying evil.

Is 'Neutral' more good than 'Good'?
In roleplay, Good, Neutral, and Evil are much more sharply defined, and perhaps I have to face the fact that Wren the Noontide sister is not such a roleplay 'Goodie' after all.

All comments on the nature of Good, Neutral and Evil are welcomed

The nature of things

The other night in Triskele, I was having a hard time trying to be inspired by the 'nature' of the place. As mentioned in a previous post, I cant find the 'wildness' there, and being that my Goddess will be looking after the natural side of the realm, its causing me a few problems.

They are constantly adding things and changing things, and my deep desire is that they ,one day, make a wood. There has been some talk of adding more places for the elves, and I am hoping this will be more relaxed and natural, not another hulking great castle.*please*

So I decided to leave it for a bit and be creative in another way and have been working on a symbol for the order.

Its a Dawn, Noontide and Twilight symbol, using the triskel and some Celtic influences.

Let me know what you think.

Parlamay

Well, I've gone and done it!
I really should learn not to let ideas and enthusiasm lead me into more work, but I cant help it.
When I start to think about something that interests me, my brain goes into overdrive and the ideas (good and bad), start tumbling around and eventually want to spill out somewhere.
And being a person who likes to organise things, I invariably end up volunteering to do so.

So, after chatting to Bri last night,I have said I will be speaker for the Goddess of Nature, Parlamay.
She has no backstory and is not based on any actual deity, so I will have to think long and hard about how I approach her. Bri has said I could give the triple goddess idea a go, but I would like to speak to some potential acolytes about how they feel, I don't want to complicate her even further.
If I do go with the triple aspect idea, the clerics will be: Dawn , Noontide, and Twilight brothers or sisters. That keeps it gender neutral, and doesn't carry the Wiccan aspects of the Maiden , Mother, Crone model.

So, trying not to ignore my RL work, but still thinking hard about this, I better get on.
See you all soon!

Some SL Goddess ideas

I was thinking about a conversation I had with Alphonsus and Malakyte last night. We were talking about the pantheon in Triskele and how it would work. One of the things that came up, is how difficult it is to classify one God or Goddess as Good, Neutral or Evil. Malakyte and I wrestled with this in Everwind when thinking about our nature goddess Illustree. She was classed in the 'good' camp, however we had various discussions about her being much more neutral, as nature can be violent and harsh at times, and is not always 'good' in the do gooder way we might perceive.
Alphonsus said he had struggled with similar things with his god Castan, also in the 'good' camp. Castan was a god of honour, loyalty, truth and justice. He represented many good qualities, and was associated with knights and warriors. However, Alphonsus talked last night of how difficult it might be at times to see a god that glorifies those who took part in wars as totally 'good'. He's got a point!

With this all in mind I came up with an idea for a Goddess today, please let me know what you think!
I thought we might approach the triple goddess idea.(fits with the Triskele of the realm too)
So we would have one Goddess (as part of the pantheon) , name unknown yet, who represented all aspects of life and who's followers would choose (or be placed) in three categories.(not age related)

Maidens - who would essentially be neutral.
They would be expected to be without a partner? They would be the active, run around the kingdom types. They would be the ones in the centre of battle, healing the injured. They would be allowed to carry weapons for protection of themselves and the natural environment. They would be expected to work closely withe the rangers in the realm. They would lead the spring festivities, and be associated with the new moon

Mothers - who would essentially be good
They would be the organiser, caring, nurturing, councillor types. They could have partners. They would be in charge of the temples, the healing centres. They would be the guides and welcomers to new clerics, they would be teachers and pastoral carers. They would be associated with childbirth, they would work the land, grow the herbs, tend to the vegetables. They would lead the summer and harvest festivals, and be associated with the full moon

Crones - who would be neutral, but understanding of the darker sides of life (not evil)
They would be the clever, intellectual types. Keepers of the secret knowledge, masters of the spells. They would be more secretive, insular, they would have contacts with the dark realm. they would preside over matters of death, and resurrection. They would probably work closely with the mages, and their secrets too. They would lead the winter festivals, and be associated with the waining moon.

This would allow the different aspects of one goddess to be played by different people. In some churches, priests and clerics fill many different roles, we don't have to all do the same thing just because we follow the same God. One God can have many faces.
I realise this doesn't cover men, and it would be good to have a male voice in this. But I was looking for a male equivalent of Maidens, Mothers and Crones? ....Buck?, Father?,Wise man?

So its just at the idea stage, and has been rolling around in my head today.... I welcome any feelings about if this would work or not, or your input or ideas.
Alternatively just tell me I am completely mad to even consider this!

Triskele

Well it seems that many people from Everwind are migrating to Triskele, and I can see why. It is 5 sims big, well set up for roleplay, it seems relaxed and friendly....and yet....for me, its missing something.
I was trying to put my finger on it last night, as I wandered around, and the best way to describe it is to say its a bit like a housing estate for castles.
Now I don't want to seem overly critical, because there are some beautiful builds there, but it just doesn't feel 'natural' enough for me.
Everyone.. rangers,fighters, mages etc.. seem to inhabit huge castles in different sims. In-between these there are residential houses, and cottages, interspersed with trees and green spaces. But the green spaces feel like village greens or city parks, rather than the countryside. I was hoping that at least one sim, would be just forest or mountains or similar. Perhaps its because of the way it is set up, with rental places, that they need to put the houses in everywhere and open spaces would be a waste of money. I don't know.
I hope that people don't stay locked in their guild castles, interacting with their own 'clans'. I haven't really found any central meeting places yet, but then I haven't explored the whole place, perhaps they are just around the corner.
I will definitely be roleplaying there sometimes, but still am looking for that special place.
All suggestions welcome!