Mickaelhz

“It is important to dictate your own path to Dungrimm’s halls, but not force it on others... it is simply a waste of time to try and change someone’s destiny or way of living.” A greying dwarf muttered as one of his new friends read out the document to him. Utak sighed, thinking back of the times when Bianca carried around the relics of old, when he proudly listened and smiled when his father, Gror, read an old clan tale to him. “It is of crucial importance that the trials, written by the most ancient of clan elders, do NOT change, for they are one of the most important clan traditions we still have left. We should not go back to pulling trees out of the ground as a test of strength, should we? Choose your own path, handle your own issues and do not bother with the problems of others. Signing a blood oath over something that could be solved by a duel with Axel, our Clan Father, is something only a beardling would do.” “Please do not force my hand, stick to your own road and follow it to greatness … or waste your time intercepting others and your name won’t linger in the heads of your allies after you stop breathing.”

THE ORENIAN CONCEPT OF PEACE “I’ve been asked many times why they call me B.I.G Tony, so i’ll give away part of the puzzle.. the G stands for glory, for greatness, for gold … but for now, for the greater good.” -Antonyus Horen When the curtains of our realm are about to close, the masks of those who have lived a life of lies fall to the ground. It is during these times of need that we must all turn to face the greater evil. It is during these times of need that the greatest of leaders arise, leaders who will fight until the last men. Sadly, it has come to my attention that cowardice has flooded the Orenian ranks, they have finally noticed that the war can’t be won through honorable skirmishing and sieging, for they have finally recognized that no steel is stronger than that of Urguan’s folk, no city is greater at funding a war than Sutica, no warriors are braver than the Norlandic brawlers and the military capacity was clearly passed down to Persus and his triplets, rather than Peter the cowardly. They have resorted to their slithering once more, they have tried snaking themselves out of the war by trying to make us face the greater evil together instead, but this was merely used as a cover for them to take advantage of the brave defenders of the city of Sutica. While my people are doing everything in our power to fend off the evil creatures on the Southern isles, the Emperor is fighting for his own gain once more, for there were no demons who tried going on a murdering spree in The Highland Realm recently. To this public letter I attach a testimony of a brave man, who had to fight off a man who had wanted to run for Mayor of Helena, showing how much faith one can put in the words of a politician hailing from the capital city of the Orenian Empire. I shall turn towards the skies and pray for some wisdom to strike the mind of the bastard Emperor, but it saddens me to know that after our attempt at mercy, it won’t be wisdom doing the striking. Signed, HIS IMPERIAL HIGHNESS Antonyus “B.I.G Tony” Horen

