THE CHAIR IS EMPTY

[MadOne 4945]

THE CHAIR IS EMPTY

By Adelmar
 

 

A WORD FROM ADELMAR VON KANUNSBERG, GYJSH AND SKALD OF REINMAR TO THE CHILDREN OF THE TRIBE 

 

I have held my tongue long enough.

 

I was there in the days of Adalfriede, when the old oaths still held strong. I walked beside Estmund, and heard him speak law like hammerstrikes. I drank with Robert, and buried Petsch. These men are gone. Their voices are ash. But the Kanun remains.

 

The seat of the Lawspeaker stands empty. No voice gives judgment. No hand weighs truth. That is a danger. It invites rot. I have seen such rot before. The Kanun is not parchment. It is not ink. It is not owned. It is spoken. And if no one speaks it, we drift like cattle in fog. That cannot be.

 

I will not name myself Lawspeaker. That is not our way. But I say this now: one must rise. One must take the seat and speak the law before the fire. One must stand between quarrel and blood-feud, and say, “This is right, this is wrong.” Not for gold. Not for pride. But because the tribe needs it.

 

It is not for one man to crown himself. That is not our way. The Lawspeaker must be chosen by the folk, by the elders, by the will of the tribe. So I say this now, plainly: call the folk-moot. Let men gather. Let names be spoken. Let the one most fit take the seat.

 

And I will stand among them.

 

Not because I hunger for place, but because I have carried the Kanun in my chest since boyhood. I have not sold it for favor, nor dulled its edge with lies. I have seen the outlander men twist law to suit their bloodline. I have seen silence bought with gifts. That is not the Reinmaren way.

 

If the folk find me worthy, I will serve. If not, I will kneel before the chosen voice and call it just. But the seat must not stay empty. Law must be spoken. That is what keeps our tribe whole.

 

So I say: Call the folk. Choose the tongue of the Kanun. Let the tribe speak.

 

Adelmar von Kanunsberg

[Random 1690]

Martin von Kanunsberg read through his grandfather’s missive. Having eyed the position of Lawspeaker too, this missive came as a bit of a surprise to the young Reinmaren, though he quickly made up his mind.

”Großvater has a point, his stories speak for themselves. May he bring further glory to our House as Lawspeaker of the grander Tribe.”

[MercyAzalea 405]

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"A sword that speaks the law can guard more than just a border—it can guard a people’s soul."

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A man of great strength and integrity; experience enough, more than enough. The Dame-Warchief reviewed the missive with a sense of clarity; for too long had the chair been empty. For too long had Reinmar idled without a Lawspeaker.

A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she reached for a page, smoothing the delicate sheet out as she laid it atop unorganised paperwork.

"I ought to pen him my support; I would think none other more capable than my brother-in-arms."

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WER RASTET, DER ROSTET.