Wavey

The armored Cardinal arrived back to Balian. He was further battle-hardened and his resolve unabating. The victory at the northern Haeseni border was somber. For the battle against the Unholy entourage spearheaded by the Lich was one of immense magnitude. The battle led to the loss of a dear friend of Ivan's. Nevertheless, he persevered, for this was vindication against the necrotic creatures who dared harm his flock only a Saint's day before. As he made his way towards his diocesan office, a Balianese bureaucrat delivered the good news to him, showing him the missive published by the Segnoria. His lips tugged at a small smile as he wiped the dirt from his forehead. Perhaps not all is somber. "Good." He uttered in response, continuing to make his way to his diocesan office, "I have taught them well."

The attack, unprovoked, unexpected, and unholy was etched within the Cardinal's mind. He had managed to escape the radius of the explosion. Yet the noxious fumes had gotten to him. He remained within the clinic of Portoregne, coughing whilst medics attended to him. Lorelei had provided him with sage and honey tea to soothe his throat and lungs. Perhaps he shall recover. Yet, all Ivan could feel was wroth. For the wicked lay their claws upon the faithful. They mock their holy sacraments. ALL of Iblees's Entourage MUST be eradicated. The South WILL be cleansed of the wicked.

12th of Tobias’ Bounty, 2001 facts of the case are as follows, Prior to the incident, the Lotharian Regency published a declaration, stating its intention to refuse to grant, award or dispose of any titles belonging to the Novellen D’Atrus Family. Ivan Cardinal Lotharia, TO DISCUSS THE MATTERS OF BALIAN - THE REGENT'S PROCLAMATION (1993). On the 6th of Godfrey’s Triumph, in the year of our Lord 1999, Mikhail Sarkozic published a missive claiming the titles of the Novellen D’Atrus family, the Ruthern var Balian family, and the D'Arkent family. Mikhail Sarkozic, TO CLAIM OUR TRUE TITLES (1999). In his missive, he disavowed the Kingdom of Balian and urged its people to revolt. Id. Mr. Sarkozic then urged the Holy Mother Church and the Lotharian Regency to grant him the claimed titles. Id. Mr. Sarkozic also used the coat of Arms of the Exhilic Duchy of Adria to publish his missive. He would then sign his name with self-proclaimed princely honorifics and titles. Id. The Lotharian Regency, with affirmation from the Pontifical Auditor of the Supreme Tribunal, placed Mikhail Sarkozic in a state of interdiction because of his breach of the canticle of temperance and desire to incite unrest within Canondom. Ivan Cardinal Lotharia, AVARICE. - TO MIKHAIL SARKOZIC (1999). Mikhail Sarkozic would then subsequently be summoned to trial by the Lotharian Regency with both the Cardinal of Lotharia and the Auditor of the Supreme Pontifical Tribunal overseeing the trial scheduled for the 10th of Sun’s Smile, in the year of our Lord 2000. Alaric var Ruthern, A COURT SUMMONS - MIKHAIL SARKOZIC (1999). Mikhail Sarkozic would reply in a published missive that he does not intend to appear at the trial. Mikhail Sarkozic, COURT REPLY (2000). Furthermore, he would again sign his name with self-proclaimed princely honorifics and titles. Id. The Cardinal of Lotharia replied with a private letter admonishing him of his questioning of ecclesiastical authority. He further warned him of his transgressions before urging him to appear before the regency. The trial commenced as planned. Mr. Sarkozic, however, did not appear before the regency and tribunal. Mikhail Sarkozic was tried in absentia. For the breach of the Canticle of Temperance, circumventing and shopping for penance alternatives, for purposefully and publicly absconding from the proceedings per his recent reply to the summons for trial, we find Mikhail Sarkozic guilty of the aforementioned charges. DOCTRINE It is a well settled doctrine that the four Holy Scrolls: Virtue, Gospel, Spirit and Auspice are foundations of canon morality and its laws. High Pontiff Daniel VI, Rev. by High Pontiff St. James II, CODEX IURIUS CANONICI DANIELUS PONTIFEX - SECOND EDITION (1801). These scrolls are