Having had the unique situation of being a citizen of each city on the sides of this war, I've come to some conclusions. I remember choosing Springdale over Thakria when I was a youth - I wanted to fight for ideals and light and have honor, as I was a knight and that role seemed best. I eventually left Springdale for Mercinae, but I observed behaviour which, at the time seemed great and amazing or terrible and atrocious.

Being a small fighter and getting to tag along with Pahn and Dunccan and Qrick and etc to go beat up on the evil Thakrians seemed great - we beat them up bad, and there were so many of us, the little people like me never died. Getting cleaves off on people like Aerian and Kodiak while others held them down was empowering, and having everyone see that YOU killed them - what an ego boost.

On the flip side, being stripped in a challenge by Threap, or locked in a stockroom by Orinoko when he thought I was beating up on his citizens - what a terrible feeling. I hated them, and wanted to see them dead at all costs.

Eventually, I joined the bandits and decided my role in the land was not one of chivalry but one of mischief, independence and of pushing the boundaries. I found my way to Parrius, a city that needed help with the PR Ministry, a job I loved, and a chance to fulfill the \"thief life. \" I eventually grew to love the city. And I began to see the same things I had seen in other cities. The great feeling when you're winning, and the terrible helpless agony defeat brings. Only now, the bad guys were my former

citymates, and the people on my team were the people I used to hate.

I realized that there is no right wrong good bad blamed blamer agressor innocent - there is just perception, and the paradigm you view Avalon through. In the end, your allies are those you live with and laugh with and die with. We have to have the terrible enemies, or Avalon would, quite honestly, be boring as hell.

But any view adopted of anything being \"one side's fault\" is fallacious. There is never ONE cause, ONE person to blame. I am not denying any actions anyone has ever made, just pointing out the other half of it - simply saying that for every story Springdale has about pain they've been through, Parrius surely has one to match it.

Written by my hand on the 7th of Agamnion, in the year 1139.