crazedpudding

Klara Elizaveta tilts her head, her brow furrowing. "Was Ea insulted? Ea was niet there for that part." She quickly went to seek out her favorite Barclays, Erika and Sibylla. "Let it be said the best Barclays are the loyal and do niet shriek."

Klara Elizaveta happens upon Dame Mariya in her search for Theodosya, she gave the Dame a hug before continuing on her way because the Dame is the best.

Klara Elizaveta reads over the missive with curiosity before going to find her cousin, Theodosya.

Klara Elizaveta sits listlessly by her bedroom window, staring out at the snow covered grounds, whispering something under her breath. "Krusae zwy Kongzem."

STRANGER For the downtrodden. Come, stranger, and leap Across fairest skies and stone Can you learn to finally reap What you have so desperately sown? The soldier wields his mighty sword And strikes through unmatched He has learned he can’t afford To only leave his enemies scratched Oh, how once fairest skies turn dark Clouds marring the light of day The beauty which did once spark Has faded into dullest grey Tell me, fair stranger, how one such as I Can overcome the blackest night For with such ardor do I purify In attempts to return to GODAN’s light As we find ourselves ever forward And the swirl of time besieges you May we leave our regret unmeasured Such endeavors ended without review Come, dear stranger And embrace the Northern sky Find yourself without filter As time passes you by Even the minstrel forever knows With his strings and his lute That he cannot cease unstoppable flows Lest he rend himself mute Tell me, beloved stranger, tell me why Those fair harvests find themselves unknown In favor of the deathly yields, ever dry As the whole of what you have sown? Let yourself not be discouraged For even the once a gentle soul Who has erred and remains disadvantaged Let not words of others keep you from your goal Find it within yourself, darling stranger To uplift those who would see your end And do not let words blister Strengthen yourself, stranger, do not let your spirit bend SIGNED, Her Royal Highness, Klara Elizaveta, Duchess of Baranya

Hi! I just wanted to clarify oocly that we aren't located in Oren but in Haense. :D

ST. CATHERINE’S HOME FOR THE ORPHANED Va Birodeo Herzenav ag Edlervik, On this day, the 6th of VZMEY AND HYFF, 416 EHR SIGMUNDA, we are proud to announce the establishment of a place where children will be guaranteed safety, no matter their race, nationality, or status. Regardless of whether their parents be deceased or estranged, any child in need is welcome. Education, meals, and shelter shall be provided at no cost to those who take refuge within the walls of St. Catherine’s. In honor of St. Catherine, Patron Saint of Refugees, Integrity, Innocence, and the Vessian People, we extend our hand to those children suffering due to both past and present events created by tension across Almaris. St. Catherine’s lies within the capital city of Hanseti-Ruska, Karosgrad, within the theater building on Wailer Road. Any and all donations are welcome, and the names of the patrons shall be placed within the information book at the entrance to St. Catherine’s. Discord: https://discord.gg/xsVvVBpkGf SIGNED, Her Royal Highness, Klara Elizaveta, Duchess of Baranya His Excellency, Johann Fredrick Ludovar, High Justiciar of Hanseti-Ruska, Count of Otistadt, Lord of Kazstadt Her Princely Ladyship. Sibylla Erica Barclay Her Ladyship, Erika Renate Barclay

From a nook in the square, Klara Elizaveta can be heard laughing lightly as she holds a copy of Hearsay in her hands. "Well, they certainly are grasping at straws." Clapping her hands of dust, she wanders off to work on a mysterious project.

Klara Elizaveta sighs. "She did niet invite me." Sniffle.

Klara Elizaveta sits back with a smile before groaning. "Isabel @sarahbarah is going to be a pain about this."

Klara Elizaveta beamed. "Congratulations are most definitely in order."

Klara Elizaveta has much sway over her sister.

Klara Elizaveta crumples the missive into a ball. "MAYA CECILIYA BARBANOV-BIHAR!"