to be interpreted to provide jurisprudence on Canon Law. Thus, they are to be considered the highest authority in Canon jurisprudence. Id. The Scroll of Virtue states, “[f]or I have given to you the pleasures of the world, and they shall comfort you in the theater of virtue. And you shall take them carefully, and shall not become a creature of worldly indulgence as the beasts of the earth.”, (Virtue 3:7-8). This verse, located within the Canticle of Temperance chapter, provides further instructions in its final lines, “[a]nd I am the Lord GOD without peer, and My joys are the holy joys, and My comfort is the virtuous comfort, and all the blessings of the Virtue shall fall before the righteous who do not indulge.”, (Id at 3:10). Verses eight to nine of Virtue admonishes greed. Verse ten affirms this admonishment, instructing the faithful to avoid indulgence. The Book of Joren, in the Scroll of Spirit, provides that, “[t]here can be no laxity in faith for any reason, not war nor peace, not wealth nor poverty.”, (Spirit 2:13). The aforementioned verse in spirit forbids any laxness of faith for worldly possessions. The Vision of Portent, in the Scroll of Auspice, warns against the condemnation of the Canticle of Temperance, “[a]nd before the commoners, the first condemns temperance, and gluttony is exalted.”, (Auspice 1:23). The final verse of Portent describes the consequences of disavowing the canticles, “[t]he world is changed, and there is a period of sin.”, (Id at 1:42). Such strong commandments enumerated above provide a powerful foundation against Avarice, which shall henceforth be considered the most serious transgression against the Canticle of Temperance. On the matters of title retention, the Novellen D’Atrus family were affirmed of their titles under the Pontificate of Tylos III. The titles of the Novellen D’Atrus family were granted to them by High Pontiff Tylos III, who crowned King John I as the King of Balian. All subsequent titles were then affirmed when High Pontiff Pontian IV crowned Alexander I. The titles were then again affirmed when High Pontiff Sixtus V crowned Adrian I. The titles were affirmed again within Aevos when High Pontiff Caius I crowned Sybille I and Alexander II, chronologically. To ensure precedent and the acknowledgement of pontifical authority, the titles remained within the possession of the family. This precedent, by extension, protects the titles of the families of Ruthern var Balian and D'Arkent. DISCUSSION Mikhail Sarkozic’s recent actions provide a prima facie example of pure avarice. The Lotharian regency, under the direction of Cardinal Ivan of Lotharia, has stated its refusal to act as a title bank. The declaration from the regency is, through extension, a form of ecclesiastical authority due to its connection with the Holy Mother Church. Such a declaration against the disposal of titles by the regency is founded within the Canticle of Temperance. As the most devout servants of the LORD, the Holy Mother Church is instructed to faithfully execute the enshrined doctrines provided within all the Holy Scrolls. Furthermore, The Cardinal of Lotharia is considered a senior member of the High Pontiff’s curia. It is the Cardinal’s duty to ensure that the diocese he oversees remains faithful to Canon doctrine. Although the Book of Joren is directed to the line of Joren, it still requires all faithful to adhere to the commandments of the ALMIGHTY, avoiding laxness in faith for the desire of worldly possessions. All faithful are BOUND to follow the Holy Scrolls, regardless of their ancestry. Spirit provides further authority for the canticle of temperance. Mikhail Sarkozic, both being from the line of Joren and being a faithful of Canondom, was required to adhere to the commandments set forth by the ALMIGHTY within the scrolls. The ominous warning stated within Auspice provides for the basic foundation to strongly condemn any form of avarice; For it taints the soul and all morality of the faithful. Mikhail Sarkozic’s soul crossed a sacred line. His soul darkens as Avarice screams within his mind and body, delving further towards the maws of sin. ADJUDICATION