Caranthir_

His murderers scattered into the winds of abjection, the memory of a dead king fades into the footnotes of time. Gone, but not entirely forgotten. Dead, but put now to rest in peace forever. Edmund Alstion, who in the end saw the Truth.

Tristan Adelin de Rennes parses over the proclamation. He goes for his pen, writing to his brother Jean @LithiumSedai. "There's an old saying in Whitespire — I know it's in Merryweather, probably in Whitespire — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

Tristan sends a letter to Father Jean @LithiumSedai. It reads: ”Dearest brother, I have noted some concerning similarities between the Stassie’s hyperinflation of their own primitive currency and their actions regarding ancient titles. A debasement in the economy and in morals, it seems. Yours, T.”

Tristan Adelin de Rennes sends a letter to his brother, Jean @LithiumSedai. It reads: "Dearest brother, Your Excellency, a birdie has told me that the Stassie's have at last fled Fredericksburg - surely in fear of your retribution for their innumerable crimes. This should make the eviction and displacement process of the anthill and its huts much easier for you. T."

Tristan de Rennes gives a metaphoric thumbs up for his brother Jean and writes to him promising that he will visit the Marchlands just as soon as it is rid of its former inhabitants.

“They will not be shown the same mercy in death that Edmund granted them in life,” says Tristan Adelin de Rennes, sadly, for they had none to blame but themselves. He pins a verse of scripture against the barrack doors. He had first read it in an old tome written almost one hundred years ago, by a martyr long since dead in the ruins of Haverlock. And Godfrey’s host meets them in battle upon the mountain. Thus Godfrey raises the sceptre of rebuke. And lo! the command of GOD is justice, and the unjust are punished: Vargengotz and his servants are destroyed. (Auspice 5:35-8) May the world be rid of this perfidious lineage once and for all, he prayed silently. Amen.

Tristan Adelin de Rennes reads the Edict with his brother @LithiumSedai who, whilst literate, had a decisively inferior understanding of the law. He points at the part written 'Great Charter ... permanently suspended'. He says, slowly, "This good." He didn't really think Jean got it. Better for him to stick to preaching.

A VISION OF MENACE 1958 Whitespire, United Kingdom of Aaun Gaspard, My brother has told me of how your soldiers assailed a monastery and took people of the cloth hostage. For shame. You claim to know the way of the Lord and yet you bring violence to His door. You feign honour and your blackguards break all codes of chivalry known to man. For you all is a means to an end; you use your soldiers as thugs and common thieves because all you believe in is conquest and terror. You promise eternal glory but neglect your eternal soul. You speak of your mandate to rule us all, but you cannot rule yourself away from the temptation of power. For I have given to you a theatre of virtue, and I have ordered the estates of the world. And you shall be without pretence or conceit, for before the mountain, the ant and the aurochs are equally small. (Virtue 7:6-7) Gaspard, You alone have squandered Heartland unity and, through your wicked lust for power, have soiled its good name for generations. You alone have created, through mediaeval violence, the need for a coalition. You alone deliver your people eternal damnation, through consorting with the faithless and the feckless. You alone have caused the wanton bloodshed turning brother from brother. And we have all too often heard the sad story of those who are taken before their time and left, like vermin, dead on the roads with their possessions robbed. Unquiet graves which call to the ones they leave behind; Canonist souls left in eternal limbo of what could have been. This is Gaspard’s Future; a state of man based on reckless violence. A world held together by legitimised murder. Where might makes right; where scripture is disregarded; where Orc and Ferryman - like Vargengotz and Ishtar prophesied - rule in vicious tandem. Shall I worship the strong man? Shall you worship the tallest among you? No, for the glory of God is not in mere magnitude, but in His fullness and His perfection. (Spirit: 1:15-17) The tyrannical bullies we fight against are radically evil and unspeakably depraved. To us inconceivable, they have shown deliberate willingness to turn away from God and the moral good. As if all the tumult of this long century, from Philip the Third to the present, has taught them nothing. So do not point your finger at us, sulking in your treachery and regicide; purge your own sins, wash your own filth. People of the Covenant, Should the tides of war see us falter at this present junction, take heart and recall that our valleys are deep, our mountains high, our seas wide; and nestled there in those places are the beacons of liberty. Ideas which suffer and survive longer than tyrants do evil. And remember that, even in our unrelenting and transitory world, we may yet fashion institutions and customs which will, in time, create a more beautiful future for our descendants. So too shall we take courage and remember that every dog must have its day. For I have given you the pains of the world, and I have given you their cure. And you shall know the trials of this theatre of virtue, and know that they shall strengthen you. (Virtue 5:7-8) So, Gaspard, mock our kings, burn our churches, invade our monasteries, ransom our families, hold our nuns in chains, but take our lands at your peril. For we will chew you up and spit you out onto the waste-bin of autocracy, for you are but a small man in a large line of tyrants and will one day be gone. Your progenitors, with all their black legions and sacrilegious claims to divinity, could not snuff out the torch of freedom. And, believe you me, they were more capable than you. But why waste paper, which has become your prolific tool in this present war, on your wicked deeds? March on us if you dare. This year or another; it matters not, your scourge must one day end and your league of evil will then scatter in the wind. Live by the sword, ‘Sir’, and die by the sword. So each is given a law unto their kind, and the world is perfected. This is the promise of God to the World, that it shall belong to the virtuous, who love Him. (Auspice 3:16-17) Tristan Adelin de Rennes

