Zezimus

Good fight, hope to see more open field battles like this one.

The Ashen Snake Flyers can be seen fluttering around the major population centers of Oren, tacked to inn walls and lain on hearths. In ages past, there existed an Oren of righteousness, truth, and justice. This is the Oren we live in no longer. The great leaders of our time faced their moral and political crises with principles of Honor, Integrity and Law, all of which are sorely missed today. We now live in fear of assassinations, in the company of hearthslayers, and under the rule of a tyrant who believes his place is in every home, and within every marriage bed. The time to sit idly by, my brothers, and allow our great nation to decompose further, has passed. We are duly charged by our righteous God, for the success and security of our future children. Johann Vladov - Kozlovskii Vladov - Lord Justiciar Adam de Gleveisen High Pontiff Sixtus III - Castor Chivay - Lord Paramount Hugues Sarkozic May they rest peacefully in the Seven Skies. These are noble men who were guilty of nothing in the eyes of our Creator, save having a vision of Oren which did not include tyranny and fear - men who aspired to greater things, and saw the true potential in our people. These men, my brothers, are now departed from this world. These were men of character, honesty, and integrity - all traits which the crown may only envy. The list goes on ad infinitum, but my hand is too weary to list those fallen on the field, nor August’s paralysis or the dagger in our Duke’s neck or the assassination of the Pontiff or the similar horrors endured by Castor Chivay. These men, and many other honorable men like them, have been extinguished early for their vision of a better future by the Savoyard’s hands. Under our current Monarch, we have suffered repeated tragedies in our loss, and repeated slights in our appeals for justice - No longer is the Orenian man safe to think freely in his own home, nor to strive publically for change, lest he be harvested by the Savoyard Reaper. Nor did the Ashen Snake that sits on our “great nation’s” throne have the honor to meet his foes in the field of battle, but instead in courts, feast halls, and homes, striking with the serpentine subterfuge of Iblees’ Viper. He profits in his tyranny like a brigand in the night, escaping like a menacing shadow before the light shed from the lantern of justice, scurrying from the righteous throne of our judicious God. Note well that the assassins of good men, all nobles and high officials loyal to an ideal of a strong humanity, are punished not, captured not, nor even searched for - it is not even fitting to declare they hide in plain sight; they, instead, purr happily in the lap of our Savoyard king. Yet, His Slithering Majesty’s enemies, innocent of any crime against man, are struck with the viperous poison of their liege. I do not tell you these things to stoke the fires of sedition, though a blaze that consumes the snake would solve many a problem, but as warning. If you do not wear the badge of Amyas on your chest, and do not worship your snake of a sovereign over our Lord Creator, the God of the Seven Skies, bar your doors and board your windows. Do not venture outside of your homes without a retinue of guards. Do not speak the truth. Do not speak to strangers. Do not make bed with the snake, or in the morning you shall not wake. Turn not to the crown for justice - you shall face only a drought of mercy. Turn not to the Savoyard for mercy - you shall be dealt only the hand of the slighted. Turn not to the throne in righteous appeal - it shall only remain before you, silent and looming, to soon mark your grave. Take up your arms, my brothers, or face your grave unarmed and undefended.

Vlad the Black chuckles upon reading the King's response. "They forget who spearheaded the many victories of the Schism War. They are fools for believing they can defeat Adria on the open battlefield. King Olivier and his retinue are little more than snakes who will burn in hellfire for what they have done to this nation."

Impressive as always, cheers Nummy.

Reserved. - I'll send you the details over skype.

Vlad the Black begins sharpening his sword.

Vlad the Black takes hold of one of the notices, sighing as he reads. "What uneducated fool wrote these words? Hugues and Liliane's mother was a Chivay, not a Vladov."

As a copy of the letter is delivered to the keep of Barrowyk, the young Fyodor Vladov swings his wooden sword around playfully, too young to truly understand the nature of the happenings around him.

