THE WOLF OF SCHWYZ [PK]

[FireAGN 1207]

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On the eve of the second battle of the last war that would be encountered by the aging Margrave of Schwyz, Konstantin, second of his name, would be among his kin within the gatehouse and armories of Fritzbrook, his prized castle. Suggesting weapons better fit for the field of battle, and signing the Lorraine over each combatant, praying they would come home to him. 

 

As morning drew closer, and his descendants marched off to battle, Konstantin stood alone on the Battlement of Fritzbrook, watching as the flags of Alba waved in the distance as the soldiers left. It was there that the former soldier, the Knight who trained under many lieges, the Heartlands, Petra, the Lord Vandalore, could not make his last stand on a field of battle. It was not his time, anymore. 

 

He returned to his chamber, his room, where he stared at paintings of people he missed. Of his parents, Theodosya & Friedrich, of his late wife, Marietta of Ves, of his favored sister and brother, Elsie & Marsilius, of his children, Konstantin, Fredrik, Marie, Franz, and Mathilde, of his grandson who was lost too soon, Sigismund, and of his other kin who had long left him. 

 

He sat upon his bedside and waited until the banners of Alba would return. Until the banners of Schwyz would return to Fritzbrook. Until he could count all the redheads who had left its walls, and see them cheering to be home. GOTT protect them. . . did he mutter as he leaned back in his seat, his gaze on the sunlight twinkling through the windowsill,  For I can no longer. . . as an incomplete Lorraine was left unsigned upon his chest. 

 

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A portrait of Konstantin II when he became Margrave of Schwyz, age 59. 

c. 2022

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THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF,

SIR KONSTANTIN LEON VON AUGUSTEN “THE RESOLUTE”,

Margrave of Schwyz, Earl of Konstanz, Count of Hohengarten, Lord of Fritzbrook, 4th Patriarch of the House von Augusten, Elector of Hohengarten to the Waldenic Diet, Knight of the Reformed Vandorian Order, and Lord Receiver-General of the Imperial Treasury of Man,

 

I, Konstantin Leon von Augusten, of sound mind und lawful authority, do commend mein spirit unto Almighty GOTT, mein creator und saviour. By right of Imperial und Alban law, I name Parzival Emmerich von Augusten, mein grandson by mein late son Fredrik Theodor und his late wife Carina Augusta, to be mein sole heir. 

 

To him I grant mein name, lands, dignities, offices, und all fortunes thereto belonging. He shall stand as executor of this will und bear full authority to see its words fulfilled in gutte faith. He shall take the seat of the Augusten Patriarchate, und thereby the Electorship of Hohengarten. Let him never suffer our Waldenic charge nor our Owynist faith to lie idle. Let him be shield und shelter to all Augustens, to our sister-cadet House Leopold, und to Falkner, should ever need call.

 

After the due season of mourning, mein body shall be blessed und prepared within the Chapel of Saint Michael, within mein keep of Fritzbrook, by mein eldest daughter, Mother Marie Ester, or another able Waldenian clergyman in Owynist rite. A portion of mein ashes shall be buried beneath a tree upon our lands, chosen by Sir Franz, Dame Katarina, und Lady Aralinde, as mein muter, Theodosya of Mondstadt, was in the lands of Aevos. The remainder shall rest beside mein late wife, Marietta of Ves, our late kinder, und our kin, within the crypts of Fritzbrook.

 

Invitations to mein rites shall be sent unto Sir Therin of the Petra; Mister Theodore Elwood; Sir Manfred von Berkhoven; und unto the noble Houses Aert, Alstion, Alstreim, Amador, Baruch, Barclay, Burgundy, d’Amaury, d’Arkent, Enswerp, Falkner, Halcourt, Helane, Horen, Leopold, Ludovar, Sarkozic, Stafyr, Temesch, Theonus, Whitewood, together with any others whom mein executor shall deem fitting.

 

All family treasures are granted unto Lord Parzival, to guard und preserve. He may, at his judgment, lend certain pieces unto our kin, yet all such gifts must return in time to the Augusten main line, und never be lost to succession.

 

The letters hereafter named are to be delivered to, und read only by those to whom they are addressed.

