The Only Way to Abolish War is to Make Peace Heroic

[Cybermancer]

Earlier in another thread I discussed how a number of animals that are traditionally associated with Therians are in decline. Some populations are healthier than others but all of them have lost ground in the last hundred years.

The Therians I view in a similar light. Their numbers and habitat are in decline. On the surface, it would seem that secrecy and their ability to blend into human populations may have helped stem the tide. I believe this is an illusion. If the Therian populations integrated with human populations fully and behaved as humans, then there would be no issue at all. They would be hidden and there would be no reason to hunt them. What's more, they would be nigh impossible to hunt because they would be providing no evidence of their existence.

This is not what happens. Many of us here on this site have been called upon to respond to unprovoked Therian attacks (especially were-wolves). Had those attacks never happened, then our attention would not have been drawn to these Therians. Had our attention not been drawn, we would not have hunted them down and ended the danger they represent to humans. There are hunters who are more proactive but the majority are reactive and what they are reacting to is violence from Therian sources.

I mentioned proactive hunters. Those that look for Therians before Therians have engaged in violence. It is well known that I am one such interested party. I do not do this alone. In fact my family is quite active in this field using our family owned detective agency to gather this information. We do not assume that Therians that are discovered are hostile and we do not attack based on the fact that an individual is identified as a Therian. They are usually put into one of three categories.

The first is confirmed hostile. This is an individual who can be proven to be violent and murderous. Evidence of their crimes is carefully collected and stored. These individuals must usually be dealt with sooner rather than later depending on their hunting habits.

The second is suspected hostile. This is where some behaviours suggest potential for violence or other criminal activity. If there is no hard proof of being a threat against humans, they must be given the benefit of the doubt until such evidence is uncovered. As more is learned they can be moved to the hostile category or occasionally into the peaceful category.

The third is the peaceful coexistence category. This is for individuals who are identified as being Therians but there is absolutely no evidence or indication that they are engaged in hostile or criminal activity. These individuals may be observed for awhile to confirm that they belong in this category but are otherwise left alone to live their lives without interference.

There is a fourth and very small category that has only recently been initiated. This category is allies (and potential allies). This category is for Therians who are willing to work with us towards accomplishing common goals. The file is very small but I hope it will eventually grow until it's the largest one.

Not all proactive hunters are as discriminating. Many take a better safe than sorry approach and I can understand why. There have been Therians in the suspected hostile category that killed innocent humans and were then moved to the hostile category. Too late unfortunately, to save the innocent lives lost. But innocent lives go both ways. There are Therians that are innocent and they mustn’t be lumped into the same category as those that are murderous scum.

The better safe than sorry approach costs innocent lives on the other side and invokes feelings of rage and revenge that might not have otherwise been present. There are also cases where opportunities for cooperation have been lost because of the better safe than sorry approach. In the long term, in order to be safe it is essential to be sure.

As I said however, there are a number of proactive hunters who do not discriminate and kill any Therian they identify. No thought is given to whether or not they are actually killers or a danger. This behaviour as much as continued Therian aggression is contributing to the decline in Therian populations (not to mention feeding the cycle of aggression with Therians who were not originally hostile). Most of these hunters work alone, so it’s hard to believe that they actually have that much impact on the Therian population overall. Or so I thought.

Over the last year I have been receiving more and more evidence of the existence of a group of organized Therian hunters. Rumours of such an organization have existed for many years. Decades at least and as we research we start to discover it may actually go back centuries. Actual evidence of this organization is another story.

Last year information about the whereabouts of confirmed hostile Therians was released to known hunters. As expected these hunters started tracking down and killing the Therians that were revealed to them. Some interesting trends began to surface.

First of all, only information about confirmed murderers were released. And always it was screened to ensure that potentially innocent families were left out of it. So if there was a confirmed murderer with an innocent family, then that hostiles name was not released. Some Therian families were targeted and slain but not as a direct result of information released.

The known hunters were provided only with limited information about specific targets, with no targets being ‘shared’ by multiple hunters. Despite this, we noted a few occasions where hunter A was targeting and killing hostiles that were on hunter B’s list. These hunters often had no known connection to one another so how they were sharing this information was something of a mystery. What was more, we noticed that they would work in coordinated efforts and other people not previously known to be hunters were brought in on these hunts.

This was the first strong evidence of an organized group of Therian hunters communicating and coordinating their efforts with one another. This activity occurred primarily in North America and Western Europe. There was no evidence of hunters in North America aiding those in Europe. Whether this is due to the existence of two separate organizations or simply due to being separated by an ocean is unknown at this time.

