The August End of May

[Piov 2643]

THE AUGUST END OF MAY

15th of the Sun’s Smile, 1779 | Wzuvar and Byvca 332 ES

 

A northern coastal village in Haense, c. 1720

”Humility in service”

 

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The foam of the crashing waves flooded the creaky wooden boat as the man pulled it along the shore. The small net of a dozen fish flopped about as the man hoisted it over the edge and onto a few old wooden barrels neatly placed on the pier. The sound of vulgar fishermen was drowned out by the crashing waves of the ocean hitting the shores of Valwyck. As he sat for his afternoon break in the back of the fishing guild, opening a jar of pickled sardines and watched as hire foreman gave a statement.

“Brothers, we cannae keep up wit’ our quota to stay afloat. Ah’m go’on tae ‘ave to let so’om o’ ‘ye go.”

As he heard this, he looked up quickly. Suddenly the names of his fellow fishermen were called, names he had known as mentors who had fished in these waters for years. The seasons in the far north had been harsh. Fishing had become a far more barren industry. Names continued to be called, piercing through the clammer of the birds squawking aloud outside of the guild hall. Suddenly, he had heard the unbelievable:

“Terrensz Mau…”

“No,” he thought to himself, dropping his jar of pickled sardines. The crowd all suddenly turned to the back where he had been sitting. As tears rolled down from the eyes of many of his comrades who had been laid off, he silently rolled up his nets and packed the few belongings he owned from his lodging.

Without many opportunities in the far north, Terrence decided to travel south toward the capital city, Reza. The brutish wars of between the Pertinaxi and the Marnantines had progressed. The Nenzing Proclamation of 1715 was a daring move composed by a radical minority of intellectuals. He would later remember it as the defining period of his lifetime. Disgruntled insurgents continued to prowl no doubt. Safety along the roads were not guaranteed and many of his comrades cautioned against moving south. Still, without many options, Terrence spent three days until he saw the tall, colorful walls of Reza. The shock of exuberance was impactful and the smells of perfumes, oils, and exotic foods attracted him to the immense urbanity of the southern region.

 

Reza, c. 1721

Watching fish ladies in the market square chopping the heads of tuna and salmon with large cleavers reminded him of a place he had longed. The schools were inundated with students and the atmosphere of war had been forgotten for only a slight moment. As he passed through the city hall seeking employment, he heard the rancor of the assembly above. The Duma was an immersive space where he had listened to the frivolous debates of nobility piercing through the walls. Surely, he felt resentment of their ignorance to the fishing industry as debates over abstract budgets and philosophies felt foreign. It was there that he felt change could be applied to the fringes of society.
 

---

 

After pursuing studies in the law, philosophies, and history, the twenty-two year old found his new calling. He returned to the northern region equipped with such education and for nine years, he spoke at the guild hall that was forced to let him go. He gathered his fellow fishermen and petitioned their lord, Count Sigmar Baruch to bring these issues of the ailing fishing businesses. With surprise, the Count replied with sympathetic remarks and invited Terrence to his estate.

“Terrensz Mau, ah’m going tae be cut tae tha’ poin’ ‘ere. Y’er going tae be mah representative tae tha’ Duma. Ah b’lieve ‘ye go’ a good voice and clear vision f’er tha’ people ‘ere.”

Terrence had no answer, elated and equally humbled by the opportunity that befell him. In 1725, he arrived back in the capital and sat as representative for the County of Ayr, embroiled in political warfare with the centralists who had deprived the region of many of his resources to maintain the fisheries. Speech after speech, his energies slowly broadened from the concerns of his northern industries, but that of the structural deficits of policy to benefit all Haeseni.

As the war had concluded, the House de Joannes emerged as the succeeding dynasty of the Holy Orenian Empire. As the new government was formed, Terrence received an unexpected missive, bearing the seal of the Emperor, Alexander II. Again, his life turned southward.

Upon arriving at the Imperial capital in Helena, Terrence felt a differing degree of shock experienced upon his arrival in Reza. The roads southward were still riddled with the brigands who profited from unjust tolls and extortion. The dawn dews glistened the Heartland as the shimmering of Lake Helena made visible the scenic island that contained the tall stoney walls of the city. 

