Toffee

Adalfriede von Hexenwald, the Lady Vandalore, cracked the knuckles on her condemnation-writing hand.

The morning the unsigned letter arrived, Adalfriede woke up blind. Total, suffocating blackness. It took ten terrified heartbeats for her to realise no smoke clogged her nostrils and stung her eyes, no crackling flames roared in her ears. Only Leon’s quiet breathing from the pillow beside her. And she was not blind; he had closed the drapes around their four-poster bed and layered them with spare bedding to create a quiet cocoon, blocking out all light and sound. So deep was his grief he did not want the morning birdsong to disturb it. What must it feel like to feel such all-encompassing sadness for the loss of a man he called brother? The loss of her own brother elicited no feelings in her, not a ripple. Just numbness, like a stone dropped down a well but it kept falling and falling and falling and never found the water at the bottom. Wulfram was not dead, only gone, but dead and gone had no real difference. Pulling on a thick woollen robe, Adalfriede shoved her feet into unlaced boots and shuffled to the tower where she liked to tend to her writings. A small window looked out over Kretzen, a direct line of sight into the square and the main street leading to the eastern gates. All the better for Adalfriede to keep an eye on her city. She could see individual figures moving about their business in the dawn light, yet to read the letters an arm’s length from her nose she needed to hold a polished red beryl up to her eye and squint. The first letter bore no sigil, sealed with a nondescript, uncoloured wax. She prised it open with the edge of her dagger. To the Lady Vandalore. I write to let you know… Each word was carefully penned, smooth and precise, every letter slightly different from its previous occurrences. On one line, a ‘g’ with a looping tail flowed into the following ‘a’, on the next, the tail terminated in an inelegant slash directly downwards. No signature at the end, only a slightly ominous I believe I can trust you to act in accordance with what you believe is best for Reinmar, the Holy Church, and worthy of being smiled upon by GOD Almighty. Beo thu gesund. The High Pontiff? One of the Electors? Baldric Vourkehardt? Someone who knew the Reinmaren words of greeting and farewell, but why any of them would wish to remain anonymous eluded her. She puzzled over it while performing her morning ablutions, combing out her long, dark hair and covering it with a veil, securing it in place with a simple gold circlet. Gertrude sometimes helped her to dress in the mornings if she wore a gown and not the traditional, sweeping robes of the Reinmaren—the latter had no need for complicated laces and smallclothes. Gertrude, never a maidservant. Adalfriede kept no maidservants, allowed them nowhere near her quarters nor her desk, even if they were Blooded. Let them reign over the lower levels of der Heidepalast, their eyes and ears far away from her. Spying on her mistress was what she would do, if she were a servant. What she planned to do in the court of Aaun, had she not married Leon. Adalfriede clasped her cloak with the golden Fürstinbrok as she left the bedchamber, her husband still dozing in his bed cocoon even as the pale dawn light turned bright and clear with the rising morning. Colour streamed across her face through the stained glass windows, all the way from the tower, through the throne room, and out into the grounds. Isolde met her at the palace gates, falling silently into step beside her, the silver Hirdmanbrok shining proudly on her Hauptmann armour. “You have my congratulations, meine Fürstin.” Garden paths became city streets and soon enough the Moot Hall rose on their right. Stonemasons chipped away at a likeness of Adalfriede, ready to place it on the plinth where Herr Robert’s bust stood. Lawspeaker of Reinmar. Saying the title to herself sent a thrill through her stomach, bright and sparkling. Princess, Lady Vandalore, Lawspeaker. Everything she had ever coveted, sitting in her hands like so many jewels. Every rival she had ever had, in the ground or otherwise thwarted. Why, then, did this emptiness persist inside of her? A dark chasm between her heart and stomach, untouched by the birth of her children nor the waters of Gamesh as the High Pontiff anointed her brow. Light only touched that place when she was feuding, the constant push and pull of power, her mind alive with schemes and her blood thundering from hidden threats both real and imagined. Adalfriede ascended the dais beside Sir Varik, standing on either side of the Lawspeaker’s chair. The minutes passed slowly, painfully, as the tribesmen sat assembled and still Prince Leon did not arrive. Any other day, any other Moot, she could lead it in his stead, leave him to his grief, but today there was to be a blooding, and only the Prince could induct a son or daughter into the tribe. Frederica had not yet been crowned, had not yet sworn the Oath of Macken, so the burden fell squarely on Leon’s shoulders. Leon’s slumped, dejected shoulders. He finally shuffled his way into the Moot Hall and it struck her then just how much he had aged. A once firm, warrior’s belly had softened from years of feasts and ale. His hair, beginning to go to grey, lay limp and unwashed beneath his circlet. Even his eyes, once filled with the vigour of youth, now sat sunken in his face, surrounded by deep grief-shadows. He conducted the Ritual of Blood with tears streaming down his cheeks. Ambivalent to the words, the power they held, the significance of Bernhardt von Wesenburg becoming one with the tribe. It should not have surprised her when Brandt threw down his dagger, yet her heart stumbled in a triple-beat, breath catching in her throat. “This is my birthright, ordained unto me by the lineage, thus, I challenge you. For the position you are no longer worthy of.” That empty space inside of her shuddered and recoiled. No light to be had here, no excited tremor to bridge the chasm left gaping inside of her like an open wound. She schemed and plotted to end her rivals in one way or another, and over the course of thirty years she had succeeded, watching them fall in her path like wheat before a scythe. In the face of her son, she stopped her endless harvest. How could she scheme against Brandt? She would never be as Helena, plotting against her own son only to sully his name by becoming a traitor. She would never be as Renilde, executing her own child and displaying his head on a spike. She forced herself to watch the duel to its completion. Kept her eyes open and features flat as Leon carved Brandt’s eye from his skull, the blood price for his insolence. Such was the way of their forefathers—Brandt had earned this fate, just as his namesake had earned his fate all those decades ago. She knew that, even as nausea roiled in her gut. If she would never feud with Brandt, nor Leon, nor Frederica, who was there left to scheme against now that she had risen to the highest of heights? The only place to look was outwards, to that big wide world of kings and usurpers. Adalfriede was not a woman made for contentment. For all she ate, she would always hunger.

Adalfriede entered the quiet palace chapel to find her husband, crownless, bent in prayer. He had been there for a day and a night while the clerics prepared Alfred’s body for his funerary pyre. Approaching on silent feet, Adalfriede set a hand on Leon’s shoulder and just stood with him in wordless comfort. The only sound in the chapel the soft crackling of Owyn’s flame. Finally, she helped Leon to his feet and led him through the castle grounds towards the stables. “Come, we must prepare his horse for the pyre. He will ride amongst the ancestors, the wind on his face, as it is supposed to be.” The Princess maintained her composure, steady and solid in preparation for that final farewell. But as she looked up towards the slate grey sky, she sent up a silent prayer. Watch over us, Cousin. Wer rastet, der rostet.