Tristan looks over to Jean beside him @LithiumSedai, saying, "If the black legions of Stassion defile our churches and monasteries then they should not have access to salvation. They too must be excommunicated and put under interdict. It is a matter of right and wrong. Nothing else to it."

Edward York, that little boy of Norland, slumbers in the bliss of infinity now. A long time dead - too close for comfort still. Were he to think - for the dead were not thinking things - he would have recalled that man of the Black-wood, that Jentos, who bade him calm. Who bade him to peace. Who bade him do good. But he didn’t think; he was dead. And so the story goes.

Edmund, from on high, was glad he would never see that old face again. But he was sure the devil would.

Edmund, King of Aaun, slipped from this realm as violently as any who had the misfortune to find themselves punctuated with swords. But, within his pocket, a blood-stained parchment he was to announce that same evening: his Will. He knew that the previous attempt on his life would not be the last, and he was right. But to John his uncle it must go, he knew it to be true, only the most pious could lead God's Kingdom: Father John was that man. But he rested now, in the Skies, with his father.

T H E D E C L A R A T I O N O F B R I D G E M A S WHEREAS, it hath pleased Almighty God to return His servant and Our Sovereign E D M U N D to us, His loyal people, who hath tended to the Common Weal for sundry months, and by whose return the Royal Crown of this United Kingdom of Aaun rightfully rests again on His Head according to the divers Law of the Royal House of Alstion and Magna Charta Libertatum of this Our United Kingdom. We are grateful for and humbly thank those divers men and women, at home and abroad, who came to Our aid in Our Moment of Peril, when We were brutally attacked by wicked actors, and incapacitated to Our present state, which We regret deeply and will never forget; to those who did lend their swords, abilities, minds and hearts to Us in Our Moment of Peril, Our Realm owes you a debt deeper than it can ever hope to repay. And We further have come of an Age where we commit great thought, intrinsic and extrinsic, as to the Design of Our Almighty Lord God, to whom all Kings owe their Crowns, in the death of Our noble Father the most Venerable Prince Henry, Our early ascension to the Crown of Our forefathers, the long Regency of His Holiness the Pontiff, Our Royal Mother, Princely Uncle, Noble Aunt, and other Right Honourable Officers, the Great Troubles that has been so wantonly diffused through Our Realm, and to Our current incapacities. We have been taught the Virtues, and We stand on the shoulders of giants who weave the human tapestry and imbue it with their zealotry; and further We follow in their example to, before anything, prize Peace and Piety. We, therefore, with Royal Right and certain knowledge in Our Time Asleep, do by mere motion dismiss again the recently formed Regency, and assisted by Our People, and with other numbers of Gentlemen and Ladies, command Our Government to at once formulate, distribute, and deliver a Conference of Our brotherly and sisterly Sovereign’s abroad to make between us a permanent settlement. So I find that you are strict in your arms, but lax in your prayers. But to pray is to gird the spirit. The hand of God is the greatest weapon to bear, and His word is the paramount strategy. There can be no laxity in faith for any reason, not war nor peace, not wealth nor poverty. The Lord lasts through all adversities, for He is their source and their remedy—without Him, they are uncured. (Spirit 2:11-14) And We also know that just as there cannot be a setting of the Sun without a rising of the Moon, there cannot be true peace without tangible consequences; We, therefore, with Our certain knowledge coming from Our Time Asleep, declare that We shall join Our forces to War against those who strike the first blow, to those who subvert Our Conference in bad faith; for in Our time there shall always be peace, as it has been ordained by Almighty God and delivered to Us, His servant in this mortal and transient world. And We further exhort all Our People’s into a spirit of Peace, unflinchingly weathering this present storm, which We know will pass, which must always pass, as all things must in this transient and finite world, for what is this world but a lively image in which God shows and declares himself; for although He is invisible, He shows himself by His Works, and to that end we should worship him. And We should further not break His Laws, or do injury to His ordained arrangement of Our Constitution; We exhort all Our People’s to the Just delivery of the Common Weal, and We further reaffirm Our commitment to the three precepts; that is to say, the Right to