Toffee

At a peace summit, Gelimar and Theoderic agreed to end the feud and unite their tribes through the marriage of Gelimar’s daughter to Theoderic’s son. Thus, Galswinthe and Amaleric were wed, and their son Rodimar was trained to become chief of the overall tribe. It was no easy thing, being the in-between. What must Galswinthe and Amaleric felt, to be mere vessels for the great Reinmaren legacy carried in the veins of their son? It was Rodimar who would unite the tribe, Rodimar who would rule them all as Chieftain. The great Gelimar and Theoderic, the great Rodimar… and the portal between them, the son and the daughter. If Erwin was Rodimar reborn, the role of Galswinthe fell to Frederica. And yet, she had never been a placeholder. Not in Adalfriede’s eyes. While Leon fussed over Erwin, his pride and his legacy, imparting on him the great burden of his destiny, Adalfriede looked to Frederica. Her daughter’s strength was a silent one, as was the strength of most women. She bore her crown with a quiet dignity and suffered the stings and indignities lavished upon female rulers with a grace Adalfriede could never teach her; that was something she was born with, something in her royal blood that even Adalfriede with all her manipulations could never hope to emulate. Not truly. The histories might remember Alfred and Leon, the founders, and Erwin, the Prince who was promised, but Adalfriede would always remember Frederica. The diligent little girl, the noble Seneschal, the Princess. The Queen.

They stayed at an inn overnight. A Petran inn. Petran… Petran… d’Arkent has its roots in Petran culture, her cousin Caliope had said, much to everyone’s confusion. The Duchy of Sunholdt resided in the province of the Lower Petra in the Holy Orenian Empire, but Erika wouldn’t describe them as Petran, especially considering the connotations with the extant realm of the Petra. She said as much to Caliope at her own nameday, but as soon as she returned to New Valdev from Balian, she had gone straight to the royal archives. The archives were, unsurprisingly, frustratingly light on Imperial history, but Erika had many tomes and scrolls borrowed from the library in Chambery from when she conducted her research on Princess Charlotte and Lady Moliana. She found a passage that said the Petrine culture was that of the ruling class of the Empire, named for Emperor Peter III. High nobility the House d’Arkent might have been, but they could not safely be described as having Petrine roots. She had been right to correct Caliope. Dmitry was constantly trying to find a flaw in her, but in this arena, he would find none. Only perfect, sparkling clarity. He was outside to the inn just now, tending to the horses. Brooding and sullen as usual, with a bone to pick with anyone who had lived a soft and sheltered life (like Erika), but she had begun to see his sly humour peeking out from behind the snark. And he was good with horses. They seemed to like him. You can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his livestock, her father would always say. The group of them were headed for Osmont, Prince Sigmar’s new holdings, granted to him by King Therin of the Petra for some heroic deed or another he had done at the tender age of fifteen. Five of them in all; Sigmar, Dmitry, Sosina, Nóruiel, and Erika. A rather odd group, but the journey from Haense had been pleasant, even if she couldn’t keep up with Sosina and Sigmar when they raced each other across the hills, Sosina’s hair streaming behind her in a fiery banner. “What are you thinking about?” Nóruiel joined her at the window, facing out onto the city square. It had been more lively at sunset, but now all the vendors had closed their stalls and the encroaching night was still and quiet. “Nothing.” Everything. Erika never could seem to shut her mind off, even when she was just about to fall asleep. Nóruiel shrugged. Those silvery irises of hers caught the dying light, glinting like the flash of fish scales in a river before it flitted away. Such fascinating eyes, this princess of the Númenedain had. She seemed fascinating as well, even if Erika had only met Nóruiel and not the girl Nori who Sigmar spoke so fondly of. “Sosina and I are readying for bed. Sigmar wants to ride out at first light.” Sure enough, watery morning light had no sooner trickled through the flimsy curtains that there came a pounding on Erika’s door. “Hurry up and get dressed. The horses are already bridled.” Dmitry. Impatient and blunt and very discourteous. Didn’t he know she usually had Primrose to help her dress in the mornings and comb out her hair? Erika came downstairs to find the others already mounted, Sigmar holding Kostana’s reins in one hand. Erika had named her for the sign of the Wind, and Kostana would have run as quick and fierce as a mountain zephyr if only Erika were bold enough to let her run free. But she was afraid of falling, so she kept Kostana to a sedate canter at the back of the group. They rode for half the morning. Up ahead, the others spoke and laughed, but their voices were snatched away by the wind before Erika could be privy to them. She didn’t mind. The landscape was so different compared to Haense; it occupied her wholly trying to commit the flora to memory so she could sketch them later, and compare them with her books on botany. Fields of bright wildflowers, orchards with so many different kinds of fruit hanging heavy from the branches. Nothing like the mean, bent apple trees dotting the Karoswald. The sun hung bright and golden far ahead by the time they reached the keep. Sigmar slipped in first to raise the portcullis for the rest of them. A few thin trees rose from the courtyard, providing little shade, and around them the stone loomed mossy and windswept. A little worse for wear, this Osmont, the towers scratching the sky in crooked fingers, the stable stalls leaning together like drunkards, but it was Sigmar’s very own. “A tour,” Sigmar announced, leading them from the dirt courtyard into a low-ceilinged kitchen. Yesterday’s hunt hung from a meat hook in the corner, crusted with salt to dry it. A hog. He would be better served brushing the meat with powdered cryptus shrooms, but the group moved quickly to the outer walkways, so Erika held her tongue. This keep was a winding trail of stone and wooden paths, some under shelter, cutting through barrel towers, and others clinging to the edges of parapets, so narrow Erika had to wonder if they had taken a wrong turn and were simply walking along the walls. They passed a mess of straw and raven cages, most standing open and empty, but one with a lone, scrawny bird pecking at the wooden bars. Up a rattling pulley lift to a draughty tower, where Sosina and Nóruiel disappeared up a ladder. Dmitry had wandered off somewhere when they mounted a spiral stairwell. That left Erika and Sigmar, though when Sigmar crossed a narrow gable to the tower on the other side, Erika stopped short, clinging to the stone. “Don’t be afraid.” Sigmar moved nimbly across the roof, surefooted and utterly devoid of fear. He held out a hand, guiding Erika across the rickety wooden ridge. She squeezed her eyes shut and let him lead her, blindly. The wind tore at her skirts and at one point she teetered, her heart rising in her throat, but Sigmar led her safely to the other side. Different… Sigmar came back different. More irreverent than before, like life and death were little more than children’s games, and he knew the secret to rise above it all. Perhaps he did. Who knew what he had seen beyond the veil, before that holy flame pulled him back? He never spoke of it, only made flippant japes about his own demise. “A place for alchemy.” Sigmar released her hand and Erika’s eyes slowly fluttered open. “You seem the sort.” The wind was quieter here. Though it whistled and moaned between the towers, the drip-drip-dripping of alchemical equipment nearly drowned it out. Glass vats, winding tubes, potted herbs, chopping boards, measuring instruments, cabinets filled with dark bottles and ceramic pots. Small and cramped and dark, with only a small slatted window and a tallow candle to see by—nothing like her mother’s laboratory in Jerovitz—but it was quaint and private and hers, if she wanted it. “Take a tower, if you like. This tower, another tower, it makes no matter to me. This is a place for all my friends.” They visited the library next, on a level below in a squat building attached to the main keep. “You really should get some drapes to hang over these shutters.” Erika trailed her fingertips across the dusty shelves. A few books here, but a scant collection, connected by stringy cobwebs. “The mildew and rot will get to them, not to mention the sunlight.” Already, she pictured the shelves restored, filled with her collection of precious books. Well over a hundred, she had told Nóruiel. Most were in Castle Emsgrad in the depths of storage, a small chest of her most favoured tomes resting in piles around the office of the Deputy Palatine. An office she did not yet fill, but the Lady Palatine let her have use of, for some peace and quiet while she conducted her research. It didn’t take long to finish the rest of the tour. Osmont was not a very large keep, but it had character, and interesting nooks and crannies Erika would have delighted in exploring with her siblings when she was a girl. She was still half a girl—perhaps one day she would come back here and discover the rest of Osmont’s secrets. She and Sigmar travelled down a narrow stairway that opened up into the courtyard, and the group became whole again. “Where to, now?” The museum in Chambery had maps; huge maps stretching floor to ceiling, the details of the terrain and towns painted in exquisite, tiny details with a brush scarcely wider than a single hair. Erika had seen a tree to the east of the Petran capital, a tree with boughs so wide as to dwarf even the city of Vallagne. She told Sigmar as much, and before long the five of them were mounted again, galloping up a shallow ridge towards that great tree. Its shadow reached them long before they reached the lake at its base, the canopy muffling most sound, even though it stretched so high above their heads. A tree of perpetual autumn, leaves of russet, brown, red and gold fanning out, grander than any basilica. “What is it called?” Erika slid from Kostana’s saddle, letting her roam free and tug at the tufts of grass and dandelions after testing them with a snuffle of her velvety-soft nose. Dmitry and Sosina had already raced off, running across a huge root forming a bridge between the lake shore and the trunk of the tree. Fifty men could have stood around it holding hands. No, a hundred. “I thought you would be the one to know.” Sigmar wandered between a set of standing stones arranged in a loose ring, coming to stop at the base of a statue of Saint Julia of Paradisus. She was carved of basalt, except for a goblet held in her outstretched hand; that seemed to be of solid gold inset with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, but was more than likely pewter with a thin gold veneer, with garnets and blue and green beryl. Lesser stones, though just as pretty in the right light. “The druids have a name for it that I can’t pronounce, something in their ancient tongue. It is of great significance to them, my books say.” Erika would have asked Nóruiel what she thought the tree was called, but she had wandered off around the edge of the lake, peering into the waters. When the sunlight hit it just so, it reflected back the exact same colour as Nóruiel’s eyes. “I will call it the Tree of Womanly Saints.” “An apt name.” For it was not only Saint Julia represented here, but Saint Emma of Woldzmir, standing in the inverse. Woldzmir, Woldzmir… It all came back to Woldzmir in the end, didn’t it? Of course, once Erika returned to Haense, she dove headfirst into her research and discovered that the Petrans called it the Aldtree, but to her it would always be the Tree of Womanly Saints. The shadow of the Palatine’s Tower stretched a long, dark finger over the Zodiakal board in the gathering dusk upon her return, blackening the game pieces. Yellow for Erika, red for Andrei, white for Dima. Conversations in this garden always felt like a game, a careful consideration of words to avoid any strategic blunders. Osmont loomed large in her memory, small and twisted and leaning, but more a keep than a chessboard. Only Godan knew of her fate, but whatever happened, wherever she ended up, there would always be that small, dim library beneath the alchemy laboratory, hugged by the summer wind.

memememememem please i would die for trinn art

We will train in the clothes we are wearing, for I am not going to teach you the ways of the battlefield. I have barely seen true battle myself. Nein, it is these clothes that you will be wearing if you are attacked by an assassin or a brigand. There will be no place for fancy swordplay, honourable and choreographed, where there are rules and stances, gambits and parries. You must take your blade and kill them before they kill you. Let the others instruct you on the art of the sword. I will teach you what my mentor showed me; the knife. I will teach you how to kill.

An elder Mali'ame from ancient days pondered over this missive from deep within an aspen grove. On paper, all seemed well. Sensible, organised, structured. Yet when was nature ever so? Unless a tree was bound and subdued from when it was a sapling, it was wont to grow where it would, roots curling in unpredictable patterns, trunk adorned with swirls and markings of uneven, imperfect beauty. What strange and wonderful patterns would this tree grow in? Illynora penned her thoughts, particularly on the title of Matriarch, and slipped it into the box.

Hoofbeats echoed through the Ferdenwald, Isolde and Adalfriede riding side by side across that yet uncharted terrain. They reached a crest of a hill and a sea of purple unfolded before them, all the way to the distant river and the ice-capped mountains beyond. Heather, Isolde said, snapping off a sprig and giving it to Adalfriede. They continued on, past the flat clearing that would one day be Kretzen, and came to rest on a land bridge, their feet dangling over the edge. They spoke of everything and nothing. Men. Children. The way the water played across the rocks below, the wide river becoming a thunderous waterfall. Duty. Honour. Deceit. Isolde had been her first friend, when Adalfriede hadn't been sure she was capable of such a thing. She welcomed her honoured hirdman into the Skies, that woman who had taught modern Reinmar the meaning of the word shieldmaiden. The first words she spoke? "You did not rest, and you did not rust."

A LETTER TO THE ROYAL DUMA: Induction into the Wailer Order of Arts 561 E.S. THE WAILER ORDER OF ARTS is reserved for individuals who have produced great works in the fields of literacy, art, or music. I can think of no greater candidates worthy of the Order than PRINCESS MISCHA FLORENTINA and LADY MANON YVAINE, who were the Court Astronomer and Court Alchemist of Hanseti-Ruska. Both made significant contributions to their respective fields, with many of their works inspiring others, including myself, in their own research. PRINCESS MISCHA FLORENTINA - Posthumous, d. 535 E.S. 484 E.S. | Named on the Advisory Council of Queen Amaya of Venzia. 489 E.S. | Published the revised Haeseni Zodiac. 489 E.S. | Recruited for the Office of the Astronomer. 489 E.S. | Published the groundbreaking work on Celestial Botany alongside Lady Manon Yvaine. 491 E.S. | Published the Haeseni Birthstones alongside the Curator of the Crown Jewels. 512 E.S. | Her writings on the Haeseni Zodiac and Haeseni Birthstones influenced research in the Treatise of Northern Medicine, published by Queen Amaya of Venzia and others. 514 E.S. | Foretold the coming of a cosmic boulder, later dubbed the Comet Lesanov. 525 E.S. | Continued to be Court Astronomer in the court of Ivan VIII and Nataliya of Ghaestenwald. 557 E.S. | Her work on the Haeseni Zodiac was instrumental in the creation of the boardgame Zodiakal. LADY MANON YVAINE 459 E.S. | Created an alchemy shoppe in Haense. 463 E.S. | Before coming the Court Alchemist, she took on alchemy students, teaching out of her home in Karosgrad, Haense. 480 E.S. | Named Court Alchemist of the Morrivi Prikaz Council, having already served for a number of years under Queen Esfir of Jerovitz. 480 E.S. | Led a recruitment drive for the Office of the Alchemist. 489 E.S. | Led another recruitment drive for the office of the Alchemist. 489 E.S. | Published the groundbreaking work on Celestial Botany alongside Princess Mischa Florentina. 468 E.S.–490 E.S. | Published incredibly detailed writings on alchemy through the Office of the Alchemist, first in the Petra, then in Haense. ♦ Vol I ♦ Vol II ♦ Vol III ♦ Vol IV ♦ Vol V Her Ladyship, ERIKA KORTREVICH

I didn’t know thefirstshroom personally, but from the outpouring of grief and love in the days after his passing it’s abundantly clear that he was an integral part of our community and will be missed. To his family, I send my deepest condolences. I hope that it can bring some comfort knowing that his legacy and the warm memories he brought to so many people will live on.

Erika Kortrevich read the biography diligently, adding it to her collection of powerful Haeseni women!

The first drink she’d ever had was from Sigmar’s flask. King Marius lay dead in the tower above, the wails of his children echoing through the red walls to Sigmar’s chambers, but he distracted Erika with his maps, weapons, and that flask of Carrion Black. Later in the gardens, he came upon Erika as she spoke with his mother, the Lady Palatine. “Am I intruding?” he asked. “No,” Princess Milena said. “I only speak with our Lady Erika of her great potential.” His eyes, stormy blue like his mother’s, had been soft with sympathy, even if the rest of his face was hard. How could a boy so young have such a hard mouth and shrewd, suspicious eyes? “Sometimes, mamej, I think myself unlucky.” His gaze slid to Princess Milena. “The waves and currents we are made to swim in… I would rather navigate torrents of demon-flame than what you plan to put her up to.” “I wish to make her great. If only so many did not see that as some dangerous thing.” Illness still writhed in Erika’s gut from their earlier conversation, but maybe that was just the Carrion Black. “You mistake me.” Sigmar’s tone, calm and measured, was of a man thirty years his senior. “I mean only that I do not have the stomach for it.” He pointed directly at Erika then, and her heart pattered in a triple-beat. “Pray that she does.” “If it comes to it, perhaps you might help her adjust.” “She is a kind girl, mamej. I would not seek to take her best qualities from her. You remember, Erika, asking me about fate?” The stars had glittered across the firmament; Kostana, Nikul, Morrighein, even Ybis all the way near the distant horizon. “Yes,” she said quietly. “I remember.” Sigmar took her palm in his hand and traced the creases there with his fingertip. “These lines,” he murmured, his voice barely louder than the wind through the rose bushes, “speak of a future shaped by your own strength. I see victories, big and small—a life that commands respect. It’s greatness here, waiting to be claimed.” “You see, girl.” The Lady Palatine set a hand on her shoulder. “Your fate is already there, within the very fabric of your flesh and soul. You now have the word of two Oracleborn.” Greatness, strength, victory. Could it all be true? Could Princess Milena be right? Sigmar’s expression remained deathly serious, but a slow smile stole across his cheeks. “Erika. I might be Oracleborn, but I cannot read your palm. Do not think me cruel… Consider this the first act of my aid.” Erika’s fist dropped to her lap with a thump. Shame burned up her throat and brought a blaze to her cheeks, so hot her skin might actually start steaming in the cold evening air. How could I be so silly? Of course there is no great, star-written fate. Of course there is no destiny. “And what aid is that, Your Highness?” she bit out through her teeth. “Not every palm outstretched is one to take from. Not here.” He, and his wisdom, had been gone. Swept away into ash. Erika had knelt in the chapel in Emsgrad and silently wept until the candles burned out, but now she knelt in grateful prayer. First Oracleborn, now Miracleborn. The Prince of the Flames.