✠ The Waldenic Issued by the LADY VANDALORE and NIKOLAUS VON LEOPOLD In the Year of our Lord, 1988 FOREWORD VORWORT During the Lady Vandalore’s tour through the Waldenic Electorates, Nikolaus von Leopold raised an idea while she visited the Electorate of Hohengarten. A rulebook, separate from the Sacred Law of Waldenia, to record unwritten laws. He showed her an early draft of this rulebook, or regelwerk, and the Lady Vandalore suggested he turn this into a proposal to be raised at the Waldenic Diet. He did so at the second session of the Ninth Waldenic Diet in 1984, which was met with unanimous approval. In 1988, the Lady Vandalore presented the fully-drafted Regelwerk to the Waldenic Diet, which was unanimously approved. The Regelwerk compiles and records customs, formalities, and petty laws that are not codified in the Sacred Law of Waldenia, but are nonetheless important to the Waldenic Diet and the wider culture. ADMINISTRATION OF THE WALDENIC DIET SIEGMUND’S LAW I. Those non-adherents to the Waldenic culture shall not take up a seat within the Diet Hall, with the exception of guests who the Diet extends the honour to. Named for the law’s proposer, Siegmund von Reuss. First voted upon and approved by the Eighth Waldenic Diet in 1973. Current wording approved by the Ninth Waldenic Diet in 1984. KEEPER OF THE REGELWERK I. The Waldenic Regelwerk shall have a Keeper, tasked with its maintenance and distribution. II. The first Keeper shall be Nikolaus von Leopold. Voted upon and approved by the Ninth Waldenic Diet in 1988. CUSTODIAN OF THE BOOK OF WALDENIA I. The Waldenic Diet may elect a Custodian of the Book of Waldenia. II. The Custodian is responsible for maintaining the Book of Waldenia on behalf of the Vandalore, keeping its history up-to-date. ELECTORAL GRANTS AND REVOCATIONS GRANTING OF AN ELECTORATE The following is a non-exhaustive list of considerations when voting on whether to make an Electoral grant. I. If the prospective Elector is an adult Waldenian patriarch or matriarch. II. If the prospective Elector is in good standing. III. If the prospective Elector is a Waldenian titleholder. IV. If the prospective Elector is confirmed to be in adherence with the Sacred Law of Waldenia and the Vander Code. V. The outcome of an investigation into a Waldenian House. VI. Contributions of the prospective Elector or their House to the Waldenian culture. VII. The length of time the Elector or their House has professed the Waldenian culture. VIII. Efforts to conform to the Waldenian culture that are sincere and lasting. Clauses I–IV are mandatory considerations under the Code of Representation within the Sacred Law of Waldenia. The remaining clauses were approved by the Ninth Waldenic Diet in 1988. REVOCATION OF AN ELECTORATE The following is a non-exhaustive list of considerations when voting on whether to revoke an Electorate. I. If the Elector has committed a gross violation of the Sacred Law of Waldenia. II. If the Elector has failed to attend or send a representative to three consecutive sessions of the Waldenic Diet. III. If a Waldenian House which holds an Electorate has become extinct. IV. If the Electorate continuously neglects to contribute to the Waldenian culture, even where they attend sessions of the Waldenic Diet. Clauses I–III are mandatory considerations under the Code of Representation within the Sacred Law of Waldenia. The remaining clauses were approved by the Ninth Waldenic Diet in 1988. RECOGNITION AND PROTECTION OF TITLES THE REINMAR ACCORDS I. The Waldenic Diet recognizes the independence of the Salvian Syndicate and the legal separation of the Crown of Atheran Salvus from the Royal Crown of Sutica. II. The Waldenic Diet recognizes the coronation of Saint Ottomar of Merryweather and his possession of the Crown of Atheran Salvus in perpetuity. III. The Waldenic Diet agrees to grant safe and unhindered access to the Waldenian reliquaries of Almaris to all Salvian pilgrims, vouched for by the Salvian Syndicate. The terms of the Reinmar Accords were voted upon and approved by the Third Waldenic Diet in 1861. The Reinmar Accords were signed in 1862. Obligations of the Salvian Syndicate, the other signatory of the Reinmar Accords, have been omitted for the purposes of the Regelwerk. THE COMPACT OF MERRYWEATHER The Waldenic Diet and its Electors vow to, in accordance with the Sacred Law of Waldenia: I. Safeguard the Crowns of Aesterwald, Westerwald (the Westerlands), Vandoria and Waldenia, keeping them in abeyance until a time a legal and legitimate Waldenian polity can be established. II. Acknowledge no other as Lord Vandalore and Margrave of Vanderfell than the rightful, by the Diet elected, incumbent. III. Protect each others’ rights to their personal, inherent extant and abeyant Waldenian titles such as Sutica and Merryweather through direct and joint action, without breaking the laws of their realms and without forgoing their extant oaths of fealty. This was first proposed prior to the convening of the Second Waldenic Diet in 1850. The motion to revive the drafting of the Compact of Merryweather was passed by the Third Waldenic Diet in 1864, with the actual document being published by the Fifth Waldenic Diet in 1912. THE ORENIA DECREE I. The Waldenic Diet vows to denounce any man or woman who would dare lay claim to the Kingdom, or Empire, of Oren without consent of the High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon. Discussed and voted upon by the Fifth Waldenic Diet in 1897. TERRITORY AND WILDLIFE THE WALDENIAN WALRUS PROTECTION ACT I. The Waldenic Diet shall protect the habitats of the Waldenic Walrus from poaching. II. Electorates shall engage in mutual cooperation to protect the habitats of the Waldenic Walrus. III. Any hunting of the Waldenic Walrus on lands belonging to an Electorate is forbidden from now until the end of times. IV. Those in breach of these rules shall be condemned by the Waldenic Diet. This was first proposed prior to the convening of the Second Waldenic Diet in 1850. The sentiment was voted upon by the Third Waldenic Diet in 1864, with the official edict published by the Fifth Waldenic Diet in 1894. ✠ In the name of the sons and daughters of Waldenia, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE von HEXENWALD, Princess of Minitz, Lawspeaker of Reinmar, Margravine of Vanderfell, Lady Vandalore, Grandmaster of the Vandorian Order and Order of the Black Eagle HIS LORDSHIP, NIKOLAUS von LEOPOLD

✠ Third Session, 1988 HEXENWALD REINMAR-SUTICA MINITZ MERRYWEATHER-ALSTREIM VOHENHEIM VELEN HOHENGARTEN MOTIONS ANTRÄGE RENEWED VOWS In light of the recent conflict in the Heartlands, all Electors swore to follow the Sacred Law of Waldenia and uphold the Vander Code. AWARDING OF THE WALDENIC SYMBOLS OF MERIT A vote to posthumously award Prince Ottomar II von Alstreim with the Ferrum Cross. A vote to posthumously award High Pontiff Caius I with the Black Ferrum Cross. THE WALDENIC REGELWERK A vote to implement the Waldenic Regelwerk. CRITERIA FOR WALDENIAN RELICS A vote on the criteria for a relic being considered Waldenian. RENEWED VOWS In light of the recent conflict in the Heartlands, a conflict which threatened to send Waldenians to war against one another, the Lady Vandalore called for each of the Electors to speak a vow to follow the Sacred Law of Waldenia and uphold the Vander Code to the best of their ability. “I swear it.” Friedrich von Augusten | Elector for Hohengarten Aurel von Theonus | Elector for Vohenheim Johannes von Alstreim | Elector for Merryweather-Alstreim Leufroy von Reuss | Son of the Elector for Velen Leon Barclay von Minitz | Elector for Minitz Frederica Barclay von Sutica | Daughter of the Elector for Reinmar-Sutica Each of the Electors or their representatives swore to follow the Sacred Law of Waldenia and uphold the Vander Code. This was already their duty, but they will be held to their explicit oaths should any conflict between Waldenians break out in the near future. AWARDING OF THE WALDENIC SYMBOLS OF MERIT The Lady Vandalore proposed two recipients for the Waldenic Symbols of Merit. The first was Ottomar II von Alstreim, twelfth Lord Vandalore and President of the Fifth Waldenic. She nominated him for the Ferrum Cross in recognition of his contributions to the Waldenian culture, both during his tenure as Lord Vandalore and after his abdication, where he became a Vander Knight. The second was High Pontiff Caius I, formerly Brandt I Barclay, who died heroically at the battle of the Hexicanum. The Lady Vandalore nominated him for the Black Ferrum Cross in recognition of his acts of valour and noble death. VOTE: Award Ottomar II von Alstreim with the Ferrum Cross. JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen Hohengarten The vote passed unanimously and Ottomar II von Alstreim was posthumously awarded the Ferrum Cross. VOTE: Award High Pontiff Caius I with the Black Ferrum Cross. JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen Hohengarten The vote passed unanimously and High Pontiff Caius I was posthumously awarded the Black Ferrum Cross. THE WALDENIC REGELWERK The Waldenic Regelwerk was proposed at the previous session of Diet, with the idea unanimously approved. Now that the Regelwerk had been drafted in full, the Diet was called to vote upon its implementation and naming Nikolaus von Leopold as its first Keeper. VOTE: To implement the Waldenic Regelwerk JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen Hohengarten The Waldenic Regelwerk was implemented with unanimous approval. VOTE: To appoint Nikolaus von Leopold as the Keeper of the Regelwerk JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen Hohengarten Nikolaus von Leopold was unanimously named the first Keeper of the Regelwerk. CRITERIA ON WALDENIAN RELICS A vote in the criteria for a relic being considered Waldenian was relegated from the previous session of Diet. The Lady Vandalore proposed that a relic was Waldenian, and not simply a relic from a Waldenian House, if it: I. Belonged to a Lord or Lady Vandalore in their capacity as Vandalore. II. Bears distinctly Waldenian symbols including but not limited to the Waldenian adler (eagle), markings of Saint Lucien or other religious iconography, large gatherings such as moot or Diet sessions, and the breaking of bread. III. Otherwise has significance to the wider Waldenian culture. VOTE: In favour of this criteria JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen Hohengarten MOTION TO ADJOURN THE THIRD SESSION OF THE NINTH WALDENIC DIET VOTE JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen Hohengarten The vote passed unanimously and the session was adjourned. ✠ In the name of the sons and daughters of Waldenia, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE von HEXENWALD, Princess of Minitz, Lawspeaker of Reinmar, Margravine of Vanderfell, Lady Vandalore, Grandmaster of the Vandorian Order and the Order of the Black Eagle

