LithiumSedai

"One can always trust an Ork to be an Ork, but the pagan will drape himself in one hundred deceitful disguises groveling for help and understanding. The one hundred and first will deliver a knife into your back," wrote Jean Cardinal St. Godwin in reply to the Pontiff's wise response.

 

Fav char of yours? Fav char of mine? What was your most fondly remembered RP encounter?

Do you believe that Colonel Jaramy's death in a labor camp in Poznań in 1956 was orchestrated by the authorities of the Polish People's Republic, fearing his potential role in organizing a full-scale anti-communist uprising?

 

Father Jean, whose sight had somewhat dimmed in the recent months, nearly missed his own name when he first read the letter. He crossed himself, turning his weary eyes to the Skies with little to comment other than:

"I wonder what Mother would have said."

One thing was certain: he made it a long way from the dungeons of Gwynon.

 

As he watched the lifeless body of the King, surrounded by his grieving family, Father Jean was speechless in shock. His greatest friend and benefactor, his savior from the damp cells of Gwynon, gone. Merely an hour prior they had discussed mortality; he felt the cold grip of irony in that moment, seeing the King's worries become so brutally manifest.

In his thoughts, he uttered a prayer, but he knew that was all he could do.

 

Call me anti-RP, but I don't particularly understand the point of making every location accessible - every fortress so indefensible, every group so susceptible to attack and thievery. This may be a critique of a matter far more serious than redstone doors, but I believe that an egregious imbalance already exists where there is no entry barrier to committing villainy of any sort: any gathering of aspiring troublemakers can just create a dozen unkillable, throwaway personas and enjoy complete advantage of initiative in choosing where, when, or how they strike at their targets, with no obligation to justify their association and their goals in-character, no obligation to prove their foreknowledge of the ideal circumstances of their heist or assault (Can they prove their RP knowledge of guard unavailability at certain hours, or knowledge of their desired targeted items' locations?) , and no obligation to render themselves available for investigation and retaliation afterwards, contrary to the good-faith policies of RP give-and-take LotC espouses. Potential defenders enjoy no such boons: they must rally in certain ways, in certain locations, under certain time limits, and constantly justify their own involvement.

My (I do note) subjective experience as someone who's done "villainy" is that I've never quite been interested in or able to justify to myself a particular need to breach a secret location or to steal anyone's item for any reason other than thinly-veiled OOC desire for humiliation; thus, I've never done it. Risking going completely off-topic, but I am curious about other people's experiences and explanations as to why unrestrained heists and absolute entry availability, given the aforementioned lack of RP restrictions, are essential for an RP story.

That being said, I have never created an LotC redstone door myself, and aside from this debate, I ultimately have no stake in how its mechanics are to be handled by the rules in the future.

 

The next morning, upon the locked doors of the derelict Merryweather Marshal's Office, was pressed the flower of a single white rose in the form of a seal. By the door was set a bottle of Walter's Waldenian Whiskey, one of the last remaining from the Knight-Immortal's ill-fated distillery.

 

The officiating Bishop, Father Jean, was known to sorely despise weddings, and had begun his mental preparations for the event well in advance. However, once the occasion was formally announced and the Bishop reviewed the list of invitees, a particular name caught his eye. To know now that the esteemed Lord Jaramy, Colonel of the Lechians, could grace the wedding with his presence was reason enough for Jean to forget about his reservations.

 

"The King who would be Sovereign - and the Beggar in his service who would be Baron thousandfold, and Prince, King and Emperor all at once," commented the Bishop of Saint Godwin, Father Jean - the former governor and scourge of the despised and excommunicated Stassies, whose status as rat-refugees in the Realm of Ravenmire yet remained a glaring issue, unsolved by the Sovereign's concession.

 

48 minutes ago, Nectorist said:

An investigation led by Aran Talraen, the Seneschal of Senntisten and a sound mind with finances, traced these embezzled funds to hiring of various mercenary companies.

Father Jean, a scion of the now-obscure Talraen lineage, and once a burglar and thief extraordinaire, jutted out his finger to point this passage to his brother, Tristan. @Caranthir_

"Centuries ago, a Talraen could almost be trusted with coin."

 

"Look, Mother, I am a governor again," spoke the aforementioned Bishop to the paper, his eyes darting upwards. Whether a pious expression of thanks to the Lord, and appreciation of his deceased parent, or a gesture of utter irony and disdain, none could tell.