Imperial Heartland, c. 1724

 

At the entrance of the palace, he stood in the foyer as paintings of Oren’s political giants stared down unto him. There was an eerie silence that filled the rooms as he paced through the halls, staring at the banners and portrayals of humanity’s historic events. He felt belittled and humbled, reading the names of Emperors and Archchancellors. Suddenly, the clacking of elegant shoes echoed into the grand chamber as a series of Imperial courtiers greeted the young statesman.

As they led him up the stairs, he was astonished at the gardens that sprawled along the palatial upper levels. A noticeably well-guarded individual was seated ensconced in a gazebo in the periphery. As Terrence waited for his turn to address the Emperor, he noticed the fine wines that the courtiers were drinking. Finally, he was called forward as a meek, young man looked to the fisherman. 

 

“Mister May, is it? With great honor I welcome you to Helena. I trust your travels from Haense were without issue?”

The fisherman, unsure of how to respond, nodded carefully and replied, “Yes, your Imperial Majesty, they were. I am grateful to be here and to serve at your behest.”

The Emperor then looked to his bottle of wine and fetched for a servant to get another. The mosaic of colors that comprised the young ruler’s attire was uniquely woven. Terrence’s glimpse of the Heartland was a stark contrast to the reality he had lived in his entire life. After much discussion and an exchange of pleasantries, the Emperor handed Terrence another sealed parchment.

“Mister May, the Imperial heartland and our realms beyond are an immense scape of God’s good creation. I am entrusting you to chair the Office of the Auditor General, overseeing our surveying and census.”

The northern fisherman looked overwhelmed and without so much as a verbal confirmation, the Emperor sent him off to speak to Sir John d’Arkent, Imperial Archchancellor. The servant returned bearing a bottle of Alexander’s Vigor, a fine, sweet red wine that he had taken a liking. Terrence embarked again on a tour across Oren, visiting the provincial centers north of the Heartland. It was an experience that had informed him for the rest of his life.

The Caer Bann of Kaedrin had been an overwhelming experience as he saw the proud martial nature of the Kaedreni. The men of Lorraine had kept their concerns on the roads, battling banditry and rivalring their immediate neighbor Adria. The Curonians were much more distant with a cultural livelihood of their own. He would forever remember his tours as a mosaic of humanity.

Terrence grew tired of the controversy and the imperial machinations of reform. He opted to return home with his Haeseni colleague, Prince Otto Sigmar, a man with whom he held high regard for much of his career.
 

---

 

Upon returning back to Ayr, Speaker Stafyr arrived with haste and defined another period of Terrence’s career.

“Terrence! I hope you are doing well. I do hope I am not intruding. I’ve come with a specific request for the life of our government and in our Duma. I believe you should serve as Leader of the Opposition.”

It did not take Terrence much to think on the offer, believing it to be his chance to finally hold accountable the lords and politicians responsible for the fisheries neglect. As Leader, Terrence did not hesitate with his questions for then Palatine Lerald Vyronov, whom he had reservations after his questionable rise to power!

After a year of opposition questions, King Andrik III summoned him and colleagues to the palace council chamber. Vyronov had died. The time was nigh to appoint a new Palatine. Terrence quickly jumped on the opportunity, believing that his rapport with the feudalists and knowledge with Imperial affairs made a crucial candidate.

The king agreed.

The fisherman who was fired from shortages in wages had now become the head of the government in the Kingdom of Haense. The Feudalist Conference in 1733 in Ayr was a crucial moment to solidify his role among the lords. An ambitious omnibus funding bill was part of his agenda that called for a far more ambitious dispersal of Crown funds to the sectors of the kingdom. However, much to the new Palatine’s frustration, the new Opposition, poised to keep ideological control of policy, disagreed. 

 

Feudalist Conference, 1733

Political gridlock had defined much of the May years, failed votes that resulted in closures and unfulfilled promises about a railroad junction with the Imperial project. In a secluded meeting later that year, Imperial Chancellor Cardinal Peter of Helena arrived with a proposal that Terrence believed would revitalize Haeseni infrastructure: the canal.

However, the insurmountable duty of convincing the Duma of such a project was far from feasible. Opposition members were vehemently against the project and cited concerns that manpower and funding could not be allocated. Again, Terrence faced another unsuccessful vote on his own government. Without getting his agenda passed, he sought appeal from the Crown, with whom he got assent without the consultation of the Duma.