In any case, these hunters are definitely the pro-active kind that subscribe to the better safe than sorry mindset. We began to observe their activities. They have been seen tracking down Therians and observing them for extended periods of time. Their investigations can be lengthy and are very meticulous as they look into every aspect of the Therian’s life. In one particular instance they tracked down a confirmed killer (who’s information we did not provide to them) and killed not only that Therian but her entire family who may have been unaware of her activities. There was no sorting of the guilty from the innocent. Not even a nominal attempt.

I suspect that this organization (or organizations) may be responsible for the continued decline in the Therian population. If so they are also responsible for forcing the Therians into using extreme measures to enforce secrecy. They are also responsible for creating more enemies than would otherwise have existed. They help foster an atmosphere of paranoia and feed a cycle of hate.

We are still at the stage of learning all we can about these hunters. What to do about them is a matter that will have to be addressed in the near future. I have some ideas and it is possible that several birds might be killed with one stone.

Ideally I would like to see increased communication and cooperation between humans and Therians wherever possible. There is precedent for such in both the distant and immediate past. There is also hope for the future. That hope is a fragile thing and it is threatened on all sides. Regardless I think it is worth striving for and taking risks over.

I guess only time will tell who else agrees.

P.S. The title of this thread is a quote from James Hinton.

[Grace]

Some sobering thoughts that have caused me to look back at some of the decisions and hunts I've been involved in. Not long ago I probably would have fallen decidedly on the "Better Safe than Sorry" category. However my oldest daughter has taught me has taught me a thing or two about being heroic.

When I look at my twins sleeping and remember the fear I felt over their safety last year, I know I would take any risk to ensure they were safe.

[Hannah]

The first werebeasts I met happened to also be two my closest childhood friends and are still very close to my heart. Others since have been of a more varied in reception.

There is a lot we don't know about them, including how many might actually be out there. I am sure that those in the werebeast community have a more solid answer, but even then, I doubt they know.

I have to believe that werebeasts, despite certain tendencies caused by their more animalistic sides, are predominantly just like us. People who want to live their lives in peace and safety. The fact that they have gone to such extreme measures as a group to protect themselves from us shows that they don't feel they can do so.

While undoubtedly there are some bad actors, and I have had the misfortune of getting very familiar with some of those, I can't help but think that were they to feel safe and secure in their relationship with humanity, most of the werebeasts would rather be our friends than our enemies.

My biggest fear is that, given all the rage and anger of events of the last few months, that any outreach now is too late to avoid considerable bloodshed before the issue is resolved. Normally I'm not this gloomy, but I see their options as somewhat limited and none of them very good in the short term and few having a lot of benefit in the long term. Pretty much any path I can see for them will result in either a civil war within their own kind, or a war between their kind and our kind. Likely both.

I now I'm usually the voice of optimism here, but I can't help but be scared of what the future holds for my friends and their people.

Hannah Knight

[Nemesis]

Peace could not be made with Hitler. War was inevitable.

Peace could and was made with the German people.

War is again inevitable. It will happen because there are three groups of Therians who do not want peace and do not want coexistence. They want to dominate or destroy. They will inevitably try to conquer and kill. There can be no peace with them. And there won't be.

But there can be with the others. Whether or not there will be will depend on what they do when war comes. If they side with the incorrigible monsters, then they will risk extermination. Their best chance for peace is therefore to either side with us or sit it out.

There may be a cost to this though. If Matthew is correct and there is one or more organized groups of hunters, they must be dealt with as well. Either they must learn to be more discriminating or they must be treated as enemies to peace.

So my sister is still being optimistic. It is not just the Therians that are faced with the prospect of civil war.

Still, I suppose diplomacy should at least be attempted first.

[Ron Caliburn]

If they want to exterminate themselves, I can't help but think that it wouldn't be an entirely bad thing to let them.

[Hannah]

Dad, don't you get started.

Sister, if there were a unified governmental structure to address, we might be able to organize a treaty or something, but as far as I've been able to determine, they haven't reached that level of organization and centralization. Had they, I think certain tragedies may have been prevented, or at least the redress would have been far more satisfactory.

Hannah Knight

[Daichan]

I'm all for being heroic and shit.

[Shang Li]

I have always advocated peace. Like humans, supernatural beings cover the entire spectrum of behavior and mentality, some seek peace, others revel in destruction.

I have had many encounters with what you refer to as therianthropes over the years. These encounters have varied in nature, from Buddhist training in Malaysia with a man I later discovered was a tiger, to hunting down murderous beasts and relieving them from this reincarnation.

I know of at least one were-wolf who provides hospitality to almost all who enter the door to her establishment, providing food and drink, and more importantly kindness to those who have had a hard day. (She also performs tea ceremony with much grace.)