Life, the Right to Liberty, and the Right to Trial. The vast multitude of creatures, the Sun and the Moon, and all the host of the Skies are the proofs of His Almighty Works, and their multitudinal relationship to each other are evidently the acts of His Sovereign Wisdom; and knowing that We shall all soon return to our Almighty Lord God, let us not spend the years of our prime in contempt of our fellow man, and instead let us be devoted to the study of His Word and His Demonstrable Works, which can only ever be for the public good. And We know that Our Royal Grandsire, the King James of Glorious Memory, did also believe in a stoical attitude to strife, and We know that Our aforesaid Royal Grandfather acted forever and only in the spirit of Peace and Piety; His example is unerringly Good, and We shall act in His steps; and so We command Our Government at once to create new licence for Our Royal City, which We further grant, for Us and Our Heirs and Successors, the name Jacob. We, therefore, make peace with Our lot, and act immediately to see that His Word is reaffirmed by His Vicars; that is to say, We grant as donation the land immediately east of the Temple of Exalted Godfrey, extending for certain distance in the said direction, to Our Holy Mother Church, to be occupied as masters of their own destiny for as long as there may be a Holy See there and reaffirmed with each successive High Pontiff; and We do further grant the personage of the High Pontiff to be sacred and inviolable, and that any attempt against their person or incitement to commit the aforesaid is punishable as if it were an attempt or incitement against Us; and We do further grant that the dignitaries of the Pontifical Court will always be admitted through the territory of Our Realm, and those said dignitaries if they be Cardinals are to be given honours that impede them from any and all interference, and further that if they shall reside within the Royal City of Jacob then they will also enjoy all citizenship thereof; as a consequence of this donation, which must be first negotiated and ratified by Our constitution to take effect, We commit Ourself to further such agreements. We pray to Almighty God, by whose great gifts Kings do reign, to bless the Our Realm and to give Us the fortitude to suffer these wicked days and see them through with kindness and Our Better Nature intact. Given at the Hand of Horen on the seventh of Tobias’s Bounty in the year one thousand nine hundred and fifty-two. ✿ BE IT DECLARED by the King’s Majesty, and by the consent of the Estates, in this Royal Diet assembled; In witness whereof We have signed this Declaration at the Hand of Horen on the seventh of Tobias’s Bounty in the fifteenth year of Our reign. We, therefore, the Lords of this Realm, do now hereby with one voice publish and proclaim our resolve to the cause of Peace, but with fortitude to the last resort of War, following in the example of our late Sovereign’s of Glorious Memory, and our K I N G E D M U N D, by Grace of God K I N G O F T H E U N I T E D K I N G D O M O F A A U N; to whom we do give all humble affection true allegiance and unwavering obedience. AS THE ESTATES, His Serene Highness, Ferdinand Alexander Barclay Großfürst von Minitz, GMSTSR, Viscount of Tucay, Baron of Hussen, Lord of Durres, Warden of the Franklands His Highness, Heinrich II Lothar von Alstreim Prince of Merryweather and the Rhine, Landgrave of Alstreim, Baron of Corwinsburg, Lord of Blackwater and LORD VANDALORE His Grace, János Mátyás Ivanovich Duke of Styria, Voivode of Vaška, Count of Pravets, Baron of Vsensk, and Godansk, Lord of Andregrad, Hetman of the Host of St. Arpad, Keeper of the Hussariya, Protector of Raev and the Vaškan Steppe His Highness, Richard Leonus Stassion Margrave of Stassion, Baron of Renzfeld, Lord of Fredericksburg, Protector of the Marchlands His Lordship, Olivier Dieuxmont de Rosius Margrave of High Peak, Count of Beaufoy and Arentaniebourg, Baron of Rosius, Lord of Mont Louis, Lord Commander of the Rose Guard and Protector of Arentania Her Ladyship, Marlene Konstancja von Reuss Margravine-Consort of Velen, Countess-Consort of Revedin and Cantal, Baroness-Consort of Mons Velena and Alsace, Defender of the Velenic Peoples AS THE LORDS, His Lordship, Emilio Varoche Baron of Napoliza, Vice-Chancellor of Aaun, Magistrate of Whitespire His Lordship, Fernand Auguste de Lewes Baron of Virdain, Lord Chancellor of Aaun, Master of Augmentations His Lordship, Ser Leopold Alexander Haverlock Baron of Gotfridcher, Count of Talentine, Lord Captain of the Whitespire City Watch, Knight of the Circle of Saint Godwin His Lordship, Fumetsu Renshin Daimyo of Clan Renshin, Keeper of the Crane’s Crest The Right Honourable, Ser Morgan of Angren Knight of Lemon Hill ‘STRENGTH THROUGH UNITY’ TANDEM TRIUMPHANS Ends.