THE OF THE ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ Upholding the balance is at the centre of everything, the foundation on which all Mali’ame societies have been built, and the basis of all traditional Mali’ame law. This balance applies to nature and to society, with a heavy emphasis on elnarnsae’ame and Aspectism as the pathway to achieving harmony. In recent years, there have been many discussions and debates amongst the denizens of Nevaehlen about whether the realm should have a codex of written laws. But, contrary to what some believe, Nevaehlen has never been lawless. There are a collection of natural laws that are intrinsic to our way of life as Mali’ame and followers of the Wild Faith, rules that we follow without thinking and without explicit instruction. I have compiled these laws in written form, in the hope it might inform any future codex, if one ever comes to pass by a vote of the Omentahu. Illynora Aureon Sylvaeri 211 S.A. ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘❁⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ I. The balance of nature and society is the cornerstone of all Mali'ame law. II. Aspectism and, by extension, elnarnsae’ame, is the sole recognised religion and pathway for upholding this balance. ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘❁⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ THE LAWS OF III. Farming is prohibited, except for Ame’lie groves. In the days of Irrin Sirame, our people were nomads, travelling from forests to woodlands to rivers to lakes, living off the land and moving on before the natural balance could be disrupted. We kept no livestock and built no farms. Farming, particularly agriculture, can disrupt the balance in several ways. It reduces the variety of plant and animal species in an area, weakening the land. Farming crops degrades the soil, meaning that Ame’lie trees cannot take root. Ploughing fields and irrigating with false water destroys the natural habitats of creatures who once lived there. Waste from livestock contaminates nearby streams and flows to the ocean. Keeping livestock for slaughter is also sanctioned; hunting wild animals is the only permitted method of obtaining meat. Exceptions to this are the sacred Ame’lie groves. The Aureon Seed was the first to cultivate ikurn’amonn, ironwood trees, and many Mali’ame nurture other forms of Ame’lie. They provide us with resources for food, clothing, houses, and even alcohol, while also growing in harmony with the wider natural world. IV. Sadistic behaviour towards plants or animals is strictly disallowed. This includes hunting; an animal must not be hunted for sport or for glory, only to gain sustenance from its meat and use of its hide. Clean kills are mandatory, with no animal being left to suffer, and expressions of gratitude to the Father and patron Mani of that animal are expected. V. The practice of Voidal magic and other dark arts is forbidden. VI. Protection of Fae creatures is required. This law came to be in the el’Naeri Evarir Act of 1663 F.A., requiring the protection of creatures of the Fae including but not limited to sprites, cervitaurs, satyrs, and bryophites. VII. Disturbance of the natural landscape is prohibited. This includes obtrusive construction; any buildings must blend seamlessly into the natural environment rather than exist in spite of it. Vandalism of natural spaces, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is forbidden. VIII. Overfishing and overhunting are prohibited to protect and preserve natural resources. ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘❁⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ THE LAWS OF IX. Unprovoked violence against innocents is forbidden, including injury, killing, and kidnapping. I had an interesting philosophical debate with a group of Mali’ame in Nevaehlen about if, and when, killing is acceptable. The generally accepted consensus was that unprovoked violence should be forbidden, but there were circumstances where violence was warranted, such as to protect oneself, another, or nature. X. Theft is prohibited. In this same debate, we had an enlightening conversation about what items were capable of being stolen. All agreed that natural resources such as water were incapable of being owned and therefore incapable of being stolen, but what of other items? I pointed to the necklace at my throat, made of pearls gathered on the shores of Aegrothond in Arcas. Were pearls not a natural resource? How, then, could I say that I owned it? Many suggested that an item, even one forged from natural resources, became the property of someone once it had been altered and had sentimental meaning attached to it. These pearls were no longer just pearls, but a necklace made by my own two hands, which I have owned for over two centuries. It is undoubtedly mine. The group agreed that there was an instinctive knowledge of what amounted to theft and what amounted to a sharing of communal resources. The war between Garthon and Teynei’Hiylu. XI. There is no King but Malin. The sentiment that “there is no King but Malin” is one that is deeply familiar to those of the Almenodrim. It is what we fought for and what we stood by during those long years of the Elven Cold War. Yet, within the Mali’ame there have been Mortal Kings and Mortal Queens, beginning with Kairn Ithelanen and ending with Awaiti Aureon. This, too, went against Mali’ame custom. The tale of the Archdruid Garthon is one that has been lost to time. He gathered his Mali’ame brethren at a grand feast and said, “When Malin disappeared, we were left helpless. Our brothers the Mali’ker went with their Velulaei, and the High Elves with their Larihei, and we were forgotten. We, the only ones who dared to stay with what our father had taught us. Elvenkind is fractured. The time for a new King of the Elves is come.” In his eyes, it was time for a new king, and who better to take up the mantle than Garthon himself, who remembered Malin’s rule? Garthon met Taynei’Hiylu the Green Dragon in secret and pleaded with her to give him the power to conquer all Mali. Taynei not only rebuffed him but stripped him of his archdruid rank. She even attempted to unattune him, but Garthon fought back and fled. In his exile, he found an ancient piece of magic that allowed him to enslave nature to his command. With this ancient, terrible magic at his fingertips, all the wilds were Garthon’s to command. He travelled from Seed to Seed, convincing them to join his army. “Join me, and I overflow your Ame’lie with fruit and bring all the game to your forests. Refuse, and I make your trees wither and your animals die.” Some Seeds joined him, but many more resisted. They saw Garthon as a draoi usurper, attempting to claim a title which only Malin himself could ever bear. In the war that followed, brother turned against sister and the destruction ravaged their beloved forests. Beloun, Chirr and other Seeds stood with Garthon. Nor’ehya, Aureon, Tahorran and Caerme’onn stood with Taynei’Hiylu. In the final battle, Taynei’Hiylu entered in her dragaar form, fighting against Garthon’s hold on the wilds by channelling the pure power of the Aspects. The battle was won. Garthon had lost. Taynei’Hiylu pursued Garthon into the woods, but rather than slaying him where he stood, she offered him mercy. Garthon’s heart had hardened, and Taynei’s peace fell on deaf ears. He used that ancient magic to seal Taynei’Hiylu away as the Aspects had once done so many centuries ago. Just as Garthon turned to return to his army, an arrow pierced through his back, loosed from the bow of Irrin Sirame. Irrin rushed to where Taynei’Hiylu had been swallowed by the earth, but it was no use. The bindings Garthon had put in place could not be undone by her, nor any other druid. This tale serves as a reminder that there is no King but Malin, and any attempts to claim such a title can only lead to death and destruction. XII. Interbreeding between Mali and non-Mali is strictly forbidden, as such leads to a child being doubly cursed. XIII. Children are defined as those Mali under the age of fifty years. Physically, Mali reach maturity at the age of eighteen, much like other Descendant races. Culturally, adulthood is not attained until the age of fifty. Therefore, marriage under the age of fifty is severely frowned upon, as is having children below this age, particularly where the relationship is between an Elf over the age of fifty and an Elf under the age of fifty. Mali are still considered young and to be “living their kalem’Valah” until the age of one hundred. XIV. Violence against children is strictly forbidden and punishable to the harshest of degrees. Elven children are so rare and precious that nearly every codex of Mali’ame law has included a specific rule against the harming of children. XV. Slavery is prohibited; Mali’ame live in service only to the Aspects. XVI. Slander against the state and acts of treason are punishable offenses. Many Mali’ame realms were more of a nation state than Nevaehlen, which exists more as a closely-knit community and village. It is unlikely that treason would ever be committed, and unlikely that it would be recognised as a legitimate law by the Nevaehli’onn. XVII. Seed leaders may represent their own. If a member of a Seed is ever brought before a court or exarch, traditional law holds that the Seed leader may stand as their representative. XVIII. The Omentahu has the right to question the leadership and vote on matters of law and governance. XIX. Only full-blooded Elves can be citizens and own property. This is an example of an archaic law that existed in the Dominion of Malin, Diarchy of Irrinor, Principality of Aegrothond, and Princedom of Elvenesse, but no longer reflects the values of the modern Mali’ame in Nevaehlen. ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘❁⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ XX. Desecration of holy shrines and sites is forbidden. XXI. Interruption of religious ceremonies is prohibited. XXII. Only Mali’ame can practice Aspectism and the Wild Faith. This was a once held belief that is no longer true nor enforced. There are many non-Mali’ame and indeed non-Mali practitioners of Aspectism and elnaensae’ame. XXIII. No other religions except Aspectism and the Wild Faith are allowed to be practiced. Much like the above, this law is no longer enforced nor recognised. In Aegrothond, Elvenesse, and all its successor states, many of the Almenodrim worshiped the Sea Goddess Thalassa and other minor sea deities. The Mali of Illivira practice Duarchism, which is a blend of Aspectism and the worship of Thalassa and Faunus. Nevaehlen is home to a community of Bortu who worship the Brathmordakin, and Kha who worship their various Aenguls and Daemons. ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘❁⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ XXIV. Branding. A commonly practiced punishment was to brand or maim someone who had broken the law, or mark them with the ilmyumier of Siss’siru’s Grip. XXV. Banishment. Banishment (or a Shun from a Druidic Grove), is a recognised and frequently practiced form of punishment, even in Nevaehlen where there are no written laws. XXVI. Public flogging. This punishment was used frequently in the Dominion of Malin as a punitive measure, meant to humiliate the wrongdoer just as much as provide them with physical pain. It has long since fallen out of favour. XXVII. Death. In line with the earlier discussion on whether killing is ever permissible, execution was a method of punishment used in many Mali’ame nations. ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘❁⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ This writing represents the core laws that have remained constant across many Mali’ame societies, emphasising the eternal and sacred balance, the importance of Aspectism, and the preservation of Mali’ame culture, history, and traditions. There are many and more laws that have been unique to only one nation, reflecting the specific values and worldviews of that community. The Dominion of Malin The Dominion’s Codex of Law under the reign of High Princess Awaiti Aureon, 1646 F.A. The Compendium of Rights under the reign of High Prince Belestram Sylvaeri, 1649 F.A. The el’Naeri Evarir Act, establishing the relationship between the Naelurir Grove and government of the Dominion of Malin, 1663 F.A. The Dominion’s Codex of Law under the reign of Mortal King Abelas Caerme’onn, 1675 F.A. The Mother Grove The Laws of the Mother Grove, 1700 F.A. The Diarchy of Irrinor The Laws and Mandates of the Diarchy of Irrinor, 1726 F.A. The Principality of Aegrothond The Common Law of Aegrothond during the reign of High Prince Belestram Sylvaeri and High Princess Illynora Sylvaeri, 1705 F.A. The Almenorean Codex of Law during the reign of High Prince Fëanor Sylvaeri, 1770 F.A. The Crown of Elvenesse Indor Tiran, the Codex Elvenesse, during the reign of High Prince Fëanor Sylvaeri, 0 S.A. The Vale of Nevaehlen Code of Conduct for the Vale of Nevaehlen and Father Circle, 12 S.A. The Crown of Amaethea The Amaethean Law Codex during the reign of High Prince Kosher Daesmon, 108 S.A. The Crown of Amathine The Amathine Law Codex during the reign of High Princess Idril Sylvaeri, 170 S.A.

