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THE PACT OF STARS AND EAGLES DER PAKT DER STERNE UND ADLER | THE PACT OF STARS AND EAGLES Issued by the Princes in Reinmar and the Royarch of Celia’nor In the year of our Lord 2006 TAMMESKRIEGER UND VERBÜNDETE, THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN SO AGREED UPON by the Crowns of Reinmar and Celia’nor for the mutual benefit of the two Princedoms. ARTICLE ONE | ARTIKEL EINS The Crown of Reinmar formally acknowledges the Principality of Celia’nor’s claim and sovereignty within the realm of Celia’nor. Likewise, the Crown of Celia’nor formally acknowledges the sovereignty of the Principality of Reinmar within the realm of the Reinmaren. The Crowns of Celia’nor and Reinmar shall henceforth be referred to as the signatories. ARTICLE TWO | ARTIKEL ZWEI The signatories hereby pledge their armies in defense of the other’s sovereignty, lands, and peoples, until such a time where this pact has expired. ARTICLE THREE | ARTIKEL DREI The signatories do mutually agree to grant the other signatories a tax-free stall within the borders of their respective capitals. The signatories do mutually agree that large-scale trading agreements between each party can be of either the purchasing kind (meaning that wares are purchased for minae) or of the bartering kind (meaning that different wares are traded on rates mutually agreed upon or previously set by precedent). ARTICLE FOUR | ARTIKEL VIER The signatories do agree to a mutual extradition clause wherein a citizen of either nation, with reasonable justification for arrest, may be apprehended and transferred to the courts of the land where the alleged crime occurred, upon presentation of an extradition request by the judicial representatives of the requesting state to the monarch or government of the requested state for approval, with legal defense for the defendant permitted by judicial representatives from their nation of origin. ARTICLE FIVE | ARTICLE FÜNF The signatories do agree to free correspondence between their militaries to better coordinate mutual defense. ARTICLE SIX | ARTIKEL SECHS The signatories do agree to exchange a pair of black and white dogs, henceforth to be known as Spürhunde as a token of friendship. (Sn’uupie, in the local dialect) ARTICLE SEVEN | ARTIKEL SIEBEN The signatories agree that the terms of this pact shall be in effect for eleven years from the date of publication of this document, to be renegotiated upon expiration. WER RASTET, DER ROSTET HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, FREDERICA, GMSTSR, Princess in Reinmar of Sutica, Duchess of Reinmar, Countess of Freimark and Kretzen, Baroness of Madvon and Freising, Lady of Sankt Johannsburg, Wilheburg, Erwinsburg, Freiburg and Rozenfeld, High Chieftess of the Reinmaren HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, ERWIN, GMSTSR, Prince in Reinmar and of Minitz, Burgrave of Langenkirch, Count of Neu Brandthof, Viscount of Tucay, Baron of Sigradz, Hussen and Boriënwald, Lord of Durres, Chieftain of the Reinmaren, Warden of the Franklands and Ferdenwald Her Excellency, the Honourable Princess Royarch, Illyria Ibarellan, The Prophesied, The Reclaimer, and Phoenix of the Principality of Celia’nor Her Holiness, and Royal Highness A’eollaja Ibarellan, Archprelate of the Talyiinist Faith, Lady of Sohae Sulli, High Councilor of Religious Affairs of the Principality of Celia’nor His Honourable, Lord Marshal Reuen’thal Ithradryl, Progenitor of the Ithradryl talonnii, High Councillor for Military Affairs of the Principality of Celia’nor

Frederica smiled proudly down at the missive that lay on her desk. "It feels like he was small enough to fit in my arms just yesterday. How proud I am."

Frederica sat at her desk, ink spilling to the floor where she had overturned its bottle with a trembling hand. What was it she had wanted to tell Joren last month, when all were still hale and as whole as they could be? Ah, yes. Family tends to drop like flies once it really gets going. A calloused thumb ran across the scar on her left hand, cut again and again to offer and receive vows and the like. Leon was the first to watch this line appear on her palm, once a neat, nearly invisible cut where now it is heavy and stark against the rest of her skin. Leon was gone now, but the scar remains.

