Re: The Watchful Eye of the Lord [Cyrus, Laskt]

Mon Dec 30, 2019 2:17 am

Cyrus

Cyrus' disapproval from before was not present as Laskt gave his response. He still disagreed, quite vehemently in fact. But this time, there was confidence in the reply, passion as Laskt spoke. Cyrus did not mind if others disagreed with him, so long as they were willing to show conviction in their beliefs.

"You say that this common soldier embodies the hero, but I think to attribute this word to him does the man quite a tremendous disservice. H does not fight for glory, his struggle is entirely selfless. Yet you would call him a hero nonetheless, compare him to figures such as, to use your own example, the classical English knight.

"We need only look at those most defining images of these knights to bring this into question, Mr. Matiche. The greatest knight of England, Sir Gawain, was an icon of chivalrous ideals, perhaps second only to Sir Lancelot. But, seeing as Lancelot was a Frenchman, we will put him aside for now. Gawain, despite his status, was a man renowned for his temper, his proclivity toward violence as a solution. He struck down the Green Knight in an act of anger, slew his fellow knights for defending the virtue of Lancelot. In the end, his furious tendencies were every bit as key in the fall of Camelot as the actions of Lancelot or Mordred.

"The hero is an ideal, something more than human. You are wholly correct that each of these cultures have had different ideas of what makes a hero, yet among all of them has been a unifying thread. Their stories are passed down, made greater than what mere men could accomplish, and it is in this that they gain their glory. Even if they do not seek it for themselves, this glorification is what defines them. It is what makes them a hero, not merely a respectable member of society."

He was rather enjoying this discourse now, and despite the immense physical pain it brought him, Cyrus tapped into his divinity for the briefest of moments, simply to create a small table, a hot pot of tea, and two cups. They did not materialize out of anything in particular, but simply came into existence in a single moment. If one blinked, they might think it had always been there. He poured a cup for himself, and one for the vizard, though he did not demand that his company actually drink.

"Would you, Mr. Matiche, deign to place those noble men and women, who sacrifice even their lives for a cause which might never acknowledge them, within the same category as Gawain? Do you think such a comparison does them any justice?"

Thu Jan 02, 2020 10:39 pm

Honorable Vizard

Laskt Matiche

Laskt bit his cheek in thought at Cyrus’ reply, thinking deeply about his reply. Despite his emotional exhaustion, self-loathing and fear of Cyrus’ anger, he was surprised to find that this discussion, as philosophical and complex as it was, was rather relaxing in an odd sort of way. Perhaps it was the fact that he was finally confronting his ideals instead of simply holding them static. Perhaps he was just an odd sort of person. Either way, his response was swift.

“Is it not ze duty of a hero to be selfless? Zere are few if any examples of a hero accepting payment for zeir protection and services, and even fewer instances of ze hero prioritizing zeir own soul over zat of ze common man. Ze very act of heroism requires disregard for one’s own safety. I would go as far as to say sat selflessness is as central to ze ideal as you are proposing glory is.”

The knight’s voice, so recently stricken with the blight of emotion and sorrow, was passionate, and his eyes brightened. Despite this unfurling, the second portion of Cyrus’ rebuttal seemed to hit him like a punch in the gut, and the Vizard’s manner darkened once again. The very scenario the Divine Quincy described was the core of his current trauma, and Laskt was still very much struggling over it. He took a deep breath.

“Gawain’s anger and unchivalric manner preclude him from being a true hero, zat is true. As harsh as it sounds, and despite his best efforts to ze contrary, ze knight’s failings, ze very failings zat corrupted his heroism and contributed to ze fall of Camelot was selfishness. His decision to violate ze tenants of his agreement was based off of ze desire to win, to survive his journey. Likewise, while not as obvious as ze former, his barbarous acts in cutting down his comrades was at least partly based along similar lines. Ze desire to protect ze status quo is a powerful motivator, one zat is often overpowering.”

“Flawed knights such as Gawain did try to live to ze ideal of ze true hero, but ze role of ze common knight is not one zat aligns perfectly with ze definition of a true hero. After all, it was much easier for zem to be a hero in zeir actions rather zan zeir intentions when mounted on a war horse in full plate, when compared with ze common man’s leather jerkin and ash spear. Zey were shining ideals, true, but also an enviable position given zeir political power and influence. In comparison, zere is not so much a gulf between modern soldiers, as a large caliber round can rip zrough many normal defenses much ze same. Ze common soldier does not find it as easy to be a hero, and zerefore is, as a whole, more heroic.”

“I will not go so far as to say zat ze common soldier is one zat fulfills all ze requirements of a true hero perfectly. Zat would be silly. However, ze circumstances behind ze common soldier’s role is one zat highlights ze discrepancies between ze search for renown and heroism. Take a man who stands upon a bridge, holding back enemies so zat his comrades might escape. If he is not remembered, does zat make him simply a respectable individual, not a hero?”

As the last syllable left Laskt’s tongue, he started visibly as a table and chairs simply materialized from thin air, along with steaming tea. He glanced at Cyrus, relaxing as the man sat down and poured himself a cup, actions which Laskt mimicked.

