HIGH_FIRE

The woman's mother sat in her house reading the missive that had come to her informing her of this passing. Throughout her years as a fortune teller, the one person who's fortune she refused to read was her own, something she found a great deal of fear in. Such an idea was wrought with nothing but terror and foreboding. The only time she had considered to do such was when her firstborn went missing, however after refusing to do so, it had be uncovered he had died at sea. Decades later, she often wondered how her daughter was doing. There was no wedge between them, asides a healthy distaste for her disaster of a son in law, at least that's how she thought of him. Even then she wanted to make an effort to see her more, but distance and just a simple lack of time and at points matters out of her hand stopped her from doing so. Once a week she wondered about getting food or a drink and bring it to her daughter on a visit, but just simple lack of energy stopped her. They had kept in contact via letters but words on paper can only convey so much. Alas now no effort could be made. Today Adriana sat in her living room while her wife remained sleeping, crying her eyes out over the passing of her beloved daughter. The girl she had raised and always had the biggest soft spot for. Despite what she saw a terrible taste in men, a perhaps poor view of raising children and a bit of an attitude, Sybille was and always would be her favourite child. In this hour she mourned her daughter, who she was and who Adriana loved. A mere hour later, she mourned her own lack of effort.

Agamede read the missive, a brief momentary smile at seeing her sister and mother were preparing something so special. Nonetheless with now paying taxes she did not have the money for this one.

THE PASSING OF A MATRIACH EMERITUS. FAMILY THROUGH FIRE. ✧⥼─────────────────────⥽ 𓄿 ⥼─────────────────────⥽✧ O’ GUD, VOR HJELP I GYNE ERE, AFTER HER YEARS OF HEARTBREAK AND LOSS, the MARGRAVATE-EMERITUS CALIOPE COLBORN has passed from natural causes. She is perhaps best known for her position as Artillery Commander for the Horenic Covenant and is survived by her now widowed wife and grandchildren. May she rest in peace in the familial crypts. ✧⥼─────────────────────⥽ 𓄿 ⥼─────────────────────⥽✧ SKRALI VOR GUD,

For the very first time in her entire life, Eliska Brzezinski went dress shopping. Granted half the time she looked at a blacksmith or armourer instead, but she tried her very best to look for a dress.

The smirk of a proud older sister, even if only in name would grace Eliska's face as she saw the missive. "It seems muj apprentice truly has wound these fanatics up.... very dobry work to her."

After speaking with the author of the missive in the Verdegrad Square, Eliska nodded her head, took note of the day to meet and would turn to her apprentice @Myrthe"This shall be dobry training for ty Estrid, let us see what ty can learn from these mysteries..."

Caliope read her letter and studied it for some moments, rubbing her eyes for a moment. No tears fell, she didn't know what to think, to say, to do... both her sons dead and her heart torn asunder by this development. All she had left was her wife.. and they were both getting old now. Life was so fragile, so volatile and unforgiving to everyone. After some moments the dam broke, loud and ugly crying as she curled herself up on her bed, the aging woman felt hollow and unneeded. Varrik was her favourite child, never something she could hide well, as he had noted he truly had taken after her. Everyday she was proud of him, the way he styled himself, handled himself and the sass that he had grown, it was from her own mother to her as it was from her to him. From the young boy she adopted to the Prince she watched handle himself with utmost self-respect and great backbone, Varrik was the child she had nothing but pride for. Only Acelia was left for Caliope... likely it wasn't unlikely that Caliope would perish soon, a broken heart and a shell with little left to wither or to live for was not a good mix.

The man's current mother in law would look at the paper and scoff. "Weak spined coward he is. My daughter deserves far better than this one" She shook her head and tossed the missive away.

Healing in the clinic from her injuries as a result of the bear hunt, Eliska got the letter about her first nephew. A bright smile crossed her face as she read it, immediately trying to decide what to hunt as a means to get a present for the new family member.

Caliope would grin seeing the missive go out, immediately she reached into her wine cabinet and opened the cork of one of her finest red wines, running to find her favoured child. "VARRIK! TIME TO DRINK!!"

Eliska lifted her spear on to her lap and began using a whetstone to sharpen its blade. “Suffer not the grendel to live.” Spoke the Vargbane in a harsh tone. The upcoming war against the witch kingdom would be her first against the darkspawn ilk, but far from her last.

