Treyal,

I appreciate reading your thoughts on the topic of civilization, but I feel that I must correct an assertion you made - not all civilizations are the same. To say -all- civilizations are oppressive is a gross generalization, and it doesnt hold up when you look at Ashtan, a city founded on the principle of Freedom through Chaos.

Unlike cities like Mhaldor, which impose iron-fisted control under the Tenets of Evil, or Targossas, which forces rigid moral alignment to Good and Righteousness, Ashtan allows for individual autonomy. Citizens are not shackled by mandatory belief systems or sanctimonious laws. In Ashtan, citizens choose their own path  not the city, not the Gods, and not tradition.

I also feel that I must echo my good friend Archaosa here: To those who walk Ashtani streets, Chaos is the refusal to be ruled. It is the rejection of systems that tell you how to think or what your ambitions must be. In Ashtan, Freedom is the goal, and Chaos is the means. We foster creativity, unorthodox thought, and a rebellion against mental chains.

Ashtan isnt just less oppressive  it is fundamentally anti-oppression. It's a city where power is dynamic, where individuality is sacred, and where the only real taboo is conformity for conformitys sake.

So to those who claim all civilizations are oppressive  look at Ashtan again. It may be wild, unpredictable, and unorthodox, but certainly not oppressive to those who call it home.

- Ambassador Tintar Arbh'ahi-Qumma

Penned by my hand on the 24th of Phaestian, in the year 976 AF.