Adalfriede smiled the Sun's Smile to see the updated Kanun resting in its proper place within the Moot Hall.

The Lady Vandalore penned a response upon receiving her invitation. Dear Lady Johanna, I will unfortunately be unable to attend your celebrations. You are a dutiful daughter, already representing your princely father at the Waldenic Diet, and I have no doubt you will serve as a fine and gracious Countess of Whisperwood and Knight of Aaun. I urge you to write to the Ritterkommandant of the Vander Knights, Siegmund von Reuss, with the view of becoming a Vander Knight. You have already shown commitment to the Vander Code and would be a noble addition to the ranks. Yours faithfully, Adalfriede von Hexenwald

RUNHILD’S EDICT RUNHILDSEDIKT | RUNHILD’S EDICT Issued by the PRINCESS OF MINITZ In the year of our Lord 1987 ÖHNE UND TÖCHTER VON REINMAR, RUNHILD, THE LEGENDARY WARRIOR, wife and hirdwoman to Chieftain Leofric, was the first Reinmaren shieldmaiden. From her springs a long line of women warriors, yet our most sacred lawbook the Grand Kanun does not recognise this tradition in its current iteration. I touched on this in my writings of The Reinmaren Woman. Furthermore, the Grand Kanun provides harsher punishments for assault on women, belying the idea that Reinmaren women are shieldmaidens capable of raising arms in their own defence. Such laws must be amended in order to bring the Principality of Reinmar in line with the roots of equality that the Reinmaren culture is founded upon. ON THE KRIEGSMACHT Book Three, Chapter II, Section II.IV of the Grand Kanun deals with military service within Theoderic’s Warband (now, the Host of Saint Johann). This section previously read: The Reinmaren Tribesmen of the realm, who shall be known as the Sons and Daughters of Minitz, shall be allowed to serve their motherland as her protector, and join Theoderic’s Warband as warriors. This was changed by the Warrior’s Edict of 1908 to: The Reinmaren Tribesmen of the realm, who shall be known as the Sons and Daughters of Minitz, shall be required to serve in Theoderic’s Warband for a period of five years, known as a tour of service. Let women, children, and invalids be excused from this responsibility. If the officers can conclude their participation has been adequate, they may be relegated to auxiliary forces in times of peace. In times of war, the Herzog may declare that auxiliary forces be called upon to resume their service. The proposed amendment to Book Three, Chapter II, Section II.IV is for it to read as follows: The Reinmaren Tribesmen of the realm, who shall be known as the Sons and Daughters of Reinmar, shall be required to serve in the Host of Saint Johann for a period of five years, known as a tour of service. Let children below the age of fourteen and invalids be excused from this responsibility. If the officers of the Host can conclude their participation has been adequate, they may be relegated to auxiliary forces in times of peace. In times of war, the Fürsten may declare that auxiliary forces be called upon to resume their service. The Landtag voted in favour of this amendment during the Moot of 1977. ON ASSAULT OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN Book One, Chapter I.V of the Grand Kanun reads: The one that draws the blood of an unarmed woman or a child be it his own or not shall be judged by the Kanun as a sinner and a deviant, and shall undertake punishment through either a weregild, a flogging, the removal of a finger, or the branding of the right hand with a hot iron so that the world may know of their transgressions. The proposed amendment is: The one that draws the blood of an unarmed woman who is with child or a child below the age of fourteen, be it his own or not, shall be judged by the Kanun as a sinner and a deviant, and shall undertake punishment through either a weregild, a flogging, the removal of a finger, or the branding of the right hand with a hot iron so that the world may know of their transgressions. The Landtag voted in favour of this amendment during the Moot of 1977. WER RASTET, DER ROSTET HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE of HEXENWALD, PRINCESS OF MINITZ, MARGRAVINE OF VANDERFELL, LADY VANDALORE

✠ The Waldenian Initiative Issued by the LADY VANDALORE In the Year of our Lord, 1987 INTRODUCTION EINLEITUNG The Hall of Heroes is an initiative first raised during the Second Waldenic Diet and brought to fruition during the Third Waldenic Diet. It involves the physical construction of a memorial to all brave Waldenian soldiers who have fallen in battle. However, records of these heroes have been lost to time as Mankind fled various calamities, abandoning the halls where they stood. The Ninth Waldenic Diet calls for all Waldenian families to submit the names and deeds of their fallen heroes to be forever commemorated. STANDARDS DER MAßSTAB In order to be commemorated in the Hall of Heroes, an individual must meet the following standards. ✠ Of Waldenian heritage, either by birth, practice, or initiation. ✠ A soldier, knight, warrior, or other combatant. ✠ Died in battle, or from wounds sustained in battle. Those wishing to have their kinsfolk included should write to the Lady Vandalore with the following information. ✠ Name of fallen hero. ✠ Their titles or awards. ✠ In what battle they perished. ✠ How they perished, if this is known. ✠ The year of death, or closest estimate. ✠ In the name of the sons and daughters of Waldenia, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE von HEXENWALD, Princess of Minitz, Margravine of Vanderfell, Lady Vandalore, Grandmaster of the Vandorian Order and Order of the Black Eagle

Very nice lore and beautifully formatted! Good job

✠ Third Session, 1973 Published for posterity in 1986 REINMAR-SUTICA MINITZ MERRYWEATHER-ALSTREIM MARIGNAN VELEN HOHENGARTEN MOTIONS ANTRÄGE REPORT OF THE RITTERKOMMANDANT Hearing a report from the Ritterkommandant on the status of the Vander Knights. BARRING OF NON-WALDENIANS FROM SITTING AT DIET A vote on whether to bar non-Waldenians from being seated at sessions of the Waldenic Diet. REPORT OF THE RITTERKOMMANDANT The Lord Vandalore, Johannes von Alstreim, called for the report of the Ritterkommandant, Siegmund von Reuss. The Ritterkommandant reported that his squire, Anselm Barclay, was ready for knighting. He also suggested that Sir Konstantin von Theonus be permitted to join the Vander Knights. The Ritterkommandant reported that he would be preparing a set list of trials for squires wishing to be Vander Knights. VOTE: Allow Anselm Barclay and Konstantin von Theonus to undertake their final trial JA Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Velen Marignan Hohengarten Merryweather-Alstreim With unanimous approval, Anselm Barclay and Konstantin von Theonus were permitted to undertake their final trials to become Vander Knights. BARRING OF NON-WALDENIANS FROM SITTING AT DIET The Elector of Velen rose the motion to ban non-Waldenians, besides liege lords and their royal households, from being seated at Diet. VOTE: To bar non-Waldenians from sitting at Diet. JA Merryweather-Alstreim Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Velen Hohengarten NEIN Marignan MOTION TO ADJOURN THE THIRD SESSION OF THE EIGHTH WALDENIC DIET VOTE JA Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Marignan Velen Hohengarten The vote passed unanimously and the session was adjourned. ✠

