The Adrian Proclamation of 1661

[VonAulus 2082]

 

 

The crows circled the air, perching atop the cathedral. Below, a crowd was gathering. Men of noble standing, peasants of the fields, and riders of horse all mulling about. Yet silent, none spoke. No raevir curse, no greeting or goodbye. The crowd settled, only the chirping of birds and passing of the river played like a symphony in the air. Like the metre of a song, footsteps rose to a platform. A man adorned in red, white, and gold perched. His hair was jet black, like the plume of a raven, and rippled in the strong wind. A crier, which had travelled with the host, shouted for the attention of the crowd, yet it was not needed; every eye was trained upon the man:

 

“I am John, though you all know. For we have travelled together, we have gathered in taverns and exchanged long-travelling letters. Strelts, stranniks, cossacks, warriors, traders, merchants. Once, our forefathers had dined in the same hall, under the same banner, with the same goal.  With war, they were crushed, they were split, they were massacred, and then pitted against one another. Some of our ancestors were cut down in the night by assassin's blade, others executed on the block with no fair trial, fallen on the battlefield, decapitated in alleyways, pushed from buildings or perished in flames. Our livelihood, lay crippled by the butchery at Brelus. Here, I issue a bandage to that bloodshed! Here, I issue a mending of the ripped threads of brotherhood! Here, I issue a proclamation of our right to our home!”

 

 

---

 

 The Adrian Proclamation, 1661

15th of the Amber Cold

 

To the lords of the human realm of Renatus, to the dissidents in the realm of Haense, to the raiders of Reivers, to the elves, to the orcs, to the dwarves, to the halflings, to all whose books record the rise and fall of the Adrian peoples. We, the people of Adria, lay claim once more to our great Duchy; none shall henceforth make jest of its name with false titular pride.

 

We have gathered in the city of Belvitz, abandoned to the wind and left for our rejuvenation. The river shall give us trade and farming, the forest shall give us the hunt, and the buildings our homes. Here, we shall bring about the greatness of Adria, which had been assembled for a great period of time.

 

We have thrown off the ages of suffering caused by those who would see us kill our own people. No longer shall the men and women of Adria meet with sword, bickering over blood. No longer shall we serve at the feet of those who descend from Butchers. No longer shall we watch idly as Savoyards and d’Amauries march their armies to dust, as dragons fly in circles and lose their own purpose. That time is long gone. Now is the time of the great dragons of Renatus, our glorious royal majesty Aurelius I, a kinsman of Sarkoz and Blackmont blood, has seen fit to bestow upon the House Sarkoz our old ducal seat. We have backed down a would-be rebellion against his authority and shall continue this legacy of loyalty, of order.

 

We pay our respects to our forefathers with this proclamation. For they had met their ends at oft dishonorable or untimely means. They had laid the groundwork, and had built, this great goal called Adria. This proclamation recalls the great accomplishments, the sacrifice, the glory, the commitment of Saint Emma, Franz Vladovic, Victor Sarkozic, Hughes Sarkozic, Sigmar Vladovic, Kazimir Vladovic, Franz Sarkozic, Edmond Sarkozic, Vasili Vanir, and Siguine Barbanov. We mourn the Massacre at Wett, where so many lost their lives. We mourn, still, the loss of Hughes Sarkozic to an assassin’s blade. We mourn the loss of Brelus to that damned Butcher called d’Amaury. But we shake off these deaths, these massacres, this blood which has so entrenched us not to act for decades.

 

We call upon King Karl II Barbanov of Haense to no longer lay claim to our titles, directly or indirectly. We call on him to drop his claim to the following titles, listed in order of importance:

 

The Margrave of Adria, you are not an Adrian. Respect your fellow Karovic kin and

drop this illegal claim so that the true Adrians may elect their own Duke

of Adria, as is tradition.

 

The King of Ruska, falsely claimed by His Majesty. The title of Ruska is reserved

for one of unified raevir peoples. As of this proclamation, our peoples are still split.

 

The Prince of Dules, Lahy, Sorbesborg, and Slesvik, which are honorary titles

bestowed upon the Prince of Raev. As there has been no crowsmoot in centuries, you are

not the Prince of Raev and have no right to these claims.

 

We also call upon you to erase your pretender status to the following claims: The

Protector of Highlanders, The Baron of Vsenk, the Baron of Kralta, and the Grand

Duke of Krajia.

