The Guktans' Peace  

 

My dear friends,

It pleases me to hear that so many of you are turning to peace. Norrath has suffered under the weight of violence, hatred, and conflict for too long. Our world cries out for peace. Our people cry out for peace.

It wasn't very long ago that we guktans lived in harmony with each other. Before the paladins among us declared war on the undead. Before our shadowknights hungered for disease and fear.

Now, we are a people at war. I don't mean the trolls, although they remain a significant threat to peace. We are at war with ourselves.

Half of our society is obsessed with fighting for the Truthbringer - an honorable goal, but incomplete. Truth and justice must be cultivated, but there is a deeper truth at work in the world than what the paladins would tell us.

There is a truth in every one os us - a core to our being that defines who we are and where we belong. Our first duty is to discover ourselves, our truth. If we kill a hundred evils but lose ourselves, what have we gained ?

Many of you, seeking to join me in the path of the monk, have asked me what you must do.

First, my friends, seek to know yourself. Know your truth, and then you will realize that every person you encounter has a truth inside of them too - a truth of identity and purpose that is just as valid as yours.

As monks of Quellious, it is our calling to understand not only ourselves, but also our friends. Not only our friends, but also our neighbors. Not only our neighbors, but also our rivals. Not only our rivals, but also our enemies.

Many of you count the necromancers and shadowknights of our communities among your enemies. This must end. We are guktan. We have many enemies outside our city walls, we don't need to make more within.

As monks of Quellious, it is our duty to extol the healing powers of peace to the holy warriors as much as the death heralds. The guktans will be healed by peace. The guktans need peace. The guktans will bring peace, first to ourselves and then to the world.

This place will ultimately come to us through knowledge, but the world is not ready for it yet. There is too much aggression and hatred, which threaten to snuff out the hope of peace before it can be realized.

If we are successful, peace will become natural for all creatures on Norrath. For now, however, it must be fought for. This is where many of my critics have failed to understand my teachings. We hone our bodies, we refine our fighting techniques so that we may come to the aid of the victims of violence.

We work towards peace, but peace cannot be achieved if we allow the forces of chaos to kill the innocent, the hopeful and the peaceful. We must defend their harmony with perfect training and perfect execution of our martial arts if peace is to succeed.

To that end, I will be returning to the Mountains of Rathe later this week to continue your martial training. Any guktan interested in pursuing the monk's path is welcome to join us, so spread the word.

As some of you have heard, Sugal the Fist will be leading the lessons with me. He was the first monk of our people, and is responsible for starting me down this path to enlightenment. He has generously offered to share his knowledge of the fist and help me train as many of you as are willing. He will also offer guidance to those among you more comfortable continuing worship of Mithaniel Marr.

I have heard rumors of complaints about this partnership. Remember, young monks, we strive for peace. If we cannot find peace with our fellow monks who worship the Truthbringer, how can we hope to find peace with the unrighteous and corrupt?

In hopeful pleace,
Ulno, the first guktan monk of Quellious

Edited, Mar 14th 2014 1:43am by Drewinette