Frederica stood vigil in that same parlor where Adalfriede’s, her mother’s, mangled body had come to rest, viscera dripping down the upholstery she’d chosen so many years ago when such things seemed to matter so very much. Leon wept at the side of his wife, and Frederica found she had already moved to brace him with an arm about his shoulders. Rage filled her chest for one incandescent moment, and orders flew from her mouth as they never had before. Demands to know what had become of this woman who had raised her sounded foreign in her ears, high with shock and cold with fury. She had never demanded anything of anyone. What need was there? People would do as she asked, or they would not. It made no difference to her, her own hands could work fields and wood as well as any other pair. All it would take was time, the one thing she had so little of. It mattered little, it was Erwin’s land she worked, Erwin’s reign she built foundations for, all for Erwin. She had become a strange creature now, wobbling knees propping up her son as he held so tightly to her, arms that felt like hers and yet not at all wrapped around him as though he were still the tiny babe she’d sworn to be strong for decades ago. And yet, Frederica had never been without Adalfriede. She hardly remembered the scant few years she’d lived in her childhood without the woman who’d become her mother. Adalfriede had been the roots she grew from, the solid wall between her still-soft heart and the bitter winter of the world. Her shoulders were strong, they had to be to support her young son and his new wife. To share the weight of Leon’s grief so the only father she had left wouldn’t splinter under it. But Adalfriede’s strength had allowed her to keep her softness, even closely tucked into and hidden in her heart as it was. There was no Adalfriede to protect her now.

Frederica grinned, beyond pleased as her careful planning came to fruition.

The nib of a pen tears through paper and squeals across a desk's surface before it snaps, drenching Frederica's hand in ink.

THE BEGINNING OF THE THIRD KRETZENFEST DAS DRITTE KRETZENFEST | THE THIRD KRETZENFEST Issued by the Heather Court In the year of our Lord 1994 ÖHNE UND TÖCHTER VON REINMAR, TWO DECADES HAVE PASSED, and now a truly bountiful harvest has arrived, bringing about the spirits of Kretzenfest once more. Winter approaches, and before ice sets into the land, the Heather Court invites all to celebrate yet another year gone by and another successful harvest. ITINERARY DER MARKTTAG | THE MARKET DAY A grand marketplace will be constructed in the central square of Kretzen for traders across Aevos to hark their wares, from arms and armor to medicine to delicate needlework. There shall also be a variety of games for marketgoers to enjoy. Should you wish to reserve a stall, send word to the Princess in Reinmar, the Princess of Minitz, or the Seneschal of the Heather Court stating the broad genre of your wares and whether you will require a small, medium, or large stall. DER ERNTEBALL | THE HARVEST BALL Before the harvest ball commences, all are invited to take up scythes and sickles and compete in the hay race. When the contest is complete, the victor shall be proclaimed and crowned Hay Lord within the grand ballroom of the Heather Palace. A prize shall be offered for first, second, and third place, consisting of a hundred, fifty, and twenty-five mina. Afterward, partygoers may partake in games including Ur, enjoy various pieces of Reinmaren music, and converse freely amongst themselves. INVITATIONS His Holiness, FLEEPERUS, High Pontiff of the Holy Mother Church. The College of Cardinals. The Diet of Bishops. The Clergy of Clement and Evaristus. His Apostolic Majesty, GODFREY II, King of the Apostolic Kingdom of Aaun and the Aaunic people. His Royal Majesty, MARIUS III, King of the Dual Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska and the Haeseni people. Her Royal Majesty, ADALIA, Queen of the Commonwealth of the Petra and the Petran people. Her Royal Majesty, TAR-CARANETH, Queen of the Kingdom of Númendil and the Númenedain people. His Eminence, IVAN CARDINAL LOTHARIA, and the Balianite people. ATSUKO, Shugo of Sakuragakure and the Oyashiman people. Her Highness, JOHANNA, Elector of Merryweather-Alstreim. His Grace, AUREL VON THEONUS, Elector of Marignan. The Honorable, FRIEDRICH VON AUGUSTEN, Elector of Hohengarten. His Lordship, LEUFROY VON REUSS, Elector of Velen. SIR DARIS VERETHI TERES, Syndicate Envoy to the Waldenic Diet. The Waldenian Peoples. The Reinmaren Peoples. WER RASTET, DER ROSTET HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, FREDERICA, GMSTSR, Princess in Reinmar of Sutica, Duchess of Reinmar, Countess of Freimark and Kretzen, Baroness of Madvon and Freising, Lady of Sankt Johannsburg, Wilheburg, Erwinsburg, Freiburg and Rozenfeld, Chieftess of the Reinmaren HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, ADALFRIEDE VON HEXENWALD, Princess of Minitz, Lady Vandalore, Lawspeaker of Reinmar HER LADYSHIP, WILHELMINA VON BRANDTHOF, Seneschal of the Heather Court

Frederica loved the live performance.

THE APPOINTMENT OF A SENESCHAL DIE ERNENNUNG EINES SENESCHALLS | THE APPOINTMENT OF A SENESCHAL Issued by the Princess in Reinmar In the year of our Lord 1992 ÖHNE UND TÖCHTER VON REINMAR, AS ANNOUNCED IN THE COURT OF 1992, Wilhelmina von Brandthof is hereby appointed to the position of Seneschall von der Heidehof, charged with managing the Court on behalf of the Crown and enriching the lives of the sons and daughters of Reinmar. She has learned diligently in her time as my ward, and I entrust this task to her with full faith and confidence in her abilities. May she do us proud, and usher innovation and invigoration into the Heather Court. WER RASTET, DER ROSTET HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, FREDERICA, Princess in Reinmar and of Sutica, Duchess of Reinmar, Countess of Freimark and Kretzen, Baroness of Madvon and Freising, Lady of Sankt Johannsburg, Wilheburg, Erwinsburg, Freiburg and Rozenfeld, Chieftess of the Reinmaren

Frederica becrossed herself with a small sigh as she heard the news, having heard the Baron's will for the succession of his title just hours before. "GOD bless you, Roland von Wesenburg. GOD bless you."

