Greetings to you all,

I was not the first, nor will I be the last, to espouse and teach the savage ways. Savagery has its roots in Eleusis since before I lived among Her boughs, and has its home in the hearts of many of our elders. I speak now because, I, among many others sired efforts towards a reconnection to these primal roots. I have often contemplated the internal conflict between identifying myself as such and the potential opportunities to serve within the ranks of the Gaian Knights. In ways, both are similar, and in others, vastly different.

In the Earthmother's eyes, there is a place for both savage and knight. In Her eyes, we sought to make them one in the same. It is now, clearer than ever, that this may not be possible. That the modern concept of what constitutes chivalry is so deeply rooted within civil society, that I cannot abide.

I hold no specific ill-will to the knights of Aster Malik, and in many ways appreciate the path you have set forth upon. Yours is a pursuit steeped in tradition, within your moral code, alongside a commitment to holding yourself to a standard of conduct and morality, discipline, and martial prowess. The act of reviving, or creating a culture from ash is something that I am all too familiar with.

What I find as incompatible are the methods by which you achieve these aims. Lordship over another is never a sustainable system. You may erect a hierarchy, invest yourselves with the authority to elevate yourselves above your 'lessers', but only those purposed and committed to their brethren as equals will be sustained. There is a reason that Old Seleucar fell, and despite efforts to raise it from its ruins, it serves as a reminder that sometimes things should remain dead.

The savage heart beats fervently in-step with Nature itself. It enters communion with its pack in the sacred hunt, beating as one. It burns brightly and claims blood for blood for transgressions against Her and Her alone. It defends the confines of Nature's interests and sees Her realm expanded. Past this, all else is self-service.

If you seek to file-in-line with the cities, seek Aster Malik. If you seek to serve one another, the savage path awaits. But only if you can set aside your own selfish ambition in lieu of something greater than yourself, your titles, or your holdings.

As of this missive, I will be departing the Gaian Knights. The efforts made in its creation were not without merit, and I will not begrudge anyone who follows this path. Mother Gaia has breathed into them, and theirs is service to Her. However, their service is mine no longer.

Her savage still, her savage forever.


Andraste Montenegro

Penned by my hand on the 1st of Chronos, in the year 893 AF.