 

PARZIVAL I,

Spoiler

To my most noble heir, Parzival Emmerich,

 

I pray this letter finds you at a time when you are not without love, or peace, or comfort. That your children have proven dutiful, loving, and proper Vanders, as the code teaches us so to be. That you have lived a life worth leading, one not drowned by duty or purpose, for heavier duties yet await you. It was unfair of me to decree you as my successor after not truly teaching you how to be. It was a loss to me to see your cousins lose their patience over such an honor and burden, and to see you ever valiant in your service to the Reiksguard. Perhaps you may become a Vander Knight, in time, or at least ensure they do not remain dormant. You have proven yourself capable, true, and loyal, and I am proud of you for who you have become. Your father and mother would be proud, as would each Patriarch and Matriarch in the past. You are to lead a new generation of House Augusten, and while I remind you of your roots, I look forward to seeing what your future has for you. By Our Blood, We Shall Rise, and by our hearts and courage, we shall speak and strike true.

 

GOTT MIT UNS,

Konstantin Leon von Augusten

 

FRANZ VON AUGUSTEN,

Spoiler

To my son, Franz,

 

It has been a long time since I last saw you. I’ve missed you in your absence, but I pray that you have found peace and purpose, wherever your life has taken you. It has been the light of my life to see you grow from a young lad to a capable Vander Knight, and I shall be ready to receive you when you, too, join your mother, brothers, and me in the Seven Skies. 

 

GOTT MIT UNS,

Konstantin

 

KATARINA VON AUGUSTEN,

Spoiler

Katarina,

 

I pray you receive this letter long after you need me. I would not say it to another soul, and trust that you shall not either, but while I never chose you as mein heir, you were one of my favored children, grand or not. Your leadership, resilience, kindness, and faith have always made me see myself in you. I considered you my successor after your brother disappeared, but I decided not to place such a burden on you. I knew you would do great things, regardless if you bore the mantle of Margravine. I pray you have found peace and happiness, wherever your light has taken you, and I hope, in time, there may be someone who can fill the shell of your lost twin.

 

GOTT MIT UNS,

Konstantin

 

ARALINDE VON AUGUSTEN,

Spoiler

Aralinde Leon,

 

I pray for your safety, your well-being, and your peace of mind. I pray you have remained in good spirits despite the troubles you have faced. They are not unlike my own: the loss of love, the strain of family, the trials of siblings. If you have been burdened with my same tribulations in bearing my namesake, then I ask your forgiveness, though I know you shall rise stronger each time, as a true eagle does. If anything is to be remembered from my tutelage, let it be this: hold fast to your values and to your Waldenic spirit, and fight as a Vander should. Fly high, young eagle, and never turn your back on your family.

 

GOTT MIT UNS,

Konstantin Leon

 

ANNIKA BARUCH,

Spoiler

To mein niece, Annika,

 

I lived a long life, not without failure or regret, though with much of it. I consider it a requirement of being a Lord who allows himself to love. During my life, and hers, I could not apologize to your mother for my lack of strength in her hour of need. It was not fitting as your Patriarch, or as your self-proclaimed uncle. I loved your brother, Peter Leopold, and it was heartbreaking to hear of his murder. Your mother endured much, from accusations of treason to the death of your elder brother. I am ashamed that I was not able to provide support for her, or any of you, and that she passed believing I had turned on her. Parzival told me that you are well-acquainted. I should hope it will remain that way, in the years to come, and that he may rebuild our bonds of trust. Fly high, young Leopold.

 

GOTT MIT UNS,

Konstantin Leon

 

ROTHWIN ALDOR,

Spoiler

 

*Note: any links attached would be sent in tow with the letter; they seem to have been carefully preserved.*

 

To the good Lord Rothwin Aldor,

 

While I was not able to meet with you before time took me, I wanted to fulfill your interest in my life. Perhaps it may help you write another biography about the Alstion’s history. I may have forgotten something, and if so, I shall have my scribe send it to you as a follow-up. 

 

I was born in 1963 as the heir to the Viscounty of Azor under the Commonwealth of the Petra, in a mighty castle atop the Petrine River called Rittersberg. I began my career under the Grand Speaker of the Garmont Assembly, the legislative assembly of the Heartlander Confederation, a merger of the Kingdoms of Aaun and Petra in 1974. In 1978, I joined the Legion of St. Godwin, the military under the confederation led by Lord Wilhelm von Wittenbach,  a strong Vander. The first Heartlandic Council was composed of nine councilors, four from Petra and four from Aaun, with the Lord Chancellor, a neutral Cardinal, who later became High Pontiff Deunoro I. The council was prone to shifting between having a majority of Aaunic or Petran councilors. When either Monarch was without a majority, or even a perceived majority, there would be tension. 