Issued by The Crown In the year of our Lord, 1947 _________________________ “ THE WHEELS THAT HOLD THE CHARIOT OF AAUN UPRIGHT, King Charles I, 1912 ” _________________________ THE CABINET The Cabinet is made up of senior members of government. It comprises Secretaries of State - ‘the Great offices’ - and Directorates of the Civil Service chosen by the Chancellor. They are collectively responsible for the actions, successes, and failures of government. Individual sections of the government, otherwise ‘departments’, are responsible for bringing their agenda to Cabinet meetings, and for putting government policy into practice. THE CHANCELLERY The Lord Chancellor His Excellency, Fernand de Lewes @Mattiii III CHANCELLOR 1939 – Present The Chancellor is the senior lawyer of the realm and—traditionally—the right hand of the sovereign. In recent memory the Lord Chancellor serves to manage the courts of justice and as a personal agent of His Majesty. Since the Command for Reforms, the Chancellor has once again become the leader of His Majesty’s Government, appointed as a result of whomsoever His Majesty believes commands the confidence of the country, and is ultimately responsible for the policy and decisions of the government. As leader of the government, the Chancellor currently chooses the Directorates of the cabinet and oversees most of its operations. The Chancellor is also Secretary of State for the Union and may act in the exercise of any functions of the government to ensure that it is acting on behalf of the entire country. Whilst the Secretary of State shares in the formal duties of the other Great Offices, convention dictates that functional responsibilities are left in the hands of the relevant Secretary. The Chancellery itself is appointed by the sitting Chancellor as close personal advisors and reflects the ebb-and-flow of the political dynamic and, consequently, government policy. Vice-Chancellor The Vice-Chancellor is the primary assistant of the Chancellor and is delegated all tasks that the Chancellor deems necessary for the presence of high Royal authority, but cannot personally be present for. In the event of the incapacitation of the sitting Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor assumes all authority of the office. His Excellency, Emilio Varoche @Enlightenment Master of the Rolls Traditionally granted to the Grand Peer as a mark of the Crown’s continued support of the Royal Diet, the Master of the Rolls is charged with the keeping of the noble lists, the reporting of the activities of the Diet, and the granting of coats of arms to the worthy. His Highness, Heinrich II von Alstreim @Olox_ Master of Augmentations Responsible for funding the purchase of royal general lands and its distribution to tenants, its usage, its ownership. His Excellency, Fernand de Lewes @Mattiii Master of Chanceries The traditional caretaker and royal steward of chanceries, or knightly lodges, the Master of Chanceries keeps the royal histories of the kingdom’s knightly membership and gentry families. Mister Walter Vanderrecht @LithiumSedai DIRECTORATE OF THE CAPITAL Lord Mayor of Whitespire The Lord Mayor of Whitespire ensures the planning, application, and delivery of municipal agendas and ordinances, prioritising the growth of the city and legislating with the City Council and formally representing it at local events. Sir Godric ap Easworth @ImmortalShadowZ THE ROYAL TREASURY The Lord Seneschal His Excellency, Mithius Dalma @Jonificus III LORD SENESCHAL 1947 – Present The Treasury is the country’s primary economic and financial department. It maintains public spending, legislates for taxes, and sets a course of direction for the economic agenda. The Treasury works with other arms of the government to ensure that the financial system is achieving strong and sustainable growth, reducing reliance on land taxation and rebalancing the government’s revenues, spending taxpayers’ money with prudence, creating a stronger national bank, increasing employment, and increasing productivity. With these goals in mind, the Treasury ensures the competitiveness of the economy, ready to deliver for local communities. The Lord Seneschal, as Secretary of State of the Treasury, has strategic oversight on fiscal and monetary policy. They ensure that the department's business is being done with value for money and advise the Cabinet on the economic agenda. Crown Comptroller The Crown Comptrollers are members of the treasury tasked with the recording of revenues and royal accounts, working across government to ensure efficiency and value for money in public expenditure. His Lordship, Siegmund von Reuss @Timer DIRECTORATE OF CROWN REVENUES