“Merci beaucoup Monsieur Cyrus, you are too kind.” He said politely, taking a small, cautious sip of the drink. It wasn’t that he was suspicious of the man, but even in the supernatural world one does not get used to people forging something out of nothing.

“I apologize Monsieur Cyrus, I am afraid zat I mispoke. When I spoke of ze European knight, I spoke of ze ideal knight, perfect, incorruptible and utterly self-sacrificing: willing to remove their advantages and still complete zeir duty if necessary. While knights such as Sir Gawain certainly aimed for and nearly reached zis mark, hey nonzeless held flaws zat precluded zem from zis role. In an ideal world, ze actions and intentions of ze knight would be as one, but sadly, as you have shown, zis is rarely ze case.”

Laskt Matiche(2-5 Vizard/B Hazard)

Jonathan Weber(4-2 Quincy/D Hazard)

Mon Jan 20, 2020 4:47 pm

PREPARE TO ENTER THE VIZARD'S POST

Enter the post

Laskt sipped his tea, rolling the taste of it across his tongue before ingesting the beverage. This conversation was an interesting duality: somehow both invigorating and immensely mentally and emotionally draining at the same time. Nevertheless, somehow the Vizard couldn’t just walk away, even disregarding the looming threat of diplomatic repercussions for his actions.

“Zere I fear we disagree again Monsieur Cyrus. It is intrinsic of ze hero to embody goodness and righteousness: fully and wizout flaw. Wizout zose two traits, ze hero morphs from ze true to ze glory hound: simply committing ‘heroic’ acts in search of glory or tangible repayment. It doesn’t take much for ze former to move to ze latter eizer, so much as a single coin can change ze hero from an ideal to something far more sinister in nature and intent.”

Contrary to when they began their conversation, Laskt’s voice and body language spoke of a firmness, of a belief in what he was saying that he had been sorely lacking ever since he had entered the Mad City. The knight may now be speaking of a personal ideal that he personally fell from, but that did not make him any less sure of himself.

Laskt grew intrigued as the Quincy continued his verbal assault, bringing up a story that the Vizard Knight hadn’t heard of before, even in his centuries of existence. The Divine Quincy was quite the storyteller it seemed, and the teacher. Laskt swished the liquid in his cup around, carefully considering his answer, not for Cyrus’ benefit as much as for his own.

“Zis man you speak of, El Cid. He most certainly has a nobility of character and purpose; it would be insulting to both of us and his memory to deny zis. I would even go so far as to say zat he comes closer to my definition zan any ozer example you have proposed, his disregard for his own personal glory proving as much, yet he still falls short of ze bar. While his betrayals had ze best possible intentions in mind, ze still were betrayals of his sworn word to men zat had trusted him. Ze individual kings may not have been essentially good people, in fact zey were likely ze opposite, but zis means nozing.”

“In his conquest of Valencia, what of ze little people in ze king’s government? What of ze people zat had been assigned posts, given duties zat were centered around ze fact zat El Cid would keep his word? What of ze newly promoted officers zat had replaced El Cid and zose zat had followed him in zeir quest, zrust into a position zey weren’t prepared for and didn’t want, simply because zey were unable to zrow everyzing away ze minute he asked. El Cid was a good man, a powerful leader and likely an exceptional king, but he was not a true hero.”

As Laskt’s counter left his lips, he shrank down slightly, as if he was afraid of Cyrus’ chastisement for his brutally honest analysis of the man he held as an ideal. The Vizard knight truly didn’t want to insult his host, but their very discussion forced him to at least contradict them.

“Does ze man on ze bridge not serve as ze purest ideal, making ze label of 'hero' intrinsic to his memory? Granted zis is a bit of a extended metaphor at zis point, but zat does not discredit ze scenario. To ze men he saved wiz ze toll of his own life, is he not a hero to zem? Is he not a hero in zeir stories zey tell zeir children, lying awestruck in zeir beds at ze tale of zis brave man? What is essential however, is zat ze hero, ze one who is lying in a pool of blood, punctured by spears and swords, choose zis paz in ze purest expression of selflessness. Zey never knew if zeir sacrifice would actually mean anyzing, and yet to forage ahead irregardless and give zeir own life for ze merest possibility zat ozers may live. Zat, in my humble opinion, is ze purest expression of a hero.”

Mon Jan 27, 2020 4:55 pm

Cyrus

Taking in a collected breath, Cyrus felt as though this conversation was becoming somewhat cyclical. This was not a point of misunderstanding or a matter of lacking context, but rather a fundamental disagreement on the basis of the entire discourse. As such, he knew that there was no purpose in continuing this any longer, and he decided that he had learned everything that he needed to know.

"I have said it before in the course of our discussion, but if you will allow me to reiterate an earlier point of my own. To call those noble souls by the same title as the glorymongers of old is a disservice to their memory. To idealize such a thing is needless. To do good is, by its own accord, all that needs be done."

Finishing his cup of tea, the Grandmaster set it down and allowed his gaze to once more burn into Laskt. This was the final question he would ask, though in truth, he felt that the answer was not likely to change his opinion. Still, he was hardly omniscient.

"Who, in your opinion, is an example of this purest hero? A specific individual, not merely a hypothetical."