 

Father Jean admired his likeness in the paper, though, truthfully, there was little to admire. As an afterthought, he murmured a hasty prayer for Their Royal Majesties.



 

Sir Daris Verethi and his compatriots kept the courier detained at the Salvian legation in Whitespire, suspecting a plot or conspiracy of some sort. However, when his motives and authenticity were proven, Daris penned a reply and released the courier so it might be returned to the tribesman.

@Norgeth
 

TO MUNDOBERHT OF TUHROSWEYK, MESSENGER OF THE OWYNHAR ALLIANCE,

Three blessings to you and Saint Ottomar's eternal grace and protection. I am overjoyed to know that this outlander Venerable of yours has not been forgotten here, and I assure you that his remains are safeguarded by our Syndicate and treated with utmost piety and respect that a brother of the Faith deserves. However, if your wish as his next of kin is to have them returned to the Outlands, to the custody of the Mother Church, I shall respect that wish and see to it that Ven. Fr. Wert's relics are shipped back to Aevos. Long has it been since the days of a Church infested with trickery and betrayal, and His Holiness is a Waldenian ally trusted by the Syndicate and a proven enemy of the Deceiver. Within a Saint's Week, our honor guard will have the body returned.


WEALTH BEYOND MEASURE,



 

"Let the enemies of Man once more shatter their blades upon this Covenant like teeth," prayed Jean Bishop St. Godwin, a veteran of the War in the Midlands. Imperial politics concerned him little, yet still the unity of mankind upon Aevos in contrast to the disparate realms of his homeland appealed to his faith.

 

I'll pay you 20

A  C A L L  T O  T H E  M I N I S T R Y  O F  S A I N T  G O D W I N

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G O D ‘ S  P E A C E  A N D  B L E S S I N G S  U P O N  Y O U !

All PRIESTS stationed in the Diocese of SAINT GODWIN are hereby invited to the Royal City of WHITESPIRE for a meeting hosted by the BISHOP SAINT GODWIN. For the purpose of betterment of our apostolic mission in all lands held by the AAUNIC CROWN and the easternmost, unincorporated parishes, ASSIGNMENTS and AFFIRMATIONS of parochial appointments, as well as a discussion of matters administrative and spiritual shall be arranged at this meeting.

☨

J U D I T E  P R A Y E R  F O R  T H E  P R I E S T S :

Grant unto Thy servants, O LORD, forgiveness of their sins, consolation in life, and continual guidance: that serving Thee, they may always deserve to attain to Thy mercy.

A M E N .

☨

Y O U R  A T T E N D A N C E  S H A L L  B E  W E L C O M E D  A N D  E X P E C T E D  A T :

The CATHEDRAL of OUR LADY of PARADISUS in WHITESPIRE, on the TENTH of GODFREY’S TRIUMPH, 1968

All attendants are hereby urged to CONFIRM their arrival by letter, denoting their NAME and CURRENT appointment, or a suggestion of their DESIRED appointment in advance.

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C O N C L U D E D  A N D  G I V E N  A T  W H I T E S P I R E  B Y

BISHOP SAINT GODWIN

ON the EIGHTH of SIGISMUND’S END, 1967


 

"I love Aegisian bureaucracy," said Father Jean, duly scribbling in his details in the form provided. He gave thanks to the Lord that the Church seemed to be willing to take his self-reported data for granted, and that he did not have to procure identity documents and his birth certificate from across the sea - or provide his criminal history.

 

"Salvation is within reach - you know where to find us," Sir Daris Verethi scribbled upon one of the public missives, pinning a familiar poster beside it.


 

Father Jean lamented the loss of his cooking supplies until the gravity of his actions saving an innocent life dawned upon him. To his friend and benefactor, King John, he remarked:

"If half my yearly allowance saved a life, I would rather be penniless and save two."

@Ramon

 

Father Jean wrote to his fellow cleric from the Diocese of Saint Godwin, pledging any support he could muster to the dealings of the Tribunal.

 

Father Jean raised his censer over the Merryweather basilisk, Corwin's Hammer, and with an echoing chant blessed both the Black Band of Alstreim and the Aaunic Knights of Godwin, assembled as a mixed mass of artillerymen, cavalrymen, and infantrymen - all set upon a single knee before him.

