Fleeperpriest

High Priest of the True Faith, Successor of Clement and Evaristus, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, High Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, Missionary to Aeldin, High Servant to the Exalted’s Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of GOD does decree… ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ SECTION I - Opening Letter and Prayer SECTION II - Episcopal Appointments SECTION III - Commissions to the High Court SECTION IV - Consistory of the Collegiate SECTION V - Curial Appointments SECTION VI - Quadrumvirate Appointments SECTION VII - Charges of the Court of Mont Lemon SECTION VIII - Annulment of Magic Report ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛ SECTION I OPENING LETTER AND PRAYER Darkness is great in the sky; the night is long and made cold by the harsh winter winds it carries. Across all the ages, it is known by many names when the Saints’ Year’s turning brings the great winter and the summit of darkness upon the spirit. Yet one must remember that to have endured the worst darkness of a season may only mean one thing; light is coming. The emboldened Morning Star enters the world and heralds a season of good grace amidst great evil for as it has always been and always shall be; light claims triumph. This season has been given many names by many peoples, but always it is known; not even the pagan in his perversions of faith would ignore the omens of the turning Skies with a blazing beautiful renewed dawn. No, even the Xionist surely casts his gaze upward, and knows for but a fleeting moment the extent of his wrongdoing, that GOD is KING; no matter how much Ruin may wish it not so! So great is this spiritual moment, that it commands the very Skies and seasons, reordering them as a visible omen of the invisible reckoning. In the former days when the great saints and prophets still walked among us, this time was dedicated to a saint who gave generously in times of suffering all that he had; Tobias of Aldersberg, companion to Adrian of Leuvaarden. So many have named it Tuvmas (for in life, he was Toveah, not Tobias nor Tuvya) so that we may recall generosity and other acts of Virtue. Nonetheless we are called to reckon with the truest meaning of the season; the renewal of Light amongst Darkness, Good against Evil, and Truth beyond Ruin! I have suffered in this harsh winter, o’ flock of the faithful, as many others have. I am weakened, and my mind clouded by the plague wrought by such seasons. But I am alive still, and blessed by this moment to consider the state of affairs. First, I consider my foremost obligation, the Temple. I am gladdened of its spirit, and am eager to renew new sacrifices upon its altar. I am proud that the True Faith has known more energy now than it has in many former times, despite the controversies and difficulties we may endure. The Synod of Bishops has in my view been a successful reform that has broken down a rank of ego once known in the clergy of empty bishop seats so their superiors may be raised as archbishops (by no necessary fault of its holders, who were merely appointed). It is in my prayers that it will be the counsel of bishops, not closed Curia halls, where decisions for the Temple are informed. By the good graces of GOD the Synod shall thrive and the Curia may become an office for administering the duties rather than ruling the Temple. Alas, I am not convinced it is our limit, and look forward to greater communication and cooperation amongst clergy of all ranks and status that we may be worthy of the cloth we wear. It is known to many the feuds between rites of the faith, even if their subtle causes are lost even to many of its keepers. I admit freely my own frustrations with the injustices of the past which remain unanswered, and that at times this may govern my senses. In the past there have been many schisms of the Church (none more famous than the Schism War), yet few forget that the conclusion of each has virtually always been a reconciliation of the two sides, only to be betrayed after a few generations. I am committed with what energy I have left to pursue the most righteous of goals; a great reconciliation to redeem those of the past so that the flock may confidently declare their true faith regardless of rite and inspire a new age of mission. Lastly my mind dwells upon the Pontifical States, a rare endeavor which has not existed with true autonomy since the time of Saint-Pontiff Lucien the First. They have been born of consequences beyond the Temple, and by their unplanned nature have been a sudden shock to the order of Princes. I delight in the shock, for I deem it good for the wheel of the Lord’s celestial plan to turn, but it is far from the purpose of the project to stir the sin of scandal. Already Chancellor Ledicort Vuiller and the returned Seneschal Antonius have been hard at work to address issues which have come with winter, and both laymen of the states and clergy from all over shall be raised to help order these lands; for no doubt have there been issues. I invite all Bishops and Princes to speak their concerns as they arise, so that the Temple may become ordered to managing its greater autonomy and the wider flock of all faithful be buttressed by a state bound to Canon Law. With all that said, I look forward to the time to come, and thus I pray; Almighty GOD, our Father in the Skies, Thou alone hold dominion over the Skies and Lands. All darkness that the principalities and powers of Ruin may cast upon the realms, all thralls who may be enslaved to wicked ambitions shall be damned by Thy will, and the faithful shall know Triumph by Thine eternal Providence. Grant us the Grace to enjoy goodness both in times of dark and light, cold and warmth, so that Thou shall be our comfort, and we may know the fruits of Thy trials issued. Protect Thy Temple, most Sacred and Apostolic, so that it may protect Thy Word in turn, and proselytize it to all lands as equals. Deliver upon all Thy people Virtue, Fortitude, and good Graces and Benediction in these joyous times upon the eve of Thy Saints’ Year. We rejoice in Thy safety, GOD of Horen, and pray it shall remain as so. Inspire our truesouls to know great love, beyond all fleeting acts of evil and sin worldly and otherworldly. And hear me now, truesouls of Aevos, as we welcome together the shifting of skies… MERRY CHRISTMAS, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Amen. ☺ SECTION II EPISCOPAL APPOINTMENTS It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office elevates and consecrates the following members of the Order of the Ordained Presbyterium into the Order of the Episcopate; BISHOPRIC OF GELIMAR . . . to be shepherded by Her Grace, Josefina Bishop Gelimar, BISHOPRIC OF MOUNT LEMON . . . to be shepherded by His Grace, Elim Bishop Mount Lemon. SECTION III COMMISSIONS TO THE HIGH COURT It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office commissions the following lawmen to the High Court in perpetuity; JUSTICE OF THE COURT, His Apostolic Excellency, Ledicort A. Vuiller, JUSTICE OF THE COURT, His Excellency, Fr. Wenceslas Bainbridge, JUSTICE OF THE COURT, T.M.R., His Eminence, Elim Cardinal Mount Lemon, VICE-JUSTICE OF THE COURT, T.M.R., His Eminence, Enrique Cardinal Du Loc. SECTION IV CONSISTORY OF THE COLLEGIATE, as of 2011 It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office affirms the following continued appointment to the College of Cardinals by virtue of their continued and present prayerful Wisdom. We decree it to be thus; T.M.R., His Eminence, IVAN CARDINAL LOTHARIA, T.M.R., His Eminence, VILLORIK CARDINAL JORENUS, T.M.R., His Eminence, JAMES CARDINAL RHOSMARK, T.M.R., His Eminence, ELIM CARDINAL MOUNT LEMON, T.M.R., His Eminence, ALEXIOS CARDINAL ST. EMALYNE, T.M.R., His Eminence, NERIUM CARDINAL IDUNIA, T.M.R., His Eminence, ENRIQUE CARDINAL DU LOC. SECTION V CURIAL APPOINTMENTS It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pointifical Office appoints the following man of piety to the Pontifical Curia. We decree it to be thus; Chancellor of the Pontifical Curia, His Apostolic Excellency, Ledicort Alexander Vuiller. SECTION VI QUADRUMVIRATE APPOINTMENTS It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office appoints the following clergyman to the Quadrumvirate of the Pontifical States. We decree it to be thus; Premier of the Pontifical States, His Eminence James Cardinal Rhosmark. In addition, the Premier is charged to formally organize a government and host a meeting of the general staff within the Saints’ week. SECTION VII CHARGES OF THE COURT OF MONT LEMON It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pointifical Office appoints the following men and women of piety to the Court of Mont Lemon. We decree it to be thus; Legatus a Latere, His Apostolic Excellency, Ledicort A. Vuiller, Legatus a Latere, Her Apostolic Excellency, Ilia A. de Ekain, Cubicularius, His Apostolic Excellency, Ledicort A. Vuiller, Ostarius, Her Apostolic Excellency, Ilia A. de Ekain. SECTION VIII ANNULMENT OF MAGIC REPORT Many may recall the controversial promulgation of the Magic Report of Sixtus the Sixth, which was enacted in advisory of magi and with little council of either theologians who had studied the Epistle of Owyn to the Magi nor with the Crusaders across the flocks who endure personal hardships against sorcerers. This was promulgated in error upon unfinished research, and contains many serious errors beyond method. Firstly, it subscribes to an incorrect metaphysics as defined by the sorcerer, rather than the Temple’s tradition; we have let the sorcerer tell us what ought to guide the principles which may limit him. Secondly, it acts not as a part of Canon Law, but random ponderings with no actionable method beyond a loose endorsement of many magics despite recognizing our ignorance of them and their danger, and a broad condemnation of all that which is already known to be deeply corrupt. Therefore the Magic Report is declared null and void; not reversed, for it was incorrect by will or accident from the moment of its promulgation. In temporary measure, we reaffirm that all it has forbidden remains forbidden, and make no arbitrary call for the duty of princes to prosecute their court wizards. However, do not let this erred report grant them leeway for experiments, or for any great castings if you may help it. Let your foremost guide be the contemplation of the Epistle to the Magi, and consider the admonishments Owyn gave and if the sorcerers you may know share the ego and perverse love of power as those magi of former times. The Temple commends those who exercise great caution with magic, even those magics deemed sanctioned, for it is always dangerous and if wielded at all must be tempered with great humility. A new magic commission shall be structured and advise the Synod of Bishops, so that over the coming years a new report grounded in Canon Law and Tradition may be made. There is great need to investigate the subject, not just for opposition of the wicked sorcery at hand in Aevos, but also for hope of the fabled wizards of old. All that Owyn admonished had a proper goal that they had failed, we may hope to encourage circumstances in which virtuous use of magic may exist, tempered by humility and faith, rather than rampant ego or outright dark worship seen in most magicians. THE HOLY MOTHER CHURCH OF THE CANON Under GOD Maintained by His Holiness Harrentzedek The Most Sacred Electors of THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS As Per the Most Recent Consistory… The Most Reverend, His Eminence, IVAN CARDINAL LOTHARIA . . . of the Bishopric of Lotharia, The Most Reverend, His Eminence, VILLORIK CARDINAL JORENUS . . . of the Patriarchate of Jorenus, The Most Reverend, His Eminence, JAMES CARDINAL RHOSMARK . . . of the Bishopric of Rhosmark, The Most Reverend, His Eminence, ELIM CARDINAL MOUNT LEMON . . . of the Bishopric of Mount Lemon, The Most Reverend, His Eminence, ALEXIOS CARDINAL ST. Emalyne . . . of the Bishopric of St. Emalyne, The Most Reverend, His Eminence, NERIUM CARDINAL IDUNIA . . . of the Bishopric of Idunia, The Most Reverend, His Eminence, ENRIQUE CARDINAL DU LOC . . . of the Order of the Presbyterate, The Secretariats and Dicasteries of THE PONTIFICAL CURIA As Per the Most Recent Appointments… Secretariat of the Pontifical Curia, Under the purview of the Chancellor of the Pontifical Curia, Ledicort Alexander Vuiller, Seneschalate of the Faith, Under the purview of the Seneschal of the Faith, Antonius Caranethion Arthalion, Secretariat of the Pontifical Affairs, Under the purview of the Cardinal-Secretary to the High Pontiff, Elim Cardinal Esbec, Dicastery for the Priesthood, Under the purview of the Prefect for the Priesthood, James Cardinal Rhosmark, Dicastery for the Laity, Under the purview of the Prefect for the Laity, Ivan Cardinal Lotharia, Commandant of the Pontifical Guard, Under the purview of the Pontifical Commandant, Villorik Cardinal Jorenus, Executor Observantiae Moralis et Restitution, Under the purview of the Archlectorate of Al’khazar, as defined in the Article of the Hammer, The Episcopal Sees of… THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS THE HOLY SEE Encompassing the entirety of the Holy See of Lemon Hill, to be shepherded by High Pontiff Harrentzedek; PATRIARCHATE OF JORENUS, encompassing the entirety of the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Patriarch Villorik Cardinal Jorenus, BISHOPRIC OF ALTAMARINO, encompassing the entirety of the Sovereign State of Hyspia and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Alaric Bishop Altamarino, BISHOPRIC OF CASICA, encompassing the entirety of the Commonwealth of the Petra and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Godfrey Bishop Casica, BISHOPRIC OF IDUNIA, encompassing the entirety of the Kingdom of Númendil and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Bishop Nerium Cardinal Idunia, BISHOPRIC OF ST. EMALYNE, encompassing the entirety of the Midlands and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Bishop Alexios Cardinal St. Emalyne, BISHOPRIC OF LOTHARIA, encompassing the entirety of the Kingdom of Balian and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Bishop Ivan Cardinal Lotharia; BISHOPRIC OF GELIMAR, encompassing the entirety of the Principality of Reinmar as well as surrounding parishes not incorporated into other dioceses, to be shepherded by Josefina Bishop Gelimar, BISHOPRIC OF RHOSMARK, encompassing the entirety of the Grand Principality of Ravenmire as well as the surrounding parishes not incorporated into other dioceses, to be shepherded by Bishop James Cardinal Rhosmark, BISHOPRIC OF MOUNT LEMON, encompassing the entirety of the Pontifical States except the Grand Principality of Ravenmire, as well as the surrounding parishes not incorporated into other dioceses, to be shepherded by Bishop Elim Cardinal Mount Lemon, BISHOPRIC OF MIKDANBERG, encompassing the entirety of the crusader territories of former Vortice, Silasia, Lurin and Dunwen as well as the surrounding parishes not incorporated into other dioceses, to be shepherded by Vanderwink Bishop Mikdanberg.

