Am open letter to Ulrich Lothar von Alstriem

[Lomiei 1487]

 

 

The Waldenfest held on this, the year of our descendancy, 54 S.A., was an amazingly consequential moment for our peoples. It pleases me to a high mesure to have been able to convene with my kinsmen of a culture I had not previously known was so vastly spread among such a number of descendant Houses.

 

To start my message, I begin with a congratulations in the most significant respect to my dearest childhood friend Ulrich Lothar von Alstriem (@LithiumSedai). We have come a long way from loitering around Karosgrad’s garden market or racing around Sutica’s capital, and it makes my heart glad to note your growth into all of the various positions you now hold. The most relevant of which to this letter being Lord Vandalore. 

 

Being the newly instated leader of our culture, it now falls to you to consider the following topics:
 

Within the 2nd Waldenic Diet of 54 S.A, the question was raised as to whether or not His Grace, Eirik Baruch of Valwyk (@Gusano), ought to have been eligible as an elector and legitimate nominee to the moot. The proceeding vote resulted in a rejectant outcome as we all remember. 

Despite this, I, Erwin Bishop, call for our Lord Vandalore Ulrich Lothar Von Alstriem, to instantiate Eirik Baruch based on the following principles.

 

1) The foundation of Lord Baruch’s ties to Waldenian culture, and therefore his interest in the moot, is the fact that the Noble House of Baruch is descended from the Royal lineage of Rovin, who happened to be present during the original Waldenfest around 200 years ago. However, descendancy from bloodlines, whether Royal, Noble, or even Waldenic, is not enough in itself to justify claiming one’s self to be truly Waldenian. It must also include active participation in cultural practices. This was the justification for your denial of electorship for Roberta de Chalons. It nevertheless stands as a significant factor in decision making which must be shown reverence.

 

2) By personal first hand testimony, His Grace has, as the leader of Aryian culture, attested to the fact that he and his kin consider the Ayrian culture to not be its own independent group, but rather a sub-branch of the greater Waldenian peoples. His special request of presence at the Waldenian Diet exemplifies not only his interest in the workings of our correspondences, but also his willingness to contribute to our progress in the form of diverse points of view and worldly knowledge.

3) I personally - with the example of being born and raised in the Duchy of Reinmar by my fiercely Waldenian father Henry Bishop (@Javert) - can vouch for the adherence to some foundational Waldenian principles; such as their form of speech, in my observation, with a clear disdain for flattery, and a high respect for the conveyance of direct and simple ideas. Furthermore their clothing styles certainly embody the classical highlander motifs similarly shared by members of House Barclay and Mondblume. Whilst these observations might be less objective than the other points, who knows what other pillars of Waldenian culture are exemplified everyday within the Duchy of Valwyk and the entities within its sphere of cultural influence? 

 

For these reasons, my Lord Vandalore, I implore you to at very least, allow Lord Eirik Baruch a seat in all of our future moots and conventions, so that he himself may pursue an intention to further integrate Ayrian culture and peoples into our activity.

 

Signed,

[Qaz_The_Great 1189]

Alric reads his friend's letter, he'd hum a short tune as he does so, finding the situation with this unique Highlander culture to be interesting.

 

"Mhm, I do hope Ser Erwin makes some headway here."

[Borin 5256]

"He was declined the titles and the right to vote because of their abandonment of Waldenian culture, this much is true. But he was already invited to observe the previous one, and Mister Alstreim already addressed an effort to welcome them back into the Waldenian fold... 'despite this' my holy backside, the vote is the vote" Brother Viktor comments in a Nu Loc on the naively written open letter

[LithiumSedai 4837]

[!] A reply arrived to Sir Erwin via raven mail, bearing the arms and seal of the Lord Vandalore. @Lomiei

 

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Mein Herr,

 

It is good to hear from you again and to receive your best wishes for the prosperity of our People, which I put before the wishes of my own. Let me preface my statement by saying that I have no personal qualm with the Herzog and his family nor his subjects, and neither do our People to whom he is certainly bound by unbreakable ties of blood. He and any descendant of Rovin shall always enjoy the hospitality of our People's halls while they come as friends. This I do decree as the Lord Vandalore.

 

I do also stand by my decision approved by the will of the Waldentag. I cannot, in good conscience, yet grant the Herzog a seat at our table equal to those lineages that have never once faltered in the profession of their Waldenian culture, nor force the Waldentag by my hand to accept this. Our unity, belonging and our rights and customs - every aspect that makes our culture Waldenian - require us to show for it more than the simple tracing of a line across a parchment of dynasties. My descent from Ex. Godfrey makes me no Kaiser nor Orenian; nothing more than Herr Eirik's ancestry makes him our Markgraf or his native Ayrians Waldenian by culture. This is a distinction that, after centuries of professing a different culture and differing loyalties, must be earned. This effort must be sincere and lasting. I know the Baruchs have always yearned to call themselves lords of Vanderfell alike our shared ancestor - but any Waldenian by culture would know already why and how this honor was reclaimed by our Waldentag.

 

If the Herzog and his Ayrians wish to rebuild with our Electors and our People those ties which they have evidently rebuilt with yourself, I have already decreed them welcome. They may yet, if so, gain an Electorate. The bucketball is in their court now, as they say. The Waldentag has spoken.

 

 

 

 

 

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Gott mit uns,

LORD VANDALORE.

 

 

 

 

 

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