ONCE, MY FATHER TOLD ME

[Dogged 2879]

 

 

To my friends in Urguan,

 

Once, my great-grandfather told me a story. 

 

By ebbing firelight, he told me of the ripple that swept the land of Almaris when the Aster Revolution stoked the bloodlust of the Holy Orenian Empire, and Horen’s wayward ken turned their gaze to Urguani land seeking glory and blood. He told me of the great triumph of Southbridge, where the Tripartite Accord fielded one of history’s greatest armies, and he told me of the bitter loss at Haverlock, where Urguan was betrayed by the scions of Blackvale. 

 

He told of the storied Battle of Eastfleet, where Haense, Urguan, and their allies crushed Imperial Oren underfoot, and restored order to a broken land.

 

Once, my grandfather told me a story.

 

With his old sword above the mantle, he told of the machinations of Old Krugmar and King Freddy of Oren, who schemed to rob Urguan and Haense of land claimed by their conjoined might. He told of the insurmountable will of the Eastern Treaty, formed on the backbone of Urguan and Haense, that shattered the fickle Southern Alliance, staked their banners upon the shores of Karinah’siol, and delivered King Freddy a defeat so absolute that Oren crumbled into rebellion, never to rise again. 

 

He told me of the Great Raid of Acre, where Haense, Urguan, and their allies drove a stake through the heart of the Kingdom of Oren, and seeded its ruin. 

 

Once, my father told me a story. 

 

His aged scar still plain across his face, he told me of the fabled battles of the Covenant War, from the folly of Westmark to the retribution of Hippo’s Gorge, and how the forces of Urguan and Haense once more proved the most formidable alliance to ever grace the Descendant realms in laying waste to raiding aggressors who commit acts of marauding, the likes of which you now seek accountability for from Aaun. 

 

He told of the sight of orange-grey and black-gold banners above the countless Covenant battlefields, scarred and resolute. 

 

One day, I shall tell my children a story.

 

With pride in my heart, I shall tell them of our alliance, a resolve that stood against expansionist warmongers for over a century, and the legendary marshal union of Haense and Urguan alike. 

 

For heed me, my Dwarven kindred, you ought harbour no fear.

 

The crimes of the King Charles and his court are righted, for he is bereft of his throne by the grace of High Pontifex Deunoro I. Rest most assured, under his grace, and with the support of the realms of Canon, the darkness you fear shall be expunged, and the order that our kinsfolk have fought for, bled for, and died for, for generations shall stand. 

 

Not a single Dwarven life need be spent in the pursuit of justice, for it is already underway following the penal abdication of King Charles, and the regency of his court by the Church. Let your warriors return to their halls to drink and craft, for justice and peace shall be won bloodlessly by virtue of our shared vision, and shared strength.

 

The kinslayer is without his throne. Those who raided the lands of Ravenmire shall be apprehended. The seed of the black-purple banner shall find no purchase. It is as we have always stood for, and it is achieved without battle, without the loss of Dwarven blood. 

 

Rejoice, for our alliance bears fruit most bountiful, as ever.

 

Truly,

Marius III, King of Hanseti and Ruska

[Caranthir_ 2533]

“It is a sorry sight to see a king so caught between two worlds. I pity him. Nevertheless, he is an oathbreaker. And says things he knows to be untrue to justify such a perilous act. That is sadder still.” Tristan commented from afar.

[GMRO 6187]

"Urguan and Haense, longest friendship in the history of the world. Who are van Aerts who tried to take the lands of Urguan so many a time to stand in the way of that friendship? Woe unto the world when those that made that world seek out battle for fast and cheap friends. Friendships shall continue to run asunder for men that seek out vengeance of Gods in the sky over their history and the world in which they inhabit." Commented one Knight, Ser Rickard of Valdev.

[Pureimp10 5691]

Patriarch Josef was reminded of the fine work of the dwarven miners when they created his siege camp at Drusco. What a sight it'd been, destroying a Veletzer fort from a bunker within a mountain.

 

Ser Nikolas simply hoped the dwarves would listen to reason so that Shiller High Life™ could continue to expand.

[Javert 9615]

"Once, my Father told me..."

 

 

"...Oh wait, he's dead." 

 

The Duke of Blackworth promptly wandered off to go do something else with his day, perhaps to go tell his own Son a story. He did have quite a few he could tell the boy, after all.

[erictafoya 3276]

~-~

 

Within the warm halls of the palace, the King's hand sat idle by his stacks of papers.
Letters, addresses, reports. . .

What did this all mean? What was the worth of his work?
Then, he realized something. A silent effort taught to him by his King.
 

---

Within every document, between every space, and alongside all the margins. . .
Peace continues to thrive not through the field, but through missives.
Perhaps, he thought, a bloodless era was upon us.
And yet, still, he worked as if it were the last day of peace.

~-~

[MunaZaldrizoti 8037]

It seemed she had spent hours in that secluded office within the Kastell Lesanov, if not otherwise out on horseback to attend those meetings which had now come to plague her existence. Nevertheless, Milena persisted in both her patriotic and religious duty--to ensure her kingdom and it's allies remained stalwart. Though she had her doubts, she hoped this word from their King was the start of mending those bridges burned by a handful of drunkards.