Much has changed in the lands of Aaun. Under the reign of Charles II, the land of the Godwinites witnessed the beginning of what would later become the near total collapse of law in the Heartlands when the fledgling Confederation, only in its infancy as the rising premier Horenic superpower, was sent spiralling into chaos by the storm of a crisis that many argue has failed to abate even now. What began as scandals of verbal abuse evolved quickly into a wildfire of public outrage as the two outstanding and newly-joined peoples of the nation were hurriedly divided once again under sectarian lines. Secret societies, prolific among the Godwinite courts, saw to the armament of supposedly illicit pan-nationalist militias in response to the increasingly dangerous popularity of dissolution. The unrestrained surge of escalating political violence set the stage for the collapse of the rule of law, and the rise of the warband. When at last the King demanded fealty from his Petrine counterparts, the result was civil war. Rumours of battle, murder, terror, tyranny and general travesty from out this strange country grew more common by the day. It was this time, some recall, that Aaun first fell from grace, and the crisis began in earnest. Others still might disagree, and cite rather the invasion of the host of Tiberius van Aert as the landmark of the nation's collapse, who himself would certainly have disagreed, marching as he had in the name of Prince James Alstion, who's brothers blood was spilled in wretched kinslaying by King Charles II some years prior. Among that host, some might have said, there were older crimes still lingering in the memory of those that had lived through the fall of Winburgh that had sealed the fate of Aaun. Some more sour might say it was the day they made a carriage lot of the consecrated grounds of Lemonhill. Even, it is rumoured, the fate of the house Alstion was sealed long before they had been born, when Saint Caius Horen set a curse upon the descendants of Peter Sigismund for unspeakable crimes against joy, now forgotten by time. Though nominally unphased by the plight of this nation so sorrowfully drowning in the consequences of its own evils, it was here that the High Pontiff Deunoro I first found the Church intimately involved in the affair, pursuant however it had already been in seeking justice for the sin of kinslaying, when Charles II through his cardinal-imp whose name escapes me took the liberty of commanding the Church according to its will to set upon the prodigal Veletzer in defence of the realm. When His Holiness informed them, rather, of his displeasure with their sovereign's refusal to cooperate with the audit of his brother's murder, a plot against the Church was spun immediately, secular man unable to brook power beyond his beckon, and jealous greatly to be at all refused. The reign of CITIZEN Charles of Aaun came abruptly to an end when he, as history records, solicited a group of Vander lords of Reinmar to betray their high-oath to the True Faith, inciting them against His Holiness Deunoro I, only to find himself hogtied in what would later be popularised as a Barclay Knot when such a feat of Waldenic ingenuity were published by renowned knightly author Holyser Prenkus von Konigsberg with full and detailed illustration proudly featuring even an approximation of the CITIZEN's likeness in his best-selling "Tools of the Trade: a young Vander's guide to Sacred Civil Service." DETENTE OF THE PRINCES In a treaty co-signed by the Canonist Princes and allies of Aaun, many of which had themselves a hand in the capture and coercion of Citizen Charles following his ploy, the abdication of the Kingdom, once honoured Apostolic, was poetically set into the hands of the High Pontiff of the Canonist Church, thereby honouring the nation with a genuine Apostolic authority that they had before seemed very proud themselves to claim, a prestigious titular mantle made true by a flick of the pen. So began effective immediately the regency of Prince Godwin Alstion, the Church thus thrust into the role of the nation’s defence, in a bid to stave off invasion and salvage the alliance which Aaun had jeopardised. Years of Aaunic political machinations, slanderings, letter-campaigns and verbal abuse drove the unfortunate cancerous health of the beloved Deunoro into an ever worsening toxic dive. By the evening of that day, whence Charles had been abdicated, the stresses of the noble world had laid the man low, the last of his energies exhausted into the Church’s resolution of a crisis of vanity. He departed on the pilgrim’s path to Mt. Tylos, whence he perished, and returned to the Lord. It is believed still by many that it was by his will that any of the success of the Church today had come to be, and that he had, by the sacrifice of his own life through the full dedication of willpower, brought about the great hope of the Kingdom of God on Earth in our time, so sayth many of Grense, or any cleric of Lemon Hill. His passing unbeknownst to the world, the duties of his office passed on onto the late Cardinal Rhosyn, who by her labours, and the labours of Cardinal Callahan there also with her, who both had suffered service to His Holiness throughout the crisis, took to the task of the negotiations of what would later become the ratified as the Treaty of Minas Aranath. Assembled there was the full host of the Canonist world, princes from all nations, and the officers of the host of Captain General Tiberius van Aert. War again seemed a certainty to many, as the orchestral song of the bickering of diplomats made their crescendo by Cardinal Rhosyn’s masterful orchestration, only then to mellow into stillness, and dip further more from there into despair whence they could surprise the world with a sudden roaring resuscitation by some shocking miracle even louder than before, still shocking as it rhymed this melodical drama twice, then thrice over before all was said and done. Finally, by the stubbornness of man, neither party willing to give way, Cardinal Rhosyn’s signature walkout all but sealed the fate of men, and the princes with her departed. Fury came over Cardinal Callahan in the uncanny quieting of the room, which increasingly knew less and less the noise of men and more the noise of sheep, the Lector-Rebbe having assembled the whole host of his flock in that place that they might by their sanctified presence bring purity and peace of mind, as he leapt upon the table and j’accused, cursing demons, unclean spirits of the wars which had sown the seeds of violence in three nations back to back, a reign of terror of a hundred years or more threatening again to claim its victim, tossing demons from those that had remained, and pressing the challenge of peace upon the troubled psyche of the Captain-General, who battled also against this sway of violence as with the Fire of the Spirit of God, his heart came to bubble. At last he gave way, and the demon were cast out, and their fury was made known throughout the room, as in every aisle still remaining erupted from the most peaceable of men and meek of diplomats a seething wave of rage and slur, cussing, screaming, threats unbecoming and finally a devolved and incoherent SCREEEEEEECH continuous, fore the day belonged now to the Lord, and Lord’s peace was preserved contrary to the wishes of men, so also the machinations of demons. So they knew that day the measure of their success by the screeching of Iblis. Foregoing any gain, any justice by their own hand, Captain-General Tiberius, together with the Church and the Canonist Princes, agreed to the terms, that through the wholesale submission to the Vicar of God, and on the promise of the righteous pursuit of justice among the corrupt Alstion court for crimes-innumerous, the warbands of the world would set aside their arms and return back the ways of their homelands– which the Captain-General had naught any of his own, an exile of the north. HOLY REGENCY, HOLY SEE When the news had come of the unexpected loss of the High Pontiff, delivered twinned with the news of the unexpected succession of Cardinal Callahan to that office, the world over was seized by shock, and much horror, and else a terrible joy, but seldom any calm feeling, as the outcome seemed impossible, and the man, a Lector, a Rebbe, a zealot, once-defrocked and since Cardinalized, an Owynist of extreme conviction who has not been by any stretch of the imagination, inside even the Collegium, a probable for Pontifical election. Erupted then the world in abject horror, who had feared he that took the name of Fleeper I, and in courts there was upset, and in Aaun much indecision as to this new Pontiff to whom the custody of Aaun were already promised, so the nobility of the secular world kvetched greatly. But in further corners of the world, lost-tribes that long ago had surrendered hope for the fineries of foreign exotics rejoiced greatly for the impossible feat which had transpired, knowing well the extent of the ramifications of the triumph of their auld creed, so hope was sown among the exiles. So also was there hope among the visionaries, whom the world must also have not known, but who must have been very many, lest the man not reign now by election, so that the fate of the Church seemed greatly bright, or greatly dim by the eyes of men, according to them by their faith and by their persuasion. The Church of the True Faith, again as it came to be increasingly hailed, has in these treaties secured again the lands of Lemon Hill, and atop this Hill arose a Temple, and in that Temple were a High Priest, and in that priest’s hands were a pen, and pressed against that pen were the names one and one-hundred, of smugglers and of nobles, of murderers and of warlords, of kin-slayers and brigands, heretics and insubordinates alike, so began, as by the promises of the treaty of Minas Aranth the Audit of Aaun, a spectre of bureaucracy descending upon that place which threatened to sweep up those who had before by bureaucracy’s blindness made comfortable themselves in the blindspots of the Law. Such things in Aaun could never be, and resistance was nigh immediate. The court of the then still promising and young Godwin grew greatly desperate, and for fear of loss set their claws upon the boy, and upon the nobles-all whos bags were packed for foreign places more appreciative of the art of intrigue, sunny places, happy places, places lacking extradition treaties and tribunal officers, places where pesky priests did not begrudge a man his sixth and seventh wife, nor his needful smothering of a brother or two by the necessity of the winds of the day. When by their efforts young Godwin were won, in the same manner that they had won CITIZEN CHARLES, and KING JOHN before him, they had bid him take his princely stance to protest himself to the High Priest, delivering a bone-chilling recitation of a singular “No.”, refusing then to permit in Lemon Hill any Churchly development, in abeyance of the treaty of his peers. The consequence was a nigh immediate clerical interdiction upon Godwin and the whole of his court, who all themselves were complicit in the atrocity, polluting the mind of a boy of ten. Within a fortnight, by the violation of this treaty, all the world inflamed again, the Captain-General turning southward, unpleased greatly by the violation of the treaty he surrendered justice to see alive. Within a day, by the hurried shuffling of messengers, the matter was quickly resolved, and interdiction rescinded, the courts surrendered, Godwin capitulant. Thus began a trend of continuous Pontifical brinkmanship that has become a staple thereafter of the Pontifical administration under High Priest Fleeper I, and of invisible conflicts fought tamely behind closed doors in a peace perpetually embattled. GREEN PASTURES AND BLACK PLOTS In expectation of the Temple envisioned to be the seat of a new Holy See atop Mont. Lemon, the High Priest of the True Faith must have seen the need for labourers, fore before long the valley of Mont. Lemon grew busy by the roads with the heavy-set shuffle of men’s feet, and new men with soldierly gaits busied themselves about the place. But looking, one saw only simple men, humble men, well-built farmers, shepherds some, jubilant men of good intention befitting the land of Godly joy, as was Lemonhill’s proud reputation, as though conjured alone by the pure will of PEACE, unburdened, unbothered, burning with a passion inextinguishable in pursuit of that indomitable spirit of their hearts which pressed them on zealously to . . . grow Lemons. The land grew clearer, cleaner than before, hobo-brigands sent away by the tentful, so that where the tents of squatters once had blemished now vibrant green pastures graced the air, home thereafter to a GREAT UNSTOPPABLE HOST of sheep, as were necessary for the priestly demands of the Temple. Eager hearts and ample hands saw also to gathering material, so that the Temple long expected rose quickly too upon the mount, crowning the sanctified Pontifical territory with a seat of worship of the Lord of Hosts. Perhaps it were that the High Priest’s vision for the Pontifical Territories was not shared, or perhaps they had failed to grasp the goodness of the charity of the settlement of a people without home or hearth to cling to, but the sleepy settlement of what would be called Grense was not taken kindly by onlookers, however quaint, and however peaceful it had seemed to be. Or perhaps it was the High Pontiff’s sudden insulation from the wayward bandit, say, his sudden shield against unscrupulous, recently unemployed now-hedgeknights that was the true source of the frustration that swept suddenly throughout what remained of the court of Aaun. It could have just come down to that familiar eyepatch painted upon the face of the director of the settlement’s affairs, the soon to be christened Captain of the Grensewacht, Tiberius van Aert. Whatever it was that stirred it, far more sinister things were afoot than the simple cultivation of lemons. But not by these men, no, as in the court of Balian a cabal of brooding nobles came to roost, past present and pending fugitives of Aaun all among them, the whole host of Godwin’s court. They had gathered in that place as co-conspirators, devising to hatch a ploy to ‘unseat’ this pesky priest on Lemon Hill and halt this worrisome trespass upon the noble privileges of the so-called Princes of God’s Kingdom, paradoxical as it was. Before this host of noble gentry, by the lead of Balian’s King, had even ceased the sabre’s rattle, and word of their intentions made its escape, by the young Prince Hadrian, soon Hadrian the Hero, rode with godspeed to Idunia-Numendil to raise alarm, hearing his father’s intentions for the Church, it’s High Priest and his sheep. Two hosts set out at once, then, one to Reinmar, to spread a plague of insurrection, and the other to the Holy See, by Grense and through Aaun, to recover the High Priest and assemble the host of the Grensewacht for the True Faith’s safekeeping. In a comedic repeat of history, the Vander’s Holy Law again was tempted once more by solicitation. So again did Vander procure his rope and lasso, devising by that ethnic genius yet more ways still to serve God’s peace, and the schism’s host were vanquished. But who should bawk at Heaven’s justice, who should mock it without care? Who should trample upon things Holy, set their tongues against His people, covet dust and mock His Law, who should keep no-thing sacred, by who should all these things be done, and still think themselves beyond all ire, a freedman careless of rebuke? So the Heavens opened, and from the clouds descended the answer of the Lord, who by His Host noised His rebuke, arming them His legions each a portion of wrath due for the tribe of Horen, dipped from the cup poured out so long ago upon Johannesburg for the great sins of a people, upon His people called to serve Him, upon they who had forsaken His Law and His Way, who built for themselves a Kingdom theirs, forsaking their great blessings to the governance of the Throne of Heaven cast upon them. So as was for Johannesburg, so also for them, and they ruled no-more from the Tower of Horen, but saw that last cast back unto the Flame, reduced thereby to ash and ruin; this was the fall of Whitespire. Nearly a decade since the Blackspire, the Heartlands seemed unrecognisable. Many fled the Kingdom with the collapse of its former capital, many more still fled the law. The persecutory courts set over Aaun found far less labour, and the attention of the Church were cast outside the Kingdom’s borders. In a bid to safeguard the nation’s purity, the High Priest had called Crusade, the unclean lands surrounding this Pontifical Polity expunged through many years of warfare, first in Honkmat, then the Shire, then still further beyond it. Though the schism’s conflict had been brief, it defined a period of growing unease among the nations, and no less among the Church, forced then upon its guard against the world of politik, the Faith’s presence there unwelcome. NOW The dust at last began to settle, the Crusades came to a close, armies disbanded and soldiers again took up the plough. Clearer minds seem to have prevailed through the tense and quiet brinkmanship that haunted the world of Men. A new order had emerged in what they called the Holy Regency, one far less Kingly, born very strangely into a world of labyrinthine bureaucracy, defined by Law despite its absence, wracked by chaos, by civil war, drained and renewed again by foreign intervention, an order defined by uncertainty and shadowed by a powder keg of denominational friction in the presence of which most men are keen to tread softly. To the West, in the valley at the foot of Lemonhill emerged the Duchy of Burgundy, forged in service to the Church by the work and toil of a people not long ago thought as the black-sheep of Mankind, establishing for the diaspora for the first time since the fall of Veletz a permanent home in the core of Horen’s dominion in Braevos. Championed by their Captain-General, Tiberius van Aert, who had, as his father before him, taken up the baton of the cause of his people. Fashioned now as Duke of Grense, he has sworn that same baton into the service of the Church of the True Faith and its High Priest Ro’eh Tzon. Tasked now with the duty of defence of the Pontifical States as Captain-General of the Church, his host enjoys now even in spite of his absence an indisputable prominence throughout the realm of the Pontiff’s care, the preeminent secular power. Where once a dark demesne of WIZARDS had ritually polluted the lands of Horen, nestled away in the mountains between Petra and Aaun, the migratory Ivori hammer through the earth the pegs of their first tents, as Horen alike to them had done so long ago, colonising the ruined mound of Tel Hochmacht, christened now Mount Vindicta, and swearing themselves in service to the True Faith. A knightly people of ancient virtues, summoned to that place perhaps by dreams, perhaps by the undeniable stirring of the slumbering True Faith that threatened still to wake, called, as many, towards Lemon Hill from the far-flung reaches of the world as Lucienists and Owynists alike await anxiously that ever-burning, unshakable certainty of the coming of the promised day, a springtime of zeal, as rays of light like beams of flame betrayed the dawning of the day through a long, long night. Aaun’s great exodus, and subsequent abandonment by its native peoples, brought also great opportunity for settlers seeking to fill the vacuum left behind by the absence of a people-whole. Thus had come the Wickfolk, one such tribe of settlers, seeking fertile woodlands to call their home. They make their home now in the land of the valley, in an odd place twice abandoned, the dense forest of what was once Minitz, and hugging the mountainside where a monastery-fortress-prison had been lost. Few had dared to chance the land where such things as large as castles seemed to vanish in the night, where whole stone cities up and vanished, as though stolen, abducted from their place. Rumours of hunched creatures, green and UGLY, sounding GALUNG GONG, screaming GALUNGA through the night, however frightening, however true, would not deter the Wickfolk. But the Vorty menace was more than a simple rumour. In the mountains, hills and valleys of the Northeast, once the very quiet frontiers of Aaun’s borderlands, trickling in since first the anarchy of Aaun began, a nomadic people of the steppe took to pasture, with their great roving flock of horse and goats in tow. Enjoying the complete and total absence of resistance from Aaun’s own native peoples, the Horselords of that now wild country have become a law unto themselves. Unrestrained and unopposed, united under their mysterious KHAN, the HORSELORDS seem now impossible to remove, now a great host in their own right, and laying claim to any places fit for pasture, they persist as a potent reminder of the Kingdom of Aaun’s now ungovernable dominion, laying to rest the hope of any return of Kingly authority without incredible effort, lest the vanity of weaker men draw their great ire. Rumours in the east of a people embodying the spirit of Horenic Determinism were followed quickly thereafter by the indisputable fact of a Horenic revolution in the midst of the Malinite regime of Lurin, spurred on by the call of Crusade. As the armies of God’s people encroached upon the decadent marked-land of Lurin, the free people of Salvo rose up in revolt. Proclaiming Republic, and successful in their actions against the merchants of Lurin, they now set their eyes westward, seeking greener pastures, first into the fertile ranchlands of Aaun’s eastern frontier, now they set their eyes upon the Heartlands. But the way of the covered-wagon can afford a man only so much, win a soul only so many acres of farmland. To the people of the frontiers, with simple laws and simple ways, the threat of the increasingly likely resurgence of noble domination must have seemed a looming threat of certain doom. The successes of a young and returning Aaunic diaspora presented a clear and present danger to the Republican way of life, if not today, then tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, in another year. It had for certain been a bleak time in the history of the Godwinite people, a time of tribulation for the Heartlands as a whole. And yet, for all the challenges that had beset them, a ray of hope shone down upon the true people of Aaun. In spite of the disappointingly uneventful, fleeting return of Prince Godwin, a veritable horde of young Alstions, many young and born abroad, had returned to the country in droves, determined to reclaim for themselves a way of life robbed of them by the failings of their parents, lost only in recent memory. For those who had fled young, it remained a sorry sting, memories of a home known only too shortly, abandoned and uprooted, exchanged for exile in places strange, places boring, places far away, places far more impoverished. Many more had never seen it, born only just too late to have known the land of their own blood, raised now on bitter tales of marble cities and towers that dared to touch the sky, the ‘city of paradise’, where a great plume of smoke were as the incense of an offering of power-continual, ever trailing from the heights of power-manifest, a city they now will never see. It remained to be seen if they would still yet hail ‘the King o’er the Water’, or if they still should sing those odd foreign songs so beloved by their fathers. Harrenic fashion had all but swept their people, once, and still they wore strange, silly plaids where simple patterns more Imperial once had graced Godwinite adornment. Perhaps that odd alluring call to all things Harren would still yet live in their young hearts, the way of the Dael and the Adunian. It was perhaps a grim irony that a man hailed Harrentzedek, black of hair, at the head of a barbaric host, crying out madly at every one, triumphant at last, triumphant at last! Even he, that man the law forbid they loathe, ‘priestly’ as he was had sang it, louder still than all the rest, in that old odd churchly tongue they claim the treasure of a more dignified age, kinder on the angel’s ear, tandem triumphans, tandem triumphans! Perhaps such things were best forgotten, left unsaid, lest they upset. One thing for them was very certain, each of them who had returned there. That things had ought to be as once they were, that the past had been a better time. More that they and they alone could afford themselves the home they all had longed for. Forsaking by necessity the elder way of quiet kvetching, hearing enough of their aged mother’s whinges, and father’s old war stories– enough despairing, sorry words, this new young race of Godwinites had only determination alone for a guide, afforded nothing in this new world but through the toil of their labour. There was war on the frontier, bitter conflicts all about, rising powers and the collapse of laws as old things gave way to new, or in the case of Aaun, to very, very old things. Speak of Schism Wars and revolutions, roving HORSELORDS on the roads, diasporas old and new beyond counting, moving peoples, be they Elves or Men or something yellow, all so strange, all very worrying. One could wish to God to know what fate Providence had in store for them with all things so very cloudy, but one thing alone rang true regardless, one thing that no Man nor Elf nor Ork denied, there was one power in that land triumphant, one new great status quo. Apostolic though they once were, the United Kingdom had given way, and something Holy here now reigned… . . . or . . . High Priest of the True Faith, Successor of Clement and Evaristus, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, High Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, Missionary to Aeldin, High Servant to the Exalted’s Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of GOD does decree… ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ SECTION I - Opening Prayer SECTION II - Diocesan Restructuring SECTION III - The Synod of Bishops SECTION IV - Episcopal Appointments SECTION V - Commissions to the High Court SECTION VI - Consistory of the Collegiate SECTION VII - Curial Appointments SECTION VIII - Venerations SECTION IX - Beatifications SECTION X - On the Darkspawn Menace SECTION XI - On the Pontifical States SECTION XII - Elevation of Pontifical Nobility ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛ SECTION I OPENING PRAYER Blessed are You, the Lord our God and God of our fathers, GOD of Horen, God of Owyn and GOD of Godfrey, the Great, Mighty and Awesome GOD, Exalted God, Who bestows bountiful Kindness, who creates All Things, who remembers the Piety of the Saints, and who, in Love, brings Redemption to their children's children, for the sake of His Name. May our eyes behold Your return to Paradisius in mercy. Blessed are You Lord, who restores His Divine Presence to Paradisius. We thankfully acknowledge that You are the Lord our GOD and GOD of our fathers forever. You are the strength of our life, the shield of our salvation in every generation. We will give thanks to You and recount Your praise, evening, morning and noon, for our lives which are committed into Your hand, for our souls which are entrusted to You, for Your miracles which are with us daily, and for Your continual wonders and beneficences. You are the Beneficent One, for Your mercies never cease; the Merciful One, for Your kindnesses never end; for we always place our hope in You. Amen. SECTION II DIOCESAN RESTRUCTURING It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office reforms the following episcopal sees for the betterment of efficiency and management by their incumbent bishops. DIOCESE OF ST. ARPAD => BISHOPRIC OF ST. EMALYNE At the Request of Bishop Alexios Cardinal St. Emalyne, DIOCESE OF ANDRIKEV => BISHOPRIC OF ALTAMARINO By Pontifical Commission. => BISHOPRIC OF MIKDANBERG To be created by Pontifical Commission. SECTION III THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office announces general reforms to the episcopal polity over the Church. The Metropolitan-Suffragan hierarchy shall cease to exist, and in its stead all Bishoprics shall hereby be legally equal and IMMEDIATELY SUBJECT TO THE HOLY SEE. The reforms are as follow: PATRIARCHATE OF JORENUS to… DEMOTE TO BISHOPRIC; Retaining the cultural title of ‘Patriarchate’, And be constituent of the Synod of Bishops, BISHOPRIC OF ALTAMARINO to… REMAIN AS IS; No longer suffragan under the Patriarchate of Jorenus, And be constituent of the Synod of Bishops, DIOCESE OF WESTERWALD to… BE SUPPRESSED; And be merged into the Patriarchate of Jorenus, ARCHDIOCESE OF ALBAROSA to… BE SUPPRESSED; And be merged into the Bishopric of Mount Lemon, DIOCESE OF ST. GODWIN to… BE SUPPRESSED; And be merged into the Bishopric of Mount Lemon, BISHOPRIC OF CASICA to… REMAIN AS IS; And be constituent of the Synod of Bishops, BISHOPRIC OF IDUNIA to… DEMOTE TO BISHOPRIC; And be constituent of the Synod of Bishops, DIOCESE OF ST. KING CAIUS to… BE SUPPRESSED; And be merged into the Bishopric of Idunia, BISHOPRIC OF ST. EMALYNE to… REMAIN AS IS; No longer suffragan under the Bishopric of Idunia, And be constituent of the Synod of Bishops, BISHOPRIC OF LOTHARIA to… DEMOTE TO BISHOPRIC; And be constituent of the Synod of Bishops, DIOCESE OF TYRIA to… BE SUPPRESSED; And be merged into the Bishopric of Lotharia, BISHOPRIC OF GELIMAR to… REMAIN AS IS; And be constituent of the Synod of Bishops, BISHOPRIC OF RHOSMARK to… REMAIN AS IS; And be constituent of the Synod of Bishops, BISHOPRIC OF MOUNT LEMON to… REMAIN AS IS; And be constituent of the Synod of Bishops, BISHOPRIC OF MIKDANBERG to… REMAIN AS IS; And be constituent of the Synod of Bishops. SECTION IV EPISCOPAL APPOINTMENTS It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office elevates and consecrates the following members of the Order of the Ordained Presbyterium into the Order of the Episcopate; BISHOPRIC OF CASICA . . . to be shepherded by His Grace, Godfrey Bishop Casica, BISHOPRIC OF ALTAMARINO . . . to be shepherded by His Grace, Alaric Bishop Altamarino, BISHOPRIC OF IDUNIA . . . to be shepherded by His Grace, Nerium Bishop Idunia, BISHOPRIC OF MIKDANBERG . . . to be shepherded by His Grace, Vanderwink Bishop Mikdanberg. SECTION V COMMISSIONS TO THE HIGH COURT It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office commissions the following lawmen to the High Court in perpetuity; JUSTICE OF THE COURT, His Excellency, Ledicort A. Vuiller JUSTICE OF THE COURT, His Excellency, Fr. Wenceslas Bainbridge, JUSTICE OF THE COURT, T.M.R., His Eminence, Elim Cardinal Esbec. SECTION VI CONSISTORY OF THE COLLEGIATE, as of 2004 It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office affirms the following continued appointment to the College of Cardinals. We decree it to be thus; T.M.R., His Eminence, IVAN CARDINAL LOTHARIA, T.M.R., His Eminence, VILLORIK CARDINAL JORENUS, T.M.R., His Eminence, JAMES CARDINAL RHOSMARK, T.M.R., Her Eminence, CLOVER CARDINAL MOUNT LEMON, T.M.R., His Eminence, ALEXIOS CARDINAL ST. EMALYNE, T.M.R., His Eminence, NERIUM CARDINAL IDUNIA, T.M.R., His Eminence, ELIM CARDINAL ESBEC. SECTION VII CURIAL APPOINTMENTS It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pointifical Office appoints the following men and women of piety to the Pontifical Curia. We decree it to be thus; Cardinal-Secretary to the High Pontiff, His Eminence, Elim Cardinal Esbec, Prefect for the Laity, His Eminence, Ivan Cardinal Lotharia. SECTION VIII VENERATIONS It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that this Holy Church recognizes the following persons as apt for veneration; VENERABLE HIGH PONTIFF DEUNORO I The High Pontiff Deunoro I, Vicar of GOD from 1985 to 1990, for his steadfast commitment to peace within the lands of Canondom and outstanding piety in life. VENERABLE CARDINAL RHOSYN The Cardinal Rhosyn of Albarosa, Friar-Cardinal of Casica and Albarosa, for her steadfast commitment to cultivating monasticism, priestly education and the protection of her flock, as well as her outstanding piety in life. SECTION IX BEATIFICATION It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that this Holy Church recognizes the following person as most blessed of Virtue and apt for veneration; BLESSED AILRED OF DRUZSTRA The Cardinal Ailred of Druzstra, militant Knight-Cardinal and Auditor of the Tribunal by Pontifical instruction, for his sacrifice and martyrdom in the pursuit of justice for our One True Faith as well as his outstanding piety in life. SECTION X ON THE DARKSPAWN MENACE The Way of the Cross, the Crusade, whence the Lorraine has been cast in rebuke to Edel in the East, still here do we promulgate the following to the episcopate of our Church. Bishops in cathedra, speak unto the princes of your provinces a message of Our most sacred office; As Horen - in his time - trusted Julia with the defence of the Lord’s Tabernacle, so too must the Canonist peoples see protection in the knights of their realm, who promise to wage a war in perpetuity against the Saulician spawn of the dark. A great burden is tasked thusly, to spark the Spirit in the hearts of the righteous. . . tests en masse, investigations and audits, the greatest fight against those of wicked magick and tainted ilk. A battle fought not alone, but as One Faith, in cooperation between the various Canonist realms and peoples, to spread the word on suspects and combine the knowledge of registered tests. Clergy, as per ordainment into the line of the Prophet Owyn, have the duty of investigation for their further holiness beyond their mortal being, to assess their permission of passage into the realms of H’Oren, by any means necessary. Those found aiding Devil-Kind in circumventing this Churchly decree shall be harshly sanctioned as the office of the Auditor of the Tribunal sees fit. And to the clergy, the holy orders and churchly militias: testing to its fullest is MANDATORY to maintain communion with our Apostolic See, and every adherent to the Church institution and/or administration must be afforded proper clearance by the Pontifical Curia or face sanctions. Clergy are encouraged to test acolytes as soon as they have chosen to pursue the priestly path. The Church, above all, must retain its moral and temporal authority, as well as its spiritual purity, for the betterment of all in the Lord’s Holy Light. SECTION XI ON THE PONTIFICAL STATES . . . or . . . THE FUNDAMENTAL STATUTE FOR THE HOLY SEE TERRITORIES Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord our GOD! GOD of Horen, we dedicate this land to You absolutely, resolutely, and in Your appointed Vicar the Pontiff Harrentzedek, and for Your clergy, and for Your people on all corners of the Realm. As per the emergent sovereignty of the Church following the fall of Edel in the East, the formalisation of the territories known hereunto and here on out as the Pontifical States are formalised by the penning of this constitution. We seek here the institutionalisation of the Holy See’s independence in the exercise of His Holiness’ most sacred and divine mission onto the world; and we do so per our own initiative, as endowed by the authority of Owyn’s Priesthood and the laurel of the Exalted to declare it with utmost Apostolic Right. Let it be known that for the ages of ages these fundamental rights, freedoms, and obligations shall be binding to the lands under Pontifical purview, in accordance and adherence to the extant Code of Canon Law and all decrees issued by the Office of the High Pontiff. And they are written thusly; ARTICLE I. A Citizen of the Pontifical States is defined as any person who has been baptised into the Canonist faith and resides within the Pontifical Territories. This status reflects both spiritual allegiance and physical presence within the Territories’ domain. A person is considered to reside within the Territory if they meet one or more of the following criteria: they were born to parents currently residing within the Territory; they have been continuously residing within the Territory for a period of no less than five years; and they publicly profess and practise the Canonist faith. ARTICLE II. Eligibility for Citizenship in the Pontifical States is granted to individuals who satisfy specific conditions rooted in heritage and faith. Such eligibility is extended to those born within the Pontifical Territories, affirming a connection to the land and its sacred traditions. Additionally, individuals must have been baptised into the Canonist faith and demonstrate adherence to its Church and its teachings, ensuring that Citizenship reflects both a physical bond to the Pontifical States and a spiritual commitment to the Canonist doctrine. ARTICLE III. Citizenship of the Pontifical States encompasses both rights and responsibilities, reflecting the sacred bond between the faithful and the Canonist Church. Citizens are granted the right to actively participate in the spiritual and communal life of the Church, fostering unity and devotion within the Territory. In turn, they are bound by duties integral to their role within the Canonist community. These include upholding and defending the teachings of the Holy Scrolls and the authority of the High Pontiff, as well as contributing to the well-being and governance of the Pontifical States through faithful service and adherence to its laws. ARTICLE IV. Citizens of the Pontifical States have the right to petition the High Court of Justice of the Church of the Canon to resolve civil disputes arising within the Territory of the Pontifical States. The High Court may adjudicate such disputes provided that they do not contravene Canon law, fall within the jurisdiction of the Pontifical States, and involve only baptised Citizens of the Pontifical States. Decisions on civil disputes by the High Court of Justice are rendered with the same integrity and impartiality applied to Canon law. These rulings are final and binding upon all parties, with appeals permitted only directly to the High Pontiff. Citizens bringing disputes before the High Court must act in good faith, upholding the principles of honesty and justice as espoused by the Church. Frivolous or malicious petition may incur penalties, including fines or temporary suspension of the right to petition. Civil disputes involving non-Citizens may only be heard by the High Court if the dispute directly impacts the Pontifical States or pertains to property, contracts, or obligations within its Territory. ARTICLE V. The High Priest of the True Faith holds the fullness of legislative, judicial, and executive powers. In the event of a vacancy of the Holy See, these powers are vested in the College of Cardinals, represented by the Chancellor, until a new High Priest is chosen in accordance with Tradition. ARTICLE VI. The terms “State of the Church,” “States of the Church,” “Pontifical States,” and “Pontifical Territories” are synonymous, referring to the same secular political entity governed by the Holy See and His Holiness. Representation of the State of the Church in foreign relations with the sovereign Canonist states and other non-Canonist entities is a reserved right of the High Priest, who delegates this function to the Premier of the Pontifical States. The government of the State of the Church operates through the Pontifical Commission of the Pontifical States, also known as the Quadrumvirate. This governing body is led by the Premier of the Pontifical States, acting as the Council of State through which His Holiness exercises his executive powers. The Quadrumvirate includes a Steward-General responsible for taxation, a Captain-General overseeing military matters, and a local Bishop tasked with ensuring ritual cleanliness. ARTICLE VII. The law of the Pontifical States is inseparable from the Code of Canon Law. Legislative authority over Canon law is vested in ecumenical councils, while judicial authority is exercised through the High Court. The Holy See of Lemon Hill maintains its jurisdictional sovereignty, subject solely and completely to the authority of the High Pontiff and the Code of Canon law. ARTICLE VIII. The Pontifical States comprises several sovereign entities and estates, all subordinate to His Holiness and the Holy Mother Church. No political entity within the States of the Church may be of a heathen or heretical faith. Land acquisition within the Pontifical Territories requires obtaining a land deed, which must be approved by his Holiness and the Premier of the Pontifical States. This process is contingent upon the payment of taxes and a tithe. The High Pontiff retains the right to revoke the status of any sovereign entity or estate within the Pontifical Territories at will, exercising his supreme authority over the governance and organisation of the Pontifical States. ARTICLE IX. Regional laws within the Pontifical Territories are entrusted to the discretion of subjects and landowners, governing within the boundaries of their lands. However, these regional laws must fully adhere to the supremacy of the High Pontiff, the High Court, and the Code of Canon law. ARTICLE X. Sovereign entities and estates within the Pontifical Territories may establish and operate their own Courts of Law, provided these courts adhere to the provisions of this Constitution, comply with the principles of the Code of Canon law, and respect the supreme authority of the High Pontiff and the Holy See. Regional Courts shall exercise jurisdiction over disputes arising within their respective domains, including criminal, civil, property, and contractual matters, so long as their rulings align with Canonist doctrines and the laws of the States of the Church. The High Court of Justice shall serve as the Court of Last Resort for all regional disputes within the Pontifical Territories. Parties dissatisfied with a ruling from a Regional Court may appeal to the High Court, provided the appeal follows established procedures and the High Court consents to hear it. The High Court retains the authority to review and overturn Regional Court decisions. All decisions issued by the High Court on such appeals are final and binding upon all parties and jurisdiction within the Pontifical Territories. ARTICLE XI. If a sovereign entity or estate within the States of the Church chooses not to establish a Regional Court, the High Court of Justice shall act as the primary judicial body for resolving civil disputes within that jurisdiction. The High Court shall adjudicate these matters in accordance with the provision of Article IV of this Constitution, ensuring strict adherence to Canon law and the laws of the Pontifical States. In such jurisdictions, rulings by the High Court on civil disputes shall be final and binding, with appeals permitted only directly to the High Pontiff. ARTICLE XII. Amendments to this Constitution may be enacted through the will and decree of the High Pontiff. Additionally, amendments may be proposed by an ecumencial council, but their enactment remains subject to the approval of the High Pontiff ARTICLE XIII. Sovereign entities or estates within the Pontifical Territories may submit petitions to the High Pontiff requesting specific amendments to this Constitution. These petitions must be presented in writing and include a rationale that aligns with the principles of Canon law and the governance of the Pontifical States. The High Pontiff holds sole discretion to approve, reject, or modify any proposed amendments submitted through such petitions. SECTION XII ELEVATION OF PONTIFICAL NOBILITY Long centuries have passed when the Holy See found itself a guest in secular courts, with only times of rarity whereupon the spaciousness of land and the insistence of Pontiffs had acquired for the Mother Church an enclave to call home among the realms of Canondom. The enclave of Lemon Hill has in the developments of the age come to encompass an independent home not only for the Holy See but also those of Horen who found themselves bereft of a home in wake of earthly turmoils. We are blessed twice fold, then, to observe not only the independence of the Church The expedited pace of growth which the lay settlement of the Township of Grense had garnered is unprecedented in the history of Pontifical statehood. The Faithful gathered therein bear the Cross of the Faith in earnest fervour and diligence, and their contributions of service to the Holy See are manifold. This blessed growth of lay activity in the bosom of the Pontificate, as well as the central role in bearing the Sword of Owyn in leadership of the Crusade constitutes an evolution in the secular status of the estate. His Holiness, by virtue of the Apostolic Right endowed upon the Bearer of the Laurels of the Exalted, and in his capacity as Sovereign in the ordered State of the Church, sees right to elevate the Township of Grense and its surrounding lands and establish by these letters the Papal Duchy of Burgundy, and shall invest in the person of Tiberias van Aert the style and title of Duke of Burgundy in the Pontifical States, to hold and pass onto his legitimate heirs, to succeed the title of Protector of Grense, and to be administered presently by the Regent of Grense. THE HOLY MOTHER CHURCH OF THE CANON Under GOD Maintained by His Holiness Harrentzedek The Most Sacred Electors of THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS As Per the Most Recent Consistory… The Most Reverend, His Eminence, IVAN CARDINAL LOTHARIA . . . of the Bishopric of Lotharia, The Most Reverend, His Eminence, VILLORIK CARDINAL JORENUS . . . of the Patriarchate of Jorenus, The Most Reverend, His Eminence, JAMES CARDINAL RHOSMARK . . . of the Bishopric of Rhosmark, The Most Reverend, Her Eminence, CLOVER CARDINAL MOUNT LEMON . . . of the Bishopric of Mount Lemon, The Most Reverend, His Eminence, ALEXIOS CARDINAL ST. Emalyne . . . of the Bishopric of St. Emalyne, The Most Reverend, His Eminence, NERIUM CARDINAL IDUNIA . . . of the Bishopric of Idunia, The Most Reverend, His Eminence, ELIM CARDINAL ESBEC . . . of the Order of the Presbyterate, The Secretariats and Dicasteries of THE PONTIFICAL CURIA As Per the Most Recent Appointments… Secretariat of the Pontifical Curia, Under the purview of the Cardinal-Chancellor of the Pontifical Curia, Sede Vacante, Secretariat of the Pontifical State, Under the purview of the Seneschal of the Faith, Antonius Caranethion Arthalion, Secretariat of the Pontifical Affairs, Under the purview of the Cardinal-Secretary to the High Pontiff, Elim Cardinal Esbec, Dicastery for the Priesthood, Under the purview of the Prefect for the Priesthood, James Cardinal Rhosmark, Dicastery for the Laity, Under the purview of the Prefect for the Laity, Ivan Cardinal Lotharia, Commandant of the Pontifical Guard, Under the purview of the Pontifical Commandant, Villorik Cardinal Jorenus, Executor Observantiae Moralis et Restitution, Under the purview of the Archlectorate of Al’khazar, as defined in the Article of the Hammer, The Episcopal Sees of… THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS THE HOLY SEE Encompassing the entirety of the Apostolic City State, to be shepherded by High Pontiff Harrentzedek; PATRIARCHATE OF JORENUS, encompassing the entirety of the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Patriarch Villorik Cardinal Jorenus, BISHOPRIC OF ALTAMARINO, encompassing the entirety of the Sovereign State of Hyspia and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Alaric Bishop Altamarino, BISHOPRIC OF CASICA, encompassing the entirety of the Commonwealth of the Petra and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Godfrey Bishop Casica, BISHOPRIC OF IDUNIA, encompassing the entirety of the Kingdom of Númendil and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Bishop Nerium Cardinal Idunia, BISHOPRIC OF ST. EMALYNE, encompassing the entirety of the Midlands and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Bishop Alexios Cardinal St. Emalyne, BISHOPRIC OF LOTHARIA, encompassing the entirety of the Kingdom of Balian and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Bishop Ivan Cardinal Lotharia; BISHOPRIC OF GELIMAR, encompassing the entirety of the Principality of Reinmar as well as surrounding parishes not incorporated into other dioceses, to be shepherded by Reinhardt Bishop Gelimar, BISHOPRIC OF RHOSMARK, encompassing the entirety of the Duchy of Ravenmire, the Drowned Strand as well as the surrounding parishes not incorporated into other dioceses, to be shepherded by Bishop James Cardinal Rhosmark, BISHOPRIC OF MOUNT LEMON, encompassing the entirety of the Pontifical States as well as the surrounding parishes not incorporated into other dioceses, to be shepherded by Bishop Clover Cardinal Mount Lemon, BISHOPRIC OF MIKDANBERG, encompassing the entirety of the crusader territories of former Vortice, Silasia, Lurin and Vortice as well as the surrounding parishes not incorporated into other dioceses, to be shepherded by Vanderwink Bishop Mikdanberg.

