TheIchorDruid

Fantastic system Nectorist, I look forward to seeing what organic story this shall promote!

MC Name: TheIchorDruid Discord: _the_rae_ Image: Description of Image: Morning glory with a butterfly and ladybug Dimensions: 1 x 1

Cant believe Chase Via is Lady Truthful.. Shameless plug

Do not allow yourself to fear, to hate, or to love these creatures. You have a duty, which is to spare them the fate of existence. Fulfil what the Lord requires of you, and you will have done rightly in His eyes. —Caius II, speaking to his two young Wards Martin & Ithmere. IN ALL THINGS, THERE HAS BEEN A BALANCE. Life walks beside death, joy softened by woe and each held in a fragile accord. Yet when one force bloats beyond its measure, the balance does not merely falter. It teeters, and in that tilt it lays catastrophe, paves ruin. In recent years, this very imbalance has plagued the Silver Isles; the ilk of the undeath have grown bold beyond reason. These creatures are no longer content to stay in their graves; they have clawed and writhed their way forth with a profane hunger. From their burrows and lairs, they have spilt a tide of rot and malice. Feasting upon the flock without reprieve. Yet such transgression cannot be suffered. It is decreed that this affront will be answered for. With the Lord at our backs, the faithful will rise, and these malefactors will be cast down into their pits. Their Black Church will be rendered to rubble, and the land reclaimed in the holy name of the heavens. The purpose of the Wargames is to sunder those of valour and tempered steel from those whose gifts bend toward stratagem and design. For two years [two weeks] in the measure of the field, shall the trials endure wherein an array of contests is set forth. From these participants are the worthy drawn, chosen to serve by merit proven beneath strain and spectacle alike. Thus is the Crusade ordered, its hierarchy rendered as follows; The War Council; Chosen by His Holiness alone, composed of sovereign Lords and commanders of high esteem. The Honour Guard; Drawn from the honour trials, sworn as the Pontiff’s immediate shield and vigilant wards. The Vanguard; Those risen from the Wargames, set to the frontlines where the clash is fiercest. The Reserves; Held in readiness, called forth in hours of siege or grievous loss, when the line falters. TO SIGN UP! THE BATTLE OF ELDMYR | NORLAND | SUNDAY 19TH APRIL - 3 PM EST | -660 11 -2388 The opening event of the North focuses upon the strength of arm and to survey such a mock field battle shall be held within the marshes of Eldmyr of the High Kingdom of Norland, courtesy of High King Haraldr Haakonsson Ruric. Therein shall the warriors of the Empire of Man, the Shugonate of Kurai Kuni, the Kingdom of Norland, the Principality of Caurost, and the Kingdom of Idunia be gathered into equal groups, tasked to CAPTURE and DEFEND their flag while treading the flat marshes. THE SIEGE OF TOTENPFALZ | EMPIRE| SATURDAY 25TH APRIL - 3 PM EST | 1039 101 -1160 To assess the mettle of steel and the cunning of mind, a mock siege is ordained to be set upon the County of Totenpfalz by the courtesy of Count Volker van Hurst. Therein shall the legions of the Empire of Man, the Shugonate of Kurai Kuni, the Kingdom of Idunia, the Kingdom of Norland, and the Principality of Caurost be woven into mingled ranks, tasked to either DEFEND or SIEGE the Castle of Totenpfalz. The outcome of this contest bears no true weight, for victory is but a shadow to the greater design. It is the display of stratagem and resolve that is sought, each motion or decision laid bare beneath watchful eyes. Two are elected to either side, charged to observe and record, so that the worth of every warrior is known amidst the tumult of the games. THE TRIALS OF HONOUR | ALDUUN | SUNDAY 26TH OF APRIL - 4 EST | -900 128 -70 To Lastly, an Honour Guard, to fight beside the High Priest in the field of battle, shall be drawn from the most esteemed warriors of Azuras. Each peer and recognised vassal of the Empire shall nominate a champion to participate in the Trials of Honours, to be held in the City of Alduun. The participants shall undertake three trials to determine who among them shall be chosen for the Honour Guard: I) A match of Duke of the Mountain, including all participants in a single round, to demonstrate their strength. II) A battle-prayer written and recited by each, to demonstrate the zeal which their faith inspires within them. III) Answering a riddle, to demonstrate the soundness of their mind. EXITING PRAYER Almighty God: our sons and daughters, the flower of Humanity, has this day begun the worthy endeavor of holy war, undertaken in Your name, by which Your Light may be brought to the darkness of the world beyond us, where our power may only be that which You guide. Lead them true as they unite this world beneath the common Virtues which You have instructed us to live, and which we seek to embody as we march to rid the surface of the darkness which profanes to good world which You have given to your children, the living. Guide their steel as they fight for You, stoke the soul-fires within them as they bring righteousness to this world, and alleviate the burdens of their hearts as they dedicate themselves to the cause of the living. To You, we dedicate our victory. Amen. LIST OF FORMAL INVITATIONS His Imperial Majesty, Marcus I Horen & The Empire of Man & their vassals Shugo, Honda & The Shugonate of Kurai Kuni & their vassals His Majesty, Tar Pharazon & The Kingdom of Idunia & their vassals His Majesty, Haraldr Haakonsson Ruric & The Kingdom of Norland & their vassals His Highness, Galahad Ilumrin & The Principality of Caurost & their vassals Lady, Emaelia Tundrak & the Archonate of Fenn SIGNED HIS HOLINESS, CAIUS II High Priest of the Temple of the True Faith, Successor of Clement and Evaristus, High Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Servant of the Servants of Heaven, Servant of the Holy Flame, Apostle of Saint Lucien, Envoy of Aeldin, High Servant to the Prophet’s Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of GOD MISS, ITHMERE ALDOR Herald of the Holy See