Three months later, all the way across the high seas in the distant city of Fausten, a messenger arrives. He bears news for the Salvian Church—the High Pontiff in Aevos is dead, cut down and martyred. Word spreads through the city, from inns to churches to museums to markets. Caius Primus has ascended to the Seven Skies. Adalfriede kneels in quiet reflection beside the reliquary of Saint Ottomar when the murmurs reach her in that quiet antechamber. It cannot be true, it cannot, yet the messenger finds her on the cathedral steps, the city a pulse all around her. It is undoubtedly his seal, the Spear of Minitz at the heart of it. Reading his familiar handwriting takes her to another time, another place, twenty years ago when her son was still in leading strings and the then-Brandt Cardinal Albarosa read his future in the skies with his great brass astrolabe. The Franklands spread far and wide around them, the city of Kanunsberg at its centre, that spear of Minitz and the pure white wings unfurling on many a banner. Such kind words he had for his great-grandson, and such wisdom. Yet that was only one side to the great man, he who was a Father to all. "Keep your serpentine ways away from me, you harpy. Your innocence, fabricated from the depths of your mind may play onto Leon's ego, and calm his spirit, Princess. But I have beheld far more treacherous demons than you, I can tell a false-note from a true one. They do not call me the witch-hunter for nothing. I am no boy to wrap around your finger, you better remember that, the next time you lie to me." "You do not know my wife, grandfather." "I know her better than you. I've done my time in the Palace and Inquisiton both to tell a flattery from a truth. I may have no eye, but the good one does not miss a thing. You think I haven't noticed the stares? The way she plots? This may not be your first encounter with a blunt man, nor an honest one, my dear Princess. But this is the first time you have met an honest and blunt one. People have hurt you, and have prior abused your mistrust, that you refuse to open your heart. Let the past be the past. You were a vagrant, and now you are the Princess of Minitz, anointed with mine own hand. The palace rules do not apply to you anymore. Change." He made her swear it on his Boomsteel mace, the mark of his office, placing two fingers on the mace, then her heart, then into the air. So she changed. Slowly. Arduously. Caius Primus is with the ancestors now. All the better to watch over Adalfriede, and ensure she keeps changing.

My main issue with pvp oriented groups (not just the Ferrymen) is that, if my character dies IRP, I want to PK. And PKing feels really cheap and not worth it if there was negligible, poor quality roleplay leading up to, during, and after the death. If you want to be impactful, make people feel as if their characters dying or losing was actually for something, rather than just because you were bored and wanted to click some things this is made worse when many Ferrymen personas aren’t actually characters at all but alts with meme names. If you expect people to have their roleplay influenced by you, let them also influence your roleplay. Play real characters with motivations and dreams and goals that can be thwarted and hurt just like any other character I would feel much better about PKing to a character that will actually continue to exist, so they can brag about the kill, feel remorse, be hunted down by my characters family etc. than teal bandana #53 never to be seen or heard from again

Adalfriede von Hexenwald heard the news as she departed the city of Kretzen for her pilgrimage. She sent up a silent prayer for Sir Peter's soul, and prayed others would support her husband in his grief. Another mentor figure from the times of his father, his grandfather... lost.

✠ Second Session, 1984 HEXENWALD REINMAR-SUTICA MINITZ MERRYWEATHER-ALSTREIM VOHENHEIM VELEN HOHENGARTEN MOTIONS ANTRÄGE THE WALDENIC REGELWERK Vote upon the introduction of a rulebook (Regelwerk) to the Waldenic Diet, supplementary to the Sacred Law of Waldenia. WALDENIC SYMBOLS OF MERIT Clarifying the criteria for the awarding of the Waldenic Symbols of Merit. Vote upon the posthumous awarding of the Ferrum Cross to ULRICH LOTHAR von ALSTREIM for his exceptional contributions to Waldenian culture. WALDENIAN RELICS Vote upon the criteria for a relic being named in the Record of Waldenian Relics. Call for all Electors to submit a catalogue of relevant relics held by their Electorate. INTERIM PRESIDENT OF THE WALDENIC DIET Vote upon the Interim President of the Waldenic Diet while the Lady Vandalore embarks on a lengthy pilgrimage. THE WALDENIC REGELWERK NIKOLAUS von LEOPOLD, sponsored by the Electorate of HOHENGARTEN, raised the motion to introduce a rulebook to the Waldenic Diet. This Regelwerk would serve to compile and record customs, formalities, and petty laws that are not part of the Sacred Law of Waldenia, but are nonetheless important to the Diet. If the Regelwerk was accepted, the first law enclosed would be Siegmund’s Law, first suggested by the Elector of VELEN, SIEGMUND von REUSS, during the Eighth Waldenic Diet. This law was voted upon and approved during the Eighth Waldenic Diet, but never formally written. After discussion amongst the Electors, the following wording was settled on and put to a vote to confirm. Those non-adherents to the Waldenic culture shall not take up a seat within the Diet Hall, with the exception of guests who the Diet extends the honour to. While not included in the wording of Siegmund’s Law, the intention was for this to extend to liege lords, their royal households, and envoys from the Salvian Syndicate. VOTE: Affirmation of Siegmund’s Law JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen Hohengarten Siegmund’s Law with its current wording is unanimously approved. VOTE: Drafting of the Regelwerk JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen Hohengarten With unanimous approval, NIKOLAUS von LEOPOLD and the LADY VANDALORE will draft the Regelwerk in full for consideration by the Waldenic Diet. WALDENIC SYMBOLS OF MERIT Originally, this motion was to vote upon the criteria for awarding the Waldenic Symbols of Merit: the torse, the Ferrum Cross, and the Black Ferrum Cross. After some discussion, it became clear that this was not feasible without first seeing a list of all who had been awarded these honours. Talk also turned to the criteria for being inducted into the Waldenian Hall of Heroes, with a suggestion that all Waldenian soldiers earned a place in the Hall of Heroes upon death, while the Black Ferrum Cross was reserved for notable acts of bravery and valour. This distinction, as well as a motion to build a physical Hall of Heroes, will be raised once a list is compiled. A matter that could be voted upon separately was whether these symbols could be awarded posthumously and, if so, a vote to bestow ULRICH LOTHAR von ALSTREIM with the Ferrum Cross for his considerable contributions to the Waldenic culture. The discussion turned soon thereafter to whether the descendants of award recipients were able to wear the award, as was stipulated in the Affirmation of the Waldenic Symbols of Merit, or whether this should be amended. VOTE: Posthumous Award of Symbols of Merit JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen Hohengarten With unanimous approval, Symbols of Merit may be posthumously awarded. VOTE: Awarding of the Ferrum Cross to Ulrich Lothar von Alstreim JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen Hohengarten With unanimous approval, ULRICH LOTHAR von ALSTREIM was posthumously awarded with the Ferrum Cross for his significant contributions to the Waldenian culture during his tenure as the ninth Lord Vandalore and President of the Second Waldenic Diet. JOHANNA von ALSTREIM accepted this honour on behalf of the Electorate of MERRYWEATHER-ALSTREIM. VOTE: Removing the Right of a Descendant to wear their Ancestor’s Honour JA Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen NEIN Hexenwald SICH DER STIMME ENTHALTEN Hohengarten With five in favour, one against, and one abstention, the amendment passes. Descendants are no longer permitted to wear the Symbol of Merit awarded to their ancestors. This change will be reflected in writing in the publication on the criteria for awarding the Symbols of Merit. WALDENIAN RELICS The Lady Vandalore intends to compile a Record of Waldenian Relics and sought the counsel of the Waldenic Diet on the criteria for a relic being considered Waldenian. Much like the previous motion on the Waldenic Symbols of Merit, it was deemed impractical to decide criteria without first seeing a list. The Electors were called to submit a list of their respective Electorates’ relics for consideration at the next session of Diet. VOTE: Clarify Criteria on Waldenian Relics at the Next Session of Diet JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen Hohengarten With unanimous approval, this motion will be voted upon at the Third Session of the Ninth Waldenic Diet. INTERIM PRESIDENT OF THE WALDENIC DIET The Lady Vandalore announced her intention to embark on a pilgrimage to Atheran Salvus, to pay homage to the Infant Martyr and visit each of the holy sites. She anticipated this journey would take two years, during which time an interim president should watch over the Waldenic Diet. The LADY VANDALORE nominated the Elector for VOHENHEIM, AUREL von THEONUS. VOTE: Aurel von Theonus as Interim President of the Waldenic Diet JA Hexenwald Hohengarten Reinmar-Sutica Vohenheim Merryweather-Alstreim SICH DER STIMME ENTHALTEN Minitz Velen With five votes in favour and two abstentions, AUREL von THEONUS is the interim President of the Waldenic Diet for a period of two years. He may style himself as President of the Waldenic Diet, but not as Lord Vandalore nor Margrave of Vanderfell. HOST OF THE NEXT WALDENFEST The LADY VANDALORE nominated the Electorate of HOHENGARTEN to host the next session of the Waldenic Diet and the Waldenfest. The Elector for MINITZ nominated the Electorate of VELEN. VOTE: Host of the next Waldenfest HOHENGARTEN Hexenwald Hohengarten Reinmar-Sutica VELEN Minitz Velen Vohenheim Merryweather-Alstreim With four votes to Velen and three to Hohengarten, the next session of the Waldenic Diet and the Waldenfest will be held in the Electorate of VELEN. MOTION TO ADJOURN THE SECOND SESSION OF THE NINTH WALDENIC DIET VOTE JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Vohenheim Velen Hohengarten The vote passed unanimously and the session was adjourned. WALDENFEST The Electorate of MINITZ was responsible for hosting the year’s Waldenfest, having won the vote at the First Session of the Ninth Waldenic Diet. The Waldenfest of 1984 consisted of a joust and an archery competition, with KONRAD von KRETZEN emerging victorious from the joust, and CORINNA von RADEMACHER taking the title at archery. ✠ In the name of the sons and daughters of Waldenia, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE von HEXENWALD, Princess of Minitz, Margravine of Vanderfell, Lady Vandalore, Grandmaster of the Vandorian Order and the Order of the Black Eagle