And so it was that the enemy still refused the authority of the One True Faith to bring purity, denying redemption by the Baptismal Waters and condemning themselves to redemption by the Flaming Sword. Tribes of Norn, the Sons of Krug, the Sons of Malin, and all the nations of the beating heart of Canondom in the east had rallied in the repulsion of evil and defense of the good. The Crusaders had marched in growing numbers, first marking their path upon the northern expanses of the corrupted shire, clearing a launching point for further attack. As they sailed across the waters to Silasia, the Grand Duke denied all calls for surrender and instead dissolved his realm after countless losing raids. Perhaps he had finally realized that the Dreadlings he had landed wished not for his defense, but the offense of the Holy? Maybe he had realized evil would not prevail, yet he wanted not to engage with the Temple despite this. Who can say, but the Crusaders moved through Silasia swiftly, and entered the southern Dunwen. There, the Halflings recognized the immutable truth of the war and arrived in Mont Lemon, surrendered and penitent so that their lands may be cleansed and their people pardoned. The march continues northward upon the spreading rumor that something was terribly wrong. ☺ * High Priest of True Faith, Archbishop of Visigia, Successor of Clement and Evaristus, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, High Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, Missionary to Aeldin, High Servant to the Exalted’s Testmanets, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of GOD does decree… “So I find that you seek impossible knowledge not for the good of your fellows or precious wisdom but in the desire of power. Indeed, this is an insatiable desire, for none can overcome the Lord. This is the sin of envying GOD, a desire which cannot be attained, and the deepest blasphemy.” The recorded Spirit of the Exalted Owyn, the Epistle to the Magi, verses 11 to 13. THE REBUKE OF LURIN Steady has the Rowdy Realm of Lurin been in its subversions of the Virtue of Horen. Its leader has sought to manipulate the narrative, portraying himself as a meek yet virtuous pagan who tries his best to protect the allegedly innocent and weak. However, Lurin has not raised its sword for the defence of the innocent but in defence of the perverse and in stubborn opposition to the righteous despite all offers and calls for penance. Lurin has raised a temple to worship angels, believing the Ibleesian lie that the Creator is weak, scattered, and uncaring. They have made a false idol of balance to justify their actions, which are intrinsically ordered and justified against the Natural Good. Now, by the gathered tribes of Horen, Krug, and Malin, the priesthood of Owyn sets the Flaming Sword against a wicked Edel as it did in former times. You are rebuked this day Lurin, not for your pagan worship of angels but for the obvious evil it has wrought upon your lands under your watch. You are rebuked this day Lurin, not that you marched in war against us but that you masqueraded as justice to do it, denying yourself surrender and penance. You are rebuked this day Lurin, not that you have failed to root out the temptresses and thralls which lurk in Lurin but that you have willingly hosted them for revenue or other illicit gains. You are rebuked this day Lurin, not that you have magis in your elfen city, but that you have set them to perform an act so terrible it stirs the wrath of all the nations; conjuring a black mark upon the veil raised by the Creator, and inviting the Serpents beyond to destroy the land rather than see it redeemed in faith. IN NOMINE DEI Written by the Seneschal of the Faith, Antonius Arthalion. WARCLAIM WARCLAIM GOAL: Annexation WARCLAIM TARGET: Lurin [tile_cherry_blossum_2] ATTACKERS: The Holy Regency and allies DEFENDERS: Lurin and allies

