A Plea to Reason

[Amelia Rotholz]

Amelia sits in her flat, the fifth candle is about to burn out, slowly as dawn approaches. Taras, her little sparrow hawk, just returned from delivering the last of her letter. Pondering she sits over a parchment. Many grumbled ones are laying around the table. Giving a tired sigh, she puts the quill away and stretches, before kneeling down on the carpet.

“Sirani, Godess of love and joy, protector of hearts, harbinger of peace... my Lady!
I can’t belief, this is how it has to be! Can’t they see this path will lead to our utmost doom?
I won’t give up! I shall fulfil my sacred vow to you and your sister! I’ll do everything, not to fail you!

Things have been set in motion and I hope, I did and do the right thing with this.
Please, open their hearts, let them see the truth!
Help me stop this insanity in your name, before it is too late!
I’m just your humble servant, seeking your guidance…
Please, Oh Goddess, give me strength and serenity…
I can’t let this happen!”

She stays silent, kneeling humbly for a few minutes, before getting up again and sitting at her desk. She takes a deep breath, before starting to write one last parchment.

A Plea to Reason

To everyone involved,

things have badly gotten out of hand. Things were said and done, that can’t be taken back, I am aware of this. But please, everyone, step back for a moment and think about what I have to say.

The actions and events of the past days might bring more harm, than any demonic attack on Mas could do! Can’t you see it?! We are used to waves of demons, running havoc! There is no such thing yet, which I’m grateful for! But instead, something even worse happens! We all are tense to the limits. Mistakes lead to heavy argue and separation. Aggression and mistrust get the better of us! Can’t you see what is going on? It is like our worst feeling turn up on us! We are about to destroy ourselves and make way for darkness!

We can be so much more, so much better than this! Don’t fall for the darkness! Don’t fall for anger, bride or fear! Don’t seek ones at fault! This is not the time! This is the point to step back and reflect.

It is not too late, yet! I still believe in the people of Illarion! Don’t let the darkness get the better of you! We all make mistakes and yes, some wounds might never heal. We all have dark spots within our hearts, nothing to be ashamed of. But don’t let it get the better of you! It does not excuse anything said or done. But it is on us, to stop this!

Please, hear my plea! Step back and think, everyone! Don’t let us be separated like this! Else, the real enemy will win!

I beg you!
~ Amelia Rotholz

She sends out a dove to trusted halflings, to deliver it to the right places to be seen. Then she cuddles up with Lil on her bed, burying her face in the dog’s fur, whispering rather desperately.

“Please…”

[Amelia Rotholz]

Amelia sits at her desk, a deep frown showing on her face, as she reads the copies of parchments, she was sent by some halflings, she trusted in. She lets out a deep, sad sigh, shaking her head in disbelief and sorrow, as she gets up, walking up and down in her room.

“It was futile, to begin with, it seems. I reached no one. What did I even think?!”

She wipes her desk in frustration, before dropping to her knees.

“Duels of honour… accusations, defamations… bans and orders from people not even in position to do it! Adding fuel to the dark flames until it devours the whole land!”

She is shaking in worry, sadness and anger at the same point, all leading to resignation which is lurking just around the corner within her mind.

“An none of them answered me even. Not for real. And the only one who was ready to talk, would only do it in Runewick, the only place I can’t go!”

She takes the ink bottle, which spoiled her carpet anyway, when she wiped it from her desk, and tosses it against the wall, shattering it to pieces.

“Oh Sirani! What shall I do?!”

Her voice fades as desperate tears thin the ink on the carpet…

[Clairette]

Claire had been lying on her bed, writing notes to her diary when her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of glass shattering and sobbing coming from the room accross the floor. The darkskinned elfess frowned. She placed her quill aside and made for the door walking zigzaging her way through the chaos of parchments, books, clothes and some empty tea cups on the floor.

She threw a last glace at her diary that was laying left open on the bed. The page, the elfess has just been writing in misshaped elven letters read:

[04. Elos 65]
Some days of the new year have passed now. I met Fergro and Amelia.
Seems Fergro got himself in trouble in Runewick, again. He insists he did nothing wrong. In fact, he insisted very resolutely he did nothing wrong. I fear he does not realize that just it doesn’t matter. Those that are in power can bend laws to their will, and judge as they wish, for they have the means to scare witnesses and hunt down opposing forces. Those who are not in power just better comply and keep their heads low. That's how it usually goes... Though, maybe here on the surface, things take a different route? Time will tell.
I worry that Fergro's opposition to Bidukan might get himself not only into trouble but in real danger, should he go to Runewick again. Maybe my warning reached to the brain of this thick-headed small creature.
It was surely good to meet him and Amelia again. It just felt like in the old times, well, times that were about a year or two ago.

Back then we wouldn't have thought we'd approach such troublesome times and political issues? Well, in some account, I did. That Letma vision hinted trouble with Runewick quite well, but in a different manner...
The relations with Runewick are getting more tense, faster and faster, since Mas. I hope we can take measures against Letma, soon, fighting two fights at the same time would not be appreciable.