✠ A Summons to the Second Session of the Issued by the LADY VANDALORE In the Year of our Lord, 1983 INTRODUCTION EINLEITUNG Each of the Waldenian Houses boasts unique customs, but we are united in our shared values, culture, and history. I recently returned to Reinmar from my tour of the Electorates, where I had the opportunity to meet with Electors and their families and discuss our dreams for Waldenia. It was a fruitful trip, and one I plan to do again later in my tenure. At the previous session, the ELECTORATE of MINITZ succeeded in the vote to host the next Waldenfest. Following the Diet session, the Second Waldenfest of the Ninth Waldenic Diet will be held in the square of Kretzen, Reinmar. SUMMONS AUFFORDERUNG The following are hereby summoned to the Waldenic Diet. ✠ The Electorate of Reinmar-Sutica, represented by His Royal Highness Alfred I Barclay, Prince in Reinmar and of Sutica. ✠ The Electorate of Minitz, represented by His Royal Highness Leon II Barclay, Prince in Reinmar and of Minitz. ✠ The Electorate of Merryweather-Alstreim, represented by His Highness Johannes von Alstreim, Prince of Merryweather. ✠ The Electorate of Velen, represented by The Most Honourable Siegmund von Reuss, Margrave of Velen. ✠ The Electorate of Vohenheim, represented by The Most Honourable Aurel von Theonus, Margrave of Marignan. ✠ The Electorate of Hohengarten, represented by His Lordship Friedrich von Augusten, Count of Hohengarten. The following are hereby invited to attend the Waldenic Diet. ✠ The envoys to the Salvian Syndicate. ✠ All sons and daughters of Waldenia who wish to observe. MOTIONS ANTRÄGE THE WALDENIC REGELWERK Vote upon the introduction of a rulebook (Regelwerk) to the Waldenic Diet, supplementary to the Sacred Law of Waldenia. AWARDING OF THE FERRUM CROSS Vote upon the posthumous awarding of the Ferrum Cross to ULRICH LOTHAR von ALSTREIM for his exceptional contributions to Waldenian culture. WALDENIAN RELICS Vote upon the criteria for a relic being named in the Record of Waldenian Relics. INTERIM PRESIDENT OF THE WALDENIC DIET Vote upon the Interim President of the Waldenic Diet while the Lady Vandalore embarks on a lengthy pilgrimage. ✠ In the name of the sons and daughters of Waldenia, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE von HEXENWALD, Princess of Minitz, Margravine of Vanderfell, Lady Vandalore, Grandmaster of the Vandorian Order and Order of the Black Eagle

Adalfriede read upon the ancient runestone, reflecting on how all Reinmaren should treat visitors as though they were disguised messengers from the Lord most high.

Adalfriede deftly wove a hank of horse hair into a brooch, pouring all of her hopes and dreams for young Erwin's future into each braided bump. Finishing the horsehair brooch with green and blue dye, she stored it away deep in the back of her wardrobe, only to be retrieved when the boy came of age and earned it.

Noble RP does not fit the culture of wood elves as a whole, let alone Nevaehlen. Family structure exists in the Seeds, but it would not make sense at all for some of these Seeds to be "noble" while others are not. If you're looking for hierarchy in the wood elves you'd be better off looking to the faith or druidic circles which have some degree of hierarchy, but even then it's pretty flat. If you want to experience noble RP I'd echo others who recommended you check out human nations instead

✠ First Session, 1981 HEXENWALD REINMAR-SUTICA MINITZ MERRYWEATHER-ALSTREIM VELEN VOHENHEIM HOHENGARTEN MOTIONS ANTRÄGE HOST OF THE NEXT WALDENFEST A vote on who shall host the next Waldenfest within their Electorate. BREACH OF THE VANDER CODE BY SIEGMUND WEISS A vote on whether Siegmund Weiss should be punished for his breach of the Vander Code and, if so, what form his punishment should take. NOMINATION OF SQUIRES Electors may put forth the name of prospective squires for the consideration of the Knights of Vander. THE SACRED OATH The Lady Vandalore swore the sacred oath, intoning: I, Adalfriede Barclay von Hexenwald, hereby solemnly swear to uphold the Sacred Law of Waldenia and the Vander Code as the Lady Vandalore. I make this oath in the presence of the Waldenic Diet, knowing I will be held accountable for any failings. In the name of the Lord GOTT I do so swear, amen. HOST OF THE NEXT WALDENFEST The Electors had the opportunity to volunteer their Electorate or another to be the host of the next Waldenfest. The Elector of Velen nominated the Electorate of Minitz. The Elector of Hohengarten nominated the Electorate of Hohengarten. VOTE: Host of the next Waldenfest MINITZ Minitz Velen Reinmar-Sutica Merryweather-Alstreim HOHENGARTEN Hohengarten Vohenheim ABSTAIN Hexenwald By simple majority, Minitz won the vote. The second session of the Ninth Waldenic Diet will take place within Reinmar, and the Elector of Minitz will be responsible for organising the Waldenfest portion of events. BREACH OF THE VANDER CODE BY SIEGMUND WEISS Siegmund Weiss was summoned to the Waldenic Diet for a breach of the Vander Code, namely to refrain from the wanton giving of offence. He was invited to speak on his own behalf, but instead the Lady Vandalore received correspondence from His Majesty the King of Haense and His Holiness the High Pontiff. Recognising that a core tenet of the Vander Code is to fear the Lord and maintain His church, the Lady Vandalore respected the High Pontiff’s request to leave the matter to the Holy Mother Church. Thus, no vote was held, and there was no further discussion on the matter. NOMINATION OF SQUIRES With the reformation of the Vandorian Order and Order of the Black Eagle, it is paramount that the ranks of the Vander Knights grow as the glory of Waldenia grows. Each of the Electorates have the ability to nominate a prospective squire to be considered by the Vander Knights and Ritterkommandant. It remains the discretion of the Knights who they take on as a squire. The current squires are Konstantin von Augusten, Erwin Barclay, and Konstantin von Theonus. MOTION TO ADJOURN THE FIRST SESSION OF THE NINTH WALDENIC DIET VOTE JA Hexenwald Reinmar-Sutica Minitz Merryweather-Alstreim Velen Vohenheim Hohengarten The vote passed unanimously and the session was adjourned. WALDENFEST Many riders competed in the grand Reinmaren horse race, with Arthur emerging victorious. He was joined on his horse by Josefina Barclay. Junien van Leuven challenged Arthur to a duel and won, and while the duel was hard-fought, both men remain relatively unscathed. We broke bread as Waldenian brothers and sisters in the feast hall, and Adelmar von Kanunsberg regaled the men around him with tales of the Franklands campaign in the Heartlands. With many more gatherings to come, it is my hope that Waldenia will forge closer cultural ties than seen before. I look forward to experiencing this culture in person as I visit each of the Electorates over the next several years. ✠ In the name of the sons and daughters of Waldenia, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE von HEXENWALD, Princess of Minitz, Margravine of Vanderfell, Lady Vandalore, Grandmaster of the Vandorian Order and the Order of the Black Eagle