INTO THE LIGHT: THE LINEAGE AND LEGACY OF BARONESS PUBLISHED BY ERIKA KORTREVICH 560 E.S. ⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯ THE LADY PALATINE SET HER WARDS A TASK: research a woman with ties to the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska who was a leader in her own right. I chose the Baroness of Richtenburg, Lady Sorina Lorelei Luceafăru. She is my ancestor, linked to me through her daughter Lady Viorica, the Countess of Jerovitz. To understand the Baroness of Richtenburg, I also had to understand her mother, a woman known in her later life as the Witch of Woldzmir, and her grandmother, the Imperial Princess Charlotte Augusta Novellen. This led me down a path of research so deep, I realised I would need to separate my work into multiple publications. Much of my research revolves around the diaries written by this so-called witch, Lady Anna Elizaveta ‘Moliana’ Tuvyic, the Baroness of Woldzmir. I was able to retrieve these diaries from the Jerovitz archives, preserved by my great-great grandmother Countess Viorica. I: THE EMPRESS WHO NEVER WAS | PRINCESS CHARLOTTE AUGUSTA OF ALDERSBERG [Link] INTRODUCTION ⟐ EARLY LIFE ⟐ AS COUNTESS OF DOBROV ⟐ RETURN TO IMPERIAL LIFE ⟐ AS DUCHESS OF ADRIA ⟐ AS THE ‘GRANDMOTHER OF OREN’ ⟐ THE ASTER REVOLUTION ⟐ WOLDZMIR IN EXILE ⟐ AS EMPRESS-CLAIMANT ⟐ CONCLUSION II: THE WITCH OF DOBROV | BARONESS MOLIANA OF WOLDZMIR [Link] INTRODUCTION ⟐ EARLY LIFE ⟐ ENTERING THE IMPERIAL COURT ⟐ BRUSHES WITH THE ARCANE ⟐ AS BARONESS OF WOLDZMIR ⟐ WOLDZMIR UPROOTED ⟐ AS A PEER OF HAENSE ⟐ CONCLUSION III: INTO THE LIGHT | BARONESS SORINA OF RICHTENBERG INTRODUCTION ⟐ EARLY LIFE ⟐ AS BARONESS OF RICHTENBURG ⟐ AS ROYAL INQUISITOR ⟐ DEATH AND LEGACY ⟐ A NEW GENERATION: COUNTESS VIORICA OF VIDAUS ⟐ CONCLUSION ⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯ I LADY SORINA IS THE LINK, the portal between an Imperial lineage and a Haeseni legacy. As the daughter of Lady Moliana and Lord Elimar, she navigated a complex familial landscape during a childhood marked with upheaval. Hers is a story of heritage, loss, shame, and resilience, making her an intriguing figure in Haense’s history if not for her own leadership, then as a connection between her Imperial forebears and the firmly Haeseni line of descendants she left behind. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ II LADY SORINA WAS ONE OF THREE children born to Lady Moliana, the Baroness of Woldzmir, and Lord Elimar, who was later made the Baron of Richtenburg. Because her younger brother Emilian was born when she was on the cusp of adulthood, she spent her childhood with her elder brother Viorel and her mother’s ward, the Princess Julia of Furnestock. Only a few short years after her birth in 402 E.S., Lady Sorina’s home of Castle Woldzmir was uprooted from the Grenzi forest in the northern reaches of the Holy Orenian Empire and transported to the icy foothills of Hanseti-Ruska. She therefore spent her early life in the Kingdom of Haense, trying to find her way in a realm that was largely distrustful of her family thanks to her mother’s reputation as the Witch of Dobrov. When she was thirteen, Lady Sorina wrote a book on the traditional myths and folktales of the Woldzkyevan people.1 This book is the first record of the term Woldzkyevan, which is likely a blend of Woldzkiy and Vasoyevan. Woldzkiy refers to the Old Raev culture unique to the town of Dobrov, where Lady Moliana was born and where she later took up her seat as the Baroness of Woldzmir. It was a culture characterised by devout spiritualism, frugality, and traditional crafts such as effigy burning and candle-making.2 Vasoyevan, on the other hand, was the culture of House Cotsofana, Lady Moliana’s foster family. The Vasoyevi were originally a caravan people, travelling from place to place in search of their ultimate desire: freedom.3 This is no doubt where Lady Moliana’s free spirit and disregard for government and rules came from. It appears the Vasoyevi eventually came to settle in a town called Sava, though became a diaspora once again when Sava was destroyed some time before 414 E.S.4 They apparently enjoyed a peaceful, partly Pagan, partly Canonist existence. The Vasoyevi rite of Veziak, otherwise known as the Rite of Revered Mothers, was accepted as a Canonist rite by High Pontiff Tylos I in 383 E.S.5 6 Lady Sorina had no doubt been told these tales by her mother, some of them coming from her childhood and others coming from her time as the Baroness of Woldzmir and reconnection with her Woldzkiy heritage. There does not appear to be much influence from her father’s side of the family, House Mondblume—Lord Elimar was apparently quite distant from his kin and their customs, and had married Lady Moliana matrilineally, taking on her surname and the traditions of the new house they built together, Luceafăru. Entries from Lady Sorina’s childhood diary—a document preserved in the Jerovitz archives—reveal a girl prone to whimsy and the magical, writing of faeries and dew sparkling like pearls in the fields. Some of this childhood wonder appears to have been stripped away after her aunt’s execution, where she wrote, “Does the feeling of missing someone ever go away?... What hurts the most is that Aunt Josephine would be who I would want to ask. And now she’s gone forever.”7 She also worried that her changed view of the world had rendered her ordinary, just like her friend Liza had warned her. ‘Liza’ appears to be Princess Elizaveta of Alban, who Lady Moliana took as her ward following the tragic deaths of the Duke of Duchess of Alban in 407 E.S. and 409 E.S. respectively. 1] HL Sorina Luceafăru, Baroness of Richtenburg, Traditional Myths and Folktales of the Woldzkyevan People, 415 E.S. 2] TRH Alexandra Karenina, Countess of Dobrov, Woldzkiy People: Bannermen o’th’ Adriatic Alp, 385 E.S. 3] Author Unknown, The Book of Vasoyevi, c. 361 E.S. 4] Sister Silence, Canonist Sites Around Almaris (1st Edition), 414 E.S. 5] HH Tylos I, High Pontiff of the Holy Mother Church, Vasoyevi Rite: Veziak, 383 E.S. 6] Author Unknown, The Trials of the Vasoyevi, c. 385 E.S. 7] HL Sorina Luceafăru, Baroness of Richtenburg, A Luceafăru’s Gardening Manual Vol I, 410–417 E.S. A sketch of Lady Sorina’s Liftstala debut dress. DEBUT Like most young ladies of the Kingdom, Lady Sorina had a hauchmetvas as the eldest daughter of her House. This was a costume party based on the traditional folktales she had transcribed as a girl.8 She also earlier participated in the debut of Lifstala, wearing an intricately embroidered gown and a golden tiara from her grandmother, the late Princess Charlotte.9 She also wore the bloodstained Lorraine cross of her aunt, Blessed Josephine, which had been worn when she was executed by the anathema Empress Anastasia I. 8] HL Sorina Luceafăru, Baroness of Richtenburg, A Woldzkyev Forest, 419 E.S. 9] HH Nikoleta Barbanov-Bihar, Mistress of the Wardrobe, Moda i ve Kort: Lifstala Debut Dresses, 418 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ III AS THE A young Baroness of Richtenburg. THE BARON AND BARONESS OF RICHTENBURG DIED in or around 421 E.S., with Lady Sorina announcing their deaths by way of a public missive.10 Lady Sorina did not immediately become the Baroness of Richtenburg upon their deaths—the title, by rights, was supposed to pass to her elder brother Viorel, but he had long been missing and unaccounted for. This became a matter addressed by the Royal Duma in 422 E.S. Lord Konstanz, the Baron of Sigradz, wrote a letter to the Royal Duma addressing the state of the Barony of Richtenburg. He disparaged Lady Sorina’s state of mind, implying she was mentally unfit to hold the title, and proposed three possible solutions: that Lady Sorina be allowed to inherit the Barony of Richtenburg despite her mental state; that Lady Theosodya Barclay inherit the Barony, as the next closest relation of Lord Elimar (his niece); or that the Barony of Richtenburg be absorbed by the Crown.11 At the time of writing, Lord Konstanz was unaware that Lady Moliana had given birth to Lord Emilian a few short months before her death. Upon learning this at Duma, Lord Konstanz suggested that Lady Sorina serve as regent until her younger brother came of age. Note that the Karenina Law had been passed in 414 E.S., meaning that Lady Sorina was entitled to inherit the Barony as the next eldest child of her line.12 Princess Elizaveta, serving as the representative for Richtenburg, read a letter written by Lady Sorina aloud to the Duma.13 It read as follows: To my fellow Peers and Members of the Duma, It has been less than one year since the passing of both my beloved parents and, as I’m sure all of you know, when one loses a parent, it feels like your entire world has come crashing down. In my case, I lost two, so I’m sure you could imagine the mental turmoil I have experienced these past few months. Along with this, the discovery of my practically newborn brother has brought me to the harsh realisation of life. For he, my brother, will only learn about my parents through me and will never get to experience the love and encouragement mine have given me throughout my life. Moliana and Elimar were two of the strongest people, having endured suffering most of us could not even dream to imagine. This is what had led them to create a blossoming family in the Barony of Richtenburg. It has only been spoken of briefly, but my plan moving forward is to take up the title of Baroness until my younger brother, Emilian Sigmar Luceafǎru, comes of age or feels he is ready to take the reigns before I abdicate my title to him. In a statement I had to personally write upon my parents’ death, I had asked for privacy and respect from those within the Kingdom of Haense, which extends to making public discussions in my family situation, which has clearly not been respected. From here on out, I wish for this discussion to remain between myself and His Majesty and his council. Not the public. Thank you. Lord Konstanz was met with widespread backlash from other members of the Duma, with many criticising him for dragging Lady Sorina from her mourning to respond to his letter. He remained firm, stating that, “If my House seemed to be in the state that the House Luceafǎru seemed to be in before I knew of [Lord Emilian’s birth], I would not be surprised if the succession of my family’s titles was questioned.”14 The Lord Palatine, Eirik Baruch, stated that there had never been grounds to change the succession of a title on the grounds of someone’s questionable mental state. The Duma resolved that, given the disappearance of Lord Viorel, Lady Sorina would inherit the Barony of Richtenburg until such time as she wished to abdicate to her younger brother Emilian.15 Lady Sorina decided to formally dedicate House Luceafǎru to the Woldzkyevan roots of her mother, abandoning the Waldenian roots of her father’s House Mondblume. She therefore withdrew from the Waldenic Diet in a public statement published in 425 E.S.16 This new cultural direction never came to fruition, however, as Lady Sorina reigned as Baroness of Richtenburg for only four years before stripping herself and her family of all noble titles.17 10] HL Sorina Luceafǎru, Baroness of Richtenburg, A Statement from Woldzmir, 421 E.S. 11] HL Konstanz Barclay, Baron of Sigradz, Letter to the Royal Duma: on the Barony of Richtenburg, 422 E.S. 12] HG Eirik Baruch, Duke of Valwyck, Lord Palatine, The Karenina Law, 414 E.S. 13] Office of the Lord Speaker, XXXVII Session of the Royal Duma, 422 E.S. 14] Office of the Lord Speaker, XXXVII Session of the Royal Duma, 422 E.S. 15] Office of the Lord Speaker, XXXVII Session of the Royal Duma, 422 E.S. 16] HL Sorina Luceafǎru, Baroness of Richtenburg, A Statement from Richtenburg, 425 E.S. 17] HL Sorina Luceafǎru, Baroness of Richtenburg, A Statement from Woldzmir, 426 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ IV AS THE THE LORD SPEAKER OF THE ROYAL DUMA is entitled to name a Royal Inquisitor for each session. Lord Speaker Rhys var Ruthern selected Lady Sorina for the XXXVIII Royal Duma in 423 E.S.18 As the Baroness of Richtenburg, Lady Sorina attended all sessions of the Royal Duma. She proposed the Show of Faith Bill in 424 E.S., requiring all people to remove their hats when entering a religious site or building as a show of respect, but this was unanimously rejected by the Royal Duma.19 A more popular proposal came in the form of the Musin Community Advisory Bill of 425 E.S., which provided a small community for the influx of Musin into the Kingdom of Haense. This bill passed by majority.20 As the Royal Inquisitor, it was Lady Sorina’s duty to summon officials before the Duma, either to explain why they had not been performing their duties to an adequate level or to provide the public with transparency on the matters of their office. She summoned Dracomir Rorikov, the High Seneschal, in 423 E.S.,21 Ser Reinhardt Barclay, the Knight Paramount, in 424 E.S.,22 and Lord Johann Ludovar, the Justiciar, in 425 E.S.23 18] Office of the Lord Speaker, XXXVIII Session of the Royal Duma, 423 E.S. 19] Office of the Lord Speaker, XXXVIII Session of the Royal Duma, 424 E.S. 20] Office of the Lord Speaker, XXXVIII Session of the Royal Duma, 424 E.S. 21] HL Sorina Luceafǎru, Baroness of Richtenburg, Royal Inquisitor, Summons to the Royal Duma, Dracomir Rorikov, 423 E.S. 22] HL Sorina Luceafǎru, Baroness of Richtenburg, Royal Inquisitor, Summons to the Royal Duma, Ser Reinhardt Barclay, 424 E.S. 23] HL Sorina Luceafǎru, Baroness of Richtenburg, Royal Inquisitor, Summons to the Royal Duma, Lord Johann Ludovar, 425 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ V THE VERY SAME MONTH THAT SHE ABDICATED HER TITLES, Sorina gave birth to twins: Viorica and Yetta. Only, Sorina had never married—these girls were born as Barrows, bastards of Lord Mikhail var Ruthern, the Duke of Vidaus. It is unclear when this tryst began or the nature of it; all that is known is that two newborn babes were placed on the frozen steps of Castle Druzstra in the middle of a storm and quickly brought inside once their squalls were heard by those within. There was no note left with the children, but to Lord Mikhail there could be no doubt—these were Sorina’s children, bearing her blonde hair and left with the holy relic of her aunt Josephine; the bloodied cross. Lady Sorina died from blood loss following the birth. Lord Mikhail was already married to Lady Margrait of Valwyck at the time of the twins’ birth and had two children by her. Viorica and Yetta were reportedly treated with kindness by Lady Margrait and raised as her own, despite their bastard status,24 but they were not legitimised until 448 E.S. by their trueborn brother, Lord Aleksandr, who was by that time the Duke of Vidaus.25 There is little record of who Lady Yetta grew to be, but Lady Viorica led a long and fruitful life, becoming the Knight-Oracle in 448 E.S., the Countess of Jerovitz in 450 E.S., and the Grand Lady in 459 E.S. 24] HG Aleksandr var Ruthern, Duke of Vidaus, The Viscomital Deaths and Mourning of their Souls, 460 E.S. 25] HG Aleksandr var Ruthern, Duke of Vidaus, The Bastards' Bequeathment, 448 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ VI A NEW GENERATION: COUNTESS A young Viorica Barrow in the moonlit woods near Castle Druzstra. LADY VIORICA, THE COUNTESS OF JEROVITZ, lived as the bastard-born Viorica Barrow until she was twenty-two years of age. She therefore lived the entirety of her childhood as a bastard in the lands of Vidaus with her twin sister Yetta and trueborn siblings Vladimir, Aleksandr, Adeladja, Milena, Kazimir, and Klemenita. She debuted in 444 E.S. as Viorica Barrow, wearing a Woldzkyevan style dress in honour of her late mother.26 As a child, Viorica added to the Tome of the Rutherns by writing an entry on the queens who had hailed from Vidaus.27 She became a servant to HSH Analiesa, the Princess Royal, and later a ward of the Queen’s Council. As a ward, she held a beer festival to honour her grandfather Elimar’s Waldenian heritage as a Mondblume.28 Much like her late mother, Viorica attempted to maintain a connection to her heritage, except where Lady Sorina had shunned her Waldenian heritage in favour of Lady Moliana’s Woldzkyev roots, Viorica tried to embrace both. She enjoyed a close friendship with HSH Georg, the Grand Prince of Kusoraev, to the point that the Hearsay of Hanseti-Ruska wrote that she was attempting to court him during Lifstala.29 There may have at one point been feelings between them, at least from Viorica’s end—Queen Amadea allegedly interrogated her during the Lifstala debut in front of the entire court, asking her why she, a natural born daughter, thought that she was an appropriate match for the Queen’s beloved son. Grand Prince Georg later went on to wed Lady Esfir Kortrevich and Viorica wed Lord Matviy Kortrevich. 26] HRM Amadea of Susa, Queen of Hanseti-Ruska, and HL Nikoleta Baruch, Mistress of the Wardrobe, Moda i ve Kort: Lifstala Debutante Reviews, 444 E.S. 27] Viorica Barrow, Tome of the Rutherns: The Queens of House Ruthern, 444 E.S. 28] The Queen’s Council of Amadea of Susa, The Karosgradi Beer Fest, 441 E.S. 29] The Hearsay of Hanseti-Ruska, Volume XV, 441 E.S. AS KNIGHT-ORACLE SHORTLY AFTER BEING LEGITIMISED by her brother, the Duke of Vidaus, Lady Viorica was named as the Knight Oracle of the Crow Knights.30 Traditionally, those seeking to become Crow Knights received their final test from the Oracle of Krusev, but the Oracle had become more and more elusive, hidden in the deep forests prowled by the Beast of Dobrov. Ser Walton therefore named Lady Viorica as the Oracle-Knight, given her strange and prophetic gifts. Because of this appointment, Lady Viorica was named as a notable member of House Ruthern in the Tome of the Rutherns.31 As the Knight-Oracle, Lady Viorica was responsible for deciding the final bogatyr test of squires; a test that her own grandfather, Lord Elimar Mondblume, had undertaken in his youth. She also reportedly helped to slay the Beast of Dobrov, which is only fitting given her lineage. 30] Ser Walton ‘the Wall’, Appointment of an Oracle Knight, 448 E.S. 31] The House of Ruthern, Tome of the Rutherns, Undated. AS COUNTESS OF JEROVITZ LADY VIORICA MARRIED LORD MATVIY KORTREVICH in 450 E.S., becoming the Countess-Consort of Jerovitz. Lord Matviy’s father, Lord Nikolai, abdicated his titles the same year as their wedding.32 The County would have passed to Lord Matviy’s elder sister Esfir, had she not gone on to marry Georg I and become Queen-Consort of Hanseti-Ruska. This marriage was not without its scandals; Lady Viorica had wed with her brother the duke’s consent, but before her bridewealth had been paid, and she did not grant House Ruthern the opportunity to attend her nuptials. Deeply offended by this, the Duke of Vidaus commanded Lady Viorica to stay within the walls of Castle Druzstra until Lord Matviy delivered unto him an apology and the appropriate bride price. Lady Viorica later apologised for the strife she had caused in a public letter addressed to her brother.33 Following Lord Matviy’s abdication in 467 E.S., Lady Viorica served as the regent of House Kortrevich until her young daughter and heir, Lady Ileana, came of age.34 32] TRH Nikolai Kortrevich, Count of Jerovitz, Writ of Abdication, 450 E.S. 33] TRH Viorica of Vidaus, Countess of Jerovitz, A Sister’s Apology, 451 E.S. 34] TRH Matviy Kortrevich, Count of Jerovitz, Writ of Abdication, 467 E.S. WITHIN THE ROYAL COURT IN 453 E.S., LADY VIORICA BECAME the Lady Chamberlain in the court of Queen Amadea of Susa, despite their earlier altercation during Lifstala.35 She served for six years in this position, and must have been highly valued by the monarchs, for she was named in the last will and testament of Karl III and Queen Amadea.36 She was raised to the position of Grand Lady at the beginning of Georg I’s reign, no doubt influenced by the close friendship they had had in their childhood. She was a highly accomplished Grand Lady, helping with the publication of the first and second volume of Krotyav i ve Edlervik, a compendium on Haeseni fashion.37 38 As a ward of the Queen’s Council she had honoured her grandfather’s Waldenian heritage, but as the Grand Lady she honoured the Woldzkyev traditions of her mother and grandmother, hosting a masquerade.39 Traditional Woldzkiy celebrations often involved handmade masks. She also introduced the Festival of Saint Henrik in 467 E.S.,40 a festival designed to celebrate the onset of spring, and the Wyrsavest in 474 E.S., which served as a pre-Lifstala fair.41 After twenty three years of service in the Haeseni royal courts, Lady Viorica resigned her position as Grand Lady in 476 E.S.42 She was honoured for her long and dedicated service in the loyal exchange of Georg I, a tradition whereby certain members of the kingdom are awarded with a small regalia at the conclusion of a monarch’s reign. These regalia come in three different classes, with the first—Ve Barbanov Estrejna—being reserved for the five most prestigious figures during a monarch’s reign. Lady Viorica was named for this high honour, with Georg I commenting, “When the Morrivi courts needed an outstanding presence of kindness, innovation and progress, you took up that mantle, and almost single-handedly continued to maintain a bustling and lively court for the Palace until your resignation. Thank you, endlessly.”43 35] HRM Amadea of Susa, Queen of Hanseti-Ruska, Ve Morrivi Kort, 453 E.S. 36] HL Vanhart ‘the Carrot’ Barclay, Execution of the Royal Will, 459 E.S. 37] TRH Viorica of Vidaus, Countess of Jerovitz and Grand Lady, Couture of the People Vol I, 470 E.S. 38] TRH Viorica of Vidaus, Countess of Jerovitz and Grand Lady, Couture of the People Vol II, 476 E.S. 39] TRH Viorica of Vidaus, Countess of Jerovitz and Grand Lady, The Lover's Masquerade, 464 E.S. 40] TRH Viorica of Vidaus, Countess of Jerovitz and Grand Lady, Ve Morrivi Hinterseer: The Spring Festival of Saint Henrik, 467 E.S. 41] TRH Viorica of Vidaus, Countess of Jerovitz and Grand Lady, Ve Wyrsavest, 474 E.S. 42] TRH Viorica of Vidaus, Countess of Jerovitz and Grand Lady, A Grand Lady's Forbearance, 476 E.S. 43] HRM Georg I, King of Hanseti Ruska, and HRM Sofia of Hyspia, Queen of Hanseti-Ruska, The Loyal Exchange II, 482 E.S. An artist’s depiction of Lady Viorica, the Woodland Oracle, in her later years. LEGACY AND IMPACT IN RECOGNITION OF HER LEAL SERVICE to the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska, Lord Rickard Kortrevich posthumously nominated Lady Viorica as a member of the Wailer Order of Arts in 533 E.S.45 She was inducted by Marius III in 542 E.S.44 Little is known of her later life after she retired from public service, but some say she retreated to the forests of Krusev to serve as a woodland Oracle, occasionally venturing to the city to tell fortunes and to see her children and grandchildren. It is because of her that the diaries of Lady Moliana and Lady Sorina were ever preserved, without which I would not have been able to write these histories. Through her, House Kotrevich is also the possessor of the cross of Blessed Josephine, a holy relic. 44] HL Rickard Kortrevich, Letter to the Royal Duma, 533 E.S. 45] The Royal Orders of Merit. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ VII Lady Sorina Luceafăru's life bridged the gap between an Imperial past and a Haeseni future. From her early years as a child of the uprooted Woldzmir to her brief tenure as the Baroness of Richtenburg, Lady Sorina navigated the complex political landscape of Haense with grace and determination. Her legacy, however, extends far beyond her titles, however briefly she held them. Sorina’s dedication to preserving Woldzkyevan culture through her writings is perhaps the only reason a record of these customs exists to this day. Even after her tragic death giving birth to her twin daughters, Lady Sorina’s impact continued to ripple through the generations. Her daughter Viorica would go on to become a prominent figure in her own right. Through Viorica and her descendants, Sorina’s lineage continues to shape Haeseni society, ensuring that the spirit of the Baroness of Richtenburg lives on. ⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯ Her Ladyship, ERIKA KORTREVICH, Ward of the Lady Palatine

Erika returned from that voyage waterlogged and muddy but beaming, glad to have gone on an adventure with her siblings and friends. She had even managed to harvest mandragora without drowning, which she considered a bonus! Reading Primrose's account of the events had her even more excited for the next trip.

Josefina's mother Adalfriede was surely smiling upon her daughter from the Seven Skies. Or, well... not frowning.