HANSETI-RUSKAN WORKS: ART, LITERATURE, AND MUSIC TABLE OF CONTENTS Songs I. The Haeseni Soldier II. Deryzcz III. Home Across the Mountains IV. The Road to War V. Ode to The Fallen Artwork I. The Siege of Southbridge Poems I. Beneath the Willow Tree II. Gone III. The Perfect Flower IV. Desiring V. Palace of Haverlock SONGS I. The Haeseni Soldier (link) A farmer’s boy with little worth, goes to the army. He joins the soldiers on a march, as his mother prays at home. A farmer’s boy, a soldier boy, wields his long sword bravely. He trains and trains until he faints, and his brothers treat him gently. A farmer’s boy, a soldier boy, his head held high and mighty. He fights for those he loves at home, although it pains him greatly. A farmer’s boy, a soldier boy, is now an admired sergeant. He trains his fellow soldiers, and prays they come back home A farmer’s boy, a soldier boy fights the gruesome wars, And although his mother prays at home, her soldier boy is gone A farmer’s boy, a soldier boy, drifts into the skies. His life was worth so very much, and his brothers cries his name A farmer’s boy, a soldier boy, looks down upon the army. He hopes they keep on fighting, as their Koeng needs them greatly By Her Ladyship, Erika Renate Barclay II. Deryzcz (link) By His Highness, Gustaf Sigismund Morovar III. Home Across the Mountains (link) By Firr Feodor May IV. The Road to War (link) By Firr Feodor May V. Ode to the Fallen (link) By Firr Feodor May ARTWORK I. The Siege of Southbridge (link) By Her Ladyship, Sofiya Antonia vas Ruthern POEMS I. Beneath the Willow Tree (link) Come hither, my darling And join me upon the hill Battle rages across the ground Clashes of might and will Smoke and flame billows Up towards GODAN’s skies Watch as steel meets flashing steel Hear the orphan’s cries Come hither, my darling As we tread this bloodsoaked ground Find your heart and listen To the hallowed sound Deep in the wood Where meadow meets glade There, you shall find it Sitting beneath a willow’s shade Come hither, my darling What is it you hear? The sound of memories long faded Words once held dear Echoes of those long past Sit deep in your heart Gone but not forgotten Never truly apart Come hither, my darling And sit beneath the willow tree Is it not peaceful? Here, you are entirely free GODAN, save the Brotherhood Protect them from melancholy So they may dance forever Beneath the willow tree By Her Royal Highness, Klara Elizaveta, Duchess of Baranya II. Gone (link) It dipped into the depths, this last light of mine. Entrenched in this darkness, I waste away in this Gloom ridden tower. The skies floods with dark, Warm colors.. I shout, but I am consumed by The splashing of the waves upon rocks On the cliffside. Nothing remains for all shall Fall into ruin. Just as the sun disappears behind The sea, so too shall you disappear under the earth. By His Lordship, Borris Iver Kortrevich III. The Perfect Flower (link) You are a dream, a myth, a ghost Running through meadows in hopes Of finding the most perfect flower. A trophy to hold up, the greatest boast A shadow to be sung of only in odes The broken stem of a perfect flower By His Lordship, Borris Iver Kortrevich IV. Desiring (link) — Love is a poor actor Always forgetting his lines, Tripping over himself, But anyone who has ever loved Cannot say that He does not plunge Headfirst into his role — The yearning of the heart Is the most deepest of desires. Anyone can be The object of my yearning. Each one is always special, But desiring in itself Is the most desirable thing of all. — Have you ever walked out Amongst the fenland And seen the pale pink Fingers of the sunset Gently reach across the sky, So you can almost feel Them stroke your cheek And have you gone down To the dark, glass surface, And felt the waters Lap gently at the edges of Your face and smiled, Feeling drops trickle down And collect around your lips And sat down on the ridgeline Sighing softly to the horizon As the swans fly across, Smelt snowdrops and jasmine, then Twisted them into a little ring Of delicate and pretty petals, And drank all this in with your gaze — I draw my finger across his face Gently tracing every contour Along his cheek and chin, I pull his jaw close to me; He is a sculpture. His Black, curly hair, velvet lashes, Green eyes. Is this not bliss? But nothing lasts and This too cannot. Though My hate simmers for her, The heart yet cannot lie, and Time polishes all desires and Now I dream such golden dreams Of him. — Enough wine and There is little distinction Between a common harlot And a noble lady Wine tears off all veils And the blemish Becomes the beauty-spot And the latter the former And the former the latter — By Firress Ceciliya Smirnova V. Palace of Haverlock (link) You pull me into this wonderful place in which I do not recognize. Flawlessly, scrubbed, white walls And dustless dark oak floors. I could have sworn that I Saw little specks of twinkling around me as I moved past. What started as a maze, quickly became a game. We duck in and out of rooms, trying to open every Locked door. We run down hallways and spiraling stairs On which, often only leads us back to where we began. It is an Ironic thing, a place large enough to Awe at, yet close enough to barely stand Shoulder to shoulder within the hallways. It is a beautiful, confusing, complex work of art. By His Lordship, Borris Iver Kortrevich Should you wish to have your works published in Volume II, please contact HRH, Klara Elizaveta by bird. (pudding#7426) SIGNED, Her Royal Highness, Klara Elizaveta, Duchess of Baranya