Adalfriede drew the smoke deep into her lungs. Head tipped back, it flowed from her nostrils in twin silver spirals, some of her tension dissipating with it into the hazy air. You do not partake? Adelmar had once asked her when she had waved away the packed pipe. The one he had made with his own two hands and gifted to her, a band of intricate Reinmaren runes spelling out a word, a name. Hexenwald. No. She liked to keep her eyes open, mind sharp, un-addled by smoke or drink or other earthly distractions. Usually. After the events in the Ferdenwald... Another stream of smoke escaped her, this time from parted lips. From her high window, she watched those trees sway, eternal moonlight silvering the distant needles. Beneath the boughs of those trees mere hours ago, the nameless assailant had launched his potion and the world had exploded into screams and smoke and viscera. The Palatine, dead. That Ruthern cupbearer, broken and bleeding. The King, looking so small in that hulking orc's arms, carried out to the waiting carriage, the Barclay eagle painted on its side. She would have spoken to him at the feast. Woman to man. Vandalore to King. Woven some words to ease any tensions wrought from an exchange of letters while they broke bread and ate of the venison they had hunted together. Two families. Two crowns. They all bled crimson. Written words mattered so very little when that blood was so easily spilled. Adalfriede dashed the charred tobacco from her pipe. The cupbearer couldn't be older than her own children. The thought of any of them stepping to her side, taking the full concussive force of whatever had been inside that bottle, had something grey and oily slithering through her gut. Pawns, bargaining chips, a net of safety against anyone who would remove her from the throne at Leon's side—that was what her children had been, when they were infants. Now she would rather end herself and condemn her mortal soul than ever see any of them as that brave, loyal, foolish little cupbearer. Small and pale on a clinic bed in a land that was not her own, clinging to life with desperate fingers. "Have you any further need of me, mein Fürstin?" "Go home to your family, Isolde." As her hirdwoman nodded and left her to her smoke-filled chambers, a small, seething thing in Adalfriede's chest clattered and roared to be let out. It knew that if Isolde died protecting her—something she had sworn on her blood to do—a part of Adalfriede would die, too. These Reinmaren have made you weak. In the face of these accursed feelings, she was helpless. As vulnerable as that young cupbearer, lying broken on the bed.

MAJESTY, The Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska was founded by men and women of Waldenian and Raevir blood alike. Therefore I trust you know that the Vander Code is as ancient as of both of our proud peoples, stemming from a simple creed and evolving over the centuries into the form that is now entrenched in the Sacred Law of Waldenia. House Weiss is not an Elector upon the Waldenic Diet, though they are of Waldenian blood, as recognised by your own nation. Lord Weiss is therefore obligated never to reject the cultural authority of the Vandalore and the Waldenic Diet, or to challenge their cultural decisions that violate no rights of the Waldenian People through any means other than formal and electoral. He has been invited to formally challenge his summons. Such is the way of the Diet. If Lord Weiss chooses to reject his Waldenic heritage, then the matter ends here. The Diet holds no jurisdiction to pass judgment on a man who is not Waldenian. If he chooses to embrace his heritage, then the Waldenic Diet shall vote on whether he is to receive punishment and if so, whether it will take the form of admonition, a quest of penance, or barring of certain rights such as being granted an Electorate in the future. I shall not subvert your authority within your domain. Do not attempt to subvert mine. ✠ In the name of the sons and daughters of Waldenia, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE von HEXENWALD, Princess of Minitz, Margravine of Vanderfell, Lady Vandalore, Grandmaster of the Vandorian Order and Order of the Black Eagle

✠ A Summons to the First Session of the Issued by the LADY VANDALORE In the Year of our Lord, 1979 INTRODUCTION EINLEITUNG The first session of the Ninth Waldenic Diet shall be followed by a grand Waldenfest within Kretzen, the capital of the Principality of Reinmar. All men, women, and children of Waldenian blood are invited to attend the festivities, which will consist of a race on horseback around the perimeter of the city followed by a feast within the Heidepalast. The rearing and riding of stallions is a long held tradition of the Reinmaren people which we are honoured to share with our Waldenian brethren. The winner of the race shall earn a braided horsehair brooch and a cash prize of two hundred mina. SUMMONS AUFFORDERUNG The following are hereby summoned to the Waldenic Diet. ✠ The Electorate of Reinmar-Sutica, represented by His Royal Highness Alfred I Barclay, Prince in Reinmar and of Sutica. ✠ The Electorate of Minitz, represented by His Royal Highness Leon II Barclay, Prince in Reinmar and of Minitz. ✠ The Electorate of Merryweather-Alstreim, represented by His Highness Johannes von Alstreim, Prince of Merryweather. ✠ The Electorate of Velen, represented by The Most Honourable Siegmund von Reuss, Margrave of Velen. ✠ The Electorate of Vohenheim, represented by The Most Honourable Aurel von Theonus, Margrave of Marignan. ✠ The Electorate of Hohengarten, represented by His Lordship Friedrich von Augusten, Count of Hohengarten. The following are hereby invited to attend the Waldenic Diet. ✠ The envoys to the Salvian Syndicate. ✠ His Lordship, Siegmund Weiss of Novkursain. @SethWolf ✠ All sons and daughters of Waldenia who wish to observe. MOTIONS ANTRÄGE HOST OF THE NEXT WALDENFEST A vote on who shall host the next Waldenfest within their Electorate. BREACH OF THE VANDER CODE BY SIEGMUND WEISS A vote on whether Siegmund Weiss should be punished for his breach of the Vander Code and, if so, what form his punishment should take. NOMINATION OF SQUIRES Electors may put forth the name of prospective squires for the consideration of any squireless Vander Knights. FURTHER INFORMATION Siegmund Weiss of Novkursain stands accused of breaching the Vander Code, namely to refrain from the wanton giving of offence. His words may also be in breach of the Code of Rights in terms of the inalienable right to worship. As a man of Waldenian blood, Siegmund Weiss is honourbound to follow the Code, and as the Lady Vandalore it is my duty to uphold it. The statement in question took place during the XLVII Session of the King’s Duma in the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska. Siegmund Weiss is recorded in the Duma transcript as stating that Owynists are schismatics, and schismatics are worse than pagans. A needless and inflammatory comment for which he must answer. Siegmund Weiss is invited to speak on his own behalf before the Waldenic Diet, or send a representative to do so for him. ✠ In the name of the sons and daughters of Waldenia, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE von HEXENWALD, Princess of Minitz, Margravine of Vanderfell, Lady Vandalore, Grandmaster of the Vandorian Order and Order of the Black Eagle

