Courtesy, Even In Death
By Lady Wysteria Wyndsor, Priestess of the Sea

The calls came, strong and insistent in my mind. I could not ignore the obvious need. Someone begging for help for their dead friend, who just happened to have died in a most inconvenient location, far up in the icy mountains. I responded to the pleas and offered to make the journey to help their fallen friend. Packing my satchel with ales to help stop bleeding wounds, I set out as quickly as possible.

Being half-elven, I am capable of moving quite quickly, and am blessed with magic to help me conclude the trip. But my magic was not able to seek out this person so desperately in need of help, although I tried again and again, nearly exhausting my resources for doing so. Determined to follow through with my offer to help, and fairly sure of the general location of this needy adventurer, I continued my trek, wandering around the area until finally I came across his body.

Now, I was just sure I had walked this same path several times, I could even see my footprints lingering in the frozen ground. Shaking off the confusion I summoned magic to ensure the preservation of this mortally wounded person. Catching my breath and pulling my cloak tight about me, I smiled reassuringly and patted his arm, trying to let him know that he would be well cared for.

To my surprise, instead of a thanks for the efforts I had made to assist him in his time of need, he began cursing me for taking so long to get there, admonishing me as if I owed it to him to be at his side immediately upon his death. Biting my tongue, I had to fight the urge to remind him that I wasn't the one who stood foolishly in front of a creature much too old for me to confront and survive.

Courtesy, I kept telling myself, repeating the word over and over again. I took his hand in mine and magically created a safe environment in which I could pour sips of costly ales from foreign lands that would close his bleeding wounds. Then I called upon the gods and shuddered as I transferred life back into his body, feeling the drain upon my own from this ordeal.

Immediately upon regaining my mobility, I began blessing him with the precious spells of protection I learned during my years of studies at the convent, trying my best to make sure he would remain safe and unharmed, without a repeat visit from death anytime soon. Once again, to my surprise, he merely told me not to bother, he didn't care if he died or not. Surely someone else must care then, for your friend was begging for me to come and help you. I don't care, he repeated, then once again bitterly complained about his predicament and made very clear his lack of appreciation for the help I had provided.

Please keep these thoughts in mind the next time you lose your life and someone comes to your aid:

1. Courtesy is best realized from two sides, as it is not something one should expect to receive without the willingness to offer it yourself.

2. Do not keep leaving the lands when someone is coming to help you. It makes things very difficult, and they might be in a perilous situation with creatures while searching and waiting for you to return.

3. Keep in mind that the one helping you is doing so often at their own risk and cost.

4. Their primary concern is getting to you, that's not always as easy or quick as you might assume, so insulting them for dragging their feet is not advisable.

5. Two simple words that mean a great deal ... "Thank you."