Friends and Neighbors,
I can’t help but feel something with that Blackheart Fight was amiss. For one, Blackheart was far too helpfully.
I was also surprised to learn that Blackheart and some of the TC were on… surprisingly good terms.
Clearly, there is much I do not know with regards to the lead up and to the actual fight; I am hoping somebody, or several somebodies, would be kind enough to fill me in on the long version of what has transpired.
I thank you in advance,
James “The Raven” Corvid
This will be a long response, and I will try to ensure it contains all the information needed without involving the names of those who may not wish themselves involved. If you have any additional questions I will try my hardest to answer them in the days and weeks to come.
I suppose I shall start with some confirmations, there was indeed something amiss though not what you may suspect, and yes some of us in town were on good terms with her. I can not speak to others feelings on the matter, but I will set down my own as bluntly as I can.
Over the last year I became very close to Tara Fairchild, the Captain you knew as Blackheart, I met her first at a holy site of the Saints late one night when we all still viewed her as an enemy. After a confrontation where I was nearly killed by Varyn for defying her, we spoke at length.
Many of you may never have been to the Mariners rest, it is a spot that evokes powerful response among Spiritualists, especially those whose hearts beat with the tide of the seas. I discovered not a madwoman bent on our destruction when I spoke with her there, but a thoughtful introspective one who simply saw the world through a twisted lense. This, of course, was not enough to convince me she was anything but an enemy. That came when we found a letter written by her on an expedition.
This “letter” was addressed to the woman who ran the orphanage where Tara, Terik, Ren, and Varyn grew up, a woman who Tara killed as a child. The four of them grew up in a compound of the opressive Ishikawan cult who I’m sure you all know believe spiritualists such as these children are cursed. The letter details the abuses and torture of Tara and the others as they grew up and ends with the explanation of why she did what she did. Tara claimed she had become a “monster” to enact vengeance and justice upon the oppressors of the world in the name of those they cast out. Every corrupted sailor, every needlessly punished spiritualist in an Ishikawa prison, and every disenfranchised soul that the corrupt powers in society abuse.
After reading these words, I met with Tara near town, we discussed her view of the world, her goals and methods long into the night on multiple occasions. She showed me visions of my own past and of how she viewed the world. I may not always have agreed with her, but in the end what matters is the result. Change required violence. Our town represented so much of what she hated, and though I tried to turn her from this course I could not, because in many ways she was right.
In the end, she attacked the town, as I think was always meant to happen. I mentioned above that something was amiss with this battle but it was not what you expected. What was amiss was that she had no intention of leaving this place alive, she intended to fall that night. Change requires violence, in this case, the violence was not what both I and Varyn in our own ways had thought, it was not the deaths of those here in Port Kathrine, but her own death. She has found release from the pain that was the constant in her life, and the threat to all of you is over.
The world is changing. Magic is returning, like it or not, we have all seen the changlings with our own eyes. We stand now at the edge of a new world, many of you I am sure are questioning our ancient views on magic, I ask you question more than that about our society. There is corruption in us just as there was within her, she saw her own darkness, perhaps it is time we saw our own. I loved Tara Fairchild, and though I know I can not ask the same of all of you, I do ask you at least consider what she died for.
-Annander Glass
This will be a short response.
Blackheart, as you call her, has always been helpful to those willing to listen. It is a cruel irony that everyone wants to hear her now that we have violently silenced her forever.
But as Tara said, violence is a manifestation of change in the material world. I wish the town’s change of heart hadn’t required this violence to be directed at her, but here we are.
Death comes for everyone, even those who don’t deserve it.
-Prudence
The paper is smudged with water marks
Since we are all coming forward with what we knew of this… I knew some as well. Not as much as some of these others, but enough to know that the slaughter she was attempting was not true to who Blackheart Tara, was. I thought her mind tainted by use of magic, and am still not convinced this was untrue. I sought to cure her, so there need be no more pointless death. Alas, the progress of science was far too slow and now so many have suffered for it. Perhaps there was nothing I could have done, but I will not allow this to happen again. From any angle, this was a tragedy. The town lost much, Blackheart’s crew lost much. I do not know what we, the town, could have done differently, short of lying down and dying. From all I know, by the time we got here her mind was made up.
But I knew there was more to her and I only wish I could have-deliberately smudged out words but it doesn’t matter, now. It’s too late. And though she got what she wanted, I cannot be happy for her. And though we got what we wanted, I cannot be happy for us. And those who loved her have lost most of all, so I ask that you all have patience with them. As I understand it, they were all ready to see her die in defense of our colony, and merely wished for another way. As did I. They merely had more to lose in failing to find one.
And as Mr Glass alluded to, though I believe her methods to have been wrong and unforgivable, after all there are innocents in our town as well, and the abuse of innocents will never cause an end to the abuse of innocents, there was truth in her goals, which is of course, what makes this so terrible. I have much to think on. As I believe we all do.
-Annaliese
I was soooo not ready for this thread, yet. I have so many feels, and they don’t even all agree with each other in-character, nevermind across the in-character out of character divide.
Glass, I am truly sorry for your loss. And I hope that Captain Blackheart was able to find peace at last.
I hope you will not take this amiss; I do not mean to rub salt in so fresh a wound. But I feel it must be said. Violence is a choice. Captain Blackheart and her crew chose to raise their hand against us. I did not know the lady, so I will not presume to speculate further on how she felt, but I cannot believe that violence is the inevitable outcome of change. There is always a choice.
I do not take it poorly, I spent many nights arguing with her about this… and change is not the result, she saw it as a necessary catalyst, a -part- of change.
I am deeply sorry for your loss and I hope that both you and Ms Fairchild can find some peace.
I thank you all for your input; this has given me much to think about.
From what has been said, I stand by our Town’s actions of self-defense, but I regret our hands were so force.
~
I caught part of the tale told in the Tavern after the battle, but only the smallest of parts.
Could, and would, someone please repeat that story? I heard something about her passing through a portal? And I thought I remembered mention of a Patron, either in the tale, or during the battle?
I may be miss-remembering, as high stress situations are not good for memories, but I would like to hear the full tale, as I only learned she was more than a generically hostile pirate after the battle had concluded, and now I would greatly appreciate knowing more.
Many thanks,
James
I spoke in the tavern after the battle of what I have already told you here, her body was brought through the portal so her spirit could pass on properly. I do not know where the word patron came up but if it was used it was not in reference to what we would consider a Patron with a capital P. No fae were involved in any of this.
A faulty memory, or a misheard statement, then.
Thank you for the clarification.
I am sorry for the loss experience by all of you who cared for this Ms. Fairchild, whom I only knew as Blackheart until after her death, but as Ms. Ferris said, I cannot be sorry that this town defended ourselves against someone who tried so hard to destroy us. I’m curious what corruption you speak of, Mr. Glass, that is still within us, and which is apparently so rampant in our society. What could drive someone to seek change through such terrible violence, that could not have been resolved through words instead?
Sincerely,
Scrap Alizé