THE WITCH OF DOBROV: THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF BARONESS PUBLISHED BY ERIKA KORTREVICH 559 E.S. ⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯ THE LADY PALATINE SET HER WARDS A TASK: research a woman with ties to the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska who was a leader in her own right. I chose the Baroness of Richtenburg, Lady Sorina Lorelei Luceafăru. She is my ancestor, linked to me through her daughter Lady Viorica, the Countess of Jerovitz. To understand the Baroness of Richtenburg, I also had to understand her mother, a woman known in her later life as the Witch of Dobrov, and her grandmother, the Imperial Princess Charlotte Augusta Novellen. This led me down a path of research so deep, I realised I would need to separate my work into multiple publications. Much of my research revolves around the diaries written by this so-called witch, Lady Anna Elizaveta ‘Moliana’ Tuvyic, the Baroness of Woldzmir. I was able to retrieve these diaries from the Jerovitz archives, preserved by my great-great grandmother Countess Viorica. I: THE EMPRESS WHO NEVER WAS | PRINCESS CHARLOTTE AUGUSTA OF ALDERSBERG [Link] INTRODUCTION ⟐ EARLY LIFE ⟐ AS COUNTESS OF DOBROV ⟐ RETURN TO IMPERIAL LIFE ⟐ AS DUCHESS OF ADRIA ⟐ AS THE ‘GRANDMOTHER OF OREN’ ⟐ THE ASTER REVOLUTION ⟐ WOLDZMIR IN EXILE ⟐ AS EMPRESS-CLAIMANT ⟐ CONCLUSION II: THE WITCH OF DOBROV | BARONESS MOLIANA OF WOLDZMIR INTRODUCTION ⟐ EARLY LIFE ⟐ ENTERING THE IMPERIAL COURT ⟐ BRUSHES WITH THE ARCANE ⟐ AS BARONESS OF WOLDZMIR ⟐ WOLDZMIR UPROOTED ⟐ AS A PEER OF HAENSE ⟐ CONCLUSION III: INTO THE LIGHT | BARONESS SORINA OF RICHTENBERG [Link] INTRODUCTION ⟐ EARLY LIFE ⟐ AS BARONESS OF RICHTENBURG ⟐ AS ROYAL INQUISITOR ⟐ DEATH AND LEGACY ⟐ A NEW GENERATION: COUNTESS VIORICA OF VIDAUS ⟐ CONCLUSION ⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯ I FEW FIGURES INSPIRE SO MUCH mystery and speculation as Moliana Luceafǎru, the Baroness of Woldzmir. Known in her later days as the Witch of Dobrov, Lady Moliana’s life from an early age was steeped in the occult, making her highly learned in the arcane arts for better or for worse. She went by many names: Anna Elizaveta Carrion-Tuvyic, Molia Hazmezul, Moliana Tuvyic, Moliana Luceafǎru. Whatever her name and station, wherever Moliana went, shadows and intrigue followed, from her time living in her foster family’s home of Castle Izvoroshu to when Castle Woldzmir suddenly and mysteriously uprooted itself from the Grenzi forest and found itself in the Haeseni mountains. This work draws upon the journals of Lady Moliana, known collectively as A Moth’s Ruminations. These writings have never before been seen by the public, having been safely preserved in the archives of Jerovitz by Lady Moliana’s granddaughter Viorica, the Countess of Jerovitz. With a firsthand account of Lady Moliana’s life finally coming to light, we can at last peer past the shadows, myths, and rumours to the woman beneath. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ II LADY MOLIANA WAS DESTINED for a life of nobility. Born as Anna Elizaveta Carrion-Tuvyic in 373 E.S., she would have been raised as the firstborn daughter of Princess Charlotte Augusta of Aldersberg and Lord Sigismund Chekhov, the Count of Dobrov, had fate not had other plans for her. When she was only an infant, dark figures stole into Castle Woldzmir in the dead of night and took baby Anna from her cradle. She spent her childhood believing she had been kidnapped by Azdrazi and rescued by her foster grandfather, Lothar. She was raised in Castle Izvoroshu as Molia Hazmezul—it is possible this name is derived from the hidden kingdom of Hazmstadt, the birthplace of a distant ancestor of her foster family named Illia, which is referenced in A Moth’s Ruminations.1 Her foster family—who later took the name Cotsofana after settling into the Vasoyevan city of Sava—raised her as their own child alongside another adoptive daughter named Liliac. The river and foothills near Izvoroshu. Lothar Cotsofana was likely the Lord of Izvoroshu, but as at 388 E.S., Molia’s uncle Shobolan served as regent.2 According to her diary entries, young Molia spent the majority of her time in Castle Izvoroshu, located in the southwestern reaches of Almaris’ north continent, but also visited her grandmother Juniper in the floating city of Ando Alur. There was also her foster father, Arici, and an aunt named Limetta. Once she grew into her adolescent years, Molia spent much of her time travelling. Even as a commoner, she befriended boys and girls of high station, including the Grand Prince of Kusoraev, Sigismund (later Sigismund III, King of Hanseti-Ruska) and Lady Anastasia Ruthern (later Anastasia I, Holy Orenian Empress). Molia even received a personal invitation to Lady Anastasia’s wedding to Prince Philip Amadeus in 389 E.S.3 While on a visit to Karosgrad, the capital city of Haense in Almaris, Molia by chance came upon her birth mother, the Imperial Princess Charlotte Augusta. Princess Charlotte revealed Molia’s true heritage to her and urged her to come to the Imperial court in Providence to live as an Imperial noblewoman. While Molia did indeed return with Princess Charlotte to Providence, it seemed to have been more for curiosity’s sake than a true desire to reclaim her birthright. Molia nevertheless changed her name to Moliana in order to reflect her dual heritage; that of Anna Elizaveta, the stolen daughter, and Molia, the daughter raised by the Cotsofana family of Vasoyevi heritage. 1] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations VI, 390–391 E.S. 2] Limetta von Orange, A Vasoyevi Wedding, 388 E.S. 3] HIH Philip Amadeus, The Imperial Wedding of 1836, 389 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ III ENTERING THE LADY MOLIANA’S LIFE was lived in two halves. Her public life, the one she shared with the denizens of the Augustine Palace and her mother and sister, and her private life, the life she lived in hidden rooms and dark forests. Because she travelled so frequently and came and went from the Augustine Palace with little supervision, many of the following events occurred simultaneously. A lady by day and an adventurous alchemist by night. Growing up distant from the Imperial court did not mean Lady Moliana had no interest in it; she and her sister Liliac had often dreamed about what it would be like to attend parties and balls in the grand Augustine Palace and take tea in the gardens between the neatly manicured hedges and marble busts of figures long dead. In 387 E.S., she wrote in her diary about the preparations for her debut in the Orenian Social Season, making a note to practice her curtsey.4 This suggests that Lady Moliana had not received any formal education on etiquette by her foster family but that she cared about the debut and wanted to make a positive impression. She debuted alongside her sister Liliac in 388 E.S., with the Petite Potins noting Lady Moliana had wisps of energy spilling from her sleeves, smoke gathering along the marble floor and stirred by the movement of her gown.5 Although Lady Moliana had been surrounded by the arcane since her youth, this author does not believe that the magick originated from Lady Moliana herself, but rather the peculiar little boy she had befriended in the library of Ando Alur while working for her grandmother; a boy she named Booker. More on him later. Immediately following her debut, Lady Moliana met her blood sister Josephine for the first time. Josephine wrote in her diary, “She goes by Moliana and dresses in a strange fashion that is quite foreign to the Imperial court. I never expected that I would meet her, but when I saw her enter the room during the debut, I knew instantly that it was her. It was like looking into a mirror, though she is taller, prettier, and much more confident. She is what I could have been, were I not so ill.”6 Although they had been estranged for their entire childhood, Moliana and Josephine quickly formed a bond, with Moliana taking a particular concern with Josephine’s illness. Lady Moliana attempted to find a cure, settling on a temporary remedy in the form of the blood lotus flower found in the southern desert of Almaris. Lady Moliana even made a specific note in one of her journals to “get to know Josephine.”7 It is unclear if Lady Moliana ever did find a cure for Josephine’s illness; it can be assumed that she did not, for Josephine was still reported to be ill at the time of her execution in 412 E.S. Josephine Aleksandra holding the Li Ren talisman gifted to her by her sister, Moliana. Although Lady Moliana had been raised in a castle, Izvoroshu was nothing like the bright, busy Augustine Palace where gossip was a commodity and nobody was safe from scrutiny. “Little privacy is to be had in this palace,” she wrote in 388 E.S., shortly after arriving at court. “Despite its vastness, there is always some colorfully garbed courtier around the corner or another one of those pensive servants.”8 Furthermore, Lady Moliana appears to have been little more than a servant in Izvoroshu, with frequent references to sweeping or dusting the shelves. 4] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations I, 387 E.S. 5] The Augustine Court, Petite Potins: The Opening of the Season 1835, 388 E.S. 6] Bl. Josephine Aleksandra Tuvyic, Josephine’s Diary, 388 E.S. 7] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations IV, 388–389 E.S. 8] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations III, 388 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ IV BRUSHES WITH THE WITH A SECOND LIFE SWATHED in shadows and secrecy, it is little wonder Lady Moliana found the Orenian court oppressive with no place to hide. What would she have done if an Augustine courtier caught her conversing with her undead father? Sparring with the Third? Experimenting with illicit alchemy? She had to strike a delicate balance between keeping these parts of herself hidden while not attracting too many questions from her doting mother, Princess Charlotte. ANDO ALUR It started with Ando Alur. The Principality of Ando Alur was a city in the east of Almaris, suspended far above the clouds by Voidal magicks. Juniper Wick kept the library there with Moliana as her apprentice. In what became known as the cataclysm of Ando Alur in latter days, the city plummeted from the sky and shattered on the earth below, killing all natural life. An artist’s depiction of Ando Alur before its fall. The Brotherhood of Saint Karl accompanied an expedition of the National Geographical Society, and the report of the excursion read, “... the ground had turned blue and tainted with pure Voidal energy, it was completely unnatural and something I had never seen before. In the sky there were vortex-like shapes spinning across the horizon. A deep sense of foreboding wafted over us all…”9 Moliana herself described the fallout of the cataclysm as “... akin to a tingling sensation, yet something grips my heart and I feel as if the world holds its breath sometimes; lingering upon a precipice… Such destructive waves of energy from the city’s fall have sent ripples of their power around the realm.”10 Moliana had left the city only one year prior to its fall in order to return to Providence with her mother. Later, once the fallen city’s Voidal taint began spreading across the continent, she used her influence as the Baroness of Woldzmir to prompt a response from the Imperial government. 9] The Brotherhood of Saint Karl, A Report: An Excursion into Ando Alur, 399 E.S. 10] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations II, 388 E.S. VAMPIRES While preparing for her debut, Lady Moliana was also contending with something much more sinister; dark rituals performed by her adoptive grandmother, Juniper Wick. In 387 E.S. she wrote, “Just the memory of that ritual still gives me chills… Perhaps that’s just the way of things; with this world—with equivalent exchange. Alchemists risk blowing up their laboratories and singeing their eyebrows off with their more powerful concoctions, all while working with pure and raw material birthed from this world. This feels just the same, yet far more extreme… The scent was so strong in the air, sometimes I feel like I can smell the pungent stench of iron or hear those calls in the night just before sleep finds me. I am then left with a question that scratches at the back of my mind, for which I hesitate to seek out its answer; what lurked in that crimson pond?”11 This may have been a mystery to Lady Moliana at the time, but history has swept away the enigma like so many cobwebs. The crimson pond and the ritual she referenced was likely that of blood magic, a concept described as Cosmic Alchemy by some of its practitioners. In the Tsutenkaku report of 423 E.S., Moliana revealed to the Lectors of Owyn that “she knew individuals who sought to use the material alphabet for magical purposes, using blood as a conductor. These rituals are used to harness powers from beyond and possess the ability to do unnatural things.”12 Her grandmother Juniper had been using the Material Alphabet to send coded messages through rituals, with bloodied runes amplifying the power of equivalent exchange.13 To explain why she had not come forth as soon as she discovered this information, Lady Moliana told the Lectors of Owyn that she had been marked with the blood magic rune of the Spider by her grandmother, a mark which prevented her from speaking to others about what she had witnessed as well as forcing her to comply with Juniper’s requests.14 This is further corroborated by an entry from Moliana’s diary, where she wrote, “A pawn. To think I’ve been this all of my life. If I’m not careful, I will remain as one.”15 What makes this all the darker is Lady Moliana discovering that, while she had been kidnapped as an infant, it was not by Azdrazi. Her foster grandparents had been the ones to steal her from her cradle. Lothar and Juniper, who she later learned were vampires. There was a rift between Juniper and the rest of Moliana’s foster family, however. “I still recall the day when uncle did his spells to check me over for curses, when the family heard I was her assistant in Ando Alur; how grandfather furiously flipped the table and ordered me to go to my room.”16 This suggests that the other members of the Cotsofana family knew of, but disagreed with Juniper’s methods of blood magic and alchemy. One matter that they did seem to agree upon was that, one day, Moliana would join them in undeath. She pondered over this in her journal, writing, “Am I to abandon my foster family entirely? For what purpose am I wanted for, if I was only taken to distract my father from his grief? Surely, they would not wish for me to become one of them… But what sort of asset am I?... If I was meant to die by their hands, they would have done away with me as an infant or child. Why am I still here?”17 It is unlikely Lady Moliana was ever turned into a vampire, but rather murdered by her foster family alongside her husband for refusing their demands. 11] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations I, 387 E.S. 12] The Flaming Covenant Cohort, The Tsutenkaku Report, 423 E.S. 13] The Flaming Covenant Cohort, The Tsutenkaku Report, 423 E.S. 14] The Flaming Covenant Cohort, The Tsutenkaku Report, 423 E.S. 15] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations II, 388 E.S. 16] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations III, 388 E.S. 17] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations VI, 390–391 E.S. OSTROMIR Her foster family was not the only source of Lady Moliana’s brushes with the arcane. Darkness in another form plagued her birth family. “My mother told me [my father] had died, and spoke of his disinterest in searching for me when I had been abducted. I hardly knew how to react when he told me both things were true. Taken apart and pieced back together by another; by my real grandfather.”18 Lord Sigismund, Count of Dobrov, had died in 381 E.S., but he had not stayed dead. His father, Ostromir Carrion-Tuvyic, brought Lord Sigismund back to life through necromantic means, alongside his bastard-born brother Vladislav. Lord Sigismund appears to have spent his undead life revenging himself upon his father for what was done to him. “He is a walking husk, the echo of a man that could have never been. The only thing which drives him onward is his desire for vengeance upon my grandfather Ostromir. Perhaps he was given no choice but to pursue this manner of living, the brief tales he has shared of my grandfather have been nothing but nightmarish and grim; I still hope that I shall never encounter him, nor any who follow him.”19 Despite her hopes, Lady Moliana did indeed encounter Ostromir. “A threat lurks and leers over my family, a shadow which looms over us all; a shadow in the shape of my undead grandfather.”20 He appeared to her at various points after she became the Baroness of Woldzmir and took up residence in the castle in Dobrov, culminating in an attempt to place her under his thrall. 18] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations IV, 388–389 E.S. 19] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations V, 389–390 E.S. 20] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations V, 389–390 E.S. THE GREAT SAGE Finally, there is the matter of Booker. Lady Moliana met him while working in her grandmother’s library in Ando Alur; he had been hiding in the bookshelves, which is no doubt where the name ‘Booker’ originated. HRH Elizaveta Barbanov-Bihar wrote of him, “There is no limit to his abilities or to his strength. Not only is he capable of healing afflictions, he has no weaknesses. His body can stretch and contort in the most amazing of ways.”21 Despite these abilities, Lady Moliana wrote of him as if he were a child; a companion with her on many of her adventures. “... so that I could have my closest friend with me again. He has been with me through everything. To have faced the possibility of forever losing him in that moment terrified me more than anything else. I would be alone.”22 Further reading of A Moth’s Ruminations reveals that the child, Booker, may not have been the only entity inhabiting the same body. Lady Moliana makes reference to ‘the Four’, frequently writing of individuals known only as ‘the Second’, ‘the Third’, and ‘the Fourth’. It is possible ‘the First’ was Booker himself, the being she had first encountered. Lady Moliana wrote that “[Her lost drive] made [Booker] vulnerable, and even put the Second unconscious! As for the other two, I am unsure how they fared.”23 This suggests an affliction affecting one of them affected all of them. She also mentioned needing to back away from Booker before the Third arrived, suggesting that they shared a body.24 Furthermore, Booker seemed to have a compartmentalised memory, with Lady Moliana writing, “A child’s mind could not comprehend nor safely contain a life spent amongst so many years, especially if some sights are traumatic; an adventurous life isn’t an easy one lived anyways. To have that selective memory is to protect him.”25 This selective memory could perhaps mean different memories and life experiences were remembered by the Second, Third, and Fourth, sparing the child Booker from them. Even the Second, the Third, and the Fourth seemed to have no memory of the others. “... the Third grew fiercely defensive when he realised he knew nothing on who the Fourth really is.”26 Lady Moliana described the Third as having a “frightful coldness”,27 and wrote about a deal she had made for him to teach her how to defend herself. She frequently sparred with him, returning to the Augustine Palace covered in bruises she had to hide from her mother.28 Booker was likely the source of much of the visible magic surrounding Lady Moliana, from the performance at her debut to many of the stranger, unexplainable occurrences in her later life that earned her the moniker the ‘Witch of Dobrov’. 