Eleanora Amador smiles down from the Seven Skies, her hands clasped in her lap. "What a merciful man he's become." She muttered softly to her best friend, Petra @sarahbarah.

<3

Character Name: Klara Elizaveta Works: OOC: was bored, did it for the hell of it

BENEATH THE WILLOW TREE For the brave souls lost to us. Come hither, my darling And join me upon the hill Battle rages across the ground Clashes of might and will Smoke and flame billows Up towards GODAN’s skies Watch as steel meets flashing steel Hear the orphan’s cries Come hither, my darling As we tread this bloodsoaked ground Find your heart and listen To the hallowed sound Deep in the wood Where meadow meets glade There, you shall find it Sitting beneath a willow’s shade Come hither, my darling What is it you hear? The sound of memories long faded Words once held dear Echoes of those long past Sit deep in your heart Gone but not forgotten Never truly apart Come hither, my darling And sit beneath the willow tree Is it not peaceful? Here, you are entirely free GODAN, save the Brotherhood Protect them from melancholy So they may dance forever Beneath the willow tree SIGNED, Her Royal Highness, Klara Elizaveta, Duchess of Baranya

Klara Elizaveta set shaking hands upon her face, kneeling within the palace chapel, her forehead rested against plush carpet. "Why, Godan? Why?"

Klara Elizaveta felt a shiver run up her spine, for she and Ser August @Ziggitee had payed a visit to quaint Dunrath earlier that day. "Godan, protect poor Dunrath, and give rest to those who have joined vy in the Seven Skies."

Klara Elizaveta sits within the Nikirala Prikaz, staring at a fireplace. "Dravi, Sigmar."

