Cracker

-A missive is spread throughout the realm of Athera; copies are distributed to Holy Oren Empire and Aesterwald in particular. A Sacerdotal Census High Pontiff Daniel I has called for a census among the clergy. With the recent diaspora and growing cynicism for the faith stemming from both the Darfeyist and Caesorpapist tradition, it is time for those far-flung and distant from the Pontificate to show themselves into the grace, so the High Pontiff may delegate and organize the House of God in an efficient manner. Please send a reply via courier to the Pontifical Seat of St. Sigismund's regarding one's name, age, and rank. Those un-ordained and in training should also respond. May the Allfather, our Creator, protect!

THE IMPERIAL CORONATION Whilst the papal coronation had been a relatively affair, with what little members of clergy making their appearance, the splendor of the Imperial coronation had nearly overwhelmed the care-takers . The laws which forbid the foreign races were suspended in order for all to witness the glory of Tuvya's ascension, and the Cathedral was brimming with local denizens to farfolks coming to test the new Imperial government. It was well-known of Tuvya's regard for the impoverished and commons, which many would assume to mean a raucous, chaotic ceremony, plagued with all the ills of a congregation of the lords and low-lifes. It was the newly appointed Daniel I who presided as High Pontiff over the ceremony. As the cathedral doors shut, the Orenian anthem began to echo throughout the Cathedral, signifying that the Church was ready to perform the Imperial Coronation. As Daniel cited the duties of the Emperor, a warden of both faith and state, and ruler of all mankind, the demagogue of foreigners and Oreni citizens came to a hush as all listened to the Pontiff's words. Then, Emperor-Elect Tuvya was brought forward. Kneeling before the Lorraine and the High Pontiff, he recited his oaths to church and state, acknowledged the responsibility to his countrymen, and accepted the Crown of the Exalted before him; an intricate artifact bearing the saints and sigils of countless Orenian legend. As the ornate crown rested upon Tuvya's head, Daniel retrieved an ancient church relic; the gilded blade of St. Adrian, a Sarkozic treasure long lost by the peoples, but carefully preserved by Franz-Josef Carrion, and later Daniel. Delivering it upon Tuvya, Daniel I commanded the newly crowned Emperor to defend all whom sought to harm Oren's people, property, and faith. Daniel then bestowed upon him three names; to the Raevirs of his blood, he was Tsar Tuvya Sigismundovic Koravic, to the church, he was Imperator Augustus Tobias Sigismundos Karovium, and in the Common Tongue, he was Emperor Tobias Carrion. His styling for his peers was up to their preference, whether as His Imperial Majesty Tobias or Tuvya. As the procession came to an end, the Hymn of St. Godfrey filled the halls of the Cathedral, as Tuvya led the native Orenians out of the Cathedral to parade in the streets in celebration of an Emperor crowned. Notices of the occasion were spread throughout the realm, letting all in Althera know that an Emperor ruled in Oren.

