Blood of Vol Summer Camp [Archive] - Wizards Community

Blood of Vol Summer Camp [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
JulesCARV
07-26-07, 12:13 AM There's a lot of debate about the Blood of Vol's meaning, theology, alignment, etc, etc, etc. I'm sick of debates about it in the "short essay" format, so I want to try to see if we can be a bit more creative and show how we imagine the Blood of Vol to be through some on-the-boards storywriting/RP, in a Volite summer camp, illuminating the doctrines and practices of the Blood of Vol through 10-year old (or thereabouts) kids who are beginning to ask questions, but haven't settled on answers yet (much like us, since we're only familiar with the fictional BoV, which isn't as detailed as a real religion, doesn't have apologists, etc), and in adults who serve as facilitators, custodians, and propagandists for the Blood of Vol.

________________________________________ ________________________________________ ____________

"When I'm at home," Aren said, "my mom makes me wear a targath ring. She says it'll stop me from getting sick. She's wrong though; I've gotten sick with it, and without it. Here I don't wear it, because it looks stupid."

"But my dad's a healer," Lyma said, "and he says targath works too. He's mad when his patients refuse to wear any and keep getting sick." The halfling girl sitting on on the high bunk across from Aren uncrossed her legs to let them dangle over the bed. "Besides. It doesn't work all the time. It just helps."

"Well," Aren said dubiously, "maybe it works on halflings and not on humans like me. I don't know. It never did anything for me."

"So Lyma," Han said, taking a break from folding his clothing on the bunk above Aren's, "is your dad a Jorasco?"

"Yes, and so am I. He's not 'marked or anything though."

"What do you have to do to get marked?" Han asked. "I've tried to ask around, but haven't gotten an answer."

"No one knows," Lyma replied. "People just get these dragonmarks. Children whose parents didn't have dragonmarks might get one, or parents with dragonmarks might not pass it along. Actually, I hope I don't get a dragonmark."

"Why?" Han prompted.

"I don't really want to be a healer," Lyma explained, "I'm more interested in being an artificer. I've always liked magical things. I guess I could still be an artificer if I got a dragonmark, but I think the House would try to make me do what they wanted a lot."

"Lyma," Han said, "you can't just think about what would be fun for you. We Seekers are in a war again death, and people are dying every day. Healers can't stop that, but at least they slow it down. You have to keep the greater cause in mind," Han said. "That's why I want to be a priest, so I can help people survive, long enough to defeat death, to find their own divinity."

Aren silently winced at Han's pompous grandiosity. I bet all the adults at this camp will love that little khoravar, he thought, he already sounds just like them.

"Yeah," Lyma said, "I bet that artificers will find a way to really beat death before priests anyway."

"For the rich, maybe," Han said, then, as if embarassed by his own admission, he moved to change the subject "what about you, Aren? What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet. Maybe I'll be a barrister," he said, "my mom thinks I'd be good in the courts." In truth, he had no idea, and he had as much skepticism about his mother's ideas on his future career as he did on her ideas on targath's healthful properties, but it was nonetheless the easiest answer that came to mind.

"My dad once told me a story about a young barrister, from when he worked in Sharn." Lyma said, "He said that the barrister wanted to get ahead in some big firm in Sharn, so he borrowed money to get a ring that meant he didn't hardly ever have to eat or sleep. Then he worked a hundred and forty-hour weeks for three years, almost never eating and only sleeping two hours a night. Then one day he decided to quit, because all the other asso... asso... assosits were doing the same thing, and he wasn't getting ahead. So he quit, and then he took his ring off so he could start eating and sleeping again, and he collapsed. When they got him to a Jorasco hospital, he was dead, and no one could figure out why, but my dad thinks those years of working so hard did it."

"Well, maybe I'd better not go to Sharn then," Aren said.

"Anyway, being a barrister doesn't sound like much fun to me," the halfling said.

"I don't really know what I want to be yet, okay?" Aren replied, a bit more defensively than he had intended.

"Fine. I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually," she said placidly.

"Maybe we'd better go to the First Assembly now," Han said. "It starts in fifteen minutes, and I want a good seat."