* High Priest of True Faith, Archbishop of Visigia, Successor of Clement and Evaristus, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, High Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, Missionary to Aeldin, High Servant to the Exalted’s Testmanets, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of GOD does decree… EXALTED OWYN, PRAY FOR US SAINT POPE CAIUS PRIMUS, PRAY FOR US SAINT POPE DEUNORO, PRAY FOR US SAINT RHOSYN CARDINAL ALBAROSA, PRAY FOR US THE FIRST REBUKE OF EDEL So it was that the crusaders from the heart of Horen’s scattered tribes sallied into the east with sword and flame to rebuke the unrepentant tribes of Edel. With the great banner of mercy billowing over the siege camp, the crusader force gathered in force outnumbering the perverse pagans more than two to one. With veteran siege engine commanders the Edel Coalition had their weapons of war swiftly splintered, and the walls were torn down quickly after. With a single charge, the castle was taken. Why was there a castle in the Shire in the first place? Why are hobbit-holes paved over by great turrets and settled by insidious pagans where one may pasture cattle, or plow fields? It is because the place once set for comfort and innocence has dedicated itself to war for the sake of pride, that they never be forced to admit any iota of wrongdoing. All of the faithful tribes of Horen are called to hold the shire in their prayers, as his Holiness commands a great search for righteous hobbits who may be an example for the redemption of their race. THE SECOND REBUKE The Edel Coalition refuses still to SURRENDER and REPENT as each has been called to do, for a multiplicity of reasons. Every month that passes in the stubborn defiance of church and the subversions be it implicit or explicit of the righteous cause burdens the hearts of the unrepentant with more sin. One cannot pretend they are unaware of the wrongs committed or unaware of the call for redemption only to then cry; O’, not me! I never knew this, I had no part of it! But alas, your swords were collected by the crusade, and your blood has been spilt on the lands of the righteous as your soldiers endeavor to plunder it. The whole of Edel must be brought to purity by the FLAMING SWORD once granted to Owyn, founder of the priesthood. By the Mercyflame, you are called to SURRENDER and REPENT, though you have already broken much trust in your delay. The Grand Duchy of Silasia stands in the middle of the marching order, and having observed this once again declares their withdrawal and unilateral exit from the war. Who has told you that it is enough to pretend to fire your bandits, and apologize for schism after the fact? That you landed the excommunicants of the House of Mogg was not the sole issue, though notable and obvious as it is. You took in these brigands explicitly to defy the Church, knowing well who they are. One does not hear the name ‘Dreadlands’ and suppose “Oh, what gleeful farmers!” You knew they were a bandit caste who idolized the oldlands of the Flays, and you well knew you did this in opposition to the Church’s verdicts on the east. But there is a new leader of Silasia, it is said, and it cannot be said that you have not tried to start the path of penance (though never once have you ceased in hostility, so these efforts we assert fall flat). Nonetheless you are ordered, if you are true to your word; ACTUALLY and TRULY expel the Dreadlings who you brought under your banners for the sake of war against the Church. Any of them who are righteous may make their appeals to the Church, though one who we had captured admitted plainly to his apathy to this consideration. ACTUALLY and TRULY stop all hostile actions against the Crusade, for it has been witnessed personally the persistent works of war your nation has attempted in the midst of its so-called withdrawal attempts. ACTUALLY and TRULY surrender yourself to the Holy Regency so it may see as it has for other wrongful dynasties a path of redemption. If you do these things, setting the slate clean, a foundation of trust may be restored where there is a hope for Silasia. But this requires a true submission, true humility, and True Faith in the Plan of the Most Merciful, Singular, and Almighty Lord GOD. You are not assured of your pride; for this we shall take from you however willingly, for it is not for you to have. You are not promised the current state of your lands, for they are plagued by both pestilence and sin and need ritual cleansing. You are not promised the honorifics and grandeur you have set for yourself, for these have led you to the near occasion of sin. You are promised redemption and salvation if you accept the offer extended to you, who once was an innocent state, to be restored by the hand of the temple to former dignity. [‘Withdrawal”] & [Total “Moggicide”] To the rest of the Edel Coalition, you are warned again to surrender and repent. You plainly cannot win, and further defiance is done only in spite, which further incenses the Most Holy that you so detest His rightful rebuke you would endure torture for yourself in delight of your own sin. The lands must be ritually cleansed of the plague of shadow which has fallen on it, where even the High Priest has seen with his own eyes the necrotic pumpkins spawned of the shire. The ne’erdowells which reside within the taxed properties and hide behind their property rights shall be hung from the tree, and those who enabled their nesting shall hang by their side (most notably, the leader in Lurin who is directly witnessed to bear the markings of shadow on his skin). SURRENDER and REPENT. WARCLAIM WARCLAIM GOAL: Subjugation WARCLAIM TARGET: Silasia [tile_birch_forest_5] ATTACKERS: The Holy Regency and allies DEFENDERS: The Grand Duchy of Silasia and allies

Haste still pays haste, and leisure answers leisure, Like doth quit like, and measure still for measure. Canondom looked upon the events of Winburgh as a communal sin; of Canonists, and of Magi. They said that no such act should ever come to pass again. Because to gather a throng of magi, protected by an army, to then perform a collective act to level a single keep, was far too much power for mortal hands... So here we are now with a weapon of mass destruction, a parading Aengul of the Lord. He does the trick far better, and with much more ease than a gathering of magi. But then they were due to pay for more than a single city alone, it was only appropriate. Callahan could make much commentary on this; of Spirit, justice, followed by many scathing remarks. But it was less necessary now, he had said those things, written those tracts. Though thing that really pissed him off was that they burned his god-damned goat. He knew that Winburgh would fall. It was inevitable. They could not answer to each and every sin, every crime, every murder, though they tried. For that they tried, Mercy was with them, and the world was theirs today. The same could not be said for those who has set upon them. Despite this Callahan had hoped that in their wickedness and depravity, his temple goat would be spared. Bastards.

balian route

We had thought that perhaps Johannesburg had been the worst of it once upon a time. That this was the be all and the end all. If you could have gone to that time, and told your lay Staunton-slop fed peasant just how bad things really were, do you think it would've made a difference? He wouldn't even begin to know the stakes. The world he knew was already lost. But so were we, now, and so was ours. I'd like to say that we had foresight on our side. But I think we all realized a little too late anyhow. But foresight has nothing on the Owynsphere. They tell us we weren't always like this. That in our hearts, we were a simple people. But a proud people, rightly proud, with a dignity like none other. They say we were the shepherds of Men. That's why you'll hesitate, you know. That's what they say, anyway. They were Men once. Part of us doesn't want to forget that. Part of us can't help but feel sorry for them, that's why you get queasy. They even look like people still-- just with the guano. The guano always gave it away. They've been in the guano since Edel. I've been topside-- You ever seen a Lendian? I know better. The turning point, 1456 "Perhaps one of the most detestable murders of the Franciscan Massacre was the slaying of Damon Kovachev, the son of Rikard Kovachev, an unarmed page of thirteen who was at court to squire for Ser Fredek Royce. When the killing of the loyalists began, the Lucienists turned their blades on any Raevir present at court, among their victims the boy Damon who was, on the account of an eyewitness, ‘struck about the head by an Adunian templar’s spiked mace three times, his body falling to the ground and crushed by the sabatons of the wild and stampeding soldiers’." The rest is history.