To claim materialistic titles with hollow words of affirmation in itself is a breach of the Canticle of Temperance. For the faithful must be content with what they have. Such title claiming taints the soul as the songs of Avarice darken one's heart. The Holy Mother Church and all members of its curia SHALL NOT act as a title bank. The trial before the Lotharian regency was an opportunity for Mikhail Sarkozic to present his case. It is conceded that he was required to repent. However, one can still present their case once summoned for repentance before trial. If their case is strong and founded in good faith, it can positively affect the final decision. Unfortunately, Mikhail Sarkozic refused to appear before the regency. The refusal from Mikhail Sarkozic to appear for trial brings us to the matter of questioning Ecclesiastical authority. Both Cardinal Ivan of Lotharia and Friar Jacque are senior members of the Pontifical Curia. Both are the Pontifical Secretary and Supreme Auditor of the Pontifical Tribunal respectively. To question their authority is to question the authority of the Holy Mother Church and the Vicar of GOD, the High Pontiff; For they are members of his curia. Nevertheless, a shepherd must guide the flock whilst firm and just. Lady Kasandra Sarkozic of Aldersburg was given the opportunity to testify for her family and kin. She was considered a witness substituting the appearance of the good Markus Sarkozic, the Count Emeritus of Aldersburg and an elder kin of Mikhail Sarkozic. Her testimony provided us with a holistic approach to our subsequent decision against Mikhail Sarkozic. The prosecution appointed within the Kingdom of Balian provided their own arguments and testimony for the matters of treason against Balian and the incitement of unrest. The prosecution’s testimony has also been taken into account for the subsequent decision. Thus we hold the following: Mikhail Sarkozic is now observed in a STATE OF EXCOMMUNICATION. The flock must keep in mind that excommunication is not a declaration by the Holy Mother Church, but rather an observation for when one commits a high transgression. Nevertheless, opportunities for penance are still provided during this state. Mikhail Sarkozic is to forgo all titles he claims, as punishment for his bad-faith attempt to incite unrest, whilst his soul was tainted by the rotten touch of Avarice. All siblings of Mikhail Sarkozic shall be under the guardianship of Kasandra Sarkozic of Aldersburg and her family. For the current Sarkozics of Aldersburg have proven to be a faithful tribe within Canondom. Mikhail Sarkozic shall take up monastic vows and lifestyle in penance for his crimes against Faith. He shall not claim any further titles. If all requirements are fulfilled, Mikhail Sarkozic will be absolved of his penance, and he shall no longer be considered an Excommunicant. To adhere to this decision, all Canonist princes are REQUIRED to apprehend Mikhail Sarkozic and extradite him to the Archdiocese of Lotharia if he has found refuge in their realms. All Holy Orders sanctioned by the Holy Mother Church are to locate and apprehend Mikhail Sarkozic to deliver him before the Lotharian Regency. Furthermore, let it be known that If a Canonist nation willingly shelters Mikhail Sarkozic despite knowing his state of excommunication, they shall be found guilty of harbouring, under the Crimes against the Unity of the Church Stated within § 6 of the CODEX IURIUS CANONICI DANIELUS PONTIFEX - SECOND EDITION: §6. A person who aids or gives shelter to an excommunicant has committed the crime of harbouring. (CODEX IURIUS CANONICI DANIELUS PONTIFEX - SECOND EDITION Rev. on 1801). Any Canonist Prince or Holy Order which apprehends Mikhail Sarkozic shall read the penance required of him in this judicial decree. If he refuses to adhere to the penance in any way, shape, or form, he shall be declared Anathema and executed swiftly; for by then he would have forsaken the LORD. Such is affirmed under the watchful gaze of the ALMIGHTY. EN DÉU CONFIEM, Ivan Cardinal Lotharia Averred by: Fr. Jacques-Baptiste Auclair, Auditor of the Supreme Pontifical Tribunal