21] HRH Elizaveta Ulyana Barbanov-Bihar, Creature Compendium Vol I: Creatures of the Realm, 427 E.S. 22] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations VI, 390–391 E.S. 23] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations V, 389–390 E.S. 24] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations VI, 390–391 E.S. 25] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations VI, 390–391 E.S. 26] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations VI, 390–391 E.S. 27] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations III, 388 E.S. 28] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations IV, 388–389 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ V AS THE Princess Charlotte used her position as the Duchess of Adria to secure a meeting with Archchancellor Drasus de Nurem to discuss the fate of Dobrov. Lady Alexandra, the Countess, had been missing for some months and was presumed dead, leaving the upkeep of Castle Woldzmir and the surrounding town in the hands of her husband, Lord Konstantin Ruthern. Princess Charlotte discussed the notion of Lord Konstantin marrying one of her daughters so that he might retain the title of Count-Consort of Dobrov. These machinations would shortly prove unnecessary with the condemnation of Lord Franz Nikolai Carrion-Tuvyic, Lady Alexandra’s father, and the stripping of all Imperial titles from his branch of the family.29 ONCE LADY ALEXANDRA HAD HAD HER TITLES REMOVED, Lady Josephine and Lady Moliana discussed who should take on the County of Dobrov. Moliana, as the eldest, was the heiress by rights, but she could abdicate her titles in favour of her younger sister if she truly wanted to leave Imperial life behind and continue with her “life of adventure, wonder, and wisdom.”30 However, Lady Moliana decided to take on the responsibility of the peerage, protecting the frail, sickly Josephine from the stressors that it came with. She became the Baroness of Woldzmir, the Imperial Crown having placed the more senior title of Countess of Dobrov into abeyance. Soon after becoming baroness, her foster sister Liliac came to the Augustine Palace to deliver the news in person—Lady Moliana had been disinherited from the Cotsofana family.31 Although Moliana became the Baroness of Woldzmir and took up residence in the castle, Lord Konstantin Ruthern, who had been the Count-Consort through his marriage to Lady Alexandra, remained the Lord Mayor of Dobrov. There were frequent struggles between Lady Moliana and Lord Konstantin over where one’s power and dominion ended and the other’s began, considering Castle Woldzmir was technically a part of the town of Dobrov. Lady Moliana recognised that “The townspeople are not under me, nor is it my business to meddle in their affairs; such a duty falls to the Lord Mayor.”32 Yet Lord Konstantin would frequently arrive in Castle Woldzmir unannounced with various complaints. This tension grew even more pronounced following the Aster Revolution, considering Lord Konstantin was Empress Anastasia’s brother. At her first session of Imperial court as the Baroness of Woldzmir, Philip II tasked Lady Moliana with building an almshouse to take in orphans and wayward women. Two years later, in 397 E.S., construction finished and the Almshouse of Saint Judith was opened to the public.33 She also did an interview for the Providence Post about her ascension.34 Shortly after becoming the Baroness of Woldzmir, Lady Moliana took on Princess Julia of Furnestock and Lord Joseph of Sunholdt at her wards. Lady Moliana warned the Imperial throne about the dangers of the Voidal tear caused by the destructive fall of Ando Alur,35 and was called before the court to discuss this in more detail.36 This prompted a response from the Imperial government, though was not considered a source of widespread concern throughout the Empire despite its seriousness.37 38 29] HL Erika Kortrevich, Ward of the Lady Palatine, The Empress Who Never Was: The Legacy of Princess Charlotte of Aldersberg, 558 E.S. 30] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations V, 389–390 E.S. 31] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations V, 389–390 E.S. 32] Imperial Ministry of Civil Affairs, The Providence Post, 1843, 396 E.S. 33] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, Almshouse of Saint Judith, 397 E.S. 34] Imperial Ministry of Civil Affairs, The Providence Post, 1843, 396 E.S. 35] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, The Eastern Winds Call, 398 E.S. 36] Imperial Office of the Registry, Transcript of Imperial Court: 11th of Tobias' Bounty 1847, 400 E.S. 37] HE Minuvas Melphestaus, Vice Chancellor of the Holy Orenian Empire, Addressing the Voidal Tear: Crestfall Ministry, 400 E.S. 38] HE Minuvas Melphestaus, Vice Chancellor of the Holy Orenian Empire, Addressing the Voidal Tear: Crestfall Ministry, 401 E.S. MARRIAGE In 397 E.S., at the closing ball of Lady Josephine’s Social Season, Philip II tried to proposition Moliana to be his wife. Not wanting to offend the Emperor, but also unwilling to marry a man thrice her age—who was now her step-grandfather after Princess Charlotte’s marriage to Prince Philip Aurelian—Moliana rebuffed him by saying that Elimar Mondblume had asked for her hand. According to a letter Lady Moliana wrote to her mother in 396 E.S., this was actually the truth.39 The pair had enjoyed a long period of courtship, though not in the conventional sense. Although Elimar was a son of the baronial house of Mondblume in the Kingdom of Haense, he and Lady Moliana were alike in that they had little care for rules and etiquette. Lady Moliana wrote in 389 E.S., “As for Elimar, I think he remains to be one of the first people who has shared a similar life to myself—to an extent. I almost feel as if he is one of the few people I could ever put my trust into.”40 They went on a number of adventures together, and Elimar tended to Moliana’s wounds when she was attacked by a harpy.41 Philip II gave his Imperial blessing for the union; something that was required for all peers seeking to marry. The ceremony finally took place in 401 E.S. in the small township of Veritas. They had three children: Viorel Codrin and Sorina Lorelei, both born 402 E.S., and Emilian Sigmar, born many years later in 420 E.S. Romance with King Sigismund III During her courtship with Elimar, Lady Moliana reflected on her romance with Sigismund III of Haense and how it had left her brokenhearted. “... a part of me is afraid to open myself up again; to trust my heart with another. I am still reeling from the wounds inflicted upon me for how Sigismund had turned away and denied the existence of our love; I cannot turn to another so quickly… I care for Elimar, I do. I just hope he can understand the time I need to recover.”42 Lady Moliana and Sigismund III appear to have had a tryst in their younger years, when Sigismund III was still the Grand Prince of Kusoraev and had yet to marry Queen Emma of Jerovitz. When Lady Moliana went to visit the then-Grand Prince Sigismund in Haense following an argument they had, she wrote, “I don’t think I had ever seen Sig in such a state. He was quiet and almost mournful, grieving over a life he could not live. I wish I could free him of his bonds and burdens, so that he and I may live this free life together. I know that to not be possible, and he does too. When he embraced me, I never wanted to let go of him. If only time could have stopped for us there.”43 Hearing about the Grand Prince’s impending wedding reportedly caused her great distress. “I can no longer bear to hear the chatter of the Haeseni wedding… Those two kisses stolen behind the shelves filled me with such warmth, yet now as I look back over the memory I feel the bitter sting of tears in my eyes and a horrible pain in my chest. Had he always played me for a fool, or was his love true? I shall never know, for it’s all been reduced to naught but ash in my mouth.”44 Sigismund III and Queen Emma of Jerovitz were wed in 390 E.S.45 In 400 E.S., a year before her own wedding, Lady Moliana was invited to a dinner in Haense with the Royal family. This was by way of a formal letter from Lady Margot Baruch, the Ambassador to the Holy Orenian Empire at the time. Lady Moliana attended with her mother and sister; her mother writing a letter to the King and Queen afterwards to thank them for the fare and company.46 According to a letter by Lady Josephine to Lord Konstantin—who had by this point become a close friend of hers despite the animosity between him and her sister— Sigismund III gave Lady Moliana the place of honour at the head of the table opposite him. Any bitterness between them had been consigned to the past and a close friendship rekindled. This would prove very important when Lady Moliana relocated to Haense with her family. 39] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth's Call, 396 E.S. 40] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations V, 389–390 E.S. 41] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations VI, 390–391 E.S. 42] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations VI, 390–391 E.S. 43] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations IV, 388–389 E.S. 44] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Moth’s Ruminations V, 389–390 E.S. 45] Heinrik II, King of Hanseti and Ruska, A Royal Betrothal, 389 E.S. 46] HRH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, On Venison Stew and Kindness, 400 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ VI THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE SINNERS’ WAR, Prince Philip Aurelian’s assassination, the Aster Revolution, and the excommunication of Philip III and Anastasia I have been covered in depth in the previous instalment.47 But how did Lady Moliana, as the Baroness of Woldzmir, respond to these events? She first released a public letter of concern,48 warning members of House Tuvyic not to travel to Providence and outlining the following grievances: ❈ Philip III, following Princess Charlotte being discovered meeting with the Grand King of Urguan, had a fit of bad temper in the Imperial throne room where he expressed a lack of care for the safety of Lady Moliana and her kin. This was despite the fact that Lady Moliana had raised Princess Julia, his own daughter, as her ward. ❈ Information came to light that the Emperor and Empress may have plotted to murder Prince Philip Aurelian, the Duke of Adria. “House Tuvyic does not cling to these accusations as pure fact and truth, but we shall not disregard them so easily as forged documents either. We may be more inclined to the latter, had it not been for the continuous displays of rashness from the Crown since their ascension.” Lady Moliana concluded with the sentiment that “Blind loyalty is thoughtless, it is dangerous… Blind loyalty will destroy this Empire.” Until she could be formally assured of the Crown’s integrity and respect towards House Tuvyic, Woldzmir’s gates would remain closed. Empress Anastasia responded, stating that no harm would befall any member of House Tuvyic, including Princess Charlotte. “It is my hope that my relative would not betray her own kin with the Dwarves, and for whatever reasons she had whilst being in the private audience of the Grand King Ulfric Frostbeard it shall not be held against her so long as it was not in violation of the law.” Empress Anastasia expressed a desire to see her daughter Julia again, as it had been a year since she saw her last, and ended her letter thus: “You are correct, Baroness Woldzmir, that you should never be blindly loyal. I shall pray that, should the day come, my husband and I may receive honest advice from you as a peer of the empire.” Of course, this day would never come. One year later, Lady Moliana released another missive.49 She stated that, while House Tuvyic remained with the Empire, it would not fight in the war against the dwarves of Urguan. She also bid the Emperor and Empress to abdicate in order to end the war. To the people of the Empire she wrote, “The town of Dobrov welcomes any who would wish to flee those cursed in Anathema and seek solace from the bloodshed of the efforts to dethrone them. You needn’t sacrifice your lives for the follies of another.” Lady Claude Ashford de Savoie was the first to respond, the swiftness of her riposte likely due to her vehement dislike of Lady Moliana; they had even been witnessed nearly coming to blows outside of the Imperial theatre some years prior. Lady Claude’s scathing letter addressed, among other things, the matter of Lady Moliana’s safety, the war, and the excommunication of the Emperor and Empress.50 For their part, the Emperor and Empress gathered their Adriatic Court and issued an Imperial Ban, stripping Lady Moliana of her titles and land on account of treason.51 In her place, the Imperial Crown raised Fyodor Barrow—bastard son of Lord Ostromor Carrion-Tuvyic and Lady Moliana’s uncle—as the Count of Dobrov, after legitimising him by Imperial decree. Before Imperial troops could march upon Woldzmir in the name of reclamation, the entire castle was mysteriously uprooted and spirited away to parts unknown. Many theories surrounded this transportation, with some believing it was a divine act to save the righteous House Tuvyic from the anathema Emperor and Empress, while others claimed it was the act of dark magic. 47] HL Erika Kortrevich, Ward of the Lady Palatine, The Empress Who Never Was: The Legacy of Princess Charlotte of Aldersberg, 558 E.S. 48] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Letter of Concern, 403 E.S. 49] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Peer's Choice, 404 E.S. 50] HL Claude Ashford de Savoie, Viscountess of Provins and Director of the Imperial Ministry of Civil Affairs, An Orenian’s Response, 404 E.S. 51] HIM Philip III and HIM Anastasia of Kositz, The Imperial Ban of Anna Elizaveta Tuvyic, 404 E.S. Lady Moliana and Castle Woldzmir after its uprooting. [Art by UnBaed] DIFFERING THEORIES The narrative propagated by Lady Moliana was that her undead grandfather, Lord Ostromir Carrion-Tuvyic, had tried to destroy Castle Woldzmir with a dark ritual, but Lady Moliana disrupted the ritual so that the castle was displaced instead, moved by magical means to elsewhere on the continent. “That very night, a gathering formed before the castle… Ostromir headed them, his features like a man’s skin thinly wrapped over a skull with a perpetual look of malice in his eyes. He had caught sight of me on the battlements and I thought I might have seen him grin, before turning to draw shapes into the soil.”52 Lady Moliana did not release this public statement until three years after Woldzmir had been teleported, meaning that other theories had taken root in the interim. Because all that was left of Castle Woldzmir was a smoking crater, many believed that it had simply been destroyed. Presbyter Ileana described it as a “true miracle of GOD sent as a message to the Anathemata of the Empire.”53 She wrote that “fire from the Seven Skies descended upon Woldzmir, engulfing and entirely obliterating the keep that was once home to Anna Elizaveta Tuvyic and her family and the consecrated memorial site of the Fallen Heir. GOD has shown his favour to the Tuvyic family and His disfavor to the Anathemata of the Empire, refusing to allow the Empire to lay claim to the Last Bastion.” The conclusion reached by the Lectors of Owyn many years later was that it had actually been Lady Moliana’s foster family who “used blood magic to rip the castle from the continent and transport it elsewhere.”54 Regardless of the truth of how these events transpired, it remains indisputable that Castle Woldzmir was once in the township of Dobrov but then found itself at the base of the icy foothills in the eastern reaches of Haense. 52] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, A Plot Most Foul, 408 E.S. 53] Presbyter Ileana, The Miracle at Woldzmir, 405 E.S. 54] The Flaming Covenant Cohort, The Tsutenkaku Report, 423 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ VII AS A WHEN CASTLE WOLDZMIR WAS FIRST TRANSPORTED, Lady Moliana and her family did not venture beyond the walls. Little was heard from House Tuvyic except for an announcement in 408 E.S. that the line of Lady Moliana and Lord Elimar would henceforth be known as House Luceafǎru.55 By this time, their children Viorel and Sorina were six years old, and Emilian had yet to be born. This period of quietude ended after Lady Moliana’s younger sister Josephine was executed by Anastasia I, becoming a holy martyr. The sigil of House Luceafǎru. [Art by UnBaed] Lady Moliana hosted a funeral service for Josephine in Karosgrad in 413 E.S., making the beginning of her public appearances in Haense.56 Shortly afterwards, her husband Elimar was made the Baron of Richtenburg, thus elevating them to the Haeseni peerage. A brief history—Hildebrand Mondblume was granted the Barony of Richtenburg by Heinrik II in 378 E.S.57 He died in 386 E.S. with no living children to succeed him, so the barony passed to his nephew Yvo Mondblume, Elimar’s elder brother. When Lord Yvo died, the title passed to his eldest son Sigmar, who was captured and hanged during the Sinners’ War, leaving no issue.58 Sigismund III confirmed that Lord Elimar was the rightful Baron of Richtenburg in 414 E.S.59 Both Lady Moliana and Lord Elimar attended His Majesty’s Royal Duma, fulfilling their obligations as peers of Haense. Duma records show a representative from Richtenburg being present at all sittings of the Royal Duma between 417 and 420 E.S. Lady Moliana also joined the King’s Court of Sigismund III, becoming his Court Alchemist.60 Princess Julia of Furnestock remained Lady Moliana’s ward even after Woldzmir was transported to Haense, although she would later go travelling to seek her independence. Lady Moliana took on Princess Elizaveta Ulyana of Alban as a ward, the young girl having lost both of her parents at a young age. She published a series of compendiums discussing the fantastical wildlife of Woldzmir, including a type of faerie known as ‘noomies’. “A sanctuary at the base of Woldzmir has been created for them, where they are free from the confines of jars and consume as many insects as they desire.”61 55] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, House Luceafǎru, 408 E.S. 56] TH Moliana Luceafǎru, Baroness of Woldzmir, Mourning a Lost Sparrow, 413 E.S. 57] HRM Heinrik II, King of Hanseti and Ruska, Royal Letters for the Barony of Richtenburg, 378 E.S. 58] HRM Sigismund III, King of Hanseti and Ruska, Is This Your Peace?, 418 E.S. 59] HRM Sigismund III, King of Hanseti and Ruska, The Lower House Redress Edict, 414 E.S. 60] HRM Sigismund III, King of Hanseti and Ruska, The King's Court, 417 E.S. 61] HRH Elizaveta Ulyana Barbanov-Bihar, Creature Compendium Vol I: Creatures of the Realm, 427 E.S. REPUTATION AS THE WITCH OF DOBROV Lady Moliana had already earned somewhat of a reputation as a woman of the occult due to the mysterious circumstances surrounding Woldzmir’s teleportation. This was exacerbated by her serving as the Court Alchemist, and several interactions with other Haeseni peers during the Royal Duma. When discussing the Magic Clarification Bill of 418 E.S., Lady Sorina said, “My mama practices magic and she is perfectly safe, I believe.”62 Lady Moliana spoke in defence of magic, arguing “Do we make swords illegal in the kingdom? No, because they are tools. It's about how it is used—the same goes for magics and alchemy.”63 Many in Haense were already wary of magic in all its forms, so when Lady Moliana performed a magic trick at the unveiling of the Karenina Accord statue in 420 E.S., this further solidified her reputation.64 62] Office of the Lord Speaker, XXXVII Session of the Royal Duma, 418 E.S. 63] Office of the Lord Speaker, XXXVII Session of the Royal Duma, 418 E.S. 64] HL Erika Barclay, Revealing of the Karenina Accord Statue, 420 E.S. DEATH Lady Moliana and Lord Elimar’s deaths were announced by way of a public missive.65 The announcement contained no information about the manner of their deaths. The Tsutenkaku Report, published two years later, provided more insight. “Lothar’s coven cornered Elimar, the husband to Moliana, with the intent of having Moliana slay him in order to prove her loyalty to the ‘family’. Moliana refused and she and Elimar fended off the five vampiric assailants. Elimar managed to escape whereas Moliana’s fate is unknown; it is assumed that she perished.”66 It is highly likely that Lady Moliana’s foster family murdered her, outraged that she refused to become a vampire alongside them; something she alluded to many times in her journal entries. It is possible the Cotsofana family also hunted and killed Lord Elimar, or he could have faked his death in order to escape them. We may never know the truth of these events; all that we know is that, to the world, the Baroness of Woldzmir and Baron of Richtenburg had perished, leaving behind an infant Emilian who had to be raised by his two elder siblings, Viorel and Sorina. Thus ended the fascinating story of Lady Moliana. 65] HL Sorina Luceafǎru, A Statement from Woldzmir, 421 E.S. 66] The Flaming Covenant Cohort, The Tsutenkaku Report, 423 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ VIII LADY MOLIANA’S LIFE WAS AN INTRICATELY TANGLED WEB from her birth to her death, filled with snarls and contradictions that even the most diligent historian could not hope to unravel. Her journals give us the sense of a woman who was defiant, noble, and mystical in equal measure. Her refusal to fight for an excommunicated Emperor and Empress—despite the steep cost of losing her titles—showcased her unwavering moral compass and fierce independence, learned through her unconventional upbringing by the Cotsofana family. This act of rebellion against the Empire would come to define her legacy as much as her later reputation as the Witch of Dobrov. She was a woman who continually reinvented herself in the face of adversity, unable to be labelled nor contained. The fact that her story has continued to captivate and intrigue more than a century after her death speaks to the enduring allure of the mysterious; something that Lady Moliana embodied throughout her life, from the halls of nobility to the shadowy realm of the occult, and even into the ambiguous circumstances of her demise. She will certainly be remembered. ⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯ Her Ladyship, ERIKA KORTREVICH, Ward of the Lady Palatine