A BEAUTIFUL BURDEN A girl leaned against a wall on one of the balconies of the Nikirala Prikaz, the different floral scents of the Rose Wing surrounding her as she gazed out at the early morning sky. She was not yet a woman, no matter what the law said, and Klara Elizaveta only stroked the fur of the now ten year old dog she’d been gifted so long ago. Sigmar @AmazingAzura, her beloved cousin, slaughtered by the Orenians. “Sigmar is dead?” She remembers asking Ser August @Ziggiteethat question. Her heart had dropped as she watched the Lord Marshal push the captured Orenian knight to his knees in front of the chopping block. Her hand had found Margot’s @Mady, who’d stood by her side as they watched the execution. She remembers the numbness, the terrible apathy that tore into her soul. As Dame Tavisha @Althea_ swung her great axe, the young princess felt herself steel over. A thought passed over her, as her heart hardened. “Let the mercy of a quick death be the only mercy Ea give to those who would tear us limb from limb.” There was a time she craved peace, a time where she wished for it more than anything. She’d fought in battles alongside her father and mother before she’d even come of age, but she still felt very much a girl. The eldest princess couldn’t bring herself to shed tears. She’d wept for so many already. An uncle, aunts, her grandmother. She could no longer weep for the dead, could no longer bring herself to show her grief. Tea and prayer only aided in sleeplessness for so long. There was a time Klara craved peace. No longer. Night fell, and only then did she realize she’d been sitting there for hours. Looking down, she went to rouse the dog that slept beside her, before slim hands met cold body. Brown eyes had clouded over so only a deep grey could remain, and she felt herself stiffen. It was no longer the dog in her lap, no, it was him, with his singular grey eye. As she brought her hands up to brush back his hair, she idly noticed that she was shaking. Breath whooshed from her lungs, and Klara turned away even as servants lifted the body of the well loved pet from her lap. She did not see an animal hanging there in the maids’ arms, only her cousin, the cousin who’d looked after her since she was but an infant. As the dog was carried away, she turned her eyes back onto the city with stiff movements. “Burn the body, and scatter the ashes in Richtenburg.” As she spoke and the maids left, she finally allowed air to fill her lungs. The moon was high in the sky once more, full and bright, when she finally moved from the Rose Wing and into the gardens. Many flowers bloomed there, but she only had eyes for one. Daisies, like the ones he’d gifted to her with the dog so long ago. The same bouquet of daisies that sat dried and pressed in a book in her room. It was as if someone had wrapped her in wool, she could not hear or see or feel, but the daisies, those sweet flowers, they filled her with such anger. “We’ve all seen ye grow up into the youn’ woman ye are today, an’ Ah think ye truly have granted us tha’ clarity yer name destined ye fer. Clarity o’ a safe future, in the hands o’ a steadfast an’ ambitious new generation.” That’s what her uncle had said. Clarity. She had barely thought as she moved into the square, barely felt anything but the anger in her heart. If she was to be clarity, if she were to help guide her dear Hanseti-Ruska under first her father, and then her brother after him, she would steel herself. Safety, what a novelty in this new age of war and executions. She was supposed to be clarity, but how could she embody it when her own mind was so clouded? It always came back to harsh realities and harsh words that tore into her heart. She wished desperately for kindness, for safety and security. Klara supposed that makes her a woman, the resolve to give her people that which she was denied, for surely she could not be called a girl any longer. What a burden it was, to give all of yourself to your nation, a burden that both humbled and exalted you. An overwhelming sadness washed over her, for if this is how she felt, she mourned the burden that had been placed on her dearest father. “But what a beautiful burden vy are, dearest Hanseti-Ruska.”

Klara Elizaveta sighed as she arranged for the body to be taken from her parents' bedroom, where it had been moved to be out of sight of the children. Death infected everything, it seemed, even the most anticipated events.

VE BLAUWMS I HANSETI-RUSKA, VOLUME TWO Va Birodeo Herzenav ag Edlervik, This document is a continuation of VE BLAUWMS I HANSETI-RUSKA, VOLUME ONE. Please read the first volume before the following. FLOWERS Ve Daffodil This flower is most commonly found in shades of white, yellow, or a mixture of the two. However, they can be spotted in red, pink or orange. Signifying rebirth, new beginnings, beauty, admiration, truth, and honesty, these flowers are perfect for gifting. One should be wary of pairing them with other flowers that may have other meanings (see first volume), for then the humble daffodil becomes a token of death and vanity. Ve Crocus Symbolizing rebirth, romantic devotion and joy, the crocus comes in a variety of different colors. Often found in shades of lavender, pale pink or white, these flowers only bloom when spring is near. These flowers make perfect gifts, not having any of the pesky double meanings that can easily trick the ignorant and ill prepared. Ve Cyclamen Blooming in white, pink, lavender and red, the cyclamen symbolizes devotion, empathy, and sincerity of the heart. Perfect for a loved one, the cyclamen is one of the easier flowers to grow. It is planted as bulbs, giving them the perfect heartiness to survive in the climate of Hanseti-Ruska. Ve Kaffir Lily Often growing in red, white, orange and yellow, kaffir lilies are signs of purity and commitment. These flowers are perfect to use in cathedrals, basilicas and churches. Using them in religious ceremonies, such as weddings and baptisms, is said to impart good luck on the attendees. Ve Phlox Symbolizing unity of souls, love, sweet dreams and proposal, phlox is the perfect flower to give to your potential spouse. This flower comes in white, purple, blue, red and pink, making it a popular flower to use in weddings. Ve Andromeda Blooming in pink, white and deep red, the andromeda is a harbinger of spring, only blooming when the weather just starts to turn. As such, this flower carries meanings of rebirth and new beginnings, perfect for a gift to someone one wishes to make amends with. Ve Iris This species of iris only blooms in periwinkle, a mixture between blue and purple. Traditionally symbolizing valor, wisdom and faith, this flower is perfect as a gift for any soldier either going to or returning from war. This marks the end of VE BLAUWMS I HANSETI-RUSKA, thank you for reading. SIGNED, Her Royal Highness, Prinzenas Klara Elizaveta, Duchess of Baranya