A Crow’s Rest _________________________________________________________________ In Memorium __________________________________________________________________ Today the banners of House Sarkozic are lowered in mourning, for the Old Raven, Victor Sarkozic, has been taken from this world by forces of evil. The late son of King Ostromir “The Terrible”, and father of the Duke Hugues Sarkozic, was a committed family man and a just noble. Born Viktor Carrion, our kinsman was brought into a world of murder and strife. Raised in the Second Empire and loyal to the ideals of his family, Victor fought bravely to restore the legacy of his blood. When the former imperial prince came to the front stoop of Montfort and sought asylum for him and his, he was seeking to protect his family. When he assumed the post Count of Owynswood and sheltered Carrion Vochna fugitives Toveah and Lorina, he was seeking to protect his family. When he returned from Aeldin after a decade of searching for the cure to his wife’s illness, only to find her dead and buried, he was seeking to protect his family. When he stood by his daughter’s side at her wedding night and was stabbed by a rogue assassin’s blade, he was smiling upon all he had accomplished for the family he loved so dearly. Assassinated by the enemies of House Carrion like his mother Isabella and his uncle Franz before him, the noble Count was slain in cold blood on his happiest day, just as stability and happiness returned to his family. And so we mourn, for the patriarch has passed, and both in the Sarkozic family tree, and in the collective hearts of the descendants of House Carrion, there is now an emptiness. _________________________________________________________________ Testamentum __________________________________________________________________ By order of the most sacred power invested in the family Sarkozic, which is the execution of the will of its late relatives, the following is ordered: To Adeline Sarkozic I bequeath the ornate dragon pendant of her grandmother Isabella Horen. May she embody the grace of a princess. To Hugues Sarkozic I bequeath the title of Patriarch of House Sarkozic, a mantle which I before him wore. May he be as wise as the old crows before him. Also to Hugues I leave a pair of gem encrusted scissors, so that he may be exacting in his judgement. To Liliane Sarkozic I bequeath the crow which led me safely to shore, stuffed and turned to preserve his noble body. May he be a guiding force in her life, as he was in mine. When she are in quandary, I implore her to think of me through him. To Francis Sarkozic I bequeath a gold coin emblazoned with the face of the Ex. St. Siegmund, his ancestor, so that he may remember the value of the teachings of history and the worth of family. To Eric Sarkozic I bequeath the diamond ring worn by my dearest wife Helena before she passed. May he treasure it as dearly as I treasured her, and give it to the lady who wins his heart’s deepest fancy. To Lorina Carrion I bequeath a recently discovered portrait of her late father Tuvya Carrion, to treasure and remember him and her times with the two of us in Owynswood. To August Hightower I bequeath a crow’s feather quill of the highest quality, in thanks for his sheltering of us in Montfort during the times of Renatian unrest. May he continue the great works of his pen. __________________________________________________________________ /s/Viktor Carrion

I find the post/rep ratio of this thread inadequate.

As others have said, the title was a little misleading but aside from that, best of luck to you Kalen. I'm sure you'll do an excellent job.

