-+-A Most Vile Assault-+-

[Farryn 860]

Elvira reads the missive and she rubs her face, releasing a deep sigh. The Adherent leader's face worn and exhausted, not from fighting dark beings and mages who decided to harm the descendants, but from how far this situation has become. The Arm of Tahariae's fist slammed against the oaken desk as the Adherent stood straight a dark glimmer forming upon her eye. She pulls out a piece of parchment and writes down on it, the Clerical Eye imprinted on the very top. Elvira would write a letter, her face quite mournful but determined.

 

Once she was done with the letter, she sends it off by kestrel, allowing it to head towards the Ascended tower. She watches it go, a frown locked upon her scarred lips.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

To our comrades, the Ascended

 

This has happened too much and enough is enough.

The more you protect this woman to find a cure, the more of your own lives you will endanger. The public grows distrustful and hateful towards you, those with arms and shields will come and attack you, just as the Teutonic Order has done.  They attack because they no longer trust you, because of the letters Azoth revealed, because you wish to help a woman with a curse that many have deemed impossible to cure - by scholars, alchemists, and healers alive. Not even us clerics can cure it, yet we can remove just about all curses.

How many of your own lives are you willing to endanger for the sake of a Frost Witch?

 

It pains me to see you all attacked, both verbally and physically. It pains me now to write this letter but I know it has to be written, for the sake of all and yourselves. You are a great ally towards the Adherents since Vailor where Sage Grungron and I first strengthened  the relations between Ascended and Clerics. However I urge you all to cease this at once for your own sake. The longer this goes on, the more danger you will bring upon yourself, and also those who are your allies.

 

Therefore I urge you this

Hand over the Frost Witch to the Adherents of Tahariae to stand trial and face both our order's and Tahariae's Judgement, this woman has harmed members of my own order and descendants because your members did not see fit to keep her watched. Even now, I can hear my comrades cry for her to face judgement for what she has done to us.  I cannot allow her to slip away when she has committed murder and harm towards my own, I can feel Tahariae's own wrath rage inside me that she has gone unpunished.

Let Tahariae Himself hear what she has to say, as well as what you all have to say regarding what she has done, and let her face the judgement she is meant to face. I will stand as Judge in Tahariae's place but no longer will I hold any bias towards my order nor the Ascended, but as a neutral party between the two. Make your cases and Tahariae will decide the Frost Witch's rightful fate.

 

Let us end this before more lives are lost for a meaningless cause.

This is not a demand, nor is it a threat, but rather a plea that you all cease this madness before you place your own lives at risk.

 

May Tahariae's Light guide and protect you all,

Signed - Elvira Naromis

Prime Adherent of the Adherents of Tahariae,

Master Cleric & Master Alchemist

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

[TeaLulu 1783]

A Librarian tacks on an additional posting:

 

"AVAILABLE AT THE LIBRARY OF DRAGUR: ON-DEMAND LECTURES FROM THE LIBRARIAN HERSELF; A FIRSTHAND HISTORY OF THE ASCENDED IN AEGIS FROM AN OUTSIDER'S POINT OF VIEW. INCLUDES COMMENTARY ON THE VARIOUS SUBGROUPS WHICH REPORTED TO THE ASCENDED IN THIS TIME, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWERS OF AERIEL. COST: 1 BOOK DONATION PER GROUP."

[LordCommander 163]

Volkhard looks upon all of the written responses, a deep anger fills his thoughts taking an hour of prayer before responding with a letter sealed with a wax seal of a silver flame with the Lorraine Cross engraved in it. The handwriting is simple and lacks much flourish.

 

To the Teutonic Order

 

"I write this letter in heavy heart, for I had the utmost respect for the Teutonic Order. The order that holds the ideals of the Haenseti to heart, founded by a member of such a glorious people. They were my childhood heroes and I hope for a day in which they can return to the prestige of yore. However, their cowardly assault upon our fort had steeled my heart. These were not the heroes in the stories of Haensetic Youth. These were cowards who fled when their backhanded tactics failed them. I was hoping for the great order to fight us with honor, sword against sword. However, instead, they struck at us from a distance, using their grappling hooks to move across the keep, firing at us from a distance like cowards. This is unacceptable behavior, next time you attempt to give us a show of force, do not act as Courlanders with their tails between their legs. I promise you that I shall meet you upon the battlefield with vigor and purpose, as a true son of Haense. 

 

Many of our critics speak in the shadows like the snakes they are, their words laced with poison as they lack the courage to speak directly to our faces. Much of them are believing the half-truths and carefully trod lies written by traitors who had committed sins against the order and hoped to bring us down with them. I shall speak with GOD as my witness, I am not a lapdog of the Ascended Order. The Ascended Order has its flaws, as often many of our ranks, me included have gone against the wishes of the Master Sage and traveled without protection. This has caused our less stalwart members to fall against a more powerful enemy. With our blood, being taken by the unholy creatures of the world to create their godless elixirs. I will not state names, for you know who you are. Also, our progress as a league of holy orders has been lacking at best, The Ascended have been stretched thin by their constant involvement, with the politics between the other orders having made them at times questionable allies.

 

Due to our mistakes, we have allowed undead threats to be left rampant and little progress made in the recapturing of Bastion from Mordring and his forces. The League is not alone to blame for this, however, with the interference of the Teutonic Order and our focus on trying to cure a woman of her godless curse.  We are sworn by our duty to defend the descendants and try to redeem the souls of those who are willing to repent. Those who call the ward in our care a undead, and make it the reason to focus on us instead of the true enemy of the mortal races. They are at best a misguided fool, and at worst a likely agent of Mordring himself, wanting to plunge the world into chaos to make us less of a threat to their undead masters. 

 

The only Ward we have in our care, being not a undead monstrosity, but a victim of a dark curse. I was raised in the Church of the Canon, which one of its tenets is the Mercy of the Creator  We hope to act as an agent of such a mercy upon those who wish to repent, we are trying to give a descendant woman who was forced against her will to take up a dark coven with dark forces, a chance to help the world in stopping them. Thanks to the assaults upon us, and the condemnation upon such a creature. Our progress upon stopping such a Coven has been put to a Halt. Those who have done this, you are now responsible for the blood on their hands, and I pray that GOD shows mercy upon you. Those who do not repent, such as the servants of Mordring, we offer no mercy but the purifying fires of Aeriel and the sword. Many of us have risked our lives in the defense of Bastion, I was there providing support and fighting on the front lines. So make no mistake, The Ascended Order is no servant of darkness.

 

I hope for a day that the Ascended Order can be free of such claims and that we can continue to aid and help the Descendant races in their war against the Darkness. But until such claims are dismissed and the black hearts of Cowardice is removed from the hearts of such proud orders such as the Teutonic Order. We are forever going to repeat the cycle of a neverending war against the unliving."

 

-Signed Volkhard Markwardt,

Former Soldier of the Royal Haensetic Army

Ascended of the Blue Sect

 

 

[mitto 2312]

Moved to The Great Library. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.

 

If you feel this is a mistake, please contact myself or any FM and we'll restore it.