Love you Reece! Make sure to keep in touch at least broski and I know you’ll succeed in life! ❤️

Robert, who had been taking a nap within his and his twin brother’s room, was awoken by the excited shouts of his eldest brother. “Hmm?” He murmured with a gentle yawn. However, realization soon dawned upon him at his brother’s elated shouts for their father. “Papej? He is here?!” The young Ludovar quickly jumped down from his bed, not caring for the cold surface of the stone floor his bare feet pressed upon as he then quickly opened the door of the room before bolting towards the court yard. “PAPEJ!” The young Ludovar called ever the more loudly as he reached the courtyard, running as fast as he could to greet his father. “Ea have so many things to tell vy!” Oh if only Robert knew that in his excitement for the return of his father, the young boy had forgotten to wear any shoes.

"NOT THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF VITAMIN C! HOW COULD THEY DO THIS?!" Lamented the five-year-old Robert Audemar Ludovar who spent three saint's hours chasing after them before getting lost in an oasis.

[!]A letter would arrive to the abode of Mikhail Sarkozic. Mikhail, You were summoned by me, the Cardinal. A member of the Senior authority of the Holy Mother Church as Pontifical Secretary within the curia. My good friend and brother in the curia, Friar Jacques-Baptiste Auclair who is the Auditor of the Supreme Pontifical Tribunal will be there to observe your trial regarding your criminally saulicious Avarice. Now cease your political lawyering and penance shopping. Appear within seven Saint's Days sharp in the Saints Evening. Do not keep us waiting. Blessed Regards, Ivan Cardinal Lotharia

TO MIKHAIL SARKOZIC 13th of Godfrey’s Triumph, 1999 “And you shall take them carefully, and shall not become a creature of worldly indulgence as the beasts of the earth.” (Virtue, 3:8) ☨ “Come to your senses little crow.” ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ Oh Avarícia Oh Avarice How tempting you are Your scented fruits dangle from its branches Oh Avarice How clever you are Your leaves are disguised as sassafras Oh Avarice You have made me a fool Your fruits are rotten Your leaves are poisonous Oh Avarice You have blinded me With empty titles And hollow words But Avarice I thank you For I crave attention In this miserable life My Avarice All shall pay attention to me For I shall be crowned ‘The Royal Fool’ ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛ 𖥞 IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST OMNIPOTENT, THE ALL-POWERFUL, WE BEGIN. VIRTUE (3:1-10) 1 Lo and attend, for I am the Lord GOD, and I am in the foremost part of heaven. 2 Though the spring flower withers and the fruit of the tree falls to the ground, My Word lasts into the eve of the world, and the fruit of virtue cannot rot. 3 I am the Lord GOD without peer. 4 I grew the first grapes of the vineyard, and gave unto Horen the first wife. 5 And as I made for you the worldly pleasures, so too have I made the pleasures of the spirit, and the love of the husband and wife. 6 And I have given unto you the wine of sacrament, and the wine of merriment, and I have promised you the world and the Skies. 7 For I have given to you the pleasures of the world, and they shall comfort you in the theater of virtue. 8 And you shall take them carefully, and shall not become a creature of worldly indulgence as the beasts of the earth. 9 So I am the Most High, and in pursuit of My Virtue, I bid my faithful this: You shall not lie with your kin, nor those of other tribes, and none shall lie together but in holy union. 10 And I am the Lord GOD without peer, and My joys are the holy joys, and My comfort is the virtuous comfort, and all the blessings of the Virtue shall fall before the righteous who do not indulge. SPIRIT (2:11-14) 11 So I find that you are strict in your arms, but lax in your prayers. But to pray is to gird the spirit. 12 The hand of GOD is the greatest weapon to bear, and His word is the paramount strategy. 13 There can be no laxity in faith for any reason, not war nor peace, not wealth nor poverty. 14 The Lord lasts through all adversities, for He is their source and their remedy—without Him, they are uncured. Mikhail Sarkozic. I shall not indulge further in your sins in great length. Yet your sinful foolishness knows no bounds. Claiming titles hold no weight when you have no land nor any men. Hollow words do no justice, yet the greed of your forefathers weighs you down. To lawyer about titles is one thing, but to hold on to them for the sake of power only taints your soul. No, your crimes are not that you claim them, but you desire them. Avarice tempts you like the sweetest of fruits. But her rewards are rotten within. I have stated, time and time again. The Lotharian Regency shall not practice the disposal of titles. The Holy Mother Church, the most devout servants of the LORD, shall not act as a title bank. The titles of Novellen D’Atrus, D'Arkent, and Ruthern shall remain the same as long as this regency remains in effect. Yet, you do not listen. You merely nod, with your right fingers tied behind your back with your left hand to your chest. Your ears are covered with the songs of greed, beckoning you to stray from the straight path. Your soul has crossed the line. For your breach of the sacred canticle of temperance, for the crimes of treason against the Kingdom of Balian, for refusing to heed to the doctrine set forth since this regency, You shall henceforth be In A STATE OF INTERDICTION. Make no mistake however, for you are given a chance at repentance before GOD ALMIGHTY. From henceforth, all canonist princes, and all soldiers of the LORD’S Holy Orders must adhere to this epistle. They shall locate your whereabouts and bring you before the Lotharian Regency for a chance at repentance in trial. If you refuse, then you have truly fallen from grace. Let it be so, under the watchful gaze of the ALMIGHTY. EN DÉU CONFIEM, Ivan Cardinal Lotharia Averred by: Fr. Jacques-Baptiste Auclair, Auditor of the Supreme Pontifical Tribunal

