Hearsay of Hanseti-Ruska - VIII

[HearsayofHansetiRuska 521]

“A REVISITATION - ROZIK I VE KORTZ”

And so it begins.

 

 

The Hearsay of Hanseti-Ruska

Edition VIII

Gronna ag Droba

 

---

 

Once again, I dip my quill into the dark ink of scandal -- that staining substance one can never quite wash out, no matter how hard they scrub. It is my sole duty to enlighten you, dear reader, as whispers and murmurings fracture the Courts of Hanseti-Ruska; to tell you my truth as I see it, and leave you to pick up the pieces. 

 

Oh… I have been gone far too long.

 

---

 

A UNION GONE SOUR

~

While Lady Anya Ludovar may be dead, the gossip encompassing her scandalous relationship remains alive and squirming. Rumours have the unfortunate tendency to spread, you see… the latest being murmurings of the oh-so-pious Lady’s infidelity. How chaste! How fitting. Her counterpart Lord Johann retreats to his quarters, pale and withdrawn -- powdering and dabbing tears to frame the theatrics of grief. Ah! Driven to death by her husband, was she? A fissured match, doomed to splinter and break. But this author will not entertain such obvious assumptions, no. Instead, this Ludovar duo strikes conflict of opinion and favour -- and oh, do I love a little ambiguity. 

 

Lord Johann, the perfect picture of mourning, has yet to host a funeral for his late wife. At court, the newly-single bachelor already seeks the company of other women. One can hardly blame him in that sphere; as the absence of a consort creates ripples of instability within his house. But who will take the wallowing widower? Little birdies have been whispering, dear Johann. Can you hear them? No corpse was found at the scene -- only the fresh stink of fear remained. And so the plot thickens. An adulterer Lady Anya may have been, but seldom is such a sin committed without reason. It is known that divorce is hardly granted even in the face of adultery. Why is it that a woman would remove herself willingly from the comforts of a noble life, from her jewels, her family, and her warm bed in the keep of her husband? This writer does not doubt there is something more to be uncovered here; an ugly stain, marked upon a person. 

 

For bodies do not simply vanish, unless they are hidden. 
 

BLESSED ARE THE BARBANOVS

~

Mama! Mama! The monster of the palace is loose! Hide your children, lock your doors, for the cursed Elizaveta Ulyana has vanished. Some might claim the child’s fate was predetermined from the moment of her twisted birth. A one-eyed monster, come to steal you away -- truly the figure of fairy tales. Her absence has been pinned on the Godless so-called “Empire” of Oren, but one cannot ignore the negligence of her parents in the matter. What mother allows her child, one of royal blood no less, to wander about without any supervision whatsoever? Perhaps the Duchess Henrietta, herself of treacherous blood, is merely a puppet of her Orenian masters seeking to sow chaos in the motherland? Or, could this disappearance be a hoax, a staged excuse to be rid of a stain on her family?

 

Nonetheless, the little beast is surely dead. Locks of her hair were found in the ruins of Dobrov, which, one should not forget, is a vassal to the corrupt Empire. Let this be a cautionary tale to any who let their children run wild. 
 

THE PRINCE AND THE PILLOCK

~

An unfaithful Prince? How unheard of! The wedding of the Lady Regent of Savoy devolved into quite the scandalous affair when a group of Haeseni nobles called into question her fidelity. At the behest of Princess Nikoleta Barbara, the Duchess of Reinmar Lady Georgina Barclay exposed the Basrid harlot’s affair with Prince Andrik Nikolas. Rumour has it that the Haeseni presented a letter from the Princess accusing His Royal Highness of openly sharing a kiss with the Regent -- one can only imagine what the pair do behind closed doors. Fortunately I, dear reader, am here to fling them wide open! The groom, Severinus Basrid-Gradic, rather than defend his honour against the man who allegedly defiled his wife, saw fit to offer Prince Andrik a drink in an astounding display of cuckoldry! Though, what does one expect of a man who takes the name of his wife?

 

Thank GOD Savoy has been left in such pious hands while the Prince is on pilgrimage.

 

To some, Princess Nikoleta is nothing more than a bitter housewife, desperate to spice up her otherwise bland life that her husband could not give her. But to diminish her own noble status, flinging unwarranted accusations? No. This author thinks not. This writer wonders how long we must continue to wait until we receive an official statement from the courts; for Prince Andrik is the brother of King Sigismund III himself. Does His Majesty know more than he lets on? Of course, such brotherly comradery and a tight-lipped response from the Royals has not been unheard of in the past. It practically calls into question the King’s fidelity himself! After all, the familiar figure of Sanja Kutznetsov still slinks about the palace…

 

While the actions of the Regent and Prince Andrik are no doubt despicable, the women who were so crass as to barge into the wedding ceremony; wearing their bridal gowns, no less, should be ridden with shame. Duchess Georgina Barclay who announced the scandal and hurled a number of vulgar insults at the Lady Regent, continues to prove herself an embarrassment to the House she represents. Her husband, the commanding Lord Marshal, would do well to muzzle her, lest she continue to drag his name through the dirt. Or can even he not contain her?
 

