Pakkleaf

Posted along the streets of most major cities, a paper with bold writing hangs for all to read.

"The Kingdom of Norland has proven on countless occasions they think not with their heads but with their greed and bloodlust.

Now that I have your attention, my name is Inui R'ikarth. I wouldn't call myself anyone of grand importance, but I also wouldn't call myself a nobody, if only because of my participation in multiple kingdoms across the land.

When I speak of my 'participation', I speak heavily of Norland, the place I started and for a while, the place I loved."

"I'm an odd little Ker, No lineage to call my own except a single human man who I grew to consider my brother. Eugeo de Astrea. And its on his behalf that I write all this in the first place, as he and Elysium are suffering further abuse from their dictators in Varhelm. They've asked me to speak out on my story.

He is the current lord of Elysium, my first home when I chose to finally leave a life in the woods.

I found a family there, and even now I love and visit them. But it was not long that I got to spend with this family that Norland thrust us all into a needless war."

"Young and naive at the time, I'll admit I was rather foolish, I probably still am. But I had good heart. Knowing nothing of the world, I was not so eager to believe Norlands lies that Oren was made up of monsters, that we had every right to wipe them out. Hearing that peace communications had gone unheard in Oren, I did a military's greatest nightmare, and ran off to Oren on my own volition hoping to achieve something for the peace effort, even if it wasn't my place."

"I'll cut out some filler and spare you some details, but in my time there, I managed to achieve an audience with the Emperor, and to my pleasant surprise, he and his people were all kind and eager to help me find a peaceful path to ending the war. I hadn't yet realized it was my own kingdom at fault. With the Emperor's wishes for peace in hand, I returned to tell the news to the King. The King denied the chance I was giving him, and spoke only of desiring to see his axe in their heads. A perfect chance for peace, denied.

I was forbidden by him to return or speak to the Orenians. But on top of being foolish, I was also stubborn.

After many weeks of research and fact searching, I came to realize Norland's only goal with this war was to satiate their greed at the cost of not only Oren's people but Norland's as well. Despite Varhelm being so willing to go to war, they did little to nothing to aid their abused front line, my home, Elysium.

My family was suffering such loss and pain over a war that never needed to happen in the first place, with no aid from those who brought all this pain over them. So despite being forbidden, I returned to Oren.

I did so not to negotiate the end of the war, but to negotiate a way to save Elysium from Norland."

"Unfortunately, before such a goal could be achieved, I was found out for going behind Norland's back after my participation in resolving an Orenian raid, and saving hostages was mentioned by name in an article."

Copies of the Article are attatched

"I was quickly summoned to the Palace to speak with the King's right hand, for what I assumed would be a harsh punishment. Despite that I still went, and to my confusion, what I found was seemingly the opposite. I was told that I was being inducted, not willingly mind you, into a new elite group that served the king, called the Red Hand. They said I was to be their diplomat, having seen my work.

For a moment, I thought this was a good thing, that Norland was taking an opportunity to take a better path in the war. I was dreadfully wrong. In that same conversation, I was told my first assignment would be to abandon any efforts in Oren. I had a sick feeling, and realized quickly the only reason I was in the Red Hand, was to be managed. Or at least I thought, but it was so much worse.

I asked them what I thought was an obvious question, as a diplomat, a representative of peace, I wouldn't be required to fight right? Wrong. Very wrong. They told me, and I quote,"

"The only peace left for you to find, is blood upon your blade."

"They told me I would be required to fight, and that it would be at the front lines as well. A sense of dread filled me when I recalled, my summons had been written by the King, King Sven. He was man I called my friend, and I confided in him many times my frustrations because of my inability to fight, even after being taught. He knew this, and he's the one who summoned me to speak with his right hand. Knowing I had no skill to fight or defend myself, I was being ordered to the front lines of the war.

This was just their way to kill me quietly."

"I acted quickly, taking my things and fleeing from Norland all together. At the time, many of my family in Elysium were upset with me for the events of the article previously mentioned. Knowing their anger at me, I told no one except Eugeo that I left, and it broke my heart. I fled to the only other place I knew anything about in this realm, Oren. They gave me a heroes welcome, and worked with me to cover up the fact I had fled, making up the story they had instead arrested me as a spy for my sake. For my efforts, I was granted the position of diplomat for Oren, and for a while enjoyed a peaceful life there.

So the war waged on. Despite it, I snuck into Elysium to visit Eugeo what rare times I could, and eventually I was spotted and found out."

"Norland was expectedly upset. And many times tried to attack me, even while I was pregnant and unarmed. My visits to Elysium were cut down tremendously due to Varhelms hostility towards me. But eventually, the war was over. Once it was over, I was eager to see my friends again and went to pay them a visit. My family in Elysium was rather angry at me, until I told them the story behind why I left. It was a blessing to reunite with them.

As I was speaking with one friend in Varhelm, I wanted to ask him about something. In my time away, I had heard heard rumors that during the war time, Norland has called me a war criminal. I asked him if those rumors had been true or not."

"The current Norlandic King, Vane Freysson, who was at the time on the kings council, took note of me and my conversation. Despite once again being peaceful and unnamed, he decided to take it upon himself, with the help of an insane dwarf, to attack me. I tried to reason with them, never once fighting back but they chose to chase me. They ran me well out of Norland's borders but despite that, still knocked me out and dragged me back Norland. There Vane officially banished me as a proper war criminal, by threat of execution should I ever return.

They told me I could leave this once without issue. But his associates decided I was better off dead before I could even leave. They found an excuse to kill me through my atronach prosthetics. Some time ago, I unfortunately lost both my legs and one of my arms and now wear magical limbs to function. For the crime of wanting to have limbs to function at a basic level, they decreed I was a void monster, and that I had to die. It was only through the grace of the Elysium Rangers, my family, that I was able to flee from Norland."

"And so we come to the present. Elysium now faces tyranny from Norland, partly so because of how they've defended me on multiple accounts. False accusations of breaking the law and not upholding it have been levied towards the Rangers. Elysium has been stripped of military rights and attempts have even been made to arrest them. I tell you this now, Elysium is the only reason Norland is still even standing. Elysium is a shining example of people who are just, kind, and strong. Norland repays that with tyranny, sabotage, and abuse."

"I had no intentions on ever making this story public, but after seeing Elysium bleeding and hurting, I decided to do so, here it is. My personal account of the abuse I have faced from Norland, all for wanting peace and for valuing my life. I hope this could shed some light on the reality of what I now call the Bloodthirst Kingdom."

P.S. - Guess what Norland? I sneak into Elysium. Banishment wont stop me from seeing my family.

-Inui R'ikarth

~Ambassador of Stygian Hollow, Head of Clan R'ikarth,

Stygian Hollow Council Member.