“Irrelevant.” Commented the REAL Count of Pompourelia and self proclaimed Emperor of the Holy Bosnian Empire.* ——— *Legitimately claimed from the nation of Bosnia.

A very thought provoking question bro. To those who don’t understand, let me break it down for you:

The news reached the southern jungles at a quickening pace. The Cardinal of the south was made aware of the passing of his kin from the north. His brother in faith. Suddenly, the Cardinal's cane was not needed as he made his way towards the Cathedral of the Holy Supernals; for his will to fight for his brethren was enough. "First a prayer. Then the brandishing of my halberd. All who harm my brethren and the flock shall face the LORD's justice. Mercy shall not be afforded to the ones who relish the blood of my flock, nor to the ones who cause their deaths." The words uttered were laced with the sharp tinge of the hammerhead's teeth. Kill or be killed. The LORD's Justice shall be done.

This rework looks really good so far! I'm very excited about this Canon Adherence project and I see a lot of potential for its use and any future additions to it. I have a few suggestions though which I want to provide: I want to offer some insight regarding Sacred Aurum and the enchantment potentials it has. From what I garnered, I'm assuming Sacred Aurum is the product of the ritual prayer Sanctify Aurum. Now, although I understand Sanctify Aurum is a tier IV spell and it's meant to be something protected and reserved for the ones who have gotten far in Canon Adherance, I would suggest rather to make this part of an entirely separate path with dedicated prayers which require the use of Sacred Aurum. Many of the prayers here, in my opinion, can be moved around as well and can possibly be intertwined with this Sacred Aurum feature. For example: Consecration I believe the Consecration feature can be used in tandem or be included within the umbrella of sacred aurum. Although Consecration is a tier III feature, and if you do choose to combine it with the feature of sacred aurum, then perhaps you can make sanctify aurum a tier III feature as well. Perhaps the adherant can only consecrate an altar using the sacred aurum material? It provides further use for sacred aurum. Although I understand that the point of consecration is to regenerate Sanctus at a faster rate, incorporating this ritual with sacred aurum provides a much smoother flow of this magic without any bumps in between. Furthermore I would suggest that all Tier IV and Tier V spells should require sacred aurum in some form to be used. However, my assumption is that you guys probably wanted to make this magic more free form with less enchantment restrictions but perhaps requiring tier IV spells and above to use solely sacred aurum in tangent with higher sanctus requirements would provide a more equitable balance and prevent any fears of powergaming. To balance it out, you can perhaps make Tier IV spells and above more powerful and provide a Sanctus drain buff if used near a consecration altar, in correlation with checks on powergaming of course. My last suggestion, which is more for semantics, really, is to just perhaps add in the number of emotes a person would be disoriented by through the Lothar's Warcry prayer. I would suggest disorientation for one emote even if the eardrums are ruptured. Then again, if this is a tier IV spell then I would suggest this spell should incapacitate the enemy instead at least for 2 emotes. I would like to also provide my insight on some of the comments here regarding concerns that this magic might be gatekept or that canonism does not need magic. I would disagree. Canonism is a fictional religion and thus should still be given the same level of interpration as other fictional religions on this server. A lot of these fears I believe come from perhaps irp experiences and interactions from very over-zealous canonist characters. Not all canonists are like that. Even if it is a faith tailored towards humanity, I can see Canon Adherance as a potential to perhaps make Canonism a more inclusive religion for all descendants (Although this view would depend on the human playerbase's preference in general and how we interpret our scrolls. Regardless, it opens further avenues for more theological debates and theological rp). Furthermore, humanity is as diverse as other descendant races. There are multiple subgroups and thus one subgroup might make this magic more inclusive for descendants than the other subgroup. Lastly, all magics have been gatekept at one point by certain descendants or player groups. Druidism, voidal magic, templarism, paladinism and so on. All of them have been guilty of it at one point until the pendulum of the server climate changed for these magics to become more inclusive. I see the same potential for Canon Adherance. Perhaps I am too optimistic or I see the glass half full but I see a lot of opportunities for the Canonist Faith that can arise through this canonist magic project.