I'm usually wary of humans having magic because GENERALLY the aesthetic of humans is to be low fantasy, but I like this. I think it fills a different niche than Malchediael's Radiant Templars which is the current route Canonists go down to have holy magic while still being faithful Canonists. My only concern is that I think this form of magic should be rare and only practiced by hardcore Canonists, not widespread and casual like housemagery. I'd want to see it only being used by people who know more than the surface level of Canonism, and it should be a rare, miraculous occasion to see it used that people can look on with awe. I think this will come down to the teaching of it by people who are grandfathered in, who I assume will teach the magic strongly interwoven with the religion and history anyway!! Very nicely written, thank you both for sharing

THE EMPRESS WHO NEVER WAS: THE LEGACY OF PRINCESS PUBLISHED BY ERIKA KORTREVICH 558 E.S. ⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯ THE LADY PALATINE SET HER WARDS A TASK: research a woman with ties to the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska who was a leader in her own right. I chose the Baroness of Richtenburg, Lady Sorina Lorelei Luceafăru. She is my ancestor, linked to me through her daughter Lady Viorica, the Countess of Jerovitz. To understand the Baroness of Richtenburg, I also had to understand her mother, a woman known in her later life as the Witch of Dobrov, and her grandmother, the Imperial Princess Charlotte Augusta Novellen. This led me down a path of research so deep, I realised I would need to separate my work into multiple publications. Much of my research revolves around the diaries written by this so-called witch, Lady Anna Elizaveta ‘Moliana’ Tuvyic, the Baroness of Woldzmir. I was able to retrieve these diaries from the Jerovitz archives, preserved by my great-great grandmother Countess Viorica. I: THE EMPRESS WHO NEVER WAS | PRINCESS CHARLOTTE AUGUSTA OF ALDERSBERG INTRODUCTION ⟐ EARLY LIFE ⟐ AS COUNTESS OF DOBROV ⟐ RETURN TO IMPERIAL LIFE ⟐ AS DUCHESS OF ADRIA ⟐ AS THE ‘GRANDMOTHER OF OREN’ ⟐ THE ASTER REVOLUTION ⟐ WOLDZMIR IN EXILE ⟐ AS EMPRESS-CLAIMANT ⟐ CONCLUSION II: THE WITCH OF DOBROV | BARONESS MOLIANA OF WOLDZMIR [Link] INTRODUCTION ⟐ EARLY LIFE ⟐ ENTERING THE IMPERIAL COURT ⟐ BRUSHES WITH THE ARCANE ⟐ AS BARONESS OF WOLDZMIR ⟐ WOLDZMIR UPROOTED ⟐ AS A PEER OF HAENSE ⟐ CONCLUSION III: INTO THE LIGHT | BARONESS SORINA OF RICHTENBERG [Link] INTRODUCTION ⟐ EARLY LIFE ⟐ AS BARONESS OF RICHTENBURG ⟐ AS ROYAL INQUISITOR ⟐ DEATH AND LEGACY ⟐ A NEW GENERATION: COUNTESS VIORICA OF VIDAUS ⟐ CONCLUSION ⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯ I The personal heraldry of Princess Charlotte Augusta. PRINCESS CHARLOTTE AUGUSTA OF ALDERSBERG was an Imperial Princess of the Holy Orenian Empire, though not of the main line. She was Countess of Dobrov through her marriage to Lord Sigismund, Count of Dobrov, becoming Countess-Dowager upon his death in 381 E.S., and remained widowed until marrying the heir to the Empire, Prince Philip Aurelian, at the command of his father Philip II. Upon this union, she became the Duchess of Adria and Countess of Renzfeld. Although Princess Charlotte was a central figure of Imperial society for over sixty years, little is remembered of her accomplishments. She has largely been washed from the annals of history for her perceived plots against Philip III and Anastasia I, culminating in a reach for the Imperial Throne in 408 E.S. To understand Lady Sorina’s impact on Haense as the Baroness of Richtenburg, it is important to understand her background. This work will uncover and analyse the impact Princess Charlotte had on the Holy Orenian Empire alongside many other unsung Imperial women. Much of her role was public, but the inner workings of the Augustine Palace are frequently overlooked in historical chronicles in favour of the Sinners’ War, occurring over much of the same period. Most sources are derived from Imperial archives preserved in the Apostolic Kingdom of Aaun, the Kingdom of Balian, and the Commonwealth of the Petra, all of which are Empire-descended states. However, details of Princess Charlotte’s later life when she retired to her daughter’s court in Woldzmir rely on the diary entries of Lady Moliana. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ II PRINCESS CHARLOTTE WAS THE FIRSTBORN DAUGHTER of Prince Joseph Leopold, Count of Aldersberg, and Princess Henrietta of Österland. At the time of her birth, the Holy Orenian Empire recognised male primogeniture, meaning that her younger brother Prince George Alexander would inherit the County of Aldersberg rather than one of his four elder sisters. Despite this, Prince Joseph considered naming his eldest daughter the heir to Aldersberg, but because of her betrothal to the Count of Dobrov, this did not eventuate.1 In 361 E.S., Prince Joseph purchased a manor in the city for Princess Charlotte: Montfort House. With her newfound independence, Princess Charlotte hosted many parties and balls, particularly during the Social Season of 363 E.S., and also hosted a number of charitable fundraisers and academic groups.2 She had to leave all this behind upon her marriage to Lord Sigismund, moving with him to the County of Dobrov. Her new husband did not frequent the Imperial court nor travel to Providence often. 1] TRH Austina, Countess of Aldersberg, The Counts and Barons of Aldersberg, 442 E.S. 2] HG Austina, Duchess of Adria and Countess of Aldersberg, The Duchesses of Adria, 455 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ III AS THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE NEVER LIKED cold, dreary Dobrov, located within the dark Grenzi forests in the northern reaches of the Empire. She had grown up in the sparkle of Providence as an Imperial Princess, accustomed to luxury and the hustle and bustle of the Imperial Court. Letters to her father reveal that she found the town sombre, the spectre of the late Ostromir Carrion-Tuvyic lurking over it like a funerary shroud, and the Castle Woldzmir was draughty and ill-lit. A map of the Holy Orenian Empire by Wilford Proudfoot IV, 395 E.S.. She and Lord Sigismund welcomed their first daughter, Anna Elizaveta, in 373 E.S. Tragedy struck when baby Anna was snatched from her cradle by Azdrazi and presumed dead. Their second daughter was born two years later, though she was a sickly child and not expected to live past childhood. However, live she did, and they named her Josephine Aleksandra. After Lord Sigismund passed away in 381 E.S., Princess Charlotte left Josephine in the care of the new Countess of Dobrov to scour the continent for her long lost daughter Anna. Although the only surviving trueborn daughter of Lord Sigismund, Lady Josephine was not named the Countess of Dobrov due to her frailty and illness. The mantle instead passed to his great-niece Alexandra Karenina Carrion-Tuvyic. After nearly six years of travel, Princess Charlotte located Anna Elizaveta, who was very much alive and well. They came across one another in the streets of Karosgrad, the capital city of Haense, and Princess Charlotte reportedly recognised Anna by her grey-blue eyes, a symbol of her Novellen heritage. Unaware of her true identity, Anna had been raised by her foster family, the Cotsofana’s, under the name Molia. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ IV RETURN TO WITH MOTHER AND DAUGHTER REUNITED, Anna returned with Princess Charlotte to Providence to join Imperial society, as was her birthright. She took the name Moliana, combining her birth name and her foster name to respect both facets of her identity. Princess Charlotte also sent for Josephine in Dobrov, who had never visited Providence nor attended Imperial court. Together they took up residence in the Aldersberg apartments within the Augustine Palace, joining Princess Charlotte’s brother and his wife and children. Shortly after her return to Providence, Princess Charlotte resumed many of her Imperial duties, one of the first being the Social Season of 1835 (388 E.S.). Usually, the Empress or Princess Imperial would preside over the debut and other Social Season events, but Princess Josephine Augusta was well known to be disinterested in courtly affairs and John VIII had no consort. Princess Josephine left the upkeep of the Imperial court almost exclusively to Princess Charlotte and the Governess of the Augustine Palace, Lady Mary Casimira Othaman. Princess Charlotte urged Moliana to participate in the Social Season as a way to introduce her to Imperial life, but this did not come without its controversies. Some writings claim that Princess Charlotte named her own daughter as the Ruby of the Season (which is the equivalent of the Ruskan Rose of Lifstala), and that this nepotistic demeanour culminated in a general dislike of Princess Charlotte within the Imperial court.3 Another publication, written at the time of the debut, is likely more accurate. The Petite Potins, a gossip column of the time, writes that Princess Charlotte chose three contenders for Ruby: Lady Alina Basrid, Lady Laurène Ashford de Savoie, and her daughter.4 Lady Alina was ultimately chosen as the Ruby, not Moliana. Although the gossip column makes a snide comment, there does not appear to be any lingering ill-feeling towards Princess Charlotte as a result of her choice. Indeed, a few short years later in 390 E.S., Princess Charlotte was chosen to model for the Nové Jubilee, an exposition on Imperial fashion.5 Later that year, John VIII died, leaving no issue. The crown passed to his brother, Prince Philip Augustus, now styled as Philip II. At his coronation, Philip II bestowed a number of titles and offices unto his children, including naming his son and heir, Prince Philip Aurelian, the Duke of Adria. He also declared that his heir needed to take a wife to serve as his future consort. “Having been one of the few remaining prominent members of the Imperial court, and having two young daughters of her own, the well-regarded, sensible Princess Charlotte was seen as both a fitting match for the Duke of Adria and a suitable candidate for a future consort. The wedding between the two was well-attended and not inexpensive, but, given how both were now middle-aged, far from extravagant.”6 3] HG Austina, Duchess of Adria and Countess of Aldersberg, The Duchesses of Adria, 455 E.S. 4] The Augustine Court, Petite Potins: The Opening of the Season 1835, 388 E.S. 5] Madames d’Amato, Clementina, Valentina, and Antony, The Nové Jubilee, 391 E.S. 6] HL Justinian Nafis and HRH Adolphus of Sutica, THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE: Volume VIII; The Turmoil , 445 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ V AS THE Princess Charlotte’s heraldry as the Duchess of Adria. NOW THE DUCHESS OF ADRIA, Princess Charlotte’s role at court only grew. She and her daughters moved from the Aldersberg apartments to the much more sumptuous and spacious Adrian apartments, where they lived alongside Prince Philip’s children by his late wife.7 Although Lady Moliana and Lady Josephine would not be given the titles of Imperial Princesses, they were afforded much of the same privileges as Prince Philip’s Imperial-born children. In particular, Josephine began attending lessons with Princess Amelia before she departed the capital city for a long-term visit to her mother’s home in Pompourelia. By this time, Prince Philip’s eldest son, Prince Philip Amadeus, had left the continent with his new bride, and Princess Charlotte’s relationships with her other stepchildren were said to be cordial but at times strained. They missed their late mother terribly. Princess Amadea of Pompourelia was a well-regarded woman, and although she had passed away three years prior in 387 E.S., some found it controversial for Prince Philip to remarry. Princess Charlotte acknowledged this in an interview with the Providence Post in 391 E.S., stating that she was a close childhood friend of Princess Amadea’s, and that being chosen by the Emperor to marry his son and heir had come as a great shock.8 The marriage between Princess Charlotte and Prince Philip was widely seen as one of little love and fondness but with mutual respect between them. Prince Philip’s numerous affairs had not yet come to light. Shortly after their marriage, the Duke and Duchess of Adria departed on a tour of each of the Imperial vassals, a journey expected to take the better part of a year. At some point during their journey, Princess Charlotte instructed her handmaiden Margaret to travel to alchemists across the continent and purchase crates of frost oil. She was very passionate about fighting against the Azdrazi menace, considering they were believed to have kidnapped her daughter from her cradle, and frost oil was a known weakness of theirs. Upon returning to the capital at the conclusion of the Imperial tour, Princess Charlotte entrusted these crates of frost oil to Philip II, who in turn ordered them distributed amongst the Imperial State Army. Because of the elderly Philip II’s poor and ever-declining health, it was left to the Duke and Duchess of Adria to perform many Imperial functions, including attending diplomatic meetings in foreign nations. In 392 E.S., they attended a state dinner in the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska hosted by the newly crowned Sigismund III to discuss, among other matters, the Treaty of Helena. Signed in 339 E.S. by the dual-monarchs Anne I and Joseph II and King Josef of Haense, the treaty ensured non-aggression and a defensive alliance between the Holy Orenian Empire and the newly-independent Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska.9 Article VI contained an expiration clause; the treaty would expire after fifty years if not renewed by both parties. Considering the Treaty of Helena had expired three years prior, the Duke and Duchess of Adria likely sought to renew it to ensure lasting peace between the two nations. This treaty would never be signed, and Haense would later join the Sinners’ War against Oren in 403 E.S. Back in Providence, Princess Charlotte used her position as the Duchess of Adria to secure a meeting with Archchancellor Drasus de Nurem to discuss the fate of Dobrov. Lady Alexandra, the Countess, had been missing for some months and was presumed dead, leaving the upkeep of Castle Woldzmir and the surrounding town in the hands of her husband, Lord Konstantin Ruthern. Princess Charlotte discussed the notion of Lord Konstantin marrying one of her daughters so that he might retain the title of Count-Consort of Dobrov. These machinations would shortly prove unnecessary with the condemnation of Lord Franz Nikolai Carrion-Tuvyic, Lady Alexandra’s father, and the stripping of all Imperial titles from his branch of the family. CLAIMS TO THE DUCHY OF ADRIA The Duchy of Adria is traditionally an elected title, though from the reign of Joseph II it had been inherited much like any other. A collection of Grenzi lords argued that the transfer of the Duchy of Adria to Prince Philip Aurelian was illegal, and in 390 E.S. held their own election where Lord Franz was elected the Duke of Adria.10 The authors of The Decline and Fall of the Holy Orenian Empire erroneously state that Lord Franz was the Count of Dobrov, but this title was held by his daughter, Lady Alexandra, as she was specifically named in the late Lord Sigismund’s last will and testament. This election was met with strong rebuke by Prince Philip Aurelian.11 When Lord Franz refused to relinquish his claim, Philip II declared his branch of House Carrion-Tuvyic to be traitors in 393 E.S. and stripped them of all titles within the Empire, including the County of Dobrov. Rather than installing Lady Moliana as the Countess of Dobrov, the title was held in abeyance, leaving her to inherit the lesser title of the Barony of Woldzmir. Lady Moliana and her sister Josephine took the name ‘Tuvyic’, striking ‘Carrion’ from their name and distancing themselves from the disgraced branch of their house. 7] HIH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, The Adrian Household, 391 E.S. 8] Imperial Ministry of Civil Affairs, Providence Post - 1838, 391 E.S. 9] The Treaty of Helena, 1786, 339 E.S. 10] HL Justinian Nafis and HRH Adolphus of Sutica, THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE: Volume VIII; The Turmoil , 445 E.S. 11] HIH Philip Aurelian, Duke of Adria, On the Mission of Adria, 390 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ VI AS THE PRINCE PHILIP AMADEUS, THE DUKE OF FURNESTOCK, returned to Providence in a casket in 397 E.S. His body, along with five of his young children, were returned to the capital on the ship Amadeus and a state funeral was held.12 Philip II also issued an official proclamation of the Duke of Furnestock’s death.13 Princess Charlotte doted on these step-grandchildren of hers. She was frequently seen carrying the infant Prince James and Princess Victoria in her arms and playing with the slightly older Princess Catherine, Prince Peter, and Princess Julia. She even secured wardships for the children with preeminent peers of the Empire, including sending Princess Julia to ward beneath her daughter Moliana, the Baroness of Woldzmir. This earned her the fond moniker of the ‘Grandmother of Oren’ for a time, though later her reputation would be sullied. By this time, Lady Moliana had left the capital to tend to her new home in Woldzmir, leaving Princess Charlotte and Lady Josephine in the capital. Although Josephine had been old enough to debut with her sister in the previous season, her illness often kept her bedridden for days at a time. When she did debut in 397 E.S., she remained in a delicate condition, but well enough to attend the debut and various events throughout the Social Season, even if the Petite Potins did remark that she looked rather pale at her debut.14 Princess Charlotte, now the head of the Imperial court in all but name, did what she could not do when Moliana debuted and named her daughter the Ruby of the Season. The Providence Post wrote at the time: “The Social Season was opened with a debut of those young women within the season, in which the Duchess Adria announced that her own daughter would be declared Ruby of the Season, Lady Josephine Aleksandra of Dobrov, a dedicated mother’s choice.”15 On a much less positive note, the Petite Potins reported on the choice of Ruby with some surprise and begrudging congratulations.16 By far the most scathing criticism of Princess Charlotte’s choice came from the famed jeweller Lady Vespira de Selm, who in her 398 E.S. catalogue presented a ruby necklace called ‘Adria’s Favoured’ with the description “A necklace inspired by the Duchess of Adria’s choice for the Season’s Ruby, nicknamed as ‘Nepotism’”.17 This was noted with some shock and scandal in the Petite Potins column of 398 E.S.18 This was a notable rebuke, for Lady Vespira was single-handedly responsible for swaying the trends of jewellery in Orenian high society at the time. She had previously produced and sold a hairpin with an ivory likeness of Princess Charlotte’s face as a way to celebrate her wedding to Prince Philip Aurelian, popularising gold and pearl hairpins for that season.19 If the criticism impacted Princess Charlotte in any way, she did not show it. She spent the latter months of the Social Season attempting to arrange a marriage for Lady Josephine, considering Prince Marus of Hanseti-Ruska and Prince James Francis of Oren as suitors. Neither eventuated, with Prince Marus going on to marry Lady Henrietta of Cathalon, who is the subject of a future independent study. Instead, Lady Josephine allegedly took an interest in Lord Konstantin Ruthern, the Lord Mayor of Dobrov who Princess Charlotte originally wanted to arrange a marriage with to strengthen her daughters’ claim to Dobrov. They were observed speaking in the library of Susa during a party towards the end of the Social Season. THE BEGINNING OF THE END At a meeting of the Charlottean Court in 399 E.S., Princess Charlotte dismissed Lady Mary as the Governess of the Augustine, offering her an empty title as the Superintendent of the Adrian Household and a conciliatory damehood. Lady Mary saw this offer for what it was—a forced retirement—and departed the capital in an outrage. In a letter addressed to the courtiers of the Augustine, she wrote, “With my leaving of the Augustine I’ll retire to my recently inherited estate in Redenford, my final resting place. I do encourage callers, however, for I find the country far too boring for my own taste.”20 In Lady Mary’s place, Princess Charlotte attempted to raise Lady Laurène Ashford de Savoie as the Governess, but Lady Laurène was reluctant to take the position despite having served as Majordomo for several years. She and her two sisters had looked to Lady Mary—who they called Madame Marie—as a mother figure when they first arrived in the Holy Orenian Empire from their home in the Principality of Savoy. In Lady Laurène’s stead, Princess Charlotte raised her close friend, Lady Anna Mariya.21 As an interesting aside; through deeper research this author discovered that Lady Anna Mariya was in fact Queen Mariya of Aurveldt, who had faked her own death in 368 E.S. to flee her marriage to King Heinrik II. The lethal consequences of Lady Mary’s dismissal would not make themselves known for another few years. In the interim, Imperial life went on as usual. At a feast to celebrate Saint Robert’s Bounty in 401 E.S.,22 Philip II announced a major reconstruction of Providence, producing the schematics drafted by his daughter and now Archchancellor Josephine Augusta. He publicly asked Princess Charlotte’s opinion on the designs for the new city, who approved them with vigour. Construction began almost immediately, with Princess Charlotte and Lady Josephine assisting with the design of the Empress’ suite and Imperial gardens. This city was slated to be called Saint James, but practically all denizens of the Empire took to calling it New Providence. New Providence had scarcely completed construction, the Imperial court still moving their belongings into the new Imperial palace, when a message arrived for Princess Charlotte at a convention of her private advisory council in 402 E.S. The Duke and Duchess of Furnestock, Prince Philip Amadeus and Princess Anastasia of Kositz, had returned to the mainland, the Duke having faked his own death some years prior. For now, the Duke and Duchess remained in the Principality of Savoy with close friends. That is, until cries of “rally the faithful!” echoed across the continent and the Duke and Duchess along with thousands of supporters swarmed New Providence in what would later come to be called the Aster Revolution. The Duke of Furnestock had crowned himself Philip III in the throneroom of San Luciano and issued to his Imperial grandfather The Mandate of Heaven, stating “I will return to our Empire and save it from the decay that grips it now. I will act in accordance with the Lord’s will and return our Empire to better days, days that many long for. Your throne is mine. Surrender it to me and I shall free Oren from its shackles.”23 In addition to the support of Olivier I, Prince of Savoy, the Duke and Duchess of Furnestock had the support of many Orenian peers, including their longtime friend and confidante Lady Alina of Susa, the Baroness of Carrington.24 12] Imperial Ministry of Civil Affairs, Providence Post - 1845, 398 E.S. 13] HIM Philip II, Holy Orenian Emperor, Our Imperial Family, 397 E.S. 14] The Augustine Court, Petite Potins: The Opening of the Season 1844, 397 E.S. 15] Imperial Ministry of Civil Affairs, Providence Post - 1845, 398 E.S. 16] The Augustine Court, Petite Potins: The Opening of the Season 1844, 397 E.S. 17] HL Vespira L. de Selm, Catalogue of 1845, 398 E.S. 18] The Augustine Court, Petite Potins: A Shaky Journey, 398 E.S. 19] HL Vespira L. de Selm, Catalogue of 1840, 398 E.S. 20] HL Mary Casimira Othaman, Thoughts and Actions of the Lady Governor, 400 E.S. 21] HIH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, The Charlottean Court Reform of 1848, 401 E.S. 22] TH Sofiya Oma d’Azor and HL Anne Josephine d’Arkent, Mistresses of Ceremonies for the Augustine Court, An Imperial Celebration of St. Robert’s Bounty, 400 E.S. 23] HIM Philip III and HIM Anastasia of Kositz, The Mandate of Heaven, 402 E.S. 24] TH Alina of Susa, Baroness of Carrington, On Progress, 402 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ VII THE THE ASTER REVOLUTION was a swift and somewhat bloodless coup d’état except for three key deaths: the Emperor Philip II, his daughter and archchancellor Princess Josephine Augusta, and his son and heir Prince Philip Aurelian, the Duke of Adria. The latter died first, his cause of death a point of contention that would send ripples across the entirety of Canondom and cast a pall over the reign of the new monarchs. The authors of The Decline and Fall of the Holy Orenian Empire posit that there were three central narratives surrounding Prince Philip’s demise.25 Before those theories are examined, it is important to first understand the nature of Prince Philip’s personal relationships. The Duke of Adria had a number of mistresses, some of whom he fathered bastards on. One such being Miss Gracia Falcone, otherwise known as Lady Valentina, the famous seamstress. They had met while preparing for the Nové Jubilee and struck up an affair while Miss Gracia was serving as Prince Philip’s Mistress of the Robes, which Lady Moliana discovered and wrote about in her diary. Another of Prince Philip’s mistresses was none other than Lady Mary, on whom he begot a bastard named William Trissingham, born 387 E.S. This means Prince Philip and Lady Mary had started their affair while Princess Amadea lay dying from a sweating sickness. Following Princess Amadea’s death, Lady Mary had her marriage to Lord Viathan Othaman annulled, no doubt with the expectation that she and Prince Philip would marry and she would be the next Empress of the Holy Orenian Empire. When Philip II selected Princess Charlotte to be Prince Philip’s bride instead, this no doubt started the slowly building ember of resentment in Lady Mary’s chest that ignited into a wildfire the day Princess Charlotte dismissed her from court. Onto the theories of Prince Philip’s death. The first: Prince Philip Aurelian suffered a major health event and died in his chambers. The second: Lady Mary Casimira, consumed by grief and jealousy, lured Prince Philip to her house in New Providence and slew him, either by her own hand or that of a hired sellsword. The third and final theory: Empress Anastasia employed Lady Mary Casimira to carry out the assassination of her father-in-law. The latter was the preferred theory of Henry Penton, author of the Philippian Chronicles, who wrote: “The Duke of Furnestock, his wife, Anastasia, and the Prince of Savoy, Olivier Renault, plotted in the south to kill Philip’s father, the Duke of Adria, and then coup his grandfather. This assassination came to fruition in the early part of the year when the last bricks of New Providence were being laid. The Duke of Adria was lured into the chambers of one of his mistresses and stabbed through the heart.”26 To Princess Charlotte, it did not matter at that moment how her husband had died, only that he was dead, followed soon thereafter by Philip II and Princess Josephine Augusta. Fearing for her safety and the safety of her daughters, Princess Charlotte took what possessions she could carry and fled with Lady Josephine to Castle Woldzmir where Lady Moliana had established her court. 25] HL Justinian Nafis and HRH Adolphus of Sutica, THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE: Volume VIII; The Turmoil , 445 E.S. 26] Henry Penton, The Philippian Chronicles, 434 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ VIII IN THE ENSUING MONTHS, Lady Moliana shored up Woldzmir’s defences with the expectation that the new Emperor would march north into the Grenz, for she had not sworn fealty to him nor done him homage at the first session of Imperial court in New Providence. She need not have worried—Philip III had far more pressing issues to contend with, namely the continuation of his grandfather’s war against the Grand Kingdom of Urguan (the Sinners’ War) and the repercussions of the Michaelite Schism. THE SINNERS’ WAR The initial war engaged by Philip II amounted to only a few brief skirmishes before the Aster Revolution, at the conclusion of which Grand King Ulfric Frostbeard of Urguan announced a conclusive victory against the Empire; his quarrel had been with Philip II, not his grandson.27 Rather than accepting the peace, Philip III issued a series of unreasonable demands and, when these were refused by Urguan, mobilised the Imperial State Army. Instead of facing only the Dwarven army, however, the Empire was met by the combined forces of the Tripartite Accord: the Grand Kingdom of Urguan, Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska, and the Kingdom of Norland, supplemented by mercenaries from the Ferrymen company.28 THE MICHAELITE SCHISM Shortly before the Sinners’ War began in earnest, the Imperial Crown found itself embroiled in the Michaelite Schism—an attempt to depose High Pontiff Everard VI in favour of an Imperial-backed clergyman they dubbed High Pontiff Michael I. Soon recognising their folly, Prince Olivier II of Savoy, Philip III, and Empress Anastasia of Kositz underwent a walk of penance to Karosgrad to seek forgiveness from Everard IV and recognise his pontifical authority.29 PRINCESS CHARLOTTE’S RESPONSE Having fled to Castle Woldzmir with her daughters, Princess Charlotte watched these events from afar, growing increasingly concerned. In 403 E.S., she was observed attending a meeting with the Lord Palatine of Haense, Konstantin Baruch, though it is unknown exactly what was discussed. It can be assumed they spoke of the war and the Michaelite Schism, but it is also possible they discussed friendship between Haense and the Barony of Woldzmir, given Dobrov’s physical proximity to Haense and Lady Moliana’s personal friendship with Sigismund III. Princess Charlotte and Lady Josephine attended Tuvmas celebrations in Karosgrad later that year. Princess Charlotte and her daughters observed the walk of penance along with thousands of other onlookers and, being nobility, were able to enter the basilica itself. They were present when a dark curse struck the basilica, making many of the attendees bleed from their eyes, nose, and mouth, but were towards the back of the basilica and therefore able to promptly leave and return to the safety of Dobrov. A few short weeks after the walk of penance, Philip III, Empress Anastasia, and Vice-Chancellor Olivier Renault (formerly Prince Olivier I of Savoy) were again excommunicated in an Encyclical Letter.30 High Pontiff Everard VI had received evidence that Empress Anastasia plotted to murder Prince Philip Aurelian and conducted an investigation, concluding that “We can now declare that We believe the contents of the letter to be the truth, that the Holy Orenian Empress attempted to conspire with an Azdrazi to murder her father-in-law, the Duke of Adria. Not only this, but We believe that Emperor Philip III and the Imperial Vice-Chancellor Olivier Renault are complicit in this plot, for soon after the death of the Duke, the Prince proclaimed Philip as Emperor.”31 A popular theory is that, when conspiring with the Azdrazi Antonius Vilac did not come to fruition, Empress Anastasia instead employed the help of Lady Mary Casimira. The Baroness of Woldzmir’s response to these events shall be examined in closer detail in the following chapter. For Princess Charlotte’s part, she arranged a funeral service for her late husband; something that the Imperial Crown had failed to do despite maintaining possession of his body. She made her opinion on the manner of his death quite clear, writing, “Sadly, we shall never know what the reign of Emperor Philip Aurelian would’ve been. His existence was stolen from him without any care for the person whose life was being taken out of their own hands. The greatest sin of humanity, in my eyes, is to claim the life of another in cold blood.”32 Empress Anastasia herself is said to have attended this funeral service, but rather than paying her respects or grieving her father-in-law, spent the majority of the ceremony convincing the other attendees that she had had no hand in his death. Princess Charlotte then went on to meet with the Grand King of Urguan to sue for peace and most likely gain support for her later bid for the Imperial throne. Unfortunately for her, while she was meeting with the Grand King in the Dwarven capital of Kal’Darakaan, a small group of Imperial soldiers infiltrated the palace. They captured Grand King Ulfric and brought news of the meeting back to New Providence, though the tale grew larger and more lurid in the retelling. What had begun as a meeting between the Underking and Princess Charlotte soon spiralled into depraved rumours that Princess Charlotte had been caught abed with the Underking.33 Princess Charlotte was swift to respond. She released a missive detailing her motivations for meeting with the Dwarven King—to secure a lasting peace so that the Empire could rebuild and recover from the last few tumultuous years—and denounce the sinful rumours that she was the Grand King’s lover.34 The gossip subsided, but it would later be renewed with malicious fervour following Princess Charlotte’s attempt to claim the Imperial throne. 27] HL Justinian Nafis and HRH Adolphus of Sutica, THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE: Volume IX; The Aster Empire, 452 E.S. 28] Brotherhood of Saint Karl, The Black Banner: Haeseni Military History, 427 E.S. edition. 29] Brotherhood of Saint Karl, The Black Banner: Haeseni Military History, 427 E.S. edition. 30] HH Everard VI, High Pontiff of the Holy Church of the Canon, Encyclical Letter: Poenitentia Incompleta, 404 E.S. 31] HH Everard VI, High Pontiff of the Holy Church of the Canon, Encyclical Letter: Poenitentia Incompleta, 404 E.S. 32] HIH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, Remembrance of an Heir, 403 E.S. 33] HL Justinian Nafis and HRH Adolphus of Sutica, THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE: Volume IX; The Aster Empire, 452 E.S. 34] HIH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, A Mother’s Love, 403 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ IX AS An artist’s depiction of Princess Charlotte’s coronation, had it happened. PRINCESS CHARLOTTE RELEASED The Proclamation to Faith in 408 E.S., announcing her intention to claim the throne of the Holy Orenian Empire by virtue of her Novellen blood and the right of a leal Canonist to wage war against excommunicated rulers.35 She made the following terms to Philip III and Anastasia I, who had been made Empress-Regnant through the Edict of Kositz in 406 E.S.36 Firstly, the Emperor and Empress would abdicate their titles to Princess Charlotte and take up vows to the Church. Secondly, Prince Peter Augustus, the Prince of Providence, would remain the Imperial heir. Princess Charlotte would abdicate to him following his twenty fifth birthday, at which point she would also take monastic vows. Thirdly, Philip III and Anastasia I’s children would retain their Imperial titles and be afforded Princess Charlotte’s protection, as their step-grandmother. Fourthly and finally, the Imperial Treasury would be turned over to Princess Charlotte. Her proclamation was met with widespread derision and letters of denunciation, the most famous being the public letter issued by Lord Ivan Var Ruthern, brother to Anastasia I and the heir to the Duchy of Reutov. He wrote, “The Orenian people see that you are nothing but selfish, meaningless, and power-hungry. You circled around this Empire like a vulture, waiting for a time to strike… You are nothing more than a foreign threat. You are not one of us, nor will you ever be, the most you will ever become is a traitor to our cause.”37 He explicitly referred to Princess Charlotte as the “mistress of the Dwarven King”, a sentiment shared by many Imperial citizens. Her meeting with the Grand King five years previously was quickly propagandised in pamphlets and satirical cartoons, discrediting her person and her claim to the throne.38 Princess Charlotte faded into relative obscurity and did not pursue her claim any further, preferring to spend her time in Castle Woldzmir with her grandchildren—Lady Moliana had since married Lord Elimar Mondblume and had two children, Viorel and Sorina. Her peace would later be shattered in 412 E.S. when her youngest daughter, Lady Josephine, was executed by Anastasia I. Lady Josephine had journeyed to New Providence, cloaked, believing that none of the citizenry would recognise her. While in the city library, she was seen by an Imperial guardsman who had served in the Augustine Palace. He arrested her and brought her to the gaol, where she was interviewed by Anastasia I and Archchancellor Joseph d’Azor. Anastasia I brought Lady Josephine to the throne room and gave her the opportunity to publicly denounce her mother and sister in front of hundreds of onlookers but Lady Josephine, who had always been frail and sickly, displayed a rare bravery, stating “I reassert the will of the Church of the Canon and turn away from you, for you are Anathema, unfit to rule for the murder of the rightful heir, Prince Philip Aurelian. May GOD judge you, Anastasia, as he will judge me, and judge us all.” Anastasia I beheaded her. Lady Josephine’s body was returned to Woldzmir. It is unclear and undocumented when Charlotte died, but some say that receiving her daughter’s body made her go mad with grief and pass away quietly in her sleep. Another theory is that Princess Charlotte died before learning of Lady Josephine’s death, supported by a letter written to her daughters in 413 E.S. To Josephine, she wrote, “You shall always be my Ruby of Providence… a sparkling, flawless jewel without fault. I pray you will come home to me soon, before I pass from this world, so that I might sing to you once more as I did when you lay sleeping in your cradle. My handmaid says you have ventured to Providence, so I only hope you will remain cautious.”39 Lady Josephine was venerated for her martyrdom in 412 E.S.40 and beatified in 419 E.S.41 A portrait of Blessed Josephine Aleksandra Tuvyic, painted shortly after her mother became the Duchess of Adria. 35] HIH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, The Proclamation to Faith, 1855, 408 E.S. 36] HIM Philip III, Holy Orenian Emperor, The Edict of Kositz, 1853, 406 E.S. 37] HG Ivan var Ruthern, Duke of Reutov, A Proclamation of Faith?, 408 E.S. 38] HL Justinian Nafis and HRH Adolphus of Sutica, THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE: Volume IX; The Aster Empire, 452 E.S. 39] HIH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, To Moth and Sparrow Dear, 412 E.S. 40] HH Tylos II, High Pontiff of the Holy Church of the Canon, The Sixth Golden Bull of Jorenus, 412 E.S. 41] HH Tylos II, High Pontiff of the Holy Church of the Canon, The Eighth Golden Bull of Jorenus, 419 E.S. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ X Do you girls think, someday, the people of Oren will remember me with any lingering fondness? Princess Charlotte wrote this in her final recorded letter. Hers was a life of tragedy and betrayal, elation and heartbreak. She rose to the highest heights of the Imperial court only to be cast down with a stroke of Lady Mary Casimira’s blade. Her story, with all its triumphs and failures, reveals a woman far more complex than the scandals surrounding her. Her final, poignantly vulnerable question speaks to her deep desire for acceptance and understanding from the Orenian people. Despite the efforts of other authors to erase her from history, Princess Charlotte's impact on the Holy Orenian Empire was far-reaching. Even her political missteps, viewed through the lens of time, can be seen as attempts to bring peace to the Empire she called home. While the people of Oren may not have remembered her with the fondness she hoped for, Princess Charlotte's legacy is not defined by the propaganda of her enemies or the fickle memory of the masses, but by the indelible mark she left on the fabric of Oren's history, and the legacy of the generations of women who came after her. ⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯ Her Ladyship, ERIKA KORTREVICH, Ward of the Lady Palatine