Whilst the realm of man was abuzz with politik regarding its new Oreni state, the church halls of St. Thomas' Cathedral remained quiet aside from the low song of the cloistered monks. And then at once, the marching of the clergy’s procession against the smooth marble rang out in the air of the Cathedral, led by none other than Bishop Cordal deHerendul, adorned in a scarlet red. Not so long ago, the northerner had washed that name away in subservience to a secular power, but it was his will to restore his name of old, and by doing so, the Pontificate of Everad, Adeodatus, Pius, and Lucien the Good. Cordal’s vigor manifests itself in his service, his voice baritone and strong; “The Lord Creator, our God , father of all creation, sustainer and maintainer of the realms aplenty, had long ago made with Horen a covenant to spread the revelations of His Truths. And we, the keepers of God’s Will, the shepherds of his flock, are to continue to preserve his covenant, from the wickerdy and heathenry, the ill-minded and the mad. And as His Will, our Allfather has blessed one among his flock of man to lead and preserve the ministry. Wardens of the Church, these High Pontiffs are to keep our communion and covenant with the Lord Creator, and to bind the mortal races together in face of true threat, subservient to none but His Will which graces him. Our church has been long in the darkness, balkanized by politic and the petty grievances of man; and in order to keep His Truths and His Grace aflame in the hearts of both sinner and saint, it has been time to anoint a new father of our church to preserve His Way and His Truth.” Cordal then begins to recite the Prayer of Penitence "Almighty and most merciful Creator, we have wandered and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws. We have left undone those things that we ought to have done; and we have done those things that we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But you, O Lord, have mercy upon us sinners. Spare those who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to mankind in Horen our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Creator, for his sake, that we may live a disciplined, righteous and godly life, to the glory of your holy name. So say we all." . It is then when the young Siguine was presented to the clergy, bearing an immaculate white frock, contrasted by his sable hair; his features beaming in the light of the Cathedral. Bishop Cordal continued; “With the Lord Creator our witness and guide, it has been divined that the Bishop of the Raev, Siguine of Barrows, born Siguine Barrow, has been willed to fulfill the seat of the Church Pontificate. Do you heed the call of Our Creator to bear this vocation? “I do so believe.” “You have been ordained in our church, your household names forsaken and your life devoted in sole service to the teachings of our Creator. The vows of your past vocations remain firm; now you must make the declaration of assent.” Bishop Cordal then reads the Assent, preserved from a different time. “The Church of Faithful is the One, Holy and Rightful Church of the Creator , worshiping the one true God, The Creator. It professes the faith uniquely revealed in the Holy Scrolls and set forth in the Faithful creeds, which faith the Church is called upon to proclaim afresh in each generation. Led by the Holy Light, it has borne witness to Faithful truth in its historic formulates, the Articles of Faith, The Book of Saints. In the declaration you are about to make, will you affirm your loyalty to this inheritance of faith as your inspiration and guidance under God in bringing the grace and truth of Horen to this generation and making Him known to those in your care?” “I, Siguine of Barrows, do so affirm, and accordingly declare my belief in the faith which is revealed in the Holy Scrolls and set forth in the Faithful creeds and to which the historic formularies of the Church of The Creator bear witness; and in public prayer and administration of the sacraments, I will use only the forms of service which are authorized or allowed by Canon.” replies Siguine. Do you accept the Holy Scrolls as revealing all things necessary for eternal salvation through faith? "I do so accept them." "Will you be diligent in prayer, in reading Holy Scrolls, and in all studies that will deepen your faith and fit you to bear witness to the truth of the Word?" "By the help of God, I will." "Will you lead your people in proclaiming the glorious Word of Horen, so that the good news of salvation may be heard in every place?" "By the help of God, I will." "Will you teach the doctrine of Horen as the Church of Faith has received it, will you refute error, and will you hand on entire the faith that is entrusted to you?" "By the help of God, I will." "Will you be faithful in ordaining and commissioning ministers of the Church?" "By the help of God, I will." Will you be gentle and merciful for Horen’s sake to those who are in need, and speak for those who have no other to speak for them? "By the help of God, I will." "Will you endeavor to fashion your own life and that of your household according to the way of God and make your home a place of hospitality and welcome?" "By the help of God, I will." "Will you work with your fellow servants in the Church for the sake of the kingdom of God?" "By the help of God, I will." "Will you accept the discipline of this Church, exercising authority with justice, courtesy and love, and always holding before you the example of Horen?" "By the help of God, I will." "Will you then, in the strength of the Holy Light, continually stir up the gift of God that is in you, that the good news of God may be proclaimed in all the Realm?" "By the help of God, I will." "Speak thus then the oath of the Pontificate, with the conclave and God as witness." "I vow to change nothing of the received Tradition, and nothing thereof I have found before me guarded by my God-pleasing predecessors, to encroach upon, to alter, or to permit any innovation therein; To the contrary: with glowing affection as her truly faithful student and successor, to safeguard reverently the passed-on good, with my whole strength and utmost effort; To cleanse all that is in contradiction to the canonical order, should such appear; to guard the Holy Canons and Decrees of our Saints and Pontiffs as if they were the divine ordinance of Heaven, because I am conscious of Thee, whose place I take through the Grace of God, whose Vicarship I possess with Thy support, being subject to severest accounting before Thy Divine Tribunal over all that I shall confess; I swear to God Almighty and the Favored son Horen that I will keep whatever has been revealed through Horen and His Successors and whatever the Saints and my predecessors have defined and declared. I will keep without sacrifice to itself the discipline and the rite of the Church. I will put outside the Church whoever dares to go against this oath, may it be somebody else or I. If I should undertake to act in anything of contrary sense, or should permit that it will be executed, Thou willst not be merciful to me on the dreadful Day of Divine Justice. Accordingly, without exclusion, We subject to severest excommunication anyone -- be it Ourselves or be it another -- who would dare to undertake anything new in contradiction to this constituted Tradition and the purity of the Faith and the Faithful religion, or would seek to change anything by his opposing efforts, or would agree with those who undertake such a blasphemous venture." As his oath come to close, Cordal washes the face of Siguine and anoints his forehead with scented oils. "Cleansed of worldly taint, you are reborn in the Creator's vision. Your heart blessed in the eternal compassion and truth of Horen; your soul aflame with the benevolent justice and fervor of Owyn; your body awash with the incredulous miracles and charisma of Godfrey; your mind attuned to the unworldly wisdom and vigor of Siegmund." Cordal then garbs Siguine in the pontifical cloth, and bestows the pontifical ferula. "By this you are known to all as preserver of truths and lord spiritual." Cordal then retrieves the ring of St. Lucien, before sliding it upon the right ring finger of the anointed, and afterward, takes the pontifical mitre and rests it upon his brow. "I announce to you a great joy: We have a High Pontiff! The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord, Siguine of Barrows. High Pontiff of the Holy Church Cross, who takes to himself the name Daniel I." OOC: Credits to Mog, Steven, and Casual; much of this is taken from their earlier work.