Aren thought of saying "suit yourself," and staying in the rustic wooden cabin for a while longer, but decided that this would only delight Han in giving him an oppurtunity to demonstrate his precocious wisdom and responsibility. He decided to go along, and Lyma came as well, skipping periodically to keep up with the pace of the larger human and half-elf boys.

At the First Assembly, in the multi-purpose hall adorned with symbols of the Blood of Vol, the first speaker to come to the podium was the camp's founder, Mardan Kindel. The mummy's linen wrappings were almost glowing white and his vestments looked regal for the occassion, and the unholy symbol of the Blood of Vol that hung around his neck seemed to sparkle, freshly polished.

"Don't worry, this ol' corpse won't take up too much of your time. I'll just say a few words, then I'll hand things over to Dalma." Some of the children laughed -- the ones who hadn't heard Mardan's joke too many times before.

"I've been with this camp since it was founded, thirty-eight years ago. Let me tell you, I had no idea how big a part of my life it would be. Well, my life back then, my unlife now." he paused for laughter, eliciting a meager response. "I've had time to watch children who went to this camp as kids become clergy, writers, artists, you name it. When I talk to them, they still talk to me about how much their time here has meant to them, and how much it has shaped their lives. On the other hand, I also have some kids who keep coming back year after year. We have an elf girl here who started coming to us at the very beginning of this camp at age ten. Now she's forty-eight, but she still looks forward to coming here in the summer. I think she and her parents have decided that this will be her last year though. Is that right, Hirani?"

"Yes, that's right," a young elf in a counselor's outfit said as she stood up.

A chorus of "awwwwwwwwwwwww" flooded the room.

"Well, it's been a pleasure having you, Hirani, and I'm sure it will be a pleasure having you this year too. I only wish it weren't your last. But goodbyes are for the end of the summer! Now, I hope you all are going to have a great time here, but I also want you to remember something: it's never too early to seek your inner divinity. I know what a lot of you are thinking. Some of you think, 'I'm a human, I'm ten, and I might live to about eighty, so I have seventy years to find the divinity of my blood,' or 'I'm an elf, I'm twenty, and I might live to about five-hundred, so I have four-hundred and eighty years to find the divinity of my blood.' I've seen enough lives of kids like you, over the past thirty-eight years, to tell you something. You don't know, and neither do I. You could die tomorrow. You could die an hour from now. There's just no way you can plan your life so that you'll find the divinity of your blood before you die, so you have to seek it always. Now, I don't want to say that you should forget about having fun. Y'all are going to have a great time riding horses and swimming and doing our annual scavenger hunt and all that! I'm just saying that as you have fun, try to find how the meaning of your activity relates to the divinity within you. Alright, now, on to Dalma!"

With that, Mardan walked off the stage as the stout, middle-aged dwarf woman walked on.

"Alright, young Seekers. Are you ready to have some fun?" she said.

A chorus of "yeah," arose from the audience.

Dalma cupped her ear with her hand, responding "I'm sorry, but I couldn't hear that. Could you speak louder. I said, ARE YOU READY TO HAVE SOME FUN?!"

This time, the chorus of "YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" was deafening.

"That's better. I think I understand you now."

________________________________________ ________________________________________ ____________

Okay. I'm passing the buck now. Someone else complete Dalma's speech, inauspiciously though it may be beginning, and continue the adventures of Aren, Lyma, and Han at summer camp. Everyone feel free to sneak in your propagandist views of the Blood of Vol, and if this story ends up being blatantly confusing and self-contradictory... well, that's how collaborative stories are!
JulesCARV
07-27-07, 12:26 AM Would this be more appropriate in some other forum, perhaps? I'm not sure.
Rerecros
07-27-07, 02:58 AM :clap:
:embarrass I don't have anything to add, but this is pretty good on it's own anyways though.
(I'd like to see some blood of Vol and children of winter adherents have some interaction.)
OctaviusIII
07-27-07, 03:23 AM I'm not sure I like your emphasis on the word "interaction."

Lively debate? The sort where the person that doesn't die wins the argument? That'd be... interesting.
JulesCARV
08-14-07, 11:37 PM Damnit. I've been trying to think of how to complete Dalma's speech, but I'm just feeling uninspired. I have a feeling that she's going to say something like "998 is going to be the BEST YEAR EVER for camp Shaar Kalaan!"