Director-General of Crown Revenues The Directorate is responsible for public expenditure, including spending reviews and planning. It directs capital investment, infrastructure spending and indirect taxes to raise funds through means other than ground rent. Part of the job of the Directorate is ensuring a fair but firm trading policy, maximising profit from national resources and administering customs on international companies. His Excellency, Mithius Dalma @Jonificus DIRECTORATE OF LAND REVENUES Receiver-General The Receiver-General, with certain knowledge of economics and accounting and the ability to remain calm in challenging circumstances, is entrusted with examining the accounts of the country’s land revenues, visiting landholding subjects outside the City of Whitespire to offer specialist advice about tax, considering and applying taxation law to cases, and being the physical collector of taxation from those who owe the Crown. Her Highness, Adeline Johanna of Aaun @Marshi THE CLEMENTINE COURT The Lady Chamberlain Her Highness, Augusta Charlotte of Aaun @Axelu IV LADY CHAMBERLAIN 1940 – Present The Chamberlain is responsible for the overseeing and management of the Royal Household, Palace, and Court. As the most senior official in the Royal Household, the Chamberlain is not only an enforcer of courtly etiquette and expectation, but a figure that shall serve as a channel of communication between the Sovereign, Privy Council, and Royal Diet. Majordomo The Majordomo maintains household order, overseeing staff, court finances, and room allocation. While essential, they yield to the Queen and Chamberlain in daily court affairs. Ms. Adelheid Varoche @Cubicita Grand Reveller The Grand Reveller plans and directs entertainment throughout the Kingdom by working alongside key figures of Aaunic Society. The functions of the Reveller include, but are not limited to, the management of the Aaunic Reifenia, and overseeing production at the Plane Theatre. Ms. Amelia de Lewes @ydegirl THE CITY WATCH The Lord Captain of the Watch His Excellency, Ser Leopold Haverlock @CuteSebby I CAPTAIN I DIRECTOR-GENERAL 1947 – Present The City Watch is at the heart of the justice system. As Director-General for Justice, the Captain of the Watch protects and advances the principles of justice and the rule of law. The City Watch works with the other constituent parts of government to bring the principles of justice for everyone in the country. It works to ensure that offenders are arrested, convicted, and that sentences are served. Adjutant of the Watch The Adjutant is primarily responsible for assisting the Captain of the Watch and serving as their second in command. Ser Leutwin Barclay @alien_mc Magistrates The Magistrate is a trusted, often senior, member of the community responsible for the safeguarding and supervision of the rule of law. His Lordship, Emilio Varoche @Enlightenment THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE The High Commissioner His Excellency, Johannes van Aert @Nectorist II HIGH COMMISSIONER 1947 – Present The High Commissioner of the Diplomatic Service is the Crown’s chief emissary, the man or woman given the task travelling abroad under His Majesty’s banner to build Aaun’s international reputation and foreign relations, of drafting treaties and pacts, and keeping His Majesty personally apprised of world events. The High Commissioner, named for the procurement of letters of credence for Crown Ambassadors, occupies one of the great offices of Aaun as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The High Commissioner has overall responsibility for delivering the Crown’s foreign policy objectives and for strategic oversight of the Service. Crown Ambassador Crown Ambassadors are those empowered by the Crown to conduct peaceful diplomacy on the realm’s behalf; they are charged with journeying abroad and improving relations with their foreign counterparts, as well as attending international events on His Majesty’s behalf. His Lordship, Richard Stassion @Optimus420 His Lordship, Johannes von Alstreim @Balthasar Her Ladyship, Amelya van Aert @bickando His Eminence, Cardinal Arnaud @Sander DIRECTORATE OF RECORDS AND ARCHIVES Director-General of Records and Archives Her Excellency, Saskia van Aert @JoanOfArc I DIRECTOR-GENERAL 1947 – Present The Director-General has strategic oversight over their Directorates business, and attends Cabinet at the pleasure of the Chancellor. The Directorate collects the histories of Aaun and the notable families of the realm and compiles them into chronicles. They are a powerful cultural unit, maintaining the archives containing all previous acts, decrees, and other writings of