An ode to the devil

Since the Chosen of Eilistraee is a religious oriented player group, naturally there is a place to have theological discussions. That is in-game religions; please leave real-world religion out of it. Debate the fine points of a certain dogma, how a church can enforce worship while staying true to its tenets or simply why one deity is better than another one is. All are free to talk about it here.

Moderators: Shir'le E. Illios, Bhaern Quel

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Ghaunadan_Lost
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An ode to the devil

Post by Ghaunadan_Lost »

From a gasping word – to wonder
Did even you, the most beautiful, know how much I loved you?
As anger christens the skies, I watched you.
I know even to be tantalized is to be immature,
But I am tantalized by you.
As you dance naked across a scorched earth and leave it growing again,
So my soul remembers your form, and my mind is healed by watching you.
Watching you – dance.
Always – the dance.
Always – the dance.
The Dance – always – always – the dancing. So beautiful. Even the dance becomes a draft.
Rejuvenate me. Revitalize me. I hear the call – the something dastardly. Some strange guardian of a gateway to madness. I don’t intend to fall, but then again – who does? Please, my lady, save me, and keep my eyes above a drowning pool. You are so beautiful. So loved. I am so----

Please do not be gone, my lady.
Please do not be gone.
I can hear the cries from the valleys and the mountains.
Those in your service - …those who remain – are scared.
They cry out to you.
They cry out to YOU! IDIOT GODDESS, WHERE ARE YOU?! HOW DARE YOU LET THE SKY GROW DULL WITH YOUR SILENCE!
…Hahahahahaha….HaHaHaHaHaHaHa!...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

And to think…I almost believed you.

HahahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA! And to think…I almost believed IN you!!! That you could help me. That you were worthwhile.
Who knows. If I believe in you strongly enough, maybe you’ll put me on the catapult and slam me against the wall of Lolth (Hey, Halisstra, how did that feel?!).
Idiot. Stupid. …Halisstra. I am here for you. I miss you. …Please come back. Through all the shadows and the demons. Please come back…

Do not fear the wrath of the Eilistraeens. Their goddess is dead. Please, Halisstra, return to me. You knew me in the chemical moments when you loved Ryld Argith. You knew me in the chemical moments when you steered your house through cataclysms. You knew me when you felt the glistening thighs of Danifae, the cold voice of Quenthel, the despicable but joyous gaze of Pharaun. Chemical moments.

I know these.

I am at home now as I was as a tiny barnacle on your brow.

Mmmm. Lovely.

Love,
The Lost Ghaunadan
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Irennan
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Re: An ode to the devil

Post by Irennan »

[quote:nytxb3jw]From a gasping word – to wonder [...] [/quote:nytxb3jw]

I assume this is Halisstra's PoV. Well, yes: as we discussed in the other topic, the sword and sacred mission thingy was stupid (IMO), but Halisstra was as well.

She was trusted with one of the most important quests in drow history, not even Qilue was asked to complete it, only her (and this means that Eilistraee actually valued and believed in her). She had the possibility to solve (or at least set the start of the solution of) the vast majority of her people's problems, but what did she do?

1)Was caught off guard by an obvious betrayal (Danifae), blaming Eilistraee for her lack of planning;
2)Had to choose between Lolth's punishment (with the inevitable agony and death that it entails) and setting her race and herself free, chose to suffer.

Even assuming that Eilistraee screwed up in every possible way, Halisstra basically made a choice whose obvious effects were dooming herself and harming all of her people.

[quote:nytxb3jw]…Halisstra. I am here for you[...]
[/quote:nytxb3jw]

Don't bother, Halisstra is dead. Even if she was resurrected, she'd probably let you down by doing something incredibly stupid, just don't bother...
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.
Ghaunadan_Lost
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Re: An ode to the devil

Post by Ghaunadan_Lost »

Oddly enough, I just can't, dangit. I've always defended the underdog, and I've never loved the teacher's pets (that is, Wolverine - he never pleased his teachers, but when 3 entire X-Men movies get turned into "The Wolverine Show" something has gone wrong). Halisstra is my everything, and I love her even more because even her SPIRIT was crapped on. And now, no one stands with her, even though she tried so legitimately hard to be good. Granted, her faith shattered after a bad battle in the Demonweb Pits, but most people's faith would have shattered LONG before that.

