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Banquo the Bastard slips the chronicle into the de Falstaff family library, so his kinsmen may read about their patronage.

Anatomicorum Legis is a medical journal written by the Hansetian-born monk, healer, and writer Kristoff von Herrick (Naumarian: Kristoff van Herrik). Kristoff, despite his blood, was a soldier for the Canonist League in the Schismatic War, serving most of the time as a crusader in the Order of Saint Amyas. During his time, he took positions as chief doctor and healer, and being one of the first non-magick experts and researchers in mundane healing. Anatomicorum Legis is his greatest work, in which he does a full study on the human anatomy, bone structure, and organ examination. (OOC: Full credit to @PetrusRomanus who wrote this, posting it here for easier access. Link to his original below: ) --- ANATOMICORUM LEGIS, VOL. I & II WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF KRISTOFF VON HERRICK PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- VOLUME I 1st of Malin’s Welcome, after a skirmish against heathens, I Kristoff von Herrick man-at-arms of the Sacred Order of Saint Amyas discovered a skeleton near their camp. I asked the current chaplain if I could study the skeleton, he said yes as long as I did not harm the skeleton itself. So I studied the skeleton, I always liked the human body, not in a macabre way but in a fascinating view. Why did our Lord gives us this, or that? That is what I attempt to answer. I started from the top down, first the skull. I found that the skull divides itself into many different sections. Making me believe that the skull forms from separate parts in the womb and then joins together, molding itself into shape. After I got from the skull I went down, to the jaw. I saw a joint, it allows us to move our jaws up and down, not much there. I expected such. I moved down to the neck I inspected it thoroughly, I expected to find a joint, but I did not. After some more inspection I uncovered the mystery, the bone connecting to the skull bends allowing us to move, the same bone come down until it hits the “nether” regions, making us able to bend our back and be more agile. After that I moved to the ribs, nothing too special, it seems it is used to keep something protected like armor, perhaps it keeps both physical and spiritual harm from the heart? After all, the heart is where we keep the Lord. Then the limbs. I looked around there, more joints. Although the upper joint in the shoulder is free moving, the second join is much like door hinges. Oddly enough the the bone of the lower arm splits into two, this puzzles me. Then the hand, they have many little bones for mobility, and a free moving joint in the wrist. Then we move down to the spine, it bends and it needs a strong muscular support for it to stand. The backbone can bend permanently though creating a hunch, like Wyl the hunchback, an old man that got his backbone deformed, how the bone itself is able to deform and not get into the previous position, I do not know. Then we enter the whips, the nearest point of the “nether” regions. They attach the legs to the rest of the body, having a free moving joint. Then in the knee a hinge joint and in ankle a joint very much like the wrist. Oddly enough the arms and legs resemble each other very closely, even having the lower bone split. --- 2nd of Grand Harvest, today while going on my patrol around Adrianople, I found a man that had been mauled by a bear, may he find his peace. My curiosity took the better of me, so I kneeled and did a quick sketch, There I found the heart, a lung, a small sack that had a weird liquid in it-the bear torn it open- and what I believe are the kidneys. Of course immediately after I did my inspection, I fetched a priest for a proper burial. From my quick research I found that the heart moved around the blood, I knew it had to do with something related to blood, but know I know what it is. The blood circles around the body, perhaps spreading small chewed bits of food to the body? This is all a theory, I would only know if I actually disturbed the body, and that is sin. I then took a look of what I presumed that was the lung. I only saw one. It was attached to a canal that separated itself into two, so maybe the bear got the other lung. That canal merged with another and went towards the oral cavity and the nose I believe. So the lungs may be used in breathing. I also saw that the lungs were heavily connected to the heart, so the blood may also bring air to the body. So that is why we die when we hold our breath. I then looked at the sack below the lung and heart. It was connected to the mouth by a canal that merges with the breathing canal that then creates a single canal. I believe it is used for eating? There was this liquid oozing from it, I took a small sample. I moved down to what I believed it was the kidneys. I have no clue what they do, but they also are connected to the heart with many branches connecting it to the place where we keep our love for the Lord. So it is an important place. I looked down and had a glimpse of what we call “gut”, I could not study it, the wound did not go that far down, and I did not want to open the body more, it is sin to do so. --- VOLUME II Slashing wounds: When one is wounded in the limbs the best thing to do is to is amputate, although everyone knows that I doubt that they know how to do it correctly. Step I, stop blood flow. This one is simple, but necessary, a rope will do this job just fine, you tie it around the arm, leg, wrist whatever.This will stop blood flow and make the job less messy. Step II, use a clean cutting tool. This one is important, use a rust free and dirt free and blood free tool, this will reduce the risks of infection. Step III, amputate it quickly. This needs to be done quickly, although don’t cut what you don’t need to cut. Step IV, stop the bleeding. If you don’t stop the bleeding the injured will die. First clean your hands from dirt or any impurity. Then apply pressure with a clean cloth until the bleeding stops. If blood soaks through the cloth use two cloths or just a really thick one. Step V, use a bandage. You’ll need a bandage to close the wound and to prevent things to get in.Wrap it around it tight so that there’s no more bleeding and dirt doesn’t get in, change the bandage from time to time. Step VI, pray. Pray to the Almighty Creator asking that the man or woman may survive. --- For chest or not too dangerous legs/arms wounds: Step I, stop the bleeding, Same step as Step IV. Step II, take out dead flesh, After the bleeding as stop, apply maggots, they eat the dead and rotting meat, thus reducing infection risk. Step III, close the wound. For that you use a needle and thread. Remember to clean needle either by placing it in a open flame or on boiling water. You then sew the wound with clean thread. If the wounds isn’t too deep you can simply press a hot iron against it, it will hurt the injured but it’s effective. Step IV, bandage up. Again, pick up a clean bandage and wrap it around the wounded area. Step VI, pray. May the Almighty Creator let the man live.

Arik Vanir (Naumarian: Arik Vanir) was a Haeseni nobleman, courtier, writer, and commander of the Vydran era, serving under King Andrik ve Vydra in his rule during the Schismatic War and later was one of the principal rebelling lords of the War of the Ducal Coalition. He escaped in exile following the latter’s conclusion, returning after the Horen Restoration though retained a minor role in politics, though his sudden assassination in the court of Lord Alexander de Staunton would be one of the principal reasons for the start of the Riga War during the Anarchy. In his life, he was also a prolific essayist, making numerous treatises against the rebelling Schismatic League and later against the royal government of King Olivier. (OOC: Full credit to @Ser Paul Ryan who wrote all of these, posting them here for easier access.) --- THE SELECTED WORKS OF ARIK VANIR WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF ARIK VANIR PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- ON THE EARTHLY AND ENLIGHTENED ACTS OF CHARITY On helping one achieve grace, perform penance, pay their dues to charity, and enlighten themselves to shine in the light of the Creator. These charitable works, while practiced often by men of various faiths, are often the staple of what I see as community, compassion, and often times, faith itself. By adhering to these works and partaking in them on a frequent basis, struggling acolytes and the ignorant-of-faith both can, in due time, understand what it truly means to be a member of the church community. It is with that in mind that today, I propose to you the follow acts, named after your holiness’ office, as well as what it takes to truly reach “enlightenment” in faith. While I am but low in office, I would make the recommendation to utilize them as such; Acolytes, whilst studying to further their careers in faith, are to embrace the Earthly Acts of Charity, to better involve themselves in worldly-matters. When these acts have been memorized, and, more importantly, worked tirelessly at within one's community, it would then be a suitable time for this acolyte to advance into the ranks of the faith, then taking on the enlightened acts of charity, which focuses on our spiritual integrity. Below inscribed are these acts, and how novices and masters both, as well as laymen, should see and carry them out. --- The Earthly Acts of Charity To Feed the Hungry A basic task, yet one that is shunned by even the wealthiest of our world often. It is an integral part of community building and spreading the Creator’s love to feed our brethren upon this earth, both literally, to sooth their physical pangs, and spiritually, to ease their spiritual woes. To Grant Drink to the Thirsty A rival to the spiritual act of comforting the afflicted, granting drink to the thirsty is parallel to the above act in eliminating worldly poverty. Clothe the Naked It is our faithful responsibility to grant dignity to the unclothed; in this comes the act of clothing the naked. Be it a child, woman or man of poverty, or other tragic circumstances, it is a basic right to be robed. Shelter the Homeless Homelessness stands as one of the greatest fixable tragedies of man, one the church stands readily able to tackle. The dignity of the Creator’s spawn deserves the basic right of a roof over their head, making it a charitable act of great importance. Visit the Sick and Imprisoned No matter the level of crippledness, we are all of one ilk. It is a responsibility of a man of the faith to visit our brethren who are fast leaving this world, and those who must take time imprisoned to reflect upon their purpose on the natural plane. This Charitable Act closely parallels its spiritual partner, admonishing and counselling sinners, something that is oft done inside prison facilities. Bury the Dead In due with our natural dignity, the bodies of the descendants deserve more than to be left to rot. If the dead are not to be taken into the gracious hands of the monks, it is then the responsibility of the clergy above all else to see their rights administered, and their spirits set to peace. --- The Enlightened Acts of Charity To instruct the ignorant It is perhaps the greatest of responsibilities of the clergy to instruct the ignorant. In both spreading the faith about and furthering the education of the laymen populace, the clergy stands as the Creators hand on earth to spread his seed of grace. To counsel the doubtful In crises’ both worldly and spiritual, counseling the doubtful is one of the foundations of faith. To address woes of a lack of faith, or to aid an ignorant layman in a material decision, counseling the doubtful marks a clergyman's transition from novice to capable. To admonish sinners Admonishing the sins of the ignorant on earth has always been of the chief most importance. To grant grace and divinity throughout the descendants ranks, an annual confession of one's errs and faults is required. To bear wrongs patiently Temperance, as we know, is one of the most important virtues. It is then important that we practice this in our daily lives, bearing the wrongs against us, most importantly the accidental ones, patiently. To forgive offences willingly As the Creator forgives us for our transgressions, so too is it our responsibility to forgive or brethren on earth. Spite brews conflict, and conflict sin; stem the hate at the root, and make concessions freely. To comfort the afflicted Those spiritually and physically impaired are in the most need of our aid. It is in comforting the afflicted that we show our love to the creator, and our brothers. As one of the foundations of community, the clergy must be open to all who are in distress. To pray for the living and the dead Our foremost responsibility on this earthly plane; prayer guides all decisions. To grant the souls of the living and the dead mercy in their woes, prayer from the clergy is needed. It is our duty to the laymen, who have no time nor carnal knowledge of true meditation and reflection, to perform this feat. --- It is my hope that the charitable acts may further our endeavors in this world to spread grace and reach spiritual peace. Should there be any edits your holiness wishes to make, such are entirely up to him to do so, and I would welcome the opportunity for such advanced advice. May your days be plentiful and happy. --- ON THE TRAGEDY OF IGNORANCE It is often said by scholars that the trials of kingship drive men mad, the duty of the highest office often costing even the most staunch of men their sanity. Such sayings must be true; for only in madness could a man like Arn Rovin stand by declarations of separation in the matter of which he does. It is of great cost to men everywhere, this schism; one of blood, faith and truth. It is with a heavy heart that I even contemplate it, and a heavier one with which I write about it. Yet such actions must be taken in these times, such words of mine written, on this tragedy born of ignorance, greed, and abandonment. It is but my hope that these words will be taken to heart by true men, and mercy can be shed upon those who would abandon the path of the one true god so easily, embarking instead on a dim road of heresy in their quest for power. Let us begin with the hypocrisy of the self-entitled “Apostolic” Kingdom; one which so easily disregards the natural law of the creator, and insist upon spreading their subjective reality into the ignorant hearts and minds of its populace. An interesting title to grant oneself, Apostolic, especially from a nation which abandons the pontiff and his apostles, effectively rendering such null by very definition. Though, truly, it comes of little surprise; lucienist-based culture is well known for its anti-popes and manipulation of religion in order to instate legitimacy, which it grasp at with little success from other sources. More so; this bastardization of logic is continued with the ceaseless spewing of obscenities and theories regarding a “Raevir led” opposition. The Waldian stance on what they see as a “Raevir Dominated” and “Bandit-led” Canonist Church is well known, and very similar to that of their thoughts on the Kingdom of Akovia. Interesting claims to make on an organization such as the church, which has but a single Raevir man in its ranks, and on the Akovian populace which, contrary to the rantings of Waldian supremacist, boast a population of 3/4ths non-Raevir people. But can they be blamed? The population of the Konigreich has been deceived by a master of propaganda; a man who cares so little for his nation he would bar them from the seven skies by leading them like lambs to the slaughter away from the grace of the creator. This schism and its backers do not stop at mere hypocrisy; they continue on to defy logic itself, abandoning the principles and tradition of hundreds of years in their severing of ties. The men of this schism claim rationality and disparity as their moral cause for a veritable crusade on the true faith, yet they ignore all rational thought and reckoning. They turn from the divine sources of wisdom in this world, the Natural Law, and institute their own fallacies in its stead. Under even the lightest scrutiny, the Waldian schism holds no legitimacy. Their sources of faith are morally bankrupt, their source of scripture abandoned, and their interpretation of divine law ludicrous. Look, instead, to the Canonist Church: A holy organization that has evolved against the tide of years, developing a conscience, a process of formation, and a logical and spiritual foundation of which we call our rock. In the true faith, we take our learning from the sources of natural law itself; The Creator, The Prophets, The Canon, and the Godhead. In this schism, these anchors of truth are abandoned, the flames of reason extinguished. It is only through the formation of conscience and divine revelation that we come to know the Objective Reality of our world, yet the Waldian Schism seeks to usurp these in their title of reason, and, in their place, enthrone itself on a mountain of lies. Such men like Arn Rovin seek only to manipulate the masses through his pocket-priest, ‘men of god’ anointed by coin, not clergy, turning an autonomous faith into a blade to be held to the throats of the masses. It is with this great betrayal that the moral character and spiritual integrity of this “Konig” is itself called into question, and it is with basic evaluation seen that the coffers of faith of the Rovins runs dry. He empowers himself by enslaving his people, controlling a reign of terror by painting the demonic image of a persecuted people; one he claims evil, whilst he himself orders their women and children to be bled in the street like dogs. Free thought, free prayer, the last dying light of the candle of truth, all are casualties in the world of the hound Rovin, who takes it upon himself and himself solely to pass the word of God and the presence of the clergy to the common people. He has taken his world view; a twisted, broken thing, a motley canvas of bigotry and hate, and woven it into the lives of his people, turning the unbreakable truth of the natural law and crushing it in his hands. It is a logical fallacy to fight for this man; it is a suicide of faith to believe in him. Above all else, too, they are quick to judge, yet slow to act. The Konig in his keep shuts his gates in the face of his people, dining on their toil whilst handing out paltry sums to his own church, which resides deep in his payment. Anointing his own priest, bishops and holy legislature, this farce of faith presented by this schism poses as one of the greatest tragedies to ever befall mankind, perhaps even on par with the reckless slaughtering of King Francis and his noble court, an act entirely plotted and carried through with Lucienist goals in mind. They do not deserve it, his people. Taking no example from mother church on her pleas for reunification and logical talks, in order to preserve the spiritual integrity of humanity and the salvation of the souls of Horen’s ilk, this mad king instead turns his back on the grace of the father of creation. Ignoring the silence held onto by the Canonist when the Pontiff Regulus abandoned the church for a period of nearly a decade, ignoring the facts that innocent folk who are labeled as “Raevir” (though they hold no such allegiance or blood) are slaughtered mercilessly and without cause, ignoring the very cries of “Gott” himself, the Waldian king treads the path of damnation, accompanied by his dark posse of cronies seeking his favor. He scrambles for control and shuns enlightenment, driving rational thought and peaceful contemplation to the dogs. It is clear, after examining a flood of evidence, that in this schism there is no legitimacy, there is no faith, and there is no love; there is only heresy, desperate vies for power, and the shunning of the Creator. The Caesaropapism crowned by King Rovin, a miserable state in which men of god are appointed from the favors of court, and the canon of the faith is written by royalty, not divinity, is undoubtedly a tragedy of spirit and a crisis of spiritual unity. The self appointed God-King Rovin ignores the Theological Virtues of love, faith and hope, casting them into the cold and instating instead in their legitimate place greed, lust, and envy. The Pontifical Virtues are shunned, each systematically ruined or ignored in the Schism’s rise to power. Prudence is abandoned; with reason itself cast aside and logic laughed at. Justice fares as rain in a drought, with the innocent lives of men, women and children put to the sword, and their faith to the flames. Fortitude has been compromised, with the hearts of the faithful bought out by the God-King’s coin, or silenced with a veil of ignorance. Temperance lies unchained, with the lust for power and hero-worship of the God-King reigning supreme in a land that lies barren in drought from the rain of grace sent by the Creator. It is perhaps in this abandonment of virtue that the final stake is set into the ground, the backs of Aesterwald turned forever from the light, nursing their heresy. In this examination of conscience, we have seen the morally bankrupt God-King ascend to power on a wave of ignorance and brutality. We have witnessed the Canon of the one true god cast aside, and his clergy appointed by the golden hands of royalty in the divine’s place. The shunning of the Pontifical Virtues, Theological Virtues, and quest to turn our subjective reality as close as possible to the Natural, Objective Reality of the creator stand testimony to the illegitimacy, and sheer heresy, of this schism. The God-King Rovin has extended his umbrella of sin over the heads of his people, blocking them from the sunlight of spirit and raindrops of grace sent from above. In times like these, there is but one duty left to those true of heart; to pray. Pray, my flock, for the innocence of man to return, for this madness to cease, for a unified front against the forces of Iblees, unsabotateured by Schism and lies. Above all else, remember the greatest of teachings; be merciful, be loving, and be mournful, for this great tragedy of ignorance. --- AN OPEN LETTER TO KING OLIVIER To my Adrian Brothers, It is with my sincerest condolences that I petition you today, knowing that your tears lay still wet upon your cheeks, and your heads hang low in mourning. It is duly right for you to be in such fashions, for the most atrocious of tragedies that has beset you remains, to this day, unanswered fairly by the crown. His Majesty, Olivier, has seen fit to spurn your pleas at every turn, and oft now even avoids direct communication with myself, whom has so long counseled him. What little condolences I may grant you is perhaps legitimized by the thought that I, too, share your grief. I have only recently been dragged from my bed in the faint hours of the night, to be told mine own nephew had been apprehended by a villainous band, composed members of the king’s own retinue, and some amyasmen. Britannus, my eager if young nephew, was merely in a state of travel to the Cloud Temple when he was set upon by these brigands. He was savagely tortured for crimes that were absurdly fabricated, and still wears his bruises as evidence of these deeds. His beating, I am told, was in response to his marriage to Emilia. I now know firsthand, my lords, of the slights you have ceaselessly suffered at the hands of the Savoyards. I have harshly realized that words cannot soothe a dog, and he must, instead, come to fear the boot. There is no word of complaint to be pled, no petition to be made, nor any satisfactory response that can be offered by any mortal force for these heinous actions. I am thus turned to more drastic means, to bid thee a question that I believe shall echo in the course of Orenian History for the weight that it carries. Yet as I sit here, my repeated letters to the crown unanswered, your people’s pleading cries for justice ignored, or at best tabled to some foul place of vain indifference, I pen these following words with no regret. The question before us is one of great magnitude; the fate, I may dare say, of our kingdom lies in its answer. It is with this caution and tentativeness in mind that I nonetheless must speak freely, and show to the world that the despicable actions of as late have set us upon a course that we have so long attempted to avoid, but, nonetheless, must traverse. I speak to you, my lords, of rebellion. The passions of late have stirred the once noble people of our kingdom into a righteous frenzy, setting brother against brother, father against son. From the four corners of the realm, blades are placed to the throat of one’s own kin, and more banners rise daily in defiance of the crown. This is without a doubt due to the reprehensible actions of our King, whom has seen fit to ignore the cries of his people, and, with his response to your ultimatum, extinguished the noble flame of unity that has for so long guided us. With this vile response our King has set our course to oblivion, and it is clear to me now that there is no redemption to be found, no solidarity to be achieved. Look, I plead, to the arrogant dismissal of your lawful petition! To his continued ineptitude to listen to his own people! With each passing morn we wake to find ourselves that much deeper into our own graves, that much further shackled into the cages of tyranny! The penned words of His Majesty lay unadorned with law or truth, but sink further, weighted by its own villainy, into the murky depths of sinful anarchy! As I learn further and further of the extent of the crown’s disdain for those who themselves established it, as I observe the ever increasing lengths to which Olivier will go to shun those who placed him upon the throne, I feel naught but righteous anger at his own conceited selfishness! To the cries of justice and honest reparation, he delivers in return only decrees of oppression and hidden scheming! Each sentence of his reply bears with it the increasing burden of despicable dread - “How!” I rage silently, “How many it grow worse? How might Olivier desert further the cause of justice, the values of nobility, and the pleading cries of mercy from those who have for so long loyally served him?” Will we permit ourselves to be bound eternally to a throne that neither respects nor represents us? Shall we wait until a Savoy bears judgement over each and every one of our marriages, until men who massacre innocent courts place upon us the shackles of slavery? Never! To all my brethren, Adrian and abroad, I can say but this! Beware, ye of truth! Abandon hope, thou of faith! Seek not justice, for thou shalt find only a desert of inequity, a drought of lawfulness! Pray not for mercy, for you shall receive only the lash! You are left only to have faith - not in the righteousness of our king and cause, but in the assurance that you shall be left low, whipped and disheveled by the hand of the court! What hope have we? What dreams may we keep, we who cherish the thought of one day receiving redress? There is no hope! There is no mercy here! My brothers, there is no salvation to be had in inaction! Under the rule of the Sun, the man who lives by the crop of hope shall only die of hunger! Endlessly, we petition the king, who busies himself holding court with schemers, malcontents and rogues! We seek justice every day from the crown, but in return are granted naught but the promised whispers of an inept puppet, and dealt only the scraps fit for a punished child! Turn not to the Savoy dog! Kneel not before the throne that subjugates thee, the chains that bind! Rise, thou who have for so long been forced low! Stand, those who have known only the bent knee! Shall we lay supinely before the throne, submitting ourselves to an eternity of bondage? Must we endure a boundless, infinite rain of injustice and despair? Shall we, brothers, submit meekly to the authority of a crown vacant of one noble enough to wear it? Such actions of late have proven one thing, and one thing only: Justice, my lords, is dead! It lays in its grave more crippled than the noble August! It rest in its tomb more silent than than the late Kozlovskii and Johann! To petition our noble God in granting us restitution is naught but a waste of breath; it is only through swift and sure actions that we may now have our say! We have pled, we have petitioned, we have knocked upon the gates of the court, only to be dismissed at every turn! Whilst Savoyards feast in their bejeweled halls, Adrian children are left starved of justice, Vanir men beaten savagely low! whilst schemers and foul plotters whisper into the hearts of our king, our dead lay unburied, our loves ones unmourned! The desertion of justice upon our royal house grows more evident with each passing hour! Look upon his works, below, and see for yourselves the disgusting truth that lurks hidden behind the shadowed words of Savoy! --- An analysis on The Crown’s Response to the Ultimatum of Redmark is affixed below To all those concerned in the composition of the Ultimatum of Redmark, dated 1516 - blessings upon you and your House. [“And God’s mercy to thee, momentarily.”] [His Majesty the King deems this matter to little to even address personally. Our noble institution of Kingship is held, not by an individual of our appointment, but in the clutches of the extended Savoy tree, rooted and spread deeply within our government, intent on never ungrasping their power. ] We, the Crown of Oren, have grown concerned over what takes the appearance of, to the realm and to Ourselves, a major dereliction of duty by a diverse assortment of Oren’s sworn nobles. [A hypocritical statement were there ever one - His Majesty speaks of the shirking of responsibilities, whilst he himself avoids his duties as ruler of a unified realm at every turn. He lectures the nobility on their obligations, whilst never fulfilling his own. A feeble gust amid an even more pitiful storm.] Those in question hail from distinct sectors of the realm and they levy each their differing interests, but they have shown that they have in common a cunning to avert both the will and the dignity of the Crown. [How fitting! The fine nobles of our realm take lessons directly from our great king, and, following his example, avoid their responsibilities. In setting precedent by ignoring the wills and whims of his vassals, our wise king has instilled his traits of apathy and lethargic indifference upon his willing followers. Long may he reign!] Such is the offense when these in question go further as to make demands of Us, to whom they owe their allegiance, to the point of threats, as if they have forgotten what it means to be noble. [Let us not forget, noble comrades, that it is to the entirety of the Savoy breed we owe our allegiance - not to the crown of Oren itself. Our singular love for our ruler is selfish, and instead it is our noble duty to pledge direct fealty to every runt borne into this world with the name “Ashford”. We have so pitifully fallen from the graces of nobility - we, who so savagely sought justice through peaceful petition, rather than adopt the Ashford way of fire, sword and the butchery of innocence. May we be forgiven for such heinous trespasses! Pathetic drivel, the lot! Our sincerely earnest king grants us discourse on what it means to be nobility, while he himself forgets by the day what it means to adopt the crown. ] We, the Crown of Oren, cannot accept the situation where members of Our most esteemed Privy Councillors sow dissent and foment rebellion. [“Those despicable creatures who title themselves Vladov, fomenting rebellion through their persecution of those who practice witchcraft, seek at every turn to overthrow our wise and passive government!” Let this be a lesson to thee, who seek justice -anger not our kind God, Savoy, lest ye fall under the gaze of his slovenly eye.] These figures of Our highest level of government carry the expectation to represent the Crown and its interests, and are obligated on both a moral and legal level to oppose and strike down any words spoken against the Crown or its interests. [It is the duty of the Orenian nobility to carry the words and weight of the crown - our poor, dear king’s neck hath grown far too tired for such, under years of stress from noble inactivity. The duty of diligence and passionate regality falls upon the backs of the Orenian Duke - our liege lord’s lies occupied, bent in lowly respect to the Ashford schemers that whisper plots and deceit into his ear.] In implicitly threatening bloody war unless the Crown acts in accordance with their wishes, in utter defiance of due process, the signatories of the Ultimatum of Redmark who hold seats on Our Privy Council have erred from their exclusive of due deference and diligent servitude to the Crown. [“Be shamed, ye who forget your place! Repent for your threats of war, and be issued only the command to fight among yourselves, instead! Defy due process, and, rather than appeal to his majesty in public and private on every occasion, instead raid the settlements of those whom you have just slaughtered without cause! Serve with undying loyalty to the crown, and reap the benefits of your harvest in the cold unresponsiveness of his royal grace! Ask not for the ripened grain of your labor - it is not yours to keep! Dare not demand what is yours by right; sit, instead, idly by, and witness the blood of your people water the earth that was purchased through the sweat of their brows!”] On the account of their failure to act as representatives of Us and Our royal interests, we do hereby strip Franz Vladov of his capacity as Lord Treasurer, as well as August de Montfort of his capacity as Lord Scrivener, striking them both from Our Privy Council. We advise them duly, in the future, to not presume to command Us. [“For their dastardly crimes of seeking justice, for their unforgivable mistake of relying upon the word of a Savoyard, these honest men are stripped of their long held duties and titles. Forget of their eternal service to Orenia, forget of their placing of our esteemed king upon the throne - remember only their grave crimes in presuming to tell the King of his duty to preserve peace, and distill justice! Do not, feeble lords, assume you may approach us as equals, nor even as servants! Instead, remember your place as slaves, serving at the whim of His Majesty, and receiving not his promised justice, but instead his furious anger, distributed not by laws or tradition, but by his iron rod!”] We, the Crown of Oren, instate Hugues Sarkozic, Duke of Adria, as the Lord Treasurer so as to replace the erstwhile Franz Vladov, and to provide an Adrian voice on Our Privy Council, with the condition that he henceforth recant his signature and support for the document entitled the Ultimatum of Redmark. [“We bring forth Hugues Sarkozic, the next name on an ever-growing list, to lie supinely before the throne, and kneel before the infinite wisdom of his absent Majesty. To him we duly charge the crimes of free thought and justice seeking, and to him we bind the chains of the Treasurer’s office, to be held closely to the bosom of the Savoy tree. To him, we demand the immediate cessation of his violent petitioning to the court, and upon him we place forth our brand: thou art ours, and no others.”] [brace yourself, noble reader, for the script that comes before you next shall soon have you howling with frenzied cries for redaction and apology, and set you into a blood crazed rage, such is the magnitude of its injustice!]We, the Crown of Oren, say this as cordially as we may to the House of Vladov [“Silence, ye Meek, and hear my decree!”]- We do feel that while the services your blood have rendered to the Kingdom of Oren over the years have been of an incalculable value, [“Our sincerest thanks for the throne, dear brothers - your swords polished it quite well for us!”] it is just as easy to apply this sentiment to the House de Sola, [“Now, however, it is time for us to build it higher, and how better than upon thine bones?”]whose blood you now clamour for, threatening to tear the sacred tapestry of Oren apart for the sake of an ethnic conflict [“And shame to you for it! You ravenous hounds, you bloodthirsty goons! Clamoring for the blood of the treasonous, pleading for the murderers to be locked up! You seek the blood of your kinslayers? The shame, the nerve, of thee!”]. Nevertheless, the House of Vladov has also proved to be a hindrance to the Crown as of late,[“Furthermore, dear brothers, we’ve noticed a lack of “how high, m’lord?”’s when asked to jump, and find this disobedience to be most unforgivable.”] impeding Our acts of governance [A challenging task against a crown that makes no such acts!]and contravening Our Privy Councillors and middling and lesser nobility, laying bare their disrespect and flagrant insubordination in an effort, deliberate or incidental we know not, to threaten the stability of Our realm and plunge it into bloody turmoil[“Don’t you know, dear brothers? That’s our job!”]. We condemn this utterly [“Halfheartedly, and tarty.”], and if there might be any truth in this final allegation [Worry not, dear brothers; no sane man thinks such.] then We must so seriously question the House of Vladov’s good judgement [“Self preservation.”]and the self-discipline within the Adrian ranks as to raise serious doubts in the attitude of the Crown towards their future usefulness [“And to begin, perhaps window shopping for our next pet. How much, We ask, for that Bracchus in the window?”] . We, the Crown of Oren, condemn without [see: With] fail the actions of Titus de Sola, Baron of Dour Watch. We do not consider the disruption of a trial facilitated by Our privy councillors to be acceptable, nor do We consider the murder of noble scions to be permissible [“Though we accept it fully, punish it not, and bear great hostility to those ‘treasonous’ victims of it!”]. Though the House de Sola has borne its faculties well and possesses a record of military diligence and loyalty to the Orenian cause as a whole [“None such that we can name, nor any that we truly care about.”], such a transgression cannot pass not without the mark of infidelity to the Crown or Our interests [“Thou shalt commit treason, peasant, only when thine crown condones it!”]. We condemn the attempts of the House de Sola to destabilize the realm by slaying several of its nobility [“How presumptuous of thee, to assume the role of the crown!”] , and We condemn completely the attempts of the House de Sola, exercised in an official capacity by Titus, Baron of Dour Watch, to undermine and disrupt the governance exercised by Our Privy Council. For all men of Oren, obedience to the Crown is required[“Thine reward for such shall be the lash, and thy grievances caused by such, treason.”], and this obedience is diminished and decayed when the Crown’s authority is disregarded in such a murderous fashion [“Hast thou not yet learned? Diminished response, decayed obligations - such are the charge of the crown wewear!”]. [Allow yourself a gentle breath, dear reader - You’ve been granted a moment’s lapse in the chaotic storm of absurdity.] We, the Crown of Oren, declare Xavier de Sola’s positions within the realm to be forfeit and suspended, on account of his failure to meet the demands of a tribunal try him for the grave allegations against his name. On account of his disruption of a trial which resulted in the Massacre at Wett, his actions being borne of the most bloody murder and treachery, We declare him to be in contempt of Us. We declare that so long as he fails to hand himself into Our royal custody, he is to be tried in absentia within one Saint’s Week, deprived of the chance to defend himself, with the penalty of his determined guilt being death by hanging. We hence declare that it is Our royal desire for Xavier de Sola to be brought into Our captivity, alive and undamaged, post-haste. We, the Crown of Oren, declare that it is Our desire that any others involved and complicit in the Massacre at Wett, including but not limited to those who assert that their actions were solely out of deference and obedience to the Bloody Baron of Dour Watch, be brought before Us, to be tried and appropriately hanged. [Halt your cheers, my friends; it is but the cloak that hides the dagger!] We, the Crown of Oren, hereby declare that the matter of this feud lies beyond Our royal and temporal providence [“Our ability to care, govern and display strength being muted, it is our decree that we shall merely wear the crown, rather than use it.”], and so We henceforth sanction an intranational war of arms [“A cowardly, rambunctious slaughter - of which we shall take no part. A debauchery of justice, and a butchery of civility - of which we shall. Fear us, subordinates, for such is the might of ‘your’ king!”] , to the point of total domination of either party, between the House of Sola [“The chicken,”]and the House of Vladov [“The axe.], as in the days of the Empire of yore [“Of which we fondly recall, study avidly, praise fondly , and aspire to be - all with the typical force of effort we show to our underlings; none.”] , where Denurem and Blackmont feuded under the Horen yoke [“Long may they rest in peace, these ancient titans, and thank the lord above that indeed they slumber - a child of Godfrey’s day would possess the strength to topple a man of ours.”]. We declare that the victor of this war, whoever it may be, [A hearty laugh, and a round of black!] yields the favor of God and Saint Owyn [“And the disdain of the crown.”], and so is guiltless in Our royal eyes [“Very much like our own selves.”]. We forbid the official ducal government of Adria, Vanaheim or Savoy from involving themselves in any capacity [“Tread cautiously, ye of Sarkozic and Vanaheim - it is ill advised to bite the hand you feed!”], official or unofficial, in this war of arms, and do hence ban them from yielding aid to either of the warring parties, under summary penalty of tax levies directed to the crown [“,Collected by yourselves, turned in to us, and ultimately spent on no one.”]. We declare that this war of arms is to be kept from the cities of Brelus and Felsen in all circumstances, under summary penalty of death by hanging for any found to be in contravention of this [“Those found not doing such, however, shall merely be stabbed in their own battles, as per tradition.”] To the victor of this war shall go the spoils [“, and to the dogs, Our Crown’s dignity,”], and the life ((permakill)) of the defeated party’s leader, that being Franz Vladov and Titus de Sola respectively.[“And duly to hell, our sensitude.”] Signed,[Penned in the office of a mad man, distributed to maniacal scribes, and distributed by fanatical lapdogs.] His Majesty, King Olivier de Savoie [Your God] --- It takes no scholar of high education nor noble with years experience in the court to see through this vain and sinful wording for what it truly is; a snare that lies at the feet of those who would curb Ashford power. Suffer not yourselves to be so easily swatted from the throne, to be so horribly betrayed! Each day the martial arrays of the crown strain at their chains, like the dogs of war they truly are, yearning to be set free upon the innocent folk of our Kingdom! This response is merely another ring of the hammer, but one more step the Savoys take to set upon us the chains they have so long been forging. Our supplications have been ignored with disdain by His Majesty, our cries for justice answered by a weak crown with a war inside of its own borders! There is no further action we may take, no other course we may seek - the time for hope, my brothers, has long since passed! For us, there lies no other path to take but that of defiance, no other appeal to be made save that to the God of Arms who has so long guided us! Whether we look behind us to the past, or ahead of us towards the future, the conduct of the Savoys remains hideous and revolting, unaware even of its own injustice and wrongdoing! Olivier has in his actions of late bound himself solely to the path of tyranny in the future, and stands as an immovable wall between our people and justice! Suffer not the fear of the crown! Wait not in worry of death; it is better to suffer a thousand deaths than to receive once more the injustice of the crown! Curse on the “peace” offered by Olivier! Curse to his vain arrogance that has torn undone what we have for so long in unity worked towards! My brothers, we may wait no more! There is no peace to be had! The stars shall fade away, the sun itself grow dim with age, the world we inhabit shall sink below the tide of years, before an Adrian or Vanaheimr receives JUSTICE, before a Savoy knows ofTRUTH! The foul head upon which our kingship rest mutually begets only with moral corruption, and produces only indifference to its people! We can no longer hold hope that Olivier may see the error of his ways! What an absurd thing to cling to; that a Savoy knows of integrity! Stand beneath the lash no longer! Endure no more the throne’s pressing weight! Abandon reason, abandon supplication, abandon the hope for justice: Our enemy knows it not! He knows only of the whip! Of steel, of blood! Of the fires of conquest! He yearns for these, as he has for so many years! Grant them to him!Upon the brink of a new age, a better age, we stand! It is within reach! All that is left, my brothers, is for you to take it! Carry these words with you in your heart, and march reassured that you do not go alone! We once carried together towards the resounding field of battle our banners united; let us do so again! March alongside us, and show the world once more what Adrians can do!

THE GOLDEN BULLS OF THE RAEVIR, HANSETIAN, AND HAESENI PONTIFFS (OWYN I-CLEMENT III) WRITTEN BY THE HANDS OF HIGH PONTIFF OWYN I HIGH PONTIFF RADOMIR I HIGH PRIEST THOMAS I | HIGH PONTIFF DANIEL II HIGH PONTIFF DANIEL I HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD II HIGH PONTIFF THEODOSIUS I HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD III HIGH PONTIFF THEODOSIUS II HIGH PONTIFF ADRIAN I HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD IV HIGH PONTIFF CLEMENT III COMPILED AND PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- OWYN I GOLDEN BULL OF SAVOY I This Papal bull, ascribed on behalf of his Majestic Eminence, King Goddard I, Vicar of Horen the Favored Son, Warden of the North, Protector of the Faith, Successor of the Prince of the Disciple, Supreme Pontiff of the True Church, Primate of Oren, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Savoie Province, Sovereign of the Pontifical States, King of Savoie, and Servant of God This bull hereby states that these articles are hereby deemed, unfit to uphold the faith, and unable to prove their worth to the Creator. They are hereby damned to excommunication. The list is as follows. Aron Bedevere: Partaking in political malfeasance to further his personal gains, while boorishly defying the church’s requests. Sundering and defiling the sacred bonds and union of matrimony by way of Adultery, whilst ignoring the Creators will in favor of his own hedonistic ways. Blackest Sacrilege. Count Aron Bedevere is hereby deemed excommunicated, and asked to be relieved from any position(s) he currently holds. Garth Horen-Hightower: For ravenous lust and the worshiping of carnal desire. Treasonous disregard for political order and ethics. Wretched impiety. Refusal to acknowledge and adhere to ecclesiastical command. King Garth Horen-Hightower is hereby deemed excommunicated, his marriage in which he annulled without the High-Pontiff’s consent is hereby reinstated, and his children are hereby deemed illegitimate. --- GOLDEN BULL OF SAVOY II The Second Golden Bull denoted the formation of the Empire, and what role the church will take place in it; - Penned by the hand of His Holiness, Owyn II I. The Office of High-Pontiff is hereby abolished upon Owyn II’s death with the restoration of the Imperial Divine. II. The Offices of Pontiff are to be abolished upon Owyn II’s death, but leaving remaining Pontiffs to bear their titles until death. III. Each Kingdom shall elect a Archbishop to be head of the said church within the Kingdom. IV. Each Archbishop is equal to one another, working together to run the universal church. V. Archbishops and Bishops shall form a college of Bishops. VI. The College of Bishops shall meet to discuss Excommunications and the Church. VII. Construction will begin of the Holy Bishopric of Savoie, acting as the epicenter of the True Faith for the archbishops to meet and discuss theology. By the hand of Manfred Anson and the divine interpretation of his prophetical dreams, the schematics of the church have near completion. Quotes from the Bull of Augustine: Archbishop The Archbishop is a distinguished and honorable title mantled upon a single Bishop of exemplary service. He is a champion of the Faith, having mastered Church doctrine and its execution without dishonor. The chief duty of the Archbishop is to manage the Bishops below them as an overseer, to safeguard against any failures on their part. When the Lords of the Kingdom are indisposed or elect not to, the Archbishop, being a veritable standard bearer of the Church, may operate in an ambassadorial capacity. The Archbishop may preside over low-court trial, but should leave the authority to his Bishops, who must prove their command over the law. If in any case a Bishop should overstep his bounds, judge poorly, or hitherto dishonor himself during trial, the Archbishop may interject and commandeer authority over the trial, but only where necessary in the utmost. The Archbishop is also expected to inspect and observe activity within the dioceses inside their Archdicoese. If in any case there is dishonorable activity beyond the respective Bishop’s notice, he must notify the Bishop forthright or take action. If in any case it is discovered that a Bishop who governs a diocese within the Archbishop’s Archdiocese respectively is responsible for dishonorable or criminal behaviors and activities, the Archbishop is able to hold a trial with the Pontiffs present to discuss punishments. The Archbishop presides over their Archdiocese, which has multiple dioceses underneath. These Archdioceses are organized by region and not by politically organized borders. Expected services and duties: Distribute tasks to his Bishops Give sermons and hold Mass Hold Confession and distribute penance Hear and govern troubles within the parish (where higher authorities are not required) If a penance would absolutely require corporeal punishment, the issue must be passed upward Oversee funerary ceremony (only where applicable within the parish) Oversee the dioceses within his Archdiocese --- Bishop The Bishop controls and manages a single parish, giving sermon and holding Mass, as well as distributing tasks and duty amongst Priests, who he is responsible for teaching. The life of a Bishop is one of dedication to the community and leadership, providing a singular example for his parish to follow and look up to. Holding greater responsibility than a Priest, the Bishop brings with the title a modicum of authority. All issues of Church concern within the parish must be heard by the Bishop, who will have final say, unless a greater authority is present or in the case that any issue could be considered criminal against the Faith. If the matter is great enough (such as in cases of criminality), the Bishop will defer to a higher authority. Also, should a Bishop feel a particular Priest adept enough to manage a parish of his own, the Bishop may nominate the Priest by sending his word, to be considered, to the Bishop whom presides over the diocese wherein the Bishop's parish resides. If a Bishop leaves the position without having first nominated a Priest to inherit the title (if only to serve as Acting Bishop), the parish's responsibility will be deferred to the relevant Bishop who must, in turn, choose a Bishop. If a Bishop would, by whatever cause, lose control over his parish, the Bishop would become a Priest, unless specifically honored with another title to signify his merits. Bishops are the quintessential governors of Church affairs concerning their respective dioceses, which is made up of the parishes therein. The Bishop handles politics within his diocese, entrusted with the authority to promote Priests to Bishops, the authority to nominate Deacons, and the responsibility to guide and counsel Deacons, where necessary. A Bishop is a model of leadership and vanguard of government, beneath the Archbishop. A Bishop is entrusted with trial arrangements and may preside over low-court trial, or elect to have one of his Deacons take his place. Bishops are also responsible for handling tithes and general economy of their respective dioceses. Bishops cannot be nominated, but are chosen by the council of Bishops Expected services and duties: Teach and distribute tasks to his Priests Give sermons and hold Mass Hold Confession and distribute penance Hear and govern troubles within the parish (where higher authorities are not required) If a penance would absolutely require corporeal punishment, the issue must be passed upward Oversee funerary ceremony (only where applicable within the parish) --- This papal bull also defines the Divine Right of the Imperials; The Divine Right of Imperials has been mentioned within the Scripture of Horen, but has not been defined by the Church until now. Those men of Horen’s descent chosen by the Creator to forge an Empire in the name of the Creator and Horen shall be blessed with divinity. Those who shame His name by forfeiting the Empire lose their divinity. I. The Emperor is chosen, by the Creator to rule the Human body as a whole. II. The Emperor is recognized as the Divine of state, chosen of the Creator. III. The Church will listen to his authority as a Divine blessed by Godanistan, but he will not act as head of the Church. V. The Creator is the only to hold the power to judge the Emperor. --- The bull also refers to the previous bull, which addressed the Excommunications. King Aron Bedevere is hereby repented, and allowed back into the mother Church. Nero Horen I.For ravenous lust and the worshipping of carnal desire. II.Treasonous disregard for political order and ethics. III.Refusal to acknowledge and adhere to ecclesiastical command. Nero Horen is hereby deemed excommunicated, and banished from the mother Church. Nero is hereby denied access to the Seven Skies, and should be treated as not only an enemy of the Church- but as an enemy of the state. --- Adiel Kamura I.Wretched impiety. II.Knowing assault on a clergyman. Adiel is hereby deemed excommunicated, and banished from the mother Church. Adiel is asked to be relinquished from any offices she holds. Adiel is demanded to seek repentances, or face denial to the Seven Skies. --- The Bull also refers to the new law, deemed- Holy Rite of the Church; I. Kings of a Human Kingdom must be crowned by the Archbishop before styling themselves. II. The Emperor is to be crowned by the College of Bishops. III. Per Coronation, the King must pay 2,000 Minas to the Archbishop. To insure that the Church is properly funded. IV. Weddings now function directly as a body of the Church, should a noble family wish to arrange a marriage it will cost anywhere from 200 to 500 Minas. Commoners are to pay 100-200 for a wedding service. V. Holy Indulgences are now a functioning body of the Church, should a man or woman wish to gain absolution from any sin they may beg an Archbishop. The price of absolution varies depending on Sin. --- The Bull defines the baptism of those into the True Faith; Through study of the Gogdanisti Scrolls, Pontiff of Ruska Bogdan has unearthed the ritual of baptism; one which marks those entering the True Faith with the blessings of The Creator, defined as Godanistan. --- On Baptism and Acceptance into the Church The first of the Holy Customs of Godanistan is the entrance of one’s soul and body into the Church of Godanistan. The process is the joining of one’s soul with Godanistan’s and takes a considerable amount of time praying and contacting Godanistan before the ceremony. When one decides to join the Church of Godanistan, the Priest is aid in prayers towards to Godanistan so that the contendant is able to reach the ears of Godanistan. As young are pure of heart, they require not to pray to Godanistan and are able to be accepted with simple ritual. After time in solace, praying and repenting to Godanistan for their false acts, the candidate is considered ‘ready’ for acceptance into the mother church and will proceed with the ceremony to join the church. Ceremonies may take place in in solitude, in a group, or with an audience watching the ceremony. The ceremony itself is a basic ceremony of stating vows before the Good Godanistan and if the candidate is unable to say vows for reasons of age or mental disorders, another will say them for him, and acknowledge his acceptance for the church. In order to be closer to the eyes and ears of Godansitan, each candidate is given a small bird to hold, whether it be a pigeon, crow, raven, or any other is not important. The bird signifies the presence of Godansitan, as it is known that Godanistan works through Aenguls and Aenguls most of time take the shape of bird. The candidate is asked to kneel, tucking the bird to his chest and the priest begins to state vows and the candidate replies with “Yes” or “I do.” The vows are as follows. You do agree, to only worship in Godanistan? Not any other false creations of mighty Godanistan? You do agree, to be loyal to church of Godanistan, and to follow his laws? You do agree, to be holy man and servant to take upon self to bring will of Godanistan out on the unholy and assist in times of troubles and evil? You do agree, to make removal of all heathen, heretic, and the like from premises and work to make others worship of Godanistan. You do agree, to make take Holy Name of Raevir tongue, to be official name in all Church Documents and before Godanistan. --- The Bull defines the false religions of Anthos; They are three types of false faiths which go against the mother church. All shall be denied entrance to the Seven Skies and will languish in Oblivion; yet the worship of some false faiths are greater crimes to the mother Church than others. - Schismatics; those who worship The Creator but fail to recognize the holy scriptures. Schismatic faiths should be attempted to reason with; they commit crimes against the True Faith and are denied entrance to the Seven Skies, yet can be converted through restorations of doctrine. - Heathens; those who have held no worship to The Creator and fail to recognize the holy scriptures. The ignorance of Heathens is to be condemned, yet they hold no account of the Holy Scriptures, and thus fail to recognize The Creator’s grace as Supreme Architect. -Heretics; those who hold no worship to The Creator, yet recognize parts of the holy Scriptures. Heretics are the highest to be condemned; those who recognize the Holy Scriptures yet purposely defy The Creator’s grace. I. The Dwarven faith is defined as “schismatic” for their falsehood in dubbing Godanistan, The Creator, as “Yemekar”, false accounts of scripture, and distincting themselves with Paragons over Saints. II. The Adunian faith is defined as a “heathen” faith, one with no concordance to the mother church. III. Iblees worship is defined as a “heretical” faith, one which has basis in the mother Church’s scripture yet goes against its established doctrines and The Creator --- The final part of the bull addresses beatification and canonization; I. The church not refers to the following men as, ‘Venerable’ as there post-death reflection on the church. Temp Thersist Hunwald Coalmein Podrik Denims Owyn Horen Ari Horen Thomas Chivay Peter Chivay Uthor Silverblade Boiendl Silverblade Patrick Denims Richard Horen Duncan Lysander Alexander de Stoileas James Hightower Edmund Myre Charles Greymane Hadrien de Sarkozy Pertinax Horen Edmond Brunswick Baldir Toov Thorin Grandaxe Marcus Briarwood Lucien Ashford Gwenael Ashford Roland Ashford Lily Ashford Toveah Goldman Godwein Stafyr Alistair the Savage --- RADOMIR I GOLDEN BULL OF DIBLEY I On the matter of the reestablishment of an undisputed, worldwide and unchallenged papal seat as in the days of old. Confirmed and signed by His Imperial Majesty, King of Renatus, Ostromir Sarkozic Carrion, before his death. By right of birth and blood, the Archbishop of Renatus, Prince Franz Joseph, is hereby declared the sole legitimate High Ecclesiarch, his powers enumerated further in the contents of the Golden Bull below. He is to take the papal name of Radomir. The Church hereby withdraws from any political factions, declaring utter neutrality and impartiality to the happenings of the realm of Man, forgoing its allegiances to any dynasty or hegemony. --- Foreword by Prelate Zacarias Mosquera: Essentially, as visible in section I, the reforms as designed proclaim that the Church is centralizing unto itself to implement a number of prime directives as a civil code. Primely, with a single, sanctified body and a single, divinely-appointed Head of the Church rather than a confused array of quarreling 'primus inter pares' clerics, the facilitation of the entire realm's piety and quality of religious services will increase tenfold. Second to that, a fully unified body with an iron hierarchy will disallow false and slanderous sects to appear amongst isolated, misguided ecclesiastics in non-core provinces, thus promising no mountance to religious tension. Thirdly, a degree of assorted minor verdicts aligned at disabling opponents to said reforms will be put in place, with the public knowledge that such opposition would be an indirect opposition to God via His appointment of Franz Joseph as Archbishop and High Ecclesiarch. Finally, the militarization of the body to maintain the structure of all said reforms, and to encourage recruitment to the Clergy, thereby fortifying