A MAN FOR A HAND?

[Zaerie 3747]

– A MAN FOR A HAND? –

 

Issued and averred by

Her Majesty

in the year of our Lord 1952

SINCE THE HOUSE OF STASSION HAS LARGE IMAGINATIONS,

It appears that we must make both a declaration of what occurred within Vallagne, and a warning. Recently, the Commonwealth has come under threat of bandits from those outside of our lands. As such, our guards and Knights are watchful for those that they suspect of causing issues, especially within the city of Vallagne.

 

Today, a man came to our gates dressed in Stassion colours and was allowed in by a member of our City Watch. This was fine, Stassion is the land of my Aunt and Uncle, they are partially my family, or so I thought. He was later seen in a bandit-like ensemble, an outfit that was recognized as the same as bandits from a Saints Day before accosting our citizens outside of Hohkmat. Naturally, he was questioned.

 

Upon questioning, the man did not reveal much, nor was he caught in the act of banditing. Our knights would never intend to kill a man for no action, do not sully our name so with no evidence to support it. He was masked, and despite wearing exactly the same armour as known bandits who were witnessed by a member of my own Council, denied knowing anything of the bandits, a highly unbelievable claim with the same crest upon his chest. “The outfit is comfortable” he said, “The mask keeps the sun off of my face.” All excuses bandits have used before. With the complete nonsense of excuses, the Knight Captain of Petra, Ser Aimo, decided to break the man's hand as a warning and to remove him from the city of Vallagne as a precaution. Much less than our own laws say that they should have. Much less than you did to an innocent man who was not even present for this act.

 

GHORM VON THEONUS WAS NOT PRESENT FOR THIS.

GHORM VON THEONUS DID NOT KNOW ANYTHING OF THIS.

GHORM VON THEONUS WAS NOT A MEMBER OF OUR GUARD.

GHORM VON THEONUS WAS NOT A MEMBER OF MY GOVERNMENT.

 

GHORM VON THEONUS WAS AN INNOCENT MAN.

 

To the Government of Aaun, I remind you that the United Kingdom of Aaun and the Commonwealth of the Petra have a standing pact of Non-Aggression. I will not count this as an act of aggression against my nation - yet. I suggest that you deal with your vassal as the murderers that they have made themselves. Your own vassal tells of summoning a foreign leader instead of yourselves to speak of how my citizen should be dealt with, I do you a courtesy that they themselves did not even give you.

Her Majesty, Catherine I, Queen of the Commonwealth of the Petra, Marquise de Val d’Estenou, Countess of Temesch and Moere, Baroness of Garmont, Valfleur, Vallagne-en-Petra, Artois, and of the Phoenixspire, Protector of the Meadows

[Destructokeith 1142]

Artel stands on the walls, looking out over the lands to the north, slowly drumming his daemonsteel fingers on the wall, a fire of pure rage burning behind the knights eyes as he looks towards the castle that his cousin had been killed in and his lips curl into a wicked smile as the drumming of his fingers grows louder and louder, matching the rhythm of charging horses, the smell of the burning Stassion declaration that burns next to him reminding him of the sent he hope to soon smell as he burns those who have killed his blood

[Petsch2k 1851]

Sigismund von Theonus read the missive in an abandoned home in the woods. Hooks and large saws were scattered around the house before the sound of objects being thrown echoed within it. Sigismund looked at his longsword and stepped out as he began to walk into the dark forest.

[Deets 1129]

Within the Red Bastion of Vallagne, Konstantin held a missive within either hand. Scanning yet again the account of the barbarity inflicted upon one of his cousins, he felt naught but disgust for his family’s neighbors just across the border of the Mardonlands. His cousin Ghorm had not been present at the first altercation, the only present from his family had been a Flame-Haired Hedge Knight, who had not struck the blow into the hand of the man who most certainly was a bandit. A senseless act of barbarism was inflicted upon his cousin he thought, no different to those already common to any denizen of the Heartlands. As he thought further, his mind drifted to several events, some not listed by his god-daughter within her own response. Of his good friend being stopped and harried just beneath the Langkette by men of a similar description, of several elves mutilated and hung across the border with Aaun by men falsifying their identities, and of the sordid tale of one who escaped the senseless massacre. After a moment, this first missive was crumpled, cast aside into the nearby flames of a fireplace. He held this second, newer missive closer before heading to the nearby church within Vallagne, praying for the soul of yet another so senselessly slain by wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Edited November 25, 2023 by Deets

[beetle 3315]

Mari attended to her garden, planting a new flower for the fallen von Theonus.