Halisstra is unfairly vilified. And she's unfairly characterized here - because the one that CAUSED her to be unfairly vilified is Eilistraee herself. ...But most people here don't think Eilistraee would have actually done that (which is a track into each fan's own version of the story...). ...And so we hate Halisstra while also denying Eilistraee did the actions that would cause us to hate Halisstra in the first place... ...Moebius strip much?

Love,
The Lost Ghaunadan
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Irennan
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Re: An ode to the devil

Post by Irennan »

I don't deny anything, things are written in the novels after all. The only thing I can say is that both Eilistraee and Halisstra were portrayed as idiots. Eilistraee's plan and ''actions that (partly) caused Halisstra to be vilified and that the goddess would have never done'' were nonsensical, but Halisstra's logic (or lack of it; yes I'm not saying strength, willpower, faith or smth, just simple logic) was just jaw dropping, for the reasons I've already explained (and stupid actions are just that, they can't be unfairly characterized). Even if she hated Eilistraee, the most reasonable choice -IMO- would have been a ''screw the gods'' kind of reaction that would have led her to kill Lolth so that her people could avoid to stand what she had to -or for simple revenge-. That's what someone who tries hard to be ''good'' would have done, instead she went ''lulz, I pick Lolth, the one who did a thousand times worse than her daughter-. Screw my people'': I fail to see the logic there.

Also, Halisstra [i:x20uecnb]chose to accept[/i:x20uecnb] the quest. I don't think that either Eilistraee or her followers would have turned her away if she didn't feel like doing something that big (according to their sourcebook description, they wouldnt at all, but according to that that lore, novels would have not happened at all). Other -more qualified, tbh- people, or Eilistraee herself could have taken her place. Halisstra was supposed to have some kind of suprise effect on Lolth, IIRC -which is kinda ridiculous to believe, tbh-

I like Eilistraee and kinda liked Halisstra when I started reading about her, but in the published FR things turned out as we know, and sadly the events were presented to us in a way that doesn't allow much to be discussed. There was so much potential for interesting characters, to further develop the drow and their pantheon there... all of this thrown away for some cheesy plot so that FR dark elves could be like Core drow..
Last edited by Irennan on Sun Sep 01, 2013 3:15 am, edited 5 times in total.
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.
Bhaern Quel
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Re: An ode to the devil

Post by Bhaern Quel »

Please discuss nice, reason why I locked the other it appeared two were getting too heated over fictional deities.
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Irennan
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Re: An ode to the devil

Post by Irennan »

I think that we were just joking around there :-[

Forgive me if my tone may sound heated at times, it isn't my intention to be hostile, at all.
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.
Bhaern Quel
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Re: An ode to the devil

Post by Bhaern Quel »

[quote="Irennan":2p0xmffz]I think that we were just joking around there :-[

Forgive me if my tone may sound heated at times, it isn't my intention to be hostile, at all.[/quote:2p0xmffz]

It became a concern, I have seen you (I believe) at Candlekeep (at least same user name) and the interaction with the slime lover *G* If both will play nicer, clearly removing lock is not a problem.
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Irennan
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Re: An ode to the devil

Post by Irennan »

Yes, I don't know what about what I write gives the feeling of hostility. I never insult anyone and tend to clarify that I'm just expressing my opinion -without imposing them- and bring logical (I think, at least) arguments to explain why I disagree with some opinions.

Yet, at times, people seem to get offended.
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.
Ghaunadan_Lost
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Re: An ode to the devil

Post by Ghaunadan_Lost »

Yes, Irennan, I'm afraid you are seen as an uncouth, rude meanie by the ooze & slime community. The Gelatinous Cube Assocation (GCA) frowns upon your shenanigans.

(Haha, I've never gotten "offended" by your writing. I think you don't hold back - but that's a good thing, right?)

Love,
The Lost Ghaunadan
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