A bulletin with the heading, 'Something I feel I should address publicly.'

[AbnerMojo]

My Peers and Colleagues.

   To those of you who know my character, and my personnel values, I hope you feel that much of this letter needs to go without saying. However, to those whom don't know me, I feel I must explain myself, and in every detail.

   I recently have taken up the pursuit of studying and documenting the collection, handling, and usage of natural venoms in the manufacturing of poison. I know for many this is a extremely controversial subject, and some would have it put into the domain of 'forbidden knowledge.'

   This however is my main goal, I hope to become an authority on the subject, and to work toward adding to it's knowledge base. Not for the purpose of propagating poison as a weapon or tool of murder. But purely in the pursuit of, and best spirit of the research process. No knowledge is inherently evil, only people's application of it can be.

   The more we understand a thing, the better we can control it's use, or therefore abuse. So I leave the finding of antidotes to the alchemist, while I document just how those who use it harmfully do so. Because that is also every bit as important to know, and understand.

   Those of you who know me personally, and know of what happened to my Father may understand better then others why I have a passion for a field of knowledge such as this.

   However, I would like to address on how some seem to think they have the right to call me evil, or a coward for pursuing this. Poison is a weapon, one that is here to stay unfortunately. We can't wish it away with ignorance, or keep it's use down with false ideas of chivalry. Weapons are tools of violence. And all violence is butchery. How one can say this is allowable butchery, and this is not is asinine in my opinion. While I can respect someone  for having such high minded and passionate views, I am strained to tolerate when they believe themselves so better then me as to become judgmental of how I conduct myself. When your 'Lawful' passions lead you to the point of telling others what and how they may acquire knowledge, you become every bit has prideful and 'evil' as the monsters and tyrannies you claim to oppose.

   As for the naturalist who claim I am doing evil by harming nature. It is a sad fact that the only methods I have found so far to recover the components I need for my research involve the fatal removing of Spiders and Ettencaps organs. If there was another way I would pursue it, because it would be safer for my own well being first and foremost. But also because I truly do appreciate nature, and balance. However we must face facts, the large spider breeds easily propagate, and have no natural enemies in the wild. Their numbers can quickly grow out of hand when left unchecked, therefore we as people should, and do step in. This is a process that would happen regardless of my own research. And I do not feel I am causing anymore harm to nature then the logger who falls a tree for a more beneficial purpose.

   This all said, I leave you free to think what you will of my pursuit. But I hope you can at least see where I am coming from with this. Not that I expect you to agree with me. I only hope that you can see I am just a person whom only has the motivation to pursue true knowledge. Thank you.

-Signed, Uilliam SeeksPeace.

[pejsaboy]

*scrawled on the corner of Uilliam's notice*
Go Uilly! I've learned a little about poisons myself, though you may have surpassed me at this point. Look me up if you wanna discuss notes on it!
*signed*
Gilli Overdale
*written in halfling*
Of course your arguments are right, but then again, you are a halfling!
*Gilli chuckles as he leaves the message board*

[Tanman]

*Eghaas reads the note and he frowns, and writes one of his own*
I don't know who you are. You are right, the use of weapons is used violently, but I would imagine that in most cases when a person is slain it is quick and they are put out of their misery easily.

However, when you are procuring things for the use of poison, you are using that to prolong the pain and the suffering that a person  sustains before they move on or the soul mother makes a visit.

That act alone, makes it wrong.

*signed*
Eghaas Treebringer

[AbnerMojo]

*Reads the last response to his note, and just shakes his head in amazement.*

Dear Sir,

I have never seen the process of one being shoving a sharp object into the body of another being be anything but quick and painless in combat. We wear armor, we use weapons to slash or smash bones, and often enough time people are left maimed for life.

As for the prolonging suffering by using poison, you obviously are making a judgment on something you know less about then you think you do. Why would a person skilled in the makings of poison design it to do anything less then bring death quickly? What, do they wish to risk their own lives to see the look of suffering on enemies faces? No, because a painful poison does not mean the victim still can’t kill the person who delivered it. A person applying the use of poisons as a weapon cares first and foremost about the speed with which they kill bottom line.

I feel you are expressing a common logical fallacy many people share here. But only an insane individual develops a poison that causes suffering first, and kills second. In which case I should believe their list of evils would more then likely carry well beyond the use of poisons.

And as for your thought that, ‘That act alone, makes it wrong.’ Well Sir, there are a good deal many ‘wrong’ things we need to do in life. The nature of survival has the consequence of doing that. But my own inclination is to believe that we most often are faced with choices between lesser ‘evils’, then we are right and wrong.

I also would like to point out; I myself have never used poison as a weapon against another living being. As I said before, my first and only objective with this study is knowledge.

I don’t know maybe it is superstition, social taboo, or ignorance, but for some reason many have the naïve desire to label a knowledge evil, or the studying of it. But it is by the studying of things, the further acquisition of knowledge that we learn Sir, that we fill books, and that we have future generations who go on to learn more and live a better life for it.

-Signed, Uilliam SeeksPeace.

[Stephen_Zuckerman]

Finally, a sound mind on the subject; seek out Pyyran Rahth, and you will most certainly find a fine discussion to be had.

Weapons are weapons. Many poisons will actually numb the pain one feels, but in the end... It is merely another tool to make something die, just like a sword, arrow, or axe; another enhancement to a weapon's killing power, just like an enchantment. A spell to hold one's enemy in place is no less despicable than a poison which accomplishes the same task.

Perhaps this writer is overly shrewd, but it is deliriously imprudent and naive to assume that one's enemies will hold to one's personal code of honor. We learned well to the contrary in the Bloodwar, and continue to as new threats arise.

*The note is unsigned, but the clear, angular hand is easily recognizable to those who know it.*