12th of The Amber Cold/Harren’s Folly, 1778 RESTORATION OF HOUSE HOREN Once more does Mankind find itself embroiled in a global conflict orchestrated by the hand of those who loathe all that which is divine and sacred. Thrice already has the hand of Chaos pulled upon the strings of its servile puppets to turn brother against brother, to entice Man to forsake his ancient oaths for pacts of unholy service, to uproot tradition and abandon GOD in reckless drive to vanquish history and warp the unbreakable ties that bind the Imperium of His chosen folk. And while the unholy legions of the Deceiver rain hellfire upon the realms of Arcas, wretched usurpers and bastards sit upon stolen thrones and command men, women and children of Oren to throw away their lives against our Descendant allies, against the kin of Horen, against our brethren in faith; they do this not for the salvation of all, but their own sake. Scores of bootlickers prostrate at their feet. Power is what they seek and have sought through the demise of thousands in the Great War, in the Rubern War, in the invasion of Sutica. They reign in desecrated halls of their betters, in cities seized from once immortal Defenders of Man, now rife with sin and debauchery where hymns of GOD and Mankind once joyously resounded. Their blackened nails claw at Imperial legacy, their howls command death to all, their slaves to reject virtue and salvation so that their reign of hell might last forevermore. No longer. No longer shall the true heirs of Exalted Godfrey lie dormant in the shadows and permit the daring extinction of Mankind to proceed. No longer shall the Dragons of Man suffer upstarts that brazenly defile the Imperium's legacy. No longer shall these weak and craven men be permitted to decide the fate of knights and heroes. First of many pieces of literature in a period dubbed by scholars as the ‘Adrian Enlightenment’, a young seneschal of Adria wrote an unassuming statement as part of “a true account of the villainies which have beset the Adrian people since the succession of Emperor Anthony” years prior to his own life being cut down during the failed Haenseti-Adrian uprising against the imperial crown. Rife with political observations concerning the sacking of Ves, within this prosaic account is the brief, albeit insistent, point that Calculus of Sola bears a rather peculiar resemblance to Emperor Anthony himself in speech. It would be part of this ‘Adrian rumour’ that Antonius II Horen, who would be nearing his seventy-third year now, would instead be rightful heir and claimant to the throne. Little would this matter in the current era, as Antonius II Horen was ignored by the bastard-son and his fellow burgher political claimants, who instead installed the de Sola child following a power vacuum that existed if but only due to their ousting of their own lord-protector. Let it only be by virtue of some political expediency that the law of primogeniture that the empire had followed for its succession was disregarded in multiple cases by this claimant-government, which waited twenty years between each iteration that further distanced itself from the rightful succession of Helane-branched Horen and further aggrandised its own claim. It is the 1737 Law of Heirs to the Holy Orenian Empire, as legislated by then-protector Adrian Sarkozic and his leal solicitor-general, that attempted to disregard the “attempted reforms of the Marnan era” and instead subvert primogeniture entirely, allowing men marrying women of noble stock to “be capable of acquiring, holding, maintaining and possessing any of the aforementioned properties and rights, as if it were his own direct patrimony, through virtue of marriage”. So is laid the first step in allowing true burgher claimants to wholly obtain imperial titles through marriage Edicts of succession that followed, such as the 1759 Edict of Succession, further legitimised this false premise, allowing the legitimate descendents of the ‘princess-imperial’ to retain their claims to the throne. Placing this as a foregone conclusion where “all doubt as to the rightful line of succession be dispelled,” the rightful claimants to the throne are displaced from imperial discourse if but only due to the framework of the successionary laws being moved so severely. It would be, by virtue of transferring his claim to his legitimate children, the children of Persus Helane, as the eldest son of Antonius I, should the ignoring of Antonius II Horen remain. Current Imperial law, as by intention, does not accommodate anything beyond securing their own position. It is the duty of the remaining patriarchs of the branches of House Horen to restore their house, if but only to affirm their stance as rulers of man while being faced by a great bureaucratic peril that seeks to remove the Dragonsblood from their birthright. It is by the sacred oath of the heads of Dragon's Blood that on the day of the 12th of The Amber Cold/Harren’s Folly, 1778, by the Grace of GOD, the Holy Imperial and Royal House of Horen is restored. To all our rightful subjects of Humanity we thus proclaim: - That undeniable proof exists that the usurper Peter III is not, in fact, the first born child of Emperor Antonius I, but rather a bastard child of the Imperial impostor Calculus de Sola, installed by the illegally enthroned Lord Protector Adrian Sarkozic for the advancement of his unholy agenda to destroy Mankind and its illustrious history in service of the Imperial House of Horen; thus we do declare his claim to the thrones of the Holy Orenian Empire, the Empire of Man, and all of their constituent titles and vassalages void for himself and his kin and children; - That the usurper's unholy administration had ushered in an illegitimate regime backed by murder, genocide, slavery, theft and reactionary purges of ancient nobility and customs and of Renatian, Curonian, Kaedreni, Haensetic, Lorrainian, Suffonian citizenry; thus we do declare this governance forfeit; - That the rightful heir to the offices of the Emperor of Man and Renatus, King of Cascadia and Renatus, various other kingships and domains of Man, as well as his ancestral title of the Duke of Helena remains Prince Persus Horen-Helane, and that this right is therefore restored to his legitimate issue and inherited by his eldest legitimate son, Prince Antonyus Horen; - That the rightful heir to the offices of the Holy Orenian Emperor, Emperor of Aeldin, Apostolic King in Oren, various other kingships and domains of Man, as well as his ancestral titles of the Prince of Alstion, Duke of Balamena and Alba, Count of Johannesburg, Enswerp and Walden remains Prince Charles Edward Horen-Alstion, and that the right of succession to his titles is granted, in the absence of living legitimate issue, to his brother, Henry Stephen Horen-Alstion; - That Princes Persus Horen-Helane and Charles Edward Horen-Alstion, and all the heads of Dragon's Blood do hereby affirm this succession and relinquish their Imperial titles to Prince Antonyus Horen, therefore affirming him as the legitimate Holy Orenian Emperor and Emperor of Man and Renatus, and heir to all domains illegally claimed by the usurper and his administration. May GOD guide us to peace in our time, may GOD unite us against these demons, may GOD guide us to TRUE glory. https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/180792-in-defense-of-the-adrians-or-on-the-emperors-lies/ https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/186343-law-of-heirs-to-the-holy-orenian-empire/ https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/189695-edict-of-succession-1759/ Signed, HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY Antonyus “Big Tony” Helane HIS ROYAL HIGHNES Persus Helane, Patriarch of House Helane HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS Oliver Helane HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS Junius Helane HIS SERENE HIGHNESS Lord Pertinax Augusten Tiber HIS SERENE HIGHNESS Charles Edward of the House of Horen, Prince of Alstion, Duke of Balamena and Alba, Count of Johannesburg, Enswerp and Walden HIS SERENE HIGHNESS Antonius Martius, The Prince of Vilachia, Duke of Krajia, margrave of Styria, Lord of Vilacz HIS SERENE HIGHNESS Radu Vilac, Son of Yury Vilac