Hmm...
Darakhoranon
08-16-07, 07:06 AM I'm not sure I like your emphasis on the word "interaction."

Lively debate? The sort where the person that doesn't die wins the argument? That'd be... interesting.

I´m quite sure he didn´t mean THAT kind of "interaction"... But before we get into trouble for talking too much about inappropriate content, I think I´ll try to come up with a friendly little... discussion... between BoV and CoW.
Phaseroth
08-23-07, 12:45 AM Damnit. I've been trying to think of how to complete Dalma's speech, but I'm just feeling uninspired. I have a feeling that she's going to say something like "998 is going to be the BEST YEAR EVER for camp Shaar Kalaan!"

Hmm...

How about, "Tonight we're gonna party like it's 999!"
JulesCARV
09-16-07, 09:57 PM "We are going to have a lot of fun this year!" Dalma said, "In fact, I think 998 is going to be the BEST YEAR EVER for Camp Shaar Kalaan! We've gotten a few soarwood canoes, and while we won't be using them as much as our regular canoes, and safety and legal considerations mean we can't let you use them without onboard supervision, I think it's going to be a lot of fun! Also, we've finally gotten rid of Ol' Hammy!"

At this, there was cheering from many of the veteran children, who had long hated the zombie horse's smell of alchemical embalming, barely-controlled cruel temperament (if the zombie's destructive instincts could even be called a "temperament"), and slow pace on rides. Evidently, Aren thought, the camp's management had finally figured out that Ol' Hammy was doing more to make the kids hate undeath than to make them comfortable and familiar with it. That, or perhaps the parents of the boy who had been bitten and kicked last year had made a fuss. Or perhaps, Aren thought, it was a combination of both.

"Also, this year, we have a new Arts and Crafts instructor, Hemmil ir'Cannith! Hemmil will teach you about both the art of pottery and how to use magic to improve your crafts! Hemmil, though, is more than just an Arts and Crafts instructor. I think that his experiences will also make him a spiritual instructor to us all as well. Hemmil!"

The human man stood up, looking slightly awkward and embarassed. He cleared his throat and began. "Thank you, Dalma. I can't claim to be a great theologian, and I'm mainly here to teach pottery, but what Dalma is referring to is that until last year, I was a Disciple of Onatar. It was never something I had really thought about -- I didn't think I was trying to keep life enslaved to the Sovereigns or anything, it's just something I grew up with -- but last year I found out the truth about the Sovereigns, and it wasn't easy, but I became a Seeker. If any of you want to talk to me about my journey, or about the Sovereign Host from someone who's been there, I'd be happy to talk to you about it, although really, I mostly know about making ceramics."

Hemmil looked back to Dalma, who said "Thank you Hemmil. I'm sure your experience will be very valuable to our whole community. Seekers, this is going to be a great year, but not all news has been good. The Western Temple has burned down, and its unhallowed altar has been destroyed. Mardan Kindel has cast some divinations, and we think that it was a druid of the Children of Winter who set the fire. I hate seeing that kind of destruction, but we aren't going to let it get us down, are we? We're going to rebuild bigger and better! Until then, we'll use the Northern Temple.

Lastly, I know we have some Seekers out there who are a little shy about their faith. When they're out here at Camp Shaar Kalaan, they're happy to talk about what they believe, but when they're home, they don't like to talk about it with their friends at school or their neighbors or the like. Now, I'm not here to judge anyone, and I'm not saying that if you're shy, you're a bad Seeker, or you won't be able to find your inner divinity. All I'm saying is that I know that many of you want to be more active and bold, and for those who do, Camp Shaar Kalaan will be offering some GREAT workshops about keeping your faith when interacting with those who aren't Seekers! I know, many of you probably think that you'll never be brave enough to talk to a Vassal or Purified about your beliefs, but believe me, in these workshops you can craft your own spiritual arsenal to fight for the faith. You won't be afraid to talk about what you believe in, and you'll understand how to talk honestly about being a Seeker to outsiders without alienating them or coming off as preachy or self-righteous either."