One of the Knight’s mothers sat in the halls of Slesvik after hearing of the news. Caliope had been grieving for her own mother for far longer than was healthy for anyone. However now the great loss of her beloved was replaced with a new, different and horrifying grief. Her own son dead before she or her wife would pass. Much like the boys siblings, he had been adopted from within the family by the then Margravines. Severin had been carefully looked after and loved by the two of them and adored as mothers do. Perhaps Caliope and Severin had fought at times, his killing of Weiss Lord and Caliope’s general disdain for some of his choices caused much strife. But that strife was never going to conquer the love the Mother held for her son. Her son was dead and she was left with nothing but pain and regret. She wish she had seen him more, spent more time sharing hunts and duels. The guilt of surviving burnt up the aging woman.

i love it omg yes

Throughout her life there was one constant for Caliope, her mother. From being raised by her in Balian, to having tea with her in Lotharia every month, to her moving to Slesvik and living with her for her final years. Nobody meant more to her than her mother bar maybe her wife. She looked up to nobody in the way she looked up to her mother, so much so she had forgotten all gossip about the drama in her past that she refused to look into. To her, her Mother was everything she could ever want to be. Strong, fierce and independent, a woman that never ignored her obligations and always looked out for her family and loved ones. Someone who could raise seven children as a single mother and somehow still be a Duchess and Amiratus for so long. To Caliope, the woman she called Mamej was nothing short of perfect. As the news came to her of her Mother’s passing, an emptiness awoke in her chest, a feeling that refuse to heel of pass. The woman she could always turn to was gone. She soon found herself sobbing like a child on the floor, unable to properly contend with this loss in any way. For some days her wife and children would hardly see her in Slesvik as she spent her time sobbing and mourning. The dresses she received were hardly a consolation for the loss of the perfect mother she saw.

“So they finally killed it. The place, culture and society that lasted for four years. Through sheer stupidity these upstarts have killed it.” Adriana spoke through gritted teeth as she clutched the missive a tad too tight. “Someone ought to remove the head of the ring leaders”

“Hrm…” Adriana then endeavoured to send a letter to her Grand Duke so she may speak with him on all that had happened.

“Odd to say you know nothing of the claims of evil in your own lands, yet rather than investigate the issues declare war on people you don’t know. Perhaps both entities deserve war.” Muttered a very bitter Adriana as she read.

“Seems about right. Serves them right for being perfidious backstabbers.” Uttered Adriana with a shake of her head, disgusted that the man who had interrogated her about Daemons hunting her was in fact an ally of Daemons himself. “Spineless cowards the lot of them.”

T O T H E U P S T A R T S ✧⥼─────────༻❁༺─────────⥽✧ As you cower behind your faux-reasonable arguments, pretending your disaccord with Grand Duke Iohannis I could only be resolved with the deposition of his rulership, I stew upon your actions and the path ahead for Lotharia. Historically, a coup signals the end of a nation, famously the Holy Orenian Empire ended with the man that couped his Grandfather, later becoming the Kingdom of Oren of which swiftly fell to insurgent vassals. It is laughable to see who has signed this enforced regency, four of you have hardly been seen and have hardly contributed to Lotharian society and yet you stand up as though you have something to offer now. One of you isn’t even the head of your House and yet you deign yourself worthy of speaking for your entire house. You claim this is for the best of the Lotharian community, yet out of cowardice you didn’t speak to other heads of houses who do contribute to Lotharia. This is not an act of care and compassion for the people of Lotharia, this is a clearly disorganised and poorly arranged spineless grasp for power and control given the guise of communal worry. You had the ability to discuss your qualms with the Grand Duke, yet instead you immediately took the radical option to depose his rulership? You show yourselves as nothing less than weak, snivelling schemers in your actions. I rebuke and condemn you, severing my ties with the realm I saw my distant cousin found, now brought down by a group of petty lords. I implore others of Lotharia to do much the same as you swore loyalty to the crown, not these upstarts. Do not equate my words with what my daughter believes, she will lead Temesch how she believes best and I shan’t force her decision, any notion otherwise will simply reinforce that you’re tyrants of your own selfish desires. ✧⥼─────────༻❁༺─────────⥽✧ Signed, Lady Adriana Rosalind Temesch