Birdnerdy

*Sheds a single tear We’ll be watching the stars together one day my friend. It’s written in them.

I always loved your posts smelly, you were always one of the great Canonist writers to me. Hope you find peace out there.

A weather-worn scrap of yellow parchment is found attached to the notice. “Name is familiar. Style is satisfactory. Work needed. Speak further in person.” The laconic note is signed: “Havelock.”

Tamalpais arrives to the meeting, his mind already made on which candidate to support. ”I cast my vote for the Archbishop Theodoric. He has my respect as a scholar and a policymaker, but more importantly, a devoted servant of God. I pray that my fellow electors will concur and vote accordingly.” The quiet man finishes, returning to his seat.

Franz welcomes good Ithilian into the glorious afterlife.

i love the history of rome as much as the next guy but the elegance of mike’s format would be lost on the backwards rats nest that is lotc’s narrative. this is a great idea treshure, i have smilar fond memories of hearing old stories, and i think it would be a great way of documenting lotc history as it was actually experienced by players, rather than in say a wiki page or a post that’s 95% apocryphal or just straight fiction

Silence hangs over the confession box as Tamalpais ponders, twiddling his ink-stained fingers. “God stirs the heart when we see wrongdoers punished – your soul cannot be stained on that count, for we are often used as His instruments to administer justice. Be at peace.” Silence again engulfs the booth, then the low voice of the priest sounds once more. “To steal in any capacity is to sin. You speak as though your actions were justified, for you transgressed against evil ones, not good folk of the Flock. But keep a close watch on your judgement. A man can be consumed by worldly pride if he sees himself wholly as a Divine avenger, whose every sin is forgiven because it is committed against the unworthy. For who are we to decide which souls will be damned, and which will ascend to the Skies? Always look to God for guidance when committing such deeds as you have described.” He pauses for a breath, before closing. “Already you have taken a proper step in that direction, but pray that you do not forsake your need for His wise counsel.

“Yes, my child?” says Tamalpais, stirring from behind the dividing screen. “What has brought you into the house of God on this day?

Your footsteps echo throughout the vastness of the grand Carolustadt cathedral, and you find your humble person dwarfed by the majesty of God. As you stand between orderly rows of pews, marveling at the vivid colors of the stained glass adorning the far wall, a voice calls to you from the confession box. “Greetings my brother (or sister) in Faith. Have you come to confess your sins?” OOC ((Confess your sins to my character Father Tamalpais in the thread below, or ask him for advice. All characters/races welcome! Credit to Urara for thread concept.

“Just don’t — say I’m,” says Franz, turning a page of the history in purgatory. ”Damned for — all time.”

‘The Vision’, Siegfried of Luciensport, 1531 “And Horen, may your people one day explore the Seven Skies.” Well known and often quoted, we understand God’s blessing to Horen to be quite literal: mankind’s gift is salvation in the afterlife. But the Word of God seldom bears but a single meaning. We boast, and history verifies - Horen and his tribe are the most ambitious of the descendants. We build temples of marble, raise monoliths to the sky, and write our own names into the grand tapestry of history in pursuit of the immortality denied to us. Why, if our labors are never destined to bear fruit? Will there ever be a Kingdom that never falls? How many families will endure forever? God only knows. Study the lives of the Saints, and you will learn that the greatest of men lead the holiest of lives. To be great in the world is to emulate Heaven. We are attracted to the power and grandeur of Empires, triumphs on the field and public forum, and masterpieces of the Arts, because of the air of intentionality, of purpose, that they radiate. One can see traces of the Divine for himself in the presence of a King, or in sublimities captured on canvas. All that is truly great on Earth belongs to God, not to man. When men abandon this truth favor of their own pride and hubris- that is when Empires fall, Kings lose their crowns, and the land falls into shadow. God’s gift is twofold, and bittersweet. Our souls are saved, but whilst we live, we long to roam the Skies, to adscend to something beyond the restraints that tie us to the ground. Our longings take shape in our labors- our poor attempts at capturing even a sliver of the complete, unknowable majesty of God on Earth. We must dedicate all our works fully to God. We must forsake our pride, wash ourselves clean of greed. Mankind must understand that we possesses some fundamental desires that will never be satisfied on this Earth. Our lives will never be complete until we stand in the presence of God. Our hearts will never be released until we stand in the presence of God. Our souls will never be at peace until we stand in the presence of God. -Neophyte Herod, 14th of Tobias’s Bounty, 1674

ecthallion gently rolls them back into place

Karolus signs.

