AVARICE.

[Wavey 2568]

 

 

TO MIKHAIL SARKOZIC 

 

 13th of  Godfrey’s Triumph, 1999

 

“And you shall take them carefully, and shall not become a creature of worldly indulgence as the beasts of the earth.” (Virtue, 3:8)

☨

“Come to your senses little crow.” 

 

┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

Oh Avarícia

 

Oh Avarice

How tempting you are 

Your scented fruits dangle from its branches 

Oh Avarice 

How clever you are 

Your leaves are disguised as sassafras 

Oh Avarice 

You have made me a fool

Your fruits are rotten 

Your leaves are poisonous 

Oh Avarice

You have blinded me 

With empty titles 

And hollow words  

But Avarice

I thank you 

For I crave attention 

In this miserable life

My Avarice

All shall pay attention to me 

For I shall be crowned

‘The Royal Fool’

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛

𖥞

 

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST OMNIPOTENT, THE ALL-POWERFUL, WE BEGIN.

 

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VIRTUE (3:1-10)

 

1 Lo and attend, for I am the Lord GOD, and I am in the foremost part of heaven. 2 Though the spring flower withers and the fruit of the tree falls to the ground, My Word lasts into the eve of the world, and the fruit of virtue cannot rot.

3 I am the Lord GOD without peer. 4 I grew the first grapes of the vineyard, and gave unto Horen the first wife.

5 And as I made for you the worldly pleasures, so too have I made the pleasures of the spirit, and the love of the husband and wife. 6 And I have given unto you the wine of sacrament, and the wine of merriment, and I have promised you the world and the Skies.

7 For I have given to you the pleasures of the world, and they shall comfort you in the theater of virtue. 8 And you shall take them carefully, and shall not become a creature of worldly indulgence as the beasts of the earth.

9 So I am the Most High, and in pursuit of My Virtue, I bid my faithful this: You shall not lie with your kin, nor those of other tribes, and none shall lie together but in holy union.

10 And I am the Lord GOD without peer, and My joys are the holy joys, and My comfort is the virtuous comfort, and all the blessings of the Virtue shall fall before the righteous who do not indulge.

 

 

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SPIRIT (2:11-14)

 

11 So I find that you are strict in your arms, but lax in your prayers. But to pray is to gird the spirit. 

12 The hand of GOD is the greatest weapon to bear, and His word is the paramount strategy.

13 There can be no laxity in faith for any reason, not war nor peace, not wealth nor poverty. 

14 The Lord lasts through all adversities, for He is their source and their remedy—without Him, they are uncured.

 

 

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Mikhail Sarkozic. I shall not indulge further in your sins in great length. Yet your sinful foolishness knows no bounds. Claiming titles hold no weight when you have no land nor any men. Hollow words do no justice, yet the greed of your forefathers weighs you down. 

 

To lawyer about titles is one thing, but to hold on to them for the sake of power only taints your soul. No, your crimes are not that you claim them, but you desire them. Avarice tempts you like the sweetest of fruits. But her rewards are rotten within.

I have stated, time and time again. The Lotharian Regency shall not practice the disposal of titles. The Holy Mother Church, the most devout servants of the LORD, shall not act as a title bank. The titles of Novellen D’Atrus, D'Arkent, and Ruthern shall remain the same as long as this regency remains in effect. 

 

Yet, you do not listen. You merely nod, with your right fingers tied behind your back with your left hand to your chest. Your ears are covered with the songs of greed, beckoning you to stray from the straight path. 

 

Your soul has crossed the line.

 

For your breach of the sacred canticle of temperance, for the crimes of treason against the Kingdom of Balian, for refusing to heed to the doctrine set forth since this regency,

 

You shall henceforth be

In A STATE OF INTERDICTION.

 

Make no mistake however, for you are given a chance at repentance before GOD ALMIGHTY. From henceforth, all canonist princes, and all soldiers of the LORD’S Holy Orders must adhere to this epistle. They shall locate your whereabouts and bring you before the Lotharian Regency for a chance at repentance in trial. If you refuse, then you have truly fallen from grace.  

 

Let it be so, under the watchful gaze of the ALMIGHTY. 

