Sgrios Mass: Remembering

 

There is a phrase... 

A phrase that vastly predates the birth of this land. One that still echoes with its impressive and unfathomable wisdom - regardless of the plane that it originated.

*Memento mori* — does anyone know what this phrase means?

often translated as "remember that you must die" — 

Often, it serves as a humble check on hubris, a reminder of the transient nature of power, vanity and life itself. However, it is a phrase that speaks volumes when given more than just a cursory thought. Personified through our lord Sgrios, the meaning shifts from a passive philosophical ideal to something we must literally confront. 

"Remember death" - Sgrios is the living embodiment of death and decay, and he transforms death from a distant, eventual event to our recipient of prayer. The Great Lord stands as a constant observer of our adventures, ensuring that all us servants witness our mortality as it is standing right in front of us.

Curiously, it seems as if the forces about Temuair thrust this ideal upon us quite literally. When a soul returns from the Cthonic Ruins, it is touched by Sgrios, and the "memento" (remembrance) becomes visceral. Confronting their expiration date not as a vague concept, but as a meeting with a being of unbounded wisdom. Our constant meetings wretch away the comfort of denial. Sgrios challenges you to justify your use of time, asking us, "Is this how you wish to spend the limited moments before we spend eternity together?" Sgrios, in his infinite patience, becomes a clock. The ticking of time audible in every conversation and interaction, even after you've begged and pleaded for another chance at mortality.

Furthermore, the presence of our almighty Sgrios reframes the value of life within Temuair. If *memento mori* is the reminder of scarcity, then Sgrios is the regulator of that economy. By strictly enforcing the boundary between existence and non-existence, Sgrios provides the contrast necessary for life to have meaning. Without Sgrios's intervention or looming presence, the stakes of our meager existence might dissolve; with them, every action is weighted against the ultimate consequence. Sgrios validates the struggle of the heroes by guaranteeing that the risk is real. He is the anchor that keeps our worlds grounded in the ultimate reality of loss, preventing our Aisling narrative from drifting into inconsequential immortality where no challenge is worthy. Our relationship with the other Dubhaimd god Deoch is profoundly displayed through this link. Without death, his ultimate sacrifice carries little significance - instead it was the creation event of the Aisling spark.

So why speak of ancient phrases in eldritch tongues? Is there a deep sentimentality to be discovered within the crevasses of these dusty tomes?

Often times these scrolls hold very little of value, at times - they can even be misleading. Perhaps they were scrawled from a time long ago before the laws of nature shifted?

But studying history rarely teaches us nothing when given appropriate context.

As a shepherd of rot and decay I often find it hard to eloquently summarize our clergies duties within Temuair.

We are not here to kill any more than any other hunter does.

We are not here to create Chaos or seek immortality - that is firmly Chadul's domain.

We are here to ensure that we all remember.

Remember that Sgrios is waiting for us; patiently, until we have lived life to our fullest.

Memento mori my friends.

 ~Phever