THE END OF THE LINE
The fall of a bull
The Attenlund was known as a land of great troubles, one the Haeseni people had managed to tame. Many threats had loomed there, but the Highlanders of the North never seemed discouraged by them. House Kortrevich was no exception to this trend, having settled their new County within the hilly forests east of Karosgrad. Jerovitz as the Count had dubbed it, a proud holding sitting near the Orenian borderlands. It is where he had moved his family to after Krusev had fallen, and where he ushered in a new dawn for the family he cared about so dearly. The path back to the Haeseni capital was long, but familiar to Jan as well. The path brought him peace and gave him a place to think, to come to terms with all that had been happening around him.
The Aulic Envoy began his journey to the capital, looking over his shoulder one last time to gaze upon Jerovitz.
House Kortrevich had faced many losses over the years. Rickard, Viktor, Juliyus. They were all people he had looked up to, people he always admired. All he wanted was to make them proud and to not let his family down. Jan got his family a County, but he never felt like he did enough for them. He had little time to spend with his children or Tatiana, a regret he had always carried with him. The burden of being on the Aulic Council had begun to take its toll already, perhaps he should not have accepted Sigismund’s offer? He had no choice in the matter either way, rejecting such a position would only prove harmful for the family, or so Jan told himself. All he ever wanted was for his family to be respected once again like it had before, no matter the cost. Screaming at his children and wife, it was all a result of the weight on the Count’s shoulder.
Jan patted himself down when he began his journey, realizing he had left his blade back home. Did it really matter? The way to Karosgrad was littered with settlements from the Haeseni nobility. It was by no means an abandoned path, and he had never encountered trouble along the way before. Jan was never a fighter either way, a weapon offered him little more than some confidence.
The final lengths of the path home crossed the thick forests near Krusev, his old home. It had been quite some time since Jan had visited the ruins, it was better to not dwell on the now decade old battle any longer. Karosgrad was close now, a sense of relief coming to Jan as he was soon to see the red walls of the capital again. Jan came to a standstill, taking in the scenery in all its beauty. The chirping of birds, the gentle rustling of the branches never failed to bring him some peace.
All of the peace and quiet soon ended however, with heavy thumping and the snapping of branches seemingly all around him.
Jan had never been a fighter. He avoided joining the army like the plague, and wanted nothing more than to lock himself in his office. Even travelling to other nations without a Knight by his side worried him deeply. It is why he was always so hesitant to take his children on journeys to Urguan, no matter how often they nagged him for it. What if any harm would come to them because their father was unable to fight back? Jan would never find out, as his final breath was already drawn.
Perhaps someone heard him, although the ruins of Krusev did not see many visitors. Blood gurgling screams were all that escaped the Count, whatever it was that struck him bringing its devastation down upon the Aulic Envoy. His fate had been sealed, if only he hadn’t stopped along the path. Would he ever be missed, or would he be replaced and forgotten like he had always feared would happen? Jan knew that this was the end, that he would never make it home ever again. He hoped Vladrik was ready, he hoped all of House Kortrevich would be safe. Vladrik, Viktoriya, Emelya, Vasilia and Niko, they would soon learn what had become of their father.
Whoever the poor soul would be to stumble upon Jan Otto, it would be a scene engraved in their minds for years to come.
Rickard, Viktor, Markus and Otto, Jan would finally be reunited with the many Patriarchs of House Kortrevich. His dearest cousin Walter and uncle Juliyus, all would be there to welcome him to his final destination, his true home. He had not disappointed his ancestors in the end, a thought that at long last brought the Count peace. Jan was not the one to reclaim the Margraviate of Korstadt as he had always dreamt, nor was he a perfect leader by any means. He knew however that he gave House Kortrevich a future. His children had many opportunities ahead of them, so long as they would take them.
Jan Otto Kortrevich
'The Envoy'
Born on the 20th of the Grand Harvest, 1798 in Krusev, Haense
Died on the 9th of the First Seed, 1842 in Krusev, Haense