the armies of Renatus and that of true humankind altogether. --- SECTION I or, the Establishment of the High Ecclesiarch i. The office of High Ecclesiarch is created so as to create a universal head of the Faith and of the Church, his authority both spiritual and temporal, replacing the former position of High Pontiff. ii. The High Ecclesiarch is the universal, autocratic and acknowledged head of the Faith - The disputing of this judgement is hereby a capital crime which may be penalized by exile or execution. iii. The authority of the High Ecclesiarch on ecclesiastical and other religious matters is unquestioned and final. iv. The High Ecclesiarch and his institution, the Church, are subject solely to the authority of God and to no mortal or divine mortal. v. The High Ecclesiarch is declared the prophetic mouthpiece of God. vi. The bloodline and progeny of the High Ecclesiarch Franz is proclaimed to be holy yet not divine, hereby called vestarch, claiming descent from the Horen dynasty, the Carrion dynasty, as well as the saintly Sarkoz dynasty. vii. The office of High Ecclesiarch and customarily the Archbishop of Renatus is to succeed from father to son/grandson or any other individual of a bloodline deemed by the Church to be holy andvestarchal, however the son of the former High Ecclesiarch has preference over any other candidate for the position of both High Ecclesiarch and Archbishop of Renatus. viii. The office of High Ecclesiarch is intrinsically linked with that of Archbishop of Renatus - only the Archbishop of Renatus may serve in the position. ix. Upon taking the office of High Ecclesiarch, the titleholder retains his birth name, however he also has the choice of taking on an appropriate papal name. x. The High Ecclesiarch retains all powers of the Archbishop of Renatus. xi. The High Ecclesiarch has the power to forcibly annul any inappropriate or unlawful marriage. xii. The High Ecclesiarch may issue papal dispensations exempting certain individuals from legal consequences. xiii. In order to succeed to the position of High Ecclesiarch, one must be of a vestarchal bloodline. xiv. The High Ecclesiarch retains absolute autocratic control over the entire Clergy. xv. The High Ecclesiarch reserves the right to appoint archbishops and bishops upon both local and foreign soil. xvi. The High Ecclesiarch is responsible for crowning both the King of Renatus and the Emperor of Man. For future coronations, in the absence of a coronation performed by the High Ecclesiarch, an individual’s kingship is rendered legally invalid. xvii. The High Ecclesiarch and by extension the Church of the One True Faith owes allegiance to and is beholden to no faction and no individual but God. --- SECTION II or, the Further Reformation of the Clergy i. The Church is now prepared to serve in its official capacity as both a military and a religious organization dedicated to searching for and apprehending heretics, apostates and monsters. ii. All orders that name themselves ‘inquisitors’ are hereby disbanded and absorbed into the Church. iii. All holy orders and organizations may not call themselves holy unless they permit themselves to be absorbed by the Church, accepting its primacy. iv. The Church of the One True Faith declares itself the sole legitimate successor and heir to the Order of the White Rose, performing duties similar to the latter as a militant, human holy order. v. The Church of the One True Faith hereby succeeds the Imperial Inquisition, serving in the full capacity and sharing the same powers utilized by the organization under Saint Godfrey. These powers include the declaration of Dies Irae (the ability to utterly annihilate a city or nation and its populous if deemed heretical to the core and beyond divine reparation), the ability to indict any man of any social stature of heresy excepting the Crown and declaring the said execution or exile of these individuals through specified means, the ability to draw a temporary garrison from city militia or able citizens to aid in investigations and apprehension, the ability to issue certain clergymen immunity from all local laws to aid in investigations of heresy and the ability to immediately execute all who hinder the tasks or investigations of the Church or question its authority. --- SECTION III or, the Beatification and Canonization i. The Church hereby canonizes and recognizes the following beatified individuals, in posthumous respect to their deeds in life, as saints of the faith. - St. Owyn of Ruska (Bl. Goddard Carrion) as patron saint of Ruska, unity, diplomacy, growth and order. - St. Godwein of Huntshill (Bl. Godwein I. Stafyr) as patron saint of the earnest, labourers and diligent. --- GOLDEN BULL OF CAVAN I On the matter of the appointing of an Archbishop of Renatus and the beginning of the reformation of the Church of the One True Faith. Issued and confirmed by His Imperial Majesty, King of Renatus, Ostromir Sarkozic Carrion. At the will of His Imperial Majesty the King of Renatus, Ostromir Sarkozic Carrion, Prince Franz-Joseph Sarkozic Carrion, brother of the King of Renatus, is hereby declared the sole legitimate Archbishop of Renatus, his powers enumerated in the ‘Edict of the Archbishop’. --- SECTION I or, the Establishment of the Prelate i. The office of Prelate is created so as to assist the Archbishop in his duties, acting as a second to him within the ranks of the Church and provide him with good counsel. ii. The office of Prelate retains primacy over all others within the Church excepting his superior, the Archbishop. iii. The Prelate may only be appointed by the Archbishop of Renatus. iv. The office of Prelate is required to manage various ecclesiastical affairs alongside the Archbishop including the managing of bishops and lower clerics, the mediation of an Ecclesiastical Synod and the spreading of the faith. v. The Prelate may not compile bulls or make reforms to the church without the consent of the Archbishop. vi. The office of Prelate is required to carry out any command given by the Archbishop. vii. The office of Prelate may not in any way undermine the royal or church authority possessed by both the king and the Archbishop. --- SECTION II or, the Abolishment of the College of Bishops and Establishment of the Ecclesiastical Synod i. The unified legislative body of the College of Bishops is hereby abolished. ii. The office of Archbishop may henceforth solely be appointed by the sovereign of Renatus. iii. The body known as an Ecclesiastical Synod, a body compiled of all ordained clergymen regardless of rank, is hereby established, to be headed by the Archbishop of Renatus. iv. The Ecclesiastical Synod possesses no formal administrative powers, however exists solely as a forum for clerics of the church to meet and discuss grievances, schisms and opinions. v. The Ecclesiastical Synod is maintained at court in Abresi, however a meeting of all members of the Ecclesiastical Synod may be called by the Archbishop or the Prelate. vi. Perpetual attendance of the Synod is not required by clergymen, however if a meeting is called all clerics must attend unless they are otherwise unable to do so within reason. --- SECTION III or, the Duties of Bishops i. Bishops are reaffirmed as ecclesiastical administrators of a diocese within the Kingdom of Renatus. ii. Bishops are senior figures of the Church, subject to the authority of the Archbishop and the Prelate. iii. Bishops are responsible for the ecclesiastical hold over a diocese, and are required to manage the diocese and keep the local lords under the Church’s will. iv. Bishops hold primacy over priests within their respective dioceses. v. The metropolitan bishop, the Metropolitan of Abresi, serves as a head and chief bishop. vi. Bishops may only be appointed by the Archbishop from amongst the clergy. --- SECTION IV or, the Duties of Priests i. All clergymen of the Church not possessing of a rank or position are to be known as priests or clerics, and addressed by the title of Father. They are the backbone and main body of the Church. ii. Priests of the Church are obligated to spread the word of god whenever possible and are required to be subservient to the Church. iii. Priests of the Church are to serve as guides, teachers and moral figures around the kingdom. iv. Priests may be given primacy over a community, church or borough by the Archbishop of Renatus, at which point they are known as ‘parish priests’. Parish priests are required to focus their efforts and duties around their respective communities. v. Priests deemed schismatic by the Archbishop may be removed from the clergy. vi. New priests may be ordained by any existing priest provided they swear their undying fealty to God and the Church. --- SECTION V or, Reformation of the Church of the One True Faith i. The Church calls for all clergymen, priests, clerics, religious organizations and holy warriors of Renatus to submit to its will, recognizing the Church’s structure and authority. Disobedience is a crime of apostasy and is punishable by excommunication and shame in the eyes of God. ii. The Church hereby demands that clergymen are required to fight all forms of evil through martial feats as well as with faith. iii. The Church requires that its clergymen, priests and clerics, arm themselves and serve as templars of the faith, rooting out evil within the kingdom and spreading the faith through both sword and cross. iv. The Church reaffirms the lorraine cross of old, its middle bar representing God, its top bar representing the Church and its bottom bar representing humanity, as the symbol of the Faith. v. The Church decrees that only the Archbishop of Renatus may possess secular land-owning titles within that region. vi. The Church decrees that all clergymen must wear the appropriate garb and colour attached to their rank. - White is the colour of the Archbishop. - Black is the colour of the Prelate. - Purple is the colour of the bishops. - Red is the colour of priests and clerics. vii. The Church decrees that clergyman are to be given greater privilege and primacy over both ordinary citizens of Renatus and aristocratic nobility, however they are still subject to courts of law. viii. The Church declares it a sin and a crime to shelter or give aid to an excommunicated person, punishable by use of force. ix. The Church declares the following individuals prophets of God, who acted or act as his mouthpiece and conveyed his will to the world. - St. Godfrey of Horen. - His Imperial Majesty, Ostromir Sarkozic Carrion. x. The Church reserves the right to execute or banish individuals tried in an ecclesiastical court if found guilty of crimes of depravity and immorality, treason to the Church, disobedience, heresy, idolatry or apostasy. xi. The Church reserves the right to call for the arrest and trial of individuals found to suspected of apostasy, heresy or schism. xii. The Church reserves the right to summarily punish individuals that represent an ongoing danger to others. This may include traitors against the faith or the crown, rogue sorcerers and witches. xiii. The Church decrees that disrespect or dishonor against the Archbishop, Prelate or the Crown is a punishable offense. xiv. The Church reaffirms the Imperial doctrine of clerical marriage, hereby endorsing clerical nuptials as the will of God. --- SECTION VI or, Beatification and Canonization i. The Church hereby canonizes and recognizes the following beatified individuals, in posthumous respect to their deeds in life, as saints of the faith. - St. Tobias of Aldersberg, (Bl. Toveah Goldman) as patron saint of merchants, wealth and benefactors. - St. Edmond of Lachsin, (Bl. Edmond Brunswick) as patron saint of loyal soldiers, officers and knights. - St. Adrian of Leuvaarden, (Bl. Hadrien de Sarkozy) as patron saint of statesmen, politicians and learning. - St. Thomas of Gaekrin, (Bl. Thomas Chivay) as patron saint of leadership, generals and vassals. ii. The Church hereby outlines the following already-existing saints as patrons of specific fields. - St. Godfrey of Horen, patron saint of the Empire, humanity and justice. - St. Daniel of Al’Khazar, patron saint of the poor, peace and travel. - St. Lucien of Savoie, patron saint of the Church, piety and crusaders. - St. Owyn of Banard, patron saint of kings, incorruptibility, racial purity and war. iii. The Church declares the remains and relics of these aforementioned saints to be holy objects to be recovered and held in the reliquaries present in basilicas and cathedrals. iv. The Church hereby beatifies the following individual/s. - Bl. Owyn II of Ruska (High Pontiff Owyn II) --- THOMAS I GOLDEN BULL OF AANENBURG I A Golden Bull is proclaimed by the High Patriarch, Thomas I. It is spread throughout the lands, bearing the winds of change for the Church of the True Faith. It reads as such. Deus Magnus, my children. This will be the final document issued by the High Patriarch. After this document has been written, the heretical and stained title will be renounced and be known as a reminder of darker times, when the Church was controlled by the state. I will not suffer the title any longer. Therefore, after this document is released, the clergy of the realm shall gather to elect a High Pontiff, whether it be myself or my esteemed opponent, Bishop Jan of the Barrow, or as otherwise known Siguine of Abresi. This Golden Bull will finally set right all the doctrinal changes set by the monarchy, and will at long last incorporate Raev and Heartland traditions into a unified doctrine. --- SECTION I or, Upon the Rites of the Church of the True Faith i. Upon the Rite of Baptism -Baptism will henceforth consist of the baptist pushing the blessed individual into water, either in a stream of moving water or stationary. -While being pushed, the individual will release a bird, which will therein signify his pact with the Creator as it flies up to the heavens. 1. A dove, if the individual wishes for peace. 2. A hawk, if the individual wishes for war. 3. A crow, if the individual wishes for a life free of bad luck. 4. A pigeon, if the individual wishes for a life full of good luck. -Seven years shall be the age at which an individual will be baptized. -Those children who die before the age of seven, regardless of their parentage by race or creed, will be wholeheartedly welcomed into the Seven Skies. ii. Upon the rite of Ordainment -Ordainment is the sacred vow taken by a Priest when he is raised from a Deacon. -Ordainment shall not be given to any who have not been a Deacon for at the least two Saint's Years. -After being Ordained, the Priest will disavow his family name, and all ties to his old family, and henceforth take the name of his birthplace in the manner of his culture. For instance, Cordal de Herendul, or Cordal von Herendul in the Hanseatic or Kaedreni fashion. -While being Ordained, a priest must take Vows of Clemency, Poverty, and Humility. They shall give up all their worldly possessions, as they have given up their name. iii. Upon the rite of Marriage -For a marriage to be legally binding, the man must bring to his beloved a ring and propose. -The marriage between two people of the same gender is strictly forbidden, and is utterly heretical. -At the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom must exchange wedding rings, different from the ring of engagement that the man previously gave the woman. -The site of the marriage ceremony does not have to be a church. -The priest will say binding words to the two, and they shall henceforth be married. -A secular witness must be present to attest to the marriage's legitimacy. -Marriage is a sacred bond, and in only the most dire circumstances, such as adultery, or one of the spouses engaging in heretical behavior, will a marriage be annulled. --- SECTION II or, Upon the Hierarchy of the Church i. There are two groups within the church, monastic and secular. ii. The lowest and entry level rank of the secular church is the Acolyte. iii. The Acolyte will spend no less than one Saint's Week training in an Abbey. iv. The next level after Acolyte is Deacon. v. The Deacon will spend no less than two Saint's Weeks training to be a Priest alongside a practicing clergy member in a church. vi. Upon being ordained, the Deacon will be placed in a parish of his own as a Priest. There can be but one Priest per parish. vii. If the Priest is found to be pious and just, he may be raised to the level of Bishop and be given administration over a diocese. viii. The highest level of the church is the office of High Pontiff. ix. The High Pontiff's rank shall include the Papal Ferula, a staff topped with the Lorraine Cross, and a ring upon which is carved his Papal name, for instance Thomas I Pont Max. x. The High Pontiff will be inaugurated in a ceremony presided over by the longest serving Bishop, aside from the Bishop being raised to High Pontiff. xi. The High Pontiff has the power to create and split apart Dioceses. xii. The High Pontiff has the power to raise Bishops. xiii. The High Pontiff may only dismiss a Bishop if he is tried in a clerical court. xiv. The office of High Pontiff is only relinquished upon death, or in the case of the High Pontiff being missing for a long period of time. xv. The High Pontiff is elected by the College of Bishops, so long as there is at least three Bishops within the college. xvi. Lacking three Bishops within the college, all ordained clergy will vote upon the High Pontiff from the pool of Bishops. xvii. The High Pontiff is the head of both secular and monastic parts of the clergy. xviii. Members of the monastic clergy will live within an Abbey, and be known as Monks. xix. The head of an Abbey is known as the Abbot. --- SECTION III or, the Beliefs of the True Faith i. These are the final and solid beliefs of the True Faith. They cannot be changed, for they are only the pure truth. Any who change the dogma after this; may they be branded heretics. ii. All of the dogma of the old church remains true and needs no clarification, aside from the following. iii. Aenguls and Daemons are immortal beings with free will and free thought, not mere unthinking tools of the Creator. However, they are not to be worshipped, merely revered. iv. The Prophets, once known as Exalteds, are those who were liberators and unifiers of humanity, granted with vision and guidance from the Creator. They are: -Horen. -Owyn the Sword of Heaven, the Destroyer -Godfrey the Creator -Siegmund the Preserver v. Priests may marry, but can never ascend to the office of Bishop or High Pontiff, lest the positions become hereditary and given to unworthy men. --- SECTION IV or, the Clerical Courts i. The Church does now in good faith establish the Clerical Court of Aanenburg. ii. The Clerical Court is presided over by the High Pontiff. iii. The Clerical Court is reserved for those among the priesthood who gave grown sinful and twisted, and have committed crimes, or heretics. iv. A secular court may not render judgement to a Priest of the True Faith. v. Heretics may not be judged by a secular court, they must be brought before the Clerical Court of Aanenburg. vi. The College of Bishops will give judgement of guilty or not guilty to the crime. vii. The High Pontiff will then render punishment upon the heretic. viii. Punishments for heretics are at the least a session of lashings and for the most extreme heresy: burning at the stake. ix. Punishments for priests who have become twisted are at the least dismissal from office, and at the most, burning at the stake. x. Secular judges who attempt to judge Priests or heretics will be condemned as heretics themselves and defiers of the Church. xi. If the college of bishops has fewer than three Bishops within it, then judgement and sentencing falls to the High Pontiff. xii. The vote upon guilty or not guilty must be unanimous among the Bishops. --- DANIEL I GOLDEN BULL OF DIBLEY II On the matter of our affirmation as the indisputable, worldwide, and apostolic papal seat as in the days of old... HIGH PONTIFF DANIEL I, Archbishop of Cyriaum, Successor of the High Priesthoods of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, and Vicar of God, does decree... --- SECTION I or, the Declaration of the Fidei Defensor Know that we, the Canon Church, do hold our right to name a defender of the faith among the lords of the Canonist Communions. And know that we have dignified DUKE OLIVIER DE SAVOIE with this title of Fidei Defensor for his adherence to faith and tradition in plight of certain troubles and his absolute reverence to the Holy Father. We grant him a holy blade to ward away the dens of sin and iniquity and pray that he protects our Canonist flock from the barbarisms of the heathenry, harrenites, and heretics. We afford him certain duties and powers as prescribed... The power to be heard by HIGH PONTIFF DANIEL I as his confessor. The power to request a holy crusade against those infidel. The duty to protect the Canonist Church and its faithful. The duty to defend any Canonist lord from infidel invasion. --- SECTION II or, the Order of the Black Sepulchres And we honor those Canonist soldiery and commanders who embody the virtues of our faith by naming them Holy Sers, knights of the Canonist Church, among our communion. In the spirit of Blessed Lendus, we grant these holy warriors ashen urns of deceased martyrs and confessors, to be returned upon a holy ser's demise, so they may remember their vocation to protect the fallen and their traditions. And so we dub... KING ANDRIK VYDRA I, a holy ser of our Canon faith. We afford him the ashen urn of BLESSED DMITIRI OF THE DREADFORT, a Franciscan martyr. COUNT GUY DE BAR, a holy ser of our Canon faith. We afford him the ashen urn of BLESSED DAMON KOVACEVIC, a Franciscan martyr. ADELRAN COULTHARD, a holy ser of our Canon faith. We afford him the ashen urn of BLESSED FREDERICK ROYCE, a Franciscan martyr. --- SECTION III or, the Palatine Guard and the Curia And in this time of foreign invasion by the Denier's will, the Holy Palatinate issues the formation of a PALATINE GUARD to defend the denizens of Cyriaum and the keepers of the faith. We shall appoint HOLY SER ADELRAN COULTHARD as our Commandant and give him three acres to establish a holdfast for our armies. We offer him a sum of five-hundred gilded pieces and request his whole and entire support in the defense and growth of our estates. And we also raise FATHER KAROL ANDRIUKAITIS the post of Monsignor, and name him AUDITOR OF THE TRIBUNAL. May he codify the laws of our estates and bring justice to the wicked and corrupt. --- SECTION IV or, Excommunication We have found that ARN ROVIN I has fallen to blasphemy and heresy, rejecting our Pontificate and consorting with imposter clerics. So we deny him all services spiritual and temporal and deem him excommunicated from our Canon Church, a godless figure in the chronicles of man. We accost him for his derision of the True Faith through wanton declarations of schism and disrespect for our holy institutions. We pray for his repentance. We have found that ARCHON GODFREY HOREN I has fallen to blasphemy and heresy, rejecting our Pontificate and consorting with imposter clerics. So we deny him all services spiritual and temporal and deem him excommunicated from our Canon Church, a godless figure in the chronicles of man. We accost him for his attempts at dismantling the Pontificate and swaying the righteous Vice-Chancellor into declaring an unlawful and unholy interregnum and support of wicked and unjust heresy, along with patronizing the blasphemous Horen occult. We pray for his repentance. --- SECTION V or, the Priests of the Schism And we do bid those clerics and priests who have fallen sway to the worldly desires of their liege to come back to their mother church and abandon iniquity; for you guide a-flock away from our Creator and into the oblivion of the Void. So we urge you to come to council and grant you the font of mercy but once, to abandon the den of lies and restore our holy communion. --- GOLDEN BULL OF DIBLEY III On the matter of our affirmation as the indisputable, worldwide, and apostolic papal seat as in the days of old, HIGH PONTIFF DANIEL I, Prince-Bishop of Cyriaum and Fursten, Keeper of the True Faith, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Witness to the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted Testaments, and Vicar of God, does decree... --- SECTION I or, Beatification And so High Pontiff Daniel has bore witness to our pious and martyrs, who have with absolute conviction, found themselves distinct in the fifth sky without toil or otherworldly penance. He names them blessed for their contributions to faith and anoints them a feast day and celebration to commemorate their lives as godly fellows. He has named... KRISTOFF OF HANSETI, for his brave martyrdom defending St. Thomas' Cathedral from an unruly band of dwarven legionnaires. Kristoff, the humble bishop of the Crownlands, stood alone to defend this house of our Creator and was decapitated for his defense. EMILY OF WOLDZIMIR, for her fervent revelation and command against the schismatics in the great schism war. This pious noblewoman rose to defend her faith from the wayward and wicked when men hid and grew craven; her stunning victories are the story of hymns. beatified; let their trials and tribulations never be forgotten in the canon of man. --- SECTION II or, the Ecclesiastical Synod In order to deliberate Pontifical succession, High Pontiff Daniel has reformed the Ecclesiastical Synod. It shall consist of three, five or seven members at a time, and upon the resignation or death of a High Pontiff, the Synod will vote among itself to name a new Pontiff. When they are three members of the Synod, members may style themselves Triarch, while five, Pentarch, and when seven, Septarch. The Synod must always have at least two bishops, but the rest of the Synod may be chosen by the Pontiff from any of the ordained clergy. The Synod also holds the due responsibility, as a collective, to organize evidence in regards to the canonization of those beatified and sanctified. From henceforth, all figures being considered for beatification or sainthood must be approved by a majority vote by the Synod before being named by the Pontiff. High Pontiff Daniel has named the following to be raised to the Synod. HUMBERT OF HUMBERT, Bishop of Savoy GERALD OF ROSEMOOR, Bishop of the Crownlands BRANAFORD OF CAVAN, Parish Priest of Karovia, Court Chaplain to His Majesty JOHAN OF SIEGRAD, Parish Priest of Siegrad FABIAN OF CYRIAUM, Brother of Cyriaum, Secretariat to His Holiness --- SECTION III or, the Clerical Schools of Thought All clergymen are expected to fulfill similar duties; serve the realm by promoting matters spiritual and intellectual to foster a righteous faith and culture. However, the Church of the Canon recognizes that there exist a myriad of ways to accomplish these lofty goals. Each method yields its own virtue and in accordance with the Canon, the High Pontiff has chosen to illustrate the four most common schools of thought, as to present the clergy various niches to consider. The clerical school of thoughts are not hard and fast ideologies but rather symbolize a broad spectrum of theological practices. The High Pontiff encourages the clergy of the realm to investigate and specialize based on their characteristics in order to provide better religious service to our faithful. SIBYLISM: Often regarded as 'knights of the mind', clergymen who lean towards sibylism tend to stress the importance of knowledge. They dabble in arts and the sciences, making fine philosophers and ward fathers in the parishes they seek. As a result, however, they tend to be a bookish lot, focusing more on their studies and theses than spreading actively to communities. Often times, they would find themselves serving in a lord's council, providing valuable insight in medicine, history, philosophy, theology, and engineering given their intellectual expertise. Sibylists are most associated with the Exalted Horen and the Book of Virtue, as Horen is regarded to be the most humble of the Exalted, and also the first to review holy scripture. They often bear croziers of wood to represent the parchment they work with. Prominent Sibylists include High Pontiff Daniel, Brother Fabian Virosi, and Deacon Jude. FLAMENISM: Flamens are considered the most bold clergymen, acting as chaplains on the frontlines of conflicts and inspiring soldiery with brazen speeches of purity. They are warlike and aggressive, often regarded as purists in their mannerism. Many Flamens are even trained as templars to deal with apostate magi, dispose of abominations, and perform inquisitions on settlements of suspicion. They are schooled in both secular and clerical law in order to dole the Creator's justice where they can. Such brazen zealotry can lead to alienate the commons, however. Flamens are most associated with the Exalted Owyn and the Book of Spirit, as Owyn is known for his fiery nature, and the Book of Spirit revolves around the purity of the Canon faith against lesser ones. They often bear croziers of ferrum to symbolize their iron sense of justice. Prominent Flamens include St. High Pontiff Lucien I, Blessed High Ecclesiarch Radomir, and High Pontiff Pius II. EPULONISM: It is said those clergy who indulge in the school of Epulonism are those most loved by the commons. Known commonly as "Celebrants", those of the Epulone clerical school of thought tend to focus on bettering the lives of the smallfolk. Often they use tithes to host great fairs to celebrate feast days of saints, or strive to improve the living conditions of settlements by assuming stewardship roles in their local communities. They are people-oriented and natural born leaders, using church influence to accomplish social reforms and progress. However, often times an Epulone's attachment to a community can lead to decadence. Epulones are most associated with the Exalted Godfrey and the Scroll of Gospel, as Godfrey's splendor and charitable nature led to a great rise in faith as people associated it with fair and feast. They often bear croziers made of carbarum to symbolize the bounty of the Creator. Prominent Epulones include St. Wilfriche, St. Everard and Blessed High Pontiff Adeodatus. AUGURISM: The most mystic of the clerical schools, Augurism is known for its sages and ascetics. These augurs often wander the realm giving traveling sermons and baptismal rites over the comfortable lifestyle of a parish priest. They forgo luxuries due to deep reverence for the Seven Skies and disdain for the world about them. Their wisdom and perspective often rivals even the most senior clergymen due to their willingness to indulge in their humility. However, Augurs are sometimes viewed with suspicion by more formal priests due to their homely customs and lack of grace. Augurs are most associated with the Exalted Sigmund and the Scroll of Auspice, as Siegmund is regarded to be the most sagely of the exalted and the Book of Auspice's harrowing and somber nature matches its Augur patrons. They often sport croziers made of stone to symbolize their somber sense of humility and the fragility of the world around them. Prominent Augurs include St. Bogdan, St. Amyas, and Blessed Peter. --- GOLDEN BULL OF DIBLEY IV On the matter of our affirmation as the indisputable, worldwide, and apostolic papal seat as in the days of old, HIGH PONTIFF DANIEL I, Prince-Bishop of Cyriaum and Fursten, Keeper of the True Faith, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Witness to the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted Testaments, and Vicar of God, does decree... --- SECTION I or, Beatification And so High Pontiff Daniel has bore witness to our pious and martyrs, who have with absolute conviction, found themselves distinct in the fifth sky without toil or otherworldly penance. He names them blessed for their contributions to faith and anoints them a feast day and celebration to commemorate their lives as godly fellows. He has named... RICHARD DE BAR; for revitalizing the Order of St. Amyas, patronizing both holy works and holy deeds, and toppling the Caesaropapist Regime of old. We anoint Richard a holy warrior most pious in resolve and name him blessed among the fifth sky. OTTO ROVIN; for turning to Canonism when his Rovin ilk demanded schism, abandoning crowns and comforts for GOD, aiding the Palatine efforts, and bringing faith to the barren North. We anoint Otto a holy warrior most pious in resolve and name him blessed among the fifth sky. --- SECTION II or, the Ecclesiastical Synod High Pontiff Daniel has named THEODOSIUS OF FURSTEN following to be raised to the Synod. given the vacancy presented in the death of Fabian the Elder. We name him Penatch of the Ecclesiastical Synod. --- DANIEL II GOLDEN BULL OF HUSS III HIGH PONTIFF DANIEL II, Vicar of God, Supreme Pontiff of the Faithful, Primate of Oren, Bishop of Huss, Servant to the Servants of God does decree… --- SECTION I or, the Reaffirmation of the Eddictum Neutralitas In this time of war and strife, High Pontiff Daniel II has declared it right and fitting that the Church of the Canon remain neutral, respecting the wishes of his predecessor, Sixtus III, and maintaining that the Church and the state be separate. It is altogether unnecessary for the godly institution of the Creator to become entwined in politics and violence. The war shall remain a secular conflict, that all members of the Church pray comes to a swift end. --- SECTION II or, the Creation of New Dioceses His Holiness, Daniel II, sees fit to create the following Diocese, and granting their stewardship to the following capable officials: The Diocese of Drusco, comprising Peremont and the territory of Drusco, administered by Bishop Oscar of Norfolk The Diocese of Adria, comprising the territory of Brelus and Barrowyck, administered by Bishop Edmond de Montfort The Diocese of Vanaheim, comprising the territory of Port Vydrik, Saltstone, and Crow’s Roost, which is yet to be assigned. --- SECTION III or, the Establishment of the Order of St. Julia In an effort to prevent the young women of Oren from turning to sinfulness, and to provide positive role models of piety and goodness for humanity, the High Pontiff has seen fit to sanction an official order of Nuns, founded by Sister Lorina. The Order of St. Julia will strive to uphold the virtues of chastity, charity, and conversion of the heathen. Sister Lorina will now be known as Abbess Lorina, and given full authority over the existing nunnery of the Church. --- SECTION IV or, the Excommunication of Arstan Bedell For blind arrogant sin, and the unprovoked and aggressive insults to His Holiness Daniel II, the Church has seen fit to excommunicate the trumped up Arstan Bedell, who claims protection from Exalted Owyn while ironically attacking the Church he helped found. We render him: Damned and Excommunicated. May his soul burn forever in consuming flame. --- SECTION V or, the Forgiveness of Xavier de Sola The High Pontiff Daniel II has seen fit to lift the excommunication of Xavier de Sola, being as he has endured great penance for his crimes against Creator and man. His soul is clear, and he is once again welcome in the house of the Creator. --- GOLDEN BULL OF LUCIENSPORT I HIGH PONTIFF DANIEL II, Vicar of God, Supreme Pontiff of the Faithful, Primate of Oren, Bishop of Huss, Servant to the Servants of God does decree… --- SECTION I or, A New Addition to the Holy Order of the Black Sepulchre Baldwin de Bar is henceforth raised to the Knighthood of the Black Sepulcher for his valor in the holy war against the Tachars, for his capturing of the Tachar fortress, and his gathering of a mighty host to fight in the name of the faith. He will be given the Ashen Urn of Blessed William the Beggar. --- SECTION II or, the Laws of the Legitimization of Bastards Ducal houses and greater must have the legitimization approved by both their liege lord and the Pentarchy of the Holy Synod. All other individuals and houses must seek their local bishop and liege lord for legitimization. The father of the bastard must bring up the issue to the respective authorities. Failure to comply with these laws may result in consistorial court sentencing, resulting in a refusal to legitimize the child and possible excommunication. --- SECTION III or, the Establishment of the Consistorial Court Clergy cannot be executed in a church court unless they have taken a life. To raise charges against a clergyman costs 500 minas. Church courts only apply to defamation of character, drunkenness, swearing, apathy to faith, heresy, perjury, impersonation of clerics, failure to pay tithes, ill treatment of women, offensive sexual behaviors, divorce, and legal cases against clergymen. Clergy have the right to be tried in clerical courts. Failure to attend or respect the Church’s consistorial courts can be grounds for fines or, at worst, excommunication. The Right of Sanctuary occurs if a criminal can make it to a Church before they are arrested. He or she is safe for up for 3 days, to confess his sins in the church. Those pursuing the criminal must wait outside the Cathedral and may guard the Cathedral to ensure the accused does not escape. A legal coroner must come to confiscate the criminal’s goods, and he will assign said criminal a port of exile which they may take exile for their crimes. Clergymen, regardless of any crime must attend a clerical grand jury decision on whether or not to be indicted if accused. If they are to be indicted, and the case is murder, the case is brought before a regular court with a bishop’s supervision as junior judge. --- SECTION IV or, the Raising of Saints The following Beatified have been raised to sainthood. Saint Richard de Bar, for his valor in taking Junavos and ending caesareopapism, and for the performance of two known miracles. When buried Saint Richard wore a coronet made of iron, when later found beneath Adrianople it had transformed into band of gold - King Guy now wears the blessed Circlet of Saint Richard as his crown. When fighting in the desert sands of Junavos Richard de Bar was caught out in a sandstorm with several men, yet when the storms seemed at their most vicious and threatening to overwhelm the group they fell to their knees and began to pray. Instantly they cleared around the figure of Duke Richard and he led the group to safety from the fatal sandstorm. Saint Otto Rovin, for his bravery in bringing the Waldenian Schism to a close, and for the performance of two known miracles. Otto, while fleeing Aesterwald after his banishment, discovered another criminal on the run. After much conversing with the man, Otto convinced him to confess his sins and come south, where the man lived up to the 112th seed and lived a prosperous life, bearing many children despite his advanced age. Otto gave his Lorraine Cross to a starving family during his life. Years later, once the family had their first child, the house burnt down with the babe inside. On closer inspection, it was found the baby survived, wearing the cross while covered in ash and soot. --- SECTION V or, A Warrant for Arstan Bedell We had just been about to forgive and lift the excommunication of Arstan Bedell when it was found that he had been accused of new and grievous sins, including the unholy and pagan burning of a Nun of the church. To face these charges he will be hunted down and tried in an official Consistorial Court. --- SECTION VI or, the Establishment of the Curia The following individuals have been raised to the Pontifical Curia, Bishop Adrian Chivay - Vice Chancellor Leon d'Amaury - Auditor of the Tribunal Baldwin de Bar - Commandant of the Guard Bishop Edmond - Dean of the State Monsignor Virosi - Secretariat of His Holiness. --- EVERARD II GOLDEN BULL OF DIBLEY V HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD II, Archbishop of Visigia, Prince-Bishop of Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree... --- SECTION I or, the End of the Crusades The call to arms issued by my predecessor is promptly ended, the defence Luciensport and it’s surrounding territories granted to the Grandmaster of the Lotheringian Order, Baldwin de Bar. Missionaries will once again flow throughout the southern continent. --- SECTION II or, the Reformation of the Orenian Dioceses His Holiness, Everard II finds the ecclesiastical organisation of the faithful’s dioceses lacking, thus the following will be enacted The defunct Diocese of Adria will be reformed, the Diocese of the Lorraine taking its place under the administration of Piers of Summerhall. The Diocese of Vanaheim is to be passed to Vice-Chancellor Adrian of Kaedrin. The Diocese of the Crownlands, previously administered by Bishop Humbert of Humbert, shall be withheld until the recommendations of the Pentarchy can be considered The parishes of the Kaedreni flock will be entrusted to the Father Iosif of Roiye whom will be appointed to Bishop. --- SECTION III or, A Warrant for the Ordon of Silum For the attempted murder of a member of the Papal Curia, it is with a heavy heart I denounce the silent retinue of my predecessor. Violent actions against fellow Canonists are unacceptable. The Silumites are hereby wanted by the church, they are to be brought before a jury of the faithful and tried in Luciensport. --- SECTION IV or, the Reassessment of Previous Affirmations Due to the abnormalities in the late Bishop of Felsen's ledgers, and the possibility of corruption within the ranks of our clergy, as of now the previous 'Bull of Luciensport' is considered null, both the discussions of a Canonist Court system, and the newly Canonized, are to be reprocessed, a second round of votes to be considered. An absolute majority will be REQUIRED. --- GOLDEN BULL OF DIBLEY VI HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD II, Archbishop of Visigia, Prince-Bishop of Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree… --- SECTION I or, In the Wake of the Death of Guy, King of Oren The actions taken by crown forces in the chaos of the recent assassination are unacceptable, in response to this sacrilegious act the Pontificate and the Church of the Faithful doth denounce Sergius de Bar and those whom took part in the desecration of another holy sanctum under his ‘watchful’ eyes. Furthermore, the Pontificate calls Sergius and his followers to trial for their illegitimate acts of violence and refuses to acknowledge any claim he hath to the throne. --- SECTION II or, the Proclamation of a Holy Orenian Emperor Yet the Church does recognize the frailty of her patron state and weeps for the turmoil brought forth from the wicked act of regicide. With no true successor in sight, the Church does call upon JOHN FREDERICK HOREN, scion and heir of Godfrey’s legacy by the law of primogeniture, to take upon the mantle of Holy Orenian Emperor and restore peace to the realm of man. We seek to anoint and consecrate his claim true, offering him the Imperial crown as the ruler of all mankind so that he might establish the fifth great Empire of Man. --- GOLDEN BULL OF DIBLEY VII HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD II, Archbishop of Visigia, Prince-Bishop of Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree... --- SECTION I or, Restructuring Duties within the Crownlands Metropolitan Diocese will be handed to Iosif tau Roiye, his position within Kaedrin being swiftly withdrawn as a result and held by the Pontificate until a suitable replacement is discovered. The Diocese of Metz (Istria) will be incorporated into the ecclesiastical territories of the Crownlands underneath the newly appointed Metropolitan Bishop until a proper recommendation for the position can ascend. Commandant Baldwin de Bar will be handed authority over southern Visiga, serving as Castellan over the forts situated there. This area would serve as the headquarters of the Lotharingian Order, and anyone else the Pontificate deems worthy. Father Timothy of Cyrium is appointed Abbot over the Order of St. Julia, in the absence of the Abbess Lorina. --- SECTION II or, the Reconstruction within the Crownlands With the assistance of Emperor John Frederick, and the cooperation of the local parishes, the Felsen Cathedral of St. Adrian will be rebuilt grander and more impressive than its predecessor. The Cathedral being newly christened accordingly once the work has been fully pieced together. --- SECTION III or, the Order of the Black Sepulchre Many men of proud and chivalrous values have revealed themselves over the course of our history in Vailor, and with the grace of GOD those faithful men are to either to ascend, or to begin training for, the ranks of the Black Sepulchre. Risen to the Sepulchre: Vytenis Andriukaitiis, for his devotion to the Tarchary Crusades. He is handed the ashen urn of BLESSED EMILY OF WOLDZMIR, a heroine of the Schism War. To be Trained: Kazimir Vladov, for his skill in battle, along with his long list of experience in wars both in Athera, and Vailor. Bernhard von Craw, for his championing of Luciensport in multiple tourneys. --- SECTION IV or, the Curia Luciensport and the faithful are finally ready to move forward, that said administrative positions are in dire need of being filled. With the passing of the Auditor, Brother Leon d’Amaury, and my own ascension to the Pontificate seat, new appointments must be made. Monsignor Tobia of Montfort - Dean of State Monsignor Clement August, von Ponce - Auditor of the Tribunal Monsignor Pollycarp - Domestic Prelate --- SECTION V or, the Diplomatic Corps Since the days of my mentor, Sixtus III, the Elvish members of our faithful have dwindled. It is the wish of the Pontificate that the interests of the Canon be expressed within the provinces of the elves. Relations and religious understanding must be expressed, and so a Nuncio must be appointed and maintained. Brother Berenden Roost - Nuncio to the Elven Provinces. --- SECTION VI or, the Fidei Defensor And with the ascension of the Emperor, the Pontificate bestows upon him DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, for his commitment to the well being of his God anointed state and his respect for the Vicar of GOD. With this anointment comes great power, and responsibility. The power to be heard by HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD II as his confessor. The power to request a holy crusade against those infidel. The duty to protect the Canonist Church and its faithful. The duty to defend any Canonist lord from infidel invasion --- GOLDEN BULL OF DIBLEY VIII HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD II, Archbishop of Visigia, Prince-Bishop of Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree... The epidemics that previously enveloped Vailor left many of the faithful concerned and scared. Though the previous political chaos delayed this response, with the recent stability gained the Pontificate can now address those issues. --- SECTION I or, the Synod The ranks of our Synod have been left unattended, that said, the following are to be appointed. -Bishop Piers of Summerhall, administrator to the Lorrainian Dioceses. -Clement August, Auditor of the Tribunal --- SECTION II or, the Aengulic Orders After meeting with delegations from the Paladins and the Clerics an understanding has come about. Both orders have professed and reassured the Pontificate of their loyalty to the faithful, myself, and to GOD. That said, the Pontificate asserts newfound policies. Individuals within the Aengulic Orders who commit acts of sacrilege or idolatry are to be handed over to the Pontificate. As reassured by both groups, those who value their patron over their LORD are purged from their respective orders, thus it is a simple matter to hand those removed to the Auditor of the Tribunal, and his enforcers. Paladins and Clerics whom serve the Creator above their Aengulic patrons serve the Faith, they are not to be persecuted. As for Xanists and Taharites, men and women who have turned to the worship and reverence of their patron, they are to be prosecuted. --- SECTION III or, the Charitable Orders The Order of St. Daniel worked wonders under the reign of Sixtus III, but perished, along with its works when Abbot Radovid was slain. Those days are to be resurrected, the Order reconstituted and lead by Father Enoch of Haense. Let those of the Malinorian Provinces once again be enlightened under a peaceful and nonviolent hand. --- SECTION IV or, Canonization Both Richard of Bar and Otto of Vanderfell have been reassessed by the Triarchy, with the former remaining Blessed, the other rising to Sainthood. Thomas Denims has also been elevated to the beautified. --- SECTION V or, the Formation of the Tribunal The history of the faithful within Vailor has been one constantly plagued by protestant afflictions and heresy, as both the Harvesters and the fallen Aengul have proven, further enforcement of Canonist values is needed. As of the 17th of The Grand Harvest the Pontificate hereby authorizes the formation of a specialized Inquisition to correct and fight enemies of the faithful both domestically and abroad. Those righteous men will settle themselves within Luciensport and travel across the land upon the order of his Holiness, or the Judicial Vicar Clement August. --- GOLDEN BULL OF DIBLEY IX HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD II, Archbishop of Visigia, Prince-Bishop of Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree... --- SECTION I or, Nova Dioecesi et Ecclesiastica Promotione Accommodation of the faithful within the Outremer Frontiers are to be addressed and made, the following dioceses are to be formed within those respective provinces and administrators appointed to said regions, - The Dioceses of Erochland, encompassing the lands neath Governor Constantine. - The Dioceses of Fenland, under the influence of Prince Andrew Tundrak. - Niklas of Vanderfell is appointed Bishop of the Erochland Dioceses for his contributions and value within it. - Brother Polycarp is appointed Metropolitan of the Crownlands, let him help advise his son and rejuvenate the faithful of Felsen. - Rafael of Cōrdoba is appointed Bishop of the Fenland Dioceses, let his broad expertise within the schools of conversion help him guide the frontiers to enlightenment. - Enoch of Hanse is appointed as Abbot of the Order of St. Daniel, for his accomplishments within the Elven Governorate. - Yesil of Kralta is given charge of providing spiritual enlightenment upon the Fellowship of Tahariae as its Chaplain. --- SECTION II or, Curia Designotiones et Synodus Designatione The passing of our beloved Commandant and faithful Metropolitan leaves both commissions open, their duties unfulfilled. There are men of great potential and service within GOD’s flock that are ready to be appointed to both the Curia, and the Synod. - Inquisitor-General Miguel Cortez is appointed Commandant. May he serve with faith and dignity. - Abbot Enoch of Hanse is given Domestic Prelate, for his service within the Elven territories. - Bishop Rafael of Cōrdoba is given Domestic Prelate, for his spiritual guidance of the Inquisition, and his righteous pursuit of heretics everywhere - Bishop Niklas of Vanderfell is given Domestic Prelate, for his dedication to conversion, within Erochland. - Bishop Rafael of Cōrdoba is appointed to the Holy Synod. --- SECTION III or, Possible Canonizations Many a man has been martyred within the lands of Vailor since the landings here. Throughout time settling this land Humanity has seen wars the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the Schismatics were driven from the northern lands of Athera. Many faithful servants of the LORD have passed, and thus those truly holy men should be honored for their service. Whether they were martyred in war, or killed in peacetime, the following men are to be considered for beatification: - Baldwin de Bar - Humbert of Humbert - Radovid of Blaviken - High Pontiff Sixtus III --- SECTION IV or, Inquisition Reformation Due to a lack of regulation, the Inquisition will be subject to immediate, and future changes. - Inquisitors will now be assigned a specific area in which they are to operate, they’re to be given their position by either the Inquisitor-General or the Pontificate. - Inquisitors are expected to work in tandem with the local Bishop on issues within their assigned regions. -The Inquisitorial Tericos will be called in, only at the regional Inquisitor's behest, typically after a negotiation with the Diocesan Bishop and the local Lord. - Inquisitors are to respect the Edicts of his Imperial Majesty, whom has been given the crown by GOD through his chosen Vicar. - Miguel Cortez is made the Inquisitor-General of Luciensport. - Bernhard von Craw is made the Inquisitor of Courland. Within the near future the Curia, along with the Papal Synod, will begin work on a writ on a code of Canonist Law. This code would act to guide the hearts of all Canonists everywhere and provide a more detailed and legitimate base for Inquisitorial authority. --- SECTION V or, the Order of the Black Sepulchres - Ser Marius Baruch, Sepulchre of Blessed Kristoff of Hanseti. - Ser Bernhard von Craw, Sepulchre of Blessed Thomas Denims. --- GOLDEN BULL OF DIBLEY X HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD II, Archbishop of Visigia, Prince-Bishop of Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree... --- SECTION I Administrationis Regionalis The Dioceses of Kvas, encompassing the lands previously known as Haense. Rafael of Cōrdoba is appointed Bishop of the Kvas, the Fenland Dioceses from this point will be managed from Luciensport rather than any one Bishop. This is decree is also extended to the Erochland Dioceses. Peredono of Valenza is appointed as Bishop of Savoy, replacing the missing Oscar of Norfolk, whom hasn’t been seen since the Papal Elections. --- SECTION II Papalem Administrationis The laymen Royce of Bonehill is appointed as Dean of State. Abbot Enoch of Hanse is given Domestic Prelate, for his service within the Elven territories. Bishop Rafael of Cōrdoba is given Domestic Prelate, for his spiritual guidance of the Inquisition, and his righteous pursuit of heretics everywhere His Eminence, Peredono of Valenza is hereby appointed to the Synod in place of Father Oscar of Norfolk --- SECTION III Canonizationes After a period of voting the Pentarchy has finally came to a decision upon the newly Beautified. Vice-Chancellor Humbert of Humbert Abbot Radovid of Blaviken Holy Ser Vytenis of Luciensport --- SECTION IV Inquisitorial Destinationes Inquisitor Iosif Vladov, Overseer of Salvus --- GOLDEN BULL OF DIBLEY XI HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD II, Archbishop of Visigia, Prince-Bishop of Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree... --- SECTION I The Pastoral Tour Our Holy Father has emerged from his isolation within the confines of his Papal Apartments. He sails across the Outremer to travel to each major Duchy, County, and Capital to meet with the faithful there. The following territories will be visited in order by the Pontificate and all whom accompany him. The Dukedom of Istria Dour Watch Alasces The Grand Principality of Savoy Peremont The Dukedom of Lorraine Brelus Barrowyk Darkwood The Magnate of Kaedrin Wett The Princedom of Laurelin Laurelin The Dukedom of Courland Saltstone Riga Kraken’s Watch Salvus The Dukedom of Carnatia Kvas The Crownlands Felsen --- SECTION II Declaration of Illegitimacy The Pontificate and his Vice-Chancellor formally proclaim the actions taken in regards to the late Father Augustus illegitimate. From this point on, it is precedent that when a clergyman flees ecclesiastical authority he loses his rights to be tried by a Canonist Court. --- SECTION III Curial Adjustments Due to the stance mentioned in the section above Father Clemens August, the Auditor whom oversaw the trial is formally removed from the Curia of the Church. He is invited to again work towards a prestigious position within our Church via the regaining of his reputation. With Father Clemens demotion there is the need for his role to be filled, the Pontificate sees fit to appoint the following clergyman to the Curia: Father Johannes of Riga Father Colin of Brelus Father Josef of Yale --- SECTION IV Synod Appointments Due to the death of his Eminence, Bishop Rafael of Cordobe, and the internal resignation of Bishop Piers of Lorraine two Pentarchal spots have been opened. The following men of the Church are hereby appointed to the Synod: Father Edward Jrent Father Colin of Brelus --- SECTION V Canonization The Following Deceased are to be considered for Canonization: His Eminence, Bishop Rafael of Cordobe Holy Ser, Marius Braunch With his passing to our Lord GOD, Rafael of Cordobe is blessed for his zealous service to the Church and his part in leading the exiles of Cordobe to the Outremer. His tedious record-keeping and Diocesan Censuses will further the Church’s knowledge of its faithful for an unforetold time. As the Holy Ser Marius rises to heaven, he will remain firm in the records of the Church and the prayers of the faithful. For his service with the blade and shield, Marius will be blessed. A veteran of the Crusades and listed among the Founders of Luciensport, this man served without self-interest by dedicating his entire existence to GOD. The following are to be considered for Sainthood: Morris of Moz --- SECTION VI Foundation of an Abbey The Isle of Yale has been settled by a brotherhood of devout monks, serving in the name of Saint Daniel. The Abbey will serve as a center of operations for the gentile missionary movement. Father Lars of Auvergne, at the head of the monastery, will oversee the day-to-day labor of the monkhood. When they are not planting seed and brewing ale, they will go in large groups to preach to the flocks of Erochian elves, sons of Urguan, and even the Dunamis Horde that dwell on the adjoining lands. Father Lars and Father Josef are hereby appointed as co-Abbots of Yale --- SECTION VII Dioceses The Dioceses of Carnatia and Lorraine are in need of new administration following the second Diet of Metz. The following men are appointed to those positions: Colin of Brelus is appointed Bishop of Carnatia The Dioceses of Lorraine will be held in regency by our Holy Father in order for the new Clerics of the church to vy for the appointment. --- SECTION VIII The Exalted Codex: Book One The publication of the first of seven books of law concerning the Canonist Church has come now about. The previous laws passed underneath Daniel II are hereby abolished. From this point on the Exalted Codex shall replace those law, with certain passages from the previous texts being amended and added to the Codex. The first of those seven mentioned is GOVERNANCE, which deals with the powers and jurisdictions of the Codex itself. --- GOLDEN BULL OF CARNATIA I HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD II, Archbishop of Visigia, Prince-Bishop of Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree... --- SECTION I Formation of Archdioceses The ecclesiastical landscape of our fair and pious Church has changed substantially since the founding of the fifth empire. That said, the current diocese of our faith are simply not enough, to avoid the over saturation of Papal positions the following Archdiocese are carved from the current borders of the Orenian State. The Archdiocese of Lotharia, administered by Peredono of Valenza Comprised of the Kaedren, Lorraine, and Savoy diocese. The Archdiocese of Metz, administered by Adrian of Kaedrin Comprised of Felsen and Istria. The Archdiocese of Visiga, administered by High Pontiff Everard II Comprised of Erochland and Luciensport. The Diocese of Carnatia remains apart, independent of the jurisdiction granted above. The Diocese of Courland remains apart, now administered by Gianfranco of Felsen. --- SECTION II Formation of a Patriarchate The addition of the Malinorian states to the fold of the empire also bodes well for our Canon. The Holy Light of our awe inspiring GOD may shine upon the Elves for the first time since Aegisian times. To commemorate this achievement the Wood and Dark Elven peoples are honored with the creating of a Patriarchate, the first of it’s kind. Abbot Enoch of Haense has proven to be of the utmost respect in the region and is tasked with guiding our new brothers to the seven skies. His Beatitude, Enoch of Haense is proclaimed the first Patriarch of Laurelin. --- SECTION III The Inquisitorial Recall With their inevitable fall from grace all Inquisitors involved within the current diocese of Oren are hereby called back to Luciensport for reassignment. The unpious amass in other lands that must be called to account. --- SECTION IV Clarification of Rank and Style The High Pontiff, chosen by GOD through an anonymous vote by the Papal Synod, he administers the faith and by tradition crowns the Monarch any Canonist Kingdom. Styled as ‘His Holiness’, addressed as ‘Your Holiness.’ Patriarchs, chosen by the High Pontiff to represent and adapt the faith to foreign Canonist states that accept them. Patriarchs are second only to the High Pontiff himself, they are an extremely vital part of the Church, rarely given to any at all. Styled as ‘His Beatitude’, addressed as ‘Your Beatitude.’ Archbishops, chosen by the High Pontiff or his Patriarch, Archbishops administer major sects of land and are usually junior to their appointers, listed above. They typically handle the affairs of multiple diocese within a nation. Styled as ‘His Excellency,’ addressed as ‘Your Excellency.’ Bishops, appointed by the High Pontiff and his immediate juniors. Bishops often administer singular duchies. Styled as ‘His Eminence,’ addressed as ‘Your Eminence.’ Priests, appointed by their superiors listed above, often oversee local towns within Canonist Nations. They are the backbone of the faith and maintain pious behavior across the board. No styling, addressed simply as ‘Father.’ Abbots, appointed by the High Pontiff, Abbots usually set up local permanent parishes in foreign lands with the goal of conversion. They spread the faith in the hopes that the people will find the Light of God. Styled as ‘His Eminence,’ addressed as ‘Your Eminence.” Monks, appointed by their immediate superiors, Monks travel Vailor preaching of the faith to anyone whom might listen. They are masters of doctrine and the backbones of foreign conversion. No styling, addressed simply as ‘Father.’Recruitment Branch Deacons, basic practitioners of the faith. They are considered, for the most part, laymen, whom are on the track to becoming an ordained member of the clergy. They are often appointed to said position from their Acolyte stage after the submission of their first Thesis. No styling, addressed simply as ‘Brother.’ Acolytes, the newly recruited fresh faces of the Church, appointed typically by those above the rank of Bishop or Abbot. No styling, addressed simply as ‘Brother.’ --- GOLDEN BULL OF DIBLEY XII HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD II, Archbishop of Visigia, Prince-Bishop of Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree… --- SECTION I Synod Appointments The Holy Father with clear mind and soul does solemnly appoint the following clerics to the Synod. His Eminence, Prince-Archbishop Fernando of Visiga Monsignor Johannes of Riga Father Vladimir Mosin of Saltstone Father Fernando of Visiga is hereby appoint as it’s Prince-Archbishop. He will preserve the Holy Lands and further grow the bustling port city through it’s important period of growth. The Archbishopric will remain fairly autonomous as before, and its future administrators will be elected from the pool of clergymen within the territory. --- SECTION II Inquisitorial Disbandment With advice from the Pontificate the Inquisitorial Tribunal is officially disbanded. The remaining Inquisitors and loyal Tericos are ordered to halt their pouting and once again report to the Commandant if they still wish to serve the Church as laymen. Some sort of replacement will be created to fill the vacuum. With the disbandment of the old Inquisition, in its place is erected The Apostolic Brotherhood of the Holy Cross of the Outremer and St. Everard. The Apostolic Brotherhood will pick up the mission of the Inquisition. It will be headed by Don Miguel Cortes, Knight of the Black Sepulchre. He, as Apostolic Knight, is given authority to take in Ashen Knights of the Black Sepulchre into his Apostolic Order. They will be the southern counterpart to the Lotharingian Revival. They are intrusted with the crimson cross of St. Everard (and the Outremer) and the mission of safeguarding the southern continent, as well as the Church as a whole. --- SECTION III Lotharingian Revival The legacy of the Lotharingians of Luciensport is hereby handed to Duke Otto II of Carnatia, let his men serve the Canon respectfully and piously. The Grandmaster of the Lotharingians is therefore given the authority to train new Ashen Knights of the Black Sepulchre, and are intrusted with the charred cross of Brelus, that which was the only thing salvaged from the ruins of the Cathedral. --- SECTION IV Transition of the Holy See With Luciensport now home to the Visian Archbishop, his Holiness wishes to move the Papal Administration to the capital of Felsen. Within the Crownlands his Holiness will focus on the spiritual guidance of the Orenian peoples, with Archbishop Adrian of Kaedrin remaining as Metropolitan of the City, and administrator of Metz. --- THEODOSIUS I GOLDEN BULL OF HOLOFERNES X SECTION I or, Appointments to the Holy Synod and Curia We hereby raise Enoch of Haense, Fabian Virosi the Lesser, Benegar Gotthold, and Maurice Gradic to the Holy Synod, with a fifth vacant seat. May God guide them in counseling the High Pontificacy. Additionally, Maurice Gradic is raised to the rank of Vice Chancellor. --- SECTION II or, the Pontifical Duke of Visigia We hereby disestablish the office of Lord Vicar, and delegate its competencies and authority to the newly-created Pontifical Duke of Visiga. This title is to be held by John Roswell, former Duke of Istria, and his lawful issue in perpetuity, until such a time the Holy Synod sees fit to appoint a new holder. His experience and loyalty to God shall bring men and women throughout Oren to Visiga once again. As Pontifical Duke of Visiga, he is permitted to exercise all powerfuls of lawful lordship. May GOD bless him in any decisions he makes. --- SECTION III or, the Holy Order of Saint Wilfriche The forces of the Faith Vigilant are hereby unified under the command of the Knights of the Holy Order of Saint Wilfriche, itself led by the Holy Knight-Commander, at this time Holy Ser Edward d’Ambray. Furthermore, the Church prohibits its membership from the establishment of new holy orders, and mandates that members of the priesthood, episcopacy, and cardinalate shall not retain personal guards, excepting members of the Holy Order of Saint Wilfriche. --- SECTION IV or, the Holy Seat The Pontifical Seat shall return to its rightful place in the Palatine State of Visiga, where imperial and ecclesiastical affairs are less likely to mingle. The safety of the High Pontificacy and the cardinalate cannot be risked in the unstable political climate of Felsen, which is subject to frequent raids. Under the oversight of the Holy Synod and the Pontifical Duke, suitable defenses are to be forged in Visiga where they could not be in the imperial capital. --- SECTION V or, Fundamentum Ecclesiae et Pater Ecclesiae With the approval of His Imperial Majesty and His Holiness, and the unanimous assent of the Holy Synod, we hereby institute the Fundamentum Ecclesiae and the Pater Ecclesiae as founding documents of the Church of the Canon. THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH IS THE LAW. Because this is so, we have gathered this quorum of the priesthood in unanimous ardor to proclaim the Word of God, and to settle the laws of the episcopate and the pontificacy. Together we acclaim the accession of the Vicar of God and honor the imperial office, twin pillars of humanity and the world. It was the law of Exalted Horen, the Virtue, which brought order and peace into the hearts of man, and the laws of Exalted Godfrey which united them. Here, not as prophets, but as pious men, we would again bring virtuous harmony into the lands of the faithful. With the assent of the Church’s body and the Holy Orenian Emperor, we commit these unalterable laws into the body of the Faith, until such a time a similar council convenes with the blessing of the Church and the Empire. CONCERNING THE EPISCOPACY, we declare that none shall take the office of bishop except that he be whole of mind, possessing no mental defect that shall wound his faculty or piety, and having no loyalties except to God. Furthermore none shall lawfully ascend to the episcopacy unless he be ordained a priest of the Church of the Canon, and proclaim his honest belief in the dogma of the faith before the assenting majority of the Holy Synod, who shall witness his ordination into the episcopacy by the Vicar of God. Likewise, no bishop shall leave his office before death without the assent of His Holiness, except where the Holy Synod acts in unanimity for the bishop’s removal. CONCERNING THE HOLY SYNOD, we declare that none shall take the office of cardinal of the Holy Synod except that he satisfy the qualifications for bishop and has presented a second thesis before the body’s assembled membership. Furthermore none shall lawfully enter the Holy Synod unless he be raised to it by the Vicar of God, and none shall leave its membership before death without the majority assent of the cardinalate. Furthermore, by majority assent the cardinal of the Holy Synod are permitted to interdict any act of His Holiness, where they concern for the body of the faith, and by unanimous accord may choose to remove him from office. Even the Exalted Owyn faltered, and the wisest man may suffer from temptation or folly. CONCERNING THE PONTIFICACY, we declare that no man shall ascend to the high pontificacy without the majority assent of the Holy Synod, and that no man shall be chosen to ascend except during a period of sede vacante. We confirm the jurisdiction of the High Pontiff, the Vicar of God, to speak authoritatively on all matters of faith and the church, within the confines of the dogma and canon. Similarly, it is his right alone to declare anathema, or the excommunication of an unrepentant individual from the body of the faithful. His Holiness may name faithful men to the Curia of the Canon, and delegate what pontifical authorities he will to them, subject to the loyal counsel of His Holy Synod. He is enjoined to maintain that body’s membership to at least three members, but not exceeding seven. Where it has lapsed to less than three members, the entire body of the priesthood will convene in council for the High Pontiff’s election. CONCERNING THE PONTIFICACY AND THE HOLY SYNOD TOGETHER, we declare that it is the role of the High Pontiff to act, and the Holy Synod to counsel. We forbid that the Holy Synod, even by unanimous assent, should usurp the authorities of the Vicar of God to speak on matters of faith or to excommunicate the faithless. We further forbid that the Holy Synod should raise men to the episcopacy or cardinalate of its own initiative, nor shall it deliberately maintain a lengthy period of sede vacante. As the High Pontiff is the heir of Exalted Horen, the Synod is the heir of his Exalted Sons; the Sons shall not preempt the Father. Together, in concordance with the imperial office, the Church embodies the unified mankind of old, and thus commits order and peace into their hearts. EXALTED HOREN IS THE FATHER OF THE CHURCH. Because this is so, we have gathered this quorum of the priesthood in unanimous ardor to proclaim the Word of God, and to emulate the family of prophets in the family of the church. Together we acclaim the accession of the Vicar of God and honor the imperial office, twin heirs to the laurel of Exalted Horen. It was he, the first human, who received revelation from the Lord that he would have three sons of spirit, who would speak the True Faith as his succesors. Here, not as prophets, but as heirs to their spiritual guardianship, we would institute this same sovereignty of the father over his sons. With the assent of the Church’s body and the Holy Orenian Emperor, we commit these unalterable laws into the body of the Faith, until such a time a similar council convenes with the blessing of the Church and the Empire. CONCERNING THE BODY OF THE CHURCH, we enact four congregations, three co-equal and one above, as the First Prophet to his sons. In the line of Owyn, we create the Faith Vigilant, a sword and shield for the Church and the Canon; in the line of Godfrey, the Faith Ministrant, a court for the priests and bishops who guard their followers’ souls as lords guard their bodies; in the line of Siegmund, the Faith Reverent, an assembly for those religious who serve the Lord in cloistered contemplation. Finally, and paramount among them we create the Faith Eminent, heir to Horen and head of the Church of the Canon. CONCERNING THE FAITH VIGILANT, we charge its leadership to the Holy Knight-Commandant, a sworn knight appointed by His Holiness with the majority assent of the Holy Synod. This congregation is entrusted with the defense of the Faith, its priesthood, holdings, and the virtue of the realm. It is forbidden from action without the assent of a cardinal or the High Pontiff, except in defense of holy places and the innocent. CONCERNING THE FAITH MINISTRANT, we charge its leadership to the Cardinal Protector, a bishop appointed by His Holiness with the majority assent of the Holy Synod. This congregation is entrusted with the eager and peaceful spread of the Word of God in lands of humanity and beyond, particularly of heathen humans and lapsed lords. Its members are the ordained, and are charged with a parish, see, chapel, or mission by the Faith Eminent. CONCERNING THE FAITH REVERENT, we charge its leadership to the Pontifical Theologian, a male monastic appointed by His Holiness with the majority assent of the Holy Synod. This congregation is entrusted with the faithful translation and interpretation of the Word of God, and the codification of dogma and other documents for presentation before the Pontifical Throne. Its members are consecrated, and are bound in service to the monastic home of their training. CONCERNING THE FAITH EMINENT, we charge its leadership to the High Pontiff and the Holy Synod, who direct all congregations of the Church toward the further glory of the Lord. They are entrusted, as since the foundation of the Faith, with the bringing of souls to the highest skies, and with pious command of the Church’s temporal holdings. --- SECTION VI or, the Church Vigilant Council At the behest of the Holy Synod, and for the expedience of the Church Vigilant’s administration, we hereby institute the Church Vigilant Council as an advisory body to the Church Vigilant, to be made up of five members appointed by the High Pontiff. Its initial membership shal comprise His Holiness High Pontiff Theodosius I, Pontifical Duke John Roswell, Holy Ser Edward d’Ambray, and Vice Chancellor Maurice Gradic, with a final member yet to be decided. The Church Vigilant Council, while separate from the Holy Synod, is subject to its oversight, and shall reserve its competency to the strategic decisions of the Church Vigilant. --- SECTION VII or, the Canonization of Karl Barbanov St. Charles of Petrus - Golden Crow, oft depicted with worm in maw Patron Saint of military occupation, physical strength, construction, carpenters, and Haense; Protector against pestilence. The most blessed Duke Karl Barbanov was renowned for his settlement and civilization of the Dwarven North, carving out an expansive realm that restored Northern and Carrion culture after the calamities of the fourth empire. In many ways, Karl’s life was a testimony to the resilient spirit of the Highlander man, that despite whatever setbacks of his forefathers he had found triumph and glory in his Orenian conquests and occupations. Yet, vastly different from his peers who aspired to worldly glory, the lord Karl sought the acquisition of virtue, holiness, and god-given governance. His private life, work for Canonism, and eventual martyrdom distinguish him above his peers and afford him reverence as a holy saint. Born to the Emperor Alexander and his first wife, the Waldenian princess Anabella Rovin, the young Karl would find himself caught in the turmoil of his parent’s disastrous union and the downfall of the Fourth Empire. Spirited away from the fallen city of Petrus, he was reared among various holy figures such as St. Emma, St. Otto, and St. Daniel the Reader throughout lands such as Woldzimir, Aesterwald, and Karovia. Through these titans of faith, the young Karl earned a deep respect for church tradition and the importance of religious unity. After Petrus was retaken and the Schismatic-Renatian front collapsed, St. Karl’s wardfather, St. Otto, took to the North, marshaling the armies of Oren to subjugate its dwarven holds and bring the splinter-states of Aesterwald into the fold. Through the diplomatic handiwork of his mentor, Karl would come to inherit the estate of Ayr and use it to press onwards to the dwarven citadel of Hiebenhall. At the thick of the night, the young Karl with the aid of four score Vladovic bannermen, took the castle in a legendary display of grappling and sabotage. Not long after, the dwarves were forced to cede the North to the Reformed Kingdom, its jewel lost to the young lord’s clever machinations. Yet despite being surrounded by countless heathens, St. Karl did not succumb to altering the dogma of faith to appease the various Faolain and wildling factions of the north. His first missive upon taking the castle of Hiebenhall was that to send a chaplain to sanctify the dwarven hold. His first construction was that of St. John’s chapel, built by his own hand; Karl was renowned for his immense strength and often accompanied his men in harvesting timber and laying down supports. Through the rigor of construction his seat of Siegrad around the Castle Siegrad, Karl instilled zeal, diligence, and prudence among his soldiery and citizenry. Each were obliged to carry prayer books and learn the articles of the faith; St. Daniel the Reader marveled at the transformation which had took place over the decades, proclaiming Siegrad a holy center of faith. Over time, the many sons of schismatics and pagans had become devout Canonists, multiplying the strength of both the church and its patron, Oren. His exploits as Duke range from his fondness for children, establishing countless orphanages, to ensuring justice for the commons against tyrannical bureaucrats, to even maintaining the High Pontiff as his personal confessor. Yet the legendary life of the ‘Boulder of Barbanov’ came to a swift end at the face of natural disaster. The massive worm of Athera, long dormant, arose and devastated the continent in a tempest of rage. When the North looked to fall, St. Karl’s soldiers, the Brotherhood of the Golden Crow, kept vigil and held fast to ensure the citizenry of Siegrad could flee and take refuge in the boats to come. The great worm made a fierce adversary for the burly Barbanov, though he would not yield before the monstrosity. Instead, he elected to utilize his first inheritance, that of his late grandfather, the Emperor Tobias, to defeat the creature; a cache of explosives leftover from the golden emperor’s ardent passion of siegecraft. Jumping into the belly of the beast, the young Karl clutched the worm’s innards and perished in an explosion of gore. Martyring himself for the preservation of All-Athera, St. Karl lived on as a hero to the sons of Canonist world, an apostle in the holy succession and tradition of the Highlander St. John. He is often evoked by smallfolk against pestilence and plague given his triumph over the great worm of Athera, a hardy northman renowned for his sense of justice, temperance, and holiness. Miracles The Brelus granaries had faced consistent pestilence by locusts, mice, and maggots due to its poor conditions. However, after an icon of St. Charles was kept to keep vigil over the grain, it was found that no pest bothered the stores again. During the Siege of Kraken's watch, a contingent of Gold Corps soldiers were trapped beneath the rubble by a huge piece of shrapnel. The Serjeant leading the company prayed to St. Charles to lend him strength, and managed to lift the huge boulder off of his comrades, saving the lives of nearly two score of men and his descendant Petyr Barbanov. --- SIXTUS IV GOLDEN BULL OF HOLOFERNES XI SECTION I or, Appointments to the Synord and the Curia I hereby appoint Maurice Gradic, Enoch of Haense, Paolo Gradic, Fabian the Lesser, and Walter Jrent of Metterden into the College of Cardinals. Furthermore, Father Paolo Gradic shall be named Archbishop of the Diocese of Metz. Father Walter Jrent shall be assigned to the role of Vice-Chancellor of the Synod. Father Adolf Gotthold shall be elevated to Archbishop and govern the ecclesiastical region of the Province of Erochland. --- SECTION II or, the Revision of Diocesan Organization The Province of Erochland and the Holy lands of Visiga shall be separated into two individual entities of diocesan regions. The former shall be governed by an appointed Archbishop from the High Pontiff. The latter shall retain its regional governance from the High Pontificate and shall maintain its status as a Sovereign Pontifical State. --- SECTION III or, the Official Dogmatic and Ecclesiastical Interpretation of the Faith, The First Visiga Council on Reform It is the intention of the High Pontiff to compose a series of documents to set a precedent in interpreting the core concepts and tenets of the Church of the Canon. The purpose is to relate the Church and formulate a general basis on the interpretation, analysis, and recognition of the Faith. It is expected that these documents shall serve as a foundation along with the many founding documents and precedents before it, to reinforce the beliefs of the Holy Canonist Church for a universal and broader spectrum of the laity and clergy, alike. --- Apostolic Constitution on The Revelation of the Holy Canon Patefactio Canone Sacrae Scripturae SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS HIGH PONTIFF SIXTUS IV, THE DEEP COLD, 1567 Foreword In the Holy Canon, God has revealed to humanity his plan for the fulfillment of the mortal world. Therefore, in obedience to His Grace and His Will, and in accordance with the traditions of our predecessors, it is our intent as the leader of the Church to provide authentic doctrine concerning the scripture which is the foundation of our religion. So help us God. --- Chapter I. The Essence of the Word All things know their origin in the omnipotent will of God, who ordains the nature of the world. However, though the Lord’s hand is in all things, He has left no maker’s mark upon our home except His Word, which was given to the Exalted Prophets as the Holy Canon. Thus, the Canon is holy because it preserves the words of God, as they were spake centuries ago. In His inestimable wisdom and mercy, God through the Canon defines the nature of creation and divinity, and of sin and virtue. It is a sign of His love that He offers truth and holiness to all who would accept the Canon. And thus he reminds us in every book of the Gospel of the importance of the Canon: “Lo, in the name of the Lord GOD, the Most Merciful, Singular, and Omnipotent, listen and attend with pious heed to this inspired text.” Clearly, the voice of God, from the Seven Skies, is heard. We do not praise a distant god who does not understand our needs and petitions. The Lord is real, present, and provides us with such blessings and instruction as we require. Thus, we heed the Word that is the origin of our faith and virtue. In brief, the Holy Canon was revealed to us by the inspiration of the Divine, through the Exalted Prophets, the Aenguls, and the communion of saints. --- Chapter II. The Purpose of the Word Let it be stated, herein, that the Holy Canon is not a mere work of literature or a book of useful advice. Neither is it regarded as incomprehensible to the faithful. It is the infinitely perceptible voice of the Divine, to be employed in daily life and in the exercise of all activities. The Holy Canon is the declaration of God’s sovereignty, and moreover a meditative interpretation of how all virtuous beings should understand each other and the world they inhabit. The Scroll of Virtue emphasizes God’s holy law in canticles pertaining to various aspects of humanity and the service to the Creator. The Word is meant to be both a literal and spiritual guide. Furthermore, the Canon reveals the Sacraments of the Holy Church which must be completed in one’s complete path to the universal call to sainthood. --- Chapter III. The Use of the Word and the Evangelization of Others For both priests and laity, the Canon is a source of inspiration for the service of the Lord. It is the hallmark of our faith, and motivates the Faith’s adherents to share God’s great wisdom with those who are born in ignorance, or who lose their way towards the light. Moreover, it is the use of the Canon to instruct all the intelligent races in the application of virtue, so that they might find peace and unity in the Lord’s plan. The Scroll of Spirit asserts this common mission for the faithful to find their calling in communicating the Lord’s will. Its various epistles encourage us to instruct heathens in the incorrectness of their beliefs, and by baptism they accept the truth of the Canon. --- Chapter IV. The Plight of the Faithful Lastly, it is imperative to ascertain the importance of the Canon not only on earth but in our heavenly afterlife. The visions of the prophet Siegmund grant us the insight of what the Divine shall do and how the redemption of all sins and peoples shall occur before the Seven Skies. This reinforces and reminds us of the gifts of our faith, and the need to stay true to the one God, who loves and grants justice to those who follow. “So treadeth forth the Skies the prophets of GOD, and in their company the virtuous dead. And here the faithful are lifted up and marshaled.” --- Apostolic Constitution on The Liturgy, Worship, and Sacraments Liturgiam, Cultum, Sacramentum SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS HIGH PONTIFF SIXTUS IV THE DEEP COLD, 1567 Foreword The Holy Mass, one of the sacraments of our Church, is the highest form of worship and devotion. Likewise, it is the Pontificate’s intention to make the liturgy and all the traditions of the church more understandable to the laity, and to better define the theological spectrum of the tenets of the faith. --- Chapter I. The Mass and Liturgy The liturgy is the tradition in which the order of the mass in conducted. As such, the ordained clergy proceed down the aisle. This is an act of solidarity, representing the united procession of the faithful at the end of days. The procession is to be accompanied with the chant, “Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis.” Upon beginning mass, the priest shall begin by signing the cross of Lorraine, saying, “In nomine Patris, et Horenus, et Exaltus Honorem. Amen.” This is the signum crucis lorrainem, or the Sign of the Lorraine Cross. Next, the priest invokes God’s omniscience and the Canon for wisdom and strength, thus reciting the following prayers: “Blessed is our God always, in every age and every era.” “Blessed is His Grace and His Light, which brings all Creation.” “Blessed is His Canon, His Word bound by truth.” “Amen.” Following the invocation of the Divine, the priest then holds up the Holy Canon, opening it to the Scrolls to read from. It may be followed by a homily. Then we proclaim the following praise, “We have heard His truth and we are bound by His Grace.” Upon doing so, the priest, along with any altar servers or ministers, shall take time to collect charity and alms. The priest then says the final blessing, “Benedicat te omnipotens Deus.” or “May the Almighy God bless you.” The sign of the Lorraine cross is followed to conclude. The priest then processes whence he began. --- Chapter II. Worship The praise to the Creator must be solemn and come with a contrite heart. Therefore, the mass must be held in the same manner. It is our duty to attend church or pray on holy days of obligation to ensure that the saints shall guide us through the trials we face. As Canonists, we aspire to virtue and deep devotion to the Godhead. Wayshrines may be employed in the worship of God, or in supplicating the intercession of the saints, and can be constructed for towns, homes, and battlefields. A common and reverent gesture is to bow. By bowing before the altar, we honor God’s divinity and sovereignty as King of Creation. We kiss the cross because it is a representation of every being’s intimate relationship with the Lord. --- Chapter III. The Sacraments The administration of the sacraments is among the most vital traditions of the Canonist Faith. Truly, it signifies, both in essence and literally, the divine presence of the Lord in our lives. At baptism, we are called to be servants of God and to devote our livelihood to His Will. At reconciliation, we are reminded of His Infinite Mercy and make our own atonement for what sins we have committed. Matrimony revitalizes our mind and body for the mortal journey, as we prepare to be fruitful to the Lord for the fulfillment of His Plan. The call to God’s ministry is an important vocation, which allows its recipient to become a vessel for the Lord’s power, and reconcile the faithful before Him.. Baptism is administered by the use of water, blessed by an ordained priest and traced on the head of an infant, ideally within seven days after birth from a lawful marital union. It may be administered by a deacon, priest, or bishop. In cases of recent conversion, baptism may be administered to an adult in a similar manner, but only be a priest or bishop. Reconciliation is administered by a priest or bishop, oftentimes in a confessional or a private setting. There, as faithful and as flawed beings, we are called to mind our own sinfulness and ask God’s mercy and pardon. In this way, we display our remorse to the Seven Skies and plead for the blessings of His Light. Ordination is administered by a bishop for the sake of bestowing the authority to proclaim the Canon in the grace of the ordained priesthood. Priests are ordained upon completing their thesis and demonstrating suitable knowledge of the Church. It requires a vow of faith to the Canonist tenets, as well as a vow of celibacy pursuant to the past decrees of High Pontiffs. Lastly, priests must take a vow of obedience to their High Pontiff, his successors, and the same towards bishops and cardinals. Matrimony is another calling to share in God’s love, for it displays his gifts of pleasure, joy, and unity among humanity. When Horen and Julia were anointed by God, the precedent was established, regarding the sanctity of marriage for all humans. As it is a holy union, the ones receiving this sacrament must be at a state of grace, Furthermore, it is at the discretion of the clergy who shall preside over the ceremony on whether the bride and groom should go to confession. It must be administered by a priest or bishop as part of a Holy Mass. It is a call to transforming one in the flesh and spirit. --- Apostolic Constitution on The Process of Beatification and Canonization SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS HIGH PONTIFF SIXTUS IV THE DEEP COLD, 1567 Foreword Such as those whom we now deem the Exalted, the prophets who “listened with pious heed to his inspired text,” we find in our church, men and women of extraordinary virtue and whom we now venerate to God as once living examples of holiness. --- Chapter I. The Beatification Process Upon consultation, with prayer and reflection, the High Pontiff or the Synod shall compose a cause to venerate an individual who has shown deep devotion to faith and charity. The factor that justifies the need to be deemed worthy for veneration is a retrospective analysis of their life, whether their testimony is a prime example of ideal holiness for others to follow in their footsteps. If they, the aforesaid find plausible clause to do so, the individual shall be bestowed the title, “Blessed,” prefixed to their name or titles. --- Chapter II. Canonization Should the ecclesiastical hierarchy find that the one they have deemed “Blessed” has been found to show a miracle or an extraordinary form of virtuous deed which has impacted their contemporary era with significant positivity, the option to saint them is likely possible. The determination to canonize must be invoked from Pontifical infallibility and the confirmation from the Penarch by a three-fifths majority. --- Ecclesiastical Declaration of Human Unity Unitatem in Hominum SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS HIGH PONTIFF SIXTUS IV THE DEEP COLD, 1567 Preamble For in grace, by Divine intervention and the revelation of scripture by extraordinary means, it is herein granted that all of humanity and the creations of God are one inseparable because of their origin and faith in the Creator. --- Diversity among Human Culture Within the anointed Holy Orenian Empire and her dominions, we find, most evidently, humans of all cultures and origins. Likewise, the diversity is gift that impels us to be tolerant of each other. Let us call to mind that we are not enemies but brethren in the Light of the Godhead. The creation in diversity reflects God’s omnipotent Being, and therefore, impels us to the inclination of tolerance among us all. We are all bound by the Canon in truth and charity, to serve each other and praise our common Creator to forge that is His most divine Plan. That is the fulfillment of the law. Amen. --- Ecclesiastical Declaration of the Reaffirmation of Pontifical Infallibility Pontificium confirmatione infallibilitate SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS HIGH PONTIFF SIXTUS IV THE DEEP COLD, 1567 Preamble The Church traces its origins from the beginning of time. For when God created the world and our lives, we were baptized in His name and share in the covenant of His providence. When St Horen sowed the roots of our civilization, with the infinite wisdom of the Exalted Prophets, he imposed the holy law. Thus, in his most lawful lineage, St Owyn made truly the foundations of our Church and the establishing its hierarchical primacy to govern the spiritual spectrum of God’s kingdom. --- The Inherited Wisdom of God The Holy Canonist Church is the one true institution of truth. It dispenses the holy law into the hearts and minds of all of its people. It’s Vicar of God, the High Pontiff, who is the sole representative of God’s divinity and covenant, is tasked with the mediative responsibility as an emissary between the Seven Skies and the mortal realm. In order to facilitate the ever increasing nature of his Holy Office, he is granted the moral burden of infallibility. In this manner, the Vicar of God, His Holiness, is prudent in his words in the exercising of his holy authority. He is absolute in name and in practice, administering to the flock and defining the doctrine as well as dispensing the truth in the name of the communion of the saints. --- A Decree from the Holy Lands of Visiga, Derived from His Holiness. SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS HIGH PONTIFF SIXTUS IV THE DEEP COLD, 1568 Dear brethren in the Lord, Due to the recent troubling interactions among taverns and places of abundance in spirits, it has come to my intention that the consumption of liquor is detrimental in the worship and solemnity of God’s sovereignty. We are temples of the Light, constantly aspiring to purify ourselves with infinite goodness. Therefore, I have decreed to deem it sinful for the consumption of liquor and spirits on the seventh day of the week. --- SECTION IV or, the Pontifical Seat In light of internal conflict within Oren, it is the best intention for the seat of the Church's power as well as the well-being of the Vicar of GOD to remain and continue the centralization of holy affairs within the Holy Lands of Visiga. It is to continue the spiritual powers of the Holy Pontiff with great diligence, free from politics, war, and calumniation. The vices of the conflicts within State have proven to be a burdensome toll upon the holy domain of God. The Church wishes to acknowledge its sovereign primacy in the authority it possesses. Furthermore, the Pontiff shall retain its claims in Visiga and whilst maintaining a regard for peaceable geographic distance from the Imperial State and temporal matters therein. Nevertheless, the Vicar of God and the Church shall remain truthful to Oren and the Imperial seat as well as to the Canonist flock within the Empire. --- GOLDEN BULL OF JOHANNESBURG I HIGH PONTIFF SIXTUS IV, Successor of the Immaculate Throne of the Exalted, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Canon, Keeper of the Holy Scrolls, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree… --- SECTION I or, the Reaffirmation of Tradition Let the Church and her faithful recount and reaffirm our pious intentions before God. Our efforts in Vailor, as in all lands before, have found footing but remain incomplete. We are thus charged to continue the reestablishment of Everardian traditions within the hearts of misguided believers. We must invigorate our flock with values of political neutrality, elaboration without innovation, academic debate, and mindfulness of tradition. God is the Most Wise, who entrusted our people with the laws essential to a morally healthy society. The Canon is applicable in all ages and all civilizations, but it does not inhibit societal change; it is no restraint to progress, but a foundation for righteous self-improvement. Thus we are called to accept the evolution of our culture’s customs and government, while remaining steadfast to the plan of the Lord. Accordingly, we profess our neutrality in matters of state and dedicate ourself to the codification of ecclesiastical law. --- SECTION II or, Ecclesiastical Redistricting With the coming of new borders and new lands, we like others, must adapt. With the evacuation of the faithful from Vailor, we disestablish its ecclesiastical provinces and proclaim their replacements in this world. In light of the current charters, the Pontificate has bestowed the following to be dioceses under regional bishoprics. The Capital city of Holy Oren, Johannesburg, shall be the Seat of the Pontiff and the Administrative Ecclesiastical Centre of Immaculate governance. Let the other dioceses be known, their appointments apparent, when the lands have been resettled by the Grace of God for specific regional distribution. --- SECTION III or, Reappointments to the Holy Synod We, the Vicar of God, with the approval of the majority of its membership, dissolve the current Synod. In their place we appoint five individuals of uncommon devotion. Let their names, Lord Cardinals of the Church, be known, their appointments apparent. -Idas of Plevne, Vice Chancellor of the Holy Church of the Canon -Fabian the Lesser, Prefect for the Doctrine of the Faith -Yaroslav Vasiliev, Prefect for the Causes of Saints -Alec van Allen, Pontifical Chamberlain -Dargrind Floreck, Apostolic Nuncio, Ambassador of the Holy See --- SECTION IV or, Everardian Tradition: Exalted Law We, the Vicar of God, do in accordance with our affirmation do declare that the unfinished works of the Wise will be begun anew. The Exalted Codex of Everard ‘The Wise,’ will be reopened and completed, with a full, comprehensible regulation of ecclesiastical law. --- SECTION V or, the Call to Council The Pontificate beseeches the faithful to congregate within the Cathedral of St. Thomas at a date to be announced, for the purpose of considering those laws and dogma which will be codified within the various volumes of Exalted Law. GENERAL NORMS & GOVERNANCE The High Pontiff sees it fit to restore the unanimous majority for all proceedings regarding the canonization of Canonists to sainthood within the Synod and the three-fifths majority within the context of beatification that was previously reversed by the Visiga Council documents of 1567. --- CHURCH HIERARCHY & ORGANIZATION The Synod shall be organized as follows. The Vice Chancellor of the Holy Church of the Canon shall occupy the office of reverend and pastoral responsibility. He shall exercise his authority as the most senior clergyman beneath the High Pontiff. His powers shall be as stated: -To exercise the authority the Church during a sedevacante or interregnum of the High Pontiffs -To convene a consistory of the Synod to discuss church affairs The Prefect for the Doctrine of the Faith shall exercise authority and much scrutiny concerning the tenets of the Holy faith. He shall be the head of all belief and shall quell disputes regarding Canonist theology and the sacraments. The Prefect for the Causes of Saints shall act as an office for the study and petition for extraordinary Canonists who have lived virtuous lives and have died to be considered for Sainthood. The Apostolic Nuncio, also known as the Ambassador of the Holy See, shall serve as a diplomat and representative to other entities, both foreign and domestic, on behalf of His Holiness and the entirety of the Church. The Pontifical Chamberlain shall serve as a Head of the Apostolic Palace Household and be delegated the responsibility for events, meetings, and the aesthetic value of the Church’s property both within the capital and throughout the Realm. The Pontificate has also permitted the acceptance of women to serve as Holy Knights in the Order of St Wilfriche as well as nuns as a broadening of Church ministries. --- ECCLESIASTICAL TEACHING & EDUCATION The Pontificate has proclaimed a call of evangelization of distant spectrums to the Realm of God, ordaining an initiative in the Dreadlands under the Abbey of St Tobias to promote, teach, and spread the Gospel of the Canon to the ignorant, oppressed, and disenfranchised. The Poorhouse of St Amyas has been established in Anno Domini 1572 to serve as a place of communal charity, refuge, and shelter for those who are sick and without a home. There, food shall be provided and humble living quarters. Furthermore, Father Idelfonse Marchand has been appointed as Superior of the Poorhouse of St Amyas. --- CEREMONIES, RITUALS & TRADITION In order to promote unity as emphasized by His Holiness, the Pontificate has permitted the usage of a Ruskan Canon liturgy. It it his intention to appeal to all the faithful universally in Axios, that all of humanity, regarding faith and culture be open to all customs and may share in the salvation of God. A Holy Exarch, the first being Yaroslav Vasiliev, a subordinate and an ordained Bishop under the Primacy of the High Pontiff shall be appointed to oversee this act of ministry for the Raevir culture. --- ECONOMIC POLICY It is without any reservations that the High Pontiff stresses the importance of charity. The divine and most profound mercy of God is manifested in the faithful, most particularly in alms giving and in the reaffirmation of tradition. It is deeply engraved in the faith of all Canonists to uphold their baptism and provide for all those in the name of God. Charity must not be inhibited, but radiated through each and every person, culture, institution, and state. Mercy is at the heart of the Canon. --- CAUSE FOR CANONIZATION The Pontificate, upon full acceptance by the Synod, has found it under the Apostolic Authority to canonize High Pontiff Daniel I, a saint, by the Holy Canonist Church for his pastoral services and length of service. May the revered late Pontiff be ever known as a man of peace, faith, and charity for the times of which he served. Let it be know, his fortitude and strength to bear the heavy burdens of Holy office during the many wars he has witnessed be an everlasting testament for the faithful that now rest in the arms of the Godhead. Granted his encouragement of academia and liturgy, the late High Pontiff shall be dubbed, High Pontiff Saint Daniel I, patron of scholars and academics. In Nomine Patris, et Horenus, et Exaltus Honorem. --- GOLDEN BULL OF JOHANNESBURG II HIGH PONTIFF SIXTUS IV, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Temple, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Canon, Keeper of the Holy Scrolls, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree… --- SECTION I With the coming of new borders and new lands, we like others, must adapt. With the evacuation of the faithful from Vailor, we disestablish its ecclesiastical provinces and proclaim their replacements in this world. The Duchy of Haense and all vassals encompassing the Northern lands shall be called, Jorenus. The Duchy of Lorraine and all its vassals to the East shall be known as Lotharum. The Barony of Vsensk, under the jurisdiction of the Holy Ruskan Exarch shall be the Diocese of Vladislavia. --- SECTION II We, the Vicar of God, with the approval of the majority of its membership, dissolve the current Synod. In their place we appoint five individuals of uncommon devotion. His Eminence Cardinal Giovanni di Luca, Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Canonist Church His Eminence Cardinal Idelfonse Marchand, Apostolic Nuncio His Eminence Cardinal Yaroslav Vasiliev, Prefect for the Causes of Saints His Eminence Cardinal Fabian the Lesser, Prefect for the Doctrine of the Faith His Eminence Cardinal Godwin Rothgard, Pontifical Chamberlain Let their names be known, their appointments apparent. Cardinal Giovanni di Luca shall be Archbishop of the Diocese of Jorenus. Cardinal Idelfonse Marchand shall be Archbishop of the Diocese of Lotharum. Cardinal Yaroslav Vasiliev, Holy Ruskan Exarch, shall be the Bishop of the Ruskan Canonist Rite in the Diocese of Vladislavia. --- SECTION III The High Pontiff, Sixtus IV, concludes the Apostolic Council of St Thomas, in attempts of revising the mass. The following is decreed by the Church as the official liturgy. Convoked by His Holiness, Sixtus IV, on the 13th of the Amber Cold, 1574 Foreword As decreed by the Synod and convoked by His Holiness, High Pontiff Sixtus IV, an ecumenical council has been established in order to reaffirm the sacred tradition of the Most Holy a Church of GOD, establish doctrine, and reform the liturgy in an ever evolving and arbitrary world. We, the Holy Church of the Canon, believe in One Most Omnipotent Creator as the source of all power, might, wisdom, and holiness and proclaim His truths that have been made known by Divine Revelation for all the nations and for all of Creation. So help us GOD. SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS, SIXTUS IV 13th of The Deep Cold, 1575 Sacrosanctum Concilium --- Section I It is the intention of this holy council to reform the liturgy of the mass to ensure a more revised and comprehensive form of worship for the laity. In this regard, His Holiness and the Synod have compiled this new form of liturgy, by the Grace of God, to encourage God’s faithful to participate in the mass with appropriate responsorial text and guided texts withdrawn directly from the Most Holy Canonist Scrolls. This mass shall henceforth be the sole and solemn communication with the Seven Skies and divinity. --- The Revised Mass of Sixtus IV Procession [If no deacon is present, the following may be done by the priest alone.] Priest: **A bell chimes, signaling the start of the mass. Priest: *Proceeds down the aisle toward the altar, chanting aloud. “GOD, the most powerful. GOD, the most just. GOD, the most merciful.” [The Laity repeat the chant as the procession takes place.] Deacon: [if one is present] *holds the Canon Scrolls up high as he proceeds toward the altar. Priest: *Bows before the altar, ascending the steps to stand behind it [to face the congregation.] Deacon: *Carefully places the holy scriptures on the altar, proceeding to stand next to the priest. Deacon: *hands the incense burner to the priest. Priest: *takes the incense, waving it three times as he circles around the altar Introductory Rite Priest: *signs the cross of Lorraine, “In nomine Patris, et Horenus, et Exaltus Honorem. Amen.” [The Congregation respond with, “Amen.”] Priest: Blessed is our GOD in every age and every era. Blessed is His Light and His Grace. ` Blessed is His eternal truth, revealed in the sacred Canon. [Congregation responds with, “God be praised,” after each prayer.] The Liturgy of the Holy Scripture [If no deacon is present, the following is to be done.] Priest: *stands up, picking up the Canon and raising it high as he goes to the podium. Priest: Listen with pious heed to this most inspired text. [The Congregation respond with: “May the truth be revealed.”] [The excerpt or verse is then taken from the Holy Canon Scrolls.] [If a deacon is present, the following is done.] Priest: *hovers his hands over the deacon, granting a blessing. Deacon: *bows, going over to pick up the Canon and raising it up high and proceeds to the podium. Deacon: Listen with pious heed to this most inspired text. [The Congregation respond with: “May the truth be revealed.”] [The excerpt or verse is then taken from the Holy Canon Scrolls.] [Upon concluding the Word, the following is done.] Priest/Deacon: Lo, we have heard His truth and are bound by His grace. Amen. [The Congregation respond with: “Praise to you, our Lord.”] [The Priest will now give his sermon about the reading or homily concerning a church/moral teaching.] [The Priest may call forth members of the congregation to his discretion to state their petitions, wishes, and reasons for prayer.] [Donations and almsgiving may be conducted at this time.] Liturgy of the Blessing Priest: **The church bells chime signaling the congregation to kneel before the blessing. Priest: You are indeed Holy O’ Lord, the source of all divinity. Sanctify the faithful and pour forth your blessings on all creation. Priest: May the waters of Gamesh cleanse our sins. [The priest or deacon proceeds to sprinkle holy water toward the congregation.] [The Congregation respond with: “Ave, Creator. Cleanse us.”] Concluding Rite Priest: *signs the cross of Lorraine, “Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus, Pater, et Horenus, et Exaltus Honorem. Amen. or May Almighty GOD bless you in the name of the Father, of Horen, and of the Honorable Exalted. Amen.” [If the deacon is present, he shall say the following. If there is no deacon present, the priest shall say the following.] Priest/Deacon: Go in peace, mass has ended. [The Congregation responds with: “Amen, blessed be GOD.”] --- Section II It is the intention of this holy council to reform the liturgy of the mass to ensure a more revised and comprehensive form of worship for the laity. In this regard, His Holiness and the Synod have compiled this new form of liturgy, by the Grace of God, to encourage God’s faithful to participate in the mass with appropriate responsorial text and guided texts withdrawn directly from the Most Holy Canonist Scrolls. This mass shall henceforth be the sole and solemn communication with the Seven Skies. Moreover, no form of liturgy or act of worship, outside of the aforesaid mass as declared in this decree and all others not recognized by the Holy See of the Church of the Canon, shall not be a valid formula to invoke the intercession of the Creator and his most virtuous Saints. Likewise, anyone who audaciously attempts to efface or reform this mass shall invoke the wrath of Almighty GOD, and the Holiest Exalted Horen, Owyn, Godfrey, and Siegmund. --- SECTION IV It is the intention of this Pontificate to restore the traditional Apostolic Succession of the Immaculate Throne. The tradition and heritage of the Laurel of Horen holds both scriptural and pragmatic importance in the vitality of the sanctity of the holy Church of the Canon. In this regard, Sixtus IV, Vicar of GOD, has decreed the reforging of a new Laurel for the Holy Office of the Seven Skies so as to restore this sacred succession as seen in the anointing of Horen by GOD in the Waters of Gamesh. Let it be done. --- SECTION V The Pontificate canonizes Miguel Cortez, a valiant servant of GOD and defender of all holiness. His service is unrivaled during the reigns of Everard II and Lucien III over the course of defending the Lord and the honor of His most blessed and ever perpetual church. The humility and diligence in establishing order for Inquisitorial tribunals in combating heresy and evil on the domain of the Godhead. Let the soul of Miguel Cortez, now residing in the Fifth sky, transcend from the heavenly plane onto our humble hearts. We now pray that the sword of Saint Miguel Cortez be a manifestation of faith and strength in our times. By our Apostolic Authority, we proclaim Saint Miguel Cortez into the communion of the virtuous. In nomine Patris, et Horenus, et Exaltus Honorem. Amen. --- LUCIEN IV GOLDEN BULL OF JOHANNESBURG III HIGH PONTIFF LUCIEN IV, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Temple, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Canon, Keeper of the Holy Scrolls, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree… --- SECTION I We, the Vicar of God, renew the Synod to its full five members, with the addition of one anew. His Eminence Cardinal Yaroslav, Prefect for the Causes of Saints His Eminence Cardinal Fabian ‘the Lesser’, Prefect for the Doctrine of the Faith His Eminence Cardinal Godwin, Pontifical Chamberlain His Eminence Cardinal Idelfonse, Apostolic Nuncio His Eminence Cardinal Bernard of Voron, Vice-Chancellor Let his name be known, their appointments apparent. . . Cardinal Bernard shall be Vice-Chancellor of the Synod, and Archbishop of Jorenus. Father John of Felsen shall be bishop of Johannsburg. --- SECTION II We, the Vicar of God, and our Synod do urge all the faithful of the land, to read carefully, and with a clear head, for our words are those of warning, our words that we would hope all to consider heavily for this suggestion is to save the faithful’s souls. Magic, it its most commonly basic form, is granted to the wielder through a higher power seeking to advance their own stance above God through the unknowing worship of the fair people of our world. When one usually becomes a magician, their soul is tainted with an irreversible black mark against God, and against their fellow canonists. . . for this black mark is that of a heretic, and it is one only God might wipe clean. For the use of most Magic, would require the caster to seek their abilities from the higher power, and to have such abilities granted one must place their deity above God, and to place another above the creator is, simply put, heretical. All magicians however are not damned eternally to darkness, for God has granted the creatures of this world free will, and in using this will one may shirk their curse, and welcome God and salvation back into their lives. However it is, in many a case impossible for these magicians to rid their dark capabilities, an inability that would surely eternally damn one, however if they yet prove themselves zealous to our lord and his humble church, he might forgive them their sin, and welcome them to salvation. There are magics of this world, that have been shown to have a use for the “good of the people”, and even if the casters of these magics have “good intentions”, it is still in its nature a heresy against God. . . for no matter how “holy” one may declare his/her curse to be, it will always be bashful against God, and it will indubitably damn one’s soul. Save yourselves, stand against the use of magic, and retain salvation throughout your faithful life. However this is not an urge to harm to slay those who would cast magic, for it is their choice to blacken their soul, for it is their will, and the faithful should not endanger themselves to slay magicians, for it is a sin to commit murder. The use of magic itself does not make one a heretic against the church, for one may be a zealous canonist, and cast spells,it is the magic itself that is heretical, and harms one chances of salvation greatly. Unlike magics achieved through grants from a higher power or deity, Evocation. . . such a fire, and earth are not considered heresies against God, for they are achieved through the manipulation of the world’s energy. These magics are in no way against God, for they are not involved in the placement of another above God but simply the use of God’s creations in the world to grant themselves unnatural powers and abilities. --- SECTION III Heresy in this day, has as of recent years seen a slight decline in its existence, thanks to the successful war against the Dreadlanders, whom were Apostates against God and the church, who also sought to turn the faithful to their dark path. However in this day, in the abundantly populated city of Johannesburg, we may see from day to day a city filled with canonists, who gladly worship God so that they might achieve salvation, however there are those hidden amongst our brothers and sisters in faith, that would follow heresies, and seek to subtly convert those around them. We as the faithful canonists of the realm, must remain unwaveringly strong against any such heresy that would seek to creep into our lives from those around us, those who we might call a friend, or family. It is the policy of the church in this day, not to slay a heretic upon their sighting, but first seek to grant them access to salvation, through the showing of the light, the conversion from their lie to the truth, to God. For if we shirked our duty to do so, we would be lacking in our service to our lord, for it is the job of all people of this world, clergy and secular alike to bring salvation to our brothers and sisters. However there will always be those who outright refuse our offer of salvation, therefore leaving one fate for them. . . the burning at the pyre. . . so that we, the faithful, might prevent the further spread of such heresy to the innocent of our world, henceforth saving the souls of those around us who might be easily convinced to accept damnation. --- SECTION IV It has come to our realisation that the populous of the empire have grown distant to an extent from their once former zealous faith in the almighty God; as such it is the church's utmost prerogative to expand the church's influence and power, as well as more fervently preach and convert those who may not hold the creator as closely to heart as us growingly few faithful. As such His Holiness Lucien IV hereby declares the founding of the Holy Order of Saint Otto and a declaration of increased efforts in converting heretics; to protect the unity and homogeneity of our great empire and to serve our lord faithfully, we must redouble our efforts and return the church to its former glory and power. Through such acts we may once more renew the faith of those whom question the church of Canons Validity. With God as our witness, we shall cleanse the realm of heretical faiths and once more grant salvation to all men and women of our beloved empire. --- EVERARD III GOLDEN BULL OF JOHANNESBURG IV HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD III, Metropolitan of the Crownlands, Prince-Bishop of St. Thomas, Archbishop of Jorenus and Philippus, Bishop of Lotharum, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Temple, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Canon, Keeper of the Holy Scrolls, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree… --- SECTION I It has been determined wise by His Holiness in the need for diocese reconstruction, with all changes listed to be considered in implementation immediately upon publication. METROPOLITANATE OF THE CROWNLANDS - His Holiness the Vicar of God, Everard III. Territories - The Free City of Johannesburg, the Barony of Croston, the Barony of Sentisten. ARCHBISHOPRIC OF JORENUS - His Eminence the Cardinal Iaroslaus of Vsenk. Territories - The Kingdom of Hanseti and Ruska, the Free City of Karlsburg, the Duchy of Carnatia, the County of Metterden, the County of Turov, the March of Vasiland, the Barony of Voron, the Barony of Mondtstadt, the Barony of Vsenk, the Eastern Freelands, the Northern Freelands. ARCHBISHOPRIC OF PHILIPPUS - His Holiness the Vicar of God, Everard III. Territories - The High Principality of the Dominion of Malin, the Principality of Sutica, the Kingdom of Haria, the Kingdom of the Orcs. BISHOPRIC OF ESHEVEURD - His Grace the Bishop Himmel of the Blackwald. Territories - The Duchy of Savoy, the County of Lewes. BISHOPRIC OF LOTHARUM - His Holiness the Vicar of God, Everard III. Territories - The Duchy of Lorraine, the County of Metz, the County of Hearth, the Viscounty of Chambery. --- SECTION II It has been determined wise by His Holiness to appointed the allotted men of most virtue to the designated position upon the Curia of the Canon. All changes listed are to be considered in implementation immediately upon publication. VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE CANON - His Eminence the Cardinal Fabian the Lesser. PONTIFICAL CHAMBERLAIN - His Eminence the Cardinal Godwin the Chamberlain. AUDITOR OF THE CHURCH - His Grace the Bishop Himmel of the Blackwald. --- SECTION III It has been determined wise by His Holiness to disenfranchise and disband the clerical militant school known as the ‘Holy Order of Saint Otto’, shortened as OSO. The Church is most gracious of the service of every man of the Holy Order of Saint Otto and invites them into the fold elsewhere within the Church of the Canon. Any and all men claiming to still be apart of the defunct ‘Holy Order of Saint Otto’, claiming to speak on behalf of clerical or pontifical issues as apart of the defunct ‘Holy Order of Saint Otto’, or committing sin while claiming to be on behalf of the clerical masses as apart of the defunct ‘Holy Order of Saint Otto’ shall be swiftly punished as according to Canonical Law. --- SECTION IV It has been determined wise by His Holiness to fully and publicly renew the conditions set forth between His Holiness the Vicar of God, Bl. Everard II and His Imperial Majesty the Emperor John I within the Second Diet of Metz of 1539. The Church will faithfully follow the treaty with utmost virtue and continue to stand with the Holy Orenian Empire in harmony and peace. --- SECTION V It has been determined wise by His Holiness to call upon the Faith Militant in this new era for our Most Holy Church. Those of the Holy Order of Saint Wilfriche and those of holy zeal and courage are summoned to the Orenic Dreadlands en masse. The Holy Ser Edward of the Holy Order of Saint Wilfriche is summoned to meet with His Holiness immediately upon publication. --- THEODOSIUS II GOLDEN BULL OF JOHANNESBURG V By the decree of His All Holiness Theodosius II, Maximum Presbyter of the Holy Church, Vicar of God, Successor of the Immaculate Throne of the Exalted, Metropolitan of Johannesburg, High Exarch of the Canon Rite and Servant of the Servants of God… --- SECTION I All previous traditions of the Godwinites and Jorenites are to be scrapped, it is imperative that the Church is united yet retains Orthodox and not splintered and Heterodox. Thus both liturgies and traditions of the Godwinites and Jorenites are to be melded, the truths are to be kept and the lies are to be cast out, like Owyn cast out the Adunians from his homeland. The main liturgical practice of the Holy Mother Church shall be that of the Canon Rite as it is the purest liturgy in the faith. --- SECTION II Additionally, the following orders are to be upheld within the Holy Mother Church of the Canon. All orders and or titles dispensed by the Church of the Canon prior to this Bull that conflict with those listed are revoked. Major Orders Order of GOD; High Pontiff or High Priest; (Pontifex Maximus): The High Pontiff, known as Vicar of God and Supreme Presbyter, is the highest title bestowed on any mortal. In Godwinite tradition the man who bore this title was, and still is, the highest member of the Priesthood, and has absolute control over the church. He is seen as the “Bishop of Bishops”. Order of the Exalted; Princes of the Church; (Episcopatus): The Episcopate, known