✠ THE Originally proclaimed by the IX LORD VANDALORE and confirmed by the Second WALDENIC DIET in the Year of our Lord, 1853 PREAMBLE We the Waldenian People, recognizing the need for an established guiding precept of our blood derived from the ancient Vander traditions and those of customary Piscatoran Law both, consulting as well the decisions on the Waldenic Cultural Law of the First Waldenic Diet, and for the purpose of securing for ourselves the destiny promised to all Sons of Horen, do establish this Waldenic Proclamation and its Codes of Rights, Obligations, and Representation to, along with the Vander Code, constitute our Sacred Law. INDEX I. THE VANDER CODE II. THE CODE OF RIGHTS III. THE CODE OF OBLIGATIONS IV. THE CODE OF REPRESENTATION THE VANDER CODE The Vander Code is a simple creed dating from the earliest eras of the Waldenian people, from the days the tribes of ancient Hanseti roamed the Realm of Aegis. The Code consists of twelve tenets that the quintessential Waldenian is encouraged to follow in his daily life by tradition. The duty of the Vandalore is to observe adherence to the Code, especially among the prominent Waldenic houses. Since its return to prominence through the actions of the Order of Saint Lucien, the Vander Code has served as the primary inspiration for numerous codes of chivalry, of which Varodyr’s Code remains the most famous and widely used variant. WHY DO VANDERS FIGHT? ✠ TO FEAR THE CREATOR AND MAINTAIN HIS CHURCH ✠ ✠ TO SERVE THE LIEGE LORD IN VALOR AND FAITH ✠ ✠ TO REFRAIN FROM THE WANTON GIVING OF OFFENSE ✠ ✠ TO LIVE BY HONOR AND FOR GLORY ✠ ✠ TO DESPISE PECUNIARY REWARD ✠ ✠ TO OBEY THOSE PLACED IN AUTHORITY ✠ ✠ TO GUARD THE HONOR OF FELLOW VANDERS ✠ ✠ TO KEEP FAITH ✠ ✠ TO AT ALL TIMES TO SPEAK THE TRUTH ✠ ✠ TO PERSEVERE TO THE END IN ANY ENTERPRISE BEGUN ✠ ✠ TO NEVER TO REFUSE A CHALLENGE FROM AN EQUAL ✠ ✠ TO NEVER TO TURN THE BACK UPON A FOE ✠ THE CODE OF RIGHTS The Code of Rights forms the first table of the three divisions of the Waldenic Proclamation, which together with the precepts of the Vander Code forms the Sacred Law of Waldenia. From its decrees, denoting the unalienable rights of the Waldenian People, are derived the final two divisions. i. The Waldenian People, defined by their descent from the bloodlines of Aesterwald and Vandoria, and by their sense and declaration of belonging to the greater Waldenic culture through the observance of common customs, beliefs, dress and language, enjoy the unalienable right to EXISTENCE. a. Therefore do the Waldenian People, in being free to cherish, preserve and develop the greater Waldenic culture and its common customs, beliefs, dress and language, enjoy the unalienable right to CULTURE. b. Therefore do the Waldenian People, in being free to preserve the bloodlines of Aesterwald and Vandoria through existence and procreation, and with the certain knowledge of the fulfillment of Horen’s promise in maintaining his covenant on Terra, enjoy the unalienable right to LIFE. ii. The Waldenian People, in being free to follow their own will and make free choices where they do not infringe on the freedom of others, and without being subjected to the arbitrary decisions of others, enjoy the unalienable right to LIBERTY. a. Therefore do the Waldenian People, in being free to determine their own path and without owing fealty to any Empire or Kingdom, or any other lordship otherwise universal or not but those they willingly and under no compulsion swear to and make contracts or oaths of fealty under, or those of the inherent Waldenian Crown, enjoy the unalienable right to SELF-DETERMINATION. b. Therefore do the Waldenian People, in being free to associate among themselves, and with the certain purpose of preservation of the greater Waldenic culture, including its electoral principles and laws, and the pursuit of justice, enjoy the unalienable right to REPRESENTATION. c. Therefore do the Waldenian People, in being free to determine their own path and to honor their Creator regardless of foreign laws proclaimed out of malice or heathenry, and with the certain knowledge of the fulfillment of Horen’s promise in maintaining his covenant on Terra, enjoy the unalienable right to WORSHIP. iii. The Waldenian People, in being free to enjoy the fruits of their labor on Terra as any other Descendant, whereas they could be manifested through the ownership of land, realty, and personal belongings, enjoy the unalienable right to PROPERTY. a. Therefore do the Waldenian People, in being free to maintain their personal belongings, and in the defense of their motivation to preserve their rights to existence, culture and life hereby proscribed, and to protect their rights to liberty, self-determination and property, enjoy the unalienable right to BEAR ARMS. THE CODE OF OBLIGATIONS The Code of Obligations forms the second table of the three divisions of the Waldenic Proclamation, which together with the precepts of the Vander Code forms the Sacred Law of Waldenia. Its decrees, detailing the cultural obligations of every Waldenian, are directly derived from the existence of the Code of Rights, and together with the Code of Representation, stem from the previous incomplete iterations of the Sacred Law formulated upon the First Waldenic Diet and as parts of the obsolete customary law. i. A Waldenian is obligated never to act against the interests and existence of the Waldenian People, whether by word or practice, or in service to foreigners and non-humans. ii. A Waldenian is obligated never to forsake the tenets of the greater Waldenic culture in favor of foreign customs. iii. A Waldenian is obligated never to inflict torture, incapacitation or death upon another Waldenian, whether in captivity or in fair combat, except in warranted self-defense or as a last resort punishment for heinous crimes for which banishment and imprisonment, or the weregild, is insufficient justice. iv. A Waldenian is obligated never to subject another Waldenian to acts of tyranny or forced servitude, whether in the service of a Waldenic government or a foreign lordship. v. A Waldenian is obligated never to subvert the rightful authority and inheritance of another Waldenian, or to wage wars and campaigns in service of any Empire or Kingdom, or any other lordship otherwise universal or not bar the inherent Waldenian Crown, for the purpose of imposing claims of lordship over the Waldenian People. vi. A Waldenian is obligated never to reject the cultural authority of the Vandalore and the Waldenic Diet, or to challenge their cultural decisions that violate no rights of the Waldenian People through any means other than formal and electoral. vii. A Waldenian is obligated never to break religious unity by rejecting the Faith of the Waldenian People. viii. A Waldenian is obligated never to disrespect the rightful ownership of land, realty and personal belongings of another Waldenian. ix. A Waldenian is obligated never to restrict the ownership and possession of arms of another Waldenian in their rightful domain, except in dire situations where their own rights are in immediate danger. THE CODE OF REPRESENTATION The Code of Representation forms the third and final table of the three divisions of the Waldenic Proclamation, which together with the precepts of the Vander Code forms the Sacred Law of Waldenia. Its decrees, detailing the forms of cultural representation of the Waldenian People, are directly derived from the existence of the Code of Rights and the Code of Obligations. Together with the Code of Obligations, they stem from the previous incomplete iterations of the Sacred Law formulated upon the First Waldenic Diet and as parts of the obsolete customary law. The Code of Representation was amended by the Walter Amendment of 1947, implemented by the Second Waldenic Diet in 1948. This section therefore reflects those amendments. i. The Waldenian People’s interests, both internal and foreign, shall be represented by their cultural leadership embodied by the Vandalore and the Waldenic Diet. ii. The Waldenian People collectively enjoy the rights enumerated in the Code of Rights, and are collectively bound by the obligations enumerated in the Code of Obligations. a. A Waldenian may petition the cultural leadership of the Waldenian People for the protection of their rights. b. A Waldenian who violates the Code of Rights through acts against another or themselves, or forsakes the Code of Obligations shall be held accountable by the cultural leadership of the Waldenian People. 1. A Waldenian in severe breach of the Sacred Law shall be stripped of their status as a Waldenian and shunned by the Waldenian People. ON THE VANDALORE iii. The Vandalore shall be considered the ultimate authority on the matters of the greater Waldenic culture, and the protector of Waldenic titles and honors. iv. The Vandalore must be an adult Waldenian patriarch or matriarch in good standing, or a Waldenian figure of great renown embodying the tenets of the Sacred Law of Waldenia and the Vander Code in particular, worthy of the ultimate cultural leadership of the Waldenian People. v. The Vandalore must be elected by the Waldenic Diet by a simple majority vote of the Electors. a. Electors may nominate themselves, or be nominated by a fellow Elector. b. An eligible non-Elector may be nominated by an Elector and elected Vandalore should they accept their nomination. vi. The Vandalore is elected for life and shall serve until death, explicit abdication, or forfeiture of the honor. vii. The Vandalore shall assume the Presidency of the Waldenic Diet upon election. viii. The Vandalore shall swear a sacred oath to uphold the Sacred Law of Waldenia and the Vander Code in particular, and such an oath shall be recorded and publicized. a. A Vandalore-Elect who refuses to swear this oath shall be considered to have forfeited their service, and another Vandalore must be elected in their stead. b. A Vandalore determined to have broken this oath shall immediately abdicate or be deemed to have forfeited their service by an unanimous vote of confidence of the Electors, barring their own vote. ix. The Vandalore shall observe adherence to the Vander Code among those required to follow it, and shall have the sole authority to confer punishment upon any violators. a. Depending on the severity of the violation, the punishment may be administered in the form of admonition, a quest of penance, temporary or permanent suspension of privileges including Waldenic appointments, knighthoods, Electoral grants, and internal considerations of nobility. b. The Waldenic Diet is permitted to commute this punishment in regards to lesser violations with a simple majority vote. x. The Vandalore shall decide on the necessary collective action of the Waldenic Diet should the Code of Rights be breached by an outsider force. xi. The Vandalore shall, as President of the Waldenic Diet, be responsible for calling its conventions and submitting motions for its adjournment. xii. The Vandalore shall, as President of the Waldenic Diet, maintain its records and ensure the printing and delivery of its publications. xiii. The Vandalore shall maintain the accurate and official list and records of modern Vandalores. xiv. The Vandalore shall maintain an up-to-date, accurate and official list of the incumbent Electorates of the Waldenic Diet, and the details of its previous compositions. xv. The Vandalore shall assume the title of Elected Margrave or Margravine of Vanderfell, reclaimed and granted to the Waldenic Diet by its final hereditary holder, Hans Rovin. xvi. The Vandalore shall maintain the accurate and official list of Elected Margraves and Margravines of Vanderfell. ON THE WALDENIC DIET xvii. The Waldenic Diet shall be considered a secondary authority on the matters of the greater Waldenic culture. xviii. The Waldenic Diet shall consist of Electors, presided over by the Vandalore in their capacity as President of the Waldenic Diet. xix. An Elector must be an adult Waldenian patriarch or matriarch in good standing, or otherwise a Waldenian titleholder in representation of the Waldenian People, confirmed to be in adherence to the Sacred Law of Waldenia and especially the Vander Code. xx. An eligible person may be raised to the Electorate by the Vandalore with the consent, or a simple majority vote of the Waldenic Diet. a. An eligible person may petition their appointment, or be nominated by an Elector. xxi. An Electoral grant shall represent the eligible Elector’s House, and shall constitute the raising of their domain to an Electorate. a. As such, an Electoral grant is permanent unless revoked, and shall be inherited by the Elector’s legal heir. b. A non-Elector chosen to serve as the Vandalore shall be granted a non-permanent Electorate lasting throughout their tenure and no longer, unless raised to a permanent Electoral grant by the Waldenic Diet. xxii. An Elector must continue to adhere to the Vander Code upon confirmation, and shall swear an oath to uphold it. Such an oath shall be recorded and publicized. a. A person who inherits an Electoral grant and refuses to swear this oath shall have that Electoral grant immediately revoked. b. An Elector determined to have broken this oath shall be penalized by the Vandalore as a violator of the Vander Code. xxiii. An Electoral grant may also be revoked from an Elector deemed to have committed a gross violation of the Sacred Law of Waldenia, an Elector who has failed to attend three consecutive sessions of the Waldenic Diet, or a House deemed to have become extinct. a. A person whose Electoral grant has been revoked for continued absence may petition for their reappointment. xxiv. An Elector shall be empowered to propose motions to the Waldenic Diet regarding cultural matters that require Waldenic unity, and vote on such matters. a. All votes, unless otherwise stated, shall require a simple majority to pass. xxv. The Waldenic Diet is obligated to convene when summoned by the Vandalore, and when there remain pending motions to discuss. xxvi. The Waldenic Diet shall observe adherence to the Sacred Law among the Waldenian People, and shall have the authority to confer punishment upon any violators. xxvii. The Waldenic Diet shall be dissolved upon the conclusion of the Vandalore’s tenure through death, abdication, or forfeiture, and reconvene for a new election following the mourning period should one be necessary. ✠ In the name of the sons and daughters of Waldenia, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE von HEXENWALD, Princess of Minitz, Margravine of Vanderfell, Lady Vandalore, Grandmaster of the Vandorian Order and Order of the Black Eagle