Jan wonders if this lack of predestination is a typo.....he remembers distinctly discussing that while Man possess free will, all events are preordained with Cordal in the Skype Council Room. He goes to Cordal "Harold" Winter to discuss this [it's a typo]

As the council convenes, Jan, in his burgundy and gilded splendor, takes centerfold to convey to the clergy of his potential. "A vote against me would be a vote for Cordal; an act which I could by no means condemn. For Cordal has proven himself a pious man with a zealous conviction to our faith. Rather then clinging to his power as a Darfeyist clings to his cloak and dagger, Cordal has opened the church to the restoration of the Pontificate, enabling the Church to choose who among them should bear God, our Allfather's, own burden. His work in standardizing doctrine and faith should be lauded and by no means should he look at a potential loss as a flaw of his character, for I would never deny him as a man of God. Cordal has acted as a rock in keeping our faith united. But in this new era, I do not believe a stationary rock is the solution to the Church's ailments, but rather a policy of aggressive expansion and production. For the Church is to be an institution which not only theology but the secular institutions of charity, education, and spread of rational thought. My aim is to see our True Communion act as the epicenter of Oreni sciences and culture, its most enlightened working towards the promotion of the Orenian identity. The education of our nobility in both our theology and histories is a must, the recruitment of new deacons and clergy from the households themselves is critical, and the patronage of budding authors and artisans must stem from Church coffers. No longer shall we be an institution whose sole duty is to place a crown upon a king and idle in the streets. No longer will our deacons speak of Aengul worship and idolry, and no longer will our Church be bereft of a home. Regardless of myself or Cordal, we all pray that our new Pontiff may be chosen with the Allfather's grace in mind, and that he may usher our church into a new age of prosperity."

*reads the information... "Marcellus Basileus for High King, his words ring true"

1000 Mina!

Nice work Mili though you got anything for professions/skills? That's the stuff that really stumps me

teutoninati

I like memes and jokes so this ones right up my alley ...Not a bad meme. Give ya 6/10. Mmm...That's some nice Chivay cock.

Always been interested in this game but its age has definitely been intimidating. How does it fare in that regard in terms of combats and graphics? Is it playable for a 90s kid who's been spoon fed top graphics?

If you do go with nation based, make sure to plan mechanics which enable some sort of economy into the game. Forum RPs get a bit lame when people can infinitely spawn troops or tech to their whims without any economic restrictions or mechanics that would realistically let them do such. I'd also go with a Civil War Skyrim setting with players roleplaying hold leaders.