Franz toasts the good health of the Lord Enthelor over a Barbanov family dinner.

eturn-Letters are sent back to each person that had applied, they bear the customary Seal of the Aulic Council of the Kingdom of Haense. "Greetings, applicant; your LETTER OF ENLISTMENT has been accepted. You may now begin the process of being inducted into the Brotherhood. As customary, you shall begin as an Unoathed, where your skills shall be evaluated, and if God is willing, you shall be selected to complete your TRIALS and kill the BEAR." "The Grandmaster also wishes to extend his apologies in regards to the tardiness of the reply to your application. The War against the Realm of Renatus has left many of the Command-Center preoccupied and incapable of responding to application; we hope we have your understanding in such matters." "Report to the GRANDMASTER in Markev at your earliest convenience for appropriations and interview." - APPROVED FOR INTERVIEW

MC Name: birdnerdy RP Name: Franz Barbanov Nation: Haense Age: 30

The Hinterlands, Pavel Kolchev, 1625 The scene was one fit for a grand painting. The respective leaders of each nation gathered face to face to discuss peace, under the watch of God and men, without the impersonal security of parchment and quill. Both sides kept their nerve, the exchange was mostly lacking for rude retorts or insults. It was diplomacy, though undoubtedly through gritted teeth. The terms offered by Renatus were simple, even generous. Bending the knee and vassalizing into the fold would mean unbroken security for the Haeseni, who had suffered long from constant toil and warfare. But King Karl declined. After a few curt farewell and sardonic wishes of good luck, the meeting was concluded. Whether Karl’s decision was one of bullheaded foolishness, or some sort of stubborn bravery remains to be seen. In either case, the war will continue, and my pen will be kept busy documenting its many happenings. -The Monk Karolus, 1663

Return-Letters are sent back to each person that had applied, they bear the customary Seal of the Aulic Council of the Kingdom of Haense. "Greetings, applicant; your LETTER OF ENLISTMENT has been accepted. You may now begin the process of being inducted into the Brotherhood. As customary, you shall begin as an Unoathed, where your skills shall be evaluated, and if God is willing, you shall be selected to complete your TRIALS and kill the BEAR." "The Grandmaster also wishes to extend his apologies in regards to the tardiness of the reply to your application. The War against the Realm of Renatus has left many of the Command-Center preoccupied and incapable of responding to application; we hope we have your understanding in such matters." "Report to the GRANDMASTER in Markev at your earliest convenience for appropriations and interview." - APPROVED FOR INTERVIEW

Franz hums along.

THE RYKOV ACT Issued by the office of the Lord Chancellor, Confirmed by His Majesty Karl II 12th of the Deep Cold, 1670 A sketch of Nikolai Rykov, freedom fighter of Haense, 1609 Va Birodeo Herzenav. As Haense endures another year of war, the Crown calls upon the loyal citizenry and civilians of the Kingdom to mobilize, and lend their collective efforts towards securing the freedom and safety of their homes, their families, and their posterity. By order of the King… I. Every man of the Kingdom of low birth will report for an annual militia training in Markev. These exercises will ensure that every adult citizen of Haense will be equipped to take up arms as special reserve units in the event that the Kingdom’s borders are breached. II. All ennobled Houses in Haense are hereby required to send one son- provided that he is not the standing heir of their estate- to the Krepost, that they may be enlisted into the Brotherhood of the Golden Crow for a mandatory term of service. III. All families who have sent a man into the armed forces of Haense may hang a patriotic banner of red and gold in their window to stand as a reminder of their service to the Kingdom. In the event that one of these brave men fall in battle, the family will be given a banner of black, adorned with a white cross, to signify their sacrifice. IV JOVEO MAAN, Iv Joveo Ehr, 1653 Signed, His Majesty the King Karl II of Hanseti and Ruska, Grand Hetman of the Army, Prince of Dules, Lahy, Sorbesborg and Slesvik, Regent of Pruvia, Grand Duke of Vanderfell, Duke of Akovia, Krajia and Aldersburg, Margrave of Rothswald and Adria, Count of Karikhov, Baranya, Kavat, Karovia, Torun, and Kaunas, Viscount of Alamar, Baron of Vsenk, Valwyk, Rostig, Esenstadt, Krepost and Kralta, Lord of the Westfolk, Lord of Markev, Protector of the Highlanders, etcetera His Highness, Prince Franz Barbanov, Count of Vaerhost, Lord Chancellor of the Realm