La Ardeur, Nawtika Tatiana-Yusef, Femme Fatale

You ask so many questions. Permit me to inquire - if I answer them, will
you be satisfied? You have called my long, detailed, and very
forthcoming posts drivel. This gives the strong impression that you are
not asking questions to get answers. To attack, perhaps, or discredit,
maybe. But not for answers.

I suspect that most thinking beings agree on this: some questioners do
not ask in order to get answers. Is that you? I'm willing to be
convinced. Convince me.

I have decided that, to avert the repeated cry of foul ("How dare Hingar
not answer every SINGLE question asked of him! Evil evil!") I shall
offer some answers anyway.

We claim no land, as I have said many times. Some villages have
earnestly requested joining our empire, and we have allowed that, but
that was not our claim, that was their request.

As I understand it, there is nothing offensive in offering to help
victims who have lost their homes and/or village by attempting to
rebuild. We have so offered, as far as I can tell, and have done so
before others did. Achaeans are of course welcome to join in, or sponsor
their own rebuilding efforts. Dozens of individuals in Achaea have
already given goods to support our rebuilding efforts in the form of
commodities of rope and wood: the very items that fell from the priest's
corpse.

As to the remark about Achaeans being 'child-like barbarians.' Yes, many
are - as I have written over and over, and referred you to the glorious
and obvious testimony of your own public posts. Many are not barbarians
though, nor child-like, and it is their existence that inspires me to
continue answering.

I have already answered the 'why did you come here' so many times that I
can only assume you wilfully ignore the answers. This supports my
concern that you are not asking in order to learn, or to be satisfied,
but for some other reason. Nevertheless, I answer again: we opened a
portal, intended to permit travel of vast distances. We came out the
other side. There we were! Keep looking for deep, awful, horrendous, and
obviously evil purposes if you wish. But that is the truth. We stumbled
upon you and in so doing encountered our first new plane and our first
alien races of sentient beings.

I do appreciate one thing you wrote. How refreshingly frank! And written
there for all the world to see, by your own hand! Delightful: ". . . You
may say that Ashtani 'used' Thera and consistently killed her citizens .
. . IS THAT NOT WHAT THEY WERE THERE FOR?" (emphasis mine). Doubtless
Ariel, whose memory you now invoke so respectfully, would find little
comfort in that query.

On this matter, then (of Ashtani treatment of Thera) your question
speaks more eloquently than any could imagine. Beautiful!

I completely understand how you, yourself, do not trust us, and that you
are unable to see how anybody else could. Dozens do, though. Perhaps
hundreds. I have here numerous statements of support from individuals,
including many Ashtani, past and present. I have here a report that at
least a few Ashtani withdrew from citizenship over this latest breach
instigated by Ashtani. That you cannot understand this is no surprise.

I detect yet another enlightening element of your post. How pleased I am
to see you put this all in print!

"All Achaeans kill/bash the denizens and fellow adventurers of this
land. We do NOT destroy their homes however."

Fantastic! Someone has finally admitted it - you (at least) are taking
the moral high ground on the basis of lost buildings!

Some time ago I asked what the outrage was related to Thera. I offered
various possibilities, including wondering if it might not be, in part,
because of the loss of the structures. Thank you for clarifying that
point to me. For you, at least, substantial outrage is focused on the
destruction of buildings. These are the same buildings you somehow take
offense that we are attempting to aid in reconstructing.

We have said we are peaceful. Yes. By that, we mean that we prefer
peace. Yet we are able to use force, and will, if need be - as I think
every living being would. But I have also answered that before as well,
publicly.

We did not desecrate Ariel's grave. We produced her body and then
released the bonds oddly restraining it, so that you all could do with
her as you would. Xel arrived moments after I arranged that release, as
she will doubtless attest.

What do we want? What does any living being want? Safety, growth,
learning, to continue living, trade, new experiences, and other things
like that. What we want is not unique, or foreign. Well, perhaps to you,
but not to most sentient beings I think.

What about our lands? We have lands, as you do. They are not much
different than yours. We have rivers, and lakes, and trees and oceans
and mountains and valleys. We have flora and fauna not particularly
different from yours. The shapes and sizes vary somewhat, but that
should come as no surprise. We have hot and cold, wet and dry.

We have multiple worlds in our plane, just as you do, though perhaps you
have not visited Somnustra, Noxtra, or Lunastra as of yet.

The Ascendant is the current leader of the empire.

Our people are larger, as should be quite obvious.

We recognise "The All" - details of which I would be happiest leaving to
our priests and Theologians. Perhaps I might venture a word, with the
understanding that I am not the authority on such: it does not seem to
me that your gods are necessarily in conflict with, or contradiction of
the All. In fact, I believe that this cannot be. They too are players on
the vast stage of reality.

To all of good will, whose minds remain open, I write, and wish fondly
that they may consider all these elements carefully.

And to you, Nawtika, there is more of my drivel. I thank you for what
you wrote though. Most helpful.

Penned by my hand on the 24th of Miraman, in the year 386 AF.