Dalma looked slightly unsatisfied with that last line, as if the suggestion that any of the Seekers in her audience might come off as preachy or self-righteous to outsiders were inappropriate. She then proceeded to finish up her speech: "Alright. This is going to be a great year, and I'm sure you're all eager to get started, so I'm going to let you go now. Be sure to come to the commencement party at 8 o'clock this evening. Tonight we're gonna party like it's 999!"

With that, Dalma stepped off of the podium.
JulesCARV
01-20-08, 08:05 PM I'm wondering how qualified I am to write this stuff, considering that I don't have much experience with religious summer camps. Or... well, summer camps at all.
kelvinaw273
01-21-08, 11:51 AM Somehow I imagined the Blood of Vol to be more the sort of religion that tried to terrify it's followers into obedience rather than encouraging them to have fun. Less the 'sing along' and more the 'repent or burn!' style of religion.

I have to admit the concept of the Eberron summer camp as theology lesson is intriguing ... I imagine that the Wardens of the Wood Summer Camp would include one impressive nature trail ...
Ellorin
01-22-08, 01:31 PM Somehow I imagined the Blood of Vol to be more the sort of religion that tried to terrify it's followers into obedience rather than encouraging them to have fun. Less the 'sing along' and more the 'repent or burn!' style of religion.

Personally, I think that this sounds more like the Dark Six. Obedience and appeasement are an important part of their beliefs(e.g. offering a sacrifice to the Devourer iat sea n order to survive the coming storm). As for the "repent or burn", I think that it should be a Flame Puritan's line. Of course, that's just me.
vegetalss4
01-22-08, 02:14 PM i think that would depend on the alingment of the induvidual beliver.
oh and very good story it was interestting to read
Nexusdragon
01-28-08, 07:13 PM I have to admit the concept of the Eberron summer camp as theology lesson is intriguing ... I imagine that the Wardens of the Wood Summer Camp would include one impressive nature trail ...

Or possibly no trail at all . . . and that's just day one!

