Let the Craven eat Crow

[Narthok 10416]

Let the Craven eat Crow

An open letter on the affairs of the Red Kingdom

---

“Out of the night that covers me,

     Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

     For my unconquerable soul” - Unknown Poet

 

I am Arthas Ruric, of the Edvardsson lineage, I stand as the last of the old blood. My childhood was spent amongst the frosty peaks of Avar looking up to the proud warbands of  old, clad in their red and black livery as they marched to war. I look upon what has become of my native Kingdom and sorrow pierces my heart. The legions of old have withered away, in their place remains a small band of ruffians and thieves masquerading as warriors of  a Kingdom I once held dear. I gaze upon those that bear the Red and Black not with pride, not with love, but with intense sadness.

 

Perhaps it is simply my old age, but to me Norland has always been Norlandic. It has been comprised of those souls that would brave the harsh gale of persecution and defeat to stand as one time and time again. What I see before me now is a band of goons, slinging vitriol and venom at their allies and followers. A band that alienates those Norlanders that love the nation but criticize the leadership. In my time I have observed an exodus of good folk from the Red Kingdom due to the drastic change it has experienced. Time and time again we have battled  those who would see us destroyed, only to collect ourselves and rebuild, battered yet unbroken. But now, now falls the axe upon the nation that I once love.

 

Those that sit upon the Throne of Norland have forfeited any right to its crown. They have brought shame and dishonour on the House of Ruric in betraying the All Father and their own people. They cannot by any reasonable man be considered of Ruric, these men are of Ash. Men of illegitimate origins ruling over a kingdom of Ash. Hencefoth we few Norlanders that hold true to the ways of our people will be referring to them and their holdings as such. The Ash Prince, Jevan has thrown away all that it is to be Norlandic. In his obsessive pursuit of power he has alienated himself from his allies and his own people. How can a man rule the people of Norland without the blessings of the All Father. From where does he derive his legitimacy without the Father’s own presence. He pushes forward intent on mimicking the Santegian realm in perverse multiculturalism. In doing so he has rendered his own land void of any identity or culture. One cannot be Norlandic without holding to the All Father’s glory. Nor can one bear the Thorned Crown of the Rurikid without respecting the laws and traditions developed throughout our history.

In this spirit, I Arthas do condemn the illegitimate princeling Jevan. He has ignored the traditions and code of our people and avoided the traditional call to moot. He has turned his back on the All Father guardian and lord of our people, disgracing his ancestors and his people in the process. Jevan Ash is not and can never be the rightful King of Norland without the assent of the Moot or the blessings of the All Father. Therefore as the last Elder of the Rurikid and as the Keeper of the First Flame I do deny his titles on grounds of illegitimacy. Furthermore, he is barred from the All Father’s sacred embrace and is condemned to a life walking amongst the shadowed darkness. The petty realm over which he barely maintains his rule can no longer be considered or defined as the Kingdom of Norland, henceforth it shall be referred to as the Kingdom of Ash, and he as the Ash Prince.

 

Those holding to the old ways are called to the refuge of Hearthton where we maintain our covenant with the All Father and do not attempt to blame our immense errors and bumbling incompetence upon frail old men.  So I say let these cowards lie in the bed they have made, let them eat the crow pie which they have baked with their own foolish antics. I wash my hands of their stupidity. I hope they enjoy their faithless lives.

---

Writ en nomen de

Arthas Ruric

 

[TankM1A2 840]

Artyom Ruric smokes from his pipe, face buried in a newspaper as he basks in the sunlight on a remote island off the shore of Asul.

[drfate786 1690]

Alifer Amice makes his way to Hearthton to embrace the rest of the Red Faith, he mutters something hateful about Jevan Ruric before his arrival.

[SaltAlt 606]

Exander Ruric would let out a light sigh, ruffling his sons hair "Asher, pay attention to all that has happened, and nay make any of the same mistakes as your Eirikson cousins. Listen well to your grandfathers teachings" he would say, letting him go so he could play with his sister once more.

"Seems the family just got a whole lot shorter" he would pause "perhaps a whole line shorter"  

[Draiden 326]

Tyr sat atop one of the watchtowers, honing his axe with an oilstone, staring out into the snowy woods. "Kingdom of Ash." He thought to himself as he made another pass on the edge of his axe. "I think I like the title. I think I'd like to make the faithless match their new namesake - ash."

[CaptainHaense 1154]

A northern man would shrug "Let them do the fightin' for us"

[Raomir 1855]

"Words of venom are flung between both sides while you allow the remnants of Oren to gather and assault you. The Rurics of old at least had the intelligence to understand that civil strife and inner conflict should be left for less threatening times. Whilst you parade around demonstrating your writing skills your nation fades before your eyes. By the time your next essay is complete Norland could be no more." 

 

The wise old man of the North would swiftly put his hood back up and disappear into the forest, never to be seen again.

[Narthok 10416]

13 minutes ago, Raomir said:

"Words of venom are flung between both sides while you allow the remnants of Oren to gather and assault you. The Rurics of old at least had the intelligence to understand that civil strife and inner conflict should be left for less threatening times. Whilst you parade around demonstrating your writing skills your nation fades before your eyes. By the time your next essay is complete Norland could be no more." 

 

The wise old man of the North would swiftly put his hood back up and disappear into the forest, never to be seen again.

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Upvote

 

"Jevan has killed Norland, it is no longer a nation that exists"

[Pando_ 446]

"no." says edward

[Arygon 135]

A certain individual ponders on the petty squabbles of Man.

[Narthok 10416]

2 minutes ago, Pando_ said:

"no." says edward

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Upvote

 

"You aren't Norlanders" says Arthas

[KeatonUnbeaten 1103]

"What a sad, old, senile man. Norland has seen many betrayals; does he think himself special or unique in any way?" Gareth would comment, nursing his disabling wounds over a warm mug of tea.

[HurferDurfer1 2978]

48 minutes ago, ImperialRoyalist said:

"What a sad, old, senile man. Norland has seen many betrayals; does he think himself special or unique in any way?" Gareth would comment, nursing his disabling wounds over a warm mug of tea.

0

Upvote

 

"Hey tell me how Courland is doing these days." says wickman the strong

[Imperium 3495]

"They maybe pagans, but at least they hold true to their traditions unlike their kin, and they are willing to die for them, that... that I can respected," Petyor would remark as he reads a copy.

[Ankalagon_ 258]

"We hold true to our faith. Not in one god, but in Norland. Where were you, Arthas, when our people bled in the name of protecting our home? Norland is not a faith. Norland is not a few, it is the many. Norland is not a thought it is an idea. An idea that people deserve to be free from barbaric oppression in all it's forms. What were you doing, Arthas, when the King Javier commanded the Red Faith to stop attacking people in the name of converting them?" Avalon looks around, the many men of Norland standing below the Grand Hall by the great Ash Tree. He continues. "Norland never forced others to follow the All Father. Yet the All Father would be disgusted to see his people go against the very foundations of what makes us different, our power to choose. Oren feared us because we stood against the idea that the crown weighs more than the people." Avalon's eyes lower, anger pumping through his veins. He takes the declaration from Arthas and dips it in the nearby altar fire, then raises the burning scroll above his head. "Let them come I say! If Arthas wishes to fight his own people then have at it! We are the rocks that break the crashing waves. We do not bow! We do bot bend! We do not break! Arthas thinks we would not die in the name of our freedom. Let him come test that theory." 

The hundreds of Norlanders below who stand with the rightful King Jevan would draw their swords and throughout the kingdom the roar of the free could be heard.