[Hom 1987]

Atticus Reinhold, as always, is impressed by the young Queen’s swift and eloquent response- Though his heart grows heavy, as he reads over the missive. “Ghorm was- We only spoke on rare occasion, but he was the cousin of my mentor. He looked to protect the Commonwealth- He was a good man.” The magi rubs a hand across his face, sighing wearily. 

 

Then his eyes fall upon another missive that had come to his attention- The other side of a match set. “There is a certain defensiveness one jumps to, when they know they have done wrong. Just men do not often scramble to re-define justice under their own terms.”

Edited November 25, 2023 by Hom

[tilly 5115]

“That’s my girly,” Renilde sighs, at her granddaughters beck and call. 

[darkelfbrainrot 488]

The forgotten von Theonus Audrina sits in her rocking chair head empty, no thoughts in an undisclosed location before hearing the news. A frown forms upon her face

[TaytoTot 1587]

"Justice will be served." A Petran squire comments, going to her butterfly garden. She released a cabbage white that day, for the poor soul that was lost.

[carebear 1291]

Calla von Theonus read the missive with a heavy heart, planting a beautiful chrysanthemum in her garden for her fallen cousin. "I hope there is justice, he did not deserve this. What sort of monster kills over a broken hand? May he rest in peace." She signed the Lorraine before going to check on her children.

[sarahbarah 7105]

Queen Amaya of Haense receives the parchment from a courier, and a coy - albeit proud smile crosses her lips. 
 

“We ought to play another board game soon, young Catherine. This time, I reckon you’ll be quite good at chess.”

[ColdestPepsi 1176]

Aimo, newly reelected thought on the results of things which transpired in his short absence. They had taken and kill Ghorm, for what? Because he had showed mercy, he should have listened to those without the power he had in the situation and just killed the man and been done with it. That way he wouldn't have cried like a child to the rest of his people begging for people to help him due to the "grave injustice" he thought done against him. Surely, in his mind, he thought these men knew nothing of virtue.

[Chorale__ 2147]

Prince Paul Alexander of the Petra shivered in the confines of a foreign jail cell. He called out to whichever creature was listening, "I miss mo niece, I hope she is responding to all of this appropriately. I trust her. Mo Matrére. . I  hope she is nol worried. . ." he remarked and held himself for warmth as he signed the Lorraine. He clenched at a picture of his wife, Princess Melina of High Peak.

@Zaerie@tilly@liz

[ratlordmagic 1484]

Ser Waclaw Jazlowiecki gave a solemn nod upon reading the Petran account of the events. That… sounded infinitely more likely, to be blunt. He remembered how less than a year before another Stassion man had made an attempt on the life of King Edmund. Either the crownless king in Stassion needed to do a much better job of vetting soldiers or something truly foul was afoot. He took out two rolls of parchment and began to pen two letters- One to his Alstreim cousin and one to his Von Theonus nephew. Something needed to be done to reign Stassion in.

[YaBoyJay_ 418]

Godric von Theonus reads the missive. His face contorting in all forms of anger before a moment of respite hit him. He shook his head and looked down as he rose from his seated position.

"To me this is a simple hatred showing its teeth that's been there since our arrival in the Petra. Towards not only Petra, but the von Theonus itself. They'd seemed rather jealous for a long time before their departure." He said to his family before turning around and ominously looking out the window as he spoke.

"It's our responsibility to look at the bright side, imagine what those imbeciles would've done by now had they still resided here?" he rose a glass.

"To Ghorm." he held a brief moment of silence, before taking a swig and shouting out the window across to the land of stupidity where Stassion resides.

"You'll only ever be a thorn in someone's side. Not good leaders, not even good allies, not anything. Just a self righteous and arrogant cancer that will be removed everywhere you lay claim." he shouted out that window, before returning to his slumber.