A GAME OF THE HAESENI ZODIAC CREATED BY ERIKA KORTREVICH 557 E.S. ⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯ IN 489 E.S., THE COURT ASTRONOMER revealed the reformation of the Haeseni Zodiac, heralded by the Great Migration to our continent of Aevos.1 While examining the night sky during her studies, Erika’s mind wandered, recalling her girlhood when she played Haeseni chess against her sister Primrose. The game infuriated her, and Erika stormed off when her sister sent one of her pieces back to her starting square when it was so very close to entering the home row. She sought to make a new game, just as fiercely competitive as Haeseni chess but with more elements of strategy and choice rather than pure chance. Sequestering herself in the Royal Archives, Erika soon devised a game based on the celebrated constellations of the Haeseni Zodiac and their relationships with one another and the mortal plane: Zodiakal. 1] HRH Mischa Florentina, Court Astronomer, The Haeseni Zodiac. ⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯ I A depiction of The Wind from the Reformed Haeseni Zodiac. THERE ARE SEVEN CONSTELLATIONS of the Zodiac, each with their own stories, allies, and rivalries. In Zodiakal, each of the constellations are represented by a tile on the gameboard with accompanying boons and banes. The alliances and rivalries between the constellations also impact gameplay. NIKUL, THE MOON | ally of none, rival of none MORRIGHEIN, THE QUEEN | ally of the Wanderer, rival of none YBIS, THE COMET | ally of the Hero, rival of the Sea KOSTANA, THE WIND | ally of none, rival of the Hero HARUHTROW, THE WANDERER | ally of the Queen, rival of none ODRIN, THE HERO | ally of the Comet, rival of the Wind PISKTRO, THE SEA | ally of the Wanderer, rival of the Comet INFLUENCE TOKENS EACH OF THE CONSTELLATIONS have their own influence tokens which are collected by players throughout the game. These represent influence over the mortal plane and are derived from the stories of each constellation. NIKUL'S MOONSTONE MORRIGHEIN'S GOBLET YBIS'S FALLEN STAR KOSTANA'S TRUMPET HARUHTROW'S FLUTE ODRIN'S SWORD PISKTRO'S PEARL ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ II THE BOARD IS SEVEN BY SEVEN TILES with zodiac tiles placed at regular intervals around the edge of the board, denoted by different colours. THE MOON | white THE QUEEN | yellow THE COMET | black THE WIND | light blue THE WANDERER | dark green THE HERO | orange THE SEA | dark blue In the centre is the token box where influence tokens are stored and picked up from. Around the outside of the board are places for players to keep track of the influence tokens they have collected. If the game is played with two players, there are three of each influence token in the central box (twenty-one in total). If the game is played with three players, there are four of each influence token in the central box (twenty-eight in total). If there are four players, which is the maximum, there are five of each influence token in the central box (thirty-five in total). The game is played with a single six-sided die. Each player is represented by a game piece: either white, black, red, or yellow. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ III Haeseni ladies playing Zodiakal. THE GOAL OF ZODIAKAL is to gain influence over mortals by possessing an influence token from each of the seven constellations. The winner is the first person to collect all seven influence tokens. The game can be played with two, three, or four players. All players begin the game on THE MOON tile and roll the six-sided die. The number rolled determines how many places a player can move (always in a clockwise direction around the outside of the board). Pieces can circle around the board as many times as it takes to collect one of each influence token. Once someone has been chosen to roll first, the order of rolling is also in a clockwise direction. Influence tokens are gained by landing on a zodiac tile (for example, landing on THE QUEEN means you can pick up Morrighein’s Goblet from the central token box). They can also be gained through the special abilities attached to different zodiac tiles. While a player can possess multiple influence tokens from the same constellation, all players may only have seven influence tokens at a time. If a player picks up an influence token when they already have seven, they will need to discard one into the central box. Because players may possess more than one kind of each influence token, it is possible to land on a zodiac tile and there are none of that specific influence token in the central box. If this happens, then the player unfortunately cannot collect that influence tile during that turn. Multiple players can be on the same tile at the same time. ZODIAC TILES IF A PLAYER LANDS ON one of the seven zodiac tiles, they may choose to perform special actions or, if applicable, use any alliance or rivalry effects. Even though all players begin the game on THE MOON tile, they cannot use THE MOON’s special action or collect Nikul’s Moonstone until they actually land on it. THE MOON | You may spend two influence tokens to block any special action while you are on this tile. This includes actions taken against a player other than yourself or actions taken for the benefit of a player. THE QUEEN | Pick up an additional influence token from the central box, but you must also give another player an influence token of your choice from the central box. THE COMET | Attempt to steal one influence token from any player by rolling the die (you must get a 6 to succeed). THE WIND | Move to any zodiac tile on the board and perform that action (the player can pick up Kostana’s Trumpet for landing on THE WIND tile but cannot pick up the influence token of the zodiac tile they move to). THE WANDERER | You may roll again. This does not apply if you choose to use the QUEEN-WANDERER ALLIANCE special effect and move to THE QUEEN tile. THE HERO | Challenge another player to a duel where each of you roll the six-sided die. The highest number wins, with the winner taking one influence token from the loser. If there is a tie, roll again until there is a winner. THE SEA | Exchange one influence token for another from the central box. ALLIANCES AND RIVALRIES SOME OF THE CONSTELLATIONS have allies and rivals which can be interacted with throughout gameplay to the players’ benefit and detriment. Note that an influence token can only be collected if the player lands on that zodiac tile by rolling; not by moving to that tile through special actions. You cannot use two special effects in the same turn; you must pick between the zodiac tile’s special effect or the special effect given through an alliance or rivalry. This does not apply to “passive” effects such as the restrictions in the COMET-HERO ALLIANCE and the WIND-HERO RIVALRY. QUEEN-WANDERER ALLIANCE | Landing on THE QUEEN tile allows you to move to THE WANDERER tile instead and make use of its special action. The opposite is also true, meaning landing on THE WANDERER tile allows you to move to THE QUEEN. COMET-HERO ALLIANCE | When attempting to steal another player’s influence token either through rolling the die (when on THE COMET) or duelling (when on THE HERO), you cannot duel or steal from a player if they are on the other zodiac tile in this alliance. SEA-WANDERER ALLIANCE | If a player lands on THE SEA tile while already possessing Haruhtrow’s Flute, they can exchange one influence token for any two other influence tokens from the central box. It is possible to exchange an influence token for another of the exact same kind, functionally making this the ability to collect a free influence token. COMET-SEA RIVALRY | If you land on THE COMET or THE SEA tile and there is another player on the opposite tile in the rivalry, you must sacrifice a token to the other player. WIND-HERO RIVALRY | If a player is in possession of both Kostana’s Trumpet and Odrin’s Sword and lands on either THE WIND or THE HERO tile, their turn is over. They cannot use any special effects. This includes if a player has just picked up Kostana’s Trumpet or Odrin’s Sword from landing on that zodiac tile. ⌯◃⟐▹⌯ IV FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF ZODIAKAL players, here is a directory of possible moves and strategies for each zodiac tile. LANDING ON THE QUEEN TILE (YELLOW) ⟡ Collect Morrighein’s Goblet from the central box. ⟡ Pick up an additional influence token from the central box, but you must also give another player an influence token of your choice from the central box. OR ⟡ Move to THE WANDERER tile and roll again. LANDING ON THE COMET TILE (BLACK) ⟡ Collect Ybis’s Fallen Star from the central box. ⟡ If there is a player on THE SEA tile, you must sacrifice an influence tile to that player. Your turn is then over. OTHERWISE ⟡ Attempt to steal one influence token from any player by rolling the die (must roll a 6 to succeed). ⟡ You cannot attempt to steal an influence token from a player on THE HERO tile. LANDING ON THE WIND TILE (LIGHT BLUE) ⟡ Collect Kostana’s Trumpet from the central box. ⟡ If you have both Kostana’s Trumpet and Odrin’s Sword, your turn is over. ⟡ If you do not have both Kostana’s Trumpet and Odrin’s Sword, you may move to any zodiac tile on the board and perform that action (you cannot collect influence tokens from the zodiac tiles you land on using this special action). LANDING ON THE WANDERER TILE (GREEN) ⟡ Collect Haruhtrow’s Flute from the central box. ⟡ Roll again. OR ⟡ Move to THE QUEEN tile and pick up an additional influence token from the central box, but you must also give another player an influence token of your choice from the central box. LANDING ON THE HERO TILE (ORANGE) ⟡ Collect Odrin’s Sword from the central box. ⟡ If you have both Kostana’s Trumpet and Odrin’s Sword, your turn is over. ⟡ If you do not have both Kostana's Trumpet and Odrin's Sword, you may challenge another player to a duel where each of you roll the six-sided die. The highest number wins, with the winner taking one influence token from the loser. If there is a tie, roll again until there is a winner. ⟡ You cannot duel a player on THE COMET tile. LANDING ON THE SEA TILE (DARK BLUE) ⟡ Collect Pisktro’s Pearl from the central box. ⟡ If there is a player on THE COMET tile, you must sacrifice an influence token to that player. Your turn is then over. OTHERWISE ⟡ Exchange one influence token for another from the central box. If you have Haruhtrow’s Flute, you may exchange one influence token for two influence tokens from the central box. LANDING ON THE MOON TILE (WHITE) ⟡ Collect Nikul’s Moonstone from the central box. ⟡ You may spend two influence tokens to block any special action while you are on this tile. This includes actions taken against a player other than yourself or actions taken for the benefit of a player. This effect exists even if it is not currently your turn. ⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯ Her Ladyship, ERIKA KORTREVICH, Ward of the Lady Palatine