as the Princes of the Church, are senior members of the Godwinite tradition. They rule over dioceses and are subservient to the High Pontiff. The Episcopate can be divided into three categories: Prince-Bishop, Archbishop, Bishop. Prince-Bishops are Bishops who not only have religious authority over a Diocese, they also control the land, like a count of duke. Prince-Bishops have the authority of both a spiritual lord and a temporal one. Archbishops* are Bishops who rule over other Bishops. The Archbishop rules over a Archdiocese with two or more Bishops under him. Bishops are clergyman who rule over a diocese, a conglomerate of parishes. The Bishop is in charge of staffing each parish, making sure his diocese morality does not decay and that there is no absenteeism or immoral clerical practices. * The Archbishop of Jorenus retains the old title of High Exarch due to the cultural significance of that title. Order of the the Saints; Ordained Members; (Presbyterium): The Presbyterium is the body of ordained men who serve as priests. A priest is given a parish to administer. Each priest is tasked with fulfilling the spiritual needs of his parish, shepherding them to a closer life to God. Priests can administer all sacraments except that of ordination. Only a Bishop or the High Pontiff himself may ordain someone into the priesthood. Order of the Blessed; Diaconate; (Diaconatus): The Diaconatus is a body of men who are deacons. Each deacon serves a priest, helping him in their services, charity or anything that the parish or the parish priest needs. A deacon is a clergyman in training. The deacon is not fully ordained but he can administer the mass to the community, yet he cannot give any other sacrament. A deacon is not bound to a life of celibacy, and if one decides to stay a deacon he may marry once. Order of the High Ascetics; Abbacy; (Abbas et Abbatissa): The Abbacy are a group of men and women who lead a monastery or abbey. An abbey is a building which houses men or women who vow themselves to God and only God. They live in their cloisters, praying for the world in an attempt to save the lives of many. The Abbots and Abbesses are the leaders of said groups, ensuring that the life of their brothers and sisters is that of poverty and asceticism. --- Minor Orders Order of the Saved; Colledge of Acolytes; (Acolythis): The Acolythis is the body of acolytes in the whole church. Often known as “Altar boys” acolytes are helpers in the service and hold very little influence within the church itself. To become a deacon one must first become an acolyte. An acolyte’s duty is to aid the priest and deacon in the local parish. Order of the Ascetics; Monks & Nuns; (Monachus et Monacha): Monks and nuns are brothers and sisters who vowed to live a life of poverty and service to others and to God. These people live in monasteries or abbeys. They are led by an Abbot or Abbess who makes sure that they live a life of complete poverty in the service of God. Monks and nuns carry the burden of another's sin, praying for their salvation from the maddening darkness that is the Void. Order of Saint Julia & Archaengul Michael; Exorcists; (Exorcistae): Exorcists are laypeople and priests which have been consecrated as exorcists. Their job is to drive evil presences in the land. Be it by doing simple rituals or exorcising a possessive being out of a person’s body. The exorcists use the Codex Evaristus et Clemens, a book of prayers presumably made during the Diarchy. In the Codex various prayers to both Saint Julia and Archaengul Michael are used to cleanse the land and people from Iblees’ grasp. The exorcist may also persecute evil in more physical means, be it by hunting the physical manifestation of the evil itself etcetera. This title has become a rarity, with only a handful of clergyman with the position. --- SECTION III Sisters, your role in GOD’s Holy Church is more crucial now than ever. For my revival of our Church to be of any value it must contain a strong female presence. Women offer knowledge of nurture, service, and determination. These are qualities that any force can not do without. Our Lord tells us in the Scroll of Gospel; “And they were virtuous, and He called them the first man and first woman, who took no language or name. And these were GOD’s favored creations, and they did satisfy His plan.” The Scroll does tell us that both men and women are needed for God’s plan to be satisfied. Without one we would not be doing the Word of God, which does not rot, justice. The building consecrated to house the Nun’s of Axios will be called The Convent of St. Julia. It will be led by Mother Mary of Johannesburg. She is vested with the power to grow her order through whatever means guaranteed to her through the Dogma of the Canonist Church. Powers granted to Sisters include: Aiding in the medical care of those who are faithful to GOD Upkeep the cleanliness of her faithful locations (Ex. church, covent, palace) Articulate what has already been taught to her to others who are faithful This does NOT include what has not been taught to her. She may not interpret the scriptures herself. Basic education Plan religious events with approval of the High Pontiff This does NOT include masses Provide assistance to clergymen as requested and legalized Accept and spend charitable donations for the betterment of the church Recruit and swear in Sisters to her order of Religious Women with approval of the High Pontiff and Mother Chain of Command in Sister Covenants Mother Leads order Prioress Second in Command Sister Ordinary Member Vows to Sisterhood Poverty “Do you, [Name], so commit yourself to Almighty God that you will renounce your worldly possessions and economic treasures for the benefit of his Holy Church and Will?” Chastity “Do you, [Name], so commit yourself to Almighty God that you will never lie or take union with any man to preserve yourself in purity within God’s Holy Church?” Obedience “Do you, [Name], so commit yourself to Almighty God that you will obey the law and rulings of God’s Holy Church?” After Joining Sisterhood A sister may: Change her name in her new self under the LORD Choose to live on her own or permanently within the convent’s abbey walls A sister MUST: Follow her vows Follow her duties Follow the legal orders of those with a higher status in the Church --- SECTION IV It has been determined wise by His Holiness in the need for diocese reconstruction, with all changes listed to be considered in implementation immediately upon publication. METROPOLITANATE OF THE CROWNLANDS - His Holiness the Vicar of God, Theodosius II. Territories - The Free City of Johannesburg, the Barony of Croston, the Barony of Sentisten. HIGH EXARCHATE OF JORENUS - His Eminence the High Exarch Vladimir the Golden Hand. Territories - The Kingdom of Hanseti and Ruska, the Free City of Karlsburg, the Duchy of Carnatia, the County of Metterden, the County of Turov, the March of Vasiland, the Barony of Voron, the Barony of Mondtstadt, the Barony of Rostyg, the Eastern Freelands, the Northern Freelands. ARCHBISHOPRIC OF PHILIPPUS - Vacante. Territories - The High Principality of the Dominion of Malin, the Principality of Sutica, the Kingdom of Haria, the Kingdom of the Orcs. BISHOPRIC OF ESHEVEURD - His Grace the Bishop Himmel of Esheveurd. Territories - The Duchy of Savoy, the County of Lewes, the Barony of Mordskov. BISHOPRIC OF LOTHARUM - His Eminence the Bishop Valentyn of Halsworthy. Territories - The Duchy of Lorraine, the County of Metz, the County of Hearth, the Viscounty of Chambery. --- SECTION V It has been determined wise by His Holiness to appointed the allotted men of most virtue to the designated position upon the Curia of the Canon. All changes listed are to be considered in implementation immediately upon publication. VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE CANON - His Eminence the High Exarch Vladimir the Golden Hand. PONTIFICAL CHAMBERLAIN - His Eminence the Bishop Valentyn of Holsworthy APOSTOLIC NUNCIO ET EXORCISTAE - His Eminence, Pontiff Emeritus Sixtus VI --- SECTION VI It has been determined wise by His Holiness to disenfranchise and disband the clerical militant school known as the ‘Holy Order of Saint Wilfriche’. Any and all men claiming to still be apart of the defunct ‘Holy Order of Saint Wilfriche’, claiming to speak on behalf of clerical or pontifical issues as apart of the defunct ‘Holy Order of Saint Wilfriche’, or committing sin while claiming to be on behalf of the clerical masses as apart of the defunct ‘Holy Order of Saint Wilfriche’ shall be swiftly punished as according to Canonical Law. Additionally, a Holy Inquisition shall be started, conglomerating all other church militant. The inquisition shall have the job to root out any and all Heretics, Saulites, Harrenites, Sodomites and any enemy of God and the Empire. This Holy Inquisition will be apart of the new ‘Order of the Canon Flame’ led by the Apostolic Baron Luminous Rothgard. The Church is most gracious of the service of every man of the Holy Order of Saint Wilfriche and invites them into the new Order of the Canon Flame. --- SECTION VII Moreover, the Church gives its allegiance to the God given Empire, and hopes that the Emperor does the same towards the Holy Mother Church, as neither Column of Society should be bigger than the other. May Secular and Religious powers work together rather than against one another. Neither Column of Society should be bigger than the other. --- SECTION VIII All churches of the Canon must now obtain a Iconostasis, unless permitted to do otherwise by His All Holiness. An Iconostasis is a arched wooden structure with a main doorway. On the sides of the doorway, known henceforth as The Beautiful Gate, only Ordained members of the Clergy or anointed lay people may transverse. Alongside the Beautiful Gate several Icons of Saints and/or Scroll Imagery is to be painted onto the wood. The Iconostasis serves a simple purpose: to protect the Holy Word which has been spoken unto us by Almighty Godan. It is therefore guarded by holy Icons of Saints and Holy Imagery. --- GOLDEN BULL OF JOHANNESBURG VI By the decree of His All Holiness Theodosius II, Maximum Presbyter of the Holy Church, Vicar of God, Successor of the Immaculate Throne of the Exalted, Metropolitan of Johannesburg, High Exarch of the Canon Rite and Servant of the Servants of God… --- SECTION I It is now the duty of all Canonists and Clergy to resist the Imperial efforts to initiate a false church. We must condemn this as clear violation against the One Holy Church of the Canon. Any and all men or women who seek to join this new false faith are so indicted with heresy. Schism in no way will be tolerated. --- SECTION II It has been determined wise by His Holiness to remove the allotted men from their designated position upon the Curia of the Canon. All changes listed are to be considered in implementation immediately upon publication. X: VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE CANON - The Bishop Vladimir the Golden Hand. X: PONTIFICAL CHAMBERLAIN - The Bishop Valentyn of Holsworthy X: APOSTOLIC NUNCIO ET EXORCISTAE - The Bishop, Pontiff Emeritus Sixtus VI --- SECTION III Moreover, the Church removes its allegiance from the Empire of Oren, and hopes that the Emperor may repent for his transgressions against the Holy Mother Church. The Holy Church does however extend out its arm to the Emperor allowing unity to be reached once more under the condition that he repents for the wrongs of his past. May Secular and Religious powers work together rather than against one another. --- SECTION IV The Church fully denounces and refutes the so called “Diet of Johannesburg” as false and not God-given and infallible, like previous church councils. Any faithful who does not renounce the Diet, be it publically or privately is fully excommunicated from the bosom of the Holy Canonist Church. All men who do come to the aid of this most Holy and Pious institution shall receive indulgences for their service to God and His church. --- ADRIAN I GOLDEN BULL OF JOHANNESBURG VII His Holiness ADRIAN I, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, Metropolitan of the Crownlands, Archbishop of Philippus, Enochas, Visigia and Erochland, Prince-Bishop of St. Thomas, Johannesburg, Esheveurd, Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Prince-Abbot of Laureh’lin, and Hariam, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree… --- SECTION I Appointed to the Curia, whose duty it is to be delegated important matters of governance and to fill the large shoes left by previous occupants. The Pontificate declares those men to be entrusted with offices of great respect and piety. Let them serve with distinction. Lux Invicta. VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE CHURCH - Father William of Metz COMMANDANT OF THE GUARD - Father Roy of Karlsburg AUDITOR OF THE TRIBUNAL - Father Jovarn of Ponce --- SECTION II Appointed to the Electoral Synod, whose duty it is to elect the successor to the Immaculate Throne, comprised of the veteran and the profound. The Pontificate declares those men to be entrusted with this critical position. HIS EMINENCE, Jovarn of Ponce HIS EMINENCE, Roy of Karlsburg It is the will of the Pontificate and her holy Church, that the heretic Valentyn of Halsworthy be stripped of his diocese and his place in the Electoral Synod. With this removal both offices must then in turn, be properly accounted for, and given a stable succession. The Pontificate now declares he whom succeeds the depraved. HIS EMINENCE, William of Metz, BISHOP OF LOTHARUM --- SECTION III Discussion had with the Crown on the matter of finite donation to the Papal Treasury. The removal of Yaroslav of Vsenk for his unlawful excommunication and election, left funds depleted, taken to be exact, by him during his escape from the city. The Pontificate proposed the reinstatement of earlier systems put in place during the respective reigns of HIGH PONTIFF Tobias I, and EMPEROR John II Sigismund. In response now entered into the annals new expansion beyond the treaties of Metz that further the relation of Church and State and to strengthen that eternal bond between the two. The JOHANNES ACCORDS stand to bind the nation in faith and leadership once more. In accordance with the proposals of the accord one must be chosen to for the diplomatic office of Legate. As such it would be remiss not to mention the duties assigned to said office, one must sit on the Imperial privy and give council in faith when required to those for whom stress pushes in various directions. The Pontificate declares it’s chosen.. PAPAL LEGATE - HIS EMINENCE, Jovarn of Ponce, Bishop of KOVAC --- SECTION IV The final say of the Curia upon the subject of Calendar Reform was most heated and of the greatest import. Such things were controversial and of course caused conflict among the peers of the Church. Such things were discussed in great length and detail within the Papal Estate among the peers of the Church. Upon the the last ballet the the conclusion was sought. The Pontificate thus declares the result of its labor. Each having to obtain a majority. ST. OTTO OF VANDERFELL - FOUR ST. DANIEL of CYRIUAM - FIVE ST. CHARLES OF HANSETI - FOUR ST. AMELIE OF ADRIA - FOUR ST. MICHAEL OF CORDOBE - FOUR All have obtained a sufficient majority, and so will remain upon the main Canon of the Church. --- SECTION V Given the activity of the faith within Haense, new districts are required. The Pontificate sends it’s best, so as to allow those new communities to flourish. Let their growth serve as an example to other communities, and their piety, to the import of the Faith to the Empire. THE BISHOPRIC OF KOVACS - His Eminence, Jovarn of Turov THE BISHOPRIC OF ST. CHARLES - His Eminence, Roy of Karlsburg METROPOLITANATE OF THE CROWNLANDS - His Holiness, the High Pontiff Adrian I. Territories - The Free City of Johannesburg, the Barony of Croston, the Barony of Sentisten. ARCHBISHOPRIC OF JORENUS - His Eminence, the Archbishop Vladimir the Golden Hand. Territories - The Kingdom of Hanseti and Ruska, the Free City of Karlsburg, the Duchy of Carnatia, the County of Metterden, the County of Turov, the March of Vasiland, the Barony of Voron, the Barony of Mondtstadt, the Barony of Rostyg, the Eastern Freelands, the Northern Freelands. THE BISHOPRIC OF ST. CHARLES - His Eminence, Roy of Karlsburg - Encompassing the capital of Haense, St. Karlsburg and it’s surrounding regions. THE BISHOPRIC OF KOVAC - His Eminence, Jovarn of Ponce - Encompassing the territories of Vasiland, Metterden, and Turov ARCHBISHOPRIC OF PHILIPPUS - His Holiness, the High Pontiff Adrian I - Territories - The Principality of Sutica, the Kingdom of Haria, the Kingdom of the Orcs. BISHOPRIC OF ESHEVEURD - His Holiness, the High Pontiff Adrian I - Territories - The Duchy of Mardon, the County of Roard, the Barony of Artois, the Barony of Mordskov. BISHOPRIC OF LOTHARUM - His Eminence, the Bishop William of Metz. - Territories - The Duchy of Lorraine, the County of Metz, the County of Hearth, the Viscounty of Chambery. --- SECTION VI We the Pontificate do recognize and acknowledge those candidates, close to God they have entered the Seven Skies, and are hereby blessed for their holiness and loyalty to our gracious Creator, Deus Magnus. Bl. Leon of Amaury - For his late service to Luciensport and the Lotharingians and his martyrdom at the hands of the Vailorian Harvesters. Bl. Polycarp of Aeldin, Charles Horen, progenitor of the Johanian Dynasty - For his service to humanity and pious disposition to the Everardian Church. Bl. Jon, Sigismund - For his service to humanity and his stalwart stance on the Norrland Paganry, for his defiance of tyranny and successful tenure. For his time spent for GOD. Bl. Noah Wheezer - For his service to the Church, his tenure upon the Electoral Synod, and Curia respectively, and his charity akin to St. Tobias. Bl. High Pontiff Pius II - For his martyrdom at the hands of the vile ‘John of Darfey.’ Bl. Holy Ser Adelran Coulthard - For his time spent in endless service to the Church, one of the first to take up the Black Sepulchre, slayer of all manner of dark and decrepit creatures, and his tenure during the Lotharingian Crusades. Bl. Jack Rovin - Founder of the Order of St. Lucien, White Rose Bannerman, for preserving the august standing of the Church, Apostolic King of Aesterwald. --- SECTION VII It was once so that the Church of the Canon was granted lands outside the capital for the purpose of housing it’s clergy and to give lodgings for weary travellers. The Pontificate puts forward a proposition to establish such a thing once more. It be the will of the Pontificate that this settlement be readdressed and given a conclusion. --- SECTION VIII It is the will of the Pontificate that proper shrines and attributions to established across the Empire, wayshrines and the like to be built all across the realm in tribute, each dedicated to one of great importance to the Church, and the Imperium. Righteous Architects are called to service, and will be welcome. --- SECTION IX Let it be known that the Pontificate does not feign ignorance, nor does it turn away from those in need. The Pontificate regrets the death of its Vice-Chancellor and it’s Commandant and expresses eternal regret as to the outcome and ultimate demise of it’s pious servants. The rights of the Clergy were violated, this is a grand concern, however it’s solution is not through violence nor is it rebellion. As the Prophet Owyn advocated so too must the Church act. The Church must come to terms with the State and initiative taken in regards to finance and settlement go a long way in mending the breach between both parties, ultimately Canonist in faith and brothers beneath God. --- SECTION X The Pontificate solemnly, and with all regret that is necessary, declares that the former Bishop VALENTYN OF HALSWORTHY, and his accomplice, the deacon ABRAM are henceforth EXCOMMUNICATED from our holy Canon and the rite of our Church. They are banished from the faith upon the most vile of charges, that of HERESY. It is pride, come to a boiling point, and the stink of opportunity that brings about such traitorous events, and the Pontificate laments at the actions it must take. For those beneath the two conspirators, the Pontificate grants exception, the words of Iblees are that of the charming darkness and the faithful beneath them have lost their way, the confused brought back into the fold. It is the will of the Pontificate that those men be brought to the capital for proper punishment and trial, so that they might account for their sin and make peace with our GOD before their demise. It is the duty of every man to bring those men to righteous punishment in the eyes of GOD’s Vicar on this earth, and unfortunately, to do them harm if they resist such endeavors It is the will of the Pontificate that the former ARSTAN BEDELL of Kaedrin, unjustly executed upon the order of Everard II, be given clemency, and be officially lifted from his late EXCOMMUNICATED state, with a restored place in the faithful and rite restored --- GOLDEN BULL OF METZ I His Holiness ADRIAN I, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, Metropolitan of the Crownlands, Archbishop of Enochas, Visigia and Erochland, Prince-Bishop of St. Thomas, Johannesburg, Esheveurd, Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Abbot of Laureh’lin, and Hariam, Bishop of Godfreo, Fernandus, and the Westerweald, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God, does decree… --- SECTION I In an official capacity the Pontificate affirms the survival of it’s incumbent Adrian I. Doubt on this matter, a reasonable reaction given the tragedy that befell both the Cathedral of St. Thomas and the citizens of the city. We of the Pontificate found ourselves travelling to the city by way of carriage back from Haense and watched the horrific tragedy from afar upon the road to Barranquilla. Regardless of all the Church remains intact and the remains of the Holy See of Johannesburg temporarily centered in Metz. --- SECTION II Appointed to the College are those who would newly serve the Church with loyalty and distinction. The Pontificate entrusted the following men with entrance into the College of Cardinals, of which is comprised of thee most pious and virtuous. May they work diligently towards the goals delegated to their most prestigious post as Princes of the Church. Jacques of Goldfield Franz Josef of Babenburg Johan of Himmel Delegated to the only those of a most pragmatic of Cardinals is that of Curial position. Those among the College handed such responsibilities are expected not only to help guide the good Church by way of legislation, but to also aid the Pontificate in whatever tasks they are entrusted with, be it military, economic, scholarly, or political. PONTIFICAL CHAMBERLAIN - Johan of Himmel --- SECTION III Appointed to the Electoral Synod are those of a vital and experienced temperament. They are expected to serve with the utmost humility in deciding a successor to the Immaculate Throne upon the death of the Pontiff. To be entrusted with such an office is an honor, and thus, must be held in the most dignified of fashion until the end of one’s days. Franz Josef --- SECTION IV In response to the upheaval experienced by Humanity over the current course of balkanization we of the Pontificate sought a way to maintain a semblance of stability for Canonist holdings across the land. We of the Pontificate commit to upholding the agreed terms, and those member-states whom have maintained good faith despite the political climate. --- SECTION V Accounting for the chaos that is most recent much is yet to be affirmed in the way of governance in regard to our fair mother Church. With political turmoil and the establishment of a new order, so we also must account for this change. Those that follow are hereby invested the privilege of governance, over that of a diocese and its parishes. ARCHBISHOPRIC OF JORENUS - His Eminence, the Archbishop Roy of Karlsburg Encompassing the Kingdom of Haense BISHOPRIC OF ST. CHARLES - His Eminence, the Bishop Franz Josef of Babenburg Encompassing the Free City of St. Karlsburg and it’s surrounding territories ARCHBISHOPRIC OF PHILIPPUS - His Eminence, the Vice-Chancellor William of Metz Encompassing the Federation of Sutica, The Kindgom of Courland, the Harian Sultanate BISHOPRIC OF LOTHARUM - His Eminence, the Bishop Onfroi Encompassing the Kingdom of Lotharingia BISHOPRIC OF THE WESTERWEALD - His Holiness, the High Pontiff Adrian I Encompassing the Kingdom of the Westerlands A number of diocese have also become defunct or undergone change that warrants their recomposition. BISHOPRIC OF ESHEVEURD, once encompassing the Duchy of Savoy, now the Duchy of Mardon, is to now be reformed with regard to its current occupants. Now to be known as the BISHOPRIC OF GODFREO, and to be placed under the eye of his Holiness, the High Pontiff Adrian I. THE PRINCE-BISHOPRIC OF ST. THOMAS, for it’s destruction via the madness of the late Emperor THE BISHOPRIC OF JOHANNESBURG, for it’s destruction via the madness of the late Emperor THE METROPOLITANATE OF THE CROWNLANDS, for the destruction of Johannesburg and the displacement of the populous that made up it’s flock. Quite a number of new territories are to be made known after the great changes seen by Humanity. THE BISHOPRIC OF FERNANDUS, to be held by his Holiness, the High Pontiff Adrian I Encompassing the Duchy of Barranquilla THE PRINCE BISHOPRIC OF METIMUS, to be held by his Eminence, the Bishop Jacques of Goldfield, and to be allocated the right to elect a recommendation for the post. Encompassing the city of Metz, and surrounding areas --- SECTION VI It is on behalf of the Church that the Pontificate offers it’s utmost grace to those whom it owes its gratitude for the lands granted to the Faith after the turmoil of Johannesburg. The Church offers its appreciation to: The Duchy of Mardon, for its partitioning to the Church a large sum of pasture at the foot of the Lotharingian mountains. The Federation of Sutica, for its grant to the Church, it is being put to good use by the Commandant and his men. --- SECTION VII It is the will of the Pontificate that the order of holy men beneath the Commandant Roy of Karlsburg be given official recognition in it’s eyes as an official militant beneath the banner of the holy Church. The ORDER OF THE HOLY CROSS is given sanction. Furthermore the Lotharing band, known as the KNIGHT’S TEMPLAR OF LORRAINE is also to be given similar positioning, and unchallenged authority over the safety of the Faithful in Lotharingia. It would be their duty if they wish it, to protect the Faithful from harm, and to safeguard the innocent It is the will of the Pontificate that Stanimir Vyronov be raised to holy service and to advise the men of both companies in the traditions upheld by previous arrays of soldiery, the Black Sepulchre and others. --- SECTION VIII It is known by the Pontificate and the Church that those to be listed have entered the Skies, and that they have found paradise. It is also clarified now without fear of Imperial oppression, that he listed as ‘Jon Sigismund,’ referred to two men specifically, that of the now BLESSED JON RENAULT, and our loyal Vice-Chancellor SIGISMUND OF COUENTRE. The rest are as followed: BLESSED JOHN I OF AMAURY - For his stalwart support of the Church and his rigorous protection of the Priesthood of his realm. BLESSED ARSTAN BEDELL - For his martyrdom at the hands of the Everardian Church --- SECTION IX Let it be known to all that the excommunications laid upon the Lotharic Clergy, and that of the one known as ABRAHAM specifically, are to hereby be effectively removed. All but ‘PRINCEPS’ HALSWORTHY. --- SECTION X Let it also be known that the Pontificate calls all the clergy together to discuss matters of doctrine and the state of our fair Church. All require attendance for such grand occasion within the coming weeks. --- EVERARD IV GOLDEN BULL OF MOUNT ST HUMBERT IV His Holiness EVERARD IV, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, Archbishop of Fernandus, Jorenus, Lotharum, Aleksandria, Visigia and Erochland, Prince-Bishop of St. Thomas, Savoy, Mont St. Humbert, Johannesburg, Esheveurd, Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Abbot of Laureh’lin, and Hariam, Bishop of Godfreo, Versace, Mardon, and Carace, Minister-General of the Humbertines, 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 With the healing of the Mother Church and its dissident child, a flood of new clergymen have come into the ranks of God and taken His robes. The Diocese of Aleksandria shall henceforth be consolidated with the Archdiocese of RIGA, its overarching entity. THE DIOCESE OF FERNANDUS - Encompassing The Rock, the Southern Coast, and the Pirate Isles. Administered by HIS HOLINESS, EVERARD IV THE ARCHDIOCESE OF JORENUS - Encompassing the Northern March, the Apostolic Kingdom of Ruska, and its respective lands. Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, NIKOLAI RYKOV THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LORRAINE - Encompassing Metz, Cleves, Ponce, and All Lotharingia. Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, BONIFACE OF PONCE THE DIOCESE OF METZ - Encompassing the City of Metz. Administered by HIS GRACE, NICHOLAS OF ALEKSANDRIA THE ARCHDIOCESE OF JOHANUS - Encompassing Mardon, the Fifth Crownlands, the Sixth Crownlands, and the Imperial Demesne: Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, JACK OF MARDON THE ARCHDIOCESE OF RIGA - Encompassing Aleksandria, the ports of Asul, and all settlements on that land. Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, CYRIL OF ALEKSANDRIA --- SECTION II As the Church restructures, new appointments to its governance are necessary. To handle day-to-day affairs, miniscule issues, and such there are several new Curia posts which are appointed. VICE-CHANCELLOR - HIS EXCELLENCY, BONIFACE OF PONCE LEGATUS ORENUS - The legate to the Holy Orenian Emperor, represented in the personage of HIS GRACE, JACK OF MARDON HUGUEMEN OF THE CANONIST MONASTERIES - The manager of all monasterial affairs, concerning monks and nuns, as well as their abbeys, is given to BR. VLADIMIR “The Elder” *MINISTER-GENERAL OF THE HUMBERTINES - The manager of the Humbertine order of friars is granted to vacant, overseen by EVERARD IV. CURATOR OF THE CHAPEL OF ST. EVERARD - The caretaker of the Holy Site located in West Lotharingia is granted to HIS EXCELLENCY, BONIFACE OF PONCE. *The Order of Humbertines is hereby declared defunct and dissolved as of the publication of this bull by order of His Holiness, Everard IV. --- SECTION III The Synod, reformed from its previous Popular Vote system in the earlier part of CLEMENT II’s reign, shall receive the following appointments. It is the intention of the Pontificate to restore the Pentarchy to consolidate the shepherds of the Church with their respective regions and to reconfigure the Synod in accordance to the current state of the Church. PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS EXCELLENCY, BONIFACE OF PONCE PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS EXCELLENCY, JACK OF MARDON PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS GRACE, CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS GRACE, NIKOLAI OF METTERDEN PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS GRACE, NICHOLAS OF ALEKSANDRIA The Pentarchy is commissioned with the governance of the Church through the will of HIS HOLINESS, EVERARD IV --- SECTION IV We the Pontificate, by our Apostolic Authority does grant approbation for the following sanctifications to the communion of saints and beatified for their extraordinary models of piety and glory to the Church of the Canon: His Holiness, Clement II shall be styled as Blessed High Pontiff Clement II for his reunification of the Holy Church and ecumenism with the former schismatics of the so-called “True Faith,” ending nearly three decades of division. He shall be the patron for the cause of Canonist Unity, Pontifical delegates, and statesmen. His Excellency, Henry Otto shall be styled as Blessed Henry Otto of Alban for his patronage of the citizenry of Haense, the vitality of the Highlanders in the contemporary age, stalwart piety and defense of the Holy Church. His patronage is for the poor, the Hanseti-Ruskan soldier, strength in battle. Blessed Kristoff of Hanseti shall be styled Saint Kristoff of Hanseti for his unwavering devotion to GOD and faith in times of strife in the diocese of Petrus in which his example of unrelenting courage in holiness toward his eventual martyrdom at the hands of Dunamis raiders merited in his patronage of martyrs, victims of strife, and bishops. Blessed Johannes de Rutyer shall bed styled Saint Johannes for his wrongful endurance in imprisonment and expulsion in faith and fidelity to the Word of GOD. His missionary work in Haria shall merit as an inspiration and model for apostolate works for the proliferation of the Canon warranting his patronage for the innocent and missionaries to foreign lands. --- SECTION V His Holiness, High Pontiff Everard IV hereby declares the convocation of an ecumenical council comprising of the entire clergy of the Holy Church to codify and address the following topics: An Apostolic Constitution on the Mission of the Church and its relationship to the temporal states of Axios in the present day. An Apostolic Decree on the reaffirmation of the cause for the unity of humanity and sanctity of life. An Apostolic Decree on the revision of the liturgy of the Holy Church and the celebration of sacramental worship in the churches across the realm. An Apostolic Decree on a liturgical book of prayer for the universal church. A Syllabus of Errors concerning the refutation of falsehoods and sectarian division propagated by illegitimate religious entities and so-called clerics. --- GOLDEN BULL OF MOUNT ST HUMBERT V His Holiness EVERARD IV, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, Archbishop of Fernandus, Jorenus, Lotharum, Aleksandria, Visigia and Erochland, Prince-Bishop of St. Thomas, Savoy, Mont St. Humbert, Johannesburg, Esheveurd, Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Abbot of Laureh’lin, and Hariam, Bishop of Godfreo, Versace, Mardon, and Carace, Minister-General of the Humbertines, 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 With the healing of the Mother Church and its dissident child, a flood of new clergymen have come into the ranks of God and taken His robes. The Diocese of Aleksandria shall henceforth be consolidated with the Archdiocese of RIGA, its overarching entity. THE DIOCESE OF FERNANDUS - Encompassing The Rock, the Southern Coast, and the Pirate Isles. Administered by HIS HOLINESS, EVERARD IV THE ARCHDIOCESE OF JORENUS - Encompassing the Northern March, the Apostolic Kingdom of Ruska, and its respective lands. Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, NATHANAEL OF AESTON THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LORRAINE - Encompassing Metz, Cleves, Ponce, and All Lotharingia. Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, PATRIARCH VLADIMIR THE DIOCESE OF METZ - Encompassing the City of Metz. Administered by HIS GRACE, ROBERT ROVIN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF JOHANUS - Encompassing Mardon, the Fifth Crownlands, the Sixth Crownlands, and the Imperial Demesne: Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, JACK OF MARDON THE ARCHDIOCESE OF RIGA - Encompassing Aleksandria, the ports of Asul, and all settlements on that land. Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, BERNARD SOLOMON --- SECTION II As the Church restructures, new appointments to its governance are necessary. To handle day-to-day affairs, miniscule issues, and such there are several new Curia posts which are appointed. VICE-CHANCELLOR - HIS EXCELLENCY, JACK OF MARDON LEGATUS ORENUS - The legate to the Holy Orenian Emperor, represented in the personage of HIS GRACE, ROBERT ROVIN HUGUEMEN OF THE CANONIST MONASTERIES - The manager of all monasterial affairs, concerning monks and nuns, as well as their abbeys, is given to HIS EXCELLENCY, VLADIMIR COMMANDANT OF THE ORDER OF THE BLACK SEPULCHRE - The administrator and dispenser of justice in defending the Holy law of the Church and its primal institutions is granted to HOLY SER EDWARD BRONISLAV, overseen by EVERARD IV. GRANDMASTER OF THE ORDER OF SAINT MALCOLM- The commander of the Faith Militia branch of the sacred guard, tasked in defending the Church and enforcing her laws, is granted to ANGUS GROMACH, residing in the Duchy of Rosgar and under the patronage of Stephen Francis de Anpalais, and shall be overseen by EVERARD IV. CURATOR OF THE CHAPEL OF ST. EVERARD - The caretaker of the Holy Site located in West Lotharingia is granted to HIS EXCELLENCY, VLADIMIR --- SECTION III The Synod, reformed from its previous Popular Vote system in the earlier part of CLEMENT II’s reign, shall receive the following appointments. It is the intention of the Pontificate to restore the Pentarchy to consolidate the shepherds of the Church with their respective regions and to reconfigure the Synod in accordance to the current state of the Church. PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS EXCELLENCY, VLADIMIR PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS EXCELLENCY, JACK OF MARDON PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS GRACE, BERNARD SOLOMON PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS GRACE, ROBERT ROVIN PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS GRACE, NATHANAEL OF AESTON The Pentarchy is commissioned with the governance of the Church through the will of HIS HOLINESS, EVERARD IV --- SECTION IV We the Pontificate, by our Apostolic Authority does grant approbation for the following sanctifications to the communion of saints and beatified for their extraordinary models of piety and glory to the Church of the Canon: Malcolm of Fjordhem shall be styled Saint Malcolm of Fjordhem in recognition for an extraordinary demonstration in the faith. His conversion of heart obedience to the Will of GOD shall henceforth be commemorated according to law by our Apostolic Authority in which the faithful alike may find solace in his patronage as the patron saint of the Daelanders, Storms, and the conversion of heathens. “Godless heathens and barbaric, bloodthirsty pagans, these Drakkmar. I’ve yet to come across a band of them in my travels, GOD be good for it, but tales of their misdeeds and vile, ungodly acts ring loud from the shores of Nova Horas all the way to Banardia. One popular tale is that bands of Drakkmar drag squealing children from their beds at night whilst their family sleep, sacrificing the poor young souls to their foul patrons in ways that even a dungeonkeep would suffer to hear.” -Bishop Lucius of Redmark remarking upon the nature of the Drakkmar in his personal journal, circa 1300. Known as Maèl Col in his native tongue, Malcolm was a man of Drakkmar descent, from one of the southern tribes in Fjordhem in Aeldin. He was the youngest son of a prominent chieftain by the name of Seighin. As a chieftain’s son Malcolm took many concubines and wives when he came of age, most of them were plunder-wives from the Imperial lands. With was his lust for women that led him to finding GOD. As he led a detachment of raiders from his father’s tribe to the Aeldenic Tribe he came across a small monastic community, thinking this was a abbey filled with monks he came about his normal process of pillaging whatever he could find, although when he came face-to-face with women in habits, Malcolm could not resist but to pursue his carnal desires. He had his host of northmen line the nuns within the main cloister, he inspected the women for their age and beauty and when he found the youngest and most beautiful of the nuns in the convent he decided to take her as one of his concubines. The young woman, being a GOD-fearing nun refused his attempts at coaxing her into sexual thralldom, she ran into the inner sanctum of the monastery, the quaint church. Malcolm pursued her, in his wrath breaking many of the saint’s statues within the monastery. When he got in the church he charged forewards, towards the altar as the young woman was against the wall of the tabernacle. He raised his axe to cut the woman down as he approached, but as feet touched the dais in which the altar stood a bolt of lightning stroke Malcolm, sending him flying backwards, yet it did not kill him. This was his first encounter with GOD. “When he has arrived at the monastery, many of us were in fear and shock, some even protested; how could this pagan abomination, the unbeliever filth, the sworn enemy of GOD and the Canon be permitted to study here, amongst us men of faith? He had dragged himself to the monastery still looking every bit half the savage, but over time we came to find the Drakkmar’s devotion to learning the ways of our GOD and our religion unparalleled. Some would even question whether or not there were divine, mystical forces at work upon this man’s mind, as though the very hand of GOD itself had reached out to enlighten this man with integrity and true understanding.” -Maximius Morvello, an acolyte of the church who studied in the monastery around the same time as Malcolm, shares his impressions of the canonised, 1365. After this encounter with the divine Malcolm became a GOD-fearing man, being baptised in a country church near the monastery he had attempted to raid. There he went ‘missing’, his fellow Drakkmar thinking that he had gotten lost in the wilderness in church for the nun he lusted after. Malcolm spent eight years amongst the Imperials, learning flexio and matters of the faith, translating the Holy Scrolls into the Drakkmar language so that, one day, he may return and preach the Good News to his people. Malcolm was tonsured and ordained a priest after those eight years, many of the bishops and priests thought him to be a lawless savage as the Drakkmar were known to be, thus the bishop postponed his ordaining for many years. When he was ordained a minister of the Canon he had a burning feeling within him, his charism was to be a preacher, and he would preach the word of GOD to his countrymen. Malcolm took a wagon to Rhysten, and from there he hired a group of fishermen to take him to the southern reaches of Fjordhem, near Varnhag where his father’s chiefdom was located. When he set his foot upon the cold shores of Fjordhem he trekked for one day and one night before finally locating his tribe. He saw a group of women washing their clothes upon the local river, and amongst them was one of his concubines, Anne which, by Drakkmar custom and tradition, was now a thrall. When he approached her she recognised Malcolm but she still remember the day he had taken her from her home and forced himself upon her. She started to throw rocks upon Malcolm, swearing at him and vexing him, to show that he was pure of heart and repentant he kneeled and touched his heart, his heart then transporting itself out of his chest, rays springing from it and a tongue of flame above it. Anne, being a devout Canonist, recognised that this was a miracle from GOD himself and agreed to help Malcolm in his task to convert the Drakkmar. Anne took him to his brother, Padraig, which was now chieftain after his father’s passing. Padraig was, at first, happy to see Malcolm back, but once he heard that he had left the many gods of the Drakkmar for the singular GOD of the southern folk he went into a rage. The court priests attempted to out perform Malcolm by using magics and vile trickery to deceive the population into thinking that their gods were true. Malcolm simply tapped his walking stick upon the ground, the wooden stick turned into a viper and swallowed both heathen priests whole. The people of Malcolm’s tribe were surprised and many converted. A few weeks later the irminsul was teared down and a church was built in its place as his tribe completely converted. “Forgive them, GOD, for they do not know what they do.” -The final words of Saint Malcolm. After many months of preaching and converting some nearby tribes the Synod of Ecclesiastes in Nova Horos elevated Malcolm into the ranks of a Bishop. It seemed that all of Fjordhem would convert to the light of GOD, yet the most powerful chieftain, Goedenfryk, thought that Canonism was an effeminate religion of the south, and thus, thinking the minor chieftains weak invaded their land. Malcolm knew this was to happen, as a dove sent from the Skies foretold it. Malcolm called for his flock’s many chieftains and told them that they must go south, for GOD himself commands it. The chieftains mumbled and some roared, cowardice was not their way, many wanted to stand and fight, be martyred and go into the Skies as Saints, yet Malcolm grew ireful with Holy Wrath, and with a south commanded them to do as GOD wished, the chieftains complied and took their longships and fled south. Only Malcolm and a few huscarls remained behind. Goedenfryk’s host came upon the now deserted lands of the Canonist tribes, plundered their goods that were left behind and burnt down their wooden churches. When a band from Goedenfryk’s tribe found Malcolm in his priestly robes and the baptised huscarls they charged them, but the huscarls, filled with holy zeal pushed the small raiding party back, yet more were to come. Soon a bigger party, headed by Goedenfryk himself came to meet Malcolm and his band, the archers shot at them and the tribesmen finished the now dying huscarls, only Malcolm was left. He was captured and led to Tor Lethe where the Drakkmar worshipped their gods and their now-gone witcher king. Goedenfryk decided to blood-eagle Malcolm in order to appease their barbarian gods. Malcolm remained calm, serene, asking GOD to forgive them for they did not know what they did. As Goedenfryk started the blood-eagle it is said that Malcolm didn’t squirm nor shout out in pain, he only smiled and looked upwards at the skies. His blood dripped from his back as his lungs were pulled from his chest to create a blood-eagle, Malcolm silently passed away, his soul being transported into the Skies to dine in milk and honey with the rest of the Saintly host. The heathens would later take Malcolm’s head and keep it in vile and cruel mockery of his martyrdom. Malcolm’s converted tribe, inspired still Malcolm’s many lessons and teachings and still adherent to Canonism and the name of GOD, would flee to the Southern mainland in exile. The tribe would become a nomadic community of travellers, and their descendants would form the first wave of the Daelish. Blessed Jude of Cyranium shall henceforth be declared Saint Jude of Cyranium as a prolific doctor of the Church and a faithful servant to the preservation and vitality of the holy doctrines of the Canon. His work as an abbot serves as an example of monastic life and the vigor of one’s vocation to the ministerial welfare of the holy Faith. His shall be the patronage of scholastics, authors, and monasteries. --- SECTION V THE ORDER OF SAINT MALCOLM His Holiness, High Pontiff Everard IV hereby declares the inauguration of the ordinariate of the Daelish in order to integrate a new faith militia to further revitalize the arm of the Church in combating heresies and injuries against the Holy Faith of the Creator. It shall function in conjunction with the Knights and Ordermen of the Black Sepulchre and shall pledge full and unconditional faith, reverence, and obedience to the occupant of the Immaculate Throne: The High Pontiff. The order shall promote the propagation of the faith’s tenets, secure the safety of its clergy, and furthermore enhance the rectitude of the Church’s mission throughout the realm. --- GOLDEN BULL OF MOUNT ST HUMBERT VI His Holiness EVERARD IV, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, Archbishop of Jorenus, Lotharum, Rhodesia, Aleksandria, Visigia and Erochland, Prince-Bishop of St. Thomas, Savoy, Mont St. Humbert, Johannesburg, Esheveurd, Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Abbot of Laureh’lin, and Hariam, Bishop of Godfreo, Versace, Mardon, and Carace, Minister-General of the Humbertines, 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 With the healing of the Mother Church and its dissident child, a flood of new clergymen have come into the ranks of God and taken His robes. THE ARCHDIOCESE OF RHODESIA - Encompassing Marna and the Apostolic Kingdom Demesne under its jurisdiction: Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, JACK OF MARDON THE ARCHDIOCESE OF JORENUS - Encompassing the Northern March, the Apostolic Kingdom of Ruska, and its respective lands. Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, NATHANAEL OF AESTON THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LORRAINE - Encompassing Metz, Cleves, Ponce, and All Lotharingia. Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, PATRIARCH VLADIMIR THE DIOCESE OF METZ - Encompassing the City of Metz. Administered by HIS GRACE, ROBERT ROVIN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF RIGA - Encompassing Aleksandria, the ports of Asul, and all settlements on that land. Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, BERNARD SOLOMON --- SECTION II As the Church restructures, new appointments to its governance are necessary. To handle day-to-day affairs, minuscule issues, and such there are several new Curia posts which are appointed. VICE-CHANCELLOR - HIS EXCELLENCY, JACK OF MARDON HUGUEMEN OF THE CANONIST MONASTERIES - The manager of all monasterial affairs, concerning monks and nuns, as well as their abbeys, is given to HIS EXCELLENCY, VLADIMIR GRANDMASTER OF THE ORDER OF SAINT LUCIEN- The commander of the Faith Militia branch of the sacred guard, tasked in defending the Church and enforcing her laws, is granted to ROBERT ROVIN, and shall be overseen by EVERARD IV. CURATOR OF THE CHAPEL OF ST. EVERARD - The caretaker of the Holy Site located in West Lotharingia is granted to HIS EXCELLENCY, VLADIMIR --- SECTION III The Synod, reformed from its previous Popular Vote system in the earlier part of EVERARD IV’s reign, shall receive the following appointments. It is the intention of the Pontificate to restore the Pentarchy to consolidate the shepherds of the Church with their respective regions and to reconfigure the Synod in accordance to the current state of the Church. PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS EXCELLENCY, VLADIMIR PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS EXCELLENCY, JACK OF MARDON PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS GRACE, BERNARD SOLOMON PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS GRACE, ROBERT ROVIN PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS GRACE, NATHANAEL OF AESTON The Pentarchy is commissioned with the governance of the Church through the will of HIS HOLINESS, EVERARD IV --- SECTION IV The Godhead brings the holy Light to all nations, and because this is so, this Holy Synod convened by the grace of the GOD who illumines the plight of all men, eagerly desires to proclaim the truths of the Holy Canon to every creature with the summit of our intentions to culminate in the advancement of the benevolence, mercy, judgment, and virtue of GOD as a visible repertoire in the lives of the faithful. In communion with the saints by whose intercession we continuously beseech, the Church of the Canon desires to fully manifest the precepts of the Exalted’s revelations to restore all things in GOD. The Creator, whoso by His omnipotence, singularity, and abundant benevolence, created the whole world with the plan to uphold men to a participation of the divine life. Fallen in the vices of Iblees whoso accursed his own plight by his very deviance to the Will of GOD, the Lord did not leave man to his own devices, but ceaselessly offers providence by the means of divine Revelation through the Exalted. All the elect, before the Creation, the Creator foreordained them to be conformed to the image of His favored one, Horen, that he and his descendants should be the first among all to receive the gifts of the Seven Skies and ark of salvation. The Exalted, came therefore, and were sent by the Father. It was in Him at the foundation of the world, that He alone chose them preordained that they be the witnesses of truth as the cornerstone of the virtue of the nations. To carry out the will of the Creator, the Exalted continued to inaugurate the reign Seven Skies and its precepts to creation and revealed to us the mystery of the Throne of the Seventh Sky. When the work of the Exalted was accomplished and brought to fulfillment in the divine revelation of the four scrolls of the Canon, the holy Light of the Godhead was sent on the day of their completion to sanctify the realm and therefore brought consecration of all things in Him. Let it be stated that at the conception of the world and the manifestation of the divine Will through the Exalted’s Testaments, we are brought into a new covenant that by the election of Exalted Horen as the chosen son of the Father, we are called into the union with GOD, who is the light of the world, from whom we go forth, through whom we live, and toward whom our whole life is brought into paradise. The Church is one body of the mystical union with GOD to which we are united as the virtue of the nations, each ordained as cooperators in truth and charity for the betterment of our being. Moreover, the charism of the Church is for the salvation of souls, the mediator of the holy law and the law of men, the voice of morality and truth for those baptized in its sacraments and whoso long for salvation in the summit of the Skies. The apostolate is the very essence of the life of its consecrated ministers who are confided in the anointing and the blessing of the world through their labors. The temporal estates of the world are equally tasked as what we deem the collective virtue of the nations to whose governance we confide our earthly journeys in this life to preserve all that GOD had created for our benefit and to foster community for the greater glorification of the Creator and the love to which we share amongst ourselves. Guided by spiritual direction and the conscience of piety, the temporal estates are the stewards of advancing the fruits of morality and civil intercommunion to guarantee that the virtues prescribed by the Canon are upheld among its people so that in unison with GOD, we may be sharers in the abundance of His creation and co-heirs in the benevolence of his heavenly realm in the Seven Skies. With the mutual cooperation of the divine institution and the temporal estates to which we are all conformed by GOD, it is the duty for all to serve as cooperators in peace and unity, preserve sacred tradition and the sanctity of life, and protect against the wicked snares of Iblees and his daemonic agents so that we might form and bring to fulfillment the collective virtues of the nations pleasing to GOD in this life and the next. --- SECTION V BRETHREN IN GOD: His Holiness Everard IV formally yields the Imperial Regency of the now dissolved Holy Orenian Empire. As our final edict, we hereby decree the following: In order to pursue the unity of humanity as willed by that of GOD of the Seven Skies, the Holy Church of the Canon proclaims our recognition of the newly established order comprising of the Kingdom of Marna and the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska, entrusting in her care, the respective sovereigns of each nation as brethren in the human demesne. We the Pontificate, by our Apostolic Authority does grant approbation for the recognition of His Majesty, FREDERICK PIUS of the House of Horen-Marna and subsequently do we impart our blessing in anointing the aforementioned the title of Apostolic King of Marna, et cetera. We duly declare that His Majesty is, by rightful claim and under law, the rightful heir to the throne and jointly do we affirm His Majesty, OTTO II GEORG of the House of Barbanov, a co-heir to the dutiful governance of Horen’s people by the Grace of GOD. We the Pontificate also extend our hand in peace and unison with GOD’s Truce to Lord Canonius, claimant to the throne of the proclaimed Kingdom of Renatus in fostering dialogue to further advance the interests of his court and with that of the Holy Church of the Canon. We intend for his nation to work in the direction of great cooperation and collegiality with the restructuring of the kingdoms and proclaimed himCANONIUS AURELIUS, King of Renatus and co-heir in Canonist humanity. We solemnly proclaim that all vassals under the banner of the Holy Orenian Empire, do willingly declare their fealty with GOD as their witness to the legitimate polities of humanity, pledging unconditional reverence and obedience to the Holy Church of the Canon in faith and to the nations consecrated by her edict in service and defense. May these kingdoms, under the watchful eye of the Seven Skies and in close intercession with the Saints and Exalted, uphold the Peace and Truce of GOD and serve under the discretion and care of conscientious souls for the greater glory of the Creator. May the Holy Church, under the yoke of her sacramental salvation and Apostolic Authority, bring into unison the spiritual welfare of the faithful flock. May GOD grant His assent as we consecrate the unity of Man. By the Grace of the Seven Skies, we proclaim in great felicity, the dissolution of the Faith of the All-Father, the so-called Red Faith. In doing so, we solemnly propagate the institutionalization of all humanity to embrace the Holy Canon and faith in the GOD of the Seventh Sky as the source of all power and providence for the benefit of the denizens. I call upon all leaders of humanity, by their virtue and spirit in the same faith and creed, to manifest the Will of Exalted and the welfare of all people in pursuit to the restoration of all things in GOD. We the whole Church and the faithful rejoice in the reconsecration of the Kingdom of Santegia back to the Canon, offering themselves wholly to GOD and to the mission of a united humanity in restoring Peace and the Truce of GOD to all. Furthermore, let us entrust in the providence of the Seven Skies, to further obtain the fruits of our faith and base our society in the order of the Virtues of Exalted Horen. --- CLEMENT III GOLDEN BULL OF RHODESIA I His Holiness CLEMENT III, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, Archbishop of Jorenus, Lotharum, Rhodesia, Aleksandria, Visigia and Erochland, Prince-Bishop of St. Thomas, Savoy, Mont St. Humbert, Johannesburg, Esheveurd, Luciensport, Huss, and Dibley, Abbot of Laureh’lin, and Hariam, Bishop of Godfreo, Versace, Mardon, and Carace, 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 With the healing of the Mother Church and its dissident child, a flood of new clergymen have come into the ranks of God and taken His robes. THE ARCHDIOCESE OF RHODESIA - Encompassing Marna and the Apostolic Kingdom Demesne under its jurisdiction: Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, NOVATIAN BESEL THE DIOCESE OF SENNTISTEN- Encompassing the Capital city of Senntisten and the surrounding lands. Administered by HIS GRACE, DIMMESDALE THE ARCHDIOCESE OF JORENUS - Encompassing the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska, and its respective lands. Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, ELPHIAS OF METZ THE ARCHDIOCESE OF ALEKSANDRIA - Encompassing the Kingdom of Santegia, Presa de Madera and all settlements on that land. Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, BERNARD SOLOMON THE ARCHDIOCESE OF RENATUM- Encompassing the Kingdom of Renatus and the holdings it defends. Administered by HIS EXCELLENCY, NATHANAEL OF AESTON --- SECTION II As the Church restructures, new appointments to its governance are necessary. To handle day-to-day affairs, miniscule issues, and such there are several new Curia posts which are appointed. VICE-CHANCELLOR - HIS EXCELLENCY, BERNARD SOLOMON PONTIFICAL TREASURER- In charge of all finances that pass through Holy Mother Church, entrusted to collect donations and fund Pontifical ventures- VACANT GRANDMASTER OF THE ORDER OF SAINT LUCIEN- The commander of the Faith Militia branch of the sacred guard, tasked in defending the Church and enforcing her laws, is granted to HOLY SER RAKIM YAR, and shall be overseen by CLEMENT III. CURATOR OF THE ADAMANTINE CATHEDRAL- The caretaker of the Adamantine Cathedral located in Marna is granted to HIS EXCELLENCY, NOVATIAN BESEL --- SECTION III The Synod shall receive the following appointments. It is the intention of the Pontificate to restore the Pentarchy to consolidate the shepherds of the Church with their respective regions and to reconfigure the Synod in accordance to the current state of the Church. PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS EXCELLENCY, BERNARD SOLOMON PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS EXCELLENCY, ELPHIAS OF METZ PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS EXCELLENCY, NOVATIAN BESEL PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS EXCELLENCY, NATHANAEL OF AESTON PENTARCH OF THE CANON; HIS GRACE, ROBERT ROVIN The Pentarchy is commissioned with the governance of the Church through the will of HIS HOLINESS, CLEMENT III --- SECTION IV We the Pontificate, by our Apostolic Authority does grant approbation for the following sanctifications to the communion of saints and beatified for their extraordinary models of piety and glory to the Church of the Canon: 1. Henry Otto of Alban shall be styled as Saint Henry Otto of Alban. A champion of the commoners, a man with unquestionable piety in promoting faith in the Barbanov family and in the Hanseti Royal Army, he shall be known as the Patron Saint of Commoners, Justice, and Fatherhood. --- SECTION V We the Pontificate, by our Apostolic Authority call upon all Holy Knights that adorn the style of Holy Ser, Holy Knight, and any other style associated with the Office to come to the Adamantine Cathedral in Marna to swear loyalty to HIS HOLINESS CLEMENT III, and to register yourself to the new Pontificate.

