[OOC: I have been offered a job at Google, so I'm going to be moving to the Bay Area within the next few weeks.]
As you may know, I am very adept at puzzles, codes, and mathematics, to the point that a puzzle which is simple to me can be beyond the power of other minds to comprehend. Yet in the the areas of politics and social graces, the situation is reversed – what is simple to others can be nearly impossible for myself. These differences have made me an outcast in many lands, so I have traveled the mists for many years looking for a place which I can call home.
On my travels through the mists I have seen many different worlds, many groups of warriors, and many forms of battle. I have seen lands where the ones in power rewrite the rules to serve their own selfish ends. I have seen lands where reality itself is in flux, such that any attempt to understand the ways of the world is futile. I have seen lands where those supposed to enforce order instead blind themselves to the reality of chaos. And I have seen lands where strategy and tactics are denigrated, where power derives from naught but brute strength.
These lands were not for me. I am a scholar, not a warrior. My goal is knowledge, not power. I collect lore, not weapons. I wish to teach, not to command. I seek to explore, not to conquer. I do not want to criticize, but to understand. I do not want to change others, but rather to change myself.
But in New Acarthia, I have finally found a land which I can truly call home. New Acarthia is a land where those from all walks of life, with all sorts of interests, can band together. Though by myself I am useless on the battlefield, I can gain power by helping others. Though I do not know how to swing a sword, with my spells I can save the lives of those who do. Throughout my two years in New Acarthia, I have observed battles and learned to improve my tactics and strategy. I have observed how I have failed or been led astray, and I have learned to correct my mistakes. I have done what I can to create order in the world, while knowing that order is not the only thing that matters. I have begun to teach others, that others can share in my knowledge. And by seeing how others navigate this same world, I have learned more about myself.
Yet now it is time for me to walk the mists once again. I have visions of a land far to the west of here – I believe this is the next stage of my journey. For the foreseeable future, that is where I will be going. The upcoming Ducal Tournament will be my last trip to New Acarthia, yet I will never forget those I have fought and died with, the battles won and lost, the gold earned and spent, and most importantly, what I have taught and learned. If I ever find myself traveling the mists once more, I will make sure to stop by in New Acarthia.
-Andrew the Bard
As you may know, I am very adept at puzzles, codes, and mathematics, to the point that a puzzle which is simple to me can be beyond the power of other minds to comprehend. Yet in the the areas of politics and social graces, the situation is reversed – what is simple to others can be nearly impossible for myself. These differences have made me an outcast in many lands, so I have traveled the mists for many years looking for a place which I can call home.
On my travels through the mists I have seen many different worlds, many groups of warriors, and many forms of battle. I have seen lands where the ones in power rewrite the rules to serve their own selfish ends. I have seen lands where reality itself is in flux, such that any attempt to understand the ways of the world is futile. I have seen lands where those supposed to enforce order instead blind themselves to the reality of chaos. And I have seen lands where strategy and tactics are denigrated, where power derives from naught but brute strength.
These lands were not for me. I am a scholar, not a warrior. My goal is knowledge, not power. I collect lore, not weapons. I wish to teach, not to command. I seek to explore, not to conquer. I do not want to criticize, but to understand. I do not want to change others, but rather to change myself.
But in New Acarthia, I have finally found a land which I can truly call home. New Acarthia is a land where those from all walks of life, with all sorts of interests, can band together. Though by myself I am useless on the battlefield, I can gain power by helping others. Though I do not know how to swing a sword, with my spells I can save the lives of those who do. Throughout my two years in New Acarthia, I have observed battles and learned to improve my tactics and strategy. I have observed how I have failed or been led astray, and I have learned to correct my mistakes. I have done what I can to create order in the world, while knowing that order is not the only thing that matters. I have begun to teach others, that others can share in my knowledge. And by seeing how others navigate this same world, I have learned more about myself.
Yet now it is time for me to walk the mists once again. I have visions of a land far to the west of here – I believe this is the next stage of my journey. For the foreseeable future, that is where I will be going. The upcoming Ducal Tournament will be my last trip to New Acarthia, yet I will never forget those I have fought and died with, the battles won and lost, the gold earned and spent, and most importantly, what I have taught and learned. If I ever find myself traveling the mists once more, I will make sure to stop by in New Acarthia.
-Andrew the Bard