PRIDE OVER PEACE

[Mio 3771]

PRIDE OVER PEACE:

ON THE PEACE SUMMIT OF 164 SA

I U D I C E M  A C C E D I T

 

Issued by the

GRAND COVENANT

In the year of 164 SA

 

Spoiler

 

 

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People of Middelan,

 

It is with regret that the War for the Heartlands is fated to continue. 

 

Know that upon this day, the Duke of Adria convened with the sovereigns of the Grand Covenant within the Haeseni capital of Valdev in order to determine whether the war could be ended in a manner both peaceful and sustainable for the future peace of Man. 

 

This did not transpire.

 

The Grand Covenant has affirmed at length that it does not seek the arbitrary annihilation of all Veletzian nor Adrian citizens. Your death is not desired. Your death is not necessary. The Covenant began its march in order to exact judgement against the state that rules over you, and that which has led you astray down this path of folly and tragedy. This war began because of grievous crimes committed by your lieges -- this much is confessed by the Duke of Adria in his Provisions of Ducal Austerity. However, by way of clarity, we recount them once more as follows: 

1. That the League of Veletz wilfully conspired with the vanquished House of Stassion to murder King Edmund of Aaun - God keep his soul - whilst the United Kingdom of Aaun stood as allies to the League; 

2. That the League of Veletz, without provocation, kidnapped Queen Sybille of Balian prior to her coronation and whilst she was heavy with child; 

3. That the League of Veletz compelled Queen Renilde of Petra to withdraw her Commonwealth from the Cannonist League under duress whilst the Commonwealth of Petra stood as allies to the League; 

4. That the League of Veletz invaded the city of Vallagne with a view to capturing the young Queen Catherine of Petra due to her diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Haense;

5. That the League of Veletz ignored the commandments of High Pontiff Sixtus VI in the 23rd Golden Bull of Jorenus; 

6. That the League of Veletz desecrated holy ground, namely through the burning of a consecrated church in the Commonwealth of the Petra;

7. That the League of Veletz conducted armed attacks upon holy ground and captured High Pontiff Sixtus VI; 

8. That the League of Veletz gave land and sanctuary to marauders who regularly pillaged the lands of the Grand Covenant long before its formation, namely the Ferrymen led by the Elf Vyllaenen.

 

That you no longer call yourself the ‘League of Veletz’ means nothing. As Adria preceded Veletz, so too did it succeed it. The Duke of Adria is not a redeeming rogue who defied the callous acts propagated by the Veletz before or during this war - the banners of Adria stood firmly astride their liege when all the crimes enumerated above were committed. It matters not if you did protest these acts, for just as a bandit might question the conduct of his crew, his own guilt is not mitigated if he still assists in cutting a wayfarer’s throat.

 

These crimes are not mere stains left by your predecessor; they are scars which you helped carve. They are scars which many of your Siege Tribunal, chief among your Tribune of Civic Defense, helped carve. Thus, ask yourself - how could the Covenant ever accept that you are not one and the same as the League of Veletz? 

 

The question before the Grand Covenant today was whether the Duke of Adria and his Siege Tribunal could be trusted to aid in ensuring that the Middelan institutions never again spawned a conflict of this magnitude. Based on all described above, the Duke failed in this task. The only solution apparent to the Grand Covenant, therefore, was the dissolution of the Adrian-Veletzian state. The Duke of Adria was compelled to see reason and to do so bloodlessly, so that you - the people of Middelan - would be free from war to resettle wherever on the continent you wished, with the Kingdom of Numendil namely being a loud voice in offering hospitality and swearing upon themselves their goal of fair treatment - as all Covenant nations vowed. 

 

This was refused - the sovereignty, legacy, and name of an Adrian-Veletzian state took priority over all else such as the lives of Middelan people for the Duke of Adria. He has hence decided to value his pride over peace.

 

Having failed to demonstrate why he, as one complicit to all crimes of Veletz, could be trusted to maintain the peace of Man, he affirmed that there could be no independent and sovereign Veletzian-Adrian state tolerated. 

 

He has therefore condemned the War to continue.

 

We issue this missive not only as memorandum of the ill-fated peace convention held on this day, but as warning to the people of Middelan:

 

Your deaths are not sought, nor are they necessary.

 

Flee the crumbling remains of your liege’s folley, and be granted amnesty in any Covenant lands. From the Duke of Adria, to the Captain-General of Veletz, to the Duke of Adria once more; your lords have led you down this path, and brought you only ruin.

 

They do not deserve your blades.

 

Winburgh is fated to fall.