[sergisala 3451]

Father Marc felt utterly disgusted to read the king's missive as he realized how the Haeseni King felt proud of hearing that the Haensemen fought alongside dwarves to bring the fall of the Holy Empire of Oren "I will never support anyone who works with non-humans to destroy a human canonist nation. The Holy Scrolls of the Canon commend human unity and highlight the importance of the Old Kingdom of Oren, founded by the Exalted Horen, as its first King, from who all the humans descend. Such a disunity in mankind is precisely what the Great Deceiver seeks to achieve, for he knows that the day we turn against our own canonist brothers in faith we will all perish and Iblees will emerge triumphant from the Void and rule over the ashes of the world." remarked the priest, before signing the Cross of Lorraine.

[Fionn__TWG 2795]

1 minute ago, sergisala said:

Father Marc felt utterly disgusted to read the king's missive as he realized how the Haeseni King felt proud of hearing that the Haensemen fought alongside dwarves to bring the fall of the Holy Empire of Oren "I will never support anyone who works with non-humans to destroy a human canonist nation. The Holy Scrolls of the Canon commend human unity and highlight the importance of the Old Kingdom of Oren, founded by the Exalted Horen, as its first King, from who all the humans descend. Such a disunity in mankind is precisely what the Great Deceiver seeks to achieve, for he knows that the day we turn against our own canonist brothers in faith we will all perish and Iblees will emerge triumphant from the Void and rule over the ashes of the world." remarked the priest, before signing the Cross of Lorraine.

Spoiler

 

[Xarkly 17299]

It made precious little sense to Villorik why one would harp about the lacklustre imperial ambitions of Aaun, while allying with the same mercenaries who had once invaded Urguan under the very banner of Oren itself.

 

Alas, it eluded him, as did a great many things these days. He could not stop that from gnawing at him.

 

"I begin to think I am no longer Descendant at all,"  he muttered as he reclined against a stump in a solitary forest, wreathed in unseasonal wildflowers. "Every thought seems foreign, every ambition twisted ..." he raised a palm, unadorned but for a plain ring of petrified wood, and watched the evening light filter through his aged fingers. "Is this a side effect of the transformation?"

 

He asked as a gentle, waxing ember of pure white finger blossomed to life, mingling with the sunlight in his fingers. He lowered his hand at last, eyes fixed in concern at his companion across the clearing.

 

"Well?" he asked her.

 

[GhostSHTR 1205]

"The King is wise, it is quite humorous that the dwarves claim the Aaunites wish for imperial restoration. When blackvale is the ones who truly wish to restore it." remarked Rickard Nord from the Mountain of Kvaz

[Twodiks 597]

"This is true, I hate to admit." said Wilhelm Van Eart, laying his eyes on a painting his grandfather made long ago.

 

Edited August 13, 2024 by Twodiks

[Elite Snipes 3563]

Upon sharing a meal with his brothers in the mountains with Gror, Durorn and Axel, Bakir shook his head upon reading the state of events. He recalled the various times the honorable sons of Urguan and the Ireheart Clan  joined ranks with the people of Haense to stand against evil and injustice. Bakir Ireheart remembered the time when he was Grand King, and alongside his friend Sigismund III, joined arms and destroyed the Orenian empire, sending the dogs of Blackvale running. Together, Urguan and Haense achieved great things, as allies. But now, Urguan turns against its longest ally, an ally that never wavered. Bakir, shook his head once more, ashamed of what the Grand Kingdom has become. "The Irehearts won't bail Urguan out of trouble once again if they choose to betray our most loyal ally. The Starbreaker king shall bring dishonor to our people." Bakir said to his brothers, as he sipped a cup of ale, as he watched the sun set over the mountains. 

@Masouri@Lefty@Pancakehz

 

Spoiler

 

[ivery 590]

Across a quiet clearing, a pale figure hums a long-lost tune. Unlike her companion, she is constantly in motion. "Around and around and around.." she mumbles to herself, fond, and coaxes a flower into tipping towards the warm sun. A dozen more around her are already thriving, as they always have and as they always will be. They, like her, are unchanging.

 

"Your eyes are opening, that's all."

[Papa Rock 2400]

16 hours ago, Elite Snipes said:

Upon sharing a meal with his brothers in the mountains with Gror, Durorn and Axel, Bakir shook his head upon reading the state of events. He recalled the various times the honorable sons of Urguan and the Ireheart Clan  joined ranks with the people of Haense to stand against evil and injustice. Bakir Ireheart remembered the time when he was Grand King, and alongside his friend Sigismund III, joined arms and destroyed the Orenian empire, sending the dogs of Blackvale running. Together, Urguan and Haense achieved great things, as allies. But now, Urguan turns against its longest ally, an ally that never wavered. Bakir, shook his head once more, ashamed of what the Grand Kingdom has become. "The Irehearts won't bail Urguan out of trouble once again if they choose to betray our most loyal ally. The Starbreaker king shall bring dishonor to our people." Bakir said to his brothers, as he sipped a cup of ale, as he watched the sun set over the mountains. 

@Masouri@Lefty@Pancakehz

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

The Grand King reads the letter of the Haense Monarch carefully, though a thought comes to him.. He turns to Snaer and questions, "Have deh Ireheart's worken oop yet?" it was a serious question, though he moves back to the letter. A nod is given to the details in understanding acknowledgement, however he will seek council for further interpretation.