With unpopular sentiment surrounding him, Terrence was compelled to resign in order to bring more integrity in the Crown’s government. In his parting words to King Andrik III, he stated:

“Your Majesty, it is with my most profound intentions to resign as your Palatine, with the hope that my successor may bring progress and credibility to your government.”

 

---

The three years out of power were a mixture of regret and liberation. No longer was the scrutiny of government and the ill-will of the Duma members present in his daily encounters. However, he knew that there was still much work to be done.

It was a day like no longer when courtiers from Helena emerged. The then Lord Protector Adrian de Sarkozy and his ministers made a new declaration: THE EDICT OF ESTABLISHMENT of 1736.

The institution of the Imperial Diet was a moment of great uncertainty. King Andrik III had then summoned Terrence once more. As per the decree of the Edict of Establishment, the Imperial Senate is to be composed of delegates from the four provinces, initially appointed by their respective heads to meet in the city of Helena in the Varoche Hall for legislative sessions. After an uneventful three years, the former disgraced Palatine would be called upon once again. Terrence returned to Helena in 1736 to take his oath. As he approached the glistening waters of Lake Helena, towering stone walls that stood there a decade before were no more. Instead, a colorful arch greeted him as his carriage entered the city. The urban landscape had changed as well.

The Senator-designate from Haense was no stranger to this atmosphere. His education, experience in the hall of the Duma, and exposure to the bureaucratic climate of the Heartland had prepared him for a task he would occupy for the next thirty-three years. 

 

Helena, c. 1750

Upon his arrival, he met many senators from the lands he once surveyed. One fiery yet sly man, a one Frederick Armas, greeted him upon his arrival. As President pro tempore of the Imperial Senate, Armas was an exasperating yet equally diligent figure, whose drive for legislation dominated the senatorial culture of the first six years. Terrence began his career in the Senate with a notion for government accountability in authoring the first Imperial law of establishing Committees to delegate oversight.

In 1740, the first round of elections was nearing as Terrence would be judged by his performance in representing the Haeseni people. Leaving office in shame seven years before was a persistent trauma of his career. His challenger, Konstanz Barclay, was an ill-mannered demagogue who made dubious claims about Terrence’s ties and integrity. However, much to the Senator’s surprise, the Haeseni people overwhelmingly re-elected him.

For the next five elections, the senator ran unopposed. Authoring more bills than any of his colleagues then, he sought to find common ground on Imperial Law, employment, funding for clinics, schools, and public safety. He had collaborated on many occasions with colleagues who also became dear friends: Lauritz Christiansen, Charles Napier, Arthur Callahan, Vivaca Rutledge, Cyrus Basrid, Siegmund Corbish, Konrad Stafyr, Eirik Baruch and others.

 

By 1746, he succeeded Charles Napier to chair the Imperial Senate as its next President pro tempore. There, he encountered the challenging bureaucratic culture of Helena and the increasing need to quell the demands of his constituents, who grew increasingly weary of the state of politics. 

In 1750, Terrence was honored to be given the moniker as the “Father of the Imperial Diet,” seeking to promote the discourse of representation and well-being of the people. The Order of the Lily was another great distinction that carried him with humility and grace in the service of the Haeseni people. 
 

A convocation of the Imperial Diet at Varoche Hall, c. 1767

 

By 1763, the Imperial Diet was reformed and the establishment of the Josephites and Everardines. All of his life, he understood his role as guardian of humanity’s dignity. The promise of the Nenzing Proclamation dominated the discourse of the state. It was the ideals of moving beyond the oppression of ill-minded rulers and the brutality of arbitrary justice that steered his vision and the direction of the Empire. In taking leadership of the Josephites, he sought to cultivate the movement that fought for humanity’s advancement. That mosaic of humanity he saw in his younger years was one that would initiate his lifelong crusade for a just society, compassionate, and guided by the Rule of Law. 

Meeting new and idealistic statesmen filled his heart with joy. The new Josephites that he had inspired gave him hope that Oren will emerge far greater and stronger than ever. After one term as President of the new House of Commons, Terrence was ready for retirement. The promise of Jonah Stahl-Elendil, Angelika Bykov, and Konstantin Wick give him optimism of a greater civility and progress in politics.
 

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After serving two emperors, three kings, and generations of citizens who have entrusted him the public duty of their future, he was content with his life fulfilled in the service of others.

The old fisherman sat near the shores of Valwyck where the waves that had once crashed in the ears of his youth. He went to the old pier and took his oars to row out. Braving through stormy winds and the merciless waves of the ocean that would be the journey of his public service, he returned to land and laid down the oars for the final time. 