The Destructio Ecclesiae Darfesium, or the 21 Theses for the Dissolution of the Darfeyist Church, was a theological and political treatise against the tenure of High Pontiff Paul III, a former high-ranking member of the anti-Carrion party, by the duo Raevir monks Basil of Sabris (Naumarian: Vasili van Zabris) and Simon of Khazaw (Naumarian: Symeon van Khazaw). Both monks were former courtiers of King Francis I of Oren who escaped the infamous Franciscan Massacre, orchestrated in part by Paul III, known then as John of Darfey. The published theses were supported by Peter I, who had grown to disfavor the pontiff, and had him defrocked thereafter- however, Basil and Simon were assassinated a few years later by supporters of John of Darfey and the anti-Carrion coalition. (OOC: Full credit to @Esterlen who wrote this, posting it here for easier access.) --- DESTRUCTIO ECCLESIAE DARFESIUM, OR THE 21 THESES FOR THE DISSOLUTION OF THE DARFEYIST CHURCH WRITTEN BY THE HANDS OF BROTHER BASIL OF SABRIS BROTHER SIMON OF KHAZAW PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- The following text outlines the articles and arguments for the utter dissolution of the present ‘Church of the One True Faith’, in favour of a new, Reformist, caesaropapist Church of free investiture designed by, officiated, operated and sponsored by the monarch of Oren, free of popery and corruption. i. The sloth and ignorance of the Church. ii. The nepotism and favoritism of the Church. iii. The intrigue and corruption of the Church. iv. The worldly ambitions and whims of the Church. v. The Church Militant as a threat to the state and a threat to peace. vi. The unlawful deposition and poisoning of Lucien II. vii. The unlawful deposition of Pius II. viii. The cowardice in sight of a united pagan invasion on Oren soil. ix. The propagation of sectarian violence for personal agendas. x. The regicide of King Francis I without trial or due cause. xi. The murder of Lord Chancellor Wilfriche Buron without trial or due cause. xii. The murder of Lord Baron Lorethos Basileus without trial or due cause. xiii. The murder of Damon Kovachev without trial or due cause. xiv. The murder of King Francis’ lowborn courtiers; numbering roughly nine innocent fellows and one priest of the faith, without trial or due cause. xv. The attempted murder of Siguine Barrow, ward to King Francis I, the attempted kidnapping of Roy Carrion, and the wanton assault of the remainder of King Francis’ court without trial or due cause. xvi. The abuse of clerical powers to administer an unlawful regency over Oren xvii. The abuse of legislative powers upon the election of Lucien II to instate papal laws contrary to precedent doctrine. xviii. The falsification of Church doctrine to support political agenda. xix. The enticement of secular bodies to break their oaths of fealty to the monarch in favour of lesser oaths to the papacy for which such secular bodies were granted worldly gain. xx. The facilitation of schismatic sects contrary to Church doctrine. xxi. The bastardization of Lucienist doctrine writ by the hands of the most holy St. Adrian and St. Thomas. --- EXORDIUM The Reformist Movement pens this theological writing in the year of our Lord, 1459. May the Creator bless Oren and give her guidance to show the truth. We do this day prepare this text with the intent of categorically condemning the ‘Church of the One True Faith’, itself presently a bastion of idolatry and popery, in the hope that our words, delivered to us through intense theological study, do sway those readers of it towards our beliefs. For when it comes to perceptions of our faith, there are but three types of men in this realm; those who grimace at the fall of our True Faith, those that are ignorant to its principles, and the College of Bishops. To rectify the wrongs committed by the three pontiffs past and their cohorts, a purge of the College along with their Lucienist scullions and title-bearing papists is in order. We hereby define and condemn the Darfey Papacies as follows: High Pontiff Regulus I High Pontiff Pius II High Pontiff Paul III (Darfey) It is the belief of our Reformism that upon the unlawful deposition and poisoning of Lucien II, the last legitimate and godly High Pontiff, by his treacherous confidant the Archbishop of Herendul (Who succeeded him as Regulus I), the Lucienist faith and the legitimacy of the Church was put to rest. As such, the Darfey Papacies are considered illegitimate by Reformism. They are so called because of the nature of the plot to depose and slay Lucien II, which was orchestrated by John Jrent of Darfey, later Paul III. The Darfey Papacies are hence somewhat reminiscent of the Iniquitous Pontificates of old, defined by Radomir I, and while both collectives share many similarities, (In that they are both three pontifical terms defined by sin and avarice) it is the contention of the author that the former’s crimes exceed those of the latter ten-fold, for while the latter were indeed heinous, their times as High Pontiff damaged the Church’s reputation to a recoverable point, whereas these new Darfey Papacies have broken the Church beyond all semblance of repair and increased its worldly and political power, rendering their ill decisions permanent and unfixable. For this reason, the Iniquitous Pontificates were able to be resolved with little to no bloodshed while retaining the integrity of the Church through the efforts of Saint Lucien the Good, however to resolve the Darfey Papacies the Church itself must be fully dissolved and purged. --- THE FOUR PRIMAL CONDEMNATIONS i. The sloth and ignorance of the Church. Of all which can be condemned of the Darfeyist Papacy, it is universal among men of all castes, creeds, and class that the clergy has grown apathetic to the spiritual needs of its people. The commons and lords alike have grown illiterate in ecclesiastical affairs; whether for the Darfeyist regime to prosper under the ignorance and damnation of its denizens or out of their own incompetency is left to debate among even the Reformists. For not only does this High Pontiff refuse to show his own person, he also utterly refuses to increase the ranks of his Church, preferring to remain categorically complacent in that respect as the numbers of his loyal clergy continue to barely surpass double digits. Men have been denied communion with God due to said negligence, an act so foul given the Church’s sole duty to foster intellectual and spiritual growth of their peoples. The proof is among the denizens of the Imperium itself, but even those in Darfey’s cradle are nescient of the Faith. Look only to the Grand Commander Jack Rovin, a high ranking agent of Darfeyism, in his pitiful attempts at excommunicating a heathen race in the Lucienist Issue of 1459, and his bastardization of the sacrament of matrimony by forcing Lucienist Sergeant Quinlan Campbell into a forced marriage with a dark elf (Itself a direct violation of the original Lucienist doctrine) as punishment of supposed crimes. If the Commander of the Church’s stained swords has such a primitive, barbaric sense of the Faith, the commons and lords alike whom are more distant from Darfey’s taint must anguish in their depravity. --- ii. The nepotism and favoritism of the Church. While High Pontiff Lucien II ‘the Unready’ fumbled with his administration of Faith and maintained poor relations with the Crown, his piety and allegiance to the word of God can be commended. The standing Church, on the other hand, owe their allegiance to solely Darfey. Countless preachers and progressors in the Faith have come and gone under the Darfey Papacies; Wilfriche Buron, responsible for revitalizing the Faith in the Western half of the Kingdom of Oren, Balthazar Basileus, leader of the pilgrimage graced by Godfrey’s spectre, and Cordal Winter, so pious that he was granted glimpses of the Seven Skies before his passing. Yet all were shunned in the lieu of Horen (Henry of Kaldonia) and Winter (Regulus I) agents, none which have presided over a mass or contributed to the Faith before their elevation in status. The only among them to have any merit in theological affairs was High Pontiff Pius II, who was quickly deposed in Darfey’s continued ambitions. A Church which puts its political agendas over competency, piety, and decency is a Church corrupt to the fiber of its being. --- iii. The intrigue and corruption of the Church. A church is an institution laid with mortar and stone, firm and resounding. It should act as an unwavering beacon, firm and tall above the squabbles of humanity. It has no use for cloaks and daggers; for to shroud its magnificence would conceal its righteousness and daggers are tools of the craven and underhanded, not those inspired by God and his works. Unfortunately, our ‘church’ is no church, and Darfey must don his cloak and sport his dagger to achieve wicked ends. From the orchestration of sectarian violence to the murder of kings and courts, the Darfeyist regime is built on the blood and gizzards of innocents. Concrete evidence exists of Darfey’s plots in the countless graves, yet his and his ilk are pardoned to only continue to sully the Church name deeper in the dirt. However, Darfey does not always act in death. Only look to the sham he pulled on our own Imperial Crown Prince, Robert Chivay, wedding him to a lowborn tavern wench under the guise of a Horen claimant, potentially sullying the entire Imperial line and conducting in high treason. He has yet to be punished for his heinous crime against our very Imperial crown, willing to bow to none. --- iv. The wordly ambitions and whims of the Church. A proper conclave of the True Faith must remain impartial with the sole goal of promoting intellectual and spiritual discourse. However, the Darfeyist Church has forgone its clerical designation in lieu of worldly pursuits. The three pontiffs past have neglected the entirety of clerical resources and land grants doled by their state, utilizing them to manipulate the political mechanisms of the realm in a matter which all clergy swore to avow. Darfey, much like the Owyn he condemned, is it guilty of the crime of puppeting the state to his bidding to promote his personal agendas; agendas which see a lax church which reaps tithes used to conspire against its crown, which silences those that oppose its corrupt practice with blood and steel, and one that is empowered in the ignorance of its denizens and lets them languish in their nascienity. The church was designated to serve the Oreni people by granting them knowledge of the Skies above, yet Darfey uses it as a ploy for his plots. --- THE SEVENTEEN DETERMINATE CONDEMNATIONS v. The Church Militant as a threat to the state and a threat to peace. The author of these theses asks for what reason an armed and militant body which is beholden only to one man and not by any virtue of extension to the Emperor is permitted to remain unmolested in the Empire. The Poor Fellows of St. Lucien, the respective Church Militant referred to in this writing, owes no allegiance to the Crown and instead pledges its fealty and goodly service to none but the head of the Church, the High Pontiff, who himself proclaims openly in his ‘canon laws’ to owe his own allegiance to ‘no man living’ as the voice of God. For this reason it must be asked what exactly would happen in the event that the whims of the High Pontiff, who has already indubitably shown himself to not have scruple with involving himself in the politics of man, clash with the whims of the Emperor, to who himself we all owe our allegiance? The fact that several thousand sworn swords do the bidding of the Church and the Church alone is something that should by no means be tolerated in this Empire. For when ‘God’, as Darfey would acclaim himself the avatar of, clashes against the ruler for the sake of political gain, the realm is torn asunder by conflicting oaths. Brothers will be pitted against brothers for the sake of greed, and as in the case of King Francis I, it is entirely possibly that the Church will prove victorious and hence dismantle the state, killing hundreds of thousands, destroying stability and greatly weakening the human race. This is a possibility the authors of these writings seek entirely to avoid, and it is our belief that the only way to fully avert it is by removing from the Church what armies it has. --- vi. The unlawful deposition and poisoning of Lucien II. It has been found that those who did the bidding of Darfey conspired to unseat High Pontiff Lucien II throughout the majority of the latter half of his pontificate, grasping blindly at straws as a condemned soul grasps at anything that might save it, so they might have found a thin legal pretext to depose their Holy Father. As a High Pontiff (Acclaimed by the Darfeyists themselves as the autocratic voice of God) traditionally serves until either death or resignation, this was an utterly unprecedented maneuver, however the motives behind it were clear. Lucien II’s pontificate was an obstacle between Darfeyism first gaining ground in the realm of man at the time, and as such it was decided by them that he was to be removed through whatever means possible. Though deposition of a lord by those supposed to be unfailingly loyal to him, legal or otherwise, is always a most concerning thing especially given the circumstances and that they acted against the one who they had called the avatar of God, what was to come was a far more shocking development. When he would not willingly abdicate and found support in the form of the Crown, High Pontiff Lucien II died under suspicious circumstances. A man known for his Varodyr sturdiness, who was in his estimated mid-twenties at the time of his election to the papal seat suddenly took ill and died within a matter of three days. All records of his ailment and health complaints were destroyed, and immediately after the bishop-electors elected the Archbishop of Herendul, Regulus I, to the pontificate. Some would have the audacity to acclaim it a sickness of the bowels and belly, but it is almost a known fact in most circles that Lucien II was poisoned. By whom is the question - to which I put to the reader - who had most to gain from the Holy Father’s demise? --- vii. The unlawful deposition of Pius II. Pius II was the sole Darfey pontiff who achieved his seat through diligence and hard work. It is for this reason that our condemnation of him is somewhat lessened, in that he was well-known for taking an active hand in Mass, writing, charity and preaching, and almost certainly was deserving of his position as Holy Father. However despite all this, he was an instrument of Darfey, and like all tools could be easily replaced with little expense. Through Pius II, Darfey’s work was done, and thinking him a malleable and pliable halfwit, his election to the pontificate was secured after Regulus’ resignation. After his election, however, Pius II’s outlook changed. He no longer did the bidding of Darfey and in fact took a course of action contrary to what Darfey had planned, and so he had become in that respect a liability. For which reason he was deposed ‘legally’ by the electors and cast aside to die, itself an action absolutely unfitting for one who they had acclaimed not a month prior as the avatar of God on our plane of existence. There was no cause to it apparent but that he no longer did as the Darfeyists compelled him to, and after his demise the road was paved for Darfey himself to assume his incumbent papacy as Paul III. This in itself should stand as testament to the fact that those who do not act as the tools of Darfey will have themselves no hope of possibly advancing in the Church. It is also perhaps ironic that Pius II was the only Darfey pontiff to prove an active part of Church life who upheld all its doctrines and provided spiritual guidance to the people - it is for this reason, combined with his swift deposition, that we have come to the belief that diligence is contrary to the Darfeyist way. --- viii. The cowardice in sight of a united pagan invasion on Oren soil. The sole function of Church Militant is to defend the Orenian people from pagan and heretical interests. When the Order of St. Lucien had come to its second round of blows with Dwarven aggressors under Zion, a pact encompassing virtually the entirety of heathen and heretical presence in Anthos, they chose to abandon the very principles of their oaths and declared neutrality. There is an understanding that the Lucienists felt underappreciated and held tensions with the Ruskans; but the petty whims of the Lucienists and the Darfey Church did nothing when the Orcs interrupted a mass of the true faith by putting Vekaro to the sword, did nothing when priests were slain in the streets, and acted in utter cowardice in their moment to rise and fulfill their clerical duties by defending the pious they were sworn to protect. Later in the war, they allied with said heretics against the current throne and its pious defenders. Even if they found High Pontiff Joshua’s appointment an act of heresy, the barbaric Orcish spirits and dwarven blasphemies are far greater in magnitude and severity as infidelities against the Creator, and recognizing them as legitimate befouls the nature of our absolutist ‘true’ faith. --- ix. The propagation of sectarian violence for personal agendas. Under the Darfey reign, the Church holds paramountcy in the dogma of faith. At any point the High Pontiff may adjust the Faith as he sees fit; yet instead of mending the faith to be unified, the Darfeyist Popes have largely acted to promote sectarian violence. Sects had existed long before, particularly under the reign of St. Lucien I the Good were the Kaedrini and Orthodox sects authorized, and even before the Hansetian sects acknowledged. Yet no pope has promoted senseless violence in the name of sects as Regulus, who authorized an entire war between the Order of St. Lucien and the Jolly Band of Ruskans, for the sole purpose of inflaming tensions between the groups to boil over into Zion, and later the usurpation of King Francis. Regulus did unite the sects, but it seems that was a temporary ploy in order to pacify the rising, and valid, demand of Wilfriche Buron. Pius and John of Darfey both later evoked the sects, mayhaps to abuse them once more for personal gain. --- x. The regicide of King Francis I without trial or due cause. Arguably one of the most heinous and deplorable crimes of the Church under a Darfeyist regime, at the close of the pontificate of Regulus I, the Church at Darfey’s direction conspired with Decterum turncloaks to murder King Francis I while he held neutral peace talks with Syrio of Alras. Having broken a thin and then-unbeknownst legal pretext, that being that the monarch of Oren must be crowned by the head of the faith, the Church rose its banners in open rebellion against King Francis, joining the pagan Zion alliance, and refused to end its war when he showed genuine contrition for his actions. Upon the Church’s refusal to rejoin the human people it was sworn to defend and cease supporting the paganism of Zion, Francis’ counsellors advised that he crown an antipope, Joshua I, a request he complied with in what was seen as a great error at the time. The victims of the killings at court engineered by the Church that followed are known as the Franciscan Martyrs, to whom King Francis lends his name. His murder was conducted by Lucienist templars and Decterum traitors in his throne room without a trial for the supposed crimes he had committed or in fact a judicial execution. Not only was this regicide committed without trial or justice, it was also committed for blatant political gain. The Church knew that in lieu of the pagan invasion of Oren they would prove victorious if armed conflict came to pass, and so they decided to instate a blatant power grab and endeavour to instate an illegitimate regency by killing the sovereign. It is well-documented that the Crown’s support of the anti-papacy of Joshua I was a foolhardy and reckless move, however it is less known that this only occurred after the Church refused to end its rebellion when King Francis pleaded with them to, before which the justification (Of which little was required, for the act was an undeniable grasp for power) entertained by the rebellion was nothing but an extremely weak and archaic legal pretext which would not have held up in the eyes of any law, especially since forgiveness and absolution is preached by the hypocritical lackeys of John of Darfey. The fact that the Church was allowed to turn against the state in such a fashion sets an alarming precedent, and one wonders what would become of it were it to happen today under Peter I. --- xi. The murder of Lord Chancellor Wilfriche Buron without trial or due cause. In the massacre at the court of King Francis I, many of his officers of state and vassals were slain in the ensuing chaos for no crime but having remained loyal to the Crown over the Church. These are the men who, like the authors of these writings in the event of a theoretical future struggle between the Church and the Crown, would remain loyal to the secular authorities to whom they by every law owe their allegiance and their swords. While oaths to God trump oaths to any man living, it is the contention of this writer that oaths to the monarch should by all rights be placed above oaths to any ecclesiastical authority, for if such were not true we must question why we are not instead ruled by the papacy. One such individual, who remained loyal to his ruler as opposed to the head of the faith, was the Lord Chancellor, Wilfriche Buron, who was slain at court moments after Francis himself, without trial and utterly extrajudicially. A condemnable sin, and one orchestrated without remorse by the architect of this attack, John of Darfey. The Reformists hold belief that Wilfriche was directly targeted due to his clerical work. A progressive reformer who sought to unify the faith and the sects, it was Wilfriche Buron who dismantled the idolatry of the ‘Cult of Horen’ which worshipped the Horen lineage, particularly Godfrey, which besmirched the ultimate nature of God the Creator. It seemed this upset John of Darfey, a man known for his radical Horenist beliefs, whom most likely had Buron killed on account for dismantling his heretical practice. Wilfriche is a direct foil to the Lord of House Winter, who turned his cloak and betrayed all of his oaths to his liege and lord master on the command of Darfey. This particular lord still remains a vassal of the Empire, under the Chivay dynasty, to this date, and since he has perpetrated such crimes once before, we must again call into question what scruple would possibly stop him from committing them again, this time to a more beloved monarch - Peter I. It is for this reason that we cannot attribute anything to the Winter name but treachery and murder. There is no grandiose and honorable Winter legacy or century-spanning prestige - there is either slothful inaction, or bloodthirsty intrigue. For what reason His Imperial Majesty tolerates these sinful snowflakes is beyond this humble writer. --- xii. The murder of Lord Baron Lorethos Basileus without trial or due cause. Another loyal vassal of King Francis I was Baron Lorethos of the House Basileus, whose loyalty to his liege in lieu of the Church’s betrayal cost him his life, slain brutally and extrajudicially without trial or due cause moments after Wilfriche Buron. Whereas Buron was raised in the Orthodox tradition, Baron Lorethos was a Heartlander and had little to no association with House Carrion or King Francis’ line, proving that his killing was irrespective of his sect. His sole crime in the eyes of Darfey was his opposition to the Church’s bloodshed and his honor towards his liege, and for that he lost his life. As he was the unassuming head of a noble house, comparable to many such men today, we use his example as one of where disobedience to John of Darfey and faithfulness towards a ruler will get the good Imperial man. We may pledge our undying fidelity to the Crown all we desire, but if something is not done about the matter of Darfey, we will all end up slain as Lorethos is for upholding our oaths and defending our liege. --- xiii. The murder of Damon Kovachev without trial or due cause. 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’. This murder cannot be justified by any precept of even Darfey’s skewed canon law. An innocent child slain as a result of his cloak-and-dagger intrigue is now in the Seven Skies while we are charged with bringing justice to those who slew him. --- xiv. The murder of King Francis’ lowborn courtiers; numbering roughly nine innocent fellows and one priest of the faith, without trial or due cause. Upon the extrajudicial slaying of the majority of the Francis’ court, those who remained loyal to their deceased king fled to Mt. Augustus, where they holed up and endured a week-long siege. It was broken when they sallied forth into the Lucienist forces and died heroic, martyr’s deaths, preferring to die for their king than submit to Darfeyism. It is for this reason that these ten individuals as well as the four victims mentioned prior are known as the Franciscan Martyrs, venerated in the Reformist Communion for having given their lives as a sacrifice against the deplorable movement of Darfeyism. Once more, they were slain without trial and extrajudicially, their only ‘crime’ in the eyes of their detractors being their undying devotion to their sovereign, the same attribute which is expected by every single Imperial subject today. --- xv. The attempted murder of Siguine Barrow, ward to King Francis I, the attempted kidnapping of Roy Carrion, and the wanton assault of the remainder of King Francis’ court without trial or due cause. There are those whom survived the butchery served at the ilk of the Church, Order of St. Lucien, and the Ruthern host; namely Roy Carrion and Siguine Barrow. The latter had only survived due to the efforts of two Decterum converts who had the fifteen year old boy spirited away in defiance of Mad Ailred’s wicked whims, while the former had been saved on the mercy of a wayward Orc of the Lur clan whom deplored the dishonor and disdain occurring in the halls of Vekaro’s keep. The day of the Franciscan Massacre was a day where even Orcish savages had found our acts deplorable. Yet Winter agents along with the Order of St. Lucien had continued to hunt down and kidnap the young Roy Carrion due to his value as son of the recently deceased King Heinrik. Various courtiers also made their way out of the fighting and fled the city, only to band together in the triumphant victory at Mount Augustus. All survivors of the Franciscan Massacre have been doled a crime at Darfey’s hands; a crime unanswered by the Imperial banners of justice and the god-fearing men of Oren whom seek to rest peacefully knowing that assault in the sanctity of one’s home is a crime condemned and punished. Lest we become an arbitrary lot abandoning the principles and legislation which regulate our Imperium, we must serve a justice that has been long ignored, a justice best served by the utter dissolution of the Church and its cronies. --- xvi. The abuse of clerical powers to administer an unlawful regency over Oren. Likewise the Church’s rebellion proved a rather fruitful endeavour on their part, thereafter permitting them to instate a sham regency in which each member was a known puppet of Darfey who would follow his every order. In truth Darfey was King of Oren for a year in all but name, however during this interregnum the realm was beset by anarchy. Despite the crimes of any dynasty, the deposition of a king, emperor or any ruler is a significant matter (And one the Church have proven they are fond of) and is inevitably an illegal one. Despite the Church’s claim to be a wholly separate entity from the state, and their claim to be an apolitical entity at that, the Darfey regime did administer a wholly unlawful regency council on the realm of Oren, depriving and further denying it of a monarch, using the military might of their papacy to do so with the blood of children on their hands. This is a direct violation of the precept that the Church and state are separate, and as a result we must call into question why John of Darfey believes it is righteous for the Church to interfere with the affairs of the state, but upon the vice-versa occurring, it is a most grievous sin in the eyes of God. This is simply a further testament to his corruption and hypocrisy. Just as the Church deemed it fit to interfere military with the realm of man in what it unjustly perceived as blasphemy, we as Reformists deem it fit for the monarch to interfere military in the affairs of the Church when it perceives the latter entity to be the embodiment of corruption. --- xvii. The abuse of legislative powers upon the election of Lucien II to instate papal laws contrary to precedent doctrine. After the election of Lucien II to the papacy, it was decided that as part of the terms of Darfey’s support for his pontificate (A promise which eventually expired nonetheless) he would acquiesce to several of his and Archbishop Castus’ demands, amongst them the instatement of a number of unprecedented canon laws which would permit the College of Bishops to unseat a High Pontiff without cause if they deemed it fit. This in itself was an utterly unwarranted and as before mentioned, unprecedented change, with the express purpose of solidifying Darfey’s control over the Church from an early stage. By maintaining the votes of all of the electors (Of which there are two, both bought) through bribes and other enticements he continues to stifle the Church to this day. No decisions were to be made without the approval of his creatures, the College of Bishops, who owe their allegiance to him alone. When Lucien II lost Darfey’s favour, they removed him. When Pius II lost Darfey’s favour, they removed him. And when Darfey’s ambitions shot high enough to the papal seat itself, his cronies elected him to it. --- xviii. The falsification of Church doctrine to support political agenda. Through countless rhetoric above, the Reformists have proven the inconsistencies in Darfeyist thought, yet they are other particular cases where the corrupted Church has gone back on their esteemed doctrine in order to fuel their political agenda. The first appearance of John of Darfey to the known world has him naming Augustus Blackmont a saint in his discourse with the newly crowned Heinrik and Lord Flay’s eyes a holy relic. When St. Augustus began to be used as a rallying cry against Darfeyism, however, he ordered his hounds, the Lucienists, to proclaim St. Augustus a fraud and a heresy. Who truly is the fraud here, John or August? Another issue of contention is the proclaimed papal infallibility, yet the Darfeyist Pontiffs consistent denial of their predecessors work denies the very nature of their infallibility. While the reformists hold to the belief that Regulus had unified the sects out of appeasement to the growing anti-Darfey sentiment, his successor blatantly restored the issue of sects in utter contention with Regulus’s decree. The Darfey papacy is notorious for their debacles in switching their religious doctrine to match their political agenda; an act of sacrilege and wanton power-lust. --- xix. The enticement of secular bodies to break their oaths of fealty to the monarch in favour of lesser oaths to the papacy for which such secular bodies were granted worldly gain. As mentioned in the prior bullet sixteen, the Darfeyist agenda revolves around a tangle of church and state. For the time of Darfey’s regency, every noble house was sworn to the church regency, an act which violates the tenets of Oreni feudalism and Church authority. We can assume some form of coercion or bribery was involved in order to subdue the lordlings into bending towards men sworn to avow secular politik. Yet, we can only find the hard truth of Darfey’s tactics in subduing loyal lords into his illegitimate fold if he is put to justice and testimonies provided. --- xx. The facilitation of schismatic sects contrary to Church doctrine. The ‘Cult of Horen’ has been touched upon and given some regard in the other bullets of this dissertation. Along with the Archbishop of Herendul, Castus, later Regulus I, in his early days Darfey was a strong proponent of this blasphemous cult which, in its idolatry, regarded those sanctified monarchs of the line of Horen as gods in human form. This in itself was a sub-sect of the approved of Imperial Traditionalism, and the first Holy Father who sat the papal seat with these tolerated sects was Radomir I. While during his reign the doctrinal differences between the sects were mostly minor and did not contain the propensity for violence that they do now, his turning of a blind eye to the radicalism of the Cult of Horen is seen by these authors as folly. To worship figures of Horen lineage as divine deities defiles the notion of the Creator’s divinity, by comparing his paramountcy. --- xxi. The bastardization of Lucienist doctrine writ by the hands of the most holy St. Adrian and St. Thomas. The tenets of the doctrines of the Lucienist faith were laid down to us and written by the hands of St. Adrian and St. Thomas, its founders. They preached a number of dogmas and doctrines, among them papal infallibility, clerical marriage, the supremacy of man over the lesser races and the sanctity of marriage. Since then the Church of Darfey, in accordance with its most loyal servants, the self-proclaimed Lucienists, has adopted these teachings. In these times, of these doctrines, only papal infallibility is retained and only because it suits the agenda of Darfey. To further that agenda, even Darfey would forsake that as well. The Lucienists marry man to dark elf and slay clergy who wed, itself an immediate blasphemy towards their own faith, for Lucien I was wed and possesses descendants in this realm to this day. But perhaps they cannot be held fully accountable for their straying from these doctrines, for while St. Adrian and St. Thomas imparted the scripture of Lucienism towards the people they did so in the belief that the holder of the papal seat would always be virtuous, selfless and without sin, a sentiment that we can say now is undeniably false. The High Pontiff is no more infallible than any man, least of all the aforementioned saints who expected none of these travesties to come to pass - and to the matter of caesaropapism the Emperor is the only head of the Church this Reformist Movement will consider godly and just. --- CLAUSULA The twenty-one articles that have been writ by our hands have left us weary and calloused, but we are by no means dissuaded from our goal, for we are well aware that ours is the work of God and God alone. We have delivered our arguments against the sedition of John of Darfey and his corrupt and irredeemable Church, who has himself already committed unpardonable crimes against the Chivay dynasty and in fact the realm of man as a whole. There is nothing that we of the Reformist Movement advocate more than the utter purging of the Church and the establishment of the monarch of Oren as head of the faith. Darfey and his associates must be burnt at the stake for their crimes, as we know surely here and now that they will be barred entrance into the Seven Skies on account of their vices. We implore any reading this who we may have convinced with our articles to cast aside the Darfeyist traditions of old and adopt the Reformist faith for the sake of, if not your own souls, those of the country. There is but one God, and his name is the Creator. There is no man pure enough alive, Pontiff or otherwise, who can act as an avatar in his name. We shall do as our conscience dictates us in these matters and let God alone judge the righteousness of our deeds! For the Imperium, BASIL OF SABRIS SIMON OF KHAZAV

Michael de Longueville (Naumarian: Mikel van Loengval) was a priest of the Canonist Church in the early Chivay-Carrion era of 10s, 20s, and 30s, siding himself against the Carrion monarchy and, in the beginning, being an avid supporter of the Chivay dynasts. However, when political winds changed and the two families reconciled, he was executed during his tenure as High Pontiff Pius II. He became a rallying call for later Hansetian schismatics, specifically the Waldenians of the Kingdom of Aesterwald, and his autobiographical writings became an important theological work in their dogma. The first two volumes are written by Pius II himself, while the third volume is written by an anonymous source. (OOC: Full credit to @Pius who wrote this, posting it here for easier access.) --- DEVOUT LIFE: THE SPIRITUALITY, LIFE, AND MARTYRDOM OF HIGH PONTIFF PIUS II WRITTEN BY THE HANDS OF MICHAEL DE LONGUEVILLE AKA HIGH PONTIFF PIUS II ANONYMOUS PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- VOLUME I or, the Treatise on Man and the Rule in Religion --- CHAPTER I or, Man as Creation It is clear to gentlemen of faith, gentlemen of hope, that man is not free of flaw and immaculate. As a race, we can recall that man is sinful, sorrowful, and in need of salvation. Man is a race of humility and of hope, of sin and of repentance, and of discipline and rules. It is not without grief that we can declare this the state of life for man. God instituted various establishments to further guide His creation. Our God is a just God, Our God is an awesome God, He reigns, in Heaven and on the Earth, and under the Earth. Allows for us safe passage throughout the day, and has allowed us the minds capable of crafting tools to defend against creatures of the night. He has created all things and that He so loved the world that He had made, that He was compelled to create again, but this time, a steward for His creation. This steward was man. --- CHAPTER II or, Man as Shepherd It is the man that we return to as a man new and created in love and for the purpose of love. Not to maim and kill his brother, but to defend and guard the truth. It is this truth and this reason that leads one to tremble, for he has been awakened to the notion that this reason stems from the inherent reason present in God, God who loves us has instilled in us the reason that HE Himself has. We were not only made with His reason, we can then infer that we were made in his likeness as Man. Superior to those who only look like deviants, the lesser races. Man has an inherent vocation, a universal call to sainthood after death, but a call to holiness in life. In regards to creation, man must marry himself to creation, take on creation as his bride to have and defend. This creation includes that creation lesser than him. Trees and grass, and elves, and dwarves. Man is called to guide them, and to protect all of God’s creation, but this does not mean that man is indentured to these deviants, but instead are called to guide them, like a dog with a leash. --- CHAPTER III or, Man as Religious It is the special honor that man has acquired. I refer, naturally to the special honor of being the most capable to give laud and honor and praise to our God who is worthy. Holy, Holy, Holy is the God who has made. Man must then discern in light of this great divine charity, and give thanks to God who is good. The vocations of man are as follows, marriage, consecrated, and religious. Marriage is inherently spiritual and, though some might try to deviate, it is the mission of the faithful to stay as such and know that marriage is a vocation, not a contract. It can be done only to please God and it is the inviolable seal of marriage that enables life to carry on to be fulfilled. God created life in two forms, in man and in woman. It is thus that marriage must be formed, as marriage is a continuation of creation, God created us in a way that we must imitate, for imitation of the Creator exudes holiness. Consecrated is not lonesome, it is not cloistered, and it is needed. This vocation has the defining marks of singlehood, and gives great pleasure to God who loves all men. These vocations cannot be changed by our will, but by the will of the spirit of God who inspires us. Religious does not pertin directly to those of religion, but instead in religion. That is to say, those who are consecrated to an Order or to a Diocese and with professed vows including priests, Bishops, Knights of Holiness, etc. This vocation is one more divine than the others as it is, in a way, a combination. While no one in religion can take a spouse, they are nonetheless married, either to the Church, to their Order, or to their respective charism. --- CHAPTER IV or, Rule of Life Thus are the reformed Rules of life in faith and in holiness On God in sum, God is the first of all, and man is the superior of all His creation God is the only destination of worship, though praise and honor are afforded to those of blessed lives. God is King and is superior to all those on Earth or under the Earth God is one and only one, never more than one God is love, for love was created by God and all those following God’s law are bound by love Because God is the destination of all honor and worship, the lack of or direct opposite of this is blasphemy On the life of man, Those in professed religion or in consecration cannot take a spouse and are bound by celibacy as a witness to the Kingdom of God Those who are indeed in religion ought to be public witnesses to the faith by being so disposed as to reform their habits both internal and external Only those who are naturally born as men can be rightly ordained as priests or bishops Man owes honor and thanks to the Church which God has created through inspiration. It is the Church that guides us in matters temporal and spiritual The Church of Man is made of flawed men and flawed laws. It is acceptable to reform if this Church is deemed through active prayer and discernment, deviant. Man can and ought to explore the ideas of monasticism and asceticism and deepen spirituality through prayer, fasting, penance, and alms giving On the clergy, The Clergy ought not to swear and cause scandal to their vocation The Clergy must never marry, and no dispensation is to be afforded to one who requests, in order to perfectly follow the example of the father, Pius II The Clergy are bound to be loyal to the Church first, and all other earthly entities second, unto death One is to have a servant’s spirit and accept his lifestyle as such The Clergy are to be seen as nobility, but must act as gentlemen unentitled. The first born son of noble families ought not to be considered for Seminary formation Gentlemen who have less than 500 minas to their name ought not to be considered for seminary formation Seminary Formation ought to be offered as a requirement to ordination Diocesan Clergy need not take a vow of poverty, but instead are required to swear a vow of fiscal prudence. All clergy must take a vow of obedience to a superior Any clergyman who is approached to hear a confession is bound to hearing it, and what is heard can not be repeated on penalty of grave sin. Clergymen are called to forgive for God as part of the special blessing and ordination to their order by Mother Church --- VOLUME II or, the Life of Pius II in his Own Words --- CHAPTER I or, the Early Days Michael was born in a cottage just north of Abresi. He was the youngest of the five children of Martha and Albrecht de Longueville. His oldest brother, James, would go on to become a lawman. James, however, lacked the familial pride that Michael had. When Michael was only nine, James would disgrace the Longueville name and run away with a lady of ill repute. While the family tried to forget about James, Michael continued to pray for James and his soul. Michael's second oldest brother, Henry, followed in his fathers footsteps and learned the lay of the land. Michael's two sisters, Aquina and Philomena, would both pursue marriage in their younger years. Having been born in a well-to-do family, Michael did not lack proper schooling. His father, a gentleman farmer with a few hands at his his command, paid for a priest to tutor young Michael, now a growing boy. Michael received proper education in the fields of the liberal arts, Philosophy, theology, and writing. Michael excelled in theology and was a gifted public speaker. At the point of Michael's fifteenth birthday, the Priest was sent away. Michael had reached manhood and was told by his father to grow in the name of the Creator and to discern his vocation in the world. This was easy for Michael who had been considering his vocation for some time already. He had formed his theology around the True Faith, and the graces that flowed from it. Being strongly of the opinion that the Holy Church takes precedence over all man, king or farmer, he accepted his father's wishes and set out to begin advanced training in the Faith. As young Michael, only sixteen, wandered, he prayed and sang and was merry with innocent bliss. However, Michael would soon learn that he was no longer on the Longueville cottage. Indeed, as he wandered the roads, he adopted an ascetic mindset. Believing that his faith ought to be focused on his growth not as a priest, but as a hermit and a mendicant friar of sorts. Dedicating himself to his prayerful itinerancy, Michael did not forsake a wanderer, but admitted that he had never much to give. As he prayed, and trusted in the Creator who created him and the world, his piety and seclusion grew stronger. He had never felt stronger in his faith than he did, sitting under a tree with no eyes watching, but God's. Where he could preach only to his heart and the birds. He had done away with any riches he was sent from the farm with. After several summers, Michael, now twenty-five but looking thirty-five, began to grow tired of brazing the hot and the cold alone. Of course, when such thoughts would manifest themselves, he would deny them at once - going so far as establishing regular fasting and penances. The mendicant friar, living off the land. He felt old. His bones were weak, and sores had been felt along his back, where his belt had scourged him. He felt crippled, blinded by the rain in his eyes. He tried to preach, but just as the birds were hiding, he felt his heart was as well. He laid down, to rest, to die. Michael, much to his chagrin, did not die. He suffered more, bitterly and angrily. His innocent bliss had been thrown away with his money; his care free attitude, with his faith. The mendicant surrendered, having been chased for years by his vocation, and reached the goal he had sought after when he set out from the cottage. He arrived at the home of the elderly priest who, years prior, had taught him everything he knew. The priest, now forgetting his very self, was alone. He, too, had gone in to seclusion. The priest met the boy he had raised, now thirty. The priest immediately assigned him chores, set out a bed, and once more vested the black cassock of his vocation. When Michael returned, his new liege required more from him; to shave his beard, to wash himself, and to change from his rags to the black cassock. Overjoyed, Michael did so at once. While not a priest, Michael dressed as a cleric, wearing an old cassock belonging to his teacher. Over the course of two years, the ailing priest assisted in professing the truths of the faith and rearing Michael in the ways of the priesthood. Michael would ask frequently about his ordination, but the priest refused to entertain Michael's wants. Impatient, Michael cursed the priest and set out into the rain to return to his former lifestyle. After only three days away from his studies, Michael knew he would need to humble himself to be a true priest, after all, his faith was founded in the Creator, not the creation. He set out again, back to the hermitage of his friend and teacher. Upon his arrival, an eerie calm fixed itself around him. As he surveyed the pitiable scene before him, the priest lay dead upon his cot, his clothes still damp from wandering in the rain and his skin cold and still. Michael cried no tears nor let out any emotion. He knew his mission was clear. He would pray for the priest for the rest of his life, and would live for the priest. As he committed himself to the burial rites of his spiritual father, Michael continued his studies, living in the hermitage and tending to it's upkeep. --- CHAPTER II or, the Order of St. Lucien It was at this time that, on one of their patrols, the good Order of St. Lucien, recently founded, stumbled upon Michael and allowed him the opportunity to preach and to pray for their Order. It was after this encounter that the Grandmaster, Jacque de Rovin, found it beneficial for the Order to allow the hermit as Grand Prior, and he was ordained shortly thereafter in the Chapel of Ard Krallack. As Grand Prior, he became a personal confidant and confessor to Pontiff Lucien II, assisting him in his pontifical duties in Kralta. After one battle where there were many casualties, Michael was chosen to preach at their requiem mass. While he was sensitive to the deaths, he was unafraid to criticize the lack of a Church in Abresi and the incredible lack of faith in Oren during his sermon. This would be the cornerstone of Michael as Pontiff. Being a man from the land, d’Longueville was not afraid to chaplain to the Lucienists in battle, while arrows were loosed all around him, Father d’Longueville could be seen in the thick of the fight ministering to the sick and the dying or counselling the grandmaster. He found a great love for being a curate of souls and a pastor, assisting the village of Ager in building and operating a Church. His mission was the propagation of souls and his manner at doing this was love. --- CHAPTER III or, the Bishop Candidate During his successful tenure as Grand Prior of the Order of St. Lucien, it was apparent that he held great sway. At the death of Pontiff Lucien II, he was called to minister Last Rites to the pontiff in the absence of any Bishop. This event was a defining moment for Michael, causing him heartache as a new Pontiff was named, Regulus. Unimpressed with Regulus, and saddened by the loss of his own Pontiff, Michael retreated back to the forest and prayed. It was during this time that he wrote his Spirituality of man, and his rule of life in religion. However after months and months alone, the priest received word of his ascension as Bishop over the Diocese of the Steppes and Eastcoast. While this was a time of great jubilance and celebration, Michael gave thanks to God for the wisdom of Regulus in placing him in such a function. Michael immediately wrote a Pastoral Letter to his people, the sheep in his flock. The recipients, primarily the people of Ager and to the Order of St. Lucien. These people received the letter happily, grateful for their Dioceses were no longer sedevacante. His time as Bishop was short lived, however, as the Pope, Regulus, was dying. Though Michael prayed earnestly for a longer life and a happy death, the Pope would expire, before Michael could be consecrated as Bishop. Left in a difficult position, the College of Bishops were left in a state of sedevacante. Michael, praying for divine assistance to inspire his brother Bishops, began writing a second Pastoral Letter to the people of his Diocese. However, Divine Assistance turned to Divine Intervention, and Bishop Michael was to be elected as Pontiff Regulus’ successor. --- CHAPTER IV or, Send Him Victorious During a time of triumph, as this was, Michael, now High Pontiff Pius II, was faced with great celebration as well as great desolation. The Election of Pius II caused great excitement, as well as great confusion. Michael had taken the name Pius as an analogy. It was, at that point, a great opportunity to show reformation of spirit, from an untamed and relatively wild lifestyle in his youth, to a refined and devout lifestyle later on. From Pius I, a debauched High Pontiff, to Pius II. Pius II now had great chance to enact his wants for the Church, but through prudent discernment, found the means to do so. Within only a few weeks time, a new Order was started to assist the poor, construction on a Cathedral had begun with the help of the Lucienists, and numerous gentlemen were openly and proudly discerning the priesthood as a viable vocation for their lives. Monasteries were being planned and built, seminaries, and novitiates. It was a time of growth, and a time for great happiness. It was seen early on that Pius Had a great love for country, making his personal motto “Pro Deo et Patria” - “For God and Country”. He was overjoyed to see Emperor Peter rise as the unitor of Oren and the formation of a Holy Empire. Seeing himself as the vicar of all Creation, he was amused as to the relationship between Church and State. Understanding that the Church was that of God and the State that of man, and as the Creator was superior to man, the Church was superior to State. It was inquired why such a patriotic Pontiff would not enter into correspondence to the Palace, and it was promptly answered that the State, not the Church, should reach out for dialogue. Pius showed his humility in leaving the city and venturing through the darkness and risk of the Jungle with a confidant and confessor, Father Balthazar Basileus, who had been chosen to lead the Piusian Order of St. Tobias. Basileus escorted the Holy Father through the jungle and safely to the Mission Church of Saint Tobias. It was here, at that monastery, that Pius would spend the most arduous days of his pontificate, laboring like a commoner, building, planting, and praying, ora et labora. He maintained contact to his Bishops, though this was a time when he doubted his Bishops faithfulness or reason. While he understand the necessity of their office, the occupants of those offices were found lacking. Pius prayed earnestly for his Church, praying for the many soldiers he had under him and for the men in formation to be priests. Aging, now nearly seventy, the Holy Father felt the test of time. --- VOLUME III or, the Martyrdom of Pius II In times of peril, it was Pius II’s sworn mission to turn to God, to confront the issue, rather than shirk from it. It was on a warm and humid morning at the Monastery of St. Tobias that the Pontiff learned that he was to be deposed. With great confusion and worry, he retreated into the Monastery proper, and bolted the doors, fearful of any potential assault on his person. It was here that he prayed; his prayer was one of truth and penance. Not understanding how he had engaged in any unholy behavior or how he had broken from his vows. It was blatant to him that his bishops had betrayed him. John of Darfey as well as the entire College of Bishops had sullied their own names in a treacherous attempt to sully the Pontiff’s. It was then that he wrote a Papal Bull condemning the deposition, and withheld the ability to excommunicate those who sought his triregnum. Pius II, intent on holding his claim, believed that he could foster support in the crown, the same crown that he so dutifully prayed for and was loyal to. Needless to say, he at once set out for Kaldonia, to face his aggressors. He told the monks of St. Tobias, that his time had come and to pray for the state of the church. He set out alone, on foot, to cross the rolling hills that separated him from the capitol. During the night, he slept in a tree, fearful of Iblees’ servants. It was here that he had a great agony. He was losing hope and began fearing death, knowing that he would never see his beloved monastery again, and would certainly be beset by angry mobs who had been made to believe the error of the deposition. In the tree, he felt cold, old, and tired. He reminisced to himself of his childhood and youth. He remembered when they recognized him as the legitimate Pontiff. People would bow and protect him, and now he was outlawed, and he only had himself. Understanding his death was to come soon, Pius II began to cry tears of blood and his neck began to pain him. He prayed that his vision did not come true. At daybreak, the High Pontiff clamored out of the tree and closer to Kaldonia, finally being made to see the city that was never his, Pius entered at once and surveyed. As he walked through the newly paved streets, his pontifical cassock stained and muddied. Immediately, he was apprehended, cursed, and derided. He was kicked down, his face stained with blood from his tears, and his throat paining so much it hurt to breath. Pius did not resist, knowing that he was High Pontiff for God and Country. Seeing the Anti-Pontiff, John of Darfey, the High Pontiff asked for a sentence of penance, but knew that death was soon to come. Archbishop John granted this request, and retreated. The Pontiff knelt and prayed, seeing the crowd, ugly and spiteful, spit and curse God’s chosen. With thoughts of the forest, of the Lucienists, of his faithful who at once bowed around him, he knelt. As he bowed his head, seemingly in utter depression, he knew he was victorious; for in this last act, he was sending out his last Apostolic Encyclical, his life. He remembered this street, the same street where a boy of youth would prostrate before the Holy Father, but now it was the holy father prostrate and the final bow would go to the hatchet. In an act of great reverence, the axe was the last of the faithful and the axe had the last great bow, as it came down upon the saints neck. It is with great sadness that those words are written, but as our hero and champion knew he was ultimately triumphant, we write the words in joy and confidence that the fair Pontiff has been released of his sufferings and obligations save one; to pray for all those who seek his intercession. In truth, there is not enough paper to record his holiness and his sacrifice in the name of propagating the faith and lifting high his holy teaching to love and serve the King of Creation. It is then that it is attempted, in the name of Pius II, that we record this rule and hagiography. By his intercession the axe will conquer, the axe which so swiftly was used in a cruel manner, was the saint’s final penance. Sancte PIVS, ora pro nobis!

Rosencrantz Revandir (Naumarian: Rozenkrantz Revandir) was a Hansetian-born knight and holy healer of the Chivay-Carrion eras, first appearing in records as an officer and crusader of the Order of Saint Lucien. He was reputed to have holy healing from God, and performed numerous miracles within the Kingdom of Aesterwald and the former lands of Hanseti, and became a local folk-hero to many of the Hansetian peoples, especially the Waldenians. The Saga of Rosencrantz Revandir recounts his famous deeds and tales, believed to be written by a collection of numerous anonymous sources. However, due to book burnings and the collapse of the Hanso-Waldenian monarchy, much of the work has been lost and only fragments remaining. (OOC: Full credit to @Charles_Grimlie who wrote this, posting it here for easier access. Link to his original thread below: ) --- SAGA OF ROSENCRANTZ REVANDIR, VOL. II-IV WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF ANONYMOUS TRANSLATED BY THE HAND OF HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- VOLUME II or, Rosencrantz, his Brothers, and the Siren of Bear Lake It was a cool evening, deep within the hostile lands of the Dwarven Folk. A group of men bearing white robes and the red mark of Saint Lucien upon their chest approach the shores of Bear lake. Holy Ser Rosencrantz, with a harpoon in hand looks to his Brothers sweeping his free arm towards the calm waters declaring to them with a stern voice, "Pardon the navigational error Brothers but we have arrived, and it is here we hunt the Siren." as he finishes a thick fog begins rolled into the bay followed by a retort from his Brother Saeros, "Well this is suspicious!" and another comment from his Easterner Brother Raigeki, "Hai!" as the squinted man clutches his own harpoon tightly. "Fear not Brothers, it is almost dawn... I am sure this fog is common!" Holy Ser Rosencrantz utters as he looks towards the waning moon and the rising sun. It was then after much discussion of what they planned to do with the Siren, which they have never seen before, that a melodious tune began to play off in the distance. The Brothers and the Holy Ser were enchanted by the sound, "What is that majestic tune?" said Ser Rosencrantz, "No matter, I wish to hear more of it!" Ser Rosencrantz begins to walk eagerly listening to the music ignoring the sound of sand beneath his feet, his Brothers followed in tow. Not far from their original location the band of Brothers found the source of the sound, a peculiar outcropping of mist encircled, water bound rocks with a single white birch resting atop the tallest stone. "Look here some Canoes!" Rosencrantz shouts to the band becoming desperate to find the musician. The brothers begin to mount the two beached canoes, generously provided by the Osage Druids, and with the help of Brother Raigeki's acquaintance, known as 'Turban', they embark towards the stones with a few swift strokes of their oars. As the band of Brothers approached through the light mist with their small vessels, they see the sight of a maiden sitting upon the furthest rock. This was the source of the beauteous symphony they heard upon the shore, a golden haired maiden with a lyre in hand and a voice of elvish silk. Landing upon the rock with the birch growing from its point, Ser Rosencrantz questions with maiden, "Who are you miss, who plays such fine tunes?" The Maiden giggled as she paused her song, "It is not chivalrous to ask for a woman's name." Ser Rosencrantz winces as he foolishly insulted the woman's honor, "Very well. I am Ser Rosencrantz, we seek the Siren who is said to live in this lake by the name of 'Lestia the Alluring'." the knight said in a firm tone straightening himself before the woman, "I have not heard of a Siren in these lakes, knight." The woman replied looking to the Ser Rosencrantz a gaze of certainty. "Will you marry me!?" Shouts his noble Brother Rydel Elendil, bastard son of the absent Pious Ser Rymeul. The maiden turns head lightly as her locks glistened in the sun, "That is quite the bold question... However I will play a song for you, name one and I shall play." She says playfully plucking the strings of her lyre. "I wish to hear the one about the Adunian Sex Lord." Cheered Rydel in his complementary Adunian accent. The maiden stutters as she ponders a response, "I- I do not know that one well... But I can try." Ser Rosencrantz then turns to Rydel with a displeased look to his face, with a raised voice "Oh do not insult this fine woman with such a lewd request.", "It is a good song of an Adunian who was well known for his heroics, and his way with the ladies." Retorted Rydel, his Adunian laced voice raised as well. The Maiden then begins to play another tune, the band of squabbling brothers bring their arguing to a halt as they once again become charmed by the maiden's performance. It was not long before the musician put forth her arm, beckoning Rydel across the water to her stone. With haste he stumbles from his place into the water, with aid of the maiden he mounts her rock. The brothers mutter to one another curious of what was about to happen as they watched their brother slip behind the stone with the mysterious maiden. Some thought sodomy, others questioned the absurd notion, and one, Brother Saeros, thought it would be Rydel's demise. It was then a yelp from the maiden was heard, followed by a splash, Ser Rosencrantz darted up to his feet abandoning his harpoon as he skipped across to the small island followed by Brother Liam Mclode. It was too late, they knew a danger lurked in the depths and no matter how hard they looked there was no sight of Rydel in the depths, nor the maiden. Soon a coughing and gasping for air was heard upon a rock closer to the shore, the maiden lay soaked by the dark waters, pleading for the Brother's aid "The Siren! She has caught Rydel." a muttering was heard among the brothers, now free of the enchanting tune, of the maiden's validity. It was then Liam moved to meet the maiden on her new stone, aiding her. The mist which peacefully lay upon the lake began to roll in, thickening greatly in unnatural ways. Their Brother was now out of sight and another splash of water could be heard where Liam stood by the bank of the stone. "Brother Liam!? How fair you?" hollered Rosencrantz but no answer was heard. In the fog the Holy Ser shouted to the direction of the near by rock bearing his brothers, "Give me my harpoon Brother Craig!" and through the thick mist his Harpoon came towards him allowing the knight to catch it. The dense water in the air slowly begins to part exposing a bare rock where the maiden once stood along with their Brother. It was no hiding the truth, it was this mysterious woman who was Lestia, the Siren they were sent to hunt. The song could be heard again creeping through the winds from another selection of stones breaching the water. With haste Ser Rosencrantz took out his night-time ear plugs, as nights were commonly loud in the keep, placing them into his ears blocking the noise. With an abnormal tone he shouted for his shaken Brothers to do the same. With a shout and a leap, Ser Rosencrantz lands on the rock bearing the tree, gesturing his brothers towards their canoes. "We must seek the filthy witch, and save our Brothers. They must be still alive!" he spoke to his brothers in an abnormal tone uncertain of his own. Guiding the party of five towards one of the small vessels they took turns leaping again to where the Osage canoes were docked. Brother Saeros however was not as lucky, he slipped upon the stone he leaped from landing into the deep murky waters and as he pulled himself to the surface the Brother was forced under. Ser Rosencrantz with a roar lunged into the water grasping the hand of the Elven Creatorist, pulling him to meet the air once more, a quick thrash in the water allowed this to happen as Saeros pulls from the depths his dagger. Blood soon began to surface from the lake and the song ended, "I have got the hag." he mutters shaken by his near death experience. Ser Rosencrantz guides his brothers to the canoes, with a few prompting phrases, "Get in the Canoe!" and "By the Creator get in the Canoe!" setting off towards where the witch's song was last heard. As they breached the fog once more the Siren Lestia stood over the two unconscious Brothers, Rydel and Liam, in her true form with blade in hand. They disembarked onto a near by stone, raising their harpoons to meet the Siren "Do not make another movement!" Lestia hissed to Ser Rosencrantz, "Return our brothers to us unscathed, heathen witch." the Holy Ser retorted. Suddenly Saeros sent forth his weapon at Lestia, "You fool Brother, what have you done?" Ser Rosencrantz hollered at Saeros as the harpoon missed the Siren. However, this was enough provocation as Lestia brought her blade towards Rydel. Before the blade reached his throat, the downed Rydel awakes from his state quickly keeping the hag at bay. "Quickly the Harpoons!" bellowed Raigeki in his eastern accent as he throws his own alongside the flurry of others from his comrade Turban and Brother Craig. The knight kept a firm hold of his weapon as the Siren shrieked in agony having sustained a wound in her arm from Craig's Harpoon. With haste she disembarked the rock sinking into the watery depths as the Brothers remained stranded upon their stone. It was soon prevalent that Lestia the Alluring had lost, as she, in a final attempt, breached the surface lunging towards the Holy Ser with sharp teeth barred and dagger in hand. Ser Rosencrantz preparing for this held his harpoon high and performed his own lunge, striking the Siren straight through her tail. Lestia made a weak attempt to retreat to the near by rocks. It was here the witch began to beg, "Please, do not kill me." Lestia spoke in her innocent voice, the harpoon logdged firmly in fish legs. --- VOLUME III or, Rosencrantz and the Riddle Machine It was a sunny afternoon, Ser Rosencrantz was traveling towards the Orenian checkpoint when a peculiar Orc in a Chef's outfit barred his pass, "Halt! We Orcs have a new game, it is called 'The Riddle Machine'." Ser Rosencrantz, surprised by his barring of passage responds quickly, "A new game? Very well I shall partake!" The Orc beckons the Holy Ser to follow him to the game room, and as the locked chamber came into sight he saw a blonde teenaged girl scratching at the Iron door. Ser Rosencrantz became quite confused and with a quick shove from the Orc he found himself tumbling into the room. "How rude, you did not have to shove me!" the Holy Ser retorted as he stood up and brushed himself off. Ser Rosencrantz was now in a closed room whose floor was studded with Emeralds, it also had a deep pit on one side under some signs which said "Answer the riddles, if you answer wrong you die." or at least what the knight was able to translate from the crude Orc writing. The Holy Ser looks to the Orc straightening himself before the window which bore a room with a couch and a peculiar button to the side, "Very well Orc... I never shrug from a challenge!" He stated as he awaited the Orc to begin. The Orc he now knows as 'Rap' was accompanied by a few others... One notably named 'Ick'. After talking to the Girl, which Ser Rosencrantz discovered was mute the questions began. Rap asked Ser Rosencrantz, "What is true peace?", the knight began to ponder and answered thinking it a trick question, "There is no peace, only skulls for Krug." Sadly, Ser Rosencrantz was wrong. The Girl with him in the room was allowed to answer as well, she responded with her note pad, “Fighting for Krug.” She too, was wrong. Ser Rosencrantz felt defeated as he sat down on the emerald studded floor placing his head in his hands pondering the question one more time, before the Orcs could press the mysterious button he quickly shouted at his game hosts, “Death!?” Rap responded, "Yes!" However, the other Orcish hosts thought otherwise. The wall behind him began to slide inwards. "Interesting." He stated curious of the mechanisms which powered it. "What has two arms but cannot clap?" the Orc named Ick questioned Rosencrantz in which he rebuttled, "A Clock!" which the mute girl thought the same as she showed her note pad to the Orc. Sadly he and the Girl were wrong as it was, "An Orc with short arms" the wall was moving ever closer. The Orcs who filled the small questioning chamber grew restless and began to plead for the button to be pressed again so that they could see their prey fall to their death. Ser Rosencrantz now stood at the edge of the pit, his expression remained calm as he began to prepare for the next question. In moments Rap asked the next riddle, “Klomp the girl.” perhaps not a riddle at all. The Orcs in the chamber began shouting their mantra, “Klomp! Klomp! Klomp!” As the Holy Ser looked at the teenager beside him. “I refuse!” He said with a bold statement, “I would rather fall to my death than kill this young maiden.” It was then he felt himself grind towards the edge and fall... Ser Rosencrantz stood up in a chapel of the Creator, his head dizzy and his bones aching, he forgot where he had been save for where he was much earlier, perhaps a band of Thieves got the better of him. --- VOLUME IV or, Rosencrantz, his Brothers, and the Second Venture to the North Frozen winds laced with the odd snowflake sweep through the northern pass of the Scourge lands, before it twelve figures and a pack of Blood Hounds approach. The Grand Master's howling could be heard in the wind as he assembles the Brothers into formation, Ser Rosencrantz stood in the field mounted upon his stoic war-donkey; Otto Von Schniepp. In the distance the party of Brothers could see the wall which barred the passage into Setherin's lands, Bohra stood guard near its gate.

