Written by Rupert Jones of the Town Cryer
Despite the noise of new construction clamoring throughout east Britain for months now, the work seems to have gone on quietly without notice. A new addition to the Chamber of Virtue, perhaps? This was the assumption by most of those familiar with the vexatious banging of hammers, until most recently, when a curious sign was hung where the Chamber’s old sign, upon which these words are inscribed:
The Cathedral of Inner Strength
Strive For Unity
Trust Thy Brother
Worthiness Precedes Reward
Strive For Unity
Trust Thy Brother
Worthiness Precedes Reward
This new, monolithic structure has been constructed over the once quiet Chamber of Virtues but is controlled by the recently established group known as the Fellowship. But who is the Fellowship? Founded by a man known as Batlin, the Fellowship claims to be devoted to the welfare of Britannia and to the uplifting of those across our lands who are lost, spiritually. The three principles written upon its sign comprise the essence of their philosophy, and based on their recent, tremendous growth, it is a message that Britannia is taking to with great fervor.
Nevertheless, this story cannot help but provoke one particularly nagging question: what about the Eight Virtues? It was these Eight Virtues upon which Lord British built his kingdom, the values upon which our very society is based. Yet, this system has faded further and further from relevance as the years have waned. While there are some in the kingdom that remain steadfastly devoted to them, for most the virtues are no longer needed as a spiritual guide. As our society becomes ever more materialistic and reliant upon advancements in magical knowledge, less and less harken to the values which have served as the framework from which our kingdom has derived its cohesiveness. Yet, is that framework but old, flimsy wood on the verge of rotting away? And if so, is the Fellowship the next, necessary step in revitalizing the soul of Britannia? Or is it the final gasp of a people desperate for meaning in an otherwise seemingly meaningless world?
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