“Love him or hate him, from an objective standpoint the man is speaking facts.” Big Tony A.K.A Antonyus Horen smiled out, preparing his glorious facial hair for the special occasion on the horizon.

Antonyus Horen shared a cup of tea with his 2 brothers and Corwin in the Hangmen Keep . “I’m going back to the fields of war today, not to stab … but to slap. Maybe they’ll wake up and open their eyes.”

Antonyus Horen applies some conditioner to his facial hair, a bright smile appearing on his face. The young man proudly smacked his lips before exclaiming “Perfection!”

CUTTING THE NOOSE LOOSE “For fairness, for greatness.” - Big Tony For once, the roads of the Holy Orenian Empire weren’t ghostlike. A grand skirmish commenced, everyone was able to hear it, from the Northern elves to the Southern orcs. But it wasn’t a battle between the allied forces and the ISA, for the soldiers of the imperial military wish to keep their people caged like zoo animals. My people have recently discovered that they’ve been modifying their city to be sure that their people stay inside. Nowhere is safe during these times and they know it… except for Haense. Trust me when I tell you that this isn’t a coincidence. As much as I'm a man of coin, my heart tells me that Haense has done nothing to upset the allied forces in this war. If anything, they’ve returned my kindness. I know there is only so much of a bond you can forge with a man who hides behind a nickname that was given to him decades ago, but I think that it’s clear that I only want the best for the people that live in this realm. My years of being a menace are over. It’s for this reason I wish to once more extend a hand to my friends of Haense. The Emperor seems to be a fan of making the same mistakes, probably because the fracturing of his skull had an impact on his memory. 75 000 Minas, thrown away in return for a nod of appreciation. 71 000 Minas, all it took to make sure their people were safe.. and look where they’re at now. It’s clear that the Emperor is just leaving his people to die on the roads. I don’t remember the last time I saw a soldier outside my keep. There have been more Haense people coming over to visit, peacefully. I don’t wish to fracture the human race, for i know an existing empire is crucial for some. I simply wish for a better people to take control, people who would never prey on the weak. People who fight with honor in their hearts and fire in their eyes. People who fight for their motherland rather than staying inside of their city hoping that the coalition behind me will give up. I wish to remind everyone reading this that it was The Holy Orenian Emperor who declared war on the harmless Suticans. He only decided to keep his people inside of the city after 30 of his men got locked up in Hangmen’s Keep. I thought the mighty ISA would fight back, seeing they have a city to siege. The only siege that’s happening at the moment is the citizens of Helena sieging the front gate of their own city so they can live as people instead of pets. I wish to be in contact with you soon, I have nothing that I want to gain from this war, but getting rid of the current leaders of Helena opens up for quite a few possibilities if the people of Haense open their eyes. Send me a letter and we can talk, if I don't respond it’s probably because I'm lying lifeless on the battlefield, for I’m fighting on the front lines while the current Emperor is sending only his puppets out to the fields. Signed,