✠ A Prelude to the Convening of the Issued by the LADY VANDALORE In the Year of our Lord, 1979 INTRODUCTION EINLEITUNG It is my great honour to have been elected as the XVI Lady Vandalore and VII Margravine of Vanderfell during the final session of the Eighth Waldenic Diet. My long held duty has been to uphold Waldenian culture and see it prosper, whether that be the traditions of House Rademacher to which I was born or the customs of the Reinmaren people of whom I am a chieftess. My election proves novel, for it is the first time since the Vandalore became an elected position in 1686 that a non-Elector has been chosen to hold this esteemed position. As per the Code of Representation, amended in 1947 by the Walter Amendment: xxi.b. A non-Elector chosen to serve as the Vandalore shall be granted a non-permanent Electorate lasting throughout their tenure and no longer, unless raised to a permanent Electoral grant by the Waldenic Diet. I hereby choose the Electorate of Hexenwald to represent my non-permanent Electorate. PROMISES VERSPRECHEN Not only shall I swear an oath to uphold the Sacred Law of Waldenia and the Vander Code, I also outline below my promises and goals for my tenure as the president of the Waldenic Diet. ✠ Update the Sacred Law of Waldenia to incorporate the approved Walter Amendment. ✠ Update the records to include biographies of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Lords Vandalore. ✠ Update the records with an official list of the Electorates of the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Waldenic Diets. ✠ Update the records with an official list of current and former Knights of Vander. ✠ Call for a Waldenfest to be regularly hosted throughout the Waldenian realms, with each Electorate to host at least once. ✠ Require each of the Electorates to submit publications on aspects of Waldenian culture unique to their families and people. ✠ Work alongside the Ritterkommandant to swell the ranks of the Knights of Vander with valiant souls who will protect and uphold the Sacred Law and Vander Code. ✠ Encourage currently-lethargic sons and daughters of Waldenia to embrace their cultural heritage and, where appropriate, raise such patriarchs and matriarchs to the Electorate. ✠ Provide non-binding guidance to future Lords and Ladies Vandalore on the circumstances where an Electoral grant, and Electoral revocation, may be appropriate. ✠ Revive and uphold the Waldenic symbols of merit. THE FIRST SESSION OF THE NINTH WALDENIC DIET DIE ERSTE SITZUNG DER NEUNTEN WALDENISCHEN DIÄT The first Waldenfest of my tenure shall be held in due course, which will involve a session of the Waldenic Diet. All Electors are encouraged to submit to me those motions they wish to raise so that they can be promulgated in advance. All non-Electors of Waldenian blood who wish to raise petitions may also write to me to have motions submitted on your behalf. THE TOUR OF THE LADY VANDALORE DIE TOUR DER LADY VANDALORE After the first gathering of the Diet, I shall embark on a tour across the continent visiting each of the Electorates. The Electoral families will have the opportunity to showcase the customs, culture, and history of their House and share their dreams for a prosperous Waldenian future in a more intimate setting than the Diet. ✠ In the name of the sons and daughters of Waldenia, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE von HEXENWALD, Princess of Minitz, Margravine of Vanderfell, Lady Vandalore, Grandmaster of the Vandorian Order and Order of the Black Eagle