 

I was raised by my mother, Theodosya Nataliya Amador, and my father, Friedrich Hans von Augusten, who later regained the title of our house, the County of Hohengarten, sometime during the merger into the Heartlands. It was the original title my house held before fleeing Aaun when my grandfather, Konstantin Edmund, or Konstantin I, had his family accused of treachery and darkspawnery, and left to live a life of service in Petra, after his parents, our founders, were burned to death inside our former family home in Whitespire, the former capital of Aaun, on the eve of their departure. It was at this time that the Alstions had placed their rule in a boy-king, Edmund II, son of the good Crown-Prince Henry Charles Alstion, who perished long before his time. 

 

The Heartlands were stable during the reign of His Apostolic Highness, King John of Aaun, the great-grandfather of our leal Archduke, Edward II. It was once his son, King Charles II, took over that madness seemed to descend upon our good lands. Charles became King and appointed his brother, John Valentinus Alstion, to the seat of Lord Chamberlain, which he would later use to cause mischief. Albeit causing trouble for my father and me, John was a friend, a mentor. I had an interest in following him as Deputy Chamberlain in my youth, after my interest fizzled in the Garmont Assembly. It was boring for a time. Until, at least, Count Atticus would retire and the seat of Grand Speaker would open. The assembly interested me once more; I found new passion and a desire to make my name known. Atticus’ deputy, Theodore Elwood, later a great friend, would run, I had known. I also knew that the nobles of Aaun, many of the seatholders of the Garmont Assembly, would not consider a commoner for a position on the Council. They did not share the same meriotic values that the Petrans were so devoted to. 

 

I gathered support for my nomination from many a friends in Aaun. My father was Vice-Chancellor at the time, after a recent election that named Louis-Caspian de Rosius as the new Lord Chancellor. He was once a friend, before he refuted my kin and broke off a betrothal with my sister, Elsie. Thus, the Garmont Assembly of 1984 began and concluded not long after. A period of time followed during which my Queen was unhappy with my actions, believing that Theodore was better suited. This, along with other claims of treachery, followed with Queen Adalia attending to my father and me within Petra and demanding that either my father, Friedrich, resign from the post of Patriarch and Count, or continue as Patriarch and be demoted to a Viscounty for his disloyalty. My father, composed and pious, begged for the Queen to see clarity, that we had not acted with any malice or treachery, and that we were devotedly loyal. She apologized and left.

 

Another form of deception we faced was the slander of mystery writer Bel Aurum, whom my father and I had thought to be Queen Renilde of the Petra, though my sister was convinced it was her granddaughter, Helane d’Valfleur, for a time. If it were Renilde, it would be strange, since she saved my family from persecution in Aaun. And that of the Word of Bon, a gossip column from a particularly irritating goblin named Bon’Ox. Horrible the two of them were, but we persisted loyally beyond the scandal.

 

The Heartlands emerged in chaos after Prince John Valentinus’ inciting actions of war, and King Charles’ lack of command to stop Prince John from angering their Petran counterparts. Prince John was appointed Count of Enswerp and ruled a castle not far from the capital of Whitespire. Our last Garmont Assembly was held in 1987, after King Charles called for us to come together following Petran whispers of disbandment. They had such a right, of course. The Heartlands were designed to come together under the union of King Charles II’s child and Queen Adalia’s child to marry and unite under House Alstion. It was not of GOTT’s plan, evidently, as Prince Godwin was born to Charles, so was Prince Therin born to Adalia. 

 

This Garmont Assembly, I knew, would become chaotic. As a heir to a vassal under our Petran province, I was loyal to my Queen, but I also desired the Heartlands to continue. I adored Whitespire and its inhabitants. I prayed for it to remain stable. Though war had already emerged. Prince John had supported a claimant to the Petrine throne, a former mentor and friend of mine, Prince Paul of the Petra, son of Queen Renilde, who claimed that Queen Adalia did not bear the blood of the Petra. Enswerp had become a place of their work, and Petra wished to disband, as King Charles would not stop it. 