Carefully and slowly Claire opened Amelia's door and peeked inside the room.
The human woman was there sitting on the floor, shaking and sobbing, a large ink spot on the wall, glass shards and ink on the floor, ink dripping from the desk on the carpet and ink at her hands. Clairette thought that there was too much ink.

“Oh Sirani! What shall I do?!”, Amelia sobbed.
"Don't throw ink bottles." The elfess said dryly and walked over to her friend to crouch down close to her. After a moment of hesitation, she placed a hand on the desperate human's shoulder.
"Uhm... Amelia." Clairette looked at her, concern gleaming in her eyes, betraying her otherwise emotionless mask. "What happend? Are you hurt?"

[Amelia Rotholz]

Amelia, looks up in surprise, wincing a moment as she feels Clairette’s hand on her shoulder, but then, it helped her to calm a little and at least stop sobbing.

“Claire??”

She blinks, wiping off her tears – and smearing ink on her face in the process.

“I’m… I’m alright… I mean… I’m not hurt or anything like that…
It just… becomes too much…
And I feel useless on all that…”

Her gaze wanders through the room and her eyes widen. All the parchments, she prepared according to her duties, all the copies of the others parchments, she received… her books… her sketches... all laying scattered on the floor, some soaking in puddles of ink. And as if it wasn’t enough, a doggy nose pushes the door open… and Lil happily walks through the puddles and adds her footprints to the mess… followed by Little Paw…

[Clairette]

"It just… becomes too much… And I feel useless on all that…"
Clairette frowned even more at Amelia's words. She was not used to such a display of emotion. Clairette desperately searched her brain for words. What to say? What would others say?
And what would Amelia want to hear? And would it be helpful to say what Amelia wanted to hear?
"If you don't want to do your paperwork, I suggest you talk to Lefthand. He will understand you need help, aye?", she nodded towards Amelia's desk.
Feeling useless was not good. Being useless was worse. Yet admitting being useless was possibly the greatest mistake one could make.
"Pull yourself together." "She said gently. "I shall help you to clea-." A sound at the door interupted her.
The elfess stopped and turned her head just to see the two dogs walk out of the door leaving behind a trail of freshly inked paw prints.

[Amelia Rotholz]

"If you don't want to do your paperwork, I suggest you talk to Lefthand. He will understand you need help, aye?"

Amelia gives her a confused gaze. Her paperwork was the last to worry about… except for she will have to do ALL that got messed up, again. But she’s more than thankful for the attempt of her dear friend, to comfort her. If she wasn’t so sad, she would have chuckled, for sure. And the view of her devasted flat, did not really help to feel better.

"Pull yourself together. I shall help you to clea-."

In that very moment, Amelia’s gaze follows the ink trail across the room – and of course over both beds – and finally the two dogs, leaving the room with wagging tails… and black-inked paws. Her hand finds her forehead with a clapping sound, adding more ink to her face, as she jumps on her feet, trying to rush after them… and eventually, into town.

[Amelia Rotholz]

Again, Amelia sits in her room, a pile of parchments, ready to be dispatched, next to her. The candle had burnt down and dawn peeked through the window, an hour ago. Now, she reads through the copies of parchments from other towns, her fellow halfling friends still deliver to her. Deanna’s open letter made her smile a little, at least.

“Seems we have the same hopes and thoughts in common… Maybe, not all is lost, yet. I hope, she stays safe and will be there, when all shards of this mess need to be gathered again…”

She takes up the last parchment, an open letter from Bidukan. Quickly her smile turns into a frown. After the report of Jeremiah Horanfeld did reveal, Bidukan was trying to push for a peaceful solution at the incident in Cadomyr, she was hoping, there was still a chance. But now, her eyes widen, as she reads through the first paragraph…

[...]
For a long time people from Cadomyr and Galmair thought they could do whatever they wanted regarding Runewick. I, during my short stay in Galmair, have seen how they constantly acted and spoke against Runewick. I have personally seen how they never had a true wish to treat us as equals.
[...]

On her face, disbelief turns into frustration, her voice thin and broken.

“And you were on of the first to do so! You told me to stay away from Runewick, as the first! You called them a bunch of criminals and shady people who can’t be trusted! Especially the Archmage, you said! You told me, not to go there, to begin with! Now, you talk as if you were one of them. As if you never spoke ill of them! Now, you make us the culprits, trying to lead those, you once disdained!”

Frustration eventually tuns into deep anger. An emotion, she’s barely able to handle, since it does not fit her at all. It felt like a burning heat was cooking up within her, making her heart beat fast and hard. Even Lil goes into hiding in the bathtub, with dragged tail, as her usual soft voice turns into a hissing and she tosses the crumbled parchment across the room.

“Liar! Hypocrite! How could you!”

Tears come flashing up, tears of burning anger and pain alike. It feels like a crack in her chest.

“How silly I was! Sirani may forgive me! But I won’t forgive this!”

Suddenly, it knocks on the door.

“Miss Amelia? Are you alright? I came for the parchments.”

Right. She had requested a messenger for the Crest. It takes her a few moments to force herself to calm down enough and get on her feet. Her voice was still slightly shaking as she runs a hand through her hair.

“Please… come in...”