I can't help but apply the summer camp idea to all the warforged religions. Lord of Blades would run boot camp like operations, while the becoming god would be rife with arts and crafts. Reforged is a particularly fun one because there would be no necessity for any actual materials or even structures. And the funniest part of those images is that warforged all look full grown by human standards but are only a few years old most of the time. But I do like the idea of a retreat sort of environment for the Reforged. I may have to use that now.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
JulesCARV 07-26-07, 12:13 AM	There's a lot of debate about the Blood of Vol's meaning, theology, alignment, etc, etc, etc. I'm sick of debates about it in the "short essay" format, so I want to try to see if we can be a bit more creative and show how we imagine the Blood of Vol to be through some on-the-boards storywriting/RP, in a Volite summer camp, illuminating the doctrines and practices of the Blood of Vol through 10-year old (or thereabouts) kids who are beginning to ask questions, but haven't settled on answers yet (much like us, since we're only familiar with the fictional BoV, which isn't as detailed as a real religion, doesn't have apologists, etc), and in adults who serve as facilitators, custodians, and propagandists for the Blood of Vol. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ____________ "When I'm at home," Aren said, "my mom makes me wear a targath ring. She says it'll stop me from getting sick. She's wrong though; I've gotten sick with it, and without it. Here I don't wear it, because it looks stupid." "But my dad's a healer," Lyma said, "and he says targath works too. He's mad when his patients refuse to wear any and keep getting sick." The halfling girl sitting on on the high bunk across from Aren uncrossed her legs to let them dangle over the bed. "Besides. It doesn't work all the time. It just helps." "Well," Aren said dubiously, "maybe it works on halflings and not on humans like me. I don't know. It never did anything for me." "So Lyma," Han said, taking a break from folding his clothing on the bunk above Aren's, "is your dad a Jorasco?" "Yes, and so am I. He's not 'marked or anything though." "What do you have to do to get marked?" Han asked. "I've tried to ask around, but haven't gotten an answer." "No one knows," Lyma replied. "People just get these dragonmarks. Children whose parents didn't have dragonmarks might get one, or parents with dragonmarks might not pass it along. Actually, I hope I don't get a dragonmark." "Why?" Han prompted. "I don't really want to be a healer," Lyma explained, "I'm more interested in being an artificer. I've always liked magical things. I guess I could still be an artificer if I got a dragonmark, but I think the House would try to make me do what they wanted a lot." "Lyma," Han said, "you can't just think about what would be fun for you. We Seekers are in a war again death, and people are dying every day. Healers can't stop that, but at least they slow it down. You have to keep the greater cause in mind," Han said. "That's why I want to be a priest, so I can help people survive, long enough to defeat death, to find their own divinity." Aren silently winced at Han's pompous grandiosity. I bet all the adults at this camp will love that little khoravar, he thought, he already sounds just like them. "Yeah," Lyma said, "I bet that artificers will find a way to really beat death before priests anyway." "For the rich, maybe," Han said, then, as if embarassed by his own admission, he moved to change the subject "what about you, Aren? What are you going to do?" "I don't know yet. Maybe I'll be a barrister," he said, "my mom thinks I'd be good in the courts." In truth, he had no idea, and he had as much skepticism about his mother's ideas on his future career as he did on her ideas on targath's healthful properties, but it was nonetheless the easiest answer that came to mind. "My dad once told me a story about a young barrister, from when he worked in Sharn." Lyma said, "He said that the barrister wanted to get ahead in some big firm in Sharn, so he borrowed money to get a ring that meant he didn't hardly ever have to eat or sleep. Then he worked a hundred and forty-hour weeks for three years, almost never eating and only sleeping two hours a night. Then one day he decided to quit, because all the other asso... asso... assosits were doing the same thing, and he wasn't getting ahead. So he quit, and then he took his ring off so he could start eating and sleeping again, and he collapsed. When they got him to a Jorasco hospital, he was dead, and no one could figure out why, but my dad thinks those years of working so hard did it." "Well, maybe I'd better not go to Sharn then," Aren said. "Anyway, being a barrister doesn't sound like much fun to me," the halfling said. "I don't really know what I want to be yet, okay?" Aren replied, a bit more defensively than he had intended. "Fine. I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually," she said placidly. "Maybe we'd better go to the First Assembly now," Han said. "It starts in fifteen minutes, and I want a good seat." Aren thought of saying "suit yourself," and staying in the rustic wooden cabin for a while longer, but decided that this would only delight Han in giving him an oppurtunity to demonstrate his precocious wisdom and responsibility. He decided to go along, and Lyma came as well, skipping periodically to keep up with the pace of the larger human and half-elf boys. At the First Assembly, in the multi-purpose hall adorned with symbols of the Blood of Vol, the first speaker to come to the podium was the camp's founder, Mardan Kindel. The mummy's linen wrappings were almost glowing white and his vestments