VE BLAUWMS I HANSETI-RUSKA, VOLUME ONE Va Birodeo Herzenav ag Edlervik, The following document contains the different types of flowers within Hanseti-Ruska that hold importance to the culture of the kingdom. To be used at the people’s discretion, these blooms can be used for bouquets or Hauchmetvas Wreaths that one might wish to bestow a special meaning to. FLOWERS Ve Camellia Traditionally found in hues of white, red or pink, the camellia is one of the flowers that can bloom in Hanseti-Ruska’s harsh climate. Notoriously hard to grow, the camellia can only be found in select regions of the kingdom unless they are grown within greenhouses. Whilst white camellias symbolize adoration for someone well-liked, pink and red camellias display a longing for someone who is missed. Ve Snowdrop The snowdrop is commonly meant to symbolize purity, innocence, sympathy, rebirth and hope, this purely white flower is perfect as a gift for a young woman. The people of Hanseti-Ruska should be aware, be they lay person or nobility, that some snowdrops tend to be larger with a slight green hue. It should be noted that if the slightly green snowdrops are gifted to someone, the intent behind the gift is to subtly call into question all the qualities a snowdrop usually embodies, implying that the receiver has none of those qualities, or even the opposite of them. Ve Lenten Rose The lenten rose, like the snowdrop, is another flower that carries hidden meanings. Blooming in red, purple, yellow, green, blue, lavender and pink, they are often said to symbolize hope. That said, one should never gift a green lenten rose to anyone they hold interest in. The green color of the flower blends into the delicate stems, indicating the gifter has not thought of the receiver in any capacity other than in passing. Ve Holly Bush Holly is often used to portray fertility and long life. Often, those who cannot afford proper medical care bathe their infants in water that has recently been boiled with holly and allowed to cool. It is whispered to protect the children from harm, as a good luck charm. Ve Jasmine The fragrant white flowers of jasmine are often used to make perfumes, though the meaning of the blooms are wonderful all on their own. Often given with the meaning of love attached to them, jasmine also symbolizes beauty, good luck, appreciation and purity. However, one must beware when gifting these flowers. If paired with a snowdrop, especially a green snowdrop, the combination signifies promiscuity on the part of the receiver. It can be counted as a great insult. Ve Witch Hazel It is whispered, perhaps heretically so, that witch hazel has the uncanny power to divine the future or to reveal the truth. Perhaps rightly so, witch hazel holds a horrible reputation. Although useful in some medical instances, it should never be gifted to those you hold in high esteem. It can be used to indicate the gifter believes the receiver is lying, either in general or more specifically. It is seen as uncouth to gift the plant to even one’s enemies. Ve Aconite This stark purple bloom often signifies misanthropy, caution, and death. The plant is incredibly poisonous, causing pain in the stomach, vomiting and nausea if ingested. One should be especially careful when handling it, and it is the height of disgrace to gift aconite to a living person. On the other hand, this flower is one of the best to use in funeral processions. Volume Two of VE BLAUWMS I HANSETI-RUSKA is soon to follow. SIGNED, Her Royal Highness, Prinzenas Klara Elizaveta, Duchess of Baranya