 

We  call upon any descendants of Adria to come home. Whether your grandfather was a farmer, a grey cloak, a tavern keep, a noble, or a priest. We were all Adrian, we are all Adrian. We call on all strelts, we call on all diaspora, those tossed to the wind by the chaos which shattered Adria, to come home.

 

We extend this invitation, and an amnesty of any bad blood, to houses and peoples in the Kingdom of Haense. Any house of Karovic or Adrian blood, such as the cadet branches of Kovachev and Ruthern, are extended a seat and a position as elector in the newfound Duchy of Adria. Any common folk, gentry, or soldiers who draw their bloodline back to Adria or see in Adria what they have not seen in their current home of Haense, are offered safe travel and amnesty from their opposition to the Kingdom of Renatus, if they are to swear under the banner of Adria.

 

We declare the end of the Adrian diaspora. Once more, the Adrian peoples gather and this time it is at the city of Belvitz; all Adrian nobles or would-be-nobles are called for we shall vote upon our Duke whence it is time.

 

Signed,

John Sarkozic, Duke of Adria, Baron of Dormont

Messenger of the Adrian Diaspora, gathered once more

[Heff 2460]

"Butchery uncut! Adria has risen!" shouts Laszlo Ivanovich! 

[HeroOfDuLoc 1935]

Radoslav sheds a tear, wiping it from his face. He remembers the tales of his namesake, leading the charge in many of the battles during the Dukes War, maintaining Adrian dissent in exile from Oren, and assisting in the removal of the Savoyard dog from the Orenian throne.

[LoLzboi 661]

Yurii reads the missive, his mind wandering to the stories of grandeur, and horrific disaster of old. A small smile would crease his chubby cheeks.

[Dreek 1633]

Dreek Ireheart II sends a congratulatory message to the people of Adria, giving Kaz'Ulrah's best wishes as they reclaim their ancestral titles.

[Noer 577]

Vladan returns home.

[ACU20 567]

"Stride forth only to glory and riches, Adrian comrades. DEUS VULT!" - Count Eimar of Götha cheered at the proclamation in his warcamp south of Curon

[ErikAzog 3575]

The newly created baron smiles at the prospect of bringing back Adria and house Vladov to their ancient prestigious status.

[Raomir 1855]

Tomislav Silverblade, an old Adrian warrior would smile, as he remembers the glory days of Brelus. Slaying Savoyard dogs in the forests nearby and drinking mead until the sun came up. He would slowly make his way towards Belvitz to see how his people fare.

[cruzazul 2815]

The young king Karl gets word of this missive from his page, quickly penning a reply to the reformed duchy. 

“If you wish to speak of this at a crow’s moot or with me in private I would gladly partake, diplomacy has been long forgotten in this realm. I am not replying to this mass sent missive bureaucracy. Your people forget that my ancestors helped fight to protect Adria, whilst Renatus, savoy, and the like schemed to see it destroyed.” 

Karl II

[Pond 1069]

An old Savoyard smirks upon hearing the news "More pigs to slaughter, just like in the Dukes war."

[Legoboy7984 3155]

"Good." Oszkar Tuvic would say proudly

 

_______________________________

 

Okari Angelhosa would smile

"Good to see Adria still stands, yet I don't feel like Adria is my place anymore"

[Zezimus 1523]

The Duke's brother, Edgar Sarkozic, stands before the gathered mass of common folk and nobles alike, his eyes squinting down at the familiar faces who had restored his house to its rightful seat. The lives of those who had long passed in the atrocities committed during the Dukes' War would not be restored but in their name, the banners of Adria would fly proudly across the field of battle once more. He unsheathes his blade, raising it high into the air as John's speech concludes.

 

"Long live Adria! Long live the House of Sarkozic!"

[seannie 7443]

"I thought the ancestors of the Haensetians sacrificed their lives for the defense of Adria against the scheming Savoyardic advances though..." questioned a confused Amandil.

[Andustar 4143]

A young Stefan Kovachev looks up from his tutorage, the Ducal heir accepting a sealed envelope.

 “So a House long since deprived of prestige calls for titles they lack true status in holding... I’m confused, do Sarkozic want the titles of Ruska, or the further illegitimate Ivanovich?”

The Gryphon would shrug, tossing the missive into the fire before replying with a previous recorded document, dated within the current century.

https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/161085-the-first-national-duma-12th-of-the-amber-cold-1612/