importance to the heritage of the country. Chief of Revision The Chief articulates the legal and ideological basis for the formation and existence of the Aaunic realm, working on a close inter-governmental basis to achieve a consistency of ideology and a coherence of the national narrative. Ms. Nathalie Rouselle @Amyy Curator-General of Records and Archives The Curator-General - formerly ‘High Curator’ and once attached to the Clementine Court - acquires, maintains, and promotes cultural heritage objects; the Curator-General works in conjunction with the Housing and Development Directorate to manage cultural properties of the government, driving engagement with the national story, and maintaining the national archives for consultation, research, and future study. Her Ladyship, Olenna Haverlock @MapleSunflower DIRECTORATE OF HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT Director-General of Housing and Development Her Excellency, Marlene von Reuss @zuziee I DIRECTOR-GENERAL 1947 – Present The Directorate of Housing and Development supports communities across the country to thrive. They are at the heart of the government’s commitment to accelerate all parts of the country. The Director-General has strategic oversight over the Directorate’s business, working with the Treasury to invest in local areas and drive growth. The Director-General leads the overall housing strategy of the country, and has a large remit over planning reform, application and delivery. The Director-General leads the Heartland Memorial Planning committee, a cross-government initiative to catalogue and display the histories of the Age of Conflict. Urban Officer Urban officers help shape the way towns and cities develop, balancing the demand for space with the needs of the community. Urban officers work on projects to assess the effects of new roads, plan for houses, redesign urban spaces, develop parks, waterways and public sanitation. Officers develop local and national planning policies, prepare and make decisions about planning proposals and engage interest in the lived environment. Mr. Roderick Temesch @MCVDK Rural Officer Rural officers survey, value, look after, and plan how land under the royal generality is used. Officers find creative ways to repurpose derelict buildings, and negotiate access to land with individuals or companies. His Lordship, Fumetsu Renshin @Qizu THE KING’S PRIVY CHAMBER The Privy Chamber, alternatively known as His Majesty’s Personal Household, is made up of the private aides to the sovereign. They wait on the King in the royal apartments, as well as during various court activities, functions and entertainments. Those within often act as his chief advisors, and as a mark of favour the members of the Privy Chamber are empowered to act as the executors of the King's verbal commands. The Principal Secretary to the King His Highness, Heinrich II von Alstreim @Olox_ II PRINCIPAL SECRETARY 1947 – Present The Principal Secretary is responsible for forwarding incoming letters to His Majesty and the Regency Council, particularly foreign correspondence, keeping the king’s purse, and, most importantly, overseeing the execution of His Majesty’s orders. King’s Chamberlain As the leader of the Clementine Court, so too is the Lord or Lady Chamberlain a natural member of His Majesty’s own Privy. In the more personal capacity of the King’s Chamberlain, they act as his advisor on the state and strategy of navigating the complex web of the realm’s internal nobility, such as its various cultures, and on ensuring the continuing morality of the court. Her Highness, Augusta Charlotte @Axelu Mistress of the Robes The Mistress of the Robes personally attends upon His Majesty and is the manager of his household’s affairs. This includes deciding entry into the Privy Chamber and the allocation of grace and favours at royal events, along with handling miscellaneous issues on his behalf. Her Ladyship, Amelya van Aert @bickando Grooms of the Privy Chamber The role of the Grooms of the Privy Chamber is of paramount trust and proximity to the Monarch. They act as the assistants and personal advisors to His Majesty, responsible for the cleanliness of the royal bedchamber and oftentimes serving as companions, offering entertainment and conversation. His Lordship, Johannes von Alstreim @Balthasar The Hon., John Auguste d’Arkent @valecu Mister Walter Vanderrecht @LithiumSedai Equerries to the King His equerries serve a slightly less personal role, handling the provisioning of horses and carriage transport for the sovereign. They too, however, have served as personal advisors and companions, especially abroad and on journeys otherwise. THE HISTORY OF… Even