I know of another, farther away who hates and fears mankind - understandable in a whitehair who has spent decades having to flee for his life from our kind - retreating to ever more remote places as the enlightened become harder to find and the ignorant (Buddhist terms, not mere knowledge) encroach on his territory.

I am once again running "sanctuaries" for those beings, supernatural or not, who seek peace and enlightenment. I help them overcome the problems posed by their diets, and help in finding constructive ways to harness their natures and instincts.

To those who desire peace, seek me out - I am not easy to find, but the effort is not wasted, I shall attempt to protect you.

To those who give in to their desires and become murderous beasts - I shall seek you out, and bring an end to your suffering, may your next incarnation be an easier one.

May Amaterasu watch over us all.

[Ron Caliburn]

Peace is easiest to establish after a victory.

[Nemesis]

The best peace is that which is made before there is a war.

[Phoenix]

The best peace is that which is made before there is a war.

Much as I agree with this sentiment, it seems that the war has already started.

Oddly, we have not been invited but may be blamed for it nonetheless.

While others do what they do best, I am trying to run down other channels to determine who the players are and what their goals are.

Peace is easiest to establish after a victory.

Victory may be a required prelude to peace in this case, but it may not be our victory to achieve. That is not to say we won't have a hand in achieving it.

[skeptic]

There is never peace before there is security.
There is sometimes peace even after there is security.

[GhostSpider]

A wise man prays for peace, but prepares for war.

[Shang Li]

To go to destroy, to wage war - this is easy.

To create something, to offer peace - THAT is difficult.

To find the balance, to become at once fearsome and peaceful - that is the road of dharma.

[Holister]

Howdy folks.

One question...what is a Therian and what do they have to with werewolves {I may not be the sharpest knife in the draw but i get the feelin' the two are related}.

As for peace, "Freedom isn't free" best sums it up. Heck as long as there are two peaple left on this planet they'll be fightin' bout one thing or another. Its just our job to keep the gradual decline of civilization as orderly as possible and keep the collateral damage to a minimal.

As for werewolves, I was once of the what psychologists call "The Caliburn Mindset", shoot em' all and let God sought out the good from the bad. Then you start to realize as you read the paper and watch the news, humanity ain't much better than the monsters. The lines gets blurry, and the thin grey line gets to be a mile across. For ya'll see there are the good and the bad in everything; Good & evil, order & chaos, right & wrong; its how the universe turns my friends, it can't be helped and you have a better chance of warding off a hurricane with a flyswatter if you think that is ever gonna change.

Applies to us, applies to them. Heck I married one, had a beautiful daughter with one. Have a family of em' livin' out side of town, never caused me a lick of trouble since they got here. Heck I've been making Cypress Cove a safe have for the good guys for a while now; werewolves, vampires, dhampirs, naiads, hell even have a succubus lives down the road now. I know this sounds crazy, but given the choice of havin' them ALL against us or just the bad ones, I'll rather play the odds and go with just the BAD ones.

Jus' sayin' folks.

[Cybermancer]

Google is a wonderful thing.

[Hannah]

You've been gone a long time Ben. Some of us, indeed most of us, have changed.

I'm no longer a little girl. I'm studying sports medicine at college and happily married. I am going out and rescuing people now, rather than being the perennial victim waiting for help. I have much greater control of my powers, which helps . . . though being around me while I'm under duress can still get pretty exciting.

Nemesis now goes by Grace. She's gone from international woman of mystery to a happy housewife and mother of three. Technically four since she's actually my step-mother. In that role I do have to say she's been wicked, but in the most positive version of the term.

Darcy's adopted daughter, my eldest younger sibling, is the one using the Nemesis name, and she's ready to graduate high school. She's talked about a lot of things that she might do after that, but I suspect the family business will be where she wind up . . . eventually anyway.

Given the changes I saw in you after you married Kelly, I figure you should understand the power that having a family can have on a man, Ben. Even my dad has changed under the combined influence of a full and happy household. He's still a curmudgeon of the first order, but the past couple of years have seen him making choices based on the needs of his family rather than old grudges or some self-appointed crusade. Indeed, the last little while has seen him allied with beings he would have once shot on sight in order to address even bigger threats to both human and non-human life.

But then again, he's always had that capability. He worked with Celeste against Khavik for example. He regretted the end that she came to during that encounter and, in his own way, grieved for a comrade in arms. So if there is a 'Caliburn mindset' it's one that tries to do the right thing, even if they find it personally distasteful.

Anyway, I hope you and your family are doing well. Pass along my best wishes to Kelly and the kids.

