MikoMonster

Hey all, Miko here.

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted on the forums, and an even longer time since I’ve been in-server. I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to end up doing a post like this, as I didn’t know whether or not I would ever be back. I had anticipated leaving LOTC out of necessity this coming spring, but things just ended up happening a little bit early. I have known for a while that my passion for the server was waning, and when I started this current school year, I decided it was time for me to finally step away.

I joined LOTC almost exactly 4 years ago. It’s crazy to look back at my time here on the server; it’s been a wild ride. Growing up on this server has truly been a learning experience. It has been far from perfect, but I am so grateful for all of the communities I have had the opportunity to be a part of and the individuals who have become my friends. From Adria to Renatus to Haense to Savoy, and all those other little groups who took me in, thank you for all the good times. 

I know that my life post-graduation is not going to have much time for games and roleplay, so this is me saying goodbye to the server and thanking everyone who has made my experience here memorable. Special thank yous to the Adria/Belvitz community in 2018, the Myrine/ferrymen community in 2021, the Savoy community in 2022, the Hexer community in 2022, and the Haense community from 2019-2022. 

Much love to everyone; please stay safe. Remember that you are loved and to reach out to someone if you need help. People care about you. See you all around. 💛

CONFESSIONS OF A DECEIVER

“Be careful in trusting me, Edmond. I’m not an honest woman.” - Eleanore Morovar

The life Eleanore had lived was a mirage, to put it simply. A masterpiece of interwoven mistruths forming the most fragile of facades. It had never been her intention to become a husk of herself, and yet as the years passed living in constant fear, that tongue of hers spilled lies and false promises as easily as water from a pitcher.

It was that perfect duality that she survived on; that set of rules that she lived by. Never say anything that could get you in trouble, don’t give anyone a reason to suspect you, stay away from clergymen, never remove your gloves; trust only your closest kin. They worked… for a while, at least. But two lives lived by the same woman can only remain separate for so long.

“You were the biggest mistake I ever made. You are a disappointment.” - Anne Caroline

Eleanore had burned villages, churches, and fought against the descendants as the Arch-Drakaar’s loyal servant. It was all for Ruin, that mission of rebuilding, of restoring what had been sullied by centuries of sin and cowardice. And for what?

Perhaps it had been her parents that led her to this life of duty and flame. Her estrangement from her mother and the rest of her blood whilst her father cherished her actions. Her mentor and role model worshiped the Titan, so why not she? Her mother deserved none of her affection. 

“Disappointment.”

That word panged in the back of her mind throughout her life, one uttered by her mother that she could never quite forget. It analyzed her every action, pushed her to further and greater and desperate lengths. Made her cold-hearted, self-reliant. 

“You are my utmost pride, more than even my eldest heir.” - Simon Casimir Pruvia

But the guilt piled up in time - it was bound to. The lies she had told, the secrets she had kept, the lives she had taken; the scorched bodies that still lay undiscovered beneath the earth. It all lingered in a dark, unreachable corner of her mind. Denial may have been the only way she staved off insanity for so long.

Old age had treated the woman well, at least. She was no longer being hunted, and settled into a life of motherhood and wanderlust. But the damage had already been done in her youth, and she walked a thin line between carelessness and senility.

By the time she was sixty, voices panged in her head constantly. Perhaps they were the words of those she had killed. The lives she had taken never left her, finally driving her to the brink of insanity.

“I would not lie to you, Otto.” - Eleanore Morovar

One cold northern evening, reeking of ash and smoke as she often did, Eleanore made her way silently to the Haense graveyard. She wound her way back through the headstones to that grave, its surface engraved with the name Michael. In one gloved hand she gripped a dagger, in the other a crumpled note. 

She lowered herself to an aching kneel beside that tended grave, remembering the fight that had once taken place in that graveyard - of the three souls long forgotten beneath the soil.

“In the end, we all return to ash.”

The woman made such a quiet utterance as she pulled off those weathered gloves and rolled up her sleeves, revealing wrists and arms lined with branded tattoos which had been hidden for decades. With a deep breath and the briefest of hesitations, she raised that dagger to rest over her heart. And then she plunged it deep into her own chest. Blood spattered the parchment in her hand as her form slumped against the gravestone.

