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╚═ The Death of a Swan ═╝ “You’re what?!” A voice cried out, filled with a strange mixture of pain and disbelief. The voice belonged to that of young Charlotte von Schwanstein, who had just received news that caused her last ray of hope to fade away in an instant. “I’m sorry, but the abbot refused to host the Hospitalers,” The youthful Prince of Reinmar offered in reply. “You no longer have my support.” In a fit of rage, Charlotte stormed out of the room. It was Rodimar and his peers who had encouraged her to push forward and finish her work to bring about a new order, the Hospitalers, and now they too had turned their backs on her. This was merely the final nail in the coffin, for the girl had been a harbinger of misfortune ever since her birth. At the young age of eight, she had been attacked no less than ten times, and not one of her attackers was ever apprehended for their crimes. Her arm had been severed and her eye gauged out with the sight of Alba’s great walls still in view, yet none who had witnessed her abduction had reached her in time. These attacks certainly did not end, for she continued to encounter such unsavory folk upon the roads until her death, and a darkstalker had even proclaimed boldly at the Alban gates to be searching for her. However, most painful of all, she was falsely accused of a crime most severe; the abduction and kidnapping of Admiral Hirano’s sister. She had petitioned the Tar and Tari to clear her name, or at least offer her a proper trial, but she was denied justice. Her friends grew cold and distant, and her peers publicly accosted her in the streets. It was only the Order she so desperately clung to that gave her the motivation to move forward, and now that too was falling apart before her very eyes. With tears in her eyes, the youthful daughter of house von Schwanstein ran off, and Reinmar grew smaller and further with each frantic step. She could not bear it any longer, and with her entire future swept out from beneath her feet, she feared what more this cruel world had in store for her. Taking the dagger that her brother had presented to her as a gift, she thrust it into her own chest, and the world that had been so cruel to her slowly began to fade away.

I, Charlotte of House von Schwanstein, submit this notice in response to the claims made by Kurai-Kuni and the Archduke of Petra. It should be known to all that no investigation was started, no questions were asked, and no names summoned for testimony. The Archduke’s public declarations of my misdeeds are without base, made known to me only in his Public Declaration. The Sorvian guest taken into my family’s manor was at no point mistreated or abused. There are witnesses to this fact that I have gathered statements from. If any investigation had been done, they would discover that the Sorvian was entirely unharmed. She was at no point held captive, told she was held captive, or barred from exit. She was at no point physically kept against her will, nor was she at any point threatened with violence. While I do confess to asking her to stay, perhaps a few too many times, she was never harmed or asked to perform any task outside of being the friend of myself and my sister. In response… Reports have been written on this matter, and witness statements have been gathered. These will be delivered to the Tar and-or Tari of Idunia in the hopes of seeking justice for the slander against myself and my House. I seek a proper trial, or for the name of me and my family to be cleared of all wrongdoing. TO PETRA My home. My father has served you for as long as I can remember. Due to the lies told about me, publicly, and the reaction to them, it is difficult to know who among you truly ever appreciated the work my family did in serving and protecting us all. I know I am too young to count my own deeds among those of my father’s, but I am disappointed in how easily you forget everything he’s done. TO KURAI-KUNI I paid your tax quickly, and apologized just the same. I believed I had offended you so badly that I wrote and asked the Admiral for guidance with my behavior. I’ve since come to understand that my asking for friends for my still recovering sister is not a crime. What I do not understand are the whispers you shared among yourselves while I was apologizing. Do you truly believe a fifteen year old girl could hold a Sorvian against their will? If so, I welcome you to prove it, as I prove my innocence. TO THE TAR/TARI I beg you please forgive the short notice of my intent to seek you out for justice in this matter, but I did not wish to elicit more slander from the offending parties. I have made this public so that ALL are aware of my intent to see that justice is found. I have also done this to show that I have nothing to hide, unlike those who accuse me of such misdeeds. I seek a proper investigation into this matter, as they should have done, to discover it false. IN CLOSING Regardless of the verdict of this trial, I have no desire to return to Petra nor reclaim my titles. 1. I ask that these lies be named, and a trial called to clear my own. 2. If this cannot be done, I ask that the Archduke be required to post a public retraction of his charges. 3. If this cannot be done, I ask that Kurai-Kuni post a public retraction of the charges, returning the ‘Mon’ spent to them in tax for a crime I never committed. Let this stand as my public denouncement of your claims against me and my House. Signed, Charlotte von Schwanstein (Attached to the bottom of the missive is a copy of THE REVOCATION OF SCHWANAU)

Well, it's been a month since my first post in early April, and I'm still looking to fill a character slot. I'll be a bit less picky this time. Preference for characters with some kind of connection to a family, be that as a relative or just an associate. Nobility and commoner families are both fine. Also preference toward humans and elves. I'd also prefer not to play a darkspawn, as I'm not a huge fan of CRP. No real preference for age, gender, or culture. Also, all of the skinners I usually contact are busy, so I'd prefer to have a skin provided to me. DM gibbouskong to reach out. As an additional note, I'm a fan of house building. I just hate being the one in charge.

Sefi is very cool, you should totally play one of their sons

Randomize your personality traits. I usually make a list of CK3 personality traits and spin a wheel 3-4 times to see what I get. It's fun.

I've played one once before, but I enjoy working with a group more than playing a wanderer.

Might have to at this point.

Nothing against them, just not my preference.

I already have a Petran on my first slot and don’t want to make a second one. No reason to get upset about it.

It appears that I can no longer play the character I'd had planned for my second slot, so I'm looking for options for how I might fill that. Preference toward human characters, ideally ones who won't inherit and won't be expected to partake in CRP. I'm also unwilling to play a character living within Valmont or any of its vassals without exception. The same goes for Petra. If you have an offer, DM GibbousKong on discord.

Very cool, you should totally join.

Honestly, I’m just looking for an active friend group I can work on projects with now that mine has more or less completely dismantled. Playing LOTC alone has felt stale. Just DM GibbousKong on discord, I guess.

Sybau. I'm taking away your house, your items, AND still taxing you every week on top of that.

We got rid of Josh, and most normal players seem to take issue with it. I think we can manage.

Could we have a clause stating that moderators are only allowed to enforce rules that have been written down? It'd resolve a lot of the debates and resentment towards mods on the server. A lot of moderators in the past have stated that there have been countless rules and verdicts that are hidden away in discord chats that only they can see. Clarifications regarding rules should be added to the rules page on the forums so that everyone can see them, rather than keeping them vague. I'd also be nice to see a better way of reporting poor moderator conduct to the next moderation admin as well as the current moderation managers, as contacting Josh regarding any moderation-based issues felt like trying to talk to a brick wall.