Dear Dancia Amandine, Commander, Knights of Crux Anasta:
I apologize for taking so long to get back to you. For what it's worth I had finally begun to reply at the time of my recent kidnapping, and then the kidnapping interfered with that. My letter draft did not survive the attack.
Granted, however, even then I had waited too long to reply. By way of explanation, not excuse, I had intended to author, as quickly as I could, a short treatise on the lore and legend of the Virtugreel, and hoped that it would answer all questions you had and indeed, perhaps, questions you did not realize you had.
The treatise, however, proved more difficult to write than I anticipated, hence the delays, and by the time I finally started to compose a shorter reply, I was taken by those evil Knights.
At the advice of my Research Assistant and wife-to-be, Theresa, I am replying to you in a more timely manner this time. Once again I apologize for the delay.
You asked:
#1: This object, known to you as the Virtugreel, please inform me as to it's purpose, function and history. Is this an object of great power, and as such to be seceded immediately upon discovery to the protection and jurisdiction of the Crux Ansata?
The Virtugreel, in simplest terms, is either a magic cup or a magic cauldron, depending upon which story you read. Stories about it go back a very long time. Most scholars further think that various seemingly very different stories about magic cups or magic cauldrons which go back even further than that are in fact early versions of the Virtugreel legend.
The powers of the Virtugreel vary considerably story by story. The common elements, however, are the following.
• Firstly, and most simply, the Virtugreel is described as being able to make food. By today's standards, this is not terribly impressive, but at the time these stories were first told, neither modern agriculture, nor the magical power to create food, were widely available. So the power to produce food from thin air was very important indeed.
• Secondly, the Virtugreel was said to, even when it did not actually make any food, make the people around it feel as though they had eaten. Indeed, various Knights of myth and legend were said to be able to sustain themselves for weeks without food or water, simply by being in the vicinity of the Virtugreel.
• Thirdly, and most importantly for our purposes, the Virtugreel in some stories was described as somehow embodying Virtue, carrying Virtue within it not dissimilar to how a normal cup can carry water or wine. Those who drink from it feel compelled to do Virtue, even the non-Virtuous feel compelled to do so for a short time.
• Fourthly, the Virtugreel is said to have the ability to move and perhaps even think on its own and make itself known to and seen by only by those whom it decides should see it.
#2: For what purpose do you seek the item, what is your history and connection to this item?
I adore the Virtues, and the Virtugreel, to the degree to which the stories are true at all, and I have now come to think it does not exist, embodies Virtue. It is really as simple as that.
I apologize if I have crossed a line on the martial law; I did not understand myself to have done so. It did not occur to me that academic pursuits could easily cross that line.
I hope to soon give a public lecture, where I will explain more about the lore of the Virtugreel, and why I no longer feel it exists at all. At this point the only real evidence for its existence is that too many people are intent on stopping me from finding it. Those evil knights went through a lot of effort to keep me from finding something they do not believe in. I hope you can attend and I will strive to send you my notes if you cannot.
I admire your work in the cause of Virtue, your order has been of great help to me, and I hope we can work together in the future. The realm needs both order and hope if it is to stay together, and to a surprising degree people can find hope in artifacts. And, as a Professor of Antiquities, I have devoted myself to researching artifacts of virtue.
I should also note that we have a common enemy. The evil Knights who took myself and my wife-to-be hate the Knights of Crux Anasta with a great passion. They made this very clear to us.
Sincerely,
Yusef Ad-Din,
Distinguished Professor of Antiquities,
Lycaeum
I apologize for taking so long to get back to you. For what it's worth I had finally begun to reply at the time of my recent kidnapping, and then the kidnapping interfered with that. My letter draft did not survive the attack.
Granted, however, even then I had waited too long to reply. By way of explanation, not excuse, I had intended to author, as quickly as I could, a short treatise on the lore and legend of the Virtugreel, and hoped that it would answer all questions you had and indeed, perhaps, questions you did not realize you had.
The treatise, however, proved more difficult to write than I anticipated, hence the delays, and by the time I finally started to compose a shorter reply, I was taken by those evil Knights.
At the advice of my Research Assistant and wife-to-be, Theresa, I am replying to you in a more timely manner this time. Once again I apologize for the delay.
You asked:
#1: This object, known to you as the Virtugreel, please inform me as to it's purpose, function and history. Is this an object of great power, and as such to be seceded immediately upon discovery to the protection and jurisdiction of the Crux Ansata?
The Virtugreel, in simplest terms, is either a magic cup or a magic cauldron, depending upon which story you read. Stories about it go back a very long time. Most scholars further think that various seemingly very different stories about magic cups or magic cauldrons which go back even further than that are in fact early versions of the Virtugreel legend.
The powers of the Virtugreel vary considerably story by story. The common elements, however, are the following.
• Firstly, and most simply, the Virtugreel is described as being able to make food. By today's standards, this is not terribly impressive, but at the time these stories were first told, neither modern agriculture, nor the magical power to create food, were widely available. So the power to produce food from thin air was very important indeed.
• Secondly, the Virtugreel was said to, even when it did not actually make any food, make the people around it feel as though they had eaten. Indeed, various Knights of myth and legend were said to be able to sustain themselves for weeks without food or water, simply by being in the vicinity of the Virtugreel.
• Thirdly, and most importantly for our purposes, the Virtugreel in some stories was described as somehow embodying Virtue, carrying Virtue within it not dissimilar to how a normal cup can carry water or wine. Those who drink from it feel compelled to do Virtue, even the non-Virtuous feel compelled to do so for a short time.
• Fourthly, the Virtugreel is said to have the ability to move and perhaps even think on its own and make itself known to and seen by only by those whom it decides should see it.
#2: For what purpose do you seek the item, what is your history and connection to this item?
I adore the Virtues, and the Virtugreel, to the degree to which the stories are true at all, and I have now come to think it does not exist, embodies Virtue. It is really as simple as that.
I apologize if I have crossed a line on the martial law; I did not understand myself to have done so. It did not occur to me that academic pursuits could easily cross that line.
I hope to soon give a public lecture, where I will explain more about the lore of the Virtugreel, and why I no longer feel it exists at all. At this point the only real evidence for its existence is that too many people are intent on stopping me from finding it. Those evil knights went through a lot of effort to keep me from finding something they do not believe in. I hope you can attend and I will strive to send you my notes if you cannot.
I admire your work in the cause of Virtue, your order has been of great help to me, and I hope we can work together in the future. The realm needs both order and hope if it is to stay together, and to a surprising degree people can find hope in artifacts. And, as a Professor of Antiquities, I have devoted myself to researching artifacts of virtue.
I should also note that we have a common enemy. The evil Knights who took myself and my wife-to-be hate the Knights of Crux Anasta with a great passion. They made this very clear to us.
Sincerely,
Yusef Ad-Din,
Distinguished Professor of Antiquities,
Lycaeum