Restoration of Sarkozic _______________________________________________________________ In the last time of uncertainty, when the crown of Oren was lost and the petty Kingdoms of Renatus and Aesterwald exerted their dominions over the heartland, the legacy of the House Carrion (flx. Karovic) marked a man for execution. To avoid capture by Waldenian and Renatian scoundrels, the contemporary members of the imperial Carrion bloodline of Sarkozic took the name of their town, Montfort, for their own. In the south of the heartland rose the new “House de Montfort”, and the Sarkozic bloodline became strong in vassals and coin. Decades passed in the east, as they worked alongside their cousins Vladovic and Barbanov to build a better Oren. In recent days, the House of Montfort has obtained the ducal coronet, and for the first time in decades felt safe to emerge in the fullness of their true identity. Let it be known that the Carrion blooded members of the House de Montfort are now to be known by their true family name, the House Sarkozic. This storied bloodline is composed of direct descendants of the King Ostromir and the Exalted St. Siegmund, whose imperial ambitions and guiding hand reunited humanity in the first time of uncertainty and guided both crown and church to prosperity; it is a family descended of the St. Adrian, who first bore the name of Sarkozy and was forger of the Savoyard and Kaedreni cultures and who served as privy seal to the Exalted St. Godfrey; it is a family descended of the King Aislin Hightower of Alras whose successors tried and failed to emulate his model kingdom; it is a family descended of the Dukes and Duchesses of the bloodline Valois of Auvergne which itself was composed of the great nobles Guivret and Grachii, who represented the epitome of heartland culture and sophistication; the House Sarkozic is a family defined by heritage, sophistication, nobility, regality, and relentless Orenian spirit. The Count Victor Sarkozic, who is the eldest of the Sarkozic bloodline, will lead the house into its new dawn as its new Patriarch. We thank the Creator for his providence in striking down the old enemies of Sarkozic, and for the blessings and freedoms we now enjoy. _______________________________________________________________ /s/ August Hightower Count Victor Sarkozic Duke Hugues Sarkozic

Declaration of Montfordian Regency -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As with any family, its patriarch and landowners are significant figures to the public eye and to the operation of the family and its assets. The loss of either is a serious blow towards a House’s fulfillment of noble duty. All the same, the duty to serve one’s own spouse is greater than the service of one’s cousin. The Count Victor de Montfort’s wife has fallen gravely ill, and he has taken upon himself the lofty quest of finding her a cure. In the House de Montfort, the loss of Jacques has bereaved us of a Patriarch, and his holding of Eastcliff has been taken up by the Count Victor de Montfort. Yet, in the good Count’s regrettable absence, his son, Hugues de Montfort, will act as Lord of Eastcliff and Owynswood until his return. In addition, August de Montfort, the eldest title-holding individual of the de Montfort bloodline, is to take the mantle of Patriach of the House de Montfort. May these changes lead to new prosperity in this generation of the House de Montfort. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /s/ Ducal Scribe, August de Montfort Count Victor de Montfort of Owynswood and Eastcliff Hugues de Montfort

Congrats and good luck.

From what I heard, you did a good job while you were around. Take care and all the best, Sky.

I don't usually comment on this kind of thing these days but why the reimplementation of Villain Applications? All it can possibly do at this point is glorify villains and increase the number we have on the server. People will no longer have the freedom to create these well balanced, well thought out characters but instead we'll see an increase in polarised black/white, good/evil characters we used to see back when VAs were still around. As a former member of the VAT, I really do disagree with this decision.

Whilst busy reading through various letters and invitations at his keep in Owynswood, Victor de Montfort takes note of the wedding's announcement, readying himself for yet another celebration of Orenian nobility. "An excuse to drink is as good as any I suppose."

If the two Viktor Carrions got into a fisticuff, who would win?

FIRST APPLICATION IC: Name: Victor de Montfort Age: 57 Race: Human (Highlander) Physical condition: Fit and eager to serve. Prior military experience: Performing various duties as a Knight whilst serving beneath previous Empires, as well having participated in the defence of the Orenian heartland throughout past and present wars. Will you swear an oath to the Office of Selective Service and Humanity: Yes. OOC: Has Teamspeak (Y/N): Yes. Skype username: Zezimus-UK Do you agree to sign a perma-kill clause, allowing the permanent death of your character if deemed necessary by superiors in game: Yes.

More accurate IMO.

Count of Owynswood, Victor de Montfort bows his head in respect as he watches over the ascension of King Olivier de Savoie to the throne of Oren. "Olivier is a fine fellow and an honourable statesman. May he serve our people well throughout the years to come."

All I can think of when seeing these gifs...

((Seems I managed to miss all the good stuff last night!))

"Hail Vydra." utters Victor de Montfort as he learns the news of his King's death.

((Where did all these Viktors come from all of a sudden...!!!))