High Priest of True Faith, Archbishop of Visigia, Successor of Clement and Evaristus, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, High Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, Missionary to Aeldin, High Servant to the Exalted’s Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of GOD does decree… EXALTED OWYN, PRAY FOR US SAINT POPE CAIUS PRIMUS, PRAY FOR US SAINT POPE DEUNORO, PRAY FOR US SAINT RHOSYN CARDINAL ALBAROSA, PRAY FOR US EDEL IN THE EAST Famously the Shires of the Weefolk have also been called to a special vocation; for the pursuit of humble lives, free of the near occasion of greed and violence. They are to live in shires, under and over the hills, and make holes in the ground for comfort; not castles for war. This innocence is no meager thing; it is crucially important, for no doubt does the innocence of the shire shine brighter than the jewels of the dwarves in the eyes of the Most Merciful. Does he not look at the innocence of the weefolk and remember the innocence of the world, and spare us the rightful punishment earned by our wrongs? Therefore truly it is the right of the weefolk and for that matter any nation of innocent, foolish stock to call upon righteous swords to protect them. Truly, it would be the obligation of any who consider themselves chivalrous to defend the meek even when inconvenient and to little gain. Perhaps no greater glory can there be than this in the eyes of the Almighty. But the coalition of states in the east have not been meek nor clean of spirit. Even the Shire, who is called most significantly to this vocation of humility and earns the right to demand protection for its sake has engaged in politik as shrewd as any other or worse. They land vassals and ennoble factions engaged in ambition, or worse shadowy factions engaged in evil. They deny their neighbors’ petitions to remove these influences from their land, and force them into war only to call foul. How could you monger war for me, who is small and weak? What a brute you are, for rebuking me so! But what horror!- that not only does the Shire invite politik upon their land, but then they insult the dignity of their neighbors as WEIRDO-𝒻𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀𝓈! But LO! BEHOLD! Who indeed in the 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀, the weirdo, who indeed the wrongdoer, but the HOBBIT THAT HATH DEPICTED, MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED, THE LICENTIOUS, SCANDALOUS, MUTATED PERVERSIONS of FICTITIOUS ORCS engaged in ABOMINATION? It is, therefore, the weight and the burden of the Hobbit, which has afforded itself the wage of the sin of Abomination, through not only the bearing of false witness, but through the PERVERTED (REALLY NASTY) DEPICTIONS of their making alone. They, therefore, in the height of their mutation by this terrible sin, the scandal they have manufactured, have warranted the full Robertine wage afforded to the degenerate of antiquity. For the production of 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓈𝒽 HALFLING SCRAWLINGS, their blood is upon them. It is the aim, then, of the True Faith, to see to the annihilation of this insidious corruption that has set upon the folk of the Shire, which do now make manifest not the doing of the Hobbit of noble, humble, and wholesome spirit but rather the vitriolic, cunning, and deceptive machinations of the Father of Lies, to whom they have, evidenced by behavior unbecoming of their race, entered evidently into the servitude of. Man may know pride and folly, and Krug wrath. Urist may know greed, and engage by greed in politik, but even for this, for the dispensation of Mercy that is the command of our Lord unto us, one may not expect wholesale their rejection of these temptations, but bear patiently with his brothers. Urist in his greed, who shall connive by greed; Krug in his wrath, who in his wrath shall act wantonly; Horen in his pride, who by his pride shall fumble in folly; and none shall be greatly angered, not repulsed to know that these creeds, according to their creed, have made the mistakes of their creed. Yet Hobbit knows not these faults. It is the curse of the Hobbit, rather, his apathy, that though he toils, he should not know purpose-whatever, and though he raises family, knows no legacy unto himself, aspiring for naught, yet ever-dissatisfied, and seeking yet the drunkenness of his stupor, that blinds from the pressing affairs of the world, and makes vulnerable him from the advancements of the Enemy whom he simply shall ignore. Knowing then this curse upon the Hobbit, which defines him in his folly, that he should not connive, nor politik, nor scheme, fore he cares not to scheme in his apathy– we see plainly the influence of the Alien that has set upon him, as Hobbit has schemed, and desired, lusted and greeded over power, temporal and earthly power anathema to his kind. It is by the word of Cyris a Hobbit who, in his shilling, and adamant business propositions for the SELLING of his land in the face of the intervention of the Rexkhan, that the depths of this poison on the Hobbit mind has been revealed to us, who have betraying themselves declared: TO THE LAST DROP OF BLOOD shall this people suffer for a PRESENCE IN POLITIK, A PLACE UPON THE MAP, accepting not any offer no matter how charitable for the settling of the Shire, nor bending in the face of any negotiation, lest it be for the increase of the power of this “nation” of burrows. Even it had been spoken that, should Krugmar dispose them of their lands, that Silasia shall capitulate entirely in forfeiture of the Faithful prince’s God-ordained stewardship of the land and submit unto the Shire for its full restoration. . . . Silasia for its part sought first to aid the Hobbits in repelling the armies of Krug. This, in itself, is not inherently an evil deed. It is not wrong to defend those who are not mighty, nor is it wrong to aid those whom one has sworn to aid (even if some of the misdeeds of Dunwen were already known). Yet when the Church raised a hand to speak on the matter, to rightly and justly REBUKE the Hobbit for their 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀 BEHAVIOR, the Silasian replied through both of his faces! From the first face he spoke of his own goodly support of the Church's Holy Mission in Honkmat, and from his second face he spoke the whispers of the Denier, and without second thought proclaimed how he had landed militant schismatic BANDIT LORDS to aid in his war! Bandit lords who take 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓈𝒽 delight in the torture of children, make mockery of the True faith and speak sacrilege of the name fleeper. Why do you subject yourself to fickle bandit lords for a greater army to put against the Church’s wishes? What good is there to come of it, to engage in a total war for the sake of protecting WEIRDO 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀𝓈? This is the great evil, that not only have you engaged in great politik for an unjust cause, but you have done it against the Church, with those who are its professed enemies. Think carefully of your course of action, for nothing started in such chaos is likely to end well. Why did you choose this fight? You do not speak of the matter, likely for that your realm is greatly destabilized already. Nothing good can come of chaos, nothing is glorious without the illumination of the flame of the Most High. To speak of Virtue and love for the Church in one breath and to welcome UNREPENTANT SCHISMATICS in the next is not just wrong, it is also EVIL COPE! If one so greatly feared losing a war to go to such extremes, why get involved at all? If one so greatly feared evils being committed against him why do they not put trust in the Temple, and its promise that no evil should come to the Shire if only they simply STOP 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔? . . . There is no serenity in insolence and there is no freedom in decadence. Like the lordlings of the east, the merchants of the Lurinite city are not absolved of their injuries to the Almighty either. The pledge of tolerance and freedom that the erstwhile Sutica has prided itself in has for centuries known no limits. The very cornerstone of all life in the mercantile kingdom is the fervent pursuit of profit; the craving for power. Though honey-tongued industrialists would call themselves champions of meritocracy, and serpentine wizards dedicate body and soul to the pursuit of a direly misplaced ‘progress’, the merit they preach is in service of all but a holiness. It is inevitable that when gates are opened wide, where no righteous officer or judge stands appointed, evil shall find shelter. And when sheltered, evil shall prosper. It is the nature of the Denier, as with his wicked messengers, to knock door to door among the nations of the realm and seek the one that trusts; the one that shall open. And Lurin hath abided. As in the alleys and halls of Sutica before it, corruption reeks, and the Almighty grows wroth. The virtuous few who still call the trade city home find the claws of darkness clutching for them at every street corner. Fear not! says the trade lord; an inquisition shall be launched. Truly? That darkness which with closed eyes and a distorted conscience was made welcome by Lurin now reigns over it. The trade lords and the angel worshippers fumble to counter the darkness; for their own hands are corrupt! No inquisition concocted in invented morals or the fluidity of principles can truly inquire into anything, let alone counteract a darkspawn crisis. It is a masquerade, a phony idol-worshippers’ stunt, for the feigned calming of affairs. Success owes not its due to the whim of a rogue angel, to the worship of reason or to the hauled treasures of gems and coin; it is owed solely and absolutely to the LORD. The Lurinites have taken to appoint among them false-priests, too. Oracles of lie. A church of Eshtael. A holiness of their own. They holler the name of an angel and philosophize over a dilettante theology of balance; when the balance they yearn for is solely that of the banker. They hold that a church is necessary for the worship of their appointed deity; and by this insinuate that the One and Only Church is null in value. Do you think truly there is a truth besides the Most True? By your own writing, you worship a false idol in place of the Singular, Omnipotent and Most Merciful LORD. The persecution of Canonists at the hands of dark sorcerers and nightly creatures cannot be abided. The instruments of enforcement in Lurin are compromised, and its leadership itself has shown to possess a more sordid hue than thought before. What once, in brighter days, had inclined to goodness has now faltered and doused. The effrontery against G-d, the worship of greed and idolatry, the proliferation of cursed magics, the persecution of Canonists and the riled warmongery perpetrated by its lords shall serve one end: the deliverance of Lurin to Justice before the Lord Our God. A MARCH FOR GOOD WILL THEREFORE it is incumbent upon the Temple to wield the Flaming Sword and call for ORDER and INQUISITION upon Edel in the East; that nefarious deeds committed by nerdowells be put to a just stop by PENANCE or PURIFICATION. Not for hatred of its inhabitant, for the sin of Owyn was wroth for the sinner; not for political convenience, for surely it is inconvenient to march against a prepared coalition; but for Good Will that the residents of the East be redeemed into the embrace of the Most High and attain the promise of Salvation. To the Shiredom of Dunwen; SURRENDER and REPENT that you may be innocent and meek once more! Stop WAR BAITING and 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 on people! You slander and scheme to evade the consequences of your actions rather than turn to the Most Merciful, and the protection he would afford you if you truly would offer yourself to your known vocation; REPENT! If you would REPENT then war would leave your lands. If you would REPENT then your land may be cleansed by the Mercyflame of all plague and evil you have tolerated in it. If you would REPENT then all righteous blades would fall upon the Shire for protection rather than its purification. To the Grand Duchy of Silasia; SURRENDER and REPENT that you may be fleepish as you were before. You destabilize your realm for the sake of a war it need not know in the first place, for the sake of the defense of the unclean and 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓈𝒽; REPENT! If you would REPENT then the folk of Silasia could be reconciled with all Horen. If you would REPENT the many swords of the tallwoods may be brought not against your brothers in faith but in righteous crusade against the enemies of the Most Holy. If you would REPENT Silasia could forget the ills of war, and know comfort in communion with their neighbors. If you would REPENT Silasia could develop its fledgling state, rather than place it into the hands of foreign bandit lords. To the Disturbed State of Lurin; SURRENDER and REPENT that you may be brought out of exile and into faith. You have worshiped a false god who cannot guarantee you salvation, much less hear your prayers. There cannot be balance of virtue and vice, nor good and evil; only the love of the Almighty and the hatred of Sin. If you would REPENT then a true inquisition may cleanse your lands of the evil which you have taxed within it. If you would REPENT the statues of angels may be torn down and replaced with monuments of True Faith. If you would REPENT then you would be cleansed by baptismal rite all evil spirits of Sutica which haunt your square. If you would REPENT then your people may for the first time ever know serenity. To the domain of Vortice; SURRENDER and REPENT that you may be excused from the coalition of Edel which is raised in defense of the unnatural and wicked. You have taken to raise your sword against justified outrage, and dismissed concerns of darkspawn so that you may do so. Why do you endanger yourself for the protection of the WEIRD? Why do you send your soldiers to defend bandits in Silasia but fail in your promise to investigate any matter of darkspawn in your near borders? Does it enrage you so that an army moves that you hold no concern that Ruin arrives as a plague upon your region? If you would REPENT of this affiliation then you may reclaim the innocence and humility once known of you. THE CALL FOR CRUSADERS As Krug has entrusted command of his sword into the service of the Temple, so too are all princes of the faithful called to raise their armies. Let every man that can stand sell his belongings to afford a sword to raise up for the Glory of GOD and against the Ruin of souls. Together we shall march into New Edel for the redemption of the East. IN NOMINE DEI HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, Anorhil Antonius Caranethion of the House Arthalionath, Crown Prince of Númenost, Seneschal of the Holy League, Captain of the Radiant Guard, Templar of the Archangel Michael, Knight of the Realm ✠ HIS LORDSHIP, Tiberias van Aert of the Middenland, Protector of Grense, Duke of Blackvale, Baron of Pestilles, Captain of the Vrijkorps, Sworn warrior of the Archangel Michael HER ROYAL MAJESTY, Tar-Caraneth Aryantë of the House Arthalionath, by the Grace of GOD, Queen of the Númenedain, Princess of Númenost and Minas Amath, Protector of the Adunians, Master of the Sharadûn, Templar Justiciar of the Archangel Michael, Knight of the Realm His Royal Highness, August ‘The Border Prince’ Valentin, Margrave of Beleth and Keeper of Raccoons. HER ROYAL MAJESTY, Adalia I “The Dawnmade”, By the grace of GOD, Queen of the Petra, Princess of Abrana, Marquise de Val d’Estenou, Countess of Temesch, Torm Marian, and Moere, Viscountess of Mies, Baroness of Garmont, Vallagne-en-Petra, Eagles Peak, Brasca, Hrenthorne, Resmore, and of the Phoenixspire, Knight of the Petrine Laurel, Defender of Liberty HIS HIGHNESS, Bo I, Sovereign of Ravenmire, Count of Ravenmire City, Protector of the Smallfolk & of the Far North,Patriarch of the House of Rostova HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, LEON, GMSTSR, Prince in Reinmar and of Minitz, Count of Neu Brandthof, Viscount of Tucay, Baron of Hussen and Boriënwald, Lord of Durres, High Chieftain of the Reinmaren, Warden of the Franklands and Ferdenwald HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, FREDERICA, GMSTSR, Princess in Reinmar of Sutica, Duchess of Reinmar, Countess of Freimark and Kretzen, Baroness of Madvon and Freising, Lady of Sankt Johannsburg, Wilheburg, Erwinsburg, Freiburg and Rozenfeld, Chieftess of the Reinmaren

Midnight? Who said anything about Midnight? Midnight was when they put is in cages for a regency. A Lucienist and a Ruthern step into a nightmare a Carrion, a Barrow, don't miss him, Ailred. They missed, that was the nightmare. They run out and find a Lur, that was a nightmare, but not this time. Not Krug, not this time, not a Lur, if only they knew then. Nightmare was bearing with those insufferable 'all-fathers', nightmare was every drop of guano, every glint of those obscene rings, it was one way to bleach white those wretched, wretched garments. Nightmare? What nightmare? And I stepped into that place of a dream behind him, who remained in the protection of an obscure seminary after he had been declared an enemy of the Enemy for his writings in defense of the Church's autonomy, and I bring him word of this restoration. Midnight? It's the Dawn I've been waiting for. For even the semblance of a smile on that wizened old face as the first rays of the day shine through that resplendent stained glass, where Everard-in-Persecution sprawled out waiting, hope from on the horizon, against all odds, triumphant over that crisp and nigh eternal winter twilight, his face illuminated with the dappled Light of the new world. Winter, spoke a Lucienist. They've been goyed. And I looked on him who heard me, bitter loving, but loyal as a Vander, sharing in the weight of every gut-wrenching concession, all possible through the heart-pierced Flame, so that Justice was the Lord's, and revenge His also.

Of Horen and Krug, prelude to MT. TYLOS - The Owynist Rite - The Lord Of The Craft He came once more into the Holy City. From the House of Krug a young man had risen, and he bore into that place an axe, as once had his father before him, this boy now a man, seeking Horen, Prophet, now the elder of his young and newforged soul, Father of the Covenant of Man. Now the Enemy had once come into Krug's camp, which had, with his people, succumbed to the wishes of the Father of Lies. And the unclean spirits came once upon him, and upon his people crying, 'slay them, slay them, how weak they are!', and yet this youth Krug trespassed not upon the Tabernacle, hateful of his sin, and afeared of the Lord his God, the God of Horen, Creator-Pantokrator. So also had, in a time before, an Enemy come into the camp of Krug, saying, 'Behold, that I am a prophet, and see my power, be afeared.' And set, they, as Man for Saul had done their kinsmen, upon the people of the Lord, so that they may wage war upon the Lord, Brandt-Caius they accosted, struck by them. As for Clement, so also Evaristus, and today he came in seeking him, the Vicar of God, the twin bearer of Horen's laurel. Now the days of Brandt-Caius had come to pass, and his mantle was the mantle of the Baker, and his inheritance was the Kingdom of Owyn, and he was Vander, Horen's Son; see that he bore the word of the Lord. Now sat his brother, as in his time, and for his mantle was the Butcher, and his inheritance the Kingdom of Harren, and their woe was exile, behold already what by this pen was written, the Lord redeems and in him are all things satisfied! And behold that they were High Priest, Clement and Evaristus. See now the satisfaction of Mount Tylos, and the fruit of the labor of Brandt-Caius. As it was written of him, so has it come to be! 'LO! Was it not written that another has succeeded Krug, through the waters of Gamesh? 'LO! And is not the redemption of Krug at hand, as it was written? Another has come, weaker, meeker, a youth, now a man! Before Horen says he, "I was born a Flepir!" and he stands now before his elder Horen, High Priest, the sponsor of his life in the sheepfold of the Lord. Recall, then, the weakness written of him for his innocence and by his innocence, who was spared for that he was meek! He has come again before Horen, High Priest in humility. It was Brandt-Caius, High Priest, who bore it witness; "Whatever you ask of me, I shall do it, fore I have done wrong by you and set upon you, I have spilled your blood by the will of the evil one." And it was Brandt-Caius who held the blade of Holy War above the head of Krug, but for love of this youth had spared him. Is it not he, who succeeded the baptized? Is it not he who has made full supplication? See him now, that he a Man, and as it were prophesied, comes as reborn Krug, a servant of the Lord his King! If it is so, says I, High Priest, that you are he, and that indeed the time of Krug is coming, then stand, and rise, and enjoy the full-share of the dignity that is becoming you. If it is so, if you are he, swearing as you have to service to the Lord, then do so now, before all of creation swear to this covenant the knighthood of Krug in the Kingdom of God, and to the High Priesthood, to the Vicar of God, and enter into holy service, the vocation the Lord has ordained of him, your father Krug, who's mantle now you carry, and who's sin, by the grace of God, you bear into the Mercyflame annihilated. Now some have trespassed upon you in evil, and you gaze upon New Edel; you grind your teeth for hatred of their sin, and in righteous-burning seek to set upon them, that blood for blood there be Justice before the Lord and for satisfaction of Krug and his tribe. And your people cry out to you, Holy War! Holy War! It is right and just, and a new day is dawning! As you have declared to them, I shall denounce the false-worship that has afflicted us, and sing GLORY GLORY GLORY to the LORD of HOSTS! And woe to them, such scandal, who should etch their crude depictions, licentious and depraved, their blood for certain is upon them, and your cause just! But heed! But heed! Krug, young Khan! Fore was it not so unto Brandt-Caius, as it was written? And the Princes of the Holy War cried out, cheering, and calling, death to this fiend Krug, death to this fiend Krug, let there be justice, and by blood satisfaction! But for love of you, and in suffering the scorn of all the world had this man a prophet raise up his hand, and call for mercy unto you, saying, 'beloved are the meek, and for mercy I shall not slay him.' See the stripes that were borne for you, for your soul and for your future, by the Lord's anointed, Caius-Brandt, High Priest of H'oren! It is by this loving-kindness afforded you that life through Horen is afforded you, security in the World to Come, merciful reconciliation! So swear this oath to the Kingdom of God, Krug, and seal this oath in sacrifice; you are called, as he was called, to bear with him the burdens of your life, that you also shall know restraint. You shall offer unto the Lord your Triumph; you shall not march upon them, but permit them the day. And by this sacrifice shall all the world behold: Krug, a Knight of the Lord, triumphant over wrath, see that Justice is the Lord's, and Krug does not unduly seize it! See that he, for love and fear of the Lord his God, mongers not for war, and seeks not the spilling of blood, but suffers patience at the command of the Lord; virtue is with him! Who shall deny, among all fools, that there is no greater satisfaction to Krug than justice by war? But they shall say, he thirsts only for war, and to spill blood wantonly. Therefore offer up this blood, and be triumphant over bloodlust, sacrifice your victory, and set your pride upon the altar! That before those who profess love of the Lord it shall be said, he is Krug, who thirsts for Justice; See that he suffers in service to the Lord! See the trueness of his soul, the wounding of his heart, the fullness of his dedication! And upon these lips it will be said, ‘the Mandate of Heaven is with him, no power may avail him but Spirit alone’. Raise up your heart in these sorry hours, and suffer, woe! Our penance before the Lord, we a people seeking bloodshed, denied our satisfaction. For our faith, we offer up to the Lord our victory, a sacrifice. Join to Harren, who around him mourns the Holy City that was lost by you, and gaze upon the Towers of the Holy Place, infested by sin. Growl in upset at the revelries of New-Edel, at the abundance of their sin, and submit, fore Justice is the Lord's, and He shall deliver His people unto the Holy City; by His blessing Harren and Krug shall clear together the towers-infested, that the scripture may be satisfied. And unto a Holy people, the slaves of the Kingdom of God, shall all the world be afforded those seeking, thirsting, and wholly obedient to the Lord's justice, at the hour He anoints, enjoying victory not by strength, nor by any power, but by His spirit alone. And so it shall be, a Covenant with Krug, for his renewal and for his life, afforded by the Mercy of the Flame in loving-kindness, and sealed by the fires that he, at Horen's side shall bear into the Edel, all the wretched of the world lamenting. IN NOMINE DEI