the tireless energy of those great Caroline counsellors, Varoche and Dalma, Gromach and Ivanovich, could scarcely keep pace with the daily routine of government. The council then contained the chief officers of state and of the household, and the entirety of the peerage. By the end of his reign there were about twenty-five counsellors. The size did not make for great efficiency, and members without official position rarely gave constant attention. Consequently, the business of government worked strictly on an ad hoc basis. The Adrian Rebellion and subsequent exhaustion of the state meant that those great positions had become fixed and unchanging, which led to stifled productivity and paralysis of governing institutions. The Jacobean counsellors, most notably led by the Prince Henry before his untimely death, attempted to salvage this position by breaking off into committees, which gave preliminary consideration to matters particularly involving foreign affairs. By the end of James’s reign, the foreign affairs committee was discussing matters of state in no way related to foreign affairs and had achieved sufficient importance to be referred to as the inner circle. After the death of Prince Henry the circle became smaller still, and it is mostly certain that the primary writs of government and proclamations that came from the period between Henry’s death and James’s own were conducted by Dieuxmont, Merryweather, and Valence. Above all, the counsellor of state has an unimpeachable sense of duty. This was James’s greatest contribution to his government. His Will became the most significant constitutional document in the state, and dictated a Regency Council to serve during the minority of his grandson. Each of these Executors alone held one-sixth the power of a king; together, they had near complete royal prerogative. In conjunction with creating legislation through Royal Edicts, James used his Will to ensure the clean transfer of power to his grandson Edmund. By the end of James’s reign his Executors were prepared to take over the government of the state in absence of a central royal authority. All six shared the power of the great seal, and they quickly began to fill positions to entrench and enact their significant authority. The time had come to enlarge the sphere of government activity, and this required a more elaborate administrative machinery than had previously sufficed. The development of the Regency Council necessitated new living arrangements for each of its members, and the Privy Chamber became their most private suite. The men and women who attended to this chamber provided intimate support and assistance to the members of the Council and the Heir Apparent. Over time, the individuals of the Privy Chamber would soon evolve into a group of trusted confidants, messengers, and administrators, responsible for carrying out the council’s daily operations. As the new King grew and became slowly more independent, his Regency Council became increasingly redundant. More and more decisions were made in the Privy Council, in Edmund’s attendance. The obscure distribution of political authority caused underlying tensions: in 1945 the Regency announced itself formally dissolved after many years of prorogation. The Queen Mother lost her position as governor of the King’s Person, and facing charges of disobedience she was put under house arrest. In 1947 Edmund’s political and constitutional authority had grown to its highest point, and with the careful supervision of his Regent, the Prince Merryweather, he sent his Command for Reforms to his Chancellor, Virdain, instructing him to form a government in his name. The Regency now gone, the Privy split into two distinctive organs of state: the close personal attendants on the one hand, who remained to attend on the King in the Privy Chambers, and the Cabinet of State on the other. This was an attempt to professionalise and formalise an historically mysterious class of governors. Where work was once centralised in the hands of few Crown appointments, departments took agency over putting government policy into practice. Baron de Lewes, who was already Chancellor, was put to work to form a government in the name of the King. His Majesty's Privy Council welcomes all to apply to its new Apprenticeship Programme. This initiative is tailored for individuals with an interest in the government, military, courts, and diplomacy. The programme affords participants a comprehensive, firsthand exposure to these pivotal domains, fostering a profound comprehension of the nuanced intricacies inherent to our administrative apparatus. Submit an application in the form below: The Apprenticeship Programme