B U T  Y O U  A R E  N O T

 

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[Shmeepicus 3942]

“I pray that most Veletzers heed these words- for if they bear steel in their hand, they shall receive mine own.” Percy de Lyons commented, glancing down at his blade, Le Fléau de Veletz- ready to mar it with more Veletzian blood.

[Jentos 6882]

"I should be robbed of life before being robbed of my home." So spake a Veletzian warrior with a single-eye.

[Elennanore 2776]

"We aren't genociding your peoples, we are just going to forcefully relocate them! Don't worry, you'll find new homes." The High Keeper chimed, ecstatic after having to witness the atrocious meeting between the Duke Markus and the leadership of the Covenant. "An accursed culture like one of the Adrian Raev should not exist!" She added.

[Nooblius 5794]

13 minutes ago, Mio said:

- would be free from war to resettle wherever on the continent you wished, with the Kingdom of Numendil namely being a loud voice in offering hospitality and swearing upon themselves their goal of fair treatment - as all Covenant nations vowed. 

The Duke of Adria scowled as he read these words. He would call out to his couriers, that they might lift his words across the roads.

"I asked only for a home for my people, and was denied. They insisted that our culture was an accursed one, and that there can be no home for Midlanders unless we are to be evicted and spread across all nations in a Diaspora. This is a bold retelling, certainly, of the day's events. Let it be known the terms of peace listed as a 'Hope for New Dawn' remain, and that the war shall continue not for pride, but the envy of lesser nations seeking to remove the midlanders from any chance of home."

The Duke of Adria with the help of a Planeswalker observes the similarity in the Piast Dynasty Crest and that of House Sarkozic.

[Laeonathan 3970]

"Ah yes- surely. We'd have taken peace, if we Adrians could just settle elsewhere. But you wish to rob us not only of homes and lives for defending ourselves! Alas no, you intend to kill us all.

 

Your own ally, the Queen Sibylle has admitted of your wishes: You do wish to destroy us all."

 

Vasyl Otto thus returned to the monastery. 

[HIGH_FIRE 4118]

Sybille would leave the meeting in quite the mood. The Adrian Duke seemed to have no interest in peace, no interest in playing recompence for his nation's crimes "Back to war" she thought with a deep huff.

[hemomancy 2850]

"Y do niet feel like dying to dirty blades. Y rather die to y own." Mutters the Duke's aide, still distraught from what transpired during the 'peace' meeting she lacked invite to. "Whatever. Y keep trying. If y die y die as a peace-seeking diplomat. Who knew peace was a fight in itself. F*cking idiotic. Did they niet even leave room for negotiation?" Marusya Sarkozic asks herself.

[FlemishSupremacy 4930]

Flemius had watched the meeting, and pondered as the Duke seemed unwilling to disband the state that had twice seen the rest of Canondom arrayed against it due to their actions... To admit guilt to so many offenses yet to expect trust from the offended that the offered peace will not just be a break so Veletz can gear up again for a third round. Was it reasonable? He pondered as he took back to his logistical work.

 

[DrakeHaze. 2483]

rAsmOt cackles and drools a little on himself "The plan is perfect! With the bandits spread across the land, no roads will be safe! Rat tunnels are the future, true and always!"

[MaltaMoss 1771]

A forlorn face scrunched up in hatred as the missive fell before it, a calm stoic expression contorting into a violent scowl. An old soul cursed the names of every Raev bastard that had come to march upon them, the eternal peace wall gone violent. 

"Betrayed, at our most vunerable. I told you, liers, all of them!"

[ContestedSnow 778]

"Frankly, this much es charity for these fools who have harboured nie guilt slaying the men and women of our nations, even before this war began. He refused to surrender, and they have either sand in their ears or lead between them for they seem niet to understand basic common. We shall have our peace." Viktor 'Daemonsteel' spoke, having witnessed the failed summit himself. That they considered not following through on their initial promise was a great shame on the Covenant, he thought.

 

They ought aim for what they always have, to kill the enemy, and see that there is no more Veletz for them to scramble back to, or an Adria for them to hide behind.

Edited January 26 by ContestedSnow

[Sarven 1716]

Gottfried looked on with tired eyes, "And so it continues..."

With a grunt the man then took the oils next to him and carefully applied them to the joints of his arm.

[Jaslaw 272]

"Well time to keep on going, noone had fallen for they promises and thats what mathers." *Mused the elf ready to head out futther into Adria*

[Perpltxed 1]

"The air feels too stiff, not sure if that's good or bad" Bajaba Batto mutters while preparing his horse.