I have been thinking about a possible direction for the Caretakers, particularly in light of their historical association with death and preservation. Rather than treating these as separate responsibilities, I think they can be brought together through the idea of memory and what remains after loss.

Death in the realm is rarely permanent. People, alliances, even lands may wither only to return many years later. What is lost in the process may therefore be something subtler and more delicate: a role, a relationship, a place, a practice, a memory, or simply the way something once was.

I have proposed a new alliance statement to the Grand Duke and now I would like to make it public and hear from you. I believe this could be a good direction to move beyond the focus on death that has defined much of the Caretakers' identity for so many years.

The Caretakers attend to what has been lost, and to the imbalance its absence leaves behind. A Caretaker preserves the relationship between what is here and something that is no longer fully present.

A void is not necessarily something that must be repaired: it may be acknowledged, filled, or sometimes, even, caused. A Caretaker may place a memory, a remnant, a ritual, a name, a place, or an act within that void and see what happens. The result may restore, transform, disturb, or create something entirely new. We tend to what follows.

To preserve one continuity may be to disrupt another; to fill one void may create another elsewhere. Caretaking does not place one outside the things it changes. In this sense, the Caretakers can also be understood as seekers of motion. Not because movement is always good, but because that which has been lost may leave behind a stillness worth disturbing.

I would welcome your thoughts, objections and suggestions. Let us see what it stirs.

After a long thoughtful discussion with Aelis I agree with this move and will, once a short period of public discussion occurs, put this forward to Mur to action.

As the last leader of the alliance I think that Aelis would indeed lead the Caretakers in an interesting direction, and therefore support his leadership bid.