looked regal for the occassion, and the unholy symbol of the Blood of Vol that hung around his neck seemed to sparkle, freshly polished. "Don't worry, this ol' corpse won't take up too much of your time. I'll just say a few words, then I'll hand things over to Dalma." Some of the children laughed -- the ones who hadn't heard Mardan's joke too many times before. "I've been with this camp since it was founded, thirty-eight years ago. Let me tell you, I had no idea how big a part of my life it would be. Well, my life back then, my unlife now." he paused for laughter, eliciting a meager response. "I've had time to watch children who went to this camp as kids become clergy, writers, artists, you name it. When I talk to them, they still talk to me about how much their time here has meant to them, and how much it has shaped their lives. On the other hand, I also have some kids who keep coming back year after year. We have an elf girl here who started coming to us at the very beginning of this camp at age ten. Now she's forty-eight, but she still looks forward to coming here in the summer. I think she and her parents have decided that this will be her last year though. Is that right, Hirani?" "Yes, that's right," a young elf in a counselor's outfit said as she stood up. A chorus of "awwwwwwwwwwwww" flooded the room. "Well, it's been a pleasure having you, Hirani, and I'm sure it will be a pleasure having you this year too. I only wish it weren't your last. But goodbyes are for the end of the summer! Now, I hope you all are going to have a great time here, but I also want you to remember something: it's never too early to seek your inner divinity. I know what a lot of you are thinking. Some of you think, 'I'm a human, I'm ten, and I might live to about eighty, so I have seventy years to find the divinity of my blood,' or 'I'm an elf, I'm twenty, and I might live to about five-hundred, so I have four-hundred and eighty years to find the divinity of my blood.' I've seen enough lives of kids like you, over the past thirty-eight years, to tell you something. You don't know, and neither do I. You could die tomorrow. You could die an hour from now. There's just no way you can plan your life so that you'll find the divinity of your blood before you die, so you have to seek it always. Now, I don't want to say that you should forget about having fun. Y'all are going to have a great time riding horses and swimming and doing our annual scavenger hunt and all that! I'm just saying that as you have fun, try to find how the meaning of your activity relates to the divinity within you. Alright, now, on to Dalma!" With that, Mardan walked off the stage as the stout, middle-aged dwarf woman walked on. "Alright, young Seekers. Are you ready to have some fun?" she said. A chorus of "yeah," arose from the audience. Dalma cupped her ear with her hand, responding "I'm sorry, but I couldn't hear that. Could you speak louder. I said, ARE YOU READY TO HAVE SOME FUN?!" This time, the chorus of "YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" was deafening. "That's better. I think I understand you now." ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ____________ Okay. I'm passing the buck now. Someone else complete Dalma's speech, inauspiciously though it may be beginning, and continue the adventures of Aren, Lyma, and Han at summer camp. Everyone feel free to sneak in your propagandist views of the Blood of Vol, and if this story ends up being blatantly confusing and self-contradictory... well, that's how collaborative stories are!
JulesCARV 07-27-07, 12:26 AM	Would this be more appropriate in some other forum, perhaps? I'm not sure.
Rerecros 07-27-07, 02:58 AM	:clap: :embarrass I don't have anything to add, but this is pretty good on it's own anyways though. (I'd like to see some blood of Vol and children of winter adherents have some interaction.)
OctaviusIII 07-27-07, 03:23 AM	I'm not sure I like your emphasis on the word "interaction." Lively debate? The sort where the person that doesn't die wins the argument? That'd be... interesting.
JulesCARV 08-14-07, 11:37 PM	Damnit. I've been trying to think of how to complete Dalma's speech, but I'm just feeling uninspired. I have a feeling that she's going to say something like "998 is going to be the BEST YEAR EVER for camp Shaar Kalaan!" Hmm...
Darakhoranon 08-16-07, 07:06 AM	I'm not sure I like your emphasis on the word "interaction." Lively debate? The sort where the person that doesn't die wins the argument? That'd be... interesting. I´m quite sure he didn´t mean THAT kind of "interaction"... But before we get into trouble for talking too much about inappropriate content, I think I´ll try to come up with a friendly little... discussion... between BoV and CoW.
Phaseroth 08-23-07, 12:45 AM	Damnit. I've been trying to think of how to complete Dalma's speech, but I'm just feeling uninspired. I have a feeling that she's going to say something like "998 is going to be the BEST YEAR EVER for camp Shaar Kalaan!" Hmm... How about, "Tonight we're gonna party like it's 999!"
