by CallieO on Wed Aug 08, 2018 8:18 am
Callie goes to the Savi'atar Safe House in Nanthalion, in a very secretive manner. She knows that the situation has deteriorated rapidly, and that anything could be the spark that lights the powder keg. Especially after today. She gets Brian Perano, one of the Savi'atar scribes, to write this letter for her in his best handwriting. When completed, she posts 20 copies of them throughout Nanthalion and Midvale.
There was an incident earlier this afternoon in which several people on both sides were hurt. Though we did our best to prevent injuries, I cannot help but feel a little responsible for how bad things have gotten, and so, in an attempt to cut things off at the pass before they get any worse, I am putting things in my own words.
On my way back from the Might Makes Right shop, in which I shared a pleasant afternoon lunch, I came upon my friend Wade talking with Hurk, the goblin behind the tracts put up by Goblin Publishing. This was to have been a private meeting between the two of them, though I was not aware of that going in. Hurk immediately began to panic, believing that Wade and I had lured him there. Wade informed me that the meeting was under a flag of truce, which I had no intention of violating, anyway: Hurting Hurk for what he's been publishing would only add legitimacy to his claims of a vast vulpine conspiracy.
But this was a very public place, and Hurk, in his panic, turned to the growing crowd of mostly humans to protect him. He named his source as being the "Wingy Things", which I'd never heard of before. At this point, we were joined by a female catbat whom I'd never met before, and whose name I do not know. She tried to help us calm the crowd, which was starting to shout at us, in favor of Hurk. Hurk also alleged that a vulpine dressed in black has been following him for the past week. Wade made the suggestion that he would do his best to locate and identify this phantom stalker.
Wade, Hurk, and I tried to calm the crowd down, but they were quickly becoming a mob. Wade tried to frighten them into dispersing with a thunderclap, but only succeeded in causing the mob to believe that we'd attacked Hurk. Around this time, Thunder entered the fray, and she used her earth mage abilities to put four walls around us. Wade lifted me, himself, and the woman up above the crowd, but the crowd started hurling projectiles, both physical and magical, at us.
I was hesitant to leave Hurk down there to fend for himself against the crowd, so I suggested to Wade that he lift the goblin up into the air with us so that we could all make our escape. Unfortunately, I did not anticipate that this would make the crowd even more angry at us, as they thought we were trying to kidnap Hurk. When I saw that some rocks and spells were hitting Hurk, I put myself in between him and the crowd. The catbat woman who'd been on our side took a Fire Bolt to the chest and fell somewhere into the forest; I have not yet discovered what became of her.
At that point, Zabug arrived, demanding that we release Hurk, so I lowered Hurk back down to the ground, on the outside of the box created by Thunder's magical abilities. Zabug led him away someplace, and Thunder used a magical spell to calm the crowd through song and disperse them.
I feel I should take this opportunity to address some of the allegations that Hurk has laid out in his most recent tract. First of all, the vulpine do not worship death, nor do we pray to dead ancestors. The service he referred to, taking place in front of a black candle, is called a boz'na ["remembrance"] service. It's held on the first of every calendar month, and sometimes more frequently. Throughout our lives, vulpines maintain a boz'na'tar, a remembrance scroll. We write down the names of all our friends and loved ones who have preceded us into death, and we pray that The Lady watch over their souls. In the event that another friend or relative passes into death, we add that name immediately and hold another boz'na service on the day in which we first hear of their passing.
Hiyazhin, worship through masturbation, and orinjin, worship through sex with another person, are two important rites in triestan culture (triestan refers to the worship of The Lady, called "shuka triesta" in the Vulpani tongue). They can be performed publicly or privately, and a lot of particularly hedonistic and exhibitionist vulpines indeed do perform them publicly. Most of the time, I myself choose to perform these rites privately, because I don't like to expose my body to just anyone these days. I was an exhibitionist in my 20's, but for the last several years, as I've grown a successful business, I've found it more important to be taken seriously, which is difficult to accomplish if I go running around willy-nilly having sex in public.
As for the gladiatorial sport, winzama, that Hurk refers to, it's a sport that dates back to the early centuries of the vulpine race, when we were vastly outnumbered by most every other race in Belariath. We came to seek new friends among the other races, but were often met with suspicion and violence because we're very different from every other race on the planet. So winzama was indeed created as a combat sport where we could learn to fight against all odds in a relatively safe environment. Every race has the right to defend themselves, and the vulpine race is no different.
The vulpine race is not the enemy, nor are we planning to take over the world. We seek friendship with other races. That's the reason I came to Nanthalion 12 years ago, because my hometown was about 90% vulpine. I've made lots of friends here, non-vulpine and vulpine alike, and I'm known throughout the empire as being a kind, understanding, and hospitable person.
I was greatly disheartened by the fact that a few customers of mine were a part of the mob that fought against us. But I bear them no ill will. As a former soldier, I've seen mob violence before, and I know the mentality. I understand that many of them will look back and regret what they tried to do. Every one of them is still welcome at my restaurant.
But I will not permit my restaurant to be attacked, nor will I allow anyone within its walls to either commit an act of violence nor be the victim of one. Callista's Vulpine Cuisine is a safe zone that I will defend with my life's breath.
Anyone who wishes to discuss this incident with me in person is free to do so, and I'm also happy to answer any questions about vulpine culture that one might have, as well as, hopefully, clear up any misconceptions.
Sincerely,
Callie Volopa
Musha Villa
Verlosi Tribe
"If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe."
--Dr. Beverly Crusher
Player of Callie Volopa, Viaa, Auric Lightwing, Brian Perano, Erin Tarcata and Aimee Sarasiné