 

The Garmont session concluded after a clear division was seen in the assembly. I did my duty to remain neutral, and Count Emilio Varoche, later my father-in-law, would issue a public post signed by the Bailiff of Enswerp, and a Magister of the Heartlands, Prince Robert Tiberias, younger brother of both Charles and John. It was then the Heartlands truly crumbled, in my eyes. Numendil came to support Petra's independence, and soon a meeting was held between High Pontiff Deunoro, Queen Adalia, and King Charles. He ceded and agreed to a mutual split for independence, without remorse or revenge, and so Queen Adalia wrote the news to her people. 

 

I pray these histories are useful in your writings, and you do keep an inspired eye on the attention of my kin. We have many words to say.

 

GOTT MIT UNS,

Konstantin II

 

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Spoiler

OOC: I started playing Konny when he was 5 years old in March of 2024, and it's been quite a while since then. I had a lot of fun times with him during his youth in the Heartlander Confederation, and later when he moved the Augustens over to Burgundy after that war. I’m looking forward to seeing what @Lortimedoes with Augusten during his time as Patriarch, and thanks to everyone who has been crucial to his story! P.S. Thank god for @Lortime because he is Konstantin’s 7th heir! The Augusten heir curse is over! 

 

[Cheese 8876]

From the Skies, Konstantin’s long-separated wife waited his arrival with great patience. When, at last, he arrived, Marietta wrapped her arm around his, and leaned against him in a hug. “My, how I missed you, my dear.” Now healthier, and surrounded in a pearlescent glow, Marietta could fully rest with her husband at her side.

[Lalosia 988]

 

Aralinde had taken to pacing within her chambers as soon as the news of her great-grandfather's death settled amongst the household of Fritzbrook. When she would reach one end of the room, she would promptly spin on her heel, making way to the opposing side. This ritualistic endeavor lasted for what felt like a millennia - brain scattered as she thought...

 

 

[Lortime 1153]

The New Margrave wept for several days and nights. He would have to find answers and find the strength he needed elsewhere now.

Edited February 22 by Lortime

[JudgeTrudy 610]

From a simple house beyond Riviense would the news of Konstantin's death reach the ears of Theodore Elwood. It was not often that the old man shed a tear any longer, but that night, the Grand Speaker wept quietly into his hands in immense grief. One of the last friends of his youth, finally gone. As morning came to pass and the little family sat for their morning meal, Theodore began recounting stories of Konstantin and House Augusten. Tales of the Garmont Assembly, of the Confederation, and of many years of adoration besting resentment.

 

Following the day of celebration for an old comrade, Theodore once more sat at a desk and got to writing. It was written carefully, scrapped, and written again and again throughout the afternoon. Finally, the wrinkled man sat before his letter, satisfied, and handed the rolled parchment off to his caretaker. Not long after, a pigeon would find its way to Alba from Riviense with a letter sealed with Petran formality, and specified for the new Margrave's own hands:

 

Spoiler

To Lord Parzifal von Augusten,

 

Please accept my deepest condolences to you and to your family. The passing of your grandfather has left countless hearts across the Empire weakened with sorrow. He was a good man, a countable leader, and once, a great friend. It is one of my greatest regrets that I did not seek him out for so long, and that I never did get to see him in these new lands we call home. Please know that while separated by time and by land, the fond memories of Lord Konstantin have never strayed from mine own heart. These memories of our shared youths are ones I hope bless me in my own final days, for they are some of my favorite.

 

For some time, I have held some sadness regarding House Augusten. The departure from the Petra bit at my soul not unlike a dear friend announcing their departure for a far away city or countryside. It was, in its own way, a loss that I could not learn to mourn properly for too long. In another life, had I been able to come to terms with your great-grandfather and grandfather's decisions, I would like to think that I may very well be with your family in Fritzbrook now to enjoy a quiet retirement. But the Lord works in mysterious ways, ones even I dare not question the purpose of. It is my hope that in the next life, I may rekindle my friendship with Lord Konstantin yet again.

 

Your own leadership is one I look to with hope. A new generation to lead the Augustens and the people of Schwyz into an era of resplendency. You follow in the footsteps of enormous leaders who bore the name 'von Augusten' to earn the honor and admiration of multiple generations of mankind. If your grandfather has placed his trust in you to name you his successor, then I stand without any doubt in my heart that you shall continue this legacy with ease.

 

If you would have me, it would be a great honor to attend your grandfather's celebration of life in the coming weeks, and to meet you face-to-face. I would understand if your family moves to a more private ceremony, however, or if your new station amidst a war leaves you even busier. I would take no offense, though, I would like your permission to come and visit my friend's resting place once before I meet my own end. I look forward to your reply.