The little Robert, now two Saint's Weeks old did not understand the jovial merriment amongst his family at that moment, yet he still clapped along happily, laughing with joy alongside his grandfather, parents and siblings.

“No room for the ones who sow dissent.” He stated simply.

Upon reading the missive of his eldest brethren, Ivan then pondered, glancing to the foreign letter upon the table which he had received a few years ago from his comrade in Ba’as, “Perhaps…another visit to an old friend is due soon. The work to preserve the LIGHT is never finished.”

The Cardinal of Lotharia smiles upon reading the documented history of the Virosi family. "Truely a pious family. They carry Saint James the Second's legacy with honor."

Little baby Robert lets out the manliest burp known to man. It sounded almost exactly like the Haesenti-Ruskan national anthem.

Wait this is kinda fire LMAO (RIP my boy Sterling Whitewood Amador ❤️)

TO DISCUSS THE MATTERS OF BALIAN THE REGENT’S PROCLAMATION ISSUED, RATIFIED AND AVERRED BY THE REGENCY, 3rd of Owyn's Flame, 126 BA AN OPENING PRAYER Almighty GOD, Lead us stout and true to our souls, Deliver us from the sins of temptation, Deliver us from the machinations of chicanery, Deliver us with haste to your mercy and protection, Deliver us to your Canticle of Patience, We look to you, our Benevolent LORD, We seek your protection from all that may burden our soul, Under your watchful gaze, We shall move forward towards the light, As Horen and Julia had remained patient to the LORD, So shall we, Amen. IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST MERCIFUL, THE MOST BENEVOLENT, WE BEGIN. ✠ Harken to the faithful flock of Balian. Not simply two faithful days into this Lotharian regency of Balian have we seen various declarations and wants, politicking has gripped this nation and has seen peers and distant members making moves in the shadows, plotting with not only those within the Kingdom but externally as well. It has saddened me deeply that whilst many within the Kingdom seek to continue its governance, properly and faithfully, that there are those who seek to do so otherwise. So hear me and heed these words, every citizen of the Kingdom, and every Novellen, mainline and beyond, who actively seeks to put themselves forth as a candidate in this time where I have not deemed it fit for a candidate to present themselves. Heed these words of mine. All current titles shall belong to the crown. I shall hold them in honorable capacity, with integrity, under the watchful gaze of the ALMIGHTY. Nothing is promised, all shall be done through merit with my regency council. To all doubting my authority right now as the regent appointed by His Holiness, the Vicar of GOD. I will repeat it, one last time. Many have come and put themselves forth for the throne. Yet I only have one declaration to make. Thus I say, this regency shall stay until the family of Novellen proves themselves to me that they have changed in their ways. None are promised the throne by me. None are promised titles by me. For the constant politicking has saddened my very heart. Let us cleanse ourselves from the sins of temptation, let us follow the Canticle of Patience issued within the Scroll of Virtue revealed to our Exalted Horen. Thus let it be decreed by right within these lands, as I serve faithfully to GOD, our KING of Kings most high. The next person who politicks here in forms of chicanery, or approaches me to put someone on the throne or to question who is legitimate and who is not, before I even form a transparent committee after considering this family fit to be of royal competency, shall be Shunned by me. Lest you wish for further consequences, allow this regency to lead the Kingdom toward the light until the time is ripe, and do not for one moment think so far ahead, for there is the present before the future. ET EN DÉU CONFIEM, His Eminence, Cardinal Ivan Lotharia, Cardinal-Regent of Balian, Cardinal of Lotharia, Archbishop of Lotharia.. His Royal Excellency, August Benedict Temesch, Amiratus of Balian, Count of San Adriano, Count of Martiel, Royal-Legate of Balian, Militant of the Order of Saint Lothar.