From the Harrenite High Priest, regarding the garrison administration in Calliopeburg, We are very sorry to hear of the plight of the keeper of the monastery at Calliopeburg, and, being ourselves of Harrenite extraction, know very well the incredible danger of orchids. There is nothing more despicable to us than the works of the Fae, the Fairy and the Ffffflower. Neither are we very partial to flays, but that is another matter. Indeed it is the duty of every Gael, Gaul and Galatian, so set into this heart by the Lord his God, and reinforced by hundreds of years of persecution at the hand of the grass and moss, the frogs, the bogs, the snakes and other ill natured creatures, his will to evict from every place, by any means, the creatures of the deceptive swamplands. If there we may be in any way an aid to you in the rescue of your fortress-prison monastics, we are happy to provide. Additionally, we shall be delegating the upkeep of this monastery to the Prelate for the Clergy, Cardinal James, that it remain to be in the good hands of able-bodied administrators of the Church of the True Faith. God bless you, Harrentzedek ☺

High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, Archbishop of Visigia, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, Missionary to Aeldin, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of GOD does decree… ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ SECTION I - Opening Prayer SECTION II - Diocesan Restructuring SECTION III - Episcopal Appointments SECTION IV - Consistory of the Collegiate SECTION V - Curial Appointments SECTION VI - On the Balian-Aaun Conspiracy SECTION VII - Excommunication SECTION VIII - Summons for the Aaunic Diet ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛ SECTION I OPENING PRAYER Holy Lord of the Skies, King of Paradise, guide us Thy children toward Thy path of divine victory. See that the fruit of our labor, in diligent virtue, be reaped as sowed on the tree of holiness, for all work done in Thy graces is done for the betterment of the Faith. See in us not fear or doubt in Thy blessed mystery, but in the promise of Paradise, shining brightly beyond, in the Skies Thy abode, where the good shall come to rest. Amen. SECTION II DIOCESAN RESTRUCTURING It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office reforms the following episcopal sees for the betterment of efficiency and management by their incumbent bishops. => DIOCESE OF MOUNT LEMON Encompassing the entirety of the Pontifical Territory of Lemon Hill, with its seat in the Monastery of the Sacred Heart. To be shepherded by Clover Cardinal Mount Lemon. As Per Pontifical Decree. SECTION III EPISCOPAL APPOINTMENTS It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office elevates and consecrates the following members of the Order of the Ordained Presbyterium into the Order of the Episcopate; ARCHDIOCESE OF ALBAROSA . . . to be shepherded by His Grace, Davide Archbishop Albarosa, DIOCESE OF CASICA . . . to be in temporary Sede Vacante, DIOCESE OF ST. GODWIN . . . to be shepherded by His Grace, Franz Bishop St. Godwin, ARCHDIOCESE OF IDUNIA . . . to be shepherded by His Grace, Aerin Archbishop Idunia, DIOCESE OF ST. KING CAIUS . . . to be shepherded by His Grace, Evander Bishop St. King Caius, DIOCESE OF TYRIA . . . to be shepherded by Her Grace, Stefaniya Bishop Tyria, DIOCESE OF GELIMAR . . . to be shepherded by His Grace, Reinhardt Bishop Gelimar, DIOCESE OF MOUNT LEMON . . . to be shepherded by Her Grace, Clover Cardinal Mount Lemon. SECTION IV CONSISTORY OF THE COLLEGIATE, as of 1993 It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office affirms the following continued appointments to the College of Cardinals. We decree it to be thus; T.M.R., His Eminence, IVAN CARDINAL LOTHARIA, T.M.R., His Eminence, VILLORIK CARDINAL JORENUS, T.R.R., His Eminence, JAMES CARDINAL RHOSMARK, T.R.R., Her Eminence, CLOVER CARDINAL MOUNT LEMON, T.R.R., His Eminence, ALEXIOS CARDINAL ST. ARPAD, T.R.R., His Eminence, AILRED CARDINAL DRUZSTRA, T.R.R., His Eminence, MATTIA CARDINAL ANDRIKEV. SECTION V CURIAL APPOINTMENTS It is through the Apostolic Right bestowed unto Us through the Laurel derived from the Exalted, that our Pontifical Office affirms the continued appointments to the Pontifical Curia. We decree it to be thus; Cardinal-Chancellor of the Pontifical Curia, Her Eminence, Clover Cardinal Mount Lemon, Seneschal of the Faith, His Royal Highness, Antonius Caranethion Arthalion, Cardinal-Secretary to the High Pontiff, His Eminence, Ivan Cardinal Lotharia, Auditor of the Supreme Pontifical Tribunal, His Eminence, Ailred Cardinal Druzstra, Prefect for the Priesthood, His Eminence, James Cardinal Rhosmark, Prefect for the Laity, His Grace, Franz Bishop St. Godwin, Pontifical Commandant, His Eminence, Villorik Cardinal Jorenus. SECTION VI ON THE BALIAN-AAUN CONSPIRACY In the year 1991 a meeting was held in the Kingdom of Balian to discuss secret plans to depose the duly elected successor to Owyn’s priesthood, the High Priest Ro’eh Tzon. This meeting was attended by some Councilors of Aaun, the King of Balian, the Crown Prince of Balian, the Chancellor of Balian, various guards and a young Novellen prince. Both the Chancellor of Aaun and the King of Balian explicitly led talks of deposing, witnessed by the aforementioned. The Chancellor and Crown Prince of Balian explicitly engaged in the discussion, seeking effective means of gathering support against the High Priest, collecting grievances and taking stock of who might support and oppose them. Only a number of the guards and the boy Novellen prince came forward to report on the grave scheme being developed. The reasons later professed by the guilty parties for their proclivity to this plot (though they acknowledged in their guilty pleas that it was an unjustifiable act) was two main factors; that his Holiness had rebuked the Queen of Balian for stealing 20 fleece from a consecrated flock as a Cardinal, and that his his Holiness had landed in his own territory of Lemon Hill some men who sought to serve the Church who had been enemies of the previous Aaunish Monarch (who had been forced to abdicate due to his terrible crimes). As the conspirators traveled to try and recruit others to their plot, it had already been informed on to the Church, and an emergency conference was held at Numenost. There, a Holy League was formed for the purpose of rooting out the disunity in faith and prosecuting the schismatics, led by the appointed Seneschal Anorhil Antonius. They sallied out to Reinmar, where the Reinmaren Princes rebuked the folly of the envoys from Balian and Aaun. There, both Reinmar and Haense signed onto the Holy League. The force then rode east, to both Aaun and Balian, to confront the schismatics and collect testimony (Hyspia signed on the way towards Balian). At Aaun, the forces witnessed an angel of the Almighty, St Raguel, descended to Whitespire and commanded its vacation before it was smitten down by fire and brimstone. At Balian, the force was let in peacefully to interview some key members with connections to the conspiracy. Here, on oath to answer honestly before the Seneschal and Ivan Cardinal Lotharia, the truth was obfuscated and guilt denied. In the presence of his Holiness, Alexander Novellen, John Novellen, Kristoff Ruthern and Louis-Caspian all plead guilty to the crimes they were accused of. There were attempts throughout the trials to obfuscate the extent of their guilt, but ultimately each of them relented to the wisdom of the immortal temple of the ages, and have pledged to accept the penance issued by the High Priest. SECTION VII EXCOMMUNICATION In coherence with previous publications of His Holiness as Auditor of the Tribunal and for the sake of clarity where predecessors have been obscure, the meaning of Excommunication is reminded. Excommunication is not a sword of the clergy to be wielded when assailed; the sword remains as it was for Owyn in former times a sword. It is the duty of the successor to that ancient servant of God to likewise wield a Flaming Sword; to wield the tangible symbol of action enwreathed in the illuminating Spirit which is substantiated by Virtue. A declaration of Excommunication is instead an instrument of Wisdom; an observation of the utter lacking grace found within the accused which endangers their salvation. An observation that for their disregard of that which is holy, for their blasphemy against the Spirit, for their lack of repentance they are therefore in a state where upon death they would deny themselves entry to the Seven Skies in a rejection of the Most Merciful. The office of higher clergy is not one with the Almighty and making a decision for him that someone shall be denied entry to the Seven Skies, for that would be heresy. It is rather the charism of Wisdom trusted to be tied to these offices which grants their declarations weight, that their observations are accurate. This makes the denial of charges of excommunication worse yet when done for temporal reasons, for one then denies an office they know to be wise out of inconvenience to their own interests thereby further disregarding the holiness of the Almighty’s promise of the Seven Skies. THEREFORE the following are condemned for flagrant violation of the law, disregarding the holiness of the church and the unity of faith for temporal interests; ALEXANDER CASIMIR NOVELLEN OF BALIAN is declared in state of EXCOMMUNICATION for the grave disregard to his salvation by plainly plotting to depose his Holiness, having organized conspiracy for this scheme. It has been elaborated that it was for the provocation against his filial pride which moved him to conspire so. His guilty plea is the first step on a path of penance, and is charged to take up a monastic life in service to his Church and his people in humility for the great sin of pride which motivated his crimes. Alexander is denied all titles and offices without approval of his Holiness, so that he may avoid the near occasion of sin. LOUIS-CASPIAN DIEUXMONT DE ROSIUS OF AAUN is declared in state of EXCOMMUNICATION for the grave disregard to his salvation by plainly plotting to depose his Holiness, having organized conspiracy for this scheme. It had been admitted that the provocation for such acts was the black sheep rehabilitation, that the men of Grense were allowed into service of the Temple. His guilty plea and quick cooperation with the tribunal are the first steps on a path of penance, and he is charged to take up a vow of poverty and to live a life in service to his Church and his people in charity for the great sin of spite which motivated his crimes. Louis-Caspian is denied all titles and offices without approval of his Holiness. KRISTOFF VAR RUTHERN OF BALIAN is declared in state of EXCOMMUNICATION for the grave disregard to his salvation by plainly plotting to depose his Holiness, having contributed to the gathering of support for the scheme and otherwise perjuring himself to obfuscate the conspiracy. His guilty plea is the first step on a path to penance, and Kristoff is charged to take up a monastic life in service to his Church and his people in humility for the great sin of pride which motivated his crimes. Kristoff is denied all titles and offices without approval of his Holiness, so that he may avoid the near occasion of sin. JOHN CASIMIR BALDWIN NOVELLEN OF BALIAN is declared in state of EXCOMMUNICATION for the grave disregard to his salvation by obfuscating the conspiracy and his involvement connected to it. Despite being personally witness to the scheme and having engaged in the conversation immediately concerning the scheme, John denied all knowledge of it under holy oath. He has pleaded guilty to his negligence, despite further obfuscation, and his cooperation and demonstrated penitence is the first step towards reconciliation. John is charged to take a vow of humility and to serve the Lotharian Archdiocese for 6 years, and is denied all titles and offices (including line of succession) without approval of his Holiness so that he may avoid the near occasion of sin. In Absentia, EMILIO SIGISMONDO VAROCHE OF AAUN is declared in state of EXCOMMUNICATION for the grave disregard to his salvation by going into hiding and never coming forward with any testimony or plea at all, despite having been named and placed as witness to the conspiracy. Emilio is charged to take vows of poverty and humility, and to enter service to the Church in monastic life for the rest of his days. He is denied all titles and offices flatly, and ordered to turn himself into the Church or be presumed either dead or in flagrant disregard for his soul in comparison to petty feuds and politik. In memory of older wrongs returned to light by her own kvetch, LAVANYA ARUNA NOVELLEN is declared in state of EXCOMMUNICATION for the grave disregard to her salvation by harassing a consecrated flock, stealing from a Cardinal, debating rather than cooperating at the admonishment and then stirring scandal by accusing his Holiness of flagrant bloodlust despite contrary context. Her humility before the temple, even when diminished by her later outbursts, and her clear lamentation at the suffering relationship with her son indicates the beginnings of reconciliation, and she is charged to by pilgrimage supervised by his Eminence Ivan Cardinal Lotharia to shepherd a flock from Balian to Lemon Hill. She is denied titles and offices at her own admission of sharing the burden of her husband, and is commended for her demonstration of spirit. Failure to comply with orders for the purpose of reconciliation shall leave the charged in a state of excommunication and danger to their eternal soul. They are recognized as being in a state of humility as of this publishing, and are not to be further jeered but encouraged to pursue their reconciliation to completion. If any of the charged indicate a disregard for their crimes or the proper penance they owe to their Most Merciful the Almighty Creator, it shall further endanger their souls and they shall be recognized as unrepentant excommunicants, and acknowledged to be better off buried out back than to go about corrupting the youth and promoting scandal. In light of these declarations, and at the consent of both penitent King and Crown Prince, the Kingdom of Balian enters interregnum with the Church to act as regent through her servant Ivan Cardinal Lotharia to ensure virtue and stability in the southern realm. SECTION VIII SUMMONS FOR THE AAUNIC DIET It is observed that the boy king Godwin II of Aaun has been missing ever since the Balian-Aaun conspiracy began, if not since before. His innocence is celebrated in the same breath as his absence is lamented. All faithful are called to prayer for that the Most Merciful might ensure his safety. The Holy Mother Church, in Her acting regency for the Kingdom of Aaun, calls to summon all the ennobled fief and vassal lords of the realm of Aaun to the Apostolic City, the Holy See beside the ruins of Whitespire. Attendance is compulsory. Should any of the Aaunic lords be unable to attend for whichever reason, please get in contact via letter to the Pontifical Curia, notably her Eminence Clover Cardinal Mt. Lemon, to schedule an alternative meeting time. THE HOLY MOTHER CHURCH OF THE CANON Under GOD Maintained by His Holiness Ro’eh Tzon The Most Sacred Electors of THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS As Per the Most Recent Consistory… The Most Reverend, His Eminence, IVAN CARDINAL LOTHARIA … of the Archdiocese of Lotharia, The Most Reverend, His Eminence, VILLORIK CARDINAL JORENUS … of the Patriarchate of Jorenus, The Right Reverend, His Eminence, JAMES CARDINAL RHOSMARK … of the Diocese of Rhosmark, The Right Reverend, Her Eminence, CLOVER CARDINAL MOUNT LEMON … of the Diocese of Mount Lemon, The Right Reverend, His Eminence, ALEXIOS CARDINAL ST. ARPAD … of the Diocese of St. Arpad, The Right Reverend, His Eminence, AILRED CARDINAL DRUZSTRA … of the laity, The Right Reverend, His Eminence, MATTIA CARDINAL ANDRIKEV … of the Diocese of Andrikev, The Secretariats and Dicasteries of THE PONTIFICAL CURIA As Per the Most Recent Appointments… Secretariat of the Pontifical Curia, Under the purview of the Cardinal-Chancellor of the Pontifical Curia, Clover Cardinal Mount Lemon, Secretariat of the Pontifical State, Under the purview of the Seneschal of the Faith, Antonius Caranethion Arthalion, Secretariat of the Pontifical Affairs, Under the purview of the Cardinal-Secretary to the High Pontiff, Ivan Cardinal Lotharia, Supreme Pontifical Tribunal, Under the purview of the Auditor of the Supreme Pontifical Tribunal, Ailred Cardinal Druzstra, Dicastery for the Priesthood, Under the purview of the Prefect for the Priesthood, James Cardinal Rhosmark, Dicastery for the Laity, Under the purview of the Prefect for the Laity, Franz Bishop St. Godwin, Commandant of the Pontifical Guard, Under the purview of the Pontifical Commandant, Villorik Cardinal Jorenus, The Episcopal Sees of… THE CANONIST DIOCESES THE HOLY SEE Encompassing the entirety of the Apostolic City State, to be shepherded by High Pontiff Ro’eh Tzon; PATRIARCHATE OF JORENUS Encompassing the entirety of the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Patriarch Villorik Cardinal Jorenus; DIOCESE OF ANDRIKEV, encompassing all the lands east of the river Lahy, to be shepherded by Bishop Mattia Cardinal Andrikev, DIOCESE OF WESTERWALD, encompassing all the lands west of the river Lahy, to be shepherded by Amleth Bishop Westerwald, ARCHDIOCESE OF ALBAROSA Encompassing the eastern region of Aevos, including the lands of the United Kingdom of Aaun, the Commonwealth of Petra, and the surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Davide Archbishop Albarosa; DIOCESE OF ST. GODWIN, encompassing the entirety of the Kingdom of Aaun as well as surrounding parishes not incorporated in other dioceses, to be shepherded by Franz Bishop St. Godwin, DIOCESE OF CASICA, encompassing the entirety of the Commonwealth of the Petra, in temporary Sede Vacante, ARCHDIOCESE OF IDUNIA Encompassing the central region of Aevos, including the lands of the Kingdom of Númendil, the Midlands, and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Aerin Archbishop Idunia; DIOCESE OF ST. KING CAIUS, encompassing the entirety of the Kingdom of Númendil, to be shepherded by Evander Bishop St. King Caius, DIOCESE OF ST. ARPAD, encompassing the entirety of the Midlands, to be shepherded by Bishop Alexios Cardinal St. Arpad, ARCHDIOCESE OF LOTHARIA Encompassing the south-western region of Aevos, including the lands of the Kingdom of Balian and surrounding territories, to be shepherded by Archbishop Ivan Cardinal Lotharia; DIOCESE OF TYRIA, encompassing the entirety of the Kingdom of Balian, to be shepherded by Stefaniya Bishop Tyria, IMMEDIATELY SUBJECT TO THE HOLY SEE; DIOCESE OF GELIMAR, encompassing the entirety of the Principality of Reinmar as well as surrounding parishes not incorporated into other dioceses, to be shepherded by Reinhardt Bishop Gelimar, DIOCESE OF RHOSMARK, encompassing the entirety of the Duchy of Ravenmire, the Drowned Strand as well as the surrounding parishes not incorporated into other dioceses, to be shepherded by Bishop James Cardinal Rhosmark, DIOCESE OF MOUNT LEMON, encompassing the entirety of the Pontifical Territory of Lemon Hill as well as the surrounding parishes not incorporated into other dioceses, to be shepherded by Bishop Clover Cardinal Mount Lemon.