Frederica stood beside the Fürst in Reinmar's desk as he wrote, and hummed her approval as his pen signed his name.

Frederica signed her name, the flourish of her pen reserved. With a small, unheard sigh, she prayed for peace.

THE CHANGING OF CROWNS DER WECHSEL DER KRONEN | THE CHANGING OF CROWNS Issued by the Princess of Sutica In the year of our Lord 1989 ÖHNE UND TÖCHTER VON REINMAR, OVER TWENTY YEARS HAVE PASSED since the coronation of my father, His Royal Highness, Alfred, Prince in Reinmar. It was I who laid the cloak on his shoulders and strapped Gran’s Blight to his back in place of my long-passed mother. Now, it is time for my father to return to ashes, and it is I who stands where he once had. Mine shall be the third coronation in Reinmar’s history, may it be looked upon favorably after I am gone, as my father’s is now. THE FUNERAL The body and belongings of Alfred, Prince in Reinmar, shall be burned before the steps of the Temple of Waldenic Martyrs, and committed again to the earth before any celebration shall take place. THE CORONATION The coronation shall be undergone within the Temple of Waldenic Martyrs, presided over by His Holiness, Deunoro I. Following Reinmaren tradition, I, Frederica, shall be coronated Princess in Reinmar, and my husband, Brandt, as Prince of Sutica. INVITATIONS TO THE HOLY MOTHER CHURCH His Holiness, DEUNORO, High Pontiff of the Holy Mother Church. The College of Cardinals. The Diet of Bishops. The Clergy of Clement and Evaristus. TO THE REALMS OF CANONDOM His Royal Majesty, MARIUS III, King of the Dual Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska and the Haeseni people. His Apostolic Majesty, CHARLES II, King of the Apostolic Kingdom of Aaun and the Aaunic peoples. Her Royal Majesty, ADALIA, Queen of the Commonwealth of the Petra and the Petran peoples. His Royal Majesty, ALEXANDER II, King of the Kingdom of Balian and the Balianite peoples. Her Royal Majesty, TAR-CARANETH, Queen of the Kingdom of Númendil and the Númenedain people. ATSUKO, Shugo of Sakuragakure and the Oyashiman people. TO THE WALDENIC DIET His Highness, JOHANNES, Elector of Merryweather-Alstreim. His Lordship, LEUFROY VON REUSS, Elector of Velen. His Grace, AUREL VON THEONUS, Elector of Vohenheim. The Honorable, FRIEDRICH VON AUGUSTEN, Elector of Hohengarten. SIR DARIS VERETHI TERES, Syndicate Envoy to the Waldenic Diet. The Waldenian Peoples. TO THE ALLIES OF THE PRINCIPALITY Her Excellency, ILLYRIA, Regent of the Principality of Celia’nor and the Celia’norian people. TO THE TRIBESPEOPLE His Grace, NIKOLAUS VON KANUNSBERG, Duke of Kanunsberg and his noble pedigree. His Lordship, ROBERT VON LANGENKIRCH, Burgrave of Langenkirch and his noble pedigree. His Lordship, ROLAND VON WESENBURG, Baron of Wesenburg and his noble pedigree. Her Ladyship, ALICE VON BRANDTHOF, Baroness of Brandthof and her noble pedigree. The Reinmaren Peoples. WER RASTET, DER ROSTET HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, FREDERICA, Princess of Sutica, Countess of Freimark and Kretzen, Baroness of Madvon and Freising, Lady of Sankt Johannsburg, Wilheburg, Erwinsburg, Freiburg and Rozenfeld, Chieftess of the Reinmaren

Frederica stood, windswept, between the trees of the Ferdenwald. The place she had chosen was less traveled compared to the well-worn paths, but sacred and silent all the same. One could better see the forest-covered hills of Reinmar from here, the scent of pine and fresh water rising from the riverbank below. It had been days since she had spent time here. Fitting, she thought. Her father had chosen his death atop a stone of his liking. It was only right that she decide where she would become something different. It was odd how life changed in a mere instant, with the snap of a finger, the cut of a blade—the stroke of a pen. It was here, on this nameless hill, that she began again. The once-Baroness waited for a change, a difference within herself, and when she found none, she turned from the hill and sought the walls of Kretzen once more.

Frederica Barclay wonders where she can purchase a Pocket Kanun to take with her everywhere.