Where the hailing of new life so often stirred joy within the Physician, the arrival of those babes left Andromède shaken. For the anguished screams of the Princess had left the Maestra plunged into sorrow. There was relief, yes, that against all odds little Sabine drew breath. But the comfort of it did little to dampen the brunt that followed. Andromède's grief remained tempered, and the woman of few words found herself with fewer still, tending dutifully to Livia from dawn until dusk.

IMPERIAL PROCLAMATION THE CALLING OF MAESTORS Issued and averred by the Imperial Office of Medicine, Her Excellency, Andromède Royce 5TH OF AURELIAN'S GLORY, 649 ✠ HEED, ALL LEAL SONS OF HOREN ✠ The matter of physick stands in grave tandem with the art of steel. Wherever command is given or blade is swung, blood is certain to follow, and thus does the need for those learned in the medicus arts rise inexorably. In these recent years, the Empire of Azuras has known little beyond this truth. Whether the suffering stems from maleficar influence, corrupted beasts, or the brutal act of war, the Maestors remain a pillar of the Imperium. It is thus, at the behest of His Imperial Majesty, that Her Excellency calls upon all aspiring and seasoned alike to make themselves known and to heed the summons of healing. In accordance, Her Excellency further proclaims the forthcoming selection of four Wards, who, beneath her tutelage, shall be instructed in the deeper knowings of physick, with the prospect of alchemical study afforded to those whose ambition proves worthy. Candidates must be between five and sixteen summers of age to be considered. Those of interest are hereby encouraged to commit their intent to writing and forward it to Her Excellency so that matters of employ or Wardship may be duly considered and addressed. H V M A N I T A S I N V I C T A “Für Gott und Kaiser,” HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY, Marcus I of the House Horen, By the Grace of GOD, Sanctus Imperator Mundi, Emperor of Azuras and of all Mankind, forever August, King of Burgundy, Oren, Renatus, Marna, Curon, Kaedrin, Salvus, Seventis, Santegia, Mardon, Vandoria and the Westerlands, Duke of the Crownlands, Avar, Cascadia, Aenus, Erochland, Grense, Helena, Istria, Kingston, Krajia, Middelan, Reutov and Sunholdt, Count of Ager, Cantal, Carolustadt, Felsen and Rittersberg, Baron of Dragonspeak and Senntisten, Patriarch of House Horen, Dynast of All Dragonsblood, Captain-General of the Church, Defender of the Faith, Protector of All Men, Heartlanders, etcetera. HER EXCELLENCY, Andromède Royce, Imperial Master Physician