[Music] Humanity, The chosen of our Lord GOD, carved in the image of our most benevolent, most omnipotent king of the heavens’, His domain indispensable, His power incomprehensible. Iblees is akin to poison; the ebon-black muck of the deceiver crawls akin to vermin, his mouth afoul, thriving in filth and the ignorance of faithless souls. And his marquis, daemons, have ventured into the lands of Hohkmat. It has been corrupted, deep in its roots, like twines of a sprawling branch dripping in a rainfall of evil spat by the corruptor Iblees. The magi are godless, they are unable to conceive the power of our Lord GOD, and in a feeble endeavour to mirror His omnipotence, and they fail, stalk at the endless and horrific piths of the void. Their necks are clutched by the invisible claws of Iblees, and it has left its mark. It has rotten their cognisance, and like feral beasts, they tap into powers ignominious to the light of our mighty King of the Heavens. Woe you, tempters, the evildoers of Hohkmat who have fallen from grace. Redemption is professed to all who deign in releasing themselves from the influence of Iblees, but your lands have seeped into corrupted waters. Your lands are like swampy filth. Hohkmat must be cleansed. As was the once-righteous lands of Whitespire reborn in holy-fire, it must be replicated, redone, so that Hohkmat may rise again from its rubble and turn back to our Lords’ light. Prepare yourself. This is justice. St. Raguel, the Aengul of Justice. Messenger of our Lord GOD. Mankind has been delivered a message by the Aengul Raguel; that just as in former times Owyn was called to enter Edel, so too shall he enter it today. As Owyn went to the lands preaching the redemption of the Most Merciful, so too shall he today enter the city of Magi and call to repentance. Just as the covens and cults of Edel were put to flame to cleanse their impurity from the mountains, so too shall he put the Flaming Sword against the unrepentant. Hohkmat has been on our mind, and it has been previously investigated for its deep-rooted links and cultist-like endeavour. The Void is fundamentally opposed and separate to the order of creation; not just doctrine from Gospel, but any adherent to the most basic natural law can reason for themselves the danger fundamental to practice of the Void. Though one may hold hope for the wise wizard to redeem the magi and teach them a way of wisdom in accord with the teachings of true faith, instead in Aevos are found magi who quip about the concept of holy wisdom, and view limitations to their practice as folly. They are eager to use their terrible power at the call of princes to raze cities into magma, and would thereafter cry why any might think them dangerous. The persons currently charged with authority to restrain the Hohkmat are those who themselves are magi, and inherently motivated to see magic at its height rather than to consider the natural order. Though they have aided in the dispelling of some voidal works more terrible than their own, and have professed interest in aiding against darkspawn; that their practice remains unclean at its roots is a further jeopardy to any who would rely on them. Would you beseech the aid of the Arch-lich to heal your injuries? And what if he may appear to do so in all measures- would not the sin inherent to the disordered magik then fall upon you? Would it not condemn you to further danger, enacted either in direct consequence or as a matter of providence? They have fallen from the grace of our Lord GOD, so far that even his messenger would come to deliver this holy reckoning; but with the Flaming Sword of Owyn must come the chance of surrender. We must cleanse the land. This can only be prostrated in one way: that the ilk of Hohkmat would surrender their kingdom to our Lord willingly. A magister has been informed of the interests of the Church, and demands issued. The magi shall be given a year’s time to decide, to surrender the keys to their hold ‘fore the armies arrive at their gates. Hohkmat will be cleansed. IN NOMINE DEI WARCLAIM GOAL: Conquest WARCLAIM TARGET: Hokhmat ATTACKERS: Church of the Canon and their Allies. DEFENDERS: Hokhmat and their Allies. AN OOC NOTE: We would loathe to think this to be perceived as some OOC attack or hatred, and in the principles of good faith and the fostering of Roleplay, it should be said that if the Church succeeds it shall not be plainly mass evicting the land. Though RP is RP, OOCly there is no hatred (as joked about as it is) and even if victorious, if the war proceeds and is had in good faith, people will be allowed to RP as insurgents or hidden circles of Magi within the tile. If this occurs, it will remain opposed in RP by the Church- but OOCly is not prohibited. Much love, and may GOD (not minecraft, but real) bless you and your days.

"A hero of such regal, Robertine gravity may be just what this Kingdom needs." contemplates the man-they-called Fleeper, who they called also High Priest, that kvetchous shepherd, he, ever seeking in his hope the jubilant means by which may be restored the dignity of Man; there was no more certain-sure a way to do it than by the methods of Saint Caius, tried and true. "Clover," spoke the man, codeswitching, "forget, perhaps, what I had said of the dissolution of the council-- I think I should have a man for the job." @bumblefina

The ??? looked up from the graphs he had been consulting. He contemplated the request dully, calculating the potential offset that the adoption of 60 gorillion seamonkies could have on their negative moral-balance following the collapse of the Mandate of Heaven. He looked @ her eyes and spoke "millions must relocate" handing her then a blank cheque with the seal of Aaun's royal treasury.

THE SECOND CHARTER OF LEMON HILL Penned 11th of Horen’s Calling, 1991 As mandated by the Treaty of Minas Aranath (1990), the peninsula of Lemon Hill and the territory formerly violated by the Stassions, henceforth known by the name of ‘Santa Lorina's Frog & Wildlife Reserve’ are to be ceded directly to the Holy Mother Church, harkening a new age of prosperity for the Monastic Complex of Lemon Hill, and filling the hearts of those clergy and pious laity alike with joy. In accordance with such, the following terms, modeled in part after the Treaty of Albarosa signed in 1953 by High Pontiff Sixtus VI and King John of Aaun, are to be observed: I: The Apostolic Kingdom of Aaun recognizes the full ownership and exclusive and absolute power and jurisdiction of the Holy Mother Church over the territories ceded to it as per the Treaty of Minas Aranath, to be controlled by the High Pontiff and the Church as a sovereign state. II: The Holy Mother Church’s ownership of these lands, that is the peninsula of Lemon Hill and Santa Lorina's Frog & Wildlife Reserve, are to be guaranteed in perpetuity by the Apostolic Crown of St. Godwin, unless the Holy Mother Church and the Apostolic Kingdom of Aaun jointly decide to revisit the arrangements made herein in the foreseeable future, of which the sitting High Pontiff at that time may be the only instigator. III: The entire monetary cost of the upkeep and maintenance of the Holy Mother Church’s sovereign territory shall accordingly be the sole burden and responsibility of the Holy Mother Church. IV: All residents, made up primarily of the clergy and the faith militant, residing within the peninsula shall be considered citizenry of the Holy Mother Church, solely for the Church to rule and govern. V: The Holy Mother Church shall have the right to make and sign treaties with whomever they wish, raise levies and militaries within their territory, and shall have the right to conduct all actions, rights, and privileges endowed upon it as a sovereign state. VI: Should the Holy Mother Church decide to move the seat of the Holy See to the peninsula of Lemon Hill or otherwise, as is their full right, the territory presently making up the seat of the Holy See, that is the Apostolic City and surrounding territories originally granted by King John, shall be returned to the stewardship of the Apostolic Crown of St. Godwin once they request it so, and once more fall under the jurisdiction of the Bishopric of St. Godwin, as per the Treaty of Albarosa. IN NOMINE DEI Brother Franz, Prefect of the Laity Sister Clover, Pontifex Secretariat Petyr Bishop St. Godwin, Court Chaplain of Aaun His Royal and Apostolic Majesty, Godwin II, King of Aaun, Prince of Alstion, Duke of the Franklands, Vienne, the Lowlands, Balemena and Corazon, Margrave of High Peak, Count of Whitespire, Florentine and Talentine, Baron of Blanchet, Gotfridcher and Virdain, Protector of the Realm Louis-Caspian Dieuxmont de Rosius, Baron of Rosius and Royal Chancellor of Aaun

WOE TO YE STIFF NECKED SONS OF GODWIN SPIRIT I 1-22 1 Grace to you and peace from our Lord GOD, the Most Merciful, Singular, and Omnipotent. 2 I am Owyn Son of Godwin, servant of the Lord, called to prophetic vocation in His service. 3 Verily, brother, the Lord GOD has given no compulsion in faith. 4 And verily you are commended for your virtue, for your people keep fast to their fealty. 5 But a tremendous sin arises in your home. 6 The Lord GOD is the Lord GOD without peer, but you sons of Godwin give Him a vulgar and worldly name, and ascribe to Him many partners. 7 And this is a sin of tremendous quality, for none but the Lord resides in the Seventh Sky, and it is His throne. 8 Even Horen, who spoke the Virtue, falls short of GOD. 9 So I find that professing yourselves to be wise, you have made yourselves fools. 10 You have traded the glory of the Lord GOD without peer for the imperfections of men. 11 Even in our time we bear the failure of Horen, for the corruption of Iblees lasts. 12 Would you worship fallible men? 13 The greatness of GOD is in His fullness and His purity. 14 But your stories raise men up with GOD for their power or their virtue. 15 Shall I worship the strong man? 16 Shall you worship the tallest among you? 17 No, for the glory of GOD is not in mere magnitude, but in His fullness and His perfection. 18 Verily, brother, the Lord GOD is the whole and only god. 19 And verily you must find sole salvation in His laws, for there are none alike to Him. 20 So to you Sons of Godwin, I admonish: There are no partners to GOD. 21 He is foremost in the sky and has no equal, no part, no manifestation. 22 In His name, I beg you, brother, turn away from false gods and seek salvation in the One. VIRTUE VII 1-9 1 Lo and attend, for I am the Lord GOD, and I am in the foremost part of heaven. 2 Though the spring flower withers and the fruit of the tree falls to the ground, My Word lasts into the eve of the world, and the fruit of virtue cannot rot. 3 I am the Lord GOD without peer. I created the earth, the seas, and the heavens. 4 And I breathed life into the beasts of the earth and the men who rule them. 5 And as I am eternal, you are transient, and there is no eternity without Me. 6 For I have given to you a theater of virtue, and I have ordered the estates of the world. 7 And you shall be without pretense or conceit, for before the mountain, the ant and the aurochs are equally small. 8 So I am the Most High, and in pursuit of My Virtue, I bid my faithful this: You shall not judge your own virtue, be it great or small, for all fall short of Me. 9 And I am the Lord GOD without peer, and My power is the only power, and My eternity is the only eternity, and all the aeons of the Virtue shall sustain the righteous. LISTEN AND ATTEND PIOUS AND DEVOUT BRETHREN OF THE SACRED HOLY MOTHER CHURCH TO THE WORDS OF THIS DECREE It has come about through the actions of the flock of the spawn of the tribe of Godwin that we now sit in the Chapel of Lemonhill, and with a heavy hand pen this unfortunate decree to the Faith Militant at large. Let it be known that the heir presumptive of the throne of Aaun, Godwin of House Alstion, has endangered the peace in a manner most rash. Let it be known that he and his council have attempted to circumvent the terms laid out in good faith in the signing of the treaty of Minas Aranath and in the meeting of ourselves and their council in Lemonhill this day. Let it be known that he and his council have rejected the rightful regency of the HIGH PRIEST to act as his Executor and his Shepherd over the Kingdom of Aaun. For attempting to violate the first Article of the Treaty of Minas Aranath, by refusing to acknowledge the authority of the HIGH PRIEST and the Holy Mother Church as their Guardian and Shepherd, we place Godwin of House Alstion and his whole council under personal interdict. For attempting to violate the second Article of the Treaty of Minas Aranath, by refusing to come to acknowledge the claims of ownership of the Holy Mother Church to the Monastery of the Sacred Heart and the lands adjoining the village of Lemonhill, we place Godwin of House Alstion and his whole council under personal interdict. For crimes against Virtue, chiefly the publication of seditious material against the Church and the Pontiff as well as the theft of Church property in the form of reneging on the transfer of ownership of Lemonhill to the Holy Mother Church, and for conspiring or indeed encouraging a breach of Canon Law, we place the whole province of Aaun under provincial interdiction. For crimes against Ecclesiastical Authority, chief amongst them insulting and threatening the HIGH PRIEST, disobeying the legitimate order of the HIGH PRIEST to honor the terms of the Treaty of Minas Aranath, and the obstruction of administering justice of Canon Law, we place the whole province of Aaun under provincial interdiction. Truly, truly I say unto you - woe be to you, you stiff necked people who delight in the works of your own hands. Woe be to you who hoard for yourselves honors and titles unbefitting the merits and works you have labored to. You reap from a field you yourselves did not sow, and tarnish the memory of those who came before you. We adjure you from our Holy Seat of St. Daniel and condemn your brashness and your actions as is our duty and right, yet it is something we did not seek nor do we wish to find. Lament not however, little lambs, for though the way back is narrow and the road ahead surely rough, if you would merely humble yourselves surely we shall show you the way back. The terms of your penance are thus spoken: Godwin of House Alstion will submit himself for the sacrament of ablution at the hands of the HIGH PRIEST or his chosen representative and recommit himself to honoring ALL the terms laid out in the Treaty of Minas Aranath and honor the HIGH PRIEST forevermore as the supreme Shepherd of the Holy Mother Church and his personal Guardian. ALL Councilors currently sitting at the pleasure of Godwin of House Alstion are likewise commanded to seek the Sacrament of Ablution at the hands of the HIGH PRIEST or his chosen representatives. The writer and distributor of the missive “Greed over Faith,” will be handed over to the Holy Mother Church for a Trial by Canon Law. Know this, people of Aaun, we interdict you to call you to action, for we love you and wish to see the illness remedied by the body by its own devices. There is nothing more pleasing to GOD than when His faithful sheep heed His commands and make action to right the wrongs done in their name by a few disobedient goats amongst them. We give you Three Saint’s Days, after which the Holy Mother Church releases Godwin of House Alstion and the state of Aaun from its agreements with the Holy Mother Church as laid out in the Treaty of Minas Aranath and also its stewardship and protection. If those named within remain unrepentant and hard hearted, let it be known by all that we will have no choice but to issue a Writ of Excommunication to those who refuse the Shepherd’s Hand. We pray it will not come to this and we pray that GOD will allow His Will to be shown amongst His people. Give peace a chance, my little lambs. LET GOD ARISE AND LET HIS ENEMIES BE SCATTERED, LET THEM WHO HAVE EARS TO HEAR LISTEN AND ATTEND, LET THEM WHO HAVE VOICES CRY OUT IN ZEALOUS OUTRAGE, LET THEM WHO HAVE STRENGTH SHIELD THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, AS WAX MELTS BEFORE A FIRE, AND SMOKE VANISH BEFORE WIND, LET THE ENEMIES OF GOD BE VANQUISHED AND SCATTERED,