Rise of True Rectitude or the Founding of the Teutonic Order is a transcribed narrative from the mouth of the Hansetian king and founder of the Teutonic Order, Gaius Marius (Narmarian: Geiyus Marus), written down in volumes by one of his successors Mark von Nurem. Gaius rose to promimence as a Hansetian warlord, originally fleeing the north to the undead invasion, commanding armies for local lords and armies in the heartlands, and later, forming his own ‘Hansetian Order of Teutonic Sariants’ (or Teutonic Order), composed of mostly Hansetian refugees and local levies. He would later become King of Oren for a brief time, before declaring himself the independent King of Hanseti, led by a military junta under the Teutonic Order. During his life, he wrote a set of disorganized memoirs and logs of his life, detailing the founding of his famed Hansetian host. (OOC: Full credit to @Gaius Marius who wrote this, posting it here for easier access. Link to his original thread below: ) --- RISE OF TRUE RECTITUDE, OR THE FOUNDING OF THE TEUTONIC ORDER SPOKEN BY THE MOUTH OF GAIUS MARIUS AKA GAIUS VON HANSETI WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF MIRTOK VON NUREM AKA MARK VON NUREM PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- An Order, composed of the truest and most intelligent men and women, begin their rise. Steadily, the Order coldly calculates their every move, even resource they gather, every body they count. The Order remains engulfed in the cloak of secrecy, knowing in it's infancy, arrogant kingdoms and groups would happily kill the young with no remorse. The members remain secretive of their truest intentions for the Order, knowing the words passed along can alert the most corrupt of the Order's intentions... --- Rumour has it that this Order has erected their first bastion, yet it is equally as shrouded in the veil of secrecy as this Order's intentions and members are. Travelers who do perhaps stumble upon this bulwark by chance will be awed at the extremities this Bulwark was built upon and how the men whose masonry built the very walls survived in the climate. --- Travelling into the deeply encrusted lands of snow and ice of Northern Oren, the figure gasps in complete awe upon the awkwardly rigid form that appears through the blinding wintry precipitation. A citadel with an aura of glad tidings beckons this figure to slowly step backwards to take into account the enormity of this formation. After the long pause of minutes, taking every detail of the citadel to memory, the figure stumbles and walks back; suffering from the awe inspiring features that he just witnessed. Upon returning from his original location, it is deemed that the Order will dispatch a member of eloquence to beckon a meeting with those who inhabit this citadel in the North. --- The cries for amnesty, mercy, and beggings of rest, food, and shelter ring within Gaius's ears as he limps throughout the battlefield. Despite his injuries and the limping as a result, Gaius ensures his every step is carefully placed as he walks upon ground painted with blood and hosts the strewn bodies of humans, orcs, and elves. Witnessing and beholding the final siege upon the Keep of the Undead, Gaius tempers the cold as he fights the demons now placed inside him, the sights and sounds of death blow knots inside his stomach and a constant torture upon his mind. Yet despite this torture of what he witnessed, yet another thing he witnessed brings joy to his heart, the truest victory he has ever tasted, the redemption of those hundreds of men, women, and children that were slain by the devils themselves. Upon the success of the latest siege, Gaius heads back to the Order, smiling almost maniacally at the news that is on his tongue and wishing release as glad tidings. Upon returning to his Sariant Monks, Gaius reveals the heralded news and the men let out a cheer of triumph. As the chill of night sets, Gaius reveals a warning to his men and an urge that the Order must progress much faster to answer any future threats... this certainly cannot be the last trick up the sleeve of Iblees so to speak... --- The bustling of a newborn village keeps Gaius's senses alive and hearkens all that goes on around him. His title, Hochmeister, gives him complete control over Nuremburg and with it, the tiresome responsibilities. Despite the stress, he knows this village will thrive and grow and the military will alongside it. He gives greetings to two of his fellow knights passing along the freshly hewn stone path, already giving the path a beating of dust and dirt from their armoured bodies as they approach the Fort of Nuremburg to gather needed materials. Hochmeister Gaius is impressed with the progress, especially increasing due to the destruction of the Undead Keep, giving relief to the tested nerves of the Teutonic Knights so far. Gaius knows now that his Order have released themselves from the thick fogs of the mountainous forests, he must pay even more crucial attention and thought to the progress from here on out. --- Just as was spoken of days before, the calculated possibility of a reemergence has proven true. Lightning stands contrast on the horizon compared to the ink black night skies, the Knights pick up their pace along the stone paths to their homes to gather supplies. The Hochmeister marches his OrdenMarschalls Alizyn and Lunar throughout Nuremburg to answer to the heralds causing commotion within the town. Word brought of a figure sprawling out from a cavern, wretched in sight and sound as it ran swiftly throughout the woodlands. The heralds told of how the creature spoke of the Undead, of Iblees mocking the destruction of his Keep in the North and how he will rise swiftly back to higher station. Gaius sighs heavily and knows the time is closing, he must secure his position and empower the military structure of the Teutons and ensure that they can readily respond to any encroaching threat. --- With the events that have happened recently, it has become increasingly imperative that the Order begin to recruit the most honest and hard-working individuals of Oren and the other regions alike... --- The expansion of the town has gone very well, with newly linked roads being used in modest manner and new homes being constructed of the finest yew, stone, and fabricated with craftsman quality. Adornment of the streets with the wildflowers of the area and the roses of the thickest thorn crown have given the town a much more livelier atmosphere. The townspeople have shown gratitude to the Hochmeister for his wise civil initiatives in the town and many civil works have been planned for the town. The Hochmeister has sent a few of his Knights to act as messengers, to recruit from the lands the most intelligent and hardened men to act as Monks and fellow Sariants of the Order. --- With the influx of Sariant Knights to the town of Nuremburg, the terraced hills expand from the origin; the Fortress of Nuremburg. Rolling hills now flattened, sprawling streets and homes of various sizes and heights spring upon the freshly dug planes of land. Hochmeister Gaius issues his best agents to pursue espionage missions in the North, eager to start his next phase for military preparedness. Gaius knows that the first moves of the Order in the military aspect will be crucial to the success of campaigns that the Order may pursue. Rumors that the strongest servants of Iblees may have fallen back onto guerilla tactics and inhabiting Snowy Fields secretly has given Gaius a start for his spies to start searching for any organization amongst the Undead. Trusting his agents well, he sends them off with morale raising words as he turns his masonry skills to the next task, a barracks fit for training Knights of the Teutonic Order. --- Gaius stammers in utter amazement as a man appears before his eyes, greeting this mysterious man, he is responded with the gift of calling this man The Wandering Wizard. Gaius gives this Wandering Wizard a tour of the town of Nuremburg, at the end, the Wandering Wizard exclaims extraordinary wishs of great success for the town, somehow brightening the day of Gaius's, weathered down by the past hours of hard labour and sweat inducing activities. --- The grunts and shouts are Sariants ring along the cold stone walls of the Duel Arena in Nuremburg, accompanied by the stretching sounds of arrows being nocked in place and the whirl of missiles plastering across various bullseye targets. The Brethren have made great strides to train for military campaigns, hopefully the training will finally pay off... --- Gaius enters a rustic tavern, noticing the cabaret entertaining the folks sitting upon wooden stools and along tables filled with food and drink. Scanning the faces are merriment and intrigue, Gaius finally finds who he is looking for and approaches in a nonchalant fashion. Reaching the tavernkeeper, Gaius and the tavernkeeper sit amongst the more populated side of the room, entranced by the musicians seducing their drunken minds with instrumental jubilee. Leaning into their own conversation, Gaius and the tavernkeeper trade many a word before heading their separate ways. Gaius shifts a parchment scroll from his left to right hand and back again, eyeing the contents contained little by little. Gaius walks carefully throughout the crowds gathered in the main square of AlKhazar and walks out the main gate to meet a few of his Sariants gathered on the King's Road. --- Sliding his hands against the grime riddled walls of the dimly lit sewers, Gaius steps ever so carefully through the briny liquids of waste and decay as he navigates the sewers. Upon reaching his destination, he wipes his hands upon the mail skirt to rid them of any residue and commences grappling onto a ladder and pushing himself up step by step. With the lift of the trapdoor, he peers around the edge of the opening and hoists himself up and out from the hole and crouches to belittle his figure in the city. Skipping along the paths intertwining within the city, Gaius climbs and moves amongst rooftops and picks a spot that gives him clarified view of a hooded man sitting in a shop, his hand gestures tell that he is awaiting a guest. Gaius whispers, 'Black Hand' and furrows his eyes to notice any other details in the shop that he is missing... --- As both men's breathe began to synchronize with each movement closer, Gaius tilts with his last step and leaps at the man he was trailing within the forests of Oren. Gaius's dagger thrusts into the figure, quick and serene is the process, but even quicker is the process to gather the limp body and orchestrate its defiling within a nearby cesspool. The lagoon blossoms and blooms with velvety red as the body begins to float ever so slightly along the surface of the water, Gaius sifts through the man's pockets for any parchment or maps, then looks around and starts to dart amongst the oak... --- The rustling of forest decay cloak the conversations amongst the group of men traversing the Tundras of the North. Hochmeister Gaius and his Teutons, making up the left column of the army peer silently across the landscape, now billowy white in soft snow in search of any lingering spies. Accompanied by the House of conDoin, Cataris and his nobles make up the right column and then citizens of Kramaroe filled in between. It was only hours before when Kramaroe was razed by what was perhaps an attack by the Black Hand, Gaius and Cataris answered the pleas of the residents misplaced by the disaster and mustered their men to the ready and marched forth from AlKhazar. Weary of any stragglers, Gaius and Cataris move through the woodlands to spot any possible heathens wishing to take count of the impending force moving through. Gaius, with information gathered from his tavernkeeper, speaks of a tower made of stone and obsidian, but then stares in stark surprise as the tower seemingly appears from within the fog as they move steadily forward. Ordering his men to spread looser and to find hiding places, he moves forward with Cataris and hear a faint whimper. Upon closer examination, a woman lies upon a dirt mound near a destroyed home, with a creature of sorts crouched across her. Gaius and Cataris unsheathe their swords as quietly as possible, but the creature peers at the two approaching men and sneers, flesh dribbling from its mouth and flashes its blood caked teeth at them. Drawn back, the two stare in horror as the woman chuckles and sighs hysterically and beckons them with greetings, the creature lifts itself up and presents itself in a more human-like form, a necromancer it calls itself. Gaius and Cataris glance at each other then call their men forward, the necromancer skips backwards from the mutilated woman and shrieks threats of death and dispair. Upon hearing a rush of yells and crunched leaves, Gaius turns about and attempts to yank a man by his linen shirt, but misses as the men of Kramaroe rush forward and scream curses and wishes to relinquish their revenge upon this necromancer. Cataris and Gaius both curse the ill disciplined and order their own Men to stand in rows behind them as they look around and notice new faces shifting about the grounds. The Sariants and men of conDoin assemble and brace themselves as Cataris and Gaius call out to the strangers newly arrived... --- After parrying another follower, Gaius kicks in the knee of an attacker from behind and maneuvers over the fallen attacker. His eyes moving about in calculating glances, he takes in the number of Black Hand and feels relief as he notices the numbers quickly dwindling. After swinging his sword into the shoulderblade of another follower, he notices his original targets escaping and fleeing back to the tower, striated of granite and obsidian; he then howls at Cataris of his intent and gives chase. Trailing behind the scrawny necromancers, flowing black robes nearly camouflaging them within the shadows casted by the imposing structure they entered, Gaius almost loses track of them before one curses and swings his hand in his direction. A burst of electricity surges from the mottled fingertips and travels in an arc towards Gaius. Narrowly escaping the bolt thrown, Gaius throws himself against the walls, knowing that stone would not conduct the electricity cast... --- Bitterly biting his tongue to subdue his body's reaction to the windy snows falling around him, Gaius glances for another cobble ledge to grab for as he scales the Black Hand's tower. Thankful for the blinding snow enveloping him from any men on the ground from sighting him, he pushes himself feet upon feet closer for the parapet of the tower. Upon clumsily hoisting himself up and over the parapet edges, he straightens up and enters the tower. Upon entering the interior, he looks in horror at what seems to be mottled flesh and charred bones adorning the obsidian walls of the tower. Upon his first few steps, he slips and stumbles down a few steps, gashing his hand used to balance himself as he reinforced his weight against the walls. Stepping more carefully, Gaius spots the draping robes behind a pillar and swiftly takes cover behind a worn door as he overhears talks of Scions being sent to AlKhazar... --- Upon arriving back to the town of Nuremberg, Gaius notices his OrdenMarschall standing upon a looming tower standing within the valley bowing close to the bosom of the Earth. Upon climbing the stairs within the spire, Gaius stands upon a stone ledge overlooking the town, along with his companion Glylith and gaze upon the magnificent progress they made. The clouds adorn their town in both a cloak of secrecy and a cloak of beauty, the true face of determination and courage veiled with the most beautiful cloth of pure calm. The many stoic buildings, the men, women, and children traversing the stone paths, the humility of being able to provide the safe haven for the races of Aegis, yet.. Gaius realizes that this can not come to last forever, that he must mobilize his forces and pursue military campaigns. After the skirmish North of AlKhazar alongside the House of conDoin, Gaius knows the attitudes of the Undead at the moment, and he knows he has the capability, manpower, and tactical knowledge capable of ensuring success in the North. --- Onlooking from his own home in the Inner Keep of Nuremburg, Gaius notices a figure running in the distance towards the town. Rubbing his eyes and blinking, Gaius observes the distant creature as it's image grows clearer the closer it gets. The image now completes itself in the identity of a woman, face worn with a reddening skin and tears as she flails her arms in a bizarre manner, long hair intertwining with the wind as twigs and leaves detach from the moving entity. Gaius's face distorts in confusion and disgust as the woman lets out a frightening wail and her movements become more erratic, prompting him to climb feverishly down the staircase and sprint out from the Inner Keep and into the streets. Upon noticing their Hochmeister's concerning entrance into the streets, they march to arrive at his side as Gaius stares down the street at the woman approaching. Noticing all of the men lining the end of the street she is running down, she slows to a brisk walk, her neck contorting different possible angles and her mouth giving out a low hum mixed of distress and humoring. Faces of disbelief greet her as she inches closer and closer to the Hochmeister, laughing hysterically and muttering curses and otherworldly words. Gaius shouts for her to stop her blathering and to answer back, but she only responds to his demands by worsening her behaviors, shaking her head and twitching her eyes quicker and quicker. Putting a hand on the hilt of his sword and grasping it slowly, Gaius steps a few paces forward to the strange woman and addresses her as a witch, the woman only issues a earsplitting shriek and skitters backwards, falling onto the hard stone path and throwing her hands up in defense. Staring at the woman in this pitiful position, he demands to know her problem and only gets a reply of utter nonsense. Calling his men to grapple with the woman and put her in bindings to keep her from escaping, the woman cries out for help from Gaius and claims that she was affected by a necromancer who had entered her mind. Furrowing his eyebrows and glancing at the woman, he lays a hand on the shoulder of one of the approaching Sariants and demands them to retreat back to their original business as he looks over the woman and asks her to lead him to her home... --- Noting the men traversing the streets in his direction, Gaius rests his shovel with the spade sliding into a crack on the stone path and he lies his head upon the handle. The Sariants, feverishly digging soon slow as they notice the numbers approaching and relax their bodies and ready for what these familiar people bring to them. Gaius gives them salutations and the men return greetings with a wavering tone. Wishing for a private word with the Hochmeister, Gaius confirms that he is the Hochmeister and one of the men step forward and gently grasps Gaius' shoulder and walks him towards his camaraderie and beckons his men to act with respect. Gaius looks at what seems to be the leader of the group and acquires the issue at hand, and grins as the man replies wishing to be able to put his village under the protection of the Teutonic Order. Ensuring the man that his question is respectfully asked, Gaius issues his declaration that he will inspect the nearby village and take the oaths of every villager to serve as Sariants of the Teutonic Order. --- Men wearing chainmail shirts scatter in array towards the impending scores of monstrosities wailing and barking in the midst. Swords raised, the men pick up speed before clashing in powerful awe with the opposition, sending some of the heathens flying backwards with a plume of dust enveloping much of the action from the battle. The cries of slaughter and screeches of cretins fill the air just as much, yet even still, the chants and hymns of the Teutonic Knights blasts the ears of the enemies with morose desperation as they try to fight off the superior force... --- The masonry of the walls and gatehouse of the castle stands pristine in stark contrast to the foreboding and sullen landscape that surrounds this establishment. The gatehouse is set in place made of stone riddled with moss and inscribed with the most solemn and grave sounding hymns and poems. As the mist dissipates and the fog fades, the walls stand tantamount to the impending power and gaining of the Teutonic Order's momentum. The Brethren have already seen complete military success in each campaign they've embarked on and a solidifying such as the walls around the capital of Nuremburg should show that the Order has independent interests outside the usual talk of the tavern and lonesome hero, the Teutonic Order has evolved from a crusade to a Military Order, calculating the need for their personal interests being sought even more than the wilting Undead and their miniscule threat. --- Spitting on the ground, face grimacing in disgust at the ignorance he hears, Gaius stands with another man as he watches Princess Aliciana and her friend trade words. Looking at the current situation unfolding with further and further agitation, Gaius speaks up, cutting off Aliciana from her conversation with the deamon-possessed Schatten and curses them both for prolonging the inevitable. With Boiendl slowly agreeing more with him, Gaius urges the Princess to kill the man. Explaining that the body would see more peace and would be thankful to be put to its final rest than to be animated into agony, Gaius pulls out his sword and faces the man. Aliciana cries out words of command and Gaius looks back at the Princess, baffled at the arrogance she exudes, but she quickly apologizes and tells Gaius to leave the friend to her own to dispatch, after a quick exchange of sorrowful words, she cracks a whip and unhinges Schatten's head off from his shoulders. With a wisp of smoke alike to steam from a stove, Schatten's demon dissipates and his body falls limp on the ground. With a gasp and shudder, both Aliciana and Boiendl flinch at the scene of gore, as Gaius looks solemnly at the body and grasps the handle of a shovel. Upon breaking the ground near the body, the body creaks with the reanimation of bone and flesh. Without a word, the body picks itself up and scrambles through the streets, Gaius attempts to throw the shovel awkwardly to stop the body from running, but misses terribly. Aliciana guffaws at the poor attempt and scorns Gaius for coming too late to her call for help. Coming face to face with the Princess, Gaius sticks his forefinger in her face and informs her that he had to get his men ready for he had thought the threat real and not one filled with nonsensical drama. After trading barbs at each other, the Princess takes out a yellow gem and swings it about to create a means to get back to AlKhazaar. Gaius urges her to heed one last bout of words from him, chastises her to never order him about, stating that he is the one of the land they stood on, not one of the Court jesters and to hold her tongue in respect when not in her palace. Aliciana curses him heavily and seemingly teleports from the location, leaving Boiendl and Gaius standing alongside Praxedis, Boiendl holds out a hand in a show of friendship, albeit in a nervous manner. Gaius takes the hand and thanks him for helping him earlier and tells Boiendl that he is welcome in Nuremburg whenever he wishes. --- Nuremburg has finally risen to it's zenith, a flourishing and lively town, complete with an amicable plebeian population and knights in fellowship as the streets are bustling with the talks of the land. The architecture is pristine, lending homeliness to the austere environment of the solemn Teutonic Order. The climate, the rolling clouds and misty fog add a crisp quality alike a woman's warm smile to all those who traverse the town and many walk with fur apparel to combat the cold that lingers in the night. --- Followed by his Sariants, the low chants and hymns ringing across the plateau they now stand on, Gaius slows to a bare step and raises his hands and motions his men to stand in place. Gaius peers across the vast stretch of rugged land that lays forth from his vantage point, squinting his eyes to notice the wildlife in abundance skittering around. Tools clatter against the soft earth below their feet as the Sariants begin projecting what is needed to raise a camp where they stand, Gaius pulls aside Mirtok and tells him that he has the final choice of where to break ground for the new village. The growing population, the full capacity of Nuremburg, and the well thought out ambitions have pushed the Teutonic Order to possibly found a new village. This new village will eventually thrive into a town to rival Nuremburg and will ensure that the sphere of influence of the Order is ever growing in size, capability, and impact on the neighboring tribes, clans, and guilds who will come to know the Order in short time. --- Gaius orders his men to throw the freshly lit torches upon bales of hay stuffed neatly within the corners of the homes, his eyes shimmer with every ember that skips forth from the growing flames. The helmets of the Sariants glint as the flames grow from the youth of kindling into an infernal display of billowy yellow and red flames, lashing about menacingly as the wood it roots from becomes slowly eaten. Gaius looks about, ordering his Sariants to march about with swords drawn, to find the man they came for. An old woman limps her way to Gaius's side and throws an arm upon his shoulder and wails against his actions, Gaius looks at her solemnly and addresses her kindly, informing her that her farmlands will not be scorched. With the old lady accompanying him, Gaius marches into the villa and looks in utter surprise as he finds Lynx looking out of the window. Upon hearing the door open, Lynx trips and catches himself on the windowsill and stares in horror as the Hochmeister enters, Gaius glares at him and tells him to stand still as he slowly slides his finger along the inscribed handle of his sword. Gaius does not flinch as his Sariants suddenly slam the door open and hustles around Lynx, his face glowering in horrific fear. Gaius addresses his grievances with Lynx, citing the entries in his journal as proof to his betrayal and slams the journal on the table with a thud and uses two of his fingers to flip to the pages and reverses the journal against the table and slides it toward Lynx. Shouting now, Gaius demands Lynx explain himself, Lynx simply stutters and slowly slides onto the floor and stares into Gaius's fiery eyes. Taking his sword out with a loud sliding stammer, he steps swiftly towards Lynx and points the sword perpendicular to his throat, Lynx then bolts upstairs to the shouting of a woman. Gaius follows him behind step for step and they arrive to the scene of a woman lying in pain draped across a bed. Lynx turns around and informs Gaius that he must take care of her and tells of his being a Druid with Gaius swiftly responding that even a Druid can be corrupt. Lynx attempts to shut a door on Gaius but is quickly responded with Gaius sticking his arm out and keeps following Lynx. Upon arriving at the woman's side, Lynx tells him to not act lewd, Gaius refutes saying that he is a modest man and not one to find perversion in such an act as childbirth and keeps an eye on Lynx. Lynx then leans towards the woman to whisper, glancing suspiciously at Gaius, looking upon this; Gaius yells for the old lady. The old woman slowly walks into the room, Gaius asks her if she is knowledgeable in midwifery and she replies in kind response. Gaius then grabs Lynx by the armpit and drags him out, the Sariants start chanting a grave hymn and take out their swords. Gaius gives final warning and asks if he wants any words spoken, the woman cries out and the old lady attempts to restrain her, but to no avail. As the Sariants slash upon the scared body, the woman attempts to tackle a Sariant, but as that Sariant retrieves his sword from a blow; it cuts into the woman's arm. The woman flails with a low scream and cries out in response, falling to the floor with a weak thud and bleeds out... --- The cackling of glowering timber calms Gaius's nerves, taking in the smell of hickory filled air with a smile creased along his jaw. Addressing his men, Gaius states that the ruins of Sargoth must be razed, in consequence to rebels who voiced antipathy towards the Teutonic Order. Afterwards, Gaius leads his Sariants through the streets, barging into homes and acquiring about any men living within and leading women and children outside the city as more Sariants hold their swords to their side and talk to the residences and leads them away. Gaius clambers atop the town hall of Sargoth and spreads peat along the roofing and sets fire, standing for a second to see the flame engulf all else around and feel the warmth. Samuel the OrdenMarschall and Tesawa the GrossTrebler guide the Sariants along the alleyways stealthily, anticipating any possible resistance as they make their ways through the labyrinth of darkwood and hewn stone and ensure all is burning. Landmeister Mirtok and Komturei Viadar start nailing parchments to the door of the Town Hall stating: Know this and heed this warning! You shall be watched for no threat will thrive! So long as we rise in strength, we see you in infancy, surely you had not thought you had a chance to grow into anything more! --- The new Refectory is a work of art as well as the shrine of the Teutonic Order, despite the religious sound of the word shrine, the room is better described as a hall dedicated to the systematic and ideological concepts of the Teutonic Order. Gaius praises the architectural genius of fellow Sariant Viadar and initates him as a Pontiff of the Order and they give warm welcomes to new Sariants Barador and Brutus. After the warm talks and celebratory cries die down, Gaius raised his hand to calm commotion and to inform the Order that military preparations are underway for an ensuing campaign due West... --- Coming upon a mysterious structure on the ice, many of the Sariants brush their mail greaves through their icicle adorned hair as they near the newly discovered area. As the icicles indent the snowy landscape, Gaius holds his hand out motioning his men to be steady on their feet as the structure seems to be built upon a hardy ice. Upon coming close, the fluidity of blood appears in puddles near the entrance, an obvious sign of sinister acts. Opening the door, Gaius falls back and steadies himself as the ice around his feet show fissues from the pressure of his sudden movement, holding his nose and hacking at the burst of foul smell contained within. Sariants speak up as a crypt is soon discovered close by, revolted at the scene they enter, Gaius commands for a Teutonic cross to be erected and burned and leaves etchings in white wood of a threat to this family and their malevolent practices. --- Gaius strides out of the walled citadel of Nuremburg and approaches the ranks of men that look upon him with varying facial expressions of smirks, faint smiles, and stone visages. Seeing these men, Gaius brightens up and asserts their destination and gives them a speech about how the men they shall attack were ones who let arrogance seduce them to hoard the lands of Oren and separate themselves from the fact that they had to unite in the direst hour and failed. The low noises of the marching of the Sariants fill the forests with an otherworldly noise, accompanied by the chants of somber calls of death and the hymns as perilous as what they seek to do. The Sariants march orderly, but seem aloft in the quiet forests, floating swiftly and quietly through to their destination. Upon seeing the first layer of walls, Gaius gestures to slow his men to a halt and whispers to his OrdenMarschalls Glylith and Samuel to organize the men to rush ladders against the walls. With heightened vocals in their chants, the Sariants plant some siege ladders firmly against the walls and climb up with shields raised over their heads. Gaius struts solidly through the raised gate irons and looks within and sees the fleeing populace, ordering his men to take any straggling males and kill them if they resist. He then orders the buildings to be lit on fire and to spread embers throughout the paths they walk on... Taking out some mixtures of egg whites and squid ink, he grits his teeth and finds a strip of wood to set up and writes: Blind men, do you not see? Your walls will not hold if not held with stoic hearts, yet you lay about with greedy ambition for only your own gain Gaius then sets the wooden strip to be seen easily and orders the Sariants to continue their push, little resistance indeed met so far. Upon seeing what seemed to be the central citadel of the castle, the Sariants were attacked from the narrow alleyways leaving the street they walked upon, but quickly repelled the desperate charges into their ranks and clean their blades off on their mail skirts. Continuing their hymns, aggravated by their annoyance in the futile attempts to turn them back. Gaius orders the Sariants to use salvaged anchor hooks and latch them onto the gates and together, Gaius personally wrapping the end of the rope around his greaves pull and detach and distort the gates for openings inside. Accompanied by his OrdenMarschalls, Gaius steps inside the citadel and immediately start reading signs directing to different buildings and are led by one leading to a modest room with a plethora of parchment nailed to the walls. Gaius starts fumbling for the nails and rips them out of the sandstone wall, with ease as the sandstone easily cracks and detaches in shelled chunks. As Gaius acquires the many forms of parchment into a neat fold to be put under his chestplate, Glylith and Samuel both climb scaffolding and stairs into a tower and snuffs a freshly lit torch into the wood planks of the conical of the tower and leave the fire to fester and consume the air of the fair noon... Along with the smoky beacon that stands tall now, as the sun creeps downward, the Sariants light the Guardian's banner on fire and leave the tatters to drift cleanly in the tense air and bury itself in the grains of sand. Gaius, with the newly found information discusses with the Sariants his fiery feelings, of how the Order shall rise to combat the most deviously held value in a heart blackened by it's stockpiling; the arrogance of Man. With those words, he tears some of the signs and turns them about and begins writing one last warning to those who may bear witness after the Sariants return home from this attack... You allowed your arrogance to seduce your view of reality. You separated yourself from the very men you had to keep good company with, you shall feel the pain of having your stockpile of greed taken, looted, burned, desecrated. --- The Sariants, whipping their hair out of their eyes and slowly fitting the helm onto their heads and strapping their swords onto their belts and march with a harsh chant out of the gates of Nuremburg... The Vale shall Fall. --- Charred embers glow in the fog ridden night air, warming what appeared to be steam at the feet of the Sariants. The Vale lays in ruins, roofs collapsed from structural damage, belongings dragged out from the homes and laid bare on the crisp gravel paths. Bodies slain and blood drawn markedly in haphazard patterns as the Sariants continue their gruesome deeds accompanied by somber chants, Gaius glares at the windows of the houses they marched by, determined to snuff any and all men who would call for a festering resistance to the Teutonic Order. Gaius and his Sariants collide with every sword wielding man and quickly dispatch them, the anger at the populace of the Vale growing ever slowly, spitting on corpses and looting any and all weaponry and armour from the bodies they cast down to forever lie. Upon rushing the Keep, the Sariants cut down the guards who attempt to assemble a defensive and throw their limp bodies in a pile outside of the Keep and drag the iron gate slowly down. Suddenly some Sariants flinch violently as lightning strikes the iron gates and electrocute them, sending them cursing and shouting in disapproval. A necromancer, mottled visage glaring at the men in the shelter of the Keep curses them and keeps shooting bolts as a scare tactic, but then Samuel hustles the archers to higher levels and start punching out windows. With a glint of quickly shot arrows, the Necromancer buckles and bleeds out and misses his last thrown lightning bolt... --- Shuffling a parchment from out his yellow robes and ultimately discarding the yellow robes onto the ground, Gaius nails the parchment with a lengthy message onto the main gate. 'Your King, spared and returned his right to live, shall bear in his heart the gravest experience ever beheld. My men have invaded and assaulted the entirety of AlKhazaar, under the most elaborate disguise as Monks, and we seeked entry and pursued our tactic successfully. All you who witnessed the standing of the men of black crosses, know this! You shall not survive if you ever wish to step a single foot as obstacle to our path, whereas you read this message, men stir vile rumors; know that we are of the wisest creed. Sadly this land has fallen to the very trait that we seem cursed with, the arrogance of many men supersede their vision of reality, do you not realize what split Oren apart piece by piece? Oren laid as a puzzle strewn on the tables of the Undead as they gambled the destinies of many men, women, and children and Oren did not unite when the time needed it most. Know this... our Black Crosses march against those so seduced by greed that they hid in the darkest crevice of their castles only concerned of the stockpile of their tarnished deeds. Stand not in our way, your King has been warned and so have you!' --- The chants, hymns, and prayers of many men is heard in the distance, the rumbling of mail boots sing in the air the coming of soldiers. From out the west of Krugmar, soon a banner with a Black Cross appears to float above the numbers appearing out of the woods. With the hand gesture of the man leading the formation, the Sariants stand still, with a few waving their swords and shouting and others standing on their knees and releasing a ominous chant. The Hochmeister, leader of the Teutonic Order steps forward and issues the situation, the Kruglands is to be untainted by Human arrogance and admits his shame that men would attempt to plague other lands with their wishes fueled by greed... --- Gaius approaches the Capital of Oren, AlKhazaar in his armour and strides to the gate, closed and creaking. With a shout, a guard cries out his intent upon entering and Gaius gives a false name... Marin. Entering, Gaius looks around and remembers his deeds only a month before, he remembers how he strode within in monk robes, claiming to be of St. Daniel. He looks upon the Keep in a distance, remembering the struggle and cries of mercy of the men his Sariants marched upon. With an odd look upon his face, he stares out as he remembers the sound of thunder crackling about AlKhazaar, causing him to snap out of his memory and keeps walking. Approaching the slums, he overhears a man in a struggle and rushes to the scene to see many guards punish a rebel and chuckles. Suddenly straightening up, Gaius approaches the scene closer, causing some of the guards to notice and shout at him, Gaius simply requests to talk to the highest of ranks. Hearing a reply from the appropriate man, Gaius heeds him to talk privately to him, but the Sergeant scoffs and tells him that all of his guards are in their presence and that they shall continue as such. With agreement, Gaius slowly takes off his armor, link by link, piece by piece until his mail shirt underneath is exposed causing gasps and taunts as many guards surround him. Gaius looks around and sighs, knowing that he is nearing a deathly situation, but looks boldly into the Sergeant's eyes and continues... This is for all of Oren... My apologies, deepest and truest for the actions that I had taken in the past month. As many of you may hear, rumours simmer as gruel does in the cooking pot, but surely the taste of something so bland would make you recoil, hear me out please. The Order was founded after the successful Undead invasion, verily they did not take all of Oren and I feel euphoric, but they did succeed in much of which should have never been granted to them. We rose to combat the growing arrogance amongst the many shattered fiefs of Oren and their guilds who denied to unite when Oren needed it most. Many say we kill women and children, our Canon contradicts it, I have stood as commander of our forces and oversaw only the killing of resisting men, all women and children were returned to Whisper Isles and other surrounding Oren vicinities. You must realize that when a man is seduced by his greed, he will scrap the earth and pile all that he can pile, as it grows his greed grows, he consumes what he cannot and should not; which is not what Oren needs nor deserves. The attack on AlKhazaar was based on false information, the informant has been given in name as sadly he escaped after the information given, I was told that King Edmund opposed our purpose and verily wished these guilds to stand, the same guilds who segmented Oren enough for the Undead to swallow swaths of land whole. Thus our offer stands as this... do not shy or fear to ask for our assistance, we have realized after many talks with the Oren Military that we are wise equally and hopefully shall stand as so, we advocate with you to not shy away from asking for our support and I shall personally continue talks to support Oren. If the Undead truly are increasing their attacks, something lurks in the hearts of evil and a plan may be plotted, surely we can plot better than them. Our Offer will forever stand, and if a man of our ranks strike against your flesh, then we will bear their flesh in AlKhazaar for all to see and shall deal justice, my amicable stance will not be tarnished by disobedience and it will be dealt with for all of AlKhazaar to see... --- Gaius strides along the King's Road, blinded with hazy distortions of what he had witnessed just hours before. Just hours before, his Sariants were in pitched battle, having been ambushed marching towards the South in search of a rumored ruin, his companion and dear friend Cataris being cut down by savages. The memories of how Cataris and Gaius came from being harshest of enemies to the best of friends play in his mind, soothing him at moments and torturing shortly thereafter. He stumbles as wayfarers stare in wonder at the figure in mail armour almost tripping and falling over, Gaius however concentrates on any sign for a Sage to confide in. It is becoming to apparent to Gaius that he may need to impose his superior military in the coming events, knowing that he is more than capable of swaying the weights of situations to come. In his sad confusion, he blinks and down the street he notices a man in pristine white robes, taken aback and blinks again to ensure he is not hallucinating. As Gaius opens his eyes, the robed sage locks eyes with Gaius and walks ever so slowly, causing Gaius to fall onto the ground in deeper throes of confusion. Gaius clutches his heart to slow his rapid beating and addresses the Sage who now stands over him, only to have a hand lended and swiftly put back on his feet. Staring in astonishment, the Sage beckons Gaius to follow him. After miles trekked, the two arrive to the Cloud Temple, the magnificent structure clouded by the quibbling of multitudes of men in what seems like a heated situation. Nearing the scene, the Sage pulls out his staff and taps the ground and as people start to turn around and see the origin, men step back to give the Sage sight of the two Undead minions in their midst... --- Gaius raises both his hands, beckoning the Sariants to silence their hymns and prayers, lowering them in sync with the slowly quieting ambience around him and his men. Addressing them in complete quiet, he informs the Order of a grand military campaign to strike at which has been deemed a threat to the brittle peace briefly being held throughout Oren. Knowing that questionable figures have appeared in Oren's midst and realizing that Aegis is becoming more and more chaotic, Gaius tells his Sariants that the actions of the Teutonic Order from then on must be more calculated and more thought out. Announcing the peace that was struck with the Oren Military, Gaius voices that this will free the Order of an annoyance and enable to focus more on the darker horizons that lay near their borders. Gaius informs his Sariants of coming reforms to build upon the great efficiency of the Military and the Teutonic Order in general, to be implemented soon... --- Gaius marches out of the Guardian's Citadel... for the second time. His Sariants push and shove chained men outside of the gate as the OrdenMarschall throws out the edges of a new flag and leaves it to flutter and fly alongside a tower of the Guardian's Citadel. Gaius takes the leader by both cheeks into his clenched hand and raises his head to look into his eyes and tells the leader, Adian that he will not return back to this castle again. Sliding his hand from Adian's mouth down to the base of his throat, he gives a violent shove that sends Adian backwards and lying on the cold cobblestone path they walked out onto. Lifting up his left foot, he sends a crushing blow to the abdomen of the leader and looks out to the other prisoners and states that he will make an example of them. The OrdenMarschall, now walking out onto the path from the vantage point he just had, states of more men coming towards the castle. Gaius points at different locations and commands the Sariants to take their bound prisoners and to lay in those locations, setting an ambush. The foreseen intruders near the gate and acquire as to whom is within, with no response, the men enter with their hands on their hips and look about. The sudden intrusion of many gloom hymns and somber prayers make the men quicken their movements, spinning about trying to find the origin... --- Slowly lifting his face, the glint of his eyes being matched with the other Sariants slowly raising their heads, a hundred eyes reflecting in different arcs the fires of burning architecture. Strands of hair rippling atop the heads of the victors, just as the spittle of embers fly into the night sky. Determination is a word befitting for this moment, as Gaius and his Sariants stand juxtaposed in black and white to the fiery reds and yellows a burning township. Just as slowly as their eyes fix to the west, their mouths curve and let out the gravest sound to send the most bone-chilling vocals throbbing into the icy air. The rise of the baritone of the impending hymns sung make some of the Sariants grin with fortitude, the swell of hearts with a strong bravery cause some of the Sariants to bend on one knee and sing out in a trill. Gaius looks out as the wind picks up, causing the mail skirts of the Teutonic Knights to ripple and cause a tambourine effect to add onto the songs, hymns, and chants originating from the Sariants. Gaius rests his hand smoothly along the hilt of his sword, takes a few steps forward and looks back at his men with a smirk of admiration towards his men. With a twitch of his wrists, Gaius grasps his sword and slides it out of the scabbard and holds the sword up in the air. He looks to the west once more and declares: Sariants, understand our passions are inflamed beyond saving, an inferno in the heart and a hearty fire to fuel our muscles. The very men who fear us shall realize that we seek to near them in hopeful amnesty, but it would be a travesty to see them be the ones dealt with by our swords! These words are simply to boost morale, but we all know the letters drawn by the mouth is weaker than the blood drawn by the blade and that the arrogance shadowed by castle walls compare not to the arrows creating an eclipse; omen of downfall! Doubt will be subject to be purged by each and every man who surged to the beckoning of my speech, inspiring for us and unsettling for them! I would rather speak a limerick with each parry in combat then rhyme and tarry on the podium, preaching of false unity! Brethren, Knights of the Teutonic Order, it is our time to ride the crest of our superiority compared to all in this land of Oren, we shall not fail in our endeavors! --- On their first push west, the Sariants march in solemn order toward a citadel, awakening the lax atmosphere around the fortified keep. As the air tenses and the sleeping denizens stir, a piercing cry of prayer awakens those asleep and causes a rush of emotion rising through the Knights as battering rams are wheeled towards the gate. Dust shakes off the gate as the iron bends and pops out of place, the Sariants continue to chant as the gates rips apart and Sariants flood in. The Grosstrappier Tesawa strips himself of iron chestplate and leggings and climbs up a tree near a parapet and leaps onto the edge and balances himself as he grabs the masonry while unshealthing his sword and striking at a half-asleep soldier. As the Sariants rush through the pitifully designed town, OrdenMarschall Samuel takes out his bow and strums an arrow with the sound of a beautiful harp as the arrow meets it's mark in between the eyes of the Mayor of the Citadel... --- His teeth slowly grinding together, his eyes furrow as thin as an arrow's fletching. Gaius steps with his hand caressing the bandages on his side, but nonetheless his eyes glow with the twinkling of rectitude and determination, this time is ripe as fresh fruit and as prime as his coming will ever be. His Sariants all stand in formation, knees as solid as stone as they brace and cry out in a sober hymn, with a few men breaking formation to get onto their knees and cry a sickening trill. Taking his hand away from his wound without a single grunt, Gaius slides his hands across the cold iron of his winged helmet and raises it slowly, the curvature of the helmet hiding a smirk of daring challenge. As his helmet fits into place, Gaius opens his mouth and sound a dirge so grave and forboding, his Sariants raise their voices to their highest pitch and clang their swords against their shields. Gaius then walks, slowly and deliberately, raising each foot and letting it fall in place with an air of confidence. Splayed across the horizon are the many towers, homes, and the great wall of AlKhazaar, Gaius looks upon it and grunts and clucks his tongue in satisfaction. Turning to his men and the populace gathering to see the latest gossip unfold, Gaius turns around on one foot and faces his Sariants; quickly pulling out his sword from it's scabbard and addressing his men... Oi! Sariants! Take heed of your Hochmeister's presence and the spirit of the endeavor we shall strive towards. The Nation of Oren deserves a capable leader and a proper military to see to every citizen's wellbeing! We must reveal to the common folk that our mighty Order is capable of assisting and ruling over Oren, not for arrogance, but for the very need that Oren has of an intelligent, capable ruler! Many of you Sariants were released from the womb in these very lands, shall we not repay with our lives the debt we owe to the men, women, and children who have formed their communities in this mighty land! Humankind, realize that we are truly capable, worry not about the silly politics of this realm that has driven nails in the coffins of many! Intelligence must reign, Reason must prevail, true capability must flow in the blood of this Nation! The Order will truly ensure the best of this Nation and ensure that we will truly grant every human being to live off the soil and toil the circumstances we will lift up to the highest station for you all! --- Sweat beads dropping upon his raising feet as he moves about on the docks, Gaius looks out into the large lake stretched from the origin he stands at at the edge of the dock. Just a couple hours before his citadel of Nuremburg felt the first tinge of the Undead, an invasion nonetheless successfully repelled. His OrdenMarschall Samuel informed him of all of their deaths and pyres set along the coastline that he can see from the corners of his eyes. Glancing once more at the steady ripplings, losing his mind for a second in the serenity of his surroundings, he quickly found that frame of mind shattered as an arm quickly reaches for his foot and grabs it and yanks. With a loud thud rickety reminiscent of the wood the docks were made from, Gaius feels his body in a terrific throe as frail figures climb onto the dock and surround him. Gaius's mouth twist and eyes furrow at the situation impending and looks in a moment of confusion at the sudden climax that brought him onto his back and fallen backwards, he addresses them with an insult and chastises them for disturbing him. Finally getting himself on all two feet, Gaius glares at the numerous visages mixed of anger, wrath, and the few faces of mottled flesh of the Undead. With the tap of a golden staff from one of the fetid figures, another more armoured and lively figure whips out a chain made of stone and secures them around Gaius's wrists and catches him at surprise and Gaius responds with a curse, but quickly a smirk covers the mouth agape. As the armoured man growls demands for no resistance to Gaius, Gaius turns his head to the staffed figure and tells him that he wont cower and that they should be most disappointed that he is a man of strong fortitude and not able to bow to fools. The necromancer attempts to use the curve of his staff to unbuckle Gaius's breastplate to ask of his affiliation, but Gaius spins around dodges the staff. The necromancers spits a fluid resembling lymph at Gaius and demands his name. Gaius states his name is Tulli and the necromancer demands Gaius's hand and grips it with sharpened nails anchoring his grip onto Gaius and with his other hand in an otherworldly spell of glowing white hot power sears a cross on the palm of his hand. With the grinding of teeth, Gaius manages to contain himself and wear the constant smirk, once more showing determination not to let up to the Undead's torture. The necromancer stoops to level height with Gaius's face and gives him an equally devious smirk and tells his group to follow him. Being dragged through the landscape his men had marched upon in the past began to unreel a timeline of memories, especially after being taken within the yet unrestored ruins of Crimson Vale. Feeling a form of retribution due to the attack, Gaius stewed the necromancer's nerves with complete confusion as to what is the importance of bringing him here, denying his own name as he had in the beginning. Leaving the Vale, the Undead travel North and one of the armoured men trade barbs with Gaius in an attempt to warn him to be frightened of the leader of the pack and with a return of noncompliance, an uppercut to Gaius's jaw throws him into complete resistance. With Gaius pulling against the chains and dodging each attempted blow by the same armoured men, arrows strike one in the shoulder blade and his OrdenMarschall, Samuel rushes at the chain and is deflected from his attempt to sever them as a rush of smoke originates near the middle of the chain. From the soiled hole that appears, decrepit figures straggle towards Samuel and Gaius as the others attempt to fight back and are repelled by the massing of zombies. Gaius grapples his sword and swings it into the flesh of the foul creatures, but then feels the gashing upon his back making him realize he does not have his breastplate on and gets into a crawling position and beckons Samuel to do the same as their wounds continue to bleed. Crawling in a crevice made of stone, they fall asleep and are woken up the morning after by Monks dressed of a lustrious white. --- Flushed red, running with sweat instead of the usual bloodiness of war, Gaius steps back and sits on a mound of dirt. Lifting the shovel to lay by his side, Gaius removes his mail greaves and wipes his head till a clean sheen gleams atop his forehead as the sun pounds down upon him and he lays flat, stretching his weary body. The land before him, flattened and marked with stakes starts to shrink as the sun tortures him with its unforgiving rays of heat, Gaius's body limps and loosens as it spins in a slight circle and he falls back in a force to put him to sleep. With a peculiar feeling, Gaius awakens to see stone and wood form entire buildings in front of his eyes, to see a civilization building itself from the air it would seem. Gaius walks down an entire bridge as each piece fits into place until he gazes with the moon climbing ever so solemnly on the horizon a forest draped with shadows and dark enclaves. From this forest, he sees the ghost images of his Sariants, marching accompanied with sharp trills and grim hymns and the taunts of a fearsome, brave soldier. Gaius falls onto his knees being on the receiving end of the march he started, realizing that through the world of Aegis, he has produced the most elite and promises himself till his death he will see the Teutonic Order to the greatest stations. --- Gaius walks auspiciously along King's Road, his mind and heart restful and biding the many thoughts expressed by his Sariants the day before as they build the Capital, expressions of the knowledge that they will succeed in this endeavor just as endeavors past. As he walked more straggled due to his daydreaming, Gaius snaps back to reality as he nears the sands of Krugmar; off in the distance. Not so much the mesmerizing gleam of a million sands, Gaius tilts his head in curiosity as he sees the movement of the Orcs gliding across the dunes like the wind of the baking sun. Picking up his pace, Gaius meets them along the stretch of King's Road and recognizes the Big Boss Aerog. Greeting the Orcish General in proper Orkish, Gaius is told of how the Lord Brett Perea attempted to invade Krugmar and issue warnings of arrogant chords and that the Krughai see nothing wiser than to strike back to advocate the Lord to watch his footsteps. Heading northeast to rally his men, Gaius seeks his OrdenMarschall to gather the Sariants in gilded armour and to head towards the Whisper Isles. Marching towards the Isles chanting, the Teutonic Order gather in a separate column from the Orcs to differentiate the men that both Big Boss and Gaius lead and march nearer to the heart of the Whispering Isles. As dawn rises, the Sariants begin to chant louder, shouting curses and threats to the guards of the Isles. Seeking out the Whispering Order, Gaius catches the faint glimpses of armoured men retracting away from the marching column and commands his men to pick their feet up and begin investigating the mysterious figures. Nearing a structure with a tower looming overhead, Gaius hears the rustling of gate irons being dropped and curses in annoyance. Slowing to a brisk walk, he lets each foot be heard as he walks heavily and gracefully to the gate of the barrack and grasps the iron bars with his mail greaves and peers at the soldiers inside... Clasping the edge of his winged helm and pulling it off his head, Gaius smirks at the soldiers as they back away slowly from the gate and peer back at the Hochmeister. Letting out a sharp laugh, Gaius demands armour and weaponry to be given to him or that he will unleash the inevitable fate. Opening and emptying chests, the men walk back begin handing over the supplies, much to Gaius's approval. While this occurred, Gaius addresses what seemed to be the leader of said Whispering Order and instructed him to tell Lord Brett not to flaunt what he does not have, to watch wearily his movements so as to not appear arrogant and out of line again. With the last of equipment handed over, Gaius thanks them and turns around and begins to walk away. Hearing the first sigh, Gaius rushes the gate again and instructs his men to begin hoisting ship anchors brought from the harbor and takes hold of the ropes and pulls. Both Orc and Man pulled to the tune of the grinding and torturous sound of beaten iron as the gates slowly give way until the entablature containing the gate iron when raised had burst into rubble, brushing off the materials from their mail and iron armour, the barracks were rushed. A day worth of the inevitable passed as the slain bodies of the Whispering Order laid strewn across the barrack flooring, Orcs gashed the bodies to ensure no life animated as the Order begin to stuff straw in the wooden cracks and crevices to feed their torches of growing flames... --- Walking along the King's Road, Gaius views some figures silhouetted by the dusk's cloak across the landscape. Noticing branches stretched forth between him and the two figure standing, facing away from him; Gaius shuffles backward and behind the tree from which the branches reach from. Placing his hands firmly upon the bark of the tree and leans out to allow his ear to hear more, he grasps strands of the conversation, learning they were talking about himself and that one of the figures dressed in crimson red was searching for him. Removing his winged helm and placing it easily upon a thick branch and walking forth with his arms outstretched. Walking softly without notice, as Gaius neared the red figure, he cheered with praises and began to hug the figure, unnerving and causing the red figure to withdraw in surprises. Wrapping his arms around the figure in brotherly affection, Gaius leans in close to his cloaked ear and whispers that he knows of the man that he talks about and quickly withdraws so as to not cause suspicion in the figure being interrogated. Gaius smiles amicably and thinks of his success as he sees the lips within the cloak curl, charred streaks upon the lips become noticable. The red cloaked figure steps beside Gaius and quickly tilts his head in a direction and Gaius follows him as the other figure leaves feeling indifferent. Heading on a small road to a modest shop, doors open and glowing with candlelight bathing the walls in warm glow. The Red Figure addresses in immediate questioning, Gaius parries with a false identity, one he has moved throughout and accustomed to the story of his false identity. With the mention of how Marin seeked out Iblees, the red cloaked figure raised his hand with a slight raising of his hood at the mention of Iblees. Alerted at the concern shown by the red cloaked figure, Gaius's eyes furrowed slightly and his mind interpreted his chances of facing what obviously was a necromancer after seeing the grueling facial conditions earlier. With a slight raise of his hood, the stranger shows a slight smirk, once again displaying the blackened lips and sticks out his hand slowly in mottled tones of skin color. Noticing the hand would need to be shook by the hand that was scarred by a cross when he was abducted, Gaius raises his hand in a call for a minute and Gaius recalls that he has a parchment marked with more information and lowers his hand into his pocket. As he fingers the pocket attached to his belt, he swiftly slides his hand upon the hilt of his sword and draws it forth from it's sheathe and immediately slashing the belly of the necromancer and spins around and guts the necromancer in the abdomen once more. The necromancer, upon his last breathe throws off his hood and stares into Gaius's eyes, guffawing at the fact that he did truly find Gaius albeit too late. Barking at the necromancer with harsh curses and asserts to know his felled enemy's name, the necromancer coughs up blood as he calls himself Brevias. The Necromancer's knees buckle due to blood loss, stumbling upon one knee and growing unconscious and slipping closer to his last breathe, Gaius stares at him and smirks cleverly, telling him that none of his kind will ever find him. Placing a foot upon the chest of the necromancer, he shoves his foot against the limp body and slides his blade against rotten flesh to withdraw it from the body. --- Slowing to a studdering walk, Gaius slowly sheds off his winged helm to a torrent of sweat beads spraying forth. Calling out to his Sariants to assemble in front of the main gate of the fortress of Nuremburg, Gaius rests his hands roughly upon his knees to catch his breathe. Having ran through the forests to alert his men of the ambush by King Enor's Militia, he gathers his Grosstrappier and instructs him to gather the armour and gathers his OrdenMarschalls to inform them of the numbers had. The Sariants begin to chant furiously at the news of their own brethren being killed out of bloodlust and march out of the gate with the trill of mail skirts impacting one another. Gaius swings his sword in the direction of King's Road and his Sariants keep a steady march onward. Nearing the King's Road, Gaius lays his hand at his thigh's height and motions them to hide in the forests nearby. Quickly skipping to an enclave hidden underneath the road, Gaius rolls into the enclave and pokes his head out in the direction of Krugmar. Spotting one of the Krughai striding along King's Road, Gaius grapples the masonry of the road when the Orc crosses him above and grips the Orc's foot and sends him sideways crashing into the sand and quickly cups his hand and silences the Orc. Whispering in the Orc's ear that he is the Hochmeister, the Orc immediately loosens up his recoil from the fall and listens as Gaius explains that he needs the Warlord Mogroka to issue the Krughai back to the location they lay and the Orc shakes his head and whispers to hold the Sariants strong within the forest until he comes back. They both depart and Gaius heads back into the forest and lays in wait with his men, analyzing the horizon and who makes their path through the King's Road. As the moon curves along the tender surface of the night sky, Gaius peers out from the bushes and notices a large group summoning from the south and marching north. Grabbing his OrdenMarschall and pointing towards the large conglomeration and noticing Krughai and another unknown party, they order their Sariants to come out from the dark forests and march towards the road as Gaius speeds up ahead of them and holds out his hand in amnesty and greets in Orcish language, responded correctly giving Gaius relief. As he nears the marching, Ned LudGorkil approaches Gaius and gives word that the Orcs called upon their elven allies, the Wardens and informs that they will be fighting alongside the Teutonic Order. Gaius takes off his winged helm and stands on one foot to observe both of the armies assembling into two columns and instructs his Sariants to ready themselves for combat. Meeting the Warden Highborn Quazar, Gaius and Ned Lud alongside their Generals discuss their plans and with most agreements being found between each other turn and address their men for battle. Gaius walks in front of his men and tell them that the day has come that Oren shall have due repercussions, if one wishes to act, then they shall be acted upon duly for their efforts in however way it must be returned. Kramaroe being invaded when the Orcs were on their tribal hunts was the most ignorant disrespect and not even the Ascended can stop what shall happen, it is time for AlKhazaar to be razed for such ignorant of actions and let the King answer to his own deeds. Gaius then looks at the other two men, Ned LudGorkil and Quazar and initiates the northern march towards the gates of AlKhazaar. As the main gate of AlKhazaar emerges from the dawning of the sun, the Warden column marches behind trees and begin to take aim with their elven bows and draw down the number of guards atop the towers and hiding behind parapets, OrdenMarschall Samuel and Viadar point out a fallacy in the iron gates in one section of the walls and with rapid arrow fire, the Orcish and Teutonic column rush forth through the shallow river and swim underneath and into the city. Charging the first row of guards, nervous and teetering on their feet, the Sariants and Orcs swiftly cut them down before noticing a second row of gates had been shut during the quick skirmish and more guards rest behind the secondary walls. Urara'Gorkil and Apollan the Warden draw Ned Lud, Quazar, and Gaius towards a sewer entrance and they formulate a plan to spring two attacks at the same time on the inner city of AlKhazaar. Rushing with a handful of Wardens and a few Orcs, Gaius presses some of his Sariants led by him into a foul smelling lake near the mountain that AlKhazaar is based around and find a rusted, mottled sewer pipe large enough for them to walk into. Approaching it, Urara'Gorkil, Apollan, Gaius, Draco, and Gralka grab hold on the grimy sewer grating and pull until the feeble wrought iron pops off and sends the people flying backwards into the murk. Entering into the sewers, the men keep quiet so as to not alert the guards above the sewage system and make their way up into a city street and quickly pull themselves up and over and enter a house and Gaius locks the door with a wooden plank. Pulling woolen curtains over the windows, Urara'Gorkil, Ned LudGorkil, Durzio, Gralka, Vardak, and Gaius lean against the walls to peer out of the windows at the passing guards and ensure themselves that they are safely hidden. With the sound a blown horn, Gaius and the rest of the people inside rush downstairs and unsheathe their weapons and kick the door down and scatter into the streets and surprise the guards nearby and swiftly quell any guard defensives and move through the streets. Spotting the rest of the armies rushing through the main street along with his OrdenMarschalls, Gaius tilts his head towards the entrance of the Keep, grins, and rushes towards it. With news that the King fled, the armoured guards fortifying the Keep grew unsettled as a mass of rushing warriors threw themselves into the defending and after hours of constant battle they were whittled away and the cries of victorious virtue rang within the city of AlKhazaar. Gaius, wiping blood from his helm and the curdle of flesh from his blade walked towards the throne, to him now a symbol of arrogance. Accompanied by a Black Axe named Logan, the dwarf withdrew a pickaxe and struck at the diamond shards in the backrest and drew four chunks; gifted to the leaders of the victors. Gaius, Ned LudGorkil, Quazar, and Logan four received these shards in a symbol that his arrogance has been calmed, now he knows the prices paid for the actions grown from haughty ambition. --- Gaius wipes the grime of mortar onto his mail skirt, observing the greys melting into the colour of his mail armor and steps back a few paces upon the sand. The night sky lingers as the bits of sands sink from the weight of the bystander and Gaius sighs relief. Flurries of sand blow from the night breeze as Gaius looks up at the newly erected outpost and puts his arms on his waist and catching his breathe from the near endless working. Satisfied with his work, Gaius picks up his winged helm, slips it on and gathers his tools and attach them to his belt and begins to walk into the dark horizon. Before heading away, Gaius enters once more and plucks a thorn from the cacti within. Taking it within his teeth, he walks away with his winged helm strung across his back and with the cacti needle rolling from crease to crease within his lip. --- Walking in strides, Gaius discusses the coming growth of the Kingdom of Oren whilst glancing at the wayfarer inn's and modest farms in full bloom of wildflowers, wheat, and the occasional melon plant. Gaius waves his hand in agitation as a armor clad man walking towards them gives Gaius an ugly glance and the OrdenMarschall Samuel places his hand on the hilt of his sword, Gaius beckons Samuel to retrieve his aggressive intent and to simply keep walking with him. As the situation quickly calms, Gaius catches a glance of a fortress between the thick timber west of the King's Road near Galahad and places his hand on Samuel's shoulder and beckons him to follow; the swiftly sidestep into the forest and hide themselves in the woods. Stepping over the decay of logs and withering leaves, Gaius and Samuel near the quaint castle and move their heads around to get views of any men standing around and notice a group accumulated by the gates. Noticing the group in calm discussion, Gaius peels himself from the tree he was hidden behind and walks toward the group with arms outstretched so as to mean himself a peaceful addition to the conglomeration. Samuel quickly follows, observing the crowd of men closely and speaking in a different tongue accompanied by clicks of Gaius's tongue to show that he is listening. Greeted, Gaius places his hand to his heart and replies with equal kindness and acquires on the group. After a long discussion as to the history of the Knights of the North, Gaius makes an offer to the leader, Casamir; to join the Black Crosses. With a response of which Casamir expressed the need to think it through, some of the Knights step forward and request that they leave with the Hochmeister immediately. Casamir looks toward the Hochmeister and instructs that he take great care of the men in which Gaius promises to do so. --- Gaius lifts his mail boot upwards, a limp arm draped over it. Tilting his winged helm and the crisp exhaling streams out of the nostril indents as he stretches his back. His Sariants solemnly chant as they gather weaponry out of the nearby barrack as OrdenMarschall Samuel guides a few other men to throw torches intoxicated in fuel. Shouting to the straggling soldiers thwarted by the Black Crosses, Gaius warns the Nical Empire to return to Oren's bosom and to never return to claim land outside Oren's stretch... --- Gaius climbs upon the vast rock shelves in the Northern Reaches, ever so often dropping into small crevices as he makes his way through the wintery landscape. Seeing the distant silhouette drawn by the blizzard, Gaius quickens his step as he nears a sandstone wall. To his surprise, the gate swiftly unhinges and drops atop a tuft of snow. Gaius, peering through the arrow slits for signs of life, walks slowly across weighing each of his footsteps heavily. Seeing the luminous lanterns seemingly floating due to the blinding snow, Gaius tilts his winged helm attempting to find the one who opened the gate. Finally, a man with an aura of goodwill approaches Gaius, acquiring of who he was and why he came. Looking at the ground in front of him, Gaius informs the man as others gather around him that he will be surprised what he had brought and who he truly is. As the other men show curiosity, the man who first addressed him looks to him with furrowed brows as Gaius reaches within his cloak to withdraw a lustrous staff of golden engraves. Handing it to the man who revealed himself as Commander of the FoA, Safen. Safen takes it within his hand and looked up towards Gaius and asked who he was. Gaius slowly removes his winged helm and runs his hand through his beard and strokes it gently as he observes Safen gasp and step back. Suddenly, a woman approaches, long white hair blending with the snowflakes and a face pure and unblemished addresses Safen and asks about what is going on. Gaius places his mail mitten upon his heart and with a smile bends slightly towards the woman. With a few words traded, the woman takes the staff into her own hands and trace the engraving with a tear beckoning her to thank Gaius. Gaius asks that the woman let the Ascended know that the compassion they have committed throughout with certainly be returned and to let such news reach their own so that their morale is raised. --- Taking a hold on his collar, Gaius drags the man till his body laid relatively horizontal with the ground. The man, wretchedly cursing at the Sariants slowly surrounding him whilst chiming a piercing trill into the air, stumbles as he is laid out. The entirety of his body exposed, Gaius orders his men