The Begrudged Pact We’ve been watching from the side for ages, just watching as the Emperor of Oren has been putting himself on a pedestal. Not by achieving anything special, but rather by dismissing the achievements of others, drilling them into the ground. It’s time to wake up, open your eyes and get out of bed, the time for dreaming is null. It’s time to put this coward to the test. He looks at us like rodents or ants in his colony.. and maybe he’s correct, for a single ant can’t do much, but together we can make a difference. An Emperor should be a man to his people, an inspiring individual, a figurehead of grace. It’s truly sad to see a man who acts like an abusive parent, sick ruler in a position of power of high regard. A man should fight with honor in his heart, not pick on children in an attempt to feel some form of happiness. Sutica has naught done any harm, or wrong; their leader was challenged to a duel and Corwin won, as expected. Now Oren is trying to claim that he’s a murderer instead of honoring the outcome of the duel. It doesn’t take the mind of a runesmith to know what Oren is after, they have let their people down yet again. The tension between their vassals, they need to send their men away to the fields of war so they can forget their troubles at home; delusional. May Yemekar bless the crafts of Urguan’s folk as they forge weapons to send the ISA back home to deal with their own issues. The Goldhand clan has had a ton of influence in Sutica in recent history.. and if Oren marches through the streets of Sutica, what stops them from taking revenge for what happened during the war 3 months from now when Tal’Short had fallen? Is it fear of facing someone their own size? Is it the word of an Empire that neglects borders and goes after other people’s recourse? Is it a lack of a castle on the glorious Urguani mountains? We’ll tell you. It’s incompetence, they mask the ISA soldiers who fall onto their own swords with badges and fancy uniforms while they tremble in fear of the Haenseti Royal Army. Listen, when I say that they’re the Emperor’s only hope from the eyes of an outsider. The man will go onto his knees, begging for you to die for him, begging for you to fight as if you were fighting for your motherland. You’re not fighting for anything but an applause and the head of a single Sutican while the credit will go to the Imperial State Army. Confront them about it, they’ll lie to your face. ask the people of Vira’Ker, who are now known as Vanmark. Forced to change their name to escape the false image that was forced on them. They did nothing but attempt to keep the roads clean of bandits.. and in return : no badges, no titles, no credit, no minas. They got declared terrorists and bandits and had ISA visitors ringing their doorbell day after day, trying to incriminate them. Did you hear that they put an old man’s head on the ground and stomped on it like they were trying to kill an insect on the back of his head? So much for being the strongest army, surrounding an innocent man from Vanmark and being named heroes for neutralizing a terrorist. Let’s not forget about the people of The Highland Realm. Those who have made 0 threats against the Orenian Empire in recent years, but are still treated like they’re some kind of evil cult. One step away from being singled out and crusaded. The Empire has been constructing forts on their borders as if nothing’s happening, but we see right through their plans. They’ve captured the Faithful of the All-Father, tortured them and desecrated the deceased of the Faithful of the All-Father. May we stand united for when it finally comes crashing down on the innocent. A blind man can see the strings that are being pulled, a deaf man can hear that the Emperor of Oren is shouting nonsense. He’s claiming the Sutican people are being held under the boot by an ancient Renatian while the Orenian vassals have to pay taxes to not be lined up in the square and executed. Freedom for all. Don’t be afraid of being silenced. Speak up against oppression. For those fighting for the Emperor with the crunchy skull, may your god guide you to accompany me on the fields. Standing next to me, for I’m fighting for your freedom. TERMS -signatories agree to enter in a complete military alliance -signatories agree to recognize the territories of the other signatories and ensure to lend each other aid to make sure that the signatories must never bow to an emperor. The Hangman, Grand Overseer of The Hangmen Company. Johnathus I, High Prince of Vanmark. His Majesty, Jorvin of the Elder Clan of Starbreaker. Grand King of Urguan’s Folk, Lord and Clan Father of Gotrek’s Folk, Demonslayer and Beloved by the Brathmordakin. Halvar Ruric, King of Norland, Duke of Morsgrad, Bulwark of the Highland Realm. HIS ROYAL MAJESTY, Corwin of the House of Alstreim, By the Grace of God, King of Sutica and in Atheran Salvus, Triumvir of the State, Sovereign Lord of the Whispering Isles, Lord of Alstreim and Blackwater, Renatian Knight of Alstreim and Waldenia, Blood-Raven of Lorraine, Pilgrim to Aesterwald