Hannah Knight, a proud descendant of the House of Caliburn

[Holister]

Hi Hannah

It has been a long time, and you're right, alot has changed. I also meant no offense to your pop. He's actually one of the few men in this world I know I can trust and still respect. He's a good man. When I made the reference, it was in regards to the "younger, pre-you" Ron from back in the day when we first met. Man did we always butt heads back then. Much respect Ron if you see this, still got your back.

I'm happy to see you turned out to be such a fine young lady Hannah. I'm also happy that your dad finally settled down. Honestly though, tween' you, me, and the wall, I would have bet dollars to donuts he would have ended up with Eilonwy, Nemesis would have been my 3rd choice. Proves how much I don't know, well live and learn I reckon.

Well hope you and your family continue to do well, and maybe I'll see you round this year at the Memorial Day BBQ.

[Grace]

I wouldn't have even put me down on the list of candidates back in the day. I would have put money on Wie though. Sometimes things just don't work out the way we expect them to.

Oh, and it's Grace now. My adopted daughter uses the Nemesis handle now.

[Tanya Starling]

I know this may be a matter of debate for theologians and philosophers, but is it possible for a creature such as a vampire, demon, or even a succubus to exist without succumbing to its own nature? How long could it exist like that, fighting those impulses that may or may not make up its whole reason for existing; that dark side of its very nature which drives it to hunt, to kill, to claim innocent lives so that it may continue to exist. Is it possible for there to be these creatures out there of, for lack of a better phrase, good alignment, able to fight against what they truly are and exist amongst humanity peacefully. I apologize for my emotionalism on this subject, it is just I have always wondered about this particular topic.

[Phoenix]

Yes. It is possible. Just exceptionally rare and any claims of such should always be taken with a great deal of salt.

Salt being one of the more common defenses against the supernatural.

That having been said, Therianthropes are another kettle of fish. The ones we tend to hear about and have to deal with are violent and murderous. There appears to be layers beneath that however where many of them live as we do.

With them I advise less salt and more wolfsbay.

[Holister]

Howdy there again Ms. Starling, to answer your question in simpler terms; there are good and bad in everyone, same applies to vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and succubus, succubusses, or is that succabae? Ah the hell with it, yes there are good amongst the bad, they are just far and few between. Its all a matter of which dog they feed more. I personally know a few of the good ones, hell I used to date a vampire and am married to a werewolf, and no I am not crazy either. Names with holding for security reasons....

[skeptic]

As you can see, Tanya, it depends upon whom you ask.
Some say supernatural evil does not have the good and bad. Just the bad.
That along with a completely alien mindset utterly incapable of understanding humans or acting human are what makes them supernatural and evil and supernatural evil.
Others insist on anthropomorphising these creatures to the point of being practically indistinguishable from humans.
In my practice I have not rigourously applied any statistical analytics to the data but they show the degree of anthropomorphisation is directly proportional to the degree of acceptance of the supernatural.
A similar anecdotal trend appears in the data on alien abduction cases.
The more disconnected from the rational world, the more severe the alien encounter.
It is perhaps unfair to speak so generally about these people because the topic is very much not that simple. These people experienced something and they need help coping. I am not trivialising their traumatic experiences although it can come off in that way.

[Cybermancer]

As things have continued to evolve and more has been learned, the more important I think this issue is becoming.

Unfortunately there are intractable individuals on both side, Amongst therianthropes and hunters alike. Not to mention outright evil in both camps that must be opposed.

However if it comes to wide-scale conflict, it won't matter who wins, everyone will lose.

I wish I could say more but I have some constraints on me. Something I'll hav to deal with pretty soon.

[Holister]

Greetin's

I get the impression that there won't be a full blow war, more like a subtle whisper. Afterall the Devil's greatest accomplishment was convincing the world he does not exist. The truly dangerous "evil" will keep hidden, pullin' the strings from behind the scenes. Let its minions and us do all the dirty work.

[Cybermancer]

By the time we're faced with total war we will have failed and it will already be too late.

[Holister]

Ever the optimist aren't ya'; kind of a glass is completely empty and smashed against the wall kinda guy huh. Well as far I can see, and as far as I know, I don't foresee any "war" on the horizon. We are investigators, researchers, and scholars; not soldiers. If we find something that poses a genuine threat during that time we deal with it, simple as that. Just cause we go looking for trouble from time to time, doesn't mean we should go pokin' the hornets nest.

[Cybermancer]

I actually am quite an optimistic person, which should probably be a bit more alarming to those who actually know me.

If you don't think there isn't any worry about war, far be from me to disillusion you.

[Holister]

Always with the last word huh. Well no worries bout that Cyb's. Cause I live by one simple premise, if ya'll go lookin' for war, you're bound to go an' start one.

[Cybermancer]

Your premise doesn't apply. No one's talking about starting or looking for war.