In the end, it was only Eleanore, and those 

secrets she refused to take to her grave.

The Note

Now that I am gone, you will know my sins. My soul may not be saved, but these truths deserve to be known. 

I. I am a follower of the Arch-Drakaar. I always have been. Know that if the church and people who thought themselves heroes had not hunted me- no one would have died. This did not have to happen.

II. Beneath the body of the man whose headstone is labeled “Michael” are three corpses. The larger one belongs to a clergyman, a bishop who went missing decades ago. The smaller two belong to two young girls. I do not recall their names. One was a Kortrevich, and the other a Ruthern.

III. There are undead in your midst. Many of those I have killed walk still today. Perhaps I am sinful, but none of you are pure.

IV. I do not regret what I have done.

To Otto, 

To my children: Leopold, Barbara, Markus, Petyr, and Josef,

To Nikoleta,

To my father,

To my brothers in flame,

THE SUN SETS OVER SAVOY

A Crown’s Final Decree

Penned by the hand of

Renata Adelina

and decreed to all the Realm.

4th of Sun's Smile, 76 S.A.

PREFACE

Since the dawn of this nation in the time of my late grandfather, Olivier Renault, the Savoyard people have seen many a sunrise emerge over the barren horizon of the southern sands. Yet even the desert can not always be bathed in sunlight, as hot and unyielding as its presence may seem. For the past century, Savoy has made a name for itself. Stories were woven and lives were shared, but for the past several years, it has been made evident that such joyful times are no longer upon us. It is as they say: all good things must one day come to an end.

However, my priority since my inheritance of the crown has always been the Savoyard people, and such will remain until the very final moments of its existence. The families who once served my grandfather continued on to serve my father, brother, and myself throughout crisis and turmoil. The loyalty of the good men of Savoy will not be forgotten, and the debt of their unwavering service will be repaid to the best of one woman’s ability. It is my vow that these great houses will not be left without purchase following Savoy’s dissolution.

This is my final decree as the last Sovereign of Savoy.

THE FUTURE OF SAVOY

I. THE CROWN

The crown of the Principality of Savoy will no longer be able to be borne by any man nor woman, in physicality or name. 

II. THE PRINCIPALITY

The title of the Principality of Savoy will no longer exist and cannot be held by any man nor woman.

III. THE INHERITANCE

All individuals who bear Ashford blood will no longer hold any claim to the Principality of Savoy title, as it will hereby cease to exist. Any so-called claimant will be seen as illegitimate and fraudulent. 

III. THE LAND

The lands that belonged to the Principality of Savoy and its vassals will return to nature and God Himself, aside from those few fiefs that choose to remain independent upon the land.

THE SUBJECTS OF SAVOY

I. THE MARGRAVIATE OF LVINSK

The Noble House of Jazloviecki and the people of Lvinsk will be granted land within the Kingdom of Oren as agreed to by King Frederick I. 

II. THE DAELISH ISLES

The Daelish people will be granted their independence to develop Daeland as a settlement of its own, separate from any nation.

III. THE LANDGRAVIATE OF ALSTREIM

The Noble House of Alstreim and the people of Merryweather and Alstreim will be granted land within the Kingdom of Oren as agreed to by King Frederick I.

IV. THE COUNTY OF FREIMARK

The title of the County of Freimark will be granted to Prince Johann Barclay, to be inherited by his heirs.

V. THE HEXER CREED

The Hexer creed will be freed from any previous contract with the Principality of Savoy to continue their practice separate from any nation. Their granted lands will become independent and securely their own.

VI. ALL OTHER LANDED VASSALS OF THE PRINCIPALITY OF SAVOY

All other landed communities will be granted their independence to pursue a future in whichever method they may desire.

IN NOMINE DEI,

Her Serene Highness, Renata I, Princess of Savoy, Duchess of Corazon, Countess of San Luciano and Sarissa, Baroness of Brynnrose and etcetera