 

Sincerely,

His Excellency, Theodore Elwood, Grand Speaker of the Garmont Assembly

@Lortime

 

OOC:

Spoiler

Konstantin was one of the first konstant characters in my playtime on LotC. I had lots of fun learning to manuever my character's mixed feelings around your own. His respect and admiration for Konstantin and his family, but also his own disdain for some of their choices. It's been a silent, but ever constant burn in the back of my mind for the past two years. One that I could not have enjoyed nearly as much without Fire playing Konstantin so well. One day I may even redeem that offer to roll up a von Augusten babe, should I ever get through some of my other ongoing humans :p

 

Looking forward to what you do next, @FireAGN <3

 

[Frank_Dog 808]

Annika Baruch heard the news during Alban court receiving some relief. For she found it so difficult to interact with the man who swore loyalty to the killer of her brother. Upon receiving the letter in her apartments of Silasia she weeped, praying her daughter or nephews did not hear. "The apology was all I ever needed. For I will not let hate fill my heart like my mother and sister." She clutched the Augusten Franziskan heirlooms locket upon her neck, which now held portraits of both of her late parents.

 

Later with a glass of wine she found solitude. Perhaps if her grandfather had remained with Augusten things would have been so different for house Leopold and their relation with Augusten. A match would have never been struck with Cosima von Leopold and her first husband the Duke of Marna. Which caused so much pain for her and all of her children. She moved her gaze out the window where her nephews and daughter played. Youngest nephew and daughter with toy eagles, the sigil shared between Leopold and Augusten. The eldest nephew with a wooden sword and the next with an instrument. "I must take them to pay their respects."

[najtik 183]

Dame Katarina of Schwyz stood alone when she read it, helm set aside, gloves removed, the parchment trembling.

 

"You were one of my favored children"

 

Her jaw tightened. She had spent her life earning glances, commands, expectations, but never softness. Never this. And now it arrived too late for rebuttal, too late for pride, too late for argument. She folded the letter carefully. Once. Twice. Then she sat.

 

Far away, in the halls of Fritzbrook, the old chamber lay undisturbed. The sunlight still touched the floorboards where he had once sat. The incomplete Lorraine remained unsigned upon his chest.

 

Katarina imagined him there. Not as the numerous titles he held, but as her Großvater. The man who corrected her grip on a sword when she was too small to hold it steady.

The man who told her that leadership was not a crown, it was a weight. When she finally allowed herself to bow her head, it was not dramatic. Only a slow exhale as her shoulders sagged, armor creaking softly with the motion.

 

“I would have borne it” she murmured into the quiet. “The mantle. The burden. I would have carried it for you.” Her fingers pressed to her chest, as if to finish the blessing he could not. “GOTT mit uns” she whispered, and completed the Lorraine over herself.

 

Katarina rose at last. Her eyes were red, but steady. She slid the letter into the inner lining of her gambeson, over her heart. “You should have burdened me” she said softly to the empty room. “I was forged for it.” Then she reached for her helm. There were soldiers to command. Ships to guard. A family to steady. And though the old lion had laid down his crown, the blood of Augusten still stood.

 

“Long live Schwyz”

 

She breathed. Then she stepped back into the noise of the living.

[NovumChase 235]

The words of the late Sir join a heap of piling correspondence, missives, and mail-ordered books now cluttering the many surfaces of Rothwin Aldor’s bedroom, writing-room, and lounge. Long taken by illness, the scrivener takes many weeks to finally arrive at the letter. As he unfolds it at his desk, his face falls. His travels seeking the Lady Diane, the sick months that followed his return, and the business of his family’s elevation to the Alban gentry had led him to delay—and then further delay—his meetings with the von Augusten. Time, in its mercilessness, had punished that decision.

His thoughts on the matter were written down and eventually bound up in a compilation of journal-entries of 2069.

 

For days I was troubled by my inaction on the matter of Konstantin von Augusten, and I was tormented one night by a frightful dream in which I was not permitted to breathe until I met with him—which, of course, he being dead, I could not accomplish. But after a week I came to a conclusion which was helpful to my heart’s ease: that I, by showing any interest whatsoever in the man’s stories, encouraged him to pen his account of that terrible conflict, and in doing so have aided in preserving his historical perspective, invaluable as it is. When all this business of war has passed, I hope that I might someday include it in my own writings, but will be gladdened if any hand, even if it be not my own, makes use of his words.