Hangman’s promise “Big Tony, Big Money.” - Big Tony My figureheads have grown quite the liking of the people of Haense, I even allowed them to teach the HRA a couple of things on the fields of war. I’ve been sending my prayers to up above ever since I got word about the war, blessing the blades of the Haensemen and cursing the arrows of the Suticans, hoping their projectiles would miss the throats of my comrades. Sadly enough, the leadership of the Orenian Empire did not have the sufficient funds to buy us out of the Sutican war. May my brothers coated in green watch my back as I take up the mantle of a leader in this war, may my friends from Haense toss their weapons to the side when I face them on the battlefield, for then they will be spared. Gold and glory, my comrades… gold and glory Once this contract is signed, my men will raise their blades alongside the poor folk of Sutica, who just want to protect their land. It saddens me, the biggest fish going after one of the weakest fish. The Agreement The Suticans: -The Sutican leadership will hand 70 000 minas to The Hangmen. (50% up front) -The Sutican leadership will hand The Hangmen a simple plot of land for when they are forced to move out of this realm. -If there is any way to spare The King of Haense and his people, an effort must be made to make sure that there will always be an option for the Haensemen to get out of the war, safely. The Hangmen: -The Hangmen will aid Sutica and their allies in any militairy exercises against the Holy Orenian Empire. -The Hangmen Keep will serve as an outpost for the forces of Sutica and their allies. -The Overseers of The Hangmen will lend Sutica all of their knowledge regarding waging war, becoming a part of the core of the leadership of the conflict. “I’m sorry, comrades of my people. coin comes first. May our paths never cross during these troubling times.” Signed,

TYING THE NOOSE “Don’t expect a crippled man to walk the walk, but ask him anyways.” - Big Tony 1774 One of the figureheads of The Hangmen has recently approached me to talk about the spreading of false information by the Heusstandarte bandit group, i’d like to shine some light on the matter publicly, to be 100% transparent with everyone reading this. There is a reason why people often see the uniform of our own company in most of the human cities, it’s because we have nothing to hide. No bandits. No outcasts. No criminals. On the other side, there is also a reason why people rarely see members of the Heusstandarte Company outside of their keep, unless it’s on the roads. They have recently been capturing people from some of the southern nations and claiming they were members of my company. If you don’t believe our side, read up on their latest missives, not once will you find a name that could trace back to The Hangmen. A move only the most dishonorable of sellswords would make, like signing a contract to slay someone... but instead you kill someone else and claim you’re victorious once more. Moves like this is what gives your company a horrible name. You’re painting yourselves as bandits. You’re forcing yourself to be locked away from society, hiding like rodents in a castle with walls made from stolen goods. You’re incriminating yourselves with your missives. I’m glad to know that my plans are working as expected, as it is not hard to think further than plunderers. Like a dog forced into a corner, they only see a single way out, barking and biting. This is the part that doesn’t make sense in my eyes, i could respect them a bit if only they also did the biting. ONCE have they met us on the field, a completely fair fight, same amount of men and after a single defeat they’re hiding like rodents. I wouldn’t be me if i wasn’t as merciful of a man, so i’ll offer them a way to restore their honor. Start biting back. I expected that cleaning the roads would be a dangerous task, but it feels like my men are simply clearing a table lacking sharp objects. You have 1 Saint’s Day to contact one of my men so we can meet on the fields, so you can finally prove that you’re more than a group of people that noone else wanted. There’s nothing wrong with putting up a show, but after lying to the public … the curtains must close and you must entertain in another way. I’ll see you on the other side of the battlefield, don’t disappoint the crowd. Kind regards, The Hangman

Hangman’s Wish “We dirty our hands so the roads can be clean.” – Fahad The Figurehead 1774 The wonderful paths of Arcas lay tainted once more. the Reivers, the greatest and most dangerous of bandits have vanished from the face of our realm but this doesn’t mean the roads are safe once more. The Heusstandarte Company has made it unsafe to travel between the wonderful cities of the Holy Orenian Empire. Let it be known, from now on, The Heusstandarte Company will bleed. The Hangmen will do everything in their power to vanquish these bandits. We won’t stop until every single one of them is laid to rest. Ready the nooses, our first simple battle has been won, but there is a war on the horizon. A war against the villainous scum that call themselves “”Mercenaries””. Don’t be fooled, my comrades, they are no better than thieves. Signed, The Hangman