THE PRICE OF A SILVER TONGUE

[Unwillingly 18096]

 

C E N S U R E   F R O M   T H E

I V O R Y   C R O W N

Issued by the Ivory Crown & Grace of the High Prince

13th of the Deep Cold, year 232 S.A

 

THE TRANSGRESSIONS of the Silver State are so plentiful and infamous that even the tomes of grudges written by the chroniclers of the dwarves and those proud lineages of humankind could not encapsulate a mere summary of their misdeeds. A dishonest people would be inclined to cite the greater portion of these real offenses, not needing even to invent others, but the people of Cauróst are not merchants with false weights. Their grievances need not be ancient, nor must they scrape to find legitimacy for the justification of their demands. Of the crimes of the Silver State, five have been deemed most offensive to Cauróst:

I.   Year 176 S.A. The attempted murder of Húrin Ílumrin, father of the Prince of Cauróst, by Valindra Nullivari;

II.   Year 176 S.A. The forced captivity of Seraena, mother of the Prince of Cauróst, by Valindra Nullivari in an effort to escape during the attempted murder of Húrin Ilmurin;

III.   Year 189 S.A. The forced captivity of the Prince of Cauróst and his councilor, Avagis Ingeson, by Sohaer Incariol in an effort to obtain the submission of the people of Cauróst, via coercion and threat of violence, thereby violating the assumptions and traditions of hospitality;

IV.   Year 227 S.A. The wrongful and illegal attempt to force the extradition of the Ibarellan family in violation of their right to diplomatic immunity while within Cauróst, furthermore undermining the authority of the Ivory Crown by attempting to gain illegal entry into the city after being refused extradition;

V.   Year 232 S.A. The threats and insinuation of the necessity of a ‘crusade’ against the people of Cauróst by the Sohaer and her peers. 

 

LAMENTATION

The people of Cauróst, in their reverential, humble devotion to the principal maxims of war, opted against fraying the Holy League by meeting these offenses with equal measure. A common refrain of war, first attributed to the great Phaedrus'Yar, although certainly an existing sentiment before him, is written thusly:

 

“When shared, the wounds suffered during war come to painfully overwhelm the ache of past scars: when under the trial of force, bitter enemies may become steadfast allies.”

 

The people of Cauróst are well-studied and well-practiced in the methods of warfare. It is our weakness that martial pursuit, a self-edifying and honest practice, is a poor teacher of court intrigue and schemes undertaken under cover of darkness and wine glasses in ivory towers. The recent war, an ample opportunity to put aside the contentious years preceding it, was twisted and used by the government of the Silver State as a medium to attempt to exert their will over Cauróst.

 

Befitting a country that chooses the poisoned chalice above the tempered blade, the Silver State squandered the opportunity brought by war so that it could grasp for what scrap of power they thought might be available for them. Having been poor-sighted as much as they were short-sighted, they have taken the wide-reaching and generous patience of the Prince of Cauróst for granted and spilled the contents of the cup of goodwill upon their marble floors. 

 

No injury upon the pale and fragile skin of the Sohaer and her officers has been dealt by a Caurósian hand, yet from white shadows they have gathered to undermine this country, no doubt with the intent to strike when they perceive weakness. It is in the circumstances of this petty intrigue, under far more serious consideration than past grievances, although they have remained without resolution.  

 

The pride of the Sohaer, at the expense of her state and her people, will prove to be her undoing. As the glove of friendship has been batted away, the gauntlet of consequence must be donned and brought across the head of each and every councillor guilty of abetting the misdeeds of their country. Had the Sohaer and her council made redress for their crimes, or had abstained from continuing their provocations, then the matter would have been permitted to be overlooked. That door is now shut.

 

TERMS OF PEACE

I. A public statement from the government of the Silver State in apology of their past transgressions;

 

II. The abdication of Valindra Nullivari from the Sohaerate;

 

III. Supplication to the Ivory Throne and the recognition of the Prince of Cauróst as the suzerain of Elvendom.

 

The Silver State is given a period of one year, or seven Saint’s days, to satisfy the above terms, and three Saint’s days to pursue negotiations. Failure to do so will force the Ivory Crown to use the full force at their disposal.

To the Silver State of Haelun’or,

 

In the elvish tongue, Uell ito Maruthiran translates to Death to Tyrants. A bitterly honest axiom, yes, but one critical to the stability of great powers. It is the plain truth that there is no wound so profound as one dealt by the warrior who longs for peace, yet it is a truth I suspect your people shall come to forget with haste with the issuing of this late censure. The rulers of the Silver State, the bastion of logic and reason— if only by their own accord— shall elect to posture themselves as the martyr subject to warmongers and undue bloodshed at the hand of Caurósian tyrants, thereby deceiving not only the citizens beholden to them, but the allies they’ve committed a great deal to gaining the approval of. 

