A Fool's Errand
Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 1:22 pm
*excerpts from a book or pamphlet appear in Candlekeep, Baldur's Gate, and Beregost. Although they are made to appear like random drops, there are far too many to be accidental.*
Excerpts from "A Fool's Errand: Teaching people to laugh when they've forgotten how." by Alison the Harlequin.
. . . But the Jester has another task besides entertaining and making people laugh. It is in fact their primary purpose, and the acrobatics, juggling, and humor are simply there to make their primary task more palatable, a drop of honey to make the bitter medicine easier to swallow.
It is the nature of jesters to speak what is on their mind, regardless of the consequences. They do not think about their words, or think ahead of the consequences, and this is why they are often considered "Foolish." Jesters are always inferior, both socially and politically, and they are in no position to pose a power threat to a noble or monarch. They gain very little from caution, and lose very little from honesty. And this is why the nobility frequently tolerates, and even cherishes the Jester. Courtiers and advisors are all manipulating and edging each other to gain favor; Adventurers have their own agendas and ambitions; Citizens will only speak what the rulers want to hear. But the Jester's words are unhindered by political ambition or fear.
In many ways, the Jester is on the side of the rulers. Although biting in their attacks, there is an undercurrent of good-naturedness and understanding in their words. If they talk the King out of butchering some innocent person, it isn't just to save the life of the person, but also to save the King - from himself. The Jester is the one who can tell the King he has parted ways with his morals. . .
Excerpts from "A Fool's Errand: Teaching people to laugh when they've forgotten how." by Alison the Harlequin.
. . . But the Jester has another task besides entertaining and making people laugh. It is in fact their primary purpose, and the acrobatics, juggling, and humor are simply there to make their primary task more palatable, a drop of honey to make the bitter medicine easier to swallow.
It is the nature of jesters to speak what is on their mind, regardless of the consequences. They do not think about their words, or think ahead of the consequences, and this is why they are often considered "Foolish." Jesters are always inferior, both socially and politically, and they are in no position to pose a power threat to a noble or monarch. They gain very little from caution, and lose very little from honesty. And this is why the nobility frequently tolerates, and even cherishes the Jester. Courtiers and advisors are all manipulating and edging each other to gain favor; Adventurers have their own agendas and ambitions; Citizens will only speak what the rulers want to hear. But the Jester's words are unhindered by political ambition or fear.
In many ways, the Jester is on the side of the rulers. Although biting in their attacks, there is an undercurrent of good-naturedness and understanding in their words. If they talk the King out of butchering some innocent person, it isn't just to save the life of the person, but also to save the King - from himself. The Jester is the one who can tell the King he has parted ways with his morals. . .