An excitable Aldorling beamed beside her father, spying the campaign's contents with an uncanny pride. "You will do great things, Lord Father. Alba would sorely regret not electing one as seasoned as you!" Her faith had evidently been biased, for there had been none more capable than her very own kith.

There are fates more cruel than death; chief among them, to mend all but the one life that mattered. Four and twenty summers had the Physician endured in service, her hands unerring through fever and fracture alike. A sentinel beside Emperor Tiberias in ailment and in war. Where the father had borne his afflictions with a tempered fortitude, the son did not, and thus Hadrian grew into the heavier yoke. Scarcely was she drawn to hate, even the Master of Mankind could she find reason to admire. Though she was still human, needling contempt endured- sharpened by his cruelty toward his own daughter. The child she herself had chosen to raise with a devotion nigh sacred. In this, duty eclipsed all softer inclination. The affection she bore the girl held dearer than any resentment she might have claimed, and it was by this singular allowance of love that she remained bound. Thus did she continue, not for him, but for what lingered beyond him. Now to be endured again, in the keeping of his son. -=♱=- How suited the pelting rain had been, driving an assault of damp daggers into the sides of the three. The entrusted three charged with retrieving Hadrian’s remains. With sodden insistence, had the woman’s cowl clung to her brow, the chill was an all too familiar thing that settled deep within the marrow of her spirit. When at last the laboured steeds were granted reprieve from their gallop, Andromede’s verdant eyes lifted toward the darkened depths of the ocean. There was nothing but the vow of driftwood marked on the water’s surface. With a hitch of her leg did she dismounted, boots meeting the beach in a muted thud. How ironic, she thought. For a dragon to end in flame. Fitting. She did not step forth, nor did she speak. As ever she was in Hadrian’s presence, she waited, fingers latching about wrists. Whilst the two grieved in their own ways, burdened by sentiments too vast to name, the Physician's taut expression revealed little of what stirred within her. Peace? No, for this moment had only delivered sorrow to those closest. She knew the truth of it, though it was something she would scarcely ever dare to speak; relief. With the passing of the Master of Mankind, choice had been returned to her. At last her breath slipped free, half-hidden behind the whip of darkened strands across her face. When all was done, she answered without flourish, fingers hooking to the saddle's edge as she pulled herself up onto the mare. And so the remains of Hadrian were delivered. ✠ AVE IMPERIUM ✠

Andromède swatted toward the poor maid serving the Pontifical household. The unfortunate woman had been most insistent in delivering a particular pamphlet to the Imperial Master Physician. Twice over had it had been refused. Accepted at the third attempt that came later in the afternoon beside the maiden's cup of chamomile. The wallflower released a mutter under her breath, her already melancholy expression sinking further. "I ought to write to Liv'."