HALF-PINT HORROR

~

Alas, there is another monster on the loose. This one is perhaps more sinister. Bodies - mangled corpses - are appearing in large numbers, found in the burrows of the Halfling village of Honeyhill. Whispers have started… and of course, this writer’s ears picked them up. Talk of a serial killer stalking our very streets, wearing a dark cloak and boots, brandishing all sorts of weapons. He is said to be disarmingly handsome -- and there is a man, recently returned to town, who matches this description -- Frederik Baruch. 

 

Insanity in his household is not unheard of, for it was Petyr ‘the Beater’ that attempted to slaughter his own son in uncontrolled rage. Let us not forget that he also beat his wife into an early grave! It would seem mania runs in Baruch blood, as our former Lord Palatine, Kaustantin, has completely lost the plot! His ramblings make little sense to those that speak with him, and his demeanor as of late can be described as frantic, at best.

 

---

 

To the Lady Regent of Savoy, I would watch your back closely. Should I be in your position, for such a scandal may prove reason enough for those pesky de Savoies to make another attempt on your beloved Princedom. Alas, an innocent woman has no reason to hide. 

 

Will you denounce these rumors?

 

---

 

I attach means of contact. Send in juicy tidbits, criticism, or praise, for my hands are itching to write again.

 

[OOC: Discord HearsayOfHaense#1132]

[zuziee 3213]

Prinzenas Nikoleta had gone entirely off the rails since last saints day, and the heresy publishing everything didn’t help. For the next few days she was seen talking to the unseen, breaking things, and crying violently. One could claim she were insane!

 

”Yam to end up just like Vespira - Her words were true! Ea should have niet married!” 

[Borin 5245]

"Georgina? An embarrassment to Barclay? No, no, we are proud! She's becoming more Barclay-pilled by the day..." Brother Viktor grins

[shay 2200]

"Well, shit" was the only statement from the prettiest princess Anastasya as the infidelity of her twin was aired to the kingdom

[ReveredOwl 5314]

"Accusing Henrietta of having her own daughter abducted is disgusting and wicked. If vy believe so truly in the gossip that you spread then do niet hide behind pamphlets, show yourself." remarked Walton, still searching high and low for the missing Elizaveta.

[livrose 1594]

As this particular missive landed on her desk, attached to a letter from Hearsay themselves, Emma frowned. It was only when she opened it up and started reading its contents that her eyes widened further! "Oh nie, oh nie oh nie."

[AdmiralLB 166]

"Huh, look at that, me becoming a heretic to these people didn't even make the news" says a certain High Elf in Norland

[esotericas 1529]

Adelaide reads the gossip with a hum, the paper worn from the long journey it took to reach her in Yong Ping. She can't help but raise a brow at the surprisingly... favorable? reaction to her 'death'. It's certainly a welcome surprise.

[sarahbarah 5008]

Marie Ruthern, the Duchess of Vidaus, sipped on her evening tea whilst scanning the columns. "RHYS. RHYS, LOOK AT THIS," the Duchess howled, as per usual. 

 

@Nolan_

[PerfectlyPeachy 1344]

Princess Henrietta Theresé…

Clutching the document betwixt her fingers, her eyes did scour the contents. 

This was an insult that struck her deeply.

[CopOwl 1668]

Adrianna Darkwood nee Barclay shudders when she reads the Hearsay parchment, slipped under the woman's door. While the Surgeon General had been seeing more people in recent months for the signing of missives and the organising of events, she still lived in the shadows and was rarely seen by those of her household, if at all. Her hand reaches up to her mouth is fearful shock when she reads the missive, brows creasing in concern. "Nicht hearsay... Nicht again.." she frets, nervously sucking in her breath once she reads the sections slightly closer to home.

She signs the lorraine as a tear slips down her cheek, reminded of dear Anya's death once more.

[milkyi 1495]

Madalene Ruthern wiped the sweat from her brow, "No skin off my back!" She exclaimed with a great deal of relief!

[kaylacita 1009]

Georgina Barclay read the missive, her face crumbling as she read it. With a roll of her shoulders, she then promptly discarded it and went back to teaching her children how to bark, "Bonnie bairns, bonnie! Except fer ye, Sibylla."

[Fionn__TWG 2616]

Fionn Castaway would hear of the Hearsay's return from one of Valwyck's peasants before shaking his head disapprovingly "Get real."

[farmerclown 3911]

Vasileia, rather than indulge further in the rumors and fueling the gossip simply began to write a few letters addressed to a certain monarch of Haenseti-Ruska upon the missive landing on her desk, solving this the diplomatic way to crush this slander and lies that have been construed. “Surely this would not have happened if I was a man, perhaps their outdated ways are shining through. I worry not, for GOD will assess their sins when they ascend to the Seven Skies. ” The Basrid commented to her husband within their home, simply rolling her eyes at the courtiers who had nothing better to do.