A final word to humanity:
 

“The greatest crisis of our time, or any time in the history of our humanity, is a crisis of confidence in ourselves to do what is just. For centuries, we have fought the indomitable struggle to forge a nation worthy of God’s providence. Let not the temptations of vice and power consume you, but find the humanity in each other to work for the prosperity of the future.”
 

 

Sir Terrence May GCM, VKML 

1692 - 1779 

Duma Representative, 1725 - 1732

Lord Palatine of Haense, 1732-1733

Imperial Senator of Haense, 1736 - 1763

Member of the Imperial House of Commons, 1765-1769

Leader of the Josephites, 1764 - 1768


 

 

[AndrewTech 3333]

Ever since his death earlier that Saint’s Day, Sir Konrad had been peacefully relaxing next to a lake in the Seven Skies. He had always wanted to learn how to fish, but the catches weren’t very good in either Lake Milena or Lake Helena, and thus he had never learned to do so.

 

“Ah, at long last!” The Almannir grinned, stepping into an etherial rowboat and grabbing hold of a pair of oars. “Should be easy enough to learn how to fish before Old Terrence gets up here, and then I’ll show him just how good I-“

And suddenly, in the distance, he saw a bespectacled waving at him from the lake’s banks.

 

“...-Oh. That was quick,” Sir Konrad sighs softly, smiling faintly as he waves back to the figure beyond.

”Hey Terrence! Ready to go fishing, old friend?”

[AnonymousAlexa 3890]

Angelika Bykov could hardly believe the news when she was informed of Terrence May’s passing. She knew he was aging, there was no doubt. She knew he would pass eventually...but she had never mentally prepared herself for the day. Her boss. Her mentor. Her colleague. Her idol. Her friend, was now gone. All she could do was weep, pray and remember the life of such an accomplished man. A man who went from rags to riches. A man who served selflessly for his country and his people. ”He shall not be forgotten. I will be certain of that.”

[garentoft 9265]

Hearing the news of the death of his once mentor and close friend, Lauritz broke into tears within the confines of his home, weeping for one of the heroes of the modern age.

[1_Language_1 1671]

“Can my friends like- stop dying?!” Elizabeth cried out again, though Terrance wasn’t as close to her as Konrad had been.

[Hanrahan 2983]

Charles Napier would sit, napkin fastened to his neck with two plates of steak before him in the seven skies.

 

“We never did have that last lunchin – well now’s the time, old man!”

[Drew2_dude 2636]

News of Terrence May’s passing made its way to Sigmar Baruch in his hospital bed. He laid there for hours, speechless. The old man recalled his many years with him. From Terrence’s time as his Duma Representative all those years ago, to now. Throughout the years the two worked together in the Commons on opposite sides of political spectrum, they worked together in the Royal Duma when Terrence was Palatine and Sigmar his loyal supporter who fiercely defended his mentor, and they worked together on the Aulic when Sigmar was Speaker and Terrence was the Senatorial advisor. Their paths similar yet so different, both called Valwyck their home, both spent their lives dedicated to politics and improving the kingdom they served, yet one was born a peasant and the other born a noble. Sigmar always found it ironic that it was he, the noble, who was mentored by Terrence, the lowborn. in his early years it bothered Sigmar, but now he sees that Terrence’s wisdom came from the strife he endured as a lowly fishermen, a viewpoint a highborn could never have understood. “Rest well now old friend...your fight is over, but I’ve got a few years of fightin’ left in me, Ah’ll do ye proud.” Sigmar would wipe away the swelling tears in his eyes as he said goodbye to his friend and mentor one last time.

[Emenzi 1069]

Andrik woke up from his drunken nap in a Rose bush and stared at Terrence in the seven skies with a grin “TERRENCE THEY GO *hic* THEY GO’ ALL BLACK YE CAN WANT ERE’ YE POOF” he’d exclaim as he welcomed his second late lord palatine in a saints day

[ApplePieKathy 561]

“Terrence May was an outstanding public servant, dedicated to the needs of his constituents and dedicated to Imperial democracy.”  Vivaca Rutledge commented after hearing the news of her friend’s death. “May he rest in peace.”

[Sarven 2619]

"Sad to see such a great statesman pass" *he'd sign the cross* "May you rest in piece, good ser.."