 

However, I admire this almost slate-cold resolve of the mali’thill, the conviction to abide by one’s creeds with such zeal that our kin have been so woefully starved of in epochs. Undoubtedly so, it’s this fidelity that has preserved your civilization through folly and celebration, both carnage and reverie, while lesser countries, ones we’re both regrettably familiar with, have succumbed to corrosion and apathetic vice. As such, the recent foray you’ve committed to assailing the Balianite people with through boasts of valor and bravado ought to be seen for what it is: a calculative, opportunistic effort to curry the favor of greater allies, to extort the dying, and to posture against the Princedom. 

 

Such conduct does distinguish you from us, though not quite in the fashion you had hoped. While someone of a more venomous disposition might find satisfaction in opportunistic bloodsport, I see no vainglory in the slaying of a snared, bleating fawn too infirmed to lift its own head. While a warrior without honor is merely a marauder, it seems that even the likes of common banditry gains a certain refinement when dressed with a state seal. 

 

So I caution you, mali’thill, if you’re at all as practiced in wisdom as you proclaim, let yourselves be governed by reason and steer from a path of wanton bloodshed. I am not the tyrant you’ll so eagerly craft narrative of in your vaunted library, for I have stayed my hand where someone of lesser restraint would have long since struck. But do not mistake my reluctance for frailty, for I act with purpose upon your people, not with haste— and should you continue to test my mercy, you shall meet an assured end with the swiftness of your late rivals. Take this, then, as my decree.

 

Celia’nor dared too little. You dare far too much.

 

Signed,

Galahad Ílumrin

Uell ito Maruthiran,

Signed,

Galahad Ílumrin

High Prince of Cauróst, Prince of Malinor & Eldest Son of Húrin Ibarellan

 

Galar Ithelanen

Lord of Camlannen

 

Spoiler

 

[Nectorist 12869]

"Fascinating... controversial... I wasn't expecting any of this at all... Who could have predicted these developments..." Galar says to his companions as they dine together at his tavern.

 

"Lord Galar, your name is literally signed at the bottom," Jared Dune, a nineteen year old, obese human recently hired as a line cook, pipes up.

[Holyland 3650]

A prophet, ever patriotic as much to his peoples of Cauróst as to the Solitary God, breathes a mantra.

He utters a low prayer beneath his breath, for the wretchedness of the Silver Idolater.

 

 

"There is nothing the ignorance of Silver prizes more than the ignorance of others."

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Javert 9615]

"LETS ******* GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" roared Trevaj War-lover at the sight of yet another war kicking off in Aevos! He moved to grab his best popcorn and prepared to travel south to watch the elf-on-elf violence.

[__Hergh 785]

The young Acal'Turrii would give a faint, "woot!" At the sight of this missive. She jumped up from her seat, running off to show the papyrus to her cousins.

[Wyrvun 1808]

"It has always been the one concept that united all elves: Unbridled hatred of the Silver State. It's good that Galahad plays on that." Emaelia Drakon let out a few light chuffs of amusement, together with an idle shake of the head. "Ah.. Haelun'or."

Spoiler

fennposting

 

[Morigung-oog 5697]

"Interesting, but not wholly unexpected."  The Sohaer mused evenly, raising a hand to rub at her chin. She pivoted then to her Okarir with a slight half-smile pulling at her paled lips. "I'm not opposed to abdicating- I've been in dire need of a vacation-- though what say you, Okarir'tir?"

 

@MailC3p

[Adelemphii 1766]

Eliyen, the blindfolded cool person stirred her stew and added a pinch of salt. "Hmm... tastes like victory."

[Hiccup392 724]

Amidst the dirt-paved walking paths of the eastern forests, a scrap of parchment caught the eye of one wanderer.

 

Vindication lied within the toppling of that tainted blood, in due time. The weight of Haelun'or's actions against those she cared so dearly for was turned into green mulch for the wilderness, the word of the Ivory Crown scattered to those memory-keeping roots.

[Schneebo 1593]

The absent councilor caught wind of the missive and quietly read it over from her chambers before finally speaking out, "It seems he has sought more than just the stars. Let us see what comes."

[jqsmlne 460]

Eirien read the missive ,her eyes widening, and blinking a few times to process, after she had finished reading.

....

She sat still like that for a few moments...

[Frisket 4538]

“Who would have guessed…. Well I did of course”

 

Ember chuckled belowly

 

“MANNNNNNNNNNN THIS DAY KEEPS GETTING WORST, FIRST I GET PUT IN A MATCHMAKING GAZETTE NOW THIS….?!”

 

Vivien groans 

[amongus 816]

"When will you, or others of our shared blood, stop causing issues?" Veluc asked one of the Ivory Crown's inanimate training dummies, the Silver State's symbol plastered across its face. He pressed a finger aggressively into its chest, lecturing the model as if it were alive. "We're elves, not duplicitous vermin! Shame on you! Shame! Shame!"

[Animelife190 10]

Being the individual who told the high prince of such developments, he just sips his tea, and waits to hear of a response.

[Daisy 9725]

"Hmm, seems we hurt their feelings." the Maheral remarks to the Sohaer, reading over the missive, chuckling as she glosses over the terms, then tossing the missive aside.