JulesCARV 09-16-07, 09:57 PM	"We are going to have a lot of fun this year!" Dalma said, "In fact, I think 998 is going to be the BEST YEAR EVER for Camp Shaar Kalaan! We've gotten a few soarwood canoes, and while we won't be using them as much as our regular canoes, and safety and legal considerations mean we can't let you use them without onboard supervision, I think it's going to be a lot of fun! Also, we've finally gotten rid of Ol' Hammy!" At this, there was cheering from many of the veteran children, who had long hated the zombie horse's smell of alchemical embalming, barely-controlled cruel temperament (if the zombie's destructive instincts could even be called a "temperament"), and slow pace on rides. Evidently, Aren thought, the camp's management had finally figured out that Ol' Hammy was doing more to make the kids hate undeath than to make them comfortable and familiar with it. That, or perhaps the parents of the boy who had been bitten and kicked last year had made a fuss. Or perhaps, Aren thought, it was a combination of both. "Also, this year, we have a new Arts and Crafts instructor, Hemmil ir'Cannith! Hemmil will teach you about both the art of pottery and how to use magic to improve your crafts! Hemmil, though, is more than just an Arts and Crafts instructor. I think that his experiences will also make him a spiritual instructor to us all as well. Hemmil!" The human man stood up, looking slightly awkward and embarassed. He cleared his throat and began. "Thank you, Dalma. I can't claim to be a great theologian, and I'm mainly here to teach pottery, but what Dalma is referring to is that until last year, I was a Disciple of Onatar. It was never something I had really thought about -- I didn't think I was trying to keep life enslaved to the Sovereigns or anything, it's just something I grew up with -- but last year I found out the truth about the Sovereigns, and it wasn't easy, but I became a Seeker. If any of you want to talk to me about my journey, or about the Sovereign Host from someone who's been there, I'd be happy to talk to you about it, although really, I mostly know about making ceramics." Hemmil looked back to Dalma, who said "Thank you Hemmil. I'm sure your experience will be very valuable to our whole community. Seekers, this is going to be a great year, but not all news has been good. The Western Temple has burned down, and its unhallowed altar has been destroyed. Mardan Kindel has cast some divinations, and we think that it was a druid of the Children of Winter who set the fire. I hate seeing that kind of destruction, but we aren't going to let it get us down, are we? We're going to rebuild bigger and better! Until then, we'll use the Northern Temple. Lastly, I know we have some Seekers out there who are a little shy about their faith. When they're out here at Camp Shaar Kalaan, they're happy to talk about what they believe, but when they're home, they don't like to talk about it with their friends at school or their neighbors or the like. Now, I'm not here to judge anyone, and I'm not saying that if you're shy, you're a bad Seeker, or you won't be able to find your inner divinity. All I'm saying is that I know that many of you want to be more active and bold, and for those who do, Camp Shaar Kalaan will be offering some GREAT workshops about keeping your faith when interacting with those who aren't Seekers! I know, many of you probably think that you'll never be brave enough to talk to a Vassal or Purified about your beliefs, but believe me, in these workshops you can craft your own spiritual arsenal to fight for the faith. You won't be afraid to talk about what you believe in, and you'll understand how to talk honestly about being a Seeker to outsiders without alienating them or coming off as preachy or self-righteous either." Dalma looked slightly unsatisfied with that last line, as if the suggestion that any of the Seekers in her audience might come off as preachy or self-righteous to outsiders were inappropriate. She then proceeded to finish up her speech: "Alright. This is going to be a great year, and I'm sure you're all eager to get started, so I'm going to let you go now. Be sure to come to the commencement party at 8 o'clock this evening. Tonight we're gonna party like it's 999!" With that, Dalma stepped off of the podium.
JulesCARV 01-20-08, 08:05 PM	I'm wondering how qualified I am to write this stuff, considering that I don't have much experience with religious summer camps. Or... well, summer camps at all.
kelvinaw273 01-21-08, 11:51 AM	Somehow I imagined the Blood of Vol to be more the sort of religion that tried to terrify it's followers into obedience rather than encouraging them to have fun. Less the 'sing along' and more the 'repent or burn!' style of religion. I have to admit the concept of the Eberron summer camp as theology lesson is intriguing ... I imagine that the Wardens of the Wood Summer Camp would include one impressive nature trail ...
Ellorin 01-22-08, 01:31 PM	Somehow I imagined the Blood of Vol to be more the sort of religion that tried to terrify it's followers into obedience rather than encouraging them to have fun. Less the 'sing along' and more the 'repent or burn!' style of religion. Personally, I think that this sounds more like the Dark Six. Obedience and appeasement are an important part of their beliefs(e.g. offering a sacrifice to the Devourer iat sea n order to survive the coming storm). As for the "repent or burn", I think that it should be a Flame Puritan's line. Of course, that's just me.
vegetalss4 01-22-08, 02:14 PM	i think that would depend on the alingment of the induvidual beliver. oh and very good story it was interestting to read
Nexusdragon 01-28-08, 07:13 PM	I have to admit the concept of the Eberron summer camp as theology lesson is intriguing ... I imagine that the Wardens of the Wood Summer Camp would include one impressive nature trail ... Or possibly no trail at all . . . and that's just day one! I can't help but apply the summer camp idea to all the warforged religions. Lord of Blades would run boot camp like operations, while the becoming god would be rife with arts and crafts. Reforged is a particularly fun one because there would be no necessity for any actual materials or even structures. And the funniest part of those images is that warforged all look full grown by human standards but are only a few years old most of the time. But I do like the idea of a retreat sort of environment for the Reforged. I may have to use that now.