"Ah, I thought I made it clear that no one from the line of John I of Novellen deserves the throne at this time until they have proven themselves true to the LIGHT due to this family's recent shenanigans." The Cardinal-Regent murmured in thought, "Perhaps I should release a missive, proclaiming such, along with the minutes of the Peer meeting taken by Don Achillius." He then raised a brow at the middle paragraph. "Hmm...August did indeed say such, for John wished to hunt down those spawns of Iblees who had harmed the virtuous Reverend Stefaniya, although I do not recall chanting this young man's name. But I do remember telling him scoldingly to admit to his fallibility in San Adriano. Odd hearsay, I can only pray to GOD that humanity seeks truth not hearsay. Nevertheless, if they wish to leave then so be it. No harm shall befall them, I wish them the best of luck, a good family they are albeit I dislike any politicking and chicanery from either side of this situation."

Upon reading the missive, Cardinal Ivan smiled as he murmured to himself, "Distant in seasons, close in friendship. I am pleased to see the people find happiness amongst each other once more. Thank the ALMIGHTY." He put the date down upon his calendar in his office. He made a note to attend, nothing brought him greater joy than seeing Canondom in comradery with one-another.

At times of strife and uncertainty, the Cardinal was glad to have such dedicated students to the cloth. Their determined pursuit for the knowledge of the Faith is what kept him going. "Perhaps our future generations shall continue the teachings of our LORD."

Anger and Wrath. Two things which can force even the most resolute of men to commit errors. The Cardinal awoke from his short slumber. He had fallen asleep by the pond of the docks of the isle of Reutov, his childhood home. It would seem he had spent too long at night contemplating. A father and husband. At times of anger utters the most outlandish of words. Yet a man must seek penance no matter how wroth the ALMIGHTY is with him. For Godfrey had done so when the LORD was wroth at his pride. Owyn had done so when the LORD was wroth at his slaying of his kin. Horen had done so when the LORD was wroth at his hesitance and ignorance. "Alexander..." He muttered with a sigh, his voice somber, like a parent disappointed with a child. This was not the Alexander he knew. The young Alexander whom Ivan remembered was one of full devout loyalty to his LORD, to the Church. What changed? "Family." He uttered to himself as he read the farewell letter from Caspian of Rhen in his hands. The letter he had received during his departure from Ba'as. He shook his head. An early return from the homeland of his friend. If only he could have learned more about the virtues of his Canonist brethren from the far lands. "At least his wife and son told the truth. At least his council rebuked his words. Their innocence is likely." Nevertheless, he signed the lorraine as he carefully brought himself upwards from the wooden floorboard of the dock. He let out a slight grunt as he did so, feeling the sudden pain from his long-acquired burns. He took a careful hold of the handle of his cane as he then made his way back to Portoregne. Whilst he did so, he came upon the recent missive. The Cardinal stopped by the gates to take a read for a moment. He did not smile. Yet, as he entered into the square he whispered, "Acknowledging your susceptibility to fallibility is the first step to piety. I hope we all remember such."

The Cardinal had witnessed it all. As he charged with the rest of his holy bannermen, he witnessed the brave strides Sebastian had undertaken to expunge the misguided Son of Krug in an honorable fight to the death.