to cleave his chest, to knock wind and word out from his body. Gaius looks towards the other men within the castle, staring in horror and points his sword and orders them to hide within or that his men will make their way inside. After the body limps after multiple strikes, Gaius looks toward one of the men in the tower and loosens his grip on the dead man's collar slowly as the head bobs from impact after falling against the ground. Smirking, Gaius instructs Silverblade, Ventraux, Segari, and Samuel to follow him as they exit. --- Gaius steps through the portal and is affronted by a scene of confusing chaos. Arachnids the size of a man laying down were skittering up from a gaping crevice, shaking his head from the fixture he had on one of them crawling up strand-like spiderwebs. A man yells for Gaius's attention and he shakes his head, withdraws his sword from his scabbard and pieces the abdomen of one of the spiders climbing onto the stone floor he stood on. More men rush up a haphazard staircase towards Gaius and the stranger as their eyes race for a weapon on Gaius's body to use to defend themselves. After unhinging two axes from his mail belt, Gaius and the men slightly spin their weapons in their hands and watch for the arachnids to expose themselves. As each tender leg of the spiders attempt to grapple over the edge of the platform they stood on, each man took turns blowing gashes into their bodies and watching as the spiders wretch in pain and fall over into the abysmal scene below; too dark to know the spiders' true fate. --- Leaning his head with concern towards the Grosstrebler Vanus, Gaius squints his eyes with the news informing him of the Nical thieves attempting to hassle his soldiers within the days past. Striding up the stairway and continuing until he saw sight of his men resting after their building labours, Gaius calls out to them to grab their armours and cinch their breastplates and tie their swords to the cords of the belts and to form outside the main gate of Konigsburgh. Standing against the parapet facing out and giving him view of his men standing in tightly formed lines, Gaius nods his head and smiles grandly under his winged helm and addresses their desitination. Instructing OrdenMarschall Samuel and Sariant Abeam to gather planks and lumber to bring to assemble siege engines, the Sariants behind their Hochmeister slowly move towards the Nical Empire. As the sun crept slowly across the edge of the horizon, the Sariants took out torches tipped in oil and coal and lit them aflame and continued onwards until they reached the main gate. Gaius addressing his men to assist Abeam and Samuel's constructing of the catapults led him to finding a few Nicalis huddled within a tower with a wooden beam wedging the door shut and after a short peppering of arrows, many of the Nicalis were shot down and the resistance completely quieted when Silverblade, Vanus, and Segari brought ladders and unsettled the men to attempt and throw the ladder off, but resulting in an arm gashed agape for the fallen Nicali. With that pocket of resistance quelled, Gaius and his Sariants looked formidably within the Nical Empire's Castle... Warning the Lord Caleb to give up all holdings and return to Oren's bosom once more. With shouts of defiance, Gaius peered out to Abeam manning the catapult... Demanding the gate be broken in, with a few flaming boulders thrown; the Black Crosses succeeded in opening up the castle to attack. Samuel and Gaius lead the attack and after a few hours of cleansing rebel Nicali from the streets, the Black Crosses exclaim victorious shouts and begin to raid the castle of remaining war supplies. After the fighting, Gaius, Mirtok, Segari, Samuel, and Pie walk along the streets and observe the dead strewn along the streets like waste in the slums of Al'Khazaar. Gaius urges a few of the Sariants to help him carry three bodies out of the Nical's castle and without a care, dump the limp bodies in shoddy graves dug earlier and Gaius takes out wooden posts and ink made of squids milk and writes stark warnings to any remaining Nicali... The Black Crosses have rid the world of Aegis of an ignorant empire and have come forth from the shadows rumours cast and proven that they are much alive and powerful... perhaps even more powerful. --- Each step of his weighing heavily, Gaius moves throughout the sprawling streets of Konigsburg; observing his Sariants resting across the grasses surrounding the paths drawn. Labor well endowed is something Gaius has always admired in his men, soldiers disciplined know the measures taken to ensure such feats of greatness are accomplished. Clasping the rings of his mail skirt and adjusting so he can sit flat onto a mound of dirt alongside his Landmeister, Mirtok; Gaius removes his winged helm and leans his head back. Twisting his head so his eyes can meet Mirtok, he acquires of the progress and what is to come in the last few days of their projects and smiles in admiration as he is chastened by the shrewd Mirtok in the fact that the men are getting lazy as the winter beckons. Leaning his head so far back that his view whips upside down, he sees a man emerge from the armoury behind him, stoutly carrying a heavy load. Daven and Samuel come forth showing Gaius the results of the beating of iron as gilded armor come into eye's focus and Gaius studies the intricacy of the black crosses embossed in the armor... --- Placing his hand upon his heart and bowing ever so slightly to the Orc who has ended up in front of him, panting as he catches his breathe, the Orc greets him in the accustomed language and Gaius responds with his racial accent. Bending his knees to come closer to the Orc as he mutters distinguishable words as he still catches his breathe from the long strides taken to arrive at Konigsberg, Gaius lifts his head and looks onward in utter disbelief then turns his head suddenly and shouts to the OrdenMarschalls to assemble the Sariants. With the clattering of swords against the sides of hips as Sariants marched in array down the wide streets of Konigsberg and lined in formation in front of the main gate. Striding and addressing his soldiers as he walked on the side of the formation towards the front and glancing at each individual face, Gaius informs them that the Humans have become involved in a massive war that was to be had between the original conflicting Orcs and Dwarves. Sensing Enor was seeking to unbalance the odds to favor him as he stated that he believed that Enor was simply seeking popular support by ensuring his success would be heightened, Gaius told the Sariants that they were to come disguised and sent them back to wear different cloaks of armor. Once all returned, Gaius threw up his sword arm and roared from under his winged helm as all his men begin to slowly trill their voices in a chant inciting death to the Orenfolk and his men began to march forward and toward Krugmar. Staying in front of his men, Gaius glided through the dampened and darkened forests towards Krugmar. Arriving to the grand sandstone walls marking the entrance, Gaius notices some Orcs shifting uncomfortably and bearing their swords openly in anticipation, beckoning forth the Orc who came to ask for their assistance, Gaius cries out that they are Black Cross and suddenly the Orcs jump forward for a group of levers to activate the gate device. As the gate raised open, once more his Sariants marched into the desert with the stroke of a crescent painted across the sky as the men chatter their teeth slightly at the numbing cold of the desert at night. One of the Orcs, the Warbozz Blawharag grabs Gaius's shoulders and shakes him as a welcoming and Gaius chuckles under his breathe and acquires to what the news has been. News of a failure at KalUrguan is stated first with Blawharag adding that despite the failure of the siege, the war with the Dwarves has been contained and that the Humans had pushed a flanking on the Orcish army at KalUrguan and was the cause for the loss. Laughing heartily of the news that was of Felix's surprise attack, he stated to his men all stretching and resting their swords and axes on their shoulders that an attack was to be quickly repaid to the Humans. Leaning towards Blawharag and requesting him to gather the Krughai, Blawharag nods and replies in agreement and he quickly jogs towards Sanjezal. Unbuckling his zweihander and resting the palms of his hands onto the hilt of the zweihander and observing his men, he told them that they were to fight with the most intelligent valor and the strongest stoicism. To be calculative and always aware of their brother's condition and to fight as one, not split as many. Issuing their destination as Galahar as he eyes the approaching Orcs out of the corner of his eye, Gaius stands back up and swings the Zweihander over his shoulder and smiles mischievously as he informs Blawharag that his men are ready. His men awakening their bodies to the stress to be endured look towards the Orcs and shouts words of insult of Oren and they trade guffaws at the brotherhood they have and with that, Blawharag and Gaius issue the marching orders. Leaving the sandstone walls, the soldiers form into two columns and march on opposite sides of the King's Road towards Galahar. Nearing the feudal town, Gaius raises his hand and lowers it slowly to beckon his men to keep among the trees and hidden as he leans himself against a tree out of view of any who may be in Galahar and takes quick glances trying to spot out any soldiering within Galahar. Spotting the Barracks south of Galahar, he can see men intermingling on the walls with simple bows slung across their body. Whispering to his Sariants to pass along the information that the resistance has taken shelter, he waves to gain Blawharag's attention and points once more towards the Barracks. Smiling as he receives a nod, all the Sariants and Orcs unbuckle their holsters and pull out composite bows and a few pluck the sinew string observing they are in working condition and begin to hop into the town and take cover immediately as the Oren Militiamen take notice and begin to attempt to nock arrows. Some of the braver humans come forth and charge with their swords and axes, but the Sariants drive them to the ground in a violent clash and draw back towards cover as archers still attempt to get hits on the invading army. Suddenly a string of lightning trace across the sky as Lodrick the Necromancer makes his strides up a tower and takes quick shots at both armies, turning their heads and noticing the fetid on top of the tower, the Sariants raises their arms and aim for Lodrick and after a quick trade of fire he is knocked from the very tower and came forth to the ground where he dies. After grappling hooks are attached to the wooden gates of the Barracks and with forceful pulling, the Sariants and the Orcs successfully drive open a hole for them to get through and force their way inside and with bloodied fighting against the combined forces of Humans and a few Dwarves, the Sariants cry out in victorious exclamation and celebrate and begin to raid the smiths and send two Sariants to carry the scarce loot back to Konigsberg. Having dealt a defeat to the Humans, Blawharag and Gaius gather at the gate and discuss their next move as suddenly, the piercing cry of King Enor invade their ears and pique their interest as they both turn their heads to look outside of the gatehouse. Overhearing him attempting to raise his freshly renewed reinforcement's morale, Gaius quickly pulls Blawharag aside and tells him to pull his men with his and that they were to leave the Barracks through another gate and fall back into the forests in a guerrilla move and with quick hand motions; the Sariants and the Orcs follow Gaius and Blawharag. Finally exited from the Barracks, they circle around and swiftly fall back in the forests south of Galahar and being within earshot of Enor declaring his plan of action, they learn of the plan of a twin invasion of Sanjezal by the Humans and the Dwarves. With that, Enor strides with his army quickly following and just behind his step. Crouching behind fallen timbers, the Sariants observe the army and notice that with a combined force as Enor warned about, they were slightly outnumbered and thus they warily began to step in the same direction and kept up with the Human army. Blawharag running alongside Gaius informs him that he must take his Krughai to be able to greet the combined armies if and when they reach the walls of Sanjezal and barks at his Orcish comrades to hasten step and quicken their strides as they run ahead and successfully get to Krugmar before the Dwarves and Humans. Finally slowing near the gates of Krugmar, Gaius calms his Sariants to a stop and allows for them to catch breathe and begin replenishing their hunger and thirst before walking into Krugmar. Seeing the last of the invading armies go through the broken gates, Gaius throws his zweihander and informs his men to get ready to outflank the twin armies and they march into the sands once more. Each sinking pace made onto the sands of Krugmar marks closer and closer to how far the twin armies have gone into entering Krugmar. Upon spotting the invaders, Gaius blinks his eyes as the sun beats down on the armor-clad army and he reaffirms their true form rather than a possible mirage. Wasting no time as the Orcs and the armies busy themselves trading arrow fire, Gaius raises his zweihander and charges with his shoulder pointed towards Enor and the Sariants ram into the armies and take them by surprise. Being disguised, the sudden surprise and confusion that ensues works for the Sariants as they cleave, slash, and thrust at the invading men. Sariant Icarus and Vanus work themselves into a frenzy that led them to knock unconscious the two Kings as Mirtok, the Landmeister, swings his arm in the direction to a more concentrated grouping of the opposing armies and the Sariants swiftly charge once more. Trapping the blade of a yelping human between his own zweihander's blade and crosshandle, he twists his zweihander, butts him with the hilt to knock him down and cause him to slide slightly against the particles of sand that cushions his fall; Gaius reverses the zweihander in his hand and forcibly thrusts the elongated blade into the opponent and looks up towards the Orcs upon the wall. Nodding his head and greeting the Orcs in their language, the flustered looks on their faces turn into smiles and gleeful taunts as they recognize who the newer men were. Swinging the Zweihander to catch another man in the cheek and breaking his jaw, Gaius rushes towards Mirtok to assist him alongside his Sariants, but trips as he jumps into a depression from atop a dune and a dwarve rams him in the gut with his warhammer and puts Gaius into shock, but smiles slightly as he sees his men spreading through the field and successfully thwarting the invasion before falling unconscious. Upon waking up, he eyes the Warlord Mogroka laughing playfully upon looking at Gaius awaken. Addressing Gaius in thanks, he swiftly counters his own words by whacking Gaius on the shoulder and laughing about how he got hit by a stout and Gaius chortles and tells Mogroka that the Black Cross won and Mogroka smiles alongside the Warmistress and state that the alliance they have had is the most honorable to be had and with that the Orcs and the Sariants celebrate in the streets of Sanjezal. --- Lines of sweat defuse the complexity of his skin as Gaius rests against a tree and drinks from a flask of water. Laying stone to draw a wide road from Konigsberg to the more inhabited parts of Aegis, Gaius stretches his taut and weary muscles as his eyes droop towards a slumber in the crisp cool air of the Outremerlands. With his bowing eyelids beckoning him to rest, he looks up one last time towards the sun to ensure there is time in the day that he can dedicate to sleep before seeing a falcon drop from the atmosphere and fly towards Gaius. Alerted, his head immediately perks and he rolls onto his arms and legs and motions to avoid the falcon, but then sees it lift back into the sky as a ornamental letter drops onto the ground beside him. Taking the slivers of paper into his dirt mottled hands, he opens to find an invitation to High King Syrio's wedding with Lady Shoi of the Ascended; a smile creases ever so slightly and he begins to pack his tools and head back to Konigsberg. Upon making due preparations, he takes along Sariant Kai and they head towards Alras. Upon arrival, Gaius notices the hundreds upon hundreds of people lining the street and follows the mass shaping of a wedding celebration, ever so softly beckoning his direction through the crowd with slight pushes and tugs as he observes the Cathedral. Pressing against the doors of the Cathedral, an Alrasian guard shakes his head to deny Gaius access, opening his cloak to show his Black Cross, Gaius and Kai are ushered through and take seats in the southwest corner of the Cathedral in observance of the holy matrimony. Sitting on the wooden pews, Gaius unlatches his zweihander and sets it in front of him and rests the palms of his hand on the hilt as he observes closely for Syrio's face in the conglomeration of the four races set to observe the event. Upon the announcement of Lady Shoi, a few hearken to her demise in the name of Iblees accompanied by giggles and guffaws. Disgruntled by the ignorant behavior, Gaius joins as a few older men chastise the odd ones and the event continues as planned. As the husband and wife take their hands together and Arcadius recites words of bonding, lightning resounds the stained glass with a glaring brightness as a necromancer kicks open the Cathedral doors and strikes Arcadius from his very own fingertips. The scene ensuing was one of chaos as men and women in the back rows lunge forth at the necromancer as he disappears with a bounty of flame lunging into the Cathedral. Giving a side glance with Sariant Kai, they dissipate into the pandemonium of frenzied and scared individuals wishing escape and separate at one of the stained glass windows as Gaius takes the hilt of his zweihander and butts in the glass and they climb out. Walking towards the front as the mob of people rush outwards and scatter about as lightning taunts them into a fiercer fear, Gaius eyes the same necromancer and Lady Shoi trading words of mighty resolve and dancing with fire. Sidestepping and relaxed in their composure, both Gaius and Kai see another suspiciously robed individual glare desiringly at the Overlord as he had called himself and walk innocuously in the outsider's direction. With his zweihander leaning up against his shoulder, Gaius steps softly until he is but a foot behind the suspicious fellow and leans the wide blade of the zweihander onto the shoulder of the necromancer's shoulder and whispers into his ear not to make another move. Chuckling, the necromancer warns Gaius that his intervention wouldn't even be needed as they both watch the Overlord blasting Shoi with an infernal spell, but the necromancer shakes his head in disbelief as he then sees the Overlord being countered and escapes into a quick portal. Left aghast in an awkward position, the necromancer takes out his staff in a swift movement and knocks Gaius in the pelvis, throwing him off and stumbling backwards and the necromancer immediately vanishes into a portal as well. Cursing as he holds his lower abdomen in shock, Gaius catches the hand given to him by Kai and lifts himself fully erect and stretches his back. Looking around, he sees Syrio call for the Leaders to come with him to his Keep. Following with a slight limp, Gaius enters the Keep behind Wargoth Mogroka'Gorkil and eyes Shoi, Syrio, a fellow named Blaedr holding the dead body of Arcadius with tears streaming forth and a few unnamed individual that he did not readily recognize. The Keep was filled with silence and pacings by the 'Leaders' as Gaius stares around waiting for a conversation to start in the seriousness of the atmosphere had been set by the attack and found none. Met with rolling eyes from Sariant Kai, Gaius shakes his head and whispers to Kai that there is no action going to be taken, just mourning of the very man whose essence was to inspire action. Alongside Kai, Gaius requests the Keep gate open and they leave only to be met by a smaller camaraderie wishing entry for the sake of safety. Frowning, Gaius thinks to himself how the situation seems to only get worst when ill-backed intentions of goodness and proclaimed more as in the sense of propaganda than in the sense of truly binding to fight the Undead. Finding a figure leaning against the walls of the Gatehouse, cursing the people inside, Gaius steps beside him and asks his opinion. After hearing Lucas Black identify with the same thought process, Gaius chuckles and feels a true brother lives in the midst of man. Gaius Marius"These fools are like flies, they fly and land randomly only to be swatted by those who have the intelligence and patience to know when and how to act". Lucas Black: "Its sad the way they can play with the people of Aegis..." --- After the events at the Keep, Gaius receives word to come to Krugmar at the Arena Games. Joined my Sariant Icarus and Sariant Kai, Gaius accepts in invitation to form a team of three and to participate. Chuckling at the festivities of it all, Gaius enters the arena with his two others and meets his opponents, a team of Dwarves made up of King Thorik, High Lord Gimrik, and Champion Grimlie... As the shorter dwarves approach Gaius and his two Sariants, they gesture at Gaius and warn them that they'd win. Gaius tilting his head and still laughing, feels his face warm as he has hardly matched swords with the Dwarves and tightens his smile to seem more humorless. Craotor'Lur gives Gaius and King Thorik both a coin and flip and with each slap of the hand to stop their coins in place, Gaius gains the favor and chooses to defend the shanty fort. Inside, Gaius peers out as Thorik catches his eye and smiles under his overgrown beard and hoots a holler of defiance. His Sariants captured in the celebration and the constant banter fail to listen to a word he tries to clearly say over the Orkish barking of coliseum manners and shakes his head as Craotor requests a countdown. Breathing in slowly and flipping the hilt of the wooden blade in his hand and bending his knees, Gaius then thinks again and moves Kai to stand near the gate as he and Icarus take to the walls and pull out their bows. With the ferocious growl of Craotor'Lur for the match to begin, the Dwarves raises their axes and rush for cover near the gate as Gaius and Icarus strum poorly made arrows at the dwarves. Noticing the arrow only denting their hardened skin, Gaius takes out his blade and swings at one of the dwarves who were stuck as Icarus gets badly beaten and Gaius thrusts a punishing blow at Gimrik. Smiling at the surprise of his success, Gaius turns too late as King Thorik runs onto the wall and bashes Gaius in the knee to bring him lower as Thorik laughs and knocks Gaius out. Upon waking up, Gaius sees Murgaw look him straight in the face as Gaius's eyelids attempt to keep themselves up and informs Gaius that he is not at all good at Arena matches. With that, Gaius chuckles and falls to a lowly slumber. --- Becoming painfully obvious as he nears the fallen Jewel of Oren, Gaius winces as he views the mutilated bodies decorating the rubble of buildings near Al'Khazaar. Kicking a shard of stone as Gaius, Kai, and Cole walk alongside the main road into the Northern Gate, Gaius brings forth his zweihander from the leather strap running alongside his back and watches keenly through the gutted infrastructure for any sign of a necromancer. The air reeked of an accumulation of sulphurous gas and the smells of flesh decay as they got closer and closer to the dead heart of Oren's Capital; King's Cross. Slipping leather rags underneath their Winged Helms to help stifle the fumes from reaching their noses and gagging them, the Sariants leaned their heads down and weathered the changing atmosphere. A large wrought iron ring with a variation of keys filling it's circumference swayed in Gaius's left hand as he looked through different shops, vending stands, and abodes. A bustling metropolis only a few days ago stricken with the taint of the Undead rendered it to a mere ghost town, with not even a stray wolf to scatter its stringy legs along the cobble paths. Marching in file towards King's Cross, they begin to shake their head in response to the repulsive change of climate as a morbid sight befalls the three; a fountain spewing freshly molten lava lays on King's Cross... The ashy grey globules of thick smoke paints the horizon a deathly tint while the bodies lie charred and in certain places in a never-ending cycle of pus ridden necrosis. Gaius looks in utter disbelief at what the Undead has truly done and begins to sidestep and head towards Al'Khazaar's Keep. Upon arrival, Gaius, Kai, and Cole climb through an obstacle course of searing liquids that had been splashed across the streets leading into the Keep... Entering, Gaius and the other two begin to open leather pouches and sacks and begin disfiguring organized walls and chests and scavenge precious armors, arms, and other material. Despite the inferno that the Keep laid in, the Library of the Mage's Tower remained intact where Gaius would gather books on Druidic Traditions for his OrdenMarschalls to survey... Upon exiting one of the upper tiers of the Keep to take in a breathe from the cold wintry air outside, Gaius gazes upon the apparation of one of the Ascended. Identifying herself as Selina the Seeress, Gaius addresses her to give terms that he would assist in leading refugees that he had thought she would know of. With a sigh of indifference, he learns that they were to be under Alras's direction and he gives thanks for the affirmation of this information. After a conversation of the latest events due much to the Undead, Selina begs pardon to be able to leave and leaves Gaius with one phrase that struck him with a rough ping of confidence: Gaius, Don't Die. Aegis Needs Leaders. --- Laying his mail mitton out palm open and facing upwards, Gaius receives a peculiar young hawk with sharp talons scratching his raw hands. Having been laying down stone to stabilize the bridge across a body of water near Konigsberg, Gaius unravels the fine string tie to the talon and lets the Hawk go free as he pushes his thumbs against the curl of the paper and unfurls it. Reading the fine writing embossed on the paper, Gaius looks up towards the rising crescent in the western sky and loses himself in deep thought for a few minutes. Taking up his zweihander from it's place leaning against a dirt mound, Gaius briskly walks towards the small docks hastily erected and positions himself into a boat and begins rowing. With so many ideas haunting him of what Enor was intending to inform him, Gaius feels the throe of confusion and utter doubt in what the near future has in store. Upon arriving to his destination, he takes the hilt of his zweihander and throws it till it digs into the shoreline and pulls himself and the boat he sits in to bank. Placing his foot with a feeble limp of anxiety, Gaius strokes his beard and looks toward the home in which he had razed so long ago; he makes his way to said house and opens the door as quietly as possible. Standing facing the fireplace was King Enor Sheffield and Lady Dawn Perea, both glancing at once at the newly arrived guest. He stares at them both in the eyes and makes his way over to Enor's side and after a long string of silence, Gaius beckons Enor Goodday and acquires of what he is needed for... Enor explains to Gaius that despite their harsh differences and violent actions against each other, in Enor's earnest opinion, they were to come to agreement. Speaking of the weary days of ruling the Kingdom of Oren and feeling stressed over the many deaths tolled to his name and blamed on him, he looks into the fire and admits he has come to terms with how he is doing now. Both men observing how they aged with chuckles of memories and guffaws of trading comments, Enor startles Gaius severely with a revelation. The Kingdom of Oren... was to become Gaius's. In utter disbelief, Gaius cries out how they used to be enemies, but unmoved, Enor told Gaius that he knew what was best for his people. With his mind clouded of the situation that he was placed in, Gaius searches Enor for any sign of triviality in which he found none; Enor was earnest in his decision. Stating that Gaius was formidable and well endowed with a military mind to protect the people of Oren, Gaius glances at the crown just handed to him and looks away... Enor looks at Gaius purposely and nods his head, beckoning Gaius to do great things as King. After the conversation, Gaius returns to his boat and rows back to the docks of Galahar. There, he begins addressing the people wandering through a town riddled with signs of rebellious intent: 'Men, Women, Children of Oren, I beckon you to pay heed! With this crown in my hand, I have received the rule over Oren, but pray tell will you not observe me! I will be a Man of Action, I will be a Man who has earned his respect with the days of my age and as you may know, I am indeed the Leader of the Teutonic Order! Worry not, they will serve now to protect Oren! I may have a history with few individuals, but I am a man of intelligence, a man true to my word, and a man who has proven my ability to protect and honor those who give me their words of respect. Enor this day gave the throne to me out of earnest want for the best of the Kingdom, it is no time to throw names of insults, he deserves them not. We will be hypocrite if we throw insults constantly and busy ourselves with the slander of our own kith, ken, brother, sister, and neighbor! You say you want action, I will be that catalyst! You say you want reform, I will be the man to hear and choose wisely the progress of this Nation! To the rebels, I have spoken to one leader and will parlay with others, I request the rebellion is over. You have voiced yourselves, now I will meet with you all, you call for reform, let is be organized and intelligent and we will have said reform. Some have already seen me, I mingle with the folks of any kind, for I am your equal. If you see a Black Cross marching through Galahar, treat him with respect, for he now will protect your families. It is time for Oren to correct our paths of progression, to build upon the foundation that we have forever held sturdy, it is time for a new Era. More will be revealed as I sit down with the many and hear the thoughts so desperate to be heard. Warn ye though that I cannot logically implement every single wish that a man can desire, I must choose the best for the best results for all! Thank Ye for Hearing me! --- Entering the grounds with Ezekial'Tarus spying him for his facial expressions, Gaius walks into the sparse company in the room and shuts the door behind him. After a long conversation, Ezekial'Tarus and Gaius Marius shake hands and leave to go forth to Ezekial'Tarus's crowning as Gaius watches and leaves with the King of the Western Biumvirate to meet people in Galahar and gauge the reactions of the people. Relieved that their burying of hatchets had brought much appraisal, they declare terms of the Biumvirate. --- Resting his rugged palms on the fine stone masonry railing in the Konigsberg Citadel, Gaius looks out with dreary eyes at the horizon; noting each tree that stands out in contrast to the reddening sky. Feeling the tearless sting of his eyes as he realizes the inevitable comes swiftly for him that night, he coughs with a worsening tone as his arms buckle in pain. His sight growing hazy, Gaius runs his arthritic fingers through his grey beard and chuckles realizing that he will die. With the sudden twang of noise coming from Gaius, OrdenMarschall Samuel Bealcrest walks authoritatively forward and meets Gaius's eyes and acquires his condition. With a couple of coughs to greet Samuel, he looks wearily at Samuel and informs him to ready his bed and with immediate concern; Samuel leans his head towards Gaius with a questioning look. Throwing his arm halfheartedly across Samuel's shoulderblade, Gaius stands himself fully, not as tall as the elven Samuel. Walking up a flight of stairs to a finely set bed, Gaius slumps onto it sideways and rolls onto his back with aching pains. As OrdenMarschall Samuel shoos a Sariant away and soon afterwards a congregation of them enter undeterred by Samuel's pressing barks in opposition. Gaius welcomes them with slumped yet opened arms as each of them come in with troubled, concerned, and flabbergasted looks across their faces as they stare monotonously towards their Hochmeister. He beckons them with his worn voice and informs them that he was just a mere mortal and that no man from there on out should consider him invincible for he was far from it... He slips Samuel Bealcrest a series of scrolls and continues his message to his Sariants and Citizens... I was brought forth from the womb only to inevitably enter once more within a tomb... I am a Simple Man and I will have my Death and die this once, but have seen the Era of a Golden Age of the Teutonic Order and the Realms being set! With that last summoned shout from his spirit, Gaius slumps into eternal slumber as the heralded chants of a mourning Order prevails the quiet natural noises of the Realm of Hanseti. Thundering hymns of solemn peace exude from each citizen knowledgeable of their different chants that day... Hochmeister Gaius Marius of the Teutonic Order; King of the Realm of Hanseti has passed away Sabet, 14th of Malin's Welcome, 1343 Hochmeister Gaius Marius has been succeeded by Samuel Bealcrest, a past OrdenMarschall with Mirtok stepping into his OrdenMarschall position.

Strategy by the Brothers von Manstein is a war manual and rulebook written by the Hanso-Waldenian noble brothers, Adolf and Harald von Manstein (Naumarian: Adolf van Manstein; Harald van Manstein). Both Adolf and Harald lived during the Schismatic Wars of the 30s ES and 40s ES, and though being members of the minor Hanso-Waldenian nobility, remained Canonists or retained ties with the Canonist nations of the south. The guide itself was composed between the years 51-55 ES (1498-1502 ES), a few years following the collapse of the Vanderfell monarchy and the creation of the Orenian puppet-state, the Duchy of Haense. (OOC: Full credit to @thesmellypocket who wrote this, posting it here for easier access. Link to their original thread below: ) --- STRATEGY BY THE BROTHERS VON MANSTEIN, PARTS I-VII WRITTEN BY THE HANDS OF HARALD VON MANSTEIN ADOLF VON MANSTEIN PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- “In the excellent years of 1498-1502, it was my noble brother, Harald, who wrote a book on the use of strategy in warfare. Let this publication and completion after his demise be so devis’d as a tribute to his name, and so we may honor the late Harald whose lose still bears over over us the most terrible grief.” - Adolf Von Manstein. --- CHAPTER I or, Raising an Army I.In the art of war, the matter of, to say with no exaggeration of any kind, the most import is levying a force large enough to carry out your campaigns. II.And so the forces of the realm may be divided into these categories: Sergeants, Knights and Squires, Levied Peasantry, Bugher Watches or Militias; Specialized Mercenaries. III.Knights and squires are usually the most elite of these forces, for they act as heavy infantry and cavalry. Therefore their levying is of vast import, and the highest priority. IV.When levying knights to your cause, it is not uncommon for a sovereign king to offer financial incentives to gentry to take up arms. These may come under movable property of any sort, be it minas, cattle, or otherwise. It must be said this may be financially straining, so it is good for a sovereign, be he in a time where his knights and squires are needed badly, to offer riches in the form of the possessions in his house. In the practical art of war, where the profit of the sovereign is of importance, we must see this as a last resort. V.For it is well known it can be not very prestigious. If a king gives his household personal goods such as gold objects, jewelry and weapons, riding horses and destriers, rival princes, dukes, kings and caliphs will see your realm as poor, and you as weak, for you are giving the honoured goods of your family. VI.The use of giving enemy riches, which would usually go the sovereign, to knights and squires as a financial reward and incentive is much less of a poor course, however. For you have taken it from the enemy, at no cost to the prestige of your own house. VII.There, it may be summarized as this: Financial incentives (and punishments) must be observed to get the best service, and these are preferably done from minas and loot, rather than your own possessions. For though the knights have an obligation to fight for you, they will do so best with incentive. VIII.A final note is that horses are the most expensive part of a knight’s equipment, and they are prone to disease, death on the battlefield and other losses. Therefore, to the men who have more horses, there must be more pay. It must be said that those who are use riding horses such as palfreys on the march, and then ride destriers and coursers into battle. To these people it must be said, that they have gone out of their way to have more horses, and must be given more wealth. It is also frequent to repay or replace lost horses. IX.Sergeants are another important force on the battlefield. It is these spearmen and light horsemen who have ensured Oren’s victories for the last few decades. Any who comes under this category is a man who is not gentry or noble, a mere common man, but one who is a professional soldier, always at the call in the manner of a retinue. For example, most of the Order of Saint Amyas’ footmen count as sergeants. X.The sustenance of sergeants is of some, but not of great cost. They only expect low wages, and in some cases can afford their own equipment. Many of them are craftsmen themselves, able to repair and maintain their own spears, kettle helms, shields and arming swords without interruption. XI.Their training is well too, but can they match the wealth and training of a knight? Nay, but they may be relied upon well to hold the line well. Is it little wonder their use is so common in the realm? XII.It may be necessary for the nobility of the realm to pay for the arming and training of these troops, as it has become something of a convention. That is what is expected, and the expectancy to pay for one’s own equipment will be greeted with hostility. The wise commander and lord sees his own sergeants equipped with his own wealth, which will be greeted with elation. XIII.It is rare to get good sergeants out of a feudal obligation, as is common with levies and knights. Instead, one must ensure the critical task of sending out recruiting parties often and gaining the affection of the people so that they may volunteer. XIV.These two aforementioned groups form most of the best men besides from mercenaries, and throughout the course of our history the proportion of knights to sergeants has changed. In modern times, it is often 1 knight for every 24 sergeants. XV.It is much quicker and easier to raise sergeants, for they are ready and may be called upon. It does well to have a large force of these fellows in case a desperate situation ensues, or to dispute a man of his land without expecting actual fighting. XVI.The city militias and watches are to be rarely called onto the field, mostly used to garrison the various cities of the realm. However, if they are levied, it may be customary to offer rudimentary pay, even of a low sort. XVII.These men are the quickest to call upon in a levy, for they already have basic training and arms, and merely require calling into arms. It may be said that they can be used to merely boost the number of soldiers on the field, used in a siege, or to act as auxiliaries of sorts to their more well-equipped and trained counterparts. Many are equipped with crossbows, which are quite simple to use, and used to attack the enemy with missiles. XVIII.It must be said that though the Codes of Saint Edmond (Chivalry) prohibit a mean sacking of cities, the militiamen and sergeants must have their regards. You must forage from the enemy, and loot from civilians. These men are not knights, and are not bound by this code. This will be ample payment, and there is little need for additional incentive, should you use them in the field. XIV.Levymen form the bulk of your missile troops and garrisons. Levies must buy their own equipment, and usually are unarmored and untrained. This is why they are only useful for missile troops. Again, these men need no additional incentive but that which they forage during war, if you put them in the field. XV.Mercenaries allow a sovereign or a marshal to gain troops that are specialized, such as horse archers, light cavalry, missile troops such as crossbowmen, as well as high quality infantry. These men require payment to such a degree that they will be a heavy financial burden on the realm. They will be covered in greater detail in the next part. “O, wealth of burghers! Your money of Petrus is most needed in times of war, and you are surely richer than those of the country, yet you feel you pay enough? Nay, damndest burghers, you mock poor fellows thus!”-Harald Von Manstein, 1499. --- CHAPTER II or, Mercenaries and Their Uses I.There are two times when the use of mercenaries may be considered good or necessary. One: When your own subjects are disloyal or unwilling to fight, or dislike the marshal. You must ensure that your men will not defect or run, for they care not for loyalty when the man who they are loyal to is unpopular. Two: When your realm is approaching a war that is critical or important. Mercenaries are a true financial burden on the realm, for they expect pay at a specific time, and a specific amount and their sustenance is very costly. If you do not pay them, they will desert. They also require huge financial incentives, so do not use mercenaries in wars which are small and minor, or which your standard army can win without. II.The general who makes but few calculations on whether his troops are of good enough quality and quantity to defeat the enemy will waste his wealth away, or watch his troops die. It is well to form a council before a war with all the great men of the realm, to discover if mercenaries are necessary. III.Therefore we can see mercenaries can be used badly or well. Sometimes, if the marshal is inexperienced, the mercenaries must be left to their own commands. For he is not versed in their specialty, merely in standard warfare. Saint Theodosius’ blessings, horsemen of Adria! For he is the man of heralds and messengers and horses and all good and honest horsemen, and you will fight with valor. But be damned to your pay, for you cost your realm too much! --- CHAPTER III or, the Acquisition of Ships I.The cheapest and quickest way of acquiring ships is requisitioning merchant vessels. If you do not wish for the merchant class to hate you, you may buy them, but then it will be cheaper to build your own war galleys. Therefore, if you are using merchant ships, take them by force. Then they are are cheap, can be modified and are excellent for transporting troops. II.The second cheapest way of acquiring ships is to take them from the enemy or cause them to defect. This may be done by seizing enemy ports,or in naval engagements. This can be done from previous wars, and you should never attempt to sink the enemy for their ships will prove later. Rather, board them and kill them, or compel them to surrender using heavy missile fire. Then, you can use the conquered foe to augment one’s own strength. III.Of course, the third cheapest way is to build your own ships. This takes time and wealth, but you may use the latest naval technology and have specialized galleys and other vessels. IV.And the final course which is completely inadvisable in any way is to hire mercenary fleets. Because ships are of such high sustenance, you will find yourself not only paying for the expensive cost of mercenaries but for their ships. They will expect monstrous pay, to the point where your fleet will cost hundreds of ounces of silver each month, until, after a few years, one third of your income will be dissipated. And sometimes, they will be less effective than your own ships too. --- CHAPTER IV or, Siege Warfare and Its Importance I.Sieges are what win wars, not battles. To meet the enemy of the field you win nothing but the enemy’s shame and reduction of troops, whereas during a siege you may slowly depart him from his kingdom. If done well, this can be done with minimal loses. If done badly, sieges are the most costly part of warfare. II.Therefore, the value of siege engineers is immense. An army without them is no army at all, but a useless rabble, of no use at all. Therefore, a commander must make an effort to get a numerous amount of the best siege engineers, or he will fall into inability. III.Merely throwing your heavy infantry at a castle with little prior preparation is most inadvisable, for in your impatience, you will cause the enemy troops to reduce your forces, with no progress made. In sieges, you must be patient. IV.Stone-throwing artillery is most valuable during a siege. Some siege engineers will require some prior preparation before the campaign for this, but the true masters can construct artillery in the field. Sometimes, you need not storm a breach. Merely create one, to make the enemy seem more vulnerable, and inch him closer to surrendering. Remember, in a siege, you must be patient. V.In addition, it is advisable to set up barracades and pavises and fortifications in your own siege camp, so that your crossbowmen may whittle down the enemy’s numbers, and so that you may fight the enemy with ease should he decide to sally forth. VI.Siege towers are also very worrying to the enemy,but take time and skill to construct. If you are a good, patient commander, you may burn them. VII.In no artillery can be constructed, mines are the next best option. If your mines are discovered, dig more. You must have patience. The enemy will set up countermines, and you must retreat from your current mines and block them to prevent any trouble stirring. VIII.Or alternatively, you may not do this so the enemy will think you are coming from there, and then dig somewhere else. They will deploy troops in case you attack from the other mines. If the enemy sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak. IX.Remember this above all: The worst possible course of action is an unprepared attack. You will lose many of your men, you MUST be patient. X.And so you need not even take the castle, merely compel him to surrender. This is the best possible course, for you will lose little men. The captured soldiers should be treated with kindness and kept, and then rulers will respect your benevolence and justice, as well as your own men and the enemy. XI.If the enemy surrenders, do not sack the castle or city. If he does not, and you have to take it by force, you are at liberty to plunder. Preferably, the citizens will be spared of death, but there will always be many deaths regardless. You can not stop soldiers, for many are blackguards and curs. XII.However, plundering will make your men adore you, for you have given them wealth. You must not do it if the enemy surrenders because you will get a reputation for cruelty and being dishonourable. Rival princes and nobles will dislike you, and then your realm is nothing. The same goes for ordering a deliberate massacre of enemies. You must not do this, but if the enemy refuses to surrender, you must sack. There will be deaths then, but you will not be held responsible. If your troops are truly disciplined and do not kill anyone during a sacking, you are a truly brilliant commander and you are favoured by Saint Thomas. Your troops will then be commended and their praises sung, and you will be famed and your troops morale will be high. XIII.If you fail to take the castle, return to your own realm. The skillful soldier need not raise a second levy. Instead, you must merely hold your own castles, and wait for your troops to recover. Then, you may try again. If your losses are terrible, then do raise a second levy, but this will be regretful. --- CHAPTER V or, Logistics and Maneuvering I.An army is said to march on its stomach. While the men who fight in an army are often hardy men, they are carnivores. They must have ample food. It is said in one day, the soldier will consume 1 flagon of wine or 2 of ale, 2 pounds of bread, 1 pound of cheese and a pound of meat. II.Knights will consume noticeably more, and in addition the cavalry of the army will need to feed their horses, of which they can have many. III.Therefore, a wise general does not merely forage, nor takes pre-prepared supplies. He does both. To forage from the enemy will damage his people’s morale, for they will see their sovereign as weak. IV.But in case the enemy takes a policy of scorched earth, it is always advisable for your troops to be well-supplied, regardless of foraging. V.In a brief manner, bring supplies with you, but make a point of replenishing your supplies with ones foraged from the enemy. VI.For the quick moving of your army in the field you must ensure that the cavalry have both riding and fighting horses, and have spare ones to replace fallen horses. You cannot dither, especially with a cavalry force, with the replacement of horses. You must acquire them, and do well by them. VII.To the infantry, the baggage train of wagons which is often imagined is of complete falsehood. Nay, what is carried must be done so on their backs or in donkeys. This will ensure a fast-moving army. For though having a baggage train of heavy goods may be advantageous to your supplies, it will be very slow. VIII.And for the entertainment of expensive guests, this will increase prices. You must only entertain guests if they will improve morale, or are willing to travel in the manner of a common soldier, or at the best, a knight. They will simply slow you down if otherwise with special requirements and niceties. --- CHAPTER VI or, In Battle! I.In battle, commanders divide their forces into four acies. It is preferable to dismount some knights, in order to form 3 acies of foot and 1 of horse. The acie of horse must be kept in reserve and used only when the enemy is near breaking; cavalry is useless in sustained warfare, and are useful only at the tipping point of battle, defeating the enemy in a single charge or retreating. Not stopping to fight, but to charge, and retreat, charge again, retreat, at the critical moment. II.For this you must ensure the cavalry are firmly grouped together when they do charge. Therefore, give always your most trusted commander command of the cavalry, or you should take it. III.The infantry are usually deployed in a defensive formation, but advance into an offensive formation as the battle progresses. With an army strong in heavy infantry you must ensure the flanks are strong so that you may surround the enemy, relying on the cavalry to do the finishing blow. IV.With an army of missile troops, you must deploy stakes and wait. If you are trapped, they will fight to the death and show great valour. You must stand your ground, and incite your enemy’s anger to cause him to charge. This is a tactic that works even outnumbered, especially with terrain that prevents enemy flanking. You must group the few men-at-arms you have on the flanks. You must have a large reserve. V.A force of mostly cavalry must break the enemy with the initial charge, and if they cannot, they must retreat. If they cannot retreat, they should not charge in the first place, but dismount and fight as infantry. VI.The same goes if the enemy's’ cavalry greatly outnumbers your own. Your own cavalry must dismount and aid your infantry. Otherwise they will be made useless. VII.In the case of a rout, if you wish to rally your men, do it on high ground. If the enemy routs, do not use mounted knights to pursue them, but light cavalry. VIII.If you fight horse archers, if they advance, as if they mean to attack, do not advance. They are merely baiting you and will destroy your infantry with missiles. Withdraw, and wait for another battle where you may take them by surprise. IX.If the enemy is of infantry and you cavalry, you must feign disorder or rouse him to anger to cause him to want to attack you. Then the enemy will scatter his formation, prey to your cavalry in loose formation. X.And remember this above all: the mark of a good commander is to know when to withdraw, and dare to do it. If you think battle may be offered under better conditions, or you do not wish to fight at all, withdraw! XI.Remember the biggest enemy of a cavalry man is missiles at close range in unfavorable weather, for the horses will be made slow by mud and vulnerable. If there are many missile troops in such conditions, do not charge headlong. If he is in such a position where outmaneuvering is impossible, then do not charge at all, but withdraw and take him another day. --- CHAPTER VII or, Horses: Dangers, Types, and Sustenance I.Horses may be divided into three categories: War horses, riding horses and saddle horses. II.Under war horses fall horses such as destriers, who are bred for us in battle. III.Under riding horses fall horses bred to be used to travel or hunt with great speed. These include rouncies, cobs IV.Saddle horses are poorer horses which yeomen can afford. V.A good knight will have at least 1 warhorse and a riding horse, and will see to their sustenance. Many will have more, and those that do would require such a baggage train for feed that the army would be slowed massively. It would be wise to sustain an army of largely cavalry with foraging. VI.Now your light cavalry are poorer, and often you must buy their horses, or they can only afford one. it is good for them to buy rouncies or cobs. These horses are for general purposes and are essentially the compromise of riding and warhorses. VII.With saddle horses a commander should not trouble himself with, but allow the yeomen and other classes of people of your army to buy for themselves. VIII.Therefore, it is so advis’d that those armies who wish to travel merely on their baggage train and not commit to foraging of any sort, to take as few horses as possible. This may be done by having dismounted knights and sergeants, and if you require cavalry taking a small amount. IX.And it shall be noted that those who do are in territories where the enemy is implementing a scorched earth policy or you are in an infertile or destitute region, the same aforementioned rule applies. Take but few horses and cavalry as possible without severely crippling your forces.

On the Life and Death of the Dancing Falcon is a biographical account of Farley Stafyr (Naumarian: Farley Stafyr) and his service to the later Second Empire era. Farley served in numerous high positions in the Heinrician court and was one of the more prominent non-Carrion supports of the house despite mounting opposition. He was also the husband of Milena Carrion, the daughter of the Prophet-Emperor Sigismund, and therefore one of the members of the larger imperial Karovic clan. The account was written by the Haeseni writer and historian Berendon Hanethor (Naumarian: Berendon Hanethor), a distant kinsman of Farley. (OOC: Full credit to @Emenzi who wrote this, posting it here for easier access. Link to his original thread below: ) --- ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE DANCING FALCON AKA FARLEY STAFYR WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF BERENDON HANETHOR PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- CHAPTER I or, Early Life Born the son of Lord Edmund Stafyr and Lady Angelika Geminine many would think Farley’s life would be the noble dream, growing up in the largest castle of the south in one of the most peaceful regions of Oren, but alas so it was not. Just a year after he was born, his mother suddenly disappeared without a trace leaving him and his older sister alone to be raised by their father, a stern but also loving and caring man. With the help of servants and family members Lord Edmund managed to take good care of his two children, even though their mother was absent.. But chaos was about to strike in the distance. So was the exodus, the emperor Horen the fifth and his most loyal heartlander and Kaedreni subjects ventured across the seas to find new land in the midst of a great war between the empire and the Grand Kingdom of Urguan, The remaining nobles were left in disarray as the emperor’s third born son William ascended to the throne, declaring himself the new emperor of Oren. Thus the era of Five kings began. Lord Edmund, now the Lord Privy Seal, Knight commander of Renatus and Commander of the Lion Knights, the emperor's personal guard contracted an unknown illness and his health declined rapidly until he eventually passed away in his sleep, leaving Farley in the care of his aunt Leana who was named regent of House Stafyr until the young boy was of age. His uncle Beron Sturm, the illegitimate son of Saint Godwein was named guardian of Farley and took him under his wing, teaching him how to read, write, speak properly, act accordingly and all manners that was expected by a lord. His other uncle Alistier and the Grand Knight Daniel, an old friend of his father started to teach him how to fight and all the moral codes of a true knight, like his father. When he was twelve years old his uncle Beron gave him a falcon named Thondor, supposedly it had belonged to all the other true Stafyr lords before him, centuries before Saint Godwein was ennobled by the prophet emperor Godfrey. During the many years of chaos and madness during this infamous era of history, his aunt, who feared what could happen with House Stafyr if the house got involved with the unstable Orenian politics closed the gates to Shadowcastle letting very few people in and out. During these years seeing a member of House Stafyr or any inhabitant of the southern province of Schattenburg roam the streets of the fractured human realm was a rare instance. On his sixteenth birthday Farley was officially declared lord of House Stafyr, something he had been trained to be ever since he was a young boy, but is anyone really prepared for the duty? --- CHAPTER II or, the Beginnings of a Lord His first command was to once again open the gates of Shadowcastle, not fearing the world like his aunt did. But the world was a different place from when the gates were shut, the Horen dynasty was weak and the empire fractured into several kingdoms ruled by different houses and much land had been lost to Urguan puppet states. The main kingdom separate from the Horen dynasty's rule being the old Blackmont vassal House Carrion, led by the charismatic and wise Siegmund Carrion. Through smart maneuvering of politics together with the Herendulian house Winter, Siegmund Carrion used the religious conflicts that were brewing between the Raevirs of Ruska and heartlanders of Renatus to dispose of the weak King William Horen and replaced him with his Uncle Silus, an old family friend of House Stafyr. He would be known as the puppet king. King Silus rule was short, he gave up the crown to Ostromir and Tuvya Carrion who bent the knee to their father Siegmund and slowly but surely the empire was refounded as an elective imperial monarchy, all votes casted on Siegmund as the new emperor. One could think peace was finally upon Oren, all the houses had aligned themselves under the new emperor and Oren was finally growing once more but so it was not. The daughter of Saint Godfrey, Sophia Horen emerged from hiding in Malinor with a claim and backing by different elven factions, including the support of Daniel Baelish, who had left Oren and joined the Clerical Order. During this time, his cousin Godwein, named after the saint, was after a misunderstanding with the church, lashed by the High Ecclesiarch Radomir Carrion, something which angered the young lord Farley greatly. He arranged a meeting through Daniel with Sophia Horen and was moments away of joining her side and declaring open rebellion against the Carrion crown, but history took a different course. Farley’s cousin Walter, a strong Carrion loyalist got word about Farley’s possible intentions and arranged a meeting with the emperor, the meeting was attended by a few select individuals and no one except those that attended know what words were spoken but House Stafyr left the meeting loyal to the empire. Sophia’s rebellion quickly disintegrated after that, no Orenian house wished to take up her cause leaving her without support within the empire and her elven allies did not have the strenght to go against the Orenians on their own, she once more vanished into hiding. But peace was not found that easily, the Grand Kingdom of Urguan had gained a lot of power started backing the exiled House Tarus who now pressed claims on the Orenian throne, they invaded Oren from the south. Attacking the Stafyrs home, Shadowcastle. It was shortly before the dwarven/Tarusian invasion that Farley met a young commoner woman named Asira who he quickly fell for. She made him laugh and smile, something that was rare in this dark world. Farley feared he could not safeguard her from the upcoming war so he sent her to Malinor, leaving him heartbroken and dedicating himself deeper into the roots of politics and war. Unknowingly to him, a son was born by Asira. As the dwarven host marched towards Shadowcastle together with the Tarus rebels the high commander of the Orenian military Heinrik of Roy, the nephew of emperor Siegmund arrived to Schattenburg with the Raevir forces, together Lord Heinrik and Lord Farley forged a plan, under the village of Fieldchurch was an old mine, only held up by wooden supports. They weakened the wooden beams and greased the mine up with oil. As the dwarves marched through Fieldchurch sacking the now abandoned village on their way up towards Shadowcastle a small group Almannir hiding by the entrance to the mine started a fire and it didn’t take long until the beams broke, collapsing the mine.. The village went down into flames with it but also a third of the dwarven host perished. The dwarven king Thorin was furious, charging his army up the mountain only to be met with pikes and arrows from the walls of the castle, they had lost their superiority in numbers and seemingly from nowhere cavalry from the heartland, led by the emperor himself emerged from the north cutting the dwarven and Tarus forces into two. The Stafyr and Raevir forces sallied forth from the castle and slaughtered the dwarven forces covering the rear leaving. The Grand King had been defeated and the emperor sought peace with the Tarus rebels. However, shortly after the emperor of Oren would perish and a new emperor was to be crown. The two possible heirs to the Carrion dynasty was both considered unfit to lead, Ostromir to greedy and neglective and Tuvya, a great minded steward was considered to weak. The Carrion dynasty was considered weak and the empire collapsed into two kingdoms, Herendul led by King Edward Winter and Oren, with no king. --- CHAPTER III or, the Holy Kingdom of Oren However to clearly select a king of Oren, a vote was cast between the Raevirs of Kralta and with the battle of Shadowcastle fresh in mind, Heinrik of Roy was made King Heinrik Carrion of Oren, a man who had now become a good friend of Farley after the battle. His first order was to bring Herendul back into the Orenian hegemony, in order to do so he married the Princess of Herendul, Katherine Winter, elevated Herendul to an archduchy, made the archduke his chancellor and also issued a decree elevating House Winter as guardians of the vast uncharted north. Now once more united as the Holy Kingdom of Oren, King Heinrik, instead of sueing for peace marched further south to invade the dwarven lands, as emperor Horen had done years before. Farley was against further war but would not oppose his king and friend, as the Orenian army marched upon Thoringrad with a large host, Farley was made commander of the rear guard with twenty thousand men under his command. The Orenian vanguard sallied over the river to Thoringrad and took the castle with the rearguard following closely behind. Shortly after the battle, Farley with the assistance of the exiled House Amador and his old friend Daniel who had now once more aligned himself with Oren managed to stage a coup in Adunia and their human subjects living there, the land was returned to Oren by the Amadors who had usurped the last true Adunian earl and was granted nobility in Oren under the condition that they swore vassalage to House Stafyr. However it wasn’t long after that the dwarves reclaimed the Adunian lands under a new jarl. The elves of both Malinor and Hae’Lunor who had allied themselves with Oren sent soldiers to the Orenian army marching deeper and deeper into the dwarven lands, increasing the Orenian forces as they approached the fortress under water, Indograd. Realizing that Indograd would be to difficult to attack, King Heinrik constructed a series of forts covering all the ways out of the dwarven lands, cutting them off from the rest of the world. The loss of trade and the growing starvation in the dwarven lands made Grand King Thorin sue for peace, abandoning his Tarus allied. The war was won and Farley could return home. As a reward for his service to Oren during the war, Lord Farley was granted the position of Lord Privy Seal and a position in King Heinrik’s privy council. He was also made warden of the south, tasked with protection Oren against any threat from the south, be it dwarves or orcs. But with power comes stress, Farley became more and more conflicted about his surroundings and had grown to accustomed to war that the peace that was made him stressed and distorted. At this time the halflings that had a small village on the outskirts of the Shadowcoast was growing discontent with the treatment from the humans and 30 halflings marched to Shadowcastle in a protest, however Farley who had been blinded by rage from the war saw this as a threat and sent a retinue of men led by Ser Alexander Valos to the halfling village to scare them back into submission but Ser Valois slaughtered the halflings that had protested and strung up their bodies on the trees around the village. It was at this point that Daniel, who now resided in Shadowcastle with his wife raised his concerns about the path Farley was taking Stafyr who had been renowned for their peaceful ways, Farley realizing the error of his ways had the men who slaughtered the halflings beheaded and Ser Valois was exiled from Shadowcastle and branded an enemy of Stafyr. As to reward Lord Farley and ensure House Stafyrs loyalty to the crown King Heinrik arranged a courtship between Farley and the king’s cousin Princess Milena and a courtship between Farley’s sister Cecilia and the Archduke Winter. Farley had not let a single person truly into his life since Asira and was very uncomfortable being around Princess Milena at first, but her beauty and compassion was astonishing and Farley could not help falling in love. --- CHAPTER IV or, the War Against Setherien The two got married in the chapel of Fieldchurch with the blessing of King Heinrik and for the first time in many years, he felt true joy and happiness. But only a few months after they had gotten married all of Anthos would shake. From the northern wastelands and southern caves Bohra came charging out, they had not been seen since the siege of Greywind many years earlier. They attacked and raided everything on their way, as being commanded by an higher being. And so it was that, the daemon Setherien in the form of a great northern dragon commanded the Bohra to invade. His intentions unclear. A rather fragile coalition was formed between Oren, Malinor, Hae’Lunor and Urguan to combat Setherien and this northern scourge, the coalition army consisted of a combined number of over a hundred thouand men, elves and dwarves. At the passage into the northern valleys the army made camp, fortifying their position as the awaited Setherien’s army, not knowing what to expect. At nightfall, as snow fell cold over the passageway, Setherien arrived with overwhelming amounts of Bohra, flooding from the hillsides. The battle was long and brutal and Setherien had managed to cut off a large portion of the army from the rest, their cries of pain and rage echoed through the valley as they valiantly fought the Bohra in the distance, King Heinrik being one of the men cut off. Lord Farley and his vassals, together with the Holy Order of Saint Lucien managed to push through to the other side, creating a path for remaining coalition forces to get into the valley, Setherien flew off in the distance, leaving his Bohra to die. The coalition saw the retreat of Setherien as a token of victory and the remaining army marched back home, echoes of the bravery of Lord Farley was heard all over Schattenburg. But Setherien still had a hand to play. Not long after the battle Farley and his retinue was out hunting on the plains of Furnestock, peace was finally truly upon them and his wife Milena was pregnant. But the ground started shaking and parting between their feets as lava poured through the holes, the smell beginning to spread through all of Furnestock. Almost all of them perished except for Farley and his friend Vaclav, who through a stroke of luck managed to get away from the plains and over the hills back towards Shadowcastle, which was no more. The entire castle had been struck to the ground and along the coast, all of the now rebuilt village of Fieldchurch was ablaze as drakes were seen in the distance. They searched through the village and castle but could not find a soul or body, a strange thing. But their search was halted when the roars of the drake echoed as they smelt the scent of living flesh. Farley and Vaclav drew their blades, prepared to die at each others side as brothers but a beckoning light was cast from the sky, sending the drakes off in fear. The Itharel Daniel arriving to save the two. They arrived to the cloud temple were the Clerics and Temple Monks had created a ward over the area, preventing Setherien’s spawn to reach them.. Daniel showed them to the Orenian camps where he was reunited with his wife and family. But alas, Anthos was almost all but a memory. Many elves could still remember the floods of Asulon and the destruction of Aegis. The ancestral homeland. And history always repeats itself. --- CHAPTER V or, New Huntshill Through the guidance of the Cloud temple monks a portal was created through the mountain, all survivors was flocked through it and sent forth into the unknown future, The Fringe. They arrived in The Fringe where they were immediately sent south by Orenian scouts, fertile lands to farm and live on they said. House Stafyr settled into a mountainside, and through time building a small village and fort along it which they named New Huntshill. Protecting the trade routes and fields of the south once more as they always had. It was at this point, around the time of the birth of his son Athelstan that the Zionist war broke out, as all nations had grown weary and tired of the Orenian dominance of King Heinrik they declared a coalition and war upon the Holy Kingdom. Farley and his retinue who had attended a privy meeting in Vekaro was attacked by Orcish raiders who was assisting the coalition. They managed to fend of the party but Farley was injured. The battle of the Fields they called it, King Heinrik’s last battle. He led a cavalry charge straight into lines of dwarven pikemen. Almost as if he wanted to die. The Orenian army was crushed and his only living son Roy was left to rule, but many considered Roy unfit to lead the nation during a time of war and crisis so the Raevirs once more assembled a council and elected Heinrik’s uncle Francis as king. War broke out between the church, backed by the Holy Order of Saint Lucien, House Winter and most heartland houses against the crown, The Decterum and the Raevirs. Lord Farley, who still was in bedrest after his injury did his best to keep Stafyr out of the war, as he did not want to shed blood of other humans. Many prepared for a long and gruesome war but one of the king’s most trusted bodyguards, a knight of the Decterum murdered the king. Oren was now in chaos, the Carrion dynasty had fallen and their most loyal soldiers, The Decterum had betrayed them. The remaining Carrions with their Raevir supporters fled to the keep of Mount Augustus, where they barricaded themselves awaiting the rebel army. It was at this point, that the bishop Vekaro received a vision from the prophet emperor Godfrey, that the kings of Kaedrin would soon return and Peter Chivay was to be crowned emperor of Oren. Many laughed at the bishop at first but as a large fleet arrived on the coasts of Thalos, many of the ships the same that had disappeared years ago during the exodus, led by Peter Chivay. All the Orenian houses flocked to his cause, including Lord Farley who bent the knee and declared his loyalty to the new empire. The new imperial army, from the sons of the most battle hardened men in the history of Oren besieged Mount Augustus but instead of attacking. The new emperor made a truce with the Carrions, granting Boris Carrion, the brother of the late king Francis a Princedom within Oren in return of the Raevirs loyalty, with Roy as his heir. Lord Farley was removed from his position on the privy council as the emperor restructured the entire nation, the Third Orenian Empire saw a rise of prominence in wealth and to show of the newly found Orenian might, he declared war on the rebellious snow elves and crushed them utterly, almost causing their immediate extinction. --- CHAPTER VI or, Later Years and Death House Stafyr retreated into solitude as a long era of peace was upon Oren, Farley who had grown weary and tired of the life of war and politics. Realizing he had missed the first years of his son and his wife almost looked upon him as a stranger due to his duty in life he took a decision which would change the course of his life forever. A decree was issued all through Oren, Lord Farley abdicated. His cousin Symon, a young and calm man with lesser ambitions was named steward and regent of Stafyr until young Athelstan was of age. He did this so to be more with his son and wife, he remained as house patriarch to oversee the decisions of Symon but more so as his advisor. The years passed as young Athelstan grew older and older and Farley and Milena rekindled their love for eachother, but shortly before the young heirs fifth nameday Farley received word from Roy Carrion son of late King Heinrik requested a duel for his family’s honour, as he saw Farley as a traitor for not defending the Carrion crown. It was a warm summer day as the banners of Stafyr and Carrion flew high on the fields outside the imperial capital Kaldonia. Upon the field Roy Carrion and Farley Stafyr met and fought, blades clashing and men chanting as they watched upon the fight between the once great young lord and the Carrion heir. The chants died out when the green grass was soaked with blood and Farley fell lifeless to the ground. Lord Farley II. Stafyr is hailed to have given birth to the modern traditions and ways of Stafyr, moving the house from the brink of extinction to becoming one of the major houses in Oren and fielding one of the largest armies at the time. His insecurities and flaws were heavily outweighed by his competence and noble ways. He is remembered as one of the greatest lords of the Almannir that has yet lived, if not the greatest after Saint Godwein.