Hmm ... who do we know that's a patriotic Scot who worked in the UAE + plays LotC + has a history of spending his dosh on fivers...hmmm....I don't think we need encyclopedia brown for this mystery folks...

Why Harold?

Meanwhile in Vekaro, the Raevirs, renowned for their family values, reject the wanton debauchery, lechery, and fornication present in the capital in lieu of church sanctioned gender-segregated fraternization.

Siguine scans over the missive before having a chuckle. He reassures his countrymen. "There's never been a plague spread from Raevirs in the first place. In fact, according to clerical archives, plagues tend to arise when new cultural groups mingle with native populations introducing foreign diseases to the populace. A prime example of this was the Subudai settlement of Oreni territories, resulting in the Great Asulonian Plagues, which ravaged the Kingdom of Seventis. The Raevirs have been well-entrenched in mainland Oren for three or four generations, so if they were responsible for plague, it would have occurred in Kalos or early Anthos when they began to emigrate in mass towards the mainland. Furthermore, the Raevir is particularly subject to this disease, meaning they have little to no immunity towards it, and ergo cannot be considered carriers of plague. Now, if we are to consider which peoples have freshly immigrated to Oreni society and may have been responsible for this ailment, we can look to mayhaps to the Farfolk Frosts, black of cheek and strange of custom. Never have black southrons been apart of Oreni society in such a way as now, and mayhaps it is their particular stock which has inflicted disease on our realm? I'd rather attribute this catastrophe to Teutonic bio-weaponry or simple neglect in corpse preservation leading to polluted waters and grain, but if we are to accost a peoples, it must be a peoples new to the realm and its ways, not the Highlandic Raevirs, veterans of countless mainland conflicts, the first line of defense against dwarven intrusion."

Siguine Bresinov sighs as he reads the missive. "Too little, too late. Uruguan's onslaught on the Vochna, whether through Tarus, Setherin, or Zion, was a heavy stain on dwarven honor that the Lords of the Raev will not forget. Consorting with unpunished Silverblade rebels is arbitrary yet until the dwarves confess of their war-mongering and restore their long-sullied name, it is the lesser of two evils."

Sole reputation means jackshit. But thanks for the 2nd list. I'll be #2 minimum by end of summer, mark my words. I'll put mau5 in the grave and Sheumgal's next.

Siguine examines the text for religious symbolism alongside Grand Prince Boris. "Twenty-one theses; that is three by seven. Along with four primal points... The Seven Skies for the three human races of Heartlander, Highlander, and Freefolk with the blessings of the Four Exalted? A universal doctrine superseding race, sect, and beliefs? Whomever organized the logistics of the document will win the hearts of the superstitious smallfolk for their symbolism. Heh! Mayhaps even Yuri will have a go at taming Darfey the Dog." OOC: Mfw when based vasilip drops the heat

On will of the Lord Regent Siguine Barrow of Vekaro, wardfather to Roy van Rikovic of House Carrion, the First Duma of Vekaro shall be held in two Saint's Days (Sunday, 5/25/2014 @ 3 PM EST (subject to change)) The following are deemed fit to speak at The First Duma of Vekaro; Lords and Gentry of High Birth Grand Prince Boris Tuvyovic of House Carrion Mikhael of House Carrion Roy van Rikovic of House Carrion Andrei of House Kovachev Damien of House Basileus Maric of House Varodyr Rocco of Romstun Representatives appointed among Decterum Officials Marshal Ser Abner Rahl Ser Branaford Fairheart Ser Drake Lancefield Representatives appointed among Strelesy Maer Vsevolod of Vekaro Maer Viktor of Kaphro Viktor, Barrowborn Yuri, Slayer of Snow Elves Ivo Representatives among the Clergy Borsa Ioann The topics addressed in the First Duma of Vekaro are as follows... The Dwarven War The fortification of Vekaro Status of Vekaro and Kaphro in regards to economy; taxation, job allocation, etc. Efforts to distinguish Highlander forces among others. Those nominated are expected to also provide issues of deliberation regarding the improvement of Highlander society and the Principality of Raev.