A report by Erika Kortrevich | 557 E.S. y brother Andrei and I were in the Royal Archives looking for books on healing and potions, having just accidentally interrupted the Lady Palatine and Grand Lady during our search. We found one—A Treatise on Northern Medicine by Queen Amaya and other authors. Just as I came to a page with a beautiful illustration of the Sigmundic Zodiac, a terrible, hate-filled scream echoed through the halls of Kastell Lesanov. An otherworldly voice shrieked GIVE HER TO ME over and over again, the horrible sound reaching us down in the Royal Archives. Andrei immediately drew his blade from its scabbard and led the way out of the Archives, onto the steps, and up into the Kastell-proper. He is training under Ser Belisar, you see, so his bravery is unmatched. And, we both have the blood of the bull running through our veins. I wanted to flee as far away from the screaming as possible, but the bull on our heraldry symbolises unwavering strength and determination, so I followed behind him, swallowing my fear. Inside the Kastell, we found the door to the sitting room scratched and scarred; it swung open with an ominous creak, revealing a scene directly from a nightmare. Chaos, everywhere. Broken furniture, torn paintings, the large mirror above the hearth shattered, a few scant pieces left hanging from the frame. In that same hearth, the usually yellow-red flames glowed unnaturally blue, casting the entire room in a horrible sickly pallor like the face of a dying man. I’ve seen them before, helping my mother in the Hospital of Saint Amyas. Their faces go grey-blue, just like Lady Irena and the Lady Palatine’s faces looked like in that eerie, cold light. Lady Irena clung to the Lady Palatine just as I clung to Andrei’s arm. Something dark was in that room, something unspeakable and sinister. And cold. So, so cold. I could see my own breath, silvery-grey in front of me. That awful, disembodied voice screamed at Andrei and I to get out. Discarded books, candles, and jagged pieces from the broken mirror levitated, stirred by a phantom wind, and flew directly at us. Andrei bravely lifted his shield, decorated with the crow of Hanseti-Ruska, and held it between me and those lethal projectiles, where they clattered harmlessly to the floor. “Leave the children be,” the Lady Palatine roared. “I am the one who knows your kind. I am Oracleborn. Take me!” “No!” Lady Irena held fast to her aunt. “You will not take her!” In that moment, a crack rent the very air. Deathly blue light flared up, spectral flames dancing in the fireplace, and then it appeared. Whatever it is. The room grew impossibly colder as the dark, swirling mist turned into something more tangible, a skeletal figure with glowing eyes. My memory grows hazy and indistinct here, muted by terror, but I remember a growl like nothing I have ever heard before. It rattled the walls, the windows, even my ribcage. I have never felt so frail and mortal as I did when that sound went through me. I vaguely recall Andrei shoving his sword into my hands, reaching instead for the spear strapped across his back. It’s strange, what you can remember in the aftermath. I can clearly picture the horsehair tassel hanging at the top of the shaft near where the metal began, dyed blue and green. It looked like the weapons Queen Juliya’s kinsmen carry. Andrei stabbed the spear towards the spectre and it wailed, writhing inhumanly; the most horrible sound you can ever imagine, high-pitched and shivering like it would make your skull shatter. The thing turned to Andrei with a surge of otherworldly power that hit him squarely in the chest, sending him careening backwards into the door, which shattered into a hundred pieces on impact. He went tumbling across the tiles outside, rolling over and over through the debris until he finally halted, breathing hard and staring up at the ceiling. With his coughing and gasping for air, I thought he might have punctured a lung, which my mother says is lethal. There’s nothing you can really do if you puncture a lung; it just deflates like a broken ball made from pig’s bladder and then you die. I was terrified that would happen to Andrei, and I would see his chest collapse inwards. My hand is shaking now, even as I write this. I instantly threw the sword down and rushed to his side, but nothing appeared broken, and he was able to yell out for Lady Irena and the Lady Palatine to get out of the room, so his lung could not be punctured. I glanced over my shoulder for only a moment. Just a moment, but as I write it now with trembling fingers, it’s as though that moment stretched for hours. The Lady Palatine thumbed a cork out of a bottle in her pocket and flung the contents up into the air, directly towards the half-solid, half-ephemeral creature, where it landed amongst the dark swirling mist like droplets of liquid sunlight. I ducked my head, crouching over Andrei as a rippling shriek echoed out of the sitting room. Whatever the Lady Palatine threw at it caused the creature’s presence to wane, flying through the shattered doors and out into the night, blasting through the front doors of Kastell Lesanov. The spectre may be gone, taking its unnatural, oppressive chill with it, but I can still hear its departing howl echoing across the world every time I close my eyes and try to sleep. No sooner has my head hit the pillow that I hear it again, ancient and eternal. It is out there, somewhere. I know in my heart it will return again, and this terrifies me. But I know as well that there are ways to fight against the dark, as I saw when the Lady Palatine dispelled the creature with a flick of her wrist, the potion cutting it to its core when even Andrei’s spear could not. I want to learn how to do that, how to make the darkness go away, even when fear eats me alive. That is why I have gratefully accepted the offer of the Lady Palatine to become her ward. HER LADYSHIP, ERIKA KORTREVICH

Adalfriede watched on from the Seven Skies as Leon ascended, clucking her tongue disapprovingly. In bed? In bed? There were yet more werebeasts to kill and Roach loyalists to smoke out and slaughter. How could you die safe and comfortable in our bed? Even so, gladness warmed her cold, shrivelled heart to have Leon at her side once more, apart for only a few months as they had been. In death, that elusive completeness found her at last, her insatiable hunger satisfied. “A game of Ur, my dear husband? All the rest of it is in Frederica, Erwin, and Wilhelmina’s hands now.”

TO MY SUCCESSORS AN MEINE NACHFOLGER | TO MY SUCCESSORS Issued by PRINCESS OF MINITZ In the year of our Lord 2003 ET THIS DOCUMENT SERVE AS MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT. I, ADALFRIEDE OF HEXENWALD, being sound of body and of mind, hereby leave the following possessions to the people so named herein. My husband, PRINCE LEON II — I leave to you my skull collection, in the hopes that it will continue to be displayed. I also leave to you my ant farm; may watching them keep you company. My loyal hirdman, ISOLDE VON KANUNSBERG — To you I leave Juliaskjöld, to be used by you in your defence of Princess Frederica and Prince Leon and passed down to a shieldmaiden you deem worthy. I leave as well my spear, for the same purpose. My daughter, PRINCESS FREDERICA I — To you I leave the Fürstinsbrok, a symbol of Reinmar and the fierce rulership of Reinmaren women. I bid you to wear it for your reign and pass this heirloom through female rulers and consorts as a sign of office. I also leave to you the contents of my wardrobe, to be done with as you see fit. My son, PRINCE BRANDT BARCLAY— I refuse to believe you are gone from this world. To you I leave my runecarving tools, if you ever come home to claim them. My daughter, ROSALYN VON EHRENWALD — I leave to you my Lorraine cross, to be worn by you during your lifetime, your daughter Runhild during her lifetime, and then returned to the Barclay archives upon her death. My daughter, JOSEFINA VON WESENBURG — To you I leave Guldaur Adalfriediskja, my ouroboros earrings, to be worn during your lifetime and returned to the Barclay archives upon your death. I also leave to you my dirk, which was given to me many years ago by my mentor Ser Malcolm, who taught me to fight with it as I taught you. My son-in-law, ESTMUND VON EHRENWALD — To you I leave an alchemical potion gifted to me at my coronation. My grandson, ERWIN BARCLAY — To you I leave my pipe Gildfaaesten, carved by the hands of Adelmar von Kanunsberg, which reminds me of Hexenwald. My granddaughter-in-law, WILHELMINA BARCLAY — I leave to you Das Diadem von Minitz, which I have worn since my coronation in 1968. It is my wish to see you crowned with it at your own coronation, and all consorts who come after you. My granddaughter, RUNHILD VON EHRENWALD — I leave to you the flask of glacial whispers, which I stole from you on your nameday. My sister, GERTRUDE BARCLAY — To you I leave my diamond cascade earrings, which were a gift from my daughter Josefina. My niece, CORINNA RADEMACHER — I leave to you a silver charm wrought in the shape of a skull, to remind you of your proud lineage. My granddaughter, PRINCESS OLIVIYA OF HANSETI-RUSKA — I leave to you a doll made in my image by Jay Amaranth, to remind you of me. My friend, JAY AMARANTH — I leave to you a mysterious scroll, hoping you will find its meaning on your adventures. Also; cut your hair. My friend, YVAINE VAN LEUVEN — To you I leave my fishing equipment, as a reminder of those months you spent in the lands of Reinmar and the lessons learned there. It is also my wish that you share my secret and my thoughts with the Lady Palatine, to do with as she will. In relation to the MASQUE OF NAFIS YAR — It is my wish that this relic be displayed in the trophy room of der Heidepalast and entrusted to the care of the next Barclay who bears the title Lord or Lady Vandalore. In relation to the ELECTORATES OF MINITZ AND REINMAR-SUTICA — It is my desire as Lady Vandalore to see these Electorates of the Waldenic Diet merged into one upon the ascension of my grandson Erwin to the sole leadership of the Reinmaren peoples. Let this Electorate be known simply as Reinmar; unified forevermore. In relation to the OFFICE OF THE LAWSPEAKER — It is my desire that my son-in-law Estmund von Ehrenwald be raised to the position. He has trained under me as a Lawman for many a year and it is my belief that he will uphold the Grand Kanun with diligence. In relation to the PRISONER LUKAS VON KRETZEN — It is the duty of next Lawspeaker to mete out punishment, however, given that he will have spent twelve long years in the Kretzen prisons, it is my desire as Lawspeaker to see him sentenced with a pilgrimage to holy sites. Let the sun shine golden on his face and cleanse his addled mind of folly. In relation to MY HORSE, LON — It is my wish that Lon, after many years of serving me faithfully, is gently put to death and burned with me upon my funeral pyre, so that we might ride forever through the lands of the ancestors. In relation to MY GOLD — It is my desire to see all gold from my personal coffers placed into the Reinmaren treasury. WER RASTET, DER ROSTET HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE of HEXENWALD, PRINCESS OF MINITZ, LAWSPEAKER OF REINMAR, MARGRAVINE OF VANDERFELL, LADY VANDALORE

And how long, pray tell, will you be Vandalore? Until I die, of course. Let death take me with a crown on my head and spear in my hand. Abdication is for the soft of heart. Adalfriede’s nerves sparkled with electric awareness—the veil scratching her ears, the stiffness of her gloves, the golden circlet tight around her temples. And that blackthorn grip most of all, the dirk’s handle moulded to her hand after fifty years. “It must have been a difficult day for you, with your mother's funeral.” Adalfriede sidled around the edge of the well, her blade hidden behind her back. “You seem tired, Sir Otto. We wished to bring you food and good cheer.” What an easy thing it had been, convincing that softheaded barmaid to trot dutifully behind her to Stroheim Manor, carrying a plate of food for the poor, grieving knight. He really did look tired, deep purple shadows under his eyes. Shadows he had had for years… years of walking amongst her people, her children, her grandchildren, all the while holding fast to his dark and terrible secret. Anger surged through Adalfriede, burning and unfamiliar to she who was constructed of iron-will and pipeleaf smoke. Untethered and wild and reckless. Get ahold of yourself. She squeezed the handle of her dirk even tighter. “Danke schön, Fürstin.” Sir Otto’s gaze darted to her, a barely perceptible twitch under his eye as Adalfriede stalked closer. Barely perceptible… except to her. Adalfriede had spent hours in front of the looking glass perfecting every smile, every glower, until she could control each muscle in her face with half a thought. This man could hide nothing from her. Not anymore. She came close enough to see herself reflected in his eyes—Johanna’s eyes, she realised with a start. Johanna Stroheim, the woman she had left to die at the hands of those Frankish warriors some forty-five years ago. Perhaps Adalfriede should have put an arrow through Johanna’s throat herself. That way, she wouldn’t have borne Sir Otto, and none of this would have happened. Sir Otto pursed his lips, looking down at the plate the barmaid had brought, piled high with roast turkey and potatoes. What was her name? Ah, yes. Annaleisa. “Inside?” He nodded to the doors of Stroheim Manor behind them. Oh, no, no. Adalfriede would not be a corpse in some forgotten, windowless room. She drew the dirk from behind her back and pressed its point against the vulnerable softness beneath Sir Otto’s chin. “Out here is fine, sir.” His neck already bore wounds and marks; the harsh, burning line of a garrote or rope across his throat. Curious. Sir Otto dropped the plate of food, sending it shattering to the gravel as he jerked back. He raised shaking hands between them, and Adalfriede gauged how far they were from the sword sheathed at his side. It would take time for him to draw it, time where she could dart in and stab up into his skull. Ser Malcolm had taught her that. For a moment she was back in that manor house in Whitespire, going through the motions with him, learning to fight in her long skirts. Sir Otto backed away a few steps, but his words failed him, lips opening and closing like a fish. Adalfriede stalked after him, sunlight glinting wickedly from the edge of her blade. Smashed ceramic and turkey bones splintered beneath her boots. “You were seen,” she hissed, that carefully controlled ember of fury sparking to life in her breast. Calm, calm, she told herself. A killing calm. “At my grandson's wedding. You have looked me in my face and worn that cross on your chest knowing all the while that you…” She could not even say it, her upper lip curling in contempt. “You bring shame onto the name of Saint Tylos.” “You have yet to kill me,” Sir Otto breathed, his hands still held in the air. His fingers trembled. “I should.” Adalfriede jabbed the tip of her dagger against his armoured chest, right by the cross of Saint Tylos. “By GOTT I should spill your lifesblood here in front of your family's manor.” She brought her blade up close to his throat, the leather of her gloves creaking with the force of her grip. “How did this happen? How did you become this?” Sir Otto lifted his chin, his eyes dark and haunted. He made no move to back away or knock aside her blade. “I did not ask for it. Can’t you see?” His gaze turned pleading, a deep furrow between his brows speaking of pain and keening sorrow. Not enough to melt Adalfriede’s stony heart. “It is a curse. There is no cure, trust me I've tried. It's… It's…” Words evaded him. The whites of his eyes showed now, wide and terrified as Adalfriede’s blade drew a small bead of blood. “... Otto?” came Annaleisa’s voice, small and afraid. Adalfriede had forgotten about her entirely. She fiddled anxiously with her long blonde braid, looking between them both. “Otto, what is she talking about?” “There is a cure.” Closing her eyes, Adalfriede took a deep breath in through her nose. That rage subsided, spiralling deep down into her. Down and down that bottomless well until there was nothing left of it, only a smooth, emotionless calm. “May your soul be redeemed in the Seven Skies, Sir Otto.” With that sombre prayer, she angled the tip of her blade beneath his chin and opened his throat from ear to ear, as smooth and clean as breaking the wax on a scroll. Annaleisa let out a high, piercing scream. Sir Otto jerked back, blood spewing from the gash in his throat and staining the gravel crimson. Annaleisa rushed forwards, pressing her hands over his throat to stem the bleeding, but it ran through her fingers in thick rivulets. Adalfriede heard the screams as if from far away. Nothing could touch her, no sadness nor regret. She bowed her head. O’ the one who defeats the enemy and the heretic, the guardian of the guardians, the shadow of God on this Earth. O’ Exalted Owyn, I pray to thee, guide this wayward soul before the Lord and cleanse his soul of wickedness. Sir Otto’s dying words came out in a gurgle… until it turned into a muted scream. A growl rumbled out of him, loud snaps echoing out from beneath his armour. The metal bulged unnaturally, Sir Otto’s limbs cracking out at unsightly angles, and he fell to his knees as the armour peeled off of him like dead leaves. Crimson dripped from the edge of Adalfriede’s blade and onto her boot. Blood thundered in her ears. “Get away,” she barked at Annaleisa, but she couldn’t even hear her own voice. “He's going to, he's… he's transforming.” “Into what?” Sir Otto’s screams rose to a crescendo then fell quiet. Unnervingly so. His legs lengthened, bending in the way of a dog’s, and his arms grew long and wiry thin, topped with long claws growing from his knuckles. In eerie silence the sinister being rose, towering far above Adalfriede, a thin thread of saliva dripping from its half-open maw. Blood matted the fur around its throat but the deathwound seemed little more than a scratch against its leathery skin. Amber eyes looked directly at her, pupils shrunk to rageful pinpricks. Adalfriede stood, transfixed, her dagger a steak knife next to those claws. She clenched her hand around the blackthorn grip and brought it up between them anyway. Sunlight glinted off the bloodied metal, still as sharp as the day Ser Malcolm gave it to her. Impossibly fast, a confusion of black and grey fur knocked her on her back. Hot breath on her face, stinking of gore. At first, she felt nothing. The creature’s head plunged towards her neck and she heard the wet squelch of teeth ripping into flesh, saw the spray of blood, but there was no pain. Everything, numb. Clouds scudded through the sky far overhead, blurry, mixing with the golden light of an afternoon sun. The barmaid screamed again, distant and distorted. I cannot die, Adalfriede thought dumbly. I have no spear in my hand. The pain rushed in like wildfire, screaming over the flesh of her neck and shoulder, burrowing right down to the bone. The werewolf’s teeth scraped against her clavicle but still it bit down. It would keep biting until her bones shattered under the pressure. Then they did, with a wet crack. Darkness crept in at the edges of Adalfriede’s vision but she would not let it swallow her whole. “Get… help…” she wheezed to Annaleisa. Stupid girl, she might have added, but that darkness pressed in, swirling and thick like the fog during her Trial of Spirit. She had stared at a reflection of herself in that dark river, avarice coiling around her like serpents, ambition morphed into twisted trees taking root in the deepest recesses of her soul. Theoderic watched on from over her shoulder, masked and expressionless. I do what I must to survive. She struck her palm against the water, shattering the twisted face of her worse half. You were there, you saw what they did to our family when we showed a flicker of weakness. It may be ugly, but in this world there are necessary evils. If you only tapped into me out of necessity, why am I here, embedded in the very fabric of your world? Because we are in a constant state of survival. We are not safe. Do you think of me only as prey? Must I always run away, survive, survive, survive? What of living? I do not know what that is. To survive, you suppress me. To live, I suppress you. If we were at peace with one another, we could do both. Peace… Peace looked like smoking in the gardens with Adelmar, a filmy haze around them as the day faded to purple night. It looked like games of Ur against Leon, even though he always won. Perhaps she let him win, just to see that smile, dimpled like the young man she had married. Sitting in the fields of heather with Frederica as a girl, then a young woman, then a princess. Riding with Isolde. Carving runestones with Estmund. Her family, these bright lights shining around her like so many stars, what had begun as a way to secure her place as princess becoming so much more. The wolf reared back, sending a bite down towards her throat, but Adalfriede brought up her good hand and held one of those long canines, keeping the beast’s heavy head away from her. She would not die today. There were yet more runestones to build. Estmund’s honour must be avenged. She had the Waldenic Diet, the Reinmaren Moot. Trials of the Stallion to oversee, kings to topple. Lukas von Kretzen languished in a cell; he could not emerge a year from now and find her dead. No, no, I am the Lawspeaker, I will see justice done. Her hand may well have been made from parchment. The creature took off two fingers and broke every other bone with the force of its bite. Those fangs came down on her throat and ripped it out with one savage shake of its head, but as her blood coated its tongue, the werewolf recoiled as if burned. Its weight lifted off of her. So, so light… she could float right up into the clear blue sky. Hot blood pumped from the ruin of her throat, soaking her veil. It’s already red. It will wash out. Breath rattled in her chest. A gruesome cracking of bones sounded out, snarls turning to screams, then whimpers. A beast no longer, Sir Otto lay beside her, his throat once again bleeding where she had slashed it. He gurgled and coughed, his body convulsing. In killing the beast, Sir Otto was an unfortunate casualty. Adalfriede feebly patted the gravel, searching out Sir Otto’s hand with her own mangled one. She didn’t feel pain anymore. It was like she was floating, half in, half out of her body. The sky called to her. Or was that Caius Primus? Her good fingers found Sir Otto’s hand, and he opened his palm for her, interlacing what he could of their fingers. “Mother?” he gasped out through ruined vocal chords. Adalfriede’s head lolled towards him. A faint, hopeful smile pulled at his lips, still wet with her blood. A single tear rolled down the side of his face, cutting through the gore, and dripped to the ground. Distantly, shouts. Shadows moving in the courtyard, hands pressing over the red ruin of her neck. She gurgled wordlessly, squeezing his hand. Yes, your mother is here. She did not burn on the funeral pyre. I did not leave her to die. The smile remained, even as the light faded from Sir Otto’s eyes. The blood from her ravaged throat spilled slower now, more of a seeping trickle. Good, good. Soon, I will sleep, and wake up next to Leon in our chambers. Adalfriede excelled at lying, even to herself, but this lie unravelled quickly. Numbness crept up her legs. Princess, Vandalore, Lawspeaker… none of it without him. No life without him. There was a strange relief in knowing she would go first. Josefina… watch over your father. 1941–2003

Remnant embers glowed in Adalfriede von Hexenwald's eyes, silent tears tracking, unbidden, down her cheeks. The charred skeleton of Kovgrad was all-too-similar to the blackened Hexenwald, growing smaller through the trees as she was carried away by Ser Malcolm. She didn't know she could still cry, didn't know she still had tears left for that distant castle and the family burned within. "You will survive," she told Dima, for a moment seeing herself in the girl. "Not just survive." The little Princess Oliviya squeezed Adalfriede's hand. "Dima will thrive." Perhaps. If she was strong enough.