On the Life and Death of the Saint of Hunthills is the biographical retelling of the life of Godwein Stafyr, a Hansetian-born lord in the service of Prophet-Emperor Godfrey during the era of the First Empire of the 20s and 10s AES. Godwein was known both in life and postmortem as a pious and wholesome man, being canonized in the Canonist Church in the early 10 ES. The account was written by historian Berendon Hanethor, a distant kinsman to Saint Godwein. (OOC: Full credit to @Emenzi who wrote all of this, posting it here for easier access. Link to his original thread below: ) --- ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE SAINT OF HUNTSHILL AKA GODWEIN STAFYR WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF BERENDON HANETHOR PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- CHAPTER I or, the Harsh First Steps Saint Godwein was born in a small isolated town called Rivacheg it is unclear if this town was located in Aegis or Asulon but most recollections suggest it would have been in Asulon. He was the son of Theor Stafyr and Ravenna Midrasa and the oldest child of three, having two younger siblings named Guiner and Marian. It is said that Godwein could read and write at the age of five and that his grandfather Graveth saw that the boy was blessed by God with abilities most grown men even lacked. Thus he put it on himself to educate the child to the best of his abilities. However very little is known about the early life of Saint Godwein, his grandfather acted much as his mentor and early in his life his mother would pass from an unknown disease with his father passing shortly after struck by grief. The first trials sent by the Creator. Godwein was tasked to safeguard and raise his younger siblings however his grandfather and two uncles aided the bright young man to the best of their abilities. So the years passed and Godwein kept raising his siblings but his torments were not over there. It appeared to be a regular day as Godwein was out hunting in the woods surrounding Rivacheg, there were no signs of any wildlife so he was forced deeper and deeper into the woods until he came across a white stag in the distance. But he could never get a clear shot with his bow. He kept following the deer for half a day until it had just vanished. When Godwein returned by nightfall he found that the entire town had been burnt down by a large warband. Finding his younger siblings and remaining family all murdered. The houses set alight by the marauders and no one in the town could be seen alive. Godwein only alive due to the White Stag. He travelled far and wide, having no place to call home he started his walk southbound towards the Kingdom of Renatus. But on his way a distant cousin managed to find him, delivering him the will of his grandfather. It is unclear what the will of Graveth said but he set upon his journey with renewed vigour, dedicating himself to God and the three lines of Stafyr. Hanethor, Galtor and Sybilla. --- CHAPTER II or, Rebirth of Stafyr Godwein’s journey took him to the Kingdom of Renatus where the king of Renatus, Godfrey needed men to expand his royal capitol. Godwein took employment under the king working diligently cutting down trees for the city’s expansion. Some men have said that Godwein worked for twenty days and twenty nights before feeling the need to rest but not even then he would sleep, allowing other men to have leave and rest in his place. It was during these times that the first Orenian Empire was formed by Saint Godfrey after he had united all the fractured human kingdoms. Godwein however had no lust for power only a desire to serve God and Emperor. Thus he began to travel around Asulon, looking to attain knowledge. The Saint traveled far and wide and every village, homestead and town that he traveled through would suddenly grow more crops than ever before and they would flourish due to the divinity of the presence brought with him by God. His travels would eventually bring him to the caverns of Menocress. Godwein is assumed to have spent months down in these caves and not much is written about his time with the Mori’Quessir but it is assumed that he tried to bring enlightenment and piety to the race as well as he studied for higher knowledge. In the caves of Menocress God would once more bestow him with a trial. After studying deep in the caverns a growth of fungi would appear on his body, beginning to grow to encompass more and more. It is said that Godwein then travelled far to St Everard’s church where he prayed for three days until the growth of fungi had stopped. Now covering half of his body. Godwein then continued his travels, this time finding himself at the Adunian town of Ildon, ruled by Artorus Elendil. There he offered his services to the Lord and was offered a place at the court of Ildon and would later find himself granted the title Baron due to his strong ties with His Imperial Majesty and the diligent work he offered Lord Elendil. As a Baron of the Adunian lord, Godwein would often travel between the court of Ildon and the court of Arethor. Finding himself strained between the ambitions of the Adunians and his loyalty to the Emperor. He had many friends within the Adunian clans but he knew that they strived for goals he could not follow. In Ildon he would meet a young and beautiful woman of Heartlander descent. Alesira Teya. They quickly fell in love and married and on their wedding night she became pregnant. Godwein continued travelling between Arethor and Ildon, putting his duty above all and as the months grew shorter his wife gave birth to two baby boys. They named them Graveth and Theor. As the years went on Godwein grew in age and his children aged with him. Graveth grew to be very handsome and an envy of many in Ildon. He had a beautiful singing voice and loved to play the lute and as he became older he would serve well as an excellent swordsman. Loving to meet people from around the land and very flirtatious with women. Theor was very different. He was often quiet lost in his thoughts and would spend many hours within his study reading. When he wasn’t in his study he would often stay in the background of his gregarious brother and even though Theor shared many physical traits of Graveth women did not flock to him as they did to his brother. His one passion was to hunt, loving to take his bow and ride into the forests for days. During their life in Huntshill Godwein arranged so that his grand niece Leana would begin to court the esteemed knight Ser Edmond Brunswick as well as his grand nephew Farley would court the Lady Kinra Stark. Godwein cared deeply for his two sons but his duty came to the court of Oren, working relentlessly to further the strength of the empire and to increase its circle of influence and it wasn’t long until he was forced to choose sides. The house of Tarus, Elendil and Norsem all rebelled together with their bannermen and vassals. They sealed the gates of Ildon and declared themselves free of the Empire. Godwein barricaded his manor together with his family as he was not going to betray the grace of God that had been bestowed upon the emperor. It was not long until the large Imperial host led by White Roses and Teutons marched upon the gates of Ildon. Together with Dwarves and Orcs the Imperial troops breached the gates of the city and stormed towards the citadel. Graveth who were loyal to his friends wanted to fight against the empire but was ordered by Godwein to stand down. The battle was harsh and brutal ending in a complete slaughter of the rebels with the death of Jon Norsem and Artorus Elendil his son Torrhen surrendered the town and bent the knee to the emperor. He was granted leniency of his father’s crimes and retained his titles Godwein swore himself once more to the Lord of Elendil but his ties to the Adunians were all but a fragment of what they once were and his connection with the Imperial court grew due to his loyalty to Oren during the rebellion. Shortly before the floods of Asulon a young man was brought into his attention, the son of his great cousin Brenton came to his hall and seeked a place to stay. Edmund Stafyr. --- CHAPTER III or, Huntshill and Kalos Godwein, his wife and children all travelled together over the sea after the flood of Asulon. Upon one of the human vessels they learned from Edmund that there were at least two more Stafyrs alive and perhaps even more then that. As they arrived to the Isle of Elysium Godwein travelled forth into the land and marked out an area for settling. There once more the lord began to clear trees and a small homestead was constructed with the help of his sons and nephews. They raised a large banner on the top of the small keep and named it Huntshill. In Huntshill, Godwein would take in Asulonian refugees and give them homes, food and coin so they would survive and prosper. The small hamlet was soon an important stop for any man or woman travelling around Elysium. Huntshill prospered and the large banner called many distant Stafyrs such as Farley, Leana, Altes, Alistier and Emmanuel home to their own court. His son Graveth were being groomed for rule, Theor for stewardship his grand nephews for command and knighthood. However Godwein would once more suffer. His wife had gotten ill on the journey towards Elysium and was rarely seen outside the doors of the small keep. There in bedrest she spent most of her time with nurses and clergymen who travelled far and wide. But not even the prayers of Godwein could save her, as she passed calmly in her sleep. After the death of his wife Godwein would travel a lot between Huntshill and New Arethor drowning the pain in work. The emperor transferred Stafyrs vassalage to himself and shortly after Torrhen Elendil followed his father’s footsteps and rebelled against the Empire. Godwein’s oldest son Graveth now fully of age had grown to be very handsome but also very lustful. He met with a dark elven woman who he passionately fell for and made pregnant. Godwein chastised his son and disinherited him for his sinful ways. Declaring Theor his heir. Graveth left Huntshill and travelled to live with his heathen dark elf wife in Eyveror along with the Orenian rebels. Godwein returned to his work and focused more than ever to further the cause of God and righteousness through intense studies. Not long after the Battle of New Arethor and the Sack of Eyveror, Graveth returned home to his family. Godwein had his son’s lover converted and baptized under the true faith and allowed her to stay within Huntshill as she carried her grandchild of Almannir blood. The life in Huntshill continued and many that travelled through it would feel blessed by the presence of Saint Godwein. He would often take in beggars and allow them to stay and offer them work. Giving them purpose to life. As they once more boarded the ships and travelled to the island of Kalos. Godwein made an agreement with the Lady Chrestienne of Valois. They were to together construct a manor upon one of the mountainsides overlooking the Orenian settlements. There they would live together in harmony. And so it was that the friendship between Lady Chrestienne and Saint Godwein was formed. He would mentor her on matters of state and teach her the honourable and pious ways of his own. Even though it is rumored that Godwein would harbour romantic feelings for the Lady Valois they shared more of a bond between a father and his daughter. The manor they constructed was a beauty to see and many other nobles of Oren came there to meet with the Lord of Stafyr and Lady of Valois. A pillar of strength as Almannir and Auvergne bannermen would patrol along the mountainside. There was one incident where a frost witch tried to put a spell upon the heir Theor but Godwein sent his nephew Ser Edmund and Farley to chase her off. When Ser Edmund explained that he had been sent by Lord Godwein of Stafyr the unholy witch screeched loudly and vanished over the mountain. But once again Godwein were to suffer trials by God. After Graveth’s lover had given birth to two bastard twins, Graveth and his family vanished from the manor and was never seen again. Not even giving word to his father where he was going. But not long after his second son Theor disappeared after a long hunting trip. Riding away from his retinue not to be found again. Godwein declared his grand nephew Edmund as his heir apparent. --- CHAPTER IV or, the Rise of Schattenburg As the cloud temple monks guided the mortal races to new world of Anthos, Godwein was granted by imperial grace a manor in the capital city of Abresi. In the new city the Stafyrs settled as Godwein worked dutily in the new world. Taking in refugees and aiding the poor as best as he could. The emperor elevated Godwein’s status from Baron to Marquise as he was granted a March on the southern border of Oren. There he ordered the construction of Schattenburg and even though Godwein was now an older man he would himself carry the stones to help construct the first section of the later grand castle. His vassalage was once more transferred, this time to the Duke of Silverblade but his loyalty remained to God and Emperor. He was elevated to the Imperial privy council and granted the title of Lord Privy Seal. Being the voice of the emperor. He served his imperial majesty diligently and spent countless hours in the court of Abresi. Being beloved by nobles and commoners alike he gained the nickname “Honest Godwein” due to the fact that he never told a lie. Even how harsh the truth may have been it was his duty to speak such. His council was much appreciated by the Prophet Emperor Godfrey and they would confide in one another. Godwein’s March of Schattenburg was bustling and the empire grew in size. Godwein even though he was older seemed to be strong and worked as diligent as ever. Never seeming to be tired. After the Sack of Malinor Godwein worked hard to convert and teach Elven refugees the way of the faith and Oren making Schattenburg a melting pot for commerce and trade and supplied goods through the tunnel of the Shadow Mountains to Furnestock and Abresi. After the death of the blessed Patrick Denims, Godwein was elevated to the status of Lord High Treasurer of Oren. Governing the finances of Oren and further increasing the Orenian treasury. Implementing many systems of noble taxation and justly compensating common folk for their work. Shortly before the Blackmont - Teuton war Godwein was found dead in front of his throne. After examining his body it was concluded that his heart had failed him and he had succumbed to the stress that he had carried for so many years. God had risen him up to his immortal kingdom. Leaving many men and women all over Anthos in great sorrow. Years after his death when his tomb was moved it was discovered that the fungus that had been upon him was still alive even without a host to feed on and his axe and shield which had been used throughout the years had never dulled. Thus the Church canonized Godwein as Saint Godwein of Huntshill and named him the Patron Saint of Honesty, Woodworkers, Fungi and Skin afflictions. By all accounts the greatest lord of Stafyr history and all of Almannir. Saint Godwein is believed to have never once during his long life have said a lie. Duty in Truth

On the Life and Death of the Margrave of Schattenburg is a biographical account of the historical Edmund I, Margrave van Schattenburg, (Naumarian: Edmund Stafyr) a knight of renown in the era of the First Empire. Edmund was a member of the Stafyr family, an old Haeseni family which claims descent from the ancient proto-Hansetian tribe of the Almannir, and was the father-in-law to Milena Carrion, daughter of Prophet-Emperor Sigismund. The biography was written by the scholar Berendon Hanethor (Naumarian: Berendon Hanethor), on the first first-person accounts of his kinsmen Kevan Hanethor, Darrion Hanethor, and Athelstan Stafyr. (OOC: Full credit to @Emenzi who wrote this, posting this here for easier access. Link to his original thread below: ) --- ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE MARGRAVE OF SCHATTENBURG AKA EDMUND STAFYR WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF BERENDON HANETHOR PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- Chronicles of the late Edmund the first of his name, Lord of Stafyr, Marquis of Schattenburg, Baron of Feldkirch, Knight Commander of Renatus, Noble Ser of the Order of the Lion and Lord Privy Seal of the First Holy Orenian Empire. --- CHAPTER I or, a Humble Life Lord Edmund Stafyr was born in humble conditions in a small homestead just west of Ager. His father Brenton was a kind man and his mother Anice loving. He grew up half his childhood alone as the only child but when he was nine his mother gave birth to a little baby sister whom he immediately grew dear for. A few years later his mother once more gave birth,the homestead echoed of her scream until it grew silent and another scream took its place. The scream of a boy. His mother's death saddened him deeply but he grew to love his brother whom was named Farley but their sister Leana blamed Farley for their mother's death who she had idolized her entire life. Their father could not afford to house the entirety of the family so when Edmund turned eighteen he told his goodbyes and began his travel to Arethor. When he arrived to Arethor he enlisted into a mercenary company and began to travel around Asulon, earning coin for blood as he fought in multiple conflicts such as the first Adunian rebellion where he was enlisted to fight for the Empire in the siege of Ildon. He would return home during harvest season to visit his family, bringing minas and gifts to his siblings and helping their father plough the fields. During a cold winter when he and his company was in the north hunting down poachers for minas he met a woman named Meredith, he immediately fell in love but it wasn’t long until he was heartbroken when one morning he woke up. His and his companions pouches missing together with food they had scavenged from nearby villages. She had robbed them in their sleep and left, only wanting their coin. The years passed and Edmund’s appearance grew more scarred and grizzled for every time he left the homestead. But as the great flood of Asulon occurred Edmund met with his namesake Lord Godwein for refugee and was brought along to travel with him and his two sons Graveth and Theor to the new land, Elysium. --- CHAPTER II or, Huntshill Once they arrived in Elysium Edmund found his brother Farley and went looking for Godwein. They found him on a small hill overlooking a river. He had marked the area for his sons and Edmund and they began to cut down trees and build palisades around the hill. A large Stafyr banner was raised on the top of the wooden fort and around it a small village would begin to form. Huntshill they named it. It wasn't long until their father and sister had found them in the new land and settled down with them but shortly after they had arrived their father passed away, rejoining his beloved in the kingdom of God. This took a further toll on the family and Edmund felt responsible for their well being, taking it upon himself to secure a better future for his siblings. Edmund began to notice the rift in the family as Farley and Leana barely spoke and the times they did it was out of spite. Angered by their behaviour he tried to bring the two closer by any means he could, but perhaps it was too late for his siblings to even be able to reconcile. Huntshill began to flourish under the rule of Saint Godwein, commoners flooded to the village to trade and more and more distant Stafyrs began to find their way home. Edmund, Emmanuel the giant and Graveth began to train a levy to defend the village from attacks. Altes Stafyr and Theor Stafyr pondered in their studies whilst the younger men such as Farley and Alistier trained to one day be able to fight for Oren. During these peaceful times Aedric Ulfhaedyn left the last remaining child of the old northern house Stark to be watched over by Saint Godwein as his ward. The young girl, Kinra and Farley were immediately at odds and began fighting and she had a tendency to cause stress and troubles for the elder Stafyrs but they cared for her regardless. During a trip to New Arethor together with Godwein and Graveth a horde of unknown beings from the mountains surged forth from the countryside charging into the town. The Orenian levies were quickly massed and began fighting of the horde on the streets. During the battle Edmund charged head on into the masses of enemies, cutting down the beings in vast numbers. For his heroic deeds during the battle Saint Godfrey had him knighted as a knight-errant under recommendation from Godwein. Edmund was shortly after approached by Jonathan Black, commander of the Chapter of the Lion and was elevated to a knight in their ranks. The personal bodyguard of the emperor. Jonathan Black would also take Farley as his personal squire. The peaceful life in Huntshill would come to a brief end as Graveth, now seen as a brother by Edmund brought shame upon his name and house. The son of Godwein had always been ruggedly good looking and flirtatious, perhaps the pure opposite of Edmund, but during one of Graveth’s travels he encountered a dark elf woman who enthralled his mind and shortly after she became pregnant with his child. Godwein disinherited Graveth for his sinful behaviour and elevated Theor as his heir, Graveth left Huntshill enraged and travelled to Eyveror. Edmund gathered a small retinue to go after him, wanting him to return to Huntshill even if he was not heir anymore. But when they arrived in Eyveror they met a shameful and distant Graveth and were ushered away by armed men. Shortly after the Adunians once more revolted against the Empire and were driven out to Eyveror. The emperor demanded that House Tarus imprisoned the Elendils and sent them to face punishment in Oren but they refused, a state of war was soon declared. Life did however pass on in Huntshill, the anger harbored between Farley and Kinra had shifted and as they both came of age they married. During the same time Edmund’s sister Leana had begun a courtship with the valiant knight of the White Rose. Edmond Brunswick. During the same elven day of the wedding between Farley and Kinra, Edmund received word to gather outside of New Arethor with the Orenian host. They began their march on Eyveror and within a fortnight the entire city was sacked and the kingdom had fell. Edmund walked around the dead looking for Graveth but thankfully he could not find him. It wasn’t long until Graveth returned to Huntshill, he apologized to his father and was allowed to retain the name Stafyr, even though he had been stripped from the line of succession. Godwein allowed the mother of his unborn child to move to Huntshill reluctantly, only because she bore the child of Almannir descent. Peaceful times were once again upon Huntshill. But unfortunately as always, it had to end. The large volcano on the center of Elysium began to erupt violently and Huntshill had to be abandoned. The mortal races continued their travels, this time to the Isle of Kalos. --- CHAPTER III or, the Manor upon the Mountain The Stafyrs together with the the House of Valois settled themselves upon a large mountainside overlooking the Orenian settlements. There they constructed a large estate with a winding road leading up to it where they shared quarters. It was during these days Edmund would begin to befriend Count Adorellan Baelish and his son Ser Daniel Baelish, two other knights of the lion, the former Tarus James Valkrae and also the young man who would later be Ser Alexander Valois. These were simple times, no wars were being fought by the empire and they all lived peacefully. Godwein grew fond of the Lady Chrestienne Valois but she had no romantic feelings for him but viewed him more as a father figure. Instead Godwein wished to see Edmund married to Rose Valois but Edmund had no such wishes. She instead began a courtship with Ser Bran Volsung whilst Edmund began to harbour feelings for an elvish woman who had nursed him back to health after he fought against an Orcish raiding party. Graveth’s elven lover gave birth to two baby twins, one boy and a girl. However for no reason known they shortly after left. Leaving no note to anyone. Many believed that Graveth could not bare the shame of having his two half dark elven bastards living with his esteemed father so he decided to leave the house and never return. But alas that was not the end of it, on a hunting trip Theor would disappear presumed to have been killed by a boar deep in the forest. Godwein without any sons had to declare his closest living relative as his heir apparent, his great nephew Edmund. Not long after the monks of the cloud temple had envisioned a new route for the races and once more they went aboard their ships and travelled for a new land, Anthos. --- CHAPTER IV or, the Arrival to Anthos As the Orenians arrived to Anthos, House Stafyr settled down in a manor in the new capitol of Abresi as they awaited further instructions from the emperor. The new capitol was grand and beautiful stretching far around the surrounding mountains. The Lion Knights settled into a keep located at the south east of the capitol. Together with his fellow Lions they would scour through the city looking for dissidents. It was during their stay in Abresi that Raven, the woman Edmund had fallen for would be found killed along the coast, no one ever found out who murdered her and Edmund was at first distraught but he had suffered heartache before so he slowly moved on with his life. Focusing on his duties to the empire and House Stafyr. Godwein was soon elevated by the emperor to become a Marquis of the empire and granted vassalage under the Duke of Silverblade, Uthor. The Stafyrs were granted land in the far south of the empire by the coast. There they began establishing a castle far up on the mountainside which was called Shadowcastle, or Schattenburg. Beneath the castle a village was constructed along with large fields of wheat and barley, the barony of Feldkirch. As they arrived to Schattenburg, Leana soon married Edmond Brunswick in a matrilineal marriage as requested by Godwein. Edmund together with his brother worked hard on constructing the village and castle together whilst Godwein was working directly for the emperor as he sat upon his privy council. The Orenian might was strong and the emperor soon declared war upon the elven state of Malinor, with goals of expanding the empire to engulf the elven nation. Edmund was ordered to join his Lion brothers in combat and together with the Orenian armies they marched towards Malinor. The road to Malinor was calm and no resistance was met, when they arrived to the city they found it deserted from life only a few hundred elven skirmisher's remaining. The elves resisting were quickly cut down and the Orenians proceeded to sack the city. Pillaging and burning down all that they could. Forcing the elven princes into submission. During these times Edmund for the third time in his life met a woman he would slowly fall in love with, Godwein arranged a courtship with Lady Angelika Geminine and it wasn’t long until they due to a combination of mutual respect and growing love got married in the newly constructed church of Feldkirch. Not long after she brought their first child to the world, a daughter. Cecilia Stafyr. --- CHAPTER V or, the New Lord He returned home to soon find disaster, only one elven day after the Battle of the Crossings, Godwein would pass away in his sleep. His heart failing him as he was led by the creator to rest in his warm embrace. Edmund was devastated but he was now lord of Stafyr such he could not show it and had to be a comfort for the people in mourning. Shortly afterward the death of Godwein the emperor issued a decree stating that the realm was now in low crown authority, allowing the feudal vassals of Oren to wage war upon one another. The edict had been pushed on in the north as growing tensions between the Teutonic order and House Blackmont had escalated into almost a full grown civil war unless it was regulated lawful by his imperial majesty. House Blackmont had allied themselves with House Chivay and together they wished to remove the Teutonic Order from the Hansetian north. The houses of Oren began to call their banners and started choosing sides in this conflict. Conflicts arose all over the empire. Greens fighting Carrions, Hightowers clashing with Chivays and many more conflicts arose. One such being that of Valois and Stafyr, the once good friends. Tensions began as Chrestienne Valois and abdicated power in favour of Rose Valois who now led the house as Countess. Ser Alexander Valois felt slighted at this as the Orenian laws stated agnatic cognatic succession and he had been overlooked. He took up refuge in Schattenburg. Further tensions arose as Alistier took up housing in the Valois manor after angering Edmund greatly as he had made a woman pregnant out of wedlock and Rose Valois bluntly lying to Edmund about harboring Alistier. The conflict rose even further as Kinra and Farley had turned against one another and a divorce was issued by the church. Kinra had then proceeded to take their daughter Yana with her and move to the Valois manor, Stafyr demanding the return of Farley’s daughter but getting nothing but silence from the House Valois. Edmund took up his plights with other lords in Furnestock such as House Baelish and their liege lord House Silverblade. The three houses decided to show force and the keep of Riven was constructed on the border to Valois lands serving as the fief of House Baelish. Siege equipment was also constructed on the towers of the keep and pointed to aim right at the Valois manor. The Grand Knight Lord Uthor even going as far as to preparing for war to usurp the house of Valois and make Ser Alexander it’s lord. However the conflict would never truly arise to anything but shows of strength as the war now commonly referred to as the Blackmont - Teuton war occupied the thoughts of most and as Yana returned to Schattenburg and Farley and Kinra mad an uneasy peace everything was slowly laid to rest, the grudges between the houses still existent however. A once great friendship now all over. The war in the north had so far not reached Furnestock, tensions were arising as houses such as Green and Pascal who were on friendly terms with Stafyr culminated in skirmishes with House Carrion but Stafyr still stayed on the path of neutrality. Edmund having no plans of sending loyal Almannir to their death in a war that had no toll on them. This caused a rift between Jonathan Black and Edmund, Ser Black who was a staunch Hansetian loyalist to Mirtok DeNurem was angered by the Stafyr wishes for neutrality and Edmund even though his hard work gained no recognition outside of the chapter. Only those taking up cause for the Teutonic order were able to. Around this time Uthor Silverblade mounted an expedition with his vassals to claim a small island just east of the Wilds docks. Leading the expedition was Daniel who together with Edmund and a group of bannermen arrived at the island. They quickly found themselves being swarmed by creatures and begun fending them off. The small expeditionary force fought valiantly and Daniel cut he beings into pieces with his greatsword. It was during this battle that a strange woodcutter named Rickard Ireton stepped forth and led the charge into the breach that Daniel had created. They slaughtered them and the island was claimed in the name of Silverblade and Furnestock. Rickard Ireton would become one of the most loyal men House Stafyr and Baelish had ever seen. --- CHAPTER VI or, Internal strife The unity of the empire was in turmoil, during these times the now prophet emperor Godfrey passed in his bed of old age and his son Horen the fifth, renowned for his brutal and vicious ways inherited the crown of Oren. This only fueled the flames of the war in the north but there was strife in the furthest reach of the south as well. As there was peace in Schattenburg life proceeded on as usual. Leana had become pregnant with her husband’s child and if it was a son they agreed to name him after Godwein and even though her husband was fighting in the war she was for once seemingly happy. Content. Edmund focused on ruling the march as best as he could, having only one ambition which was to reinforce the legacy of Godwein so it could last for eternity. Whilst Farley, well Farley grew careless, reckless and wroth. The absence of a father figure taking a toll on the young knight. The two brothers would often be seen in heated arguments, their shouts echoing through the halls. Farley’s temper grew heated and Edmund’s patience grew slimmer. Farley had after the death of Godwein been granted the ancient Stafyr armour of Beorn to wear as protector of the house. However Farley’s way of protection was harsh as he tried to protect Stafyrs from themselves. Alistier who had always been rather careless and was at the time being shaped to become a knight was often beaten by Farley for making errors in judgement. Edmund would constantly reprimand Farley for this but his ways continued and grew worse for every day. Things would soon culminate as during an autumn storm Farley was found beating Alistier within the courtroom of Schattenburg. Edmund came in and saw this and separated the two with the help of Daniel Baelish. Edmund had enough. He ordered Farley to never hit Alistier or any other Stafyr agains, however in defiance Farley leaped forward on Alistier and continued his abuse. Edmund pulled them apart and ordered Farley to leave Schattenburg and not return. Farley and Edmund moved out to the courtyard and Farley enraged charged forward with his sword drawn against Edmund. Edmund unsheathed his sword and slashed forward as Farley came towards him. Edmund tumbled against the ground as Farley smashed into him, he looked around him and saw his brother lying next to him, blood pouring from his chest as he coughed. Edmund moved to stand up, staring down with wide eyes at his little brother. Shocked at what had happened as he was frozen in place. Daniel stepped over the dying young man, Farley let out a soar chuckle as blood poured out of his mouth. Daniel unsheathed a misericorde from his belt and moved to thrust it down into Farley’s heart, granting him the mercy a quick death as the rain poured down on the group. Edmund ordered his men to have Farley buried before moving into the castle, covered in his brother's blood he went up through the great tower of Schattenburg into his study where he locked the door behind him. There are no accounts of what happened inside his study but the grizzled man looked far older and weaker for every time he was seen. The morning after the bells tolled in Feldkirch as cries of mourning was heard throughout the castle. Leana who had her entire life distanced herself from Farley could not make sense of it, the brother she had hated she also came to mourn. Not a single Stafyr said it out loud but perhaps they all blamed Edmund for what Farley had become, if he only had been there when Farley was young. Edmund would lock himself in his studies for days, servants leaving food by his doorstep but him leaving it untouched. The other Stafyrs grew increasingly worried about his health and only his closest family and friends were allowed to meet with him. It wasn’t until one morning when he by his own accounts woke up sweating and cold. In his dreams Godwein had appeared in front of him. The darkness surrounding the two was the land between living and dead and in this empty void Farley was seen alone, due to Edmund’s sins Farley was not allowed to enter the creator’s embrace and Edmund had to repent. This sign from the not yet canonized Saint Godwein was the apparition Edmund had needed to find purpose. He had to save his brother from eternal torment by repenting his sin of kinslaying. --- CHAPTER VII or, the Crusader Edmund gathered up his closest allies such as Ser Alexander, Ser Alphonz Greymane, Ser Daniel Baelish and more. Together they saddled their horses and rode south. Leaving Schattenburg to the regency of Alistier and Leana. Leaving just a simple note for his wife, hoping she would understand. They arrived to the War Uzg just an elven day later together with the recently formed Order of Saint Lucien. Two forts adjacent to one another were constructed. One for the white clad knights of the red cross and one for the dark clad knights of the golden lion. The two crusader factions seeked holy relics that were supposedly hidden in the War Uzg’s lands. However the orcs were not that keen on allowing Orenian military orders access through what they had claimed to be theirs. The twin crusader keeps were constantly raided and attacked by Orcish parties and casualties were high. Many Lucienists and Lion footmen were killed along with knights and accompanying pilgrims.. Edmund seeking redemption for his sins fought the orcs viciously. Together he and his group of knights travelled around the claimed Holy Lands fending off orcs so that pilgrims could search for the Holy Relics and so that Farley could find peace. After an elven week of the crusade the Orenian forces were slowly diminishing their presence in the War Uzg, relics had been recovered and pilgrims halted their travels. The Lion Knights remained after to continue protecting the last remaining pilgrims but once they were safely on way to the crossroads the Lions as well abandoned their part of the twin forts and marched back north, home. Edmund felt honored to have taken part in such an undertaking and he knew that Farley was now granted passage into the warm embrace of God. As he arrived in Schattenburg the commoners greeted him with pride and respect. More scars than ever covering his body. Not long after his return to Schattenburg his wife Angelika brought him a son, they named him Farley in honour of his late brother. The armour of Beorn which Godwein had granted Farley was moved into a vault so that Edmund did not have to see it, waiting for another worthy Stafyr descendant to wear it. --- CHAPTER VIIII or, the Rise of the Lions Not long after the crusades the still ongoing war in the north between Teutons and Blackmonts culminated in the siege of the Dreadfort. Teutonic forces supported by levies of Green and Salvus laid siege to the feared castle of Blackmont. Furnestock and Stafyr still remained neutral but the battle of the Dreadfort was brutal and vicious, thousands of dead on both sides but once the smokes had cleared. The Dreadfort still stood, Blackmont banners covering the walls still. The Blackmonts and their Chivay allies claimed a costly victory and with the disappearance of Hochmeister Mirtok DeNurem an uneasy peace was forced. Emperor Horen had his own ambitions he aimed to fulfill. The Orenian might was once more rallied as the dwarves of Urguan intended to lay siege to the City of Salvus. Stafyr raised a levy of nine thousand men and marched to the Orenian encampment where they met with their brothers in arms. The Lion Knights were ordered to lead the peasant levies on the left flank of the Orenian army, their goal to charge forth and force the dwarven troops to move troops from the right. Meanwhile the teutonic troops would hold the centre, allowing the dwarves to try and push over the bridges of the crossroads. The strategy culminated with White Rose and Blackmont cavalry sweeping through the right flank at a river crossing on the far distance. They were to smash into the dwarven flank and continue to route the dwarven center. As the battle commenced the left flank flooded over the crossing whilst the Teutonic Order locked shield holding the bridge. The plan was successful. The dwarves moved their men to the left flank exposing its right as the cavalry charged forth. The victory was absolute. Edmund had fought in plenty of battles ranging through Asulon to Anthos but nothing this brutal. The Orenian troops chased after the routing dwarves, massacring them as they left piles of bodies in their way. After the battle Jonathan Black was elevated to the rank of Hochmeister within the Teutonic Order, forfeiting the rank of Noble Ser in the Chapter of the Lion. In his stead the Emperor Horen appointed his brother Pertinax to be the new commander of the Lions. Pertinax was diligent and restructured the chapter, bringing in plenty of recruits and had the armory vastly changed. The Knights who had grown stale under the leadership of Jonathan Black were once against filled with pride and Ser Daniel and Edmund were elevated to the status of Knight Captains and granted the title Great Ser. The restructured Lion Knights began patrolling the imperial roads to remove the plague of banditry in the kingdoms ruled directly by the Emperor and the ranks of the Chapter began to flood with new footmen. The Kingdoms of Renatus, Kaedrin, Hanseti and Seventis were safe due to the combined efforts of Lions, White Roses and Teutons but in Salvus madness grew. Anarchists began roaming free on the streets as the Salvus Shields could not contain them, not even within their own ranks. In order to retain order the Emperor ordered Marshal Law upon Kingston and sent the White Rose and the Lions to enforce it. Taking full control of the city. Edmund and a group of knights were ordered to take control of the western part of the city by its grand cathedral. Removing any Shield in the city from any command, restricting them to the palace. The Lions began to sweep through the city, men and women alike being searched and questioned. Anarchists were arrested daily for information but they were strong to their cause, refusing to speak even when put through the torture of Adorellan and Daniel Baelish. The Lions had set up camp outside of the city where Pertinax, Daniel, Alphonz, Adorellan, Alexander, Ser Lerin Hrak and Charles Greymane would plan operations within the city. The Martial Law culminated with the infamous White Rose massacre of the Kingston palace. Where anarchists attacked White Rose knights during protests after curfew spurring their men to massacre the crowd as it was impossible to tell who were an attacker or not. The Martial Law was lifted as the anarchist threat had been dealt with. Edmund could finally return home to Schattenburg once more to rule as its Marquis. --- CHAPTER IX or, the Shattering of an Empire The Holy Orenian Empire was at the height of its power. Its borders stretching from the wall in the north to the crossroads of the south. The war against the dwarves and their allies was a complete success and most Orenian lords prepared for an invasion into the Grand Kingdom of Urguan. The wars that had weakened the Empire internally had all ended and unity was upon them all. The Lions had full control of the crownlands whilst the Teutonic order guarded the wall. The White Rose kept the elves in check ensuring their loyalty to the Emperor and the Salvus Shields had managed to get a grasp on Kingston. However Emperor Horen had other plans. He had heard whispers of the great continent of Aeldin and through his charismatic ways he persuaded his most loyal and powerful lords and kings to follow him with their armies. The Emperor took the entirety of the Orenian fleet and over an elven day the House of Chivay and their vassals had departed together with most Orenian houses. Leaving the empire vulnerable to vultures and later crows. Pertinax Horen departed Anthos together with his brother Emperor Horen leaving Edmund and the other knights of the Lion leaderless as well as Uthor Silverblade making it so that there was no Duke to rule over Furnestock but perhaps the most unfortunate was Ser Edmond Brunswick. Leana’s husband was the last commander of the White Rose and departed shortly after the rest, disbanding the Order and leaving Oren. Never seeing the birth of his second child, Anice. William Horen was crowned Emperor and rallied his remaining nobles. Daniel Baelish was granted the duchy of Furnestock and the March of Schattenburg was released as a direct vassal to the throne. Edmund was granted the seat of Lord Privy Seal of the Empire and he was also made Knight Commander of Renatus and Noble Ser of the Chapter of the Lion. However his health had rapidly begun to decline. Throughout the nights Edmund would lie in bed cold, blood coming as he coughed. The nurses of Feldkirch did their best to contain his disease and only a handful knew about his illness. Edmund soon died, unfortunate enough to never issue a command for the Lion, sit on a Privy Council meeting nor see any of his children growing up. As he died he left sorrow in his way, lords, knights and men who had fought with him all remembered him as the warrior he was and with the honour of how he enacted his duties. He left his wife and two children in the mortal world. His son Farley inheriting the lordship as Farley II. Stafyr. Edmund Stafyr is perhaps only a footnote in history but he treasured the legacy of Saint Godwein and his son Farley II. ushered Stafyr into a new great era at the start of the Second Empire.

The Burgundian Host was a band of kossaks founded under Jan Jeremi in the 650s AES (800s AH) to combat the pagan Hansetian invaders of the age of the Edelaw. They fought in countless battles, known for their iconic lavish burgundian cloaks they wore from the Waldorf-Hunnik basin, and sided primarily with the Creatorist parties during the turmoil of the Northern Crusades. Its histories were rechronicled by Siguine Barrow, the bastard of Ostromir Siegmondovic and later High Pontiff Daniel II, namely to counter the cultural pogroms and stir Raevir nationalism against Waldenian schismatics. (OOC: Full credit to @Cracker who wrote this, posting this here for easier access) --- HISTORY OF THE BURGUNDIAN HOST WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF SIGUINE OTOVIC BARROW AKA HIGH PONTIFF DANIEL I PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- To understand the conditions which fostered the band of sworn Burgundian brothers and the Raevir tradition of virtuous bands of knight-errants, one must examine the geopolitical circumstances of the “Wild North” or “Bitter South”, dubbed by Heartlander and Highlander accounts respectively as the frozen steppes and crags around what we know as Alstion and Holmstad yet before the bleak Highland proper. The borders between the Highlands and the “Heartland” were in the hands of various merchant states known in the south as the Dulonian League, in the civilized north, “the Lahy”, and in the barbarian hinterlands, plunder. The league of “free cities” consisted of Dules, The Lahy, Mejen, Vsevolodnya, and the Buß along with many princely minors. It was during this period where The Lahy and Dules dominated borderland trade; whilst many southron contemporaries in the era would claim the futility of the barren north, in truth, the trade between north and south was lucrative in the hands of thrifty burghers. Timbers, furs, ores, and even slaves made their way downwards whilst northwards came the southron native produce and luxury goods. The region thus held extraordinary wealth due to this constant stream of traffic, oft noted as “silver gleaming among the sea of frost; its people bright and bitter”. However, despite the immense fortunes gathered, the Dulonian League’s dual names of “The Wild North” and “The Bitter South” were not unfounded . To the North, its southern borders with the Heartland were marked with fierce raiding, political debauchery, and decadence. The North was hostile and frigid, but more so by nature’s will, not by acts of man’s wicked hand. Naturally, to Southrons, even the borderlands appeared wild, untamed, and the squalor of looters and bandits remained more prominent in the minds of southron caravans than the rich Highlander burghers, who lived relatively modest lives compared to the wild extravagances of the south. Whilst the Buß was staunchly entrenched in Northwestern paganism, Vsevolodnya respectively in the Raevir Occult, and Mejen populace largely conducted to mixed animist worship, the size and prosperity of both Dulon and Lahy resulted a vast range of cultures and faiths practiced by its populace. Dules was oft considered a Heartlander settlement by many of its contemporaries, as while the fair majority of its denizens belonged to some Northern tribe, the Heartlander influence was staggering in its architecture and dialect. On the contrary, Lahy was a melting pot of all Highlandic cultures; the city held a slim majority of Raevir princelings, with competing Northman and Hanseatic families and countless temples to both the pantheons and the Allfather. Oft it was described the jewel of the Highland, a cultural testament to its solidarity as the prime pan-Highlandic civilization. The disparity between the Dulonian League had naturally lead to disputes and conflict. The foundation of our Burgundian Brothers was lain in this land of wealth and war, where in particular, the city-state of Lahy was facing increasing encroachment by southron trade interests. The ruling Prince of Dulon had cobbled together an immense dowry to secure a powerful alliance with a myriad of Heartlander petty kings; all which would profit from securing a sphere of influence in the ore-rich Lahian east. Many of the Lahy’s outposts had slowly found their way in the hands of rivals, with this newfound enemy alliance and economic downturn striking fear in the hearts of its prominent nobility. This time of troubles would soon be alleviated by a band of sworn swords, brothers in arms who fought for no name but gold and glory. Legend dictates the Brotherhood began with seven men- Tomasz Brzyżek Huss Blackface Igor Fortsko Lorik Svensen William the Beggar Anton the Sepoy and its first Hetman, Jan Yeremi -each whom each bore backgrounds as mercenaries in service to the Lahy. Bonding over drink and battle, the seven decided to band together as sworn brothers in the sea of faceless mercenaries in service to the sickly Lahian state. These reavers of various Highlandic nationalities and contrasting faiths soon rose to prominence as they raided the rich fringe of the south, disbanded rival caravans, and sparred against hill tribe and looter in the Wild North. Leaving town in mute greys and returning with lavish vintages and rich velvets, the locals took to calling them “the Burgundians” for their spoils of wars; bringing back lavish burgundy vintages and tyrian cloth had distinguished themselves as soldiers first-class. Yet they did not act with wanton greed nor lust, sharing their spoils with the populace in a tactful manner to secure their support. Their numbers swole under the first Hetman, Jan Yeremi, who established both the trials of a Burgundian and the host’s precedent of decentralized order, ensuring each “Burgundian Brother” would have their respective freedoms. Jan Yeremi’s policy of granting his peoples freedoms and allowing his company to appoint officers, or atamans, among themselves was revolutionary; peasantry flocked to his order in awe of the idea that they could choose whom governed and commanded him. Their exploits were renowned as legendary; ranging from the historical liberation of the Waldorvian outpost from the hands of necromancer Janka of Mebern, or the mythical slaying of the White Wyrm. However, despite the Burgundians valiant actions, the inevitable clash between Dules and Lahy was bound to occur. As the old Prince of Dules passed of natural cause, Rulfe of Teffian had secured his succession as new prince and sovereign of Dules. Rulfe, a stubborn heathen and impaler, took immediate plan to “liberate” the Dulonian League of all influence from Creatorism. The Lahy, known for its growing population of monotheists and greatest rival to Dulonian interests, was a ripe target to subjugate. Citing his planned conquest in the name of Wielken, the many-faced Wolf god, had earned him the support of the mountain clans of Yorvar and Malik, whilst his alliances with the Petty Kings of the South remained firm in their quest to expand north and partition The Lahy. Claiming to the former that the war was to crush the wicked Creator of the South whilst to the latter dictating the opportune moment to strike in the Lahian autumn, Prince Rulfe played his allies off in order to strike with a great “Wulfesarmee”, a combined arms force of over twenty- five thousand men. Rulfe’s demands were harsh; full control of all outposts and settlements across the Hunnik River, House Teffian granted patrician-status among Lahian nobility, and the expulsion of the Order of the Black Sepulchres, a monastic fraternity dedicated to defend Horenite monotheist caravans and protect the sacred urns and tombs of Orthodox missionaries from pagan defilement. Whilst the princelings naturally rebuked the first two terms, it was the commons who roared out against the lattermost, where the populace had become over thirty percent Orthodox. The Lahy could not yield to these terms; Prince Rulfe insured they were severe enough that if accepted, traders from the Highlands to the Farfields would lose confidence in The Lahy and cut off investments, further dooming its economy. Yet The Lahy could not afford the exorbitant fees of raising a mercenary army great enough to stem back the might of Dules and her Wulfesarmee. However, despite the certain doom facing the state, Hetman Jan Yeremi and the Burgundians stood with the merchant state of The Lahy, fighting alongside Grandmaster Bionn Lendus of the Order of the Black Sepulchres and Prince Nikolai of the Lahy without pay. Jan ,among countless Burgundians, voted to aid the state despite their venal nature in homage of The Lahy’s ideals, a historical moment for the host as it began to move away from sheer profit to virtue and faith. The Lahian army numbered at roughly two-thirds the Wulfsarmee, yet over a third of that number consisted of ill-trained partizans displaced by war. Prince Nikolai was thus forced to put much of his countryside to the torch, leaving scarred land and evacuating its displaced peoples into the great city of Lahy. Whilst the city’s bolstered population lead to an increase in riots and crime, Nikolai’s tactic of scorched earth forced the Wulfesarmee to extend their supply lines, slowing down their advance until the thick of winter. It was not until the month of Joma, the Deep Cold, where Prince Rulfe could set sight on Lahy itself. Rulfe’s host quickly encircled the trade-city, splitting his pagan and monotheist forces to the north and south respectively. A long siege commenced; whilst Rulfe possessed a far superior numerical advantage, he knew the tenacity of the Lahians would make an early assault pyrrhic in victory. In accordance to his plan of scorched earth and pushing the siege to winter, Prince Nikolai had to insure that the southern supply lines of the Dulians were strained along with having a replenished foodstore to avoid a surrender by starvation. To achieve this end, he had a third of the Burgundian force, a host of one-thousand grizzled men-at-arms at the helm of William the Beggar, to live off the land on the outskirts of The Lahy. “The Begging Brothers” concealed themselves in thick black burlap cloaks, often pretending to be paupers displaced by war or seers gathering alms during daylight, whilst raiding countless supply-wagons and returning salted rations to The Lahy through its deep sewers. The constant delay in foodstuffs coupled with the stinging bite of winter had forced Rulfe to act soon, lest he face deserters, or worse, mutiny. Already countless incidents of southron soldiers being killed by bitter Yorvars had inflamed relations between the cobbled together coalition, with southron lords demanding an early assault due to their lack of insight on Northern warfare, and the pagan chiefs crying for a “red snow and a red city”, their bloodlust unsatiated. Rulfe was forced to act. As the day of the assault came closer and closer, it was the Hetman Jan’s decision to unify the various Burgundians by one creed beyond wealth. Deciding to place all of their faith into one religious practice in hopes that its God would defend them against these insurmountable odds, the atamans and Jan brought forth three prominent clerics of the three prominent faiths of the town; a seer of the Northern faith, a priest of the Raevir occult, and Ser Bionn Lendus of the Order of the Black Sepulchres. The seer set aflame his incense and recited his prayers to the wildwood and the warrior-gods, but not one ataman was moved by his ritual. The priest of the occult brought forth a murder of crows and cast his hexes, which most of the atamans found too dark for a faith of a band of brothers. Then Ser Bionn stepped forth, chanting a solemn homily in the Flexian tongue. As his words hung in the air, the howls and bays of countless wolves joined him; signifying a great omen among the atamans and even Hetman Jan himself, who reportedly went pale of face and fainted at the display. The Burgundian leadership were mass-baptized under Lendus himself, and the wolfs-omen sent by the Allfather himself had given them a clue on how to defeat the enemy at their gates. Rulfe’s host began its assault with a pincer attack from north and south; in response Prince Nikolai had divided his forces in an attempt to match the threat, having a four-thousand force of combined Sepluchrites and Burgundians quell the northern assault of fifteen-thousand tribesmen, whilst leading his Lahian native force of eight-thousand men to match the ten-thousand swords of the south. The northern tribesmen whom our Burgundians were pitted against broke through the lightly-defended first gate in moments, pouring into the city ghettos and sacking them bloody. Granted powerful siege onagers and ballistas on the coin-purse of Prince Rulfe, the Yorvars and Maliks were instructed to flatten the entire second gate and its housing in order to penetrate into the heart of the city with minimum casualties. Yet Jan Jeremi and Bionn Lendus had other plans. Utilizing the Begging Brothers knowledge of the sewers, Jan instructed William and his band to run through the sewers and howl as wolves. The combined effect of one-thousand men howls echoing throughout the sewers created a haunting dirge as the tune of the heathens conquest, which furthered their blood fury. The High Seer of both Yorvar and Malik took this omen as a blessing from Wielken himself to charge forth, and the hill clans abandoned their siegecraft instead choosing to ram the second gate down with their legendary Wulfsram. As they stormed the merchant quarters, they chose to forgo the garrisons in a frenzy toward the trade district, the jewel of the city where countless riches awaited them. What they met was Lendus’ trap, who instructed his men to drench the bazaars in thick oil before lighting them aflame. A wild fire soon spread through the trade district, trapping countless barbarians in a thick of flame and smog; as one Sepulchrite’s account noted, “the heathens stormed the city expecting material wealth by their many-faced Wolf gods...but what they were given was the cleansing fire of our one true God.” As the bewildered heathens attempted to flee the merchant quarters, they were met by countless guerrilla Burgundians, hunting them down in wild-wolf pelts and crying out wolf howls to further haunt their superstitious foes. Chaos ensued in the Yorvari rank as its clanlord was caught under debris of the fires. When the remaining forces managed to drag themselves out of the merchant quarters, they found themselves at the end of fresh Sepulchrite lances and Burgundian arbalests. Only a third of the heathen army managed to escape the fury of the Orthodox soldiers, decisively crushing the northern threat. The remaining forces quickly moved across the walls to relieve Prince Nikolai and engage the southern army. Prince Nikolai had managed to keep Rulfe’s army from entering the city, but the siege fire had effectively trapped his forces in the noble quarters. When the Orthodox soldiery had come by bearing their enemy siege and weaponry, he was in utter shock; it is rumored that when he saw Hetman Jan, he remarked “By which Gods do you stand before me, alive with your enemy slain?”, which Jan replied “By the fires of Godani the Allfather!” In respect to the Sepulchrites and Burgundians resounding victory, Nikolai rose the banner of three pronged Orthodox cross and sallied to meet his foes. Leading the vanguard were the Burgundians in fur-pelts, whom the southron lords mistakenly assumed as the Northern hilltribes and their success in capturing the city. Lowering their guard, the Southron Lords and Rulfe were met with thick arrow fire under the command of Lorik Svennsen and his outriders coupled with heavy ballistic fire; the ensuing melee then tilted heavily in the invigorated defenders. In a mythic encounter, Ser Bionn Lendus and Rulfe met on the field, charging another upon horseback, before grappling to the ground. Lendus plunged his dirk deep into Rulfe’s neck, but not before his eyes were gouged by the wicked Dulonian. With Rulfe’s death, the Dulonian and Southron lords knew the battle was lost, and waved the white banner of surrender. While victory rang out in the streets of The Lahy, the air of the infirmaries stank of rot and atrophy. Lendus’ wounds did not heal, as Jan watched over him. They became fast-friends after their struggles together and Jan pained to see his comrade in arms rot away. In respect to the newly christened Burgundians, Lendus had it writ upon his passing that the Order of the Black Sepulchres would merge with the Burgundians. While many senior Sepulchrites grumbled at the notion of forming a merger with a band of cutthroats, none dared defy the dying Lendus, whose sacrifice had swooned the hearts of soldiery throughout Creatorism. The Burgundians adopted the Lendian Rites as their communion in homage to Lendus, emphasizing tradition and rationality in their Orthodoxy. The Burgundians were granted a fief and fort for their service to the Lahian prince, a fort which stood as a testament to their order until their dying days. Known as Burgstad, the fort soon grew to be a citadel of Highlander culture. The Host saw the likes of petty kings and princes in their rank as they grew to become one of the most prestigious orders in the northern realm. Yet, as with much of Northern civilization, the Undead put a definite end to the Burgundians. In the Great Siege of Burgstad, over ten-thousand warriors and fifty atamen were slain at the hands of Undead cultists. With the last Hetman imprisoned at Undead hand and tortured to death by the prophet Vekaro, the Burgundians had died at the hands of Iblees. Small splinter groups which emulated the freedom of the Burgundians arose such as the Ivalyos, which the prophet Sigismund and St. Bogdan would encounter in their travels, but none ever matched to the legacy of the great Burgundians.

The Tales for Canonist Boys (Naumarian: Liedz ter Jovistpadrevari; Ilatian: Le Storie per Canoni Ragazzi) is a collection of three tales by Adrian poet ‘Beelzebub’, written during the Vydran era of the late 50s ES (1500s AH). They were extremely popular in Adria and the Ilatian territories upon their first publication, and reached a peaked in purchases right before the start of the War of the Ducal Coalition. Use of the stories were assimilated by the Haeseni soldiers stationed in Adria during the War of the Ducal Coalition of the early 70s ES (late 1510s AH), and spread northward on their return. (OOC: Full credit to @Hunwald who wrote threse, posting them here for easier access. Links to his original threads below: ) --- THE TALES FOR CANONIST BOYS WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF THE POET BEELZEBUB PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- HUGO AND HUMBERT There once lived two boys within the great streets and slums of Felsen, one named Hugh and the other named Humbert. One boy lived in the south west of the city, while the other lived in the north east. The two boys were remarkably similar. They shared facial features and physical traits, they lived in identical homes, with identical families, with identical pets and identical living circumstances. While identical in all forms, there was one key difference: one boy enjoyed his Scriptures, and the other did not. It was Sunday, and both the boy's parents had great meals laid out upon the tables of their homes, to celebrate as any other Orenian families would a successful week. Remarkably, both meals were the same - a big pot pie full with vegetables and meats of all assortments. Hugh sat and had his entree laid before him, and waited for his family to sit as well. He recited Grace, and when his family was ready, he enjoyed his meal with them. He finished his meal and did not pester his mother for dessert. On the other side of the city, Humbert sat and had his entree laid before him. Before his family was sat, Humbert, without Grace, dug into his entree, and feasted like a pig on slop, making a big mess of himself. He sucked down his pot pie, and immediately thereafter demanded dessert from his poor mother. "Gluttony today, temperance tomorrow," Humbert muttered as he licked his fingers. After their meals, each boy was given free time to do what as they will. Both journeyed, as usual, to the market square before the Imperial Palace. There, Hugh in the south west and Humbert in the north east, the boys encountered similar situations. Beggars often did their works in the market, and both boys met an individual beggar. An old lady, clearly sickened with age, pleaded to the each boy for a nickel to purchase some bread. Hugh, while only having just earned the nickel yesterday, was quick to hand over his change - Hugh knew, after all, that he could easily make the nickel back. Humbert, however, refused. Humbert had as well only just earned his nickel, and felt that he had a right to it, a right that the old lady did not have. Humbert told the lady that, once he makes for himself more change, he will come back and give her a nickel, and kept his nickel for himself. "Greed today, charity tomorrow," Humbert muttered as he walked away from the old lady. After encountering an old lady each, each boy set out to buy a toy from the local toymaker. Dibley's Den was situated on the south west of the market square, and Bungo's Bunk was situated in the north east. As it was a little later in the day, the lines at each shop were quite long, filled with eager children to buy something to play with. Hugh entered the line to Dibley's Den and waited his turn like a good boy, understanding that the others got their first, and that waiting in line was not the biggest problem Hugh faced. He waited politely, until he finally was able to purchase a toy from Dibley. Humbert entered the line to Bungo's Bunk, and immediately became upset with how long the line was. He stomped and stomped, whining like an upset girl, and sniffled and snarled impolitely. Finally, Humbert smacked the boy in front of him in line in the head, knocking the boy out of line and taking his spot. Humbert finally bought his toy from Bungo. "Wrath today, patience tomorrow," Humbert muttered as he exited Bungo's bunk with a new teddy. After leaving the each respective toy shoppe, each boy encountered a similar situation. Waiting outside both shops were two other boys: one with a very nice and expensive toy, and the other with no toy at all, sniffling due to his inability to buy one. Hugh looked upon the boy without a toy, and sighed, for he knew down-below the misfortune of the child. Hugh approached the child, and offered him his teddybear, which the child eagerly accepted. Hugh smiled to the boy and waved him off, knowing that some other day he could buy the teddy-bear again. Humbert, however, looked upon the boy with an expensive toy, and grew jealous. He desired the other boy's toy, because he knew it was more valuable than his own. He approached the boy, and smacked him upside the head. He took from the boy his expensive toy, a wooden knight, and walked away. "Envy today, kindness tomorrow," Humbert muttered as he played with the wooden knight. Finally, it was time to return home. Each boy made his way back to his home, Hugh in the south west and Humbert in the south east. They entered their homes, did as they would, and finally slipped into their beds. They both reflected upon their day. Hugh ate his meal modestly, and Humbert like a pig. Hugh gave to the old lady a nickel, Humbert a nasty glare. Hugh waited in line patiently, while Humbert cut. Hugh gave away his toy, while Humbert stole a more valuable one. You see - Hugh lives each day like it is his last, and takes each action like the Lord is with him. Humbert tells himself every night that he would make up for his sin the next day. Humbert is a procrastinator when it comes to sin, and always thinks that he will have a chance to redeem himself. "Sin today, virtue tomorrow," Humbert muttered as he fell to sleep. Neither boy knew that this night would be their last. Each boy mysteriously passed away in their sleep, and both were sent before the Lord to receive judgement. The Lord reviewed Hugh. A good boy Hugh was, a diligent one when it came to virtue, and a boy of the Scripture. Of course, Hugh was granted eternal paradise in the Seven Skies above. The Lord reviewed Humbert. A good boy Humbert was, and a lazy one when it came to virtue, a boy who did not listen to his Scriptures. Because of Humbert's procrastination, his constant vows of "...tomorrow," Humbert was cast down to the pits of Hell, to spend the rest of eternity sitting alone, muttering the following words: "Heaven today, or Hell tomorrow!" --- ADAM AND THE POTATO There once was a boy, he was named Adam. Adam loved to sit on his chair. Adam's mother warned him. "Stop! The more you sloth upon that chair, the more you shall become but a potato!" Adam said "No!" and continued to sit upon his chair. He cried and cried, and whined and whined. He would not move. Adam loved to sit on his chair. "Why should I move?," Adam asked. Adam grew fatter and fatter. He began to bald. Adam grew larger. He sat upon his chair all night. Adam's mother warned him once again. "You shall become a chair-potato, Adam!" "That is what happens to boys who idle upon chairs!" He did not move. Adam grew spotty. He became very pudgy. He slumped to the side and released a large sigh. He was a big chair-potato. Adam's mother found him upon the chair. "Now, he is more useful!" Adam's mother brought him into the kitchen, and he was cooked. And his family feasted for many days! --- THOMAS TEMPER-TANTRUM There once was a boy, he was named Thomas. Thomas had a hot temper. Thomas' mother warned him. "Thomas, if you continue to be so wrathful, your head will pop like a balloon!" Thomas yelled at his mother. "I do not need your advice! I do not have the patience for it!" Thomas stomped and yelled and walked away. He was one angry boy. The next day, Thomas came upon a young boy playing with a toy. He grew naughty. "Your toy is dumb! And so are you!" Thomas knocked the toy out of the young boy's hand, breaking it. He was one bad boy. Thomas' head grew rounder. It became a shade of red. His voice became squeakier. Thomas' mother warned him once again. "Your head will pop, Thomas!" "That is what happens to mean boys!" But Thomas did not listen. He stomped and yelled and walked away. The next day, Thomas came upon a boy waiting in line for something to eat. He grew naughty. "Give me your money!" The boy gave him Thomas all he had. Thomas was one big bully. Thomas went home. He looked in the mirror. His head was a balloon! "Help! My head is a balloon!" Thomas called out. But his voice was too squeaky. He stomped and yelled and stomped and yelled. Until his head went 'pop!'

The Crow Chronicles were periodicals and almanacs about the news during the Ottonion era of the Kingdom of Haense (from the 180s to the 200s ES). It was the first paper of its can, delivered to people on printed cloth called ‘yuli’, however because of the long-time and expensive nature, its editions were infrequent. Its collections were attributed to many authors, though the most prominent of them include Lerald Gambinol, Robert Casus, and Nataliya Barrow, the bastard daughter of famed Prince Heinrik-Otto van Bihar. (OOC: Full credit to @DreamInSpace and @Pureimp10 who wrote these, posting them here for easier access. Links to the originals below: ) --- THE CROW CHRONICLES, VOL I-VI WRITTEN BY THE HANDS OF THE HONORABLE COMPANY OF THE CROW CHRONICLES PUBLISHED BY HIEROMAR LUDOVAR THE ELDER, SSE --- VOLUME I --- VOLUME II --- VOLUME III --- VOLUME IV --- VOLUME V --- VOLUME VI