IMPERIAL PROCLAMATION UPON THE MATTER OF LICENSURE Issued and averred by the Imperial Office of Medicine, Her Excellency, Andromède dey Medford 16TH OF HOREN’S CALLING, 631 ✠ HEED, ALL LEAL SONS OF HOREN ✠ The matter of medicine has long been a subject of contention, as what is required is weighed against what is merely desired. It was a common vision between Physik and the Crown to establish precedent and curb the rampant malpractice that once diseased our lands. For a time, such unification bore fruit. And with such reformations did the art of Physick flourish beneath such a standard. Yet licensure, though intended to distinguish the rigorously trained Physician from the self-proclaimed medic, has instead sown unrest. Discourse has grown heated amongst healers, and confidence has wavered not in chambers of governance but amongst those who matter most, the sick and the needy whom we are sworn to serve. Thus, let it be known that the mandate of licensure is henceforth abolished. The vassals of the Imperium are entrusted with stewardship over their own medical governance, bearing full charge of the standards they uphold and the practitioners they sanction within their respective dominions. However, if the situation calls for it, His Imperial Majesty has granted permission for the Imperial Master Physician to -- upon his will and desire -- enter lands of each vassal to deal with any forms of malpractice. The Imperial Master Physician will be granted such a writ of permission with each course of this conduct by means of parchment. Any medical negligence should be reported to the Imperial Master Physician so that it may be brought to the Lady Justiciar for consideration. H V M A N I T A S I N V I C T A “Für Gott und Kaiser,” HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY, Hadrian I of the House Horen, by the Grace of GOD, Emperor of Man, Holy Imperator, King of Seventis, Salvus, Renatus & Oren, Duke of Middelan, Helena, Lorraine, Sunholdt and Reutov, Baron of Pestilles, Protector of Grense, Protector of the Heartlanders, Patriarch of House Horen & the Tiberian Dynasty, Captain-General of the Church, Defender of the Faith HER EXCELLENCY, Andromède dey Medford, Imperial Master Physician

The office had grown colder that evening, though no wind reached it. Shutters were sealed. The hearth lay dead. Yet warmth thinned all the same. Stone walls leeched heat back from the day. Ink thickened in its well. Glass vials filmed with chill. Brass instruments bit at her fingers as if left beneath open sky. The room no longer obeyed the season. The cause lay upon her desk. A simple correspondence, papyrus creased by her assessment. It rested like a blade laid flat. The details of it vanished from memory at once. One line remained. The terms are death. Then the cold set in. Candles guttered without draft. Her breath misted faintly. The office drew warmth from her in slow measure, draining what little life she had left and holding it in the stone and silence. "Do not weep for me, else you mourn what may not come to pass." The words had been delivered as gospel, yet she could not house them. They rang hollow in the office he had left behind, in the shadow his body once claimed. She stood where he had stood. Then sat, then stood again, occupying the absence for hours as though proximity might conjure him back. The space kept its shape. People came and went. Footsteps crossed the threshold and departed. Voices passed through the hall beyond her door and thinned into nothing. The world continued its small motions without regard. "I know not why you ache so for a man that absconds so easily." She watched from the streets thereafter. Faces streamed past in unbroken current. The city gates became the axis of her vision, iron ribs yawning open and shut as men were swallowed and returned. Every arrival felt like a wager. Every departure a slight. "Have faith, Your Excellency. God shall deliver him to us." Still she watched. Frost crept along the stone beneath her boots. Her breath came reluctantly, while the city roared around her in ceaseless motion. Wagons groaned. Vendors cried out. Hours ground past one another until sound became weight. "You will catch your death, my lady. Await within the warmth of the hospital." She did not. She waited. At last a figure slipped free of the steel teeth, stumbling as though spat out by the gate itself. Relief struck her as sharply as dread. Her lungs burned as she surged forward, hands batting aside those who reached for her. She pressed close enough to steal his breath against her ear. That was enough.

The Imperial Physician startled as an avian swooped through the yawning maw of the windowsil, jostling the poor woman and the sweetened tea that sloshed within the confines of porcelain. Her widened stare pressed frenzied between parchment and one LORD de SENNA, an explaination to such afternoon intrusion soon chiming between ears like a roaring cathedral bell. "Mon dieu. I had tried to warn her." Lamented the women then as she implored the Lord Ezra's return. "How avoidable this could have been, do you not agree my Lord?"