EN DÉU CONFIEM,

Ivan Cardinal Lotharia

 

Averred by:

Fr. Jacques-Baptiste Auclair, Auditor of the Supreme Pontifical Tribunal

 

[Nectorist 12869]

“A wise and just decision,” comments Father Davide from Vallagne. “No matter the sins of their former king, the titles and estates of Balian should not be carved up and doled out to opportunists.”

[UndetectedOfficial 73]

The prince sat within his study before a member of his house walked into said room and handed him the massive with great distress over their faces. Mikhail extended his hand outwards, grasping the massive before setting it down on the desk. His eyes slowly followed beside his hand. The male overlooked the script; his gaze shifted over every word before a faint sigh slipped from his lips. His gaze returned to the other Sarkozic as he stood from his seat. "I shall not tarnish my family's name nor my own by being seen as a coward who wants to stand before the men and women of the church. Whenever this trial shall be held, I shall stand tall and speak my peace on the matter. I shall not have my life handed over to the likes of Ibless, as I am a man of God." He stated this before walking out of the office and further out beyond.

[Cheese 8883]

"GODAN bless His Eminence," Esfir huffed in relief. "Finally, some sense in these newspapers!"

[MapleSunflower 1889]

The sun cast a golden glow over the fields as morning crept over the horizon. Sweat glistened on her brow, evidence of the intensity and discipline she put into her practice. Every swing of her blade against the scarecrow cut against its straw chest, leaving a gash through the fabric that held it together. Each strike, each step, was precise, her body moving with grace. A blend of strength and resilience forged through countless sessions in the past few years guided Kathryn's swordsmanship to a refined skill. With eyes focused and unwavering, her lips would utter prayers of virtue and spirit. Once a girl who never wielded a blade, now a soldier centered in discipline. 

 

Rustling of wheat could be heard as an acolyte called upon the Cardinal's scribe, holding up a missive for her to read. Using the sleeve of her uniform, Kathryn Virosi sheathed her weapon and met the student half-way through the field. Cornflower blue eyes absorbed the words with a sharp intuition, sucking in a breath as it was folded and tucked within her satchel pocket.

 

"I was right." Mused the brunette as she returned to the half-beaten scarecrow. Kneeling upon her knee, her head adorned by the braids and flowering blooms of purple aster and white lilacs bowed low as Kathryn laid her palms together. Shutting her eyes, a deep, concentrated breath was drawn into her lungs. "GOD, You who is good in all things, may you guide those who fall from the path of virtue due to their selfishness and greed. In this world filled with temptations and desires, many are caught in the trap of wanting more, forgetting what truly matters. I pray You soften their hearts and open their eyes to the beauty of generosity and selflessness. Help them find contentment in what they have and remind them that the greatest riches are not of gold but of love, faith, and charity, as you commanded unto the Exalted Horen. It is You, GOD, who has given us the greatest riches, You who has given us the life of flora and fauna, and the life of our own. Guide them to use their blessings for good and to find joy in giving, so that they may experience the peace that only You can bring."

 

Radiant blue hues humbly lift to the sunlight that shimmered in the glorious rays of morning, as if greeting her kindly. "Let them know that Your Word teaches humility and love, not greed or selfish gain. May they seek truth in You and follow the path of righteousness without using your name for their self-serving actions. Show them, as you promised us in Virtue,"

 

"Live not for you own gain but for Your glory."

[harvestskies 362]

From the docks of Balian, within the confines of her room, the virosi set down the missive, a soft sigh escaping her lips. “...So that's what became of him,” she muttered to herself, her index finger softly tapping at her desk before joining her other digits into a fist. Leaning forward towards her bookshelves, she took out her journal, flipping through her entries before settling upon the page mentioning the Sarkozic. How eager she had been to make a friend, how simple and naïve she had been when it came to the judgment of people-

-and just like that, that same entry was torn to shreds. With a sigh, the virosi gazed outside her window, her fingers tapping against the blank page in her journal. After pondering for a moment, she reached out to take hold of her quill, and then began writing a new entry.

[__Stal27 2126]

“Papej Ivan. What is this HEAT.” Spoke the Temesch as he witnessed the punishment of the Cardinal-Regents hard written work, he truly had locked in.