"O Lord, King of Kings, grant your faithful host victory."

 

"The good Duke of Adria snapped his fingers, and every child murderer in the Midlands turned into a poor, innocent Adrian - and everyone lived happily ever after," Father Jean narrated to his ward, Prince Charles of Aaun, the evening before the forces of the righteous were to depart for the front.

"...But even you are too old for these fairytales."

@Olox_

F O U R T H  P R O C L A M A T I O N  O F  T H E  G O V E R N O R  -  G E N E R A L

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LET IT BE KNOWN that the efforts of the Office of the GOVERNOR-GENERAL to restore unimpeded traffic between the lands of the AAUNIC CROWN and her faithful allies have borne fruit. The regional road linking the Marchlands Region with the cities of PORTOREGNE and VALLAGNE, dug up by the terrorist STASSIE STATE and turned into a vast ditch in a meaningless attempt to stall the forces of the COVENANT of EIGHT has duly been repaired.

The Office of the GOVERNOR-GENERAL hereby conveys its heartfelt thanks to our brothers in faith of the monastic Order of SAINT JOHANNES from FAUSTEN and their humanitarian mission in Aevos, and for the patronage of HIS HIGHNESS THE LORD of ALBA. Due to the Order’s expertise in engineering and public works, and a generous donation of MARCHLANDS RATION STAMPS by HIS HIGHNESS THE LORD of ALBA for the purpose of enlisting a number of local laborers, this undertaking was swiftly completed in a single SAINT’S DAY.

However, let it also be known that the Office of the GOVERNOR-GENERAL has been informed of an unnerving revelation. Sworn brothers of the Order have reported to us the recovery of nearly TWO HUNDRED BODIES from upon the stakes which lined the STASSIE ditch, unaccounted for by the military rolls of the COVENANT of EIGHT and those seized from the illegitimate STASSIE STATE. Although they remain unidentified, no evidence suggests that these poor souls had belonged to any military formation, or had been anything other than unarmed and innocent civilians. Let this grim revelation serve as a reminder of the inherent barbarism of our enemies. We shall pray for the souls of these victims and their eternal rest.

Issued immediately, a decree instating a

P E R I O D  O F  M O U R N I N G

Shall be in effect in the Marchlands Region. All remaining citizens of the Marchlands Region are urged to spend their day in prayer and reflection.

☨

J U D I T E  P R A Y E R  F O R  R E P O S E  O F  T H E  D E A D :

Do Thou, O LORD, have mercy on our dearly departed, for the sake of us sinners all who greatly hope and trust in Thee. For Thy mercy can turn bittering weeping to joyous fanfare, for Thou alone judgeth the living and the dead.

A M E N .

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I T  I S  T H U S  D E C R E E D :

That the remains of the innocent VICTIMS of VELETZER and STASSIE terrorists discovered in the Marchlands Region shall be interred in the Marchlands, within an OSSUARY constructed by our brothers in faith from FAUSTEN;

That the day of the publication of this Proclamation, the EIGHTH of HOREN’S CALLING, shall be a DAY of MOURNING in the Marchlands Region, and that all flags of the AAUNIC CROWN shall be flown at half-mast;

That all remaining citizens of the Marchlands Region previously sworn in fealty to the illegitimate STASSIE STATE are OBLIGATED to pay their respects to the victims of that regime at the OSSUARY within the next SAINT’S DAY;

That these citizens are then OBLIGATED to report to the Office of the GOVERNOR-GENERAL for questioning;

That any who are deemed in violation of this Proclamation shall be judged as traitors and

H A N G E D  B Y  T H E  N E C K  U N T I L  D E A D .

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I S S U E D  I N  T H E  N A M E  O F  H I S  M A J E S T Y  T H E  K I N G  O F  A A U N  B Y

HIS EXCELLENCY, FATHER JEAN de RENNES, GOVERNOR-GENERAL of the MARCHLANDS

ON the EIGHTH of HOREN’S CALLING, 1961

"Boon and Bane are so real for this," said Fr. Jean, their greatest fan. He hoped he could attend their next performance in Whitespire.

 

"Yet religious balance and the secular peace in this case hinge upon the same condition," said Father Jean in response to the papal missive. He had been preparing a response to the Adrian declaration, which was an effort now largely unnecessary. To his brother Tristan @Caranthir_, he clarified:

"Justice."