Issued the 15th of Sun’s Smile, Year 193 of the Second Age https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV9DJwJKWMw With the declaration of the regency of our Holy Mother Church over the Apostolic Kingdom of Aaun, there exists a blessed chance that we might avoid a repeat of the bloodshed we faced all too recently. To this end, the goodly priests of our Canon Church, along with the Master Tiberias van Aert, have met within the halls of Minas Aranath to discuss terms of compromise, so that bloodshed might yet be avoided. All interested parties (that being the Princes of Canondom) are invited to attend these-here negotiations, so that a lasting peace might yet be fostered. The meeting is to occur within Minas Aranath’s halls, as they are avowed and stated as neutral ground. The retinues of the Princes will be bid to keep the Queen’s Peace while their monarchs negotiate within Minas Aranath’s great hall. Furthermore, it is agreed that a ceasefire shall stand until such a time as this meeting is held. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this agreement as of the day and year first written. Signed, HER ROYAL MAJESTY, Tar-Caraneth Aryantë of the House Arthalionath, by the Grace of GOD, Queen of the Númenedain, Princess of Númenost and Minas Amath, Protector of the Adunians, Master of the Sharadûn, Templar Justiciar of the Archangel Michael, Knight of the Realm HIS EMINENCE, Arch-Bishop Callahan Cardinal Idunia, Auditor of the Supreme Pontifical Tribunal ✠ HIS LORDSHIP, Tiberias van Aert of the Middenland, Duke of Blackvale, Baron of Pestilles, Captain of the Vrijkorps, Sworn warrior of the Archangel Michael, Patriarch-Dynast of the Pertinaxi Witnessed, HIS LORDSHIP, Ser Alwyn II of the House Glennmaer, Lord-Emeritus of Formindon, Templar Justiciar of the Archangel Michael, and Knight of the Realm HIS LORDSHIP, Lord Glyndwr of the House Glennmaer, Lord of Garenbrig, Grand-Master of the Pyre, and Knight of the Realm HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, Aranuir Caranethion, Dagnir Delgorthada of the House Arthalionath, Prince of the Númenaranyë, Lord-Commander of the Gray Company, Templar Justiciar of the Archangel Michael, and Knight of the Realm ‘The Gray Prince’ HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, Anorhil Antonius Caranethion of the House Arthalionath, Crown Prince of the Númenaranyë, Captain of the Radiant Guard, Templar of the Archangel Michael, Knight of the Realm Lector ☺ flapper I קלח

☺ For the health and well-being of His Holiness the High Priest Deunoro I, dear Lord, we pray. For the high spirits of the flepirs of the Kingdom of God, Lord, we pray. May the Reconciler of Hearts bring peace to all of His Flock, who in this time suffer dearly at the hands of the Deceiver's vile dramas. Woe unto the scandalizer, and woe unto the one that should offend the peace of mind of the most innocent. So as it was written, so sayth the Lord, it would be better for them that they have a millstone strung about their neck and they be cast into the sea, than that they should indeed offend the little ones. It is the esteemed and elevated duty of the anointed priest to first and foremost dedicate his mind, his body, his soul, and his efforts entirely, to the service of the Kingdom of God, to His Holy Church, to the goodness of His people Horen, and to their tender care. It is the great and incredible responsibility of this potent blessing afforded us through Clement and Evaristus by Owyn that further elevates the priest in his accountability before God, and before Men, fore ever shall the world look to him to discern the virtue, himself a rebbe of the virtue, and ever shall God's eyes be upon him, His blessing with him, and the wisdom of His Flame set into the heart of the anointed man, such that he is naked before the Lord, yea, who sees all that he does. The wise shall tell you the great danger, then, of this great station, should they go before the Lord in sin. They shall warn you of the great burden of the priest who teaches evil, verily this man shall be held to account before God the Most Just, shall he be compared to the ignorant who teaches ignorance? One, for his teaching, shall die certainly, but the other shall live. I. WHAT IS EXCOMMUNICATION? II. THE SCANDAL, EXCOMMUNICATION, AND DISMISSAL OF THE CARDINAL ST. GODWIN It is with great repulsion, then, that I should publicize now the findings of the Tribunal regarding the subversion of the Church by one of her ministers. It is with nigh inexpressible anguish that I should then also declare the excommunication of mine own brother of the priesthood of Owyn. Such a pain could only be attributed to the loss of a limb, fore in as much as we are one people Horen, we are indeed Horen before the Lord, and the severance of one man from the nation of Horen is a tragedy unto the whole of Mankind. In this text also, in response to the scandalizing propagandization of this court's investigation of the death of James Alstion, that the particulars of this investigation shall be publicized. We shall briefly preface that the death of Prince James is not news to Holy Mother Church, but has been under investigation for some years. We shall stress also, that we do this not in the spirit of stirring scandal, fore that God's people do not deal in scandal, but in Truth, as the Deceiver has seen to sow by the twisting of the details of this incident a great dissent among the people of God, and the agents of the Deceiver have spread this seed readily, such that there is no other recourse but for proper transparent dissemination of the charges made, and particulars of the crime which the Tribunal presents before His Holiness Deunoro I, the Vicar of God. I. WHAT IS EXCOMMUNICATION? Excommunication is the recognition of severance from the graces of Almighty God bestowed upon His people, Mankind-Horen, such that they are in the eyes of God no longer Man but are spiritually deceased. It is alternatively the deliberate declaration of the intent to separate, as willed by the Priesthood of Owyn, from one who is, in the eyes of God, in grievous sin, such that all of Mankind is greatly burdened in adjacency to that sin, all Man enjoying the shared birthright of Horen our father from who we inherit the heavenly gifts of the covenant between God and Man. You may have often heard it said that excommunication is the weapon of last resort of the Canonist Church, and that this tool is one crafted to encourage and expedite the immediate reconciliation of a soul in err. While indeed excommunication is a cause for alarm, and a sign of certain death, as a man may show symptoms of his dying well before the moment comes to warn him to his health, this is not entirely the case. Excommunication is not a weapon. A desperate man grasps at sticks and stones in the moments of his peril that he may wield them in his defense-- this is not so with excommunication, which is rather the detection of peril at all. If a Man has gone and done so terrible a thing as to put a blemish upon his divine Human dignity, that it should be by his deeds rotting away and leaving him undignified, he is a man dying in his sin as a leper is consumed by the rot of his plague. Excommunication is rather the recognition of the terrible condition of the Man who in this way suffers, so terribly lost to his sin as to be alien to the dignity and birthright afforded him by virtue of the Covenant of Horen. As one does a leper, he is therefore segregated, cast from the camp for the sake of the health of the camp, that he do not spread his ill to them. He is informed of the gravity of this state he finds himself in, he is given all due alarm that he might best reconcile his fate by the reconciliation of himself to God. So what, then, should the man the Church grasp to in his peril, if excommunication is not his desperate weapon? He should grasp for the tools of his trade, the devices of righteousness, by which Owyn brought purity into the world. He should turn to the source of all purity, and to the great redeemer of Owyn the Flame upon the Blade. He must grasp at prayer, and he must grasp at the croizer, he must go readily unto the sick man in his quarantine to treat him. Though he is for his sin anathematized and cast away, it is the duty of the Virtuous still ever and always to intercede for his health-- to make, by hook or by crook, the reconciliation of the man with his sin, and with his God. II. THE SCANDAL, EXCOMMUNICATION AND DISMISSAL OF THE CARDINAL ST. GODWIN At the review of His Holiness the High Priest Deunoro I, this court by the Cardinal Callahan Idunia on the merits of the evidence herein gathered do loathfully declare the person of Cardinal Jean St. Godwin EXCOMMUNICATE and ANATHEMA for his malicious acts against the unity of the True Faith and the Canonist Church, seditious and guilty before the eyes of God, having made full and deliberate attempt to rouse the People of God against His Church for the sake of the Kingdom of Aaun and his master King Charles II of Aaun, for whom he acted as intermediary and ambassador before the Holy Canonist Church. Woe unto this man, a despicable display of the Godwinite heresy, who has taken a crown over the LORD King of Man, the Creator All-Mighty. THE FIRST CHARGE: For the great and incredible stress inflicted upon a flepir through the most devious weaponization of incessant belligerent cursing, shilling, and raging, in violation of the Protocols of the Learned Elders of the Lectorate and in gross tresspass of the Charter of Wholesome Engagement outlined in the Canticles of Saint Caius the peace-blessed and drama-scorned, we find the Cardinal Saint Godwin GUILTY of the emotional or spiritual wounding of a Flepir as defined by R. Danzen 'regarding the most innocent youth of simple mind or true virtuous purpose prior to radicalization or corruption of soul in the image of virtuous Man undefiled'. Only by the way of consecrated acts of deliberate lovingkindness may such a crime be covered, and such also shall be the penance therefore, that a Caiusian vow be taken with contrition, administered by the High Priest of the True Faith, the extremity and application to be further defined pending submission to penitential hearing. It is so verified Cardinal Callahan Alduun. Particular evidence pertaining under vault restriction and available for review at the request of the Office of the Tribunal, to minimize scandal. THE SECOND CHARGE: For sedition against the One Holy Apostolic Church of the True Faith, by the way of secular invasion of the high offices of the Church to the ends of deliberate and malicious corruption of the institutions of the Church for the benefit of a power or principality (here: the Kingdom of Aaun), and in review of the ample evidence to the certainty of these claims, this office declares upon these charges of sedition and Godwinism the CERTAIN GUILT of the person of the Cardinal Saint Godwin, so blessed by the Vicar of God, High Priest Deunoro I by who's authority this office presses the charge. 'LO and behold the definite damning articles of evidence overturned to the Office of the Auditor of the Tribunal: Detailed in the following are the writings of the Cardinal Saint Godwin as he undertakes his campaign of petition of the Canonist princes to act swiftly against the the True Faith, that they may not be burdened by the ability of the Church to enforce upon him the Law of Virtue and the moral law. An examination of the damnable contents of the letters of this campaign: Here the arch-shill and anathema Jean Cardinal St. Godwin firstly confesses to the abuse of his office by the dissemination of sensitive dealings in an attempt to rouse unrest and stir scandal, writing "My station in the Holy Mother Church has rendered me aware. . ." The less alarming of the sins by his hand. "... Of the planned injustices against the King of Aaun to be administered by my brethren" writes the Cardinal Jean St. Godwin further, and rejects wholesale the virtue of the Church and His Holiness Deunoro I with who's blessing this investigation was at all conducted. His brethren, of course, being his superior the High Priest, the judges and inquisitors of the Tribunal, and the whole of the Curia of the Canonist Church by association, in broad condemnation. This alone should warrant the swift removal of a man so corrupted from his post, and this alone should put in peril the soul of a priest which is held to high account for his deeds, and yet further this grave is dug. Indeed had the Hyspians written to His Holiness the High Priest evidently, overturning this seditious letter in an act of filial piety, to their commendation. But perhaps the most perverted of all perversions on display by this rabid, secular Godwinite of ancient and scriptural heresy, true to the folly of his fathers and in abject, insulting defiance to the most leal Godwin, and Owyn his true spiritual fathers, this renegade dares suggest, in a humiliating act of treason and in violation of all of the principles of High Priest Caius-Brandt Primus of blessed memory, that His Holiness Deunoro I be of unsound mind, incapable of rendering by his own judgment the right and just ruling, thereby denying the charge of the Vicar of God to be as was he anointed, the Vicar of God, but be rather instead an unguided incompetent. These things he breathes in order to sour the trust of the Church of the True Faith that had been meticulously cultivated through a lifetime of sacrifice by the aforementioned Caius Primus, a living saint, who rests now certain uneasy, furious as he would be at the injustice of his peers, the unrepentant attack upon the Holy Mother Church perpetrated here. Yea, he should think himself the leal minister of the HaShaitan, lord of the world-rotten, in the footsteps of Saul, longing after the vanities of worthless secular ego. Fore it is in the appeal to this ego, and to the greed of so-called 'men' of the earth, that he tempts fear by declaring: THEY SHALL COME FOR YOU, AND FOR YOUR SONS, TO DARE ENFORCE THE MORAL LAW UPON YE, WHO KNOW NO JUDGE, BUT LOVE GREAT POWER. Act, then, against your Church, speaks Saul this heretic, that you may be safe from His Justice and contented in the security of your peace, unburdened by the Virtue. Needless to say, the People of the Kingdom of God do not all go so easily into the jaws of the Deceiver. May God bless the land of Hyspia, and all Hyspians everywhere, may God bless their Sovereign, who in faith submits not to evil, but seeks out her father who is slandered, and discovers the ploy of the deceiver among her. This is a reign blessed by Almighty God and sure in their safety by His protection, the Mandate of Heaven is with them. The following is the letter, on the onset of this campaign, sent by the Cardinal St. Godwin to His Holiness Deunoro I, in declaring his intent to begin his campaign of sedition. Take careful note in reading here the stark contrast of language used by this 'man' in due fear of the Vicar of God, and the slanderous words that contradict them before-written in the prior letter, which deprive them of any and all goodness. When before there was swift and righteous justice in the sending of the 'traitor Whitespire' to the Void, here we see quite oddly a distinct shyness from the bold declarations of his pen within MERE HOURS of his writing. Shyness indeed is an understatement, "his involvement in that sorry matter was unacceptable" amounting to nothing short of a full admission of guilt. It is not necessary that the guilt of King Charles II of Aaun be determined by the writings of his agent within the Curia, the wealth of testimony beyond satisfactory already to the Tribunal apart from this. But we should see clearly proven the parodial Saulite double-think of the conscious of this rat-man-skaven who formerly I did call my brother, but who is now deceased. His conscious is plainly unveiled before us here, in these correspondences, sufficient for us to determine him a man not of his word, but of low cunning and insidious lie in the name of the secular war upon the Church which it was his intent to orchestrate. This intent also is plainly observable, and satisfactory as evidence to His Holiness for his sure conviction. "I REJECT ANY PENANCE" declares this agent of the King of Aaun, the Cardinal S. Godwin "THAT SHALL BE TO THE DELIGHT OF THE VELETZI" and thereby refuses to engage with any and all attempts at the reconciling of the King of Aaun for his sin, submitting neither to trial, nor even rebuke, not for the sake of his soul, nor for his innocence which by his own words is uncertain, but for the pride of his vain patriotism which can not bear to know the mock of their enemies upon the earth. Perhaps most disgustingly of all, he has traded the spiritual wellbeing of King Charles of Aaun, who is in this moment IN A STATE OF GRAVE DANGER, by the knowledge of the Cardinal St. Godwin STAINED BY THE BLOOD OF KINSLAYING as already lamented by him, a "sorry affair". In the words of Saint Toni my father, "fack this guy". You are hereby righteously condemned in the name of the Law. Saint Caius frowns upon your horrid politik blacklisting. You are as the rotten kingsguard, that set a hammer into the head of their wholesome King. Holy Saint Brandt Caius High Priest's fury be a curse unto you, who so readily defiles the work by his hand, and who despoils the name of a Kingdom beloved for the sake of the piety of its forebearers of True conviction, who now you disgrace. Let this man be Anathema, leperous as he is, and cast from the Nation of Horen, away from the Tabernacle of the LORD which he has offended. By the decree of the Most Holy Apostolic Church of the True Faith, let this man be barred from all governance, forbidden from counsel, and kept far away from any whom he could deal further spiritual harm through false-teaching, most pressingly the King of Aaun. It is the duty of the virtuous Canonist to prevent men of this sort from perverting the souls of their brothers, sisters, family, friends, and masters. It is therefore indeed the duty of any and all Canonists to see to the segregation of this man from the King of Aaun by the blessing of the Church, lest he further poison the man, and risk further endangering a soul already in crisis. Let not any penalty come upon this man, Jean Cardinal St. Godwin, that he may, by the grace of God, one day perhaps atone for his wrongdoing and salvage his soul in the wake of this catastrophe, lest he surely perish now and in the hereafter, deceased in Horen and undead through Saul. Let him give no counsel upon his priestly office, and let him be removed from all offices save the priestly office for which he has been permanently ordained and anointed by the hands, which this court does not recognize the ability to rescind, but shall rather restrict this priest in his functions to acts of contrition, prayer, and asceticism until such time that he may be reconciled, lest he be damned, this all we declare in lovingkindness, in mercy and in pity, for the goodness of his soul.

He has a very good lawyer. We WILL seek restitution for time wasted in the court of appeals. I HAVE extracted several dozens of PROPERLY ECONOMICALLY ROBUST ₪ from the courts in the past. I will do so again. You can't handle our legal aptitude, Urist. You're going to have to find a creature with a WEAKER MASTERY OF LEGAL TRADITION.