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The Sins of Sven There sits a usurper upon the Red Throne of Norland. A bungling Tyrant who has consigned the body of faithful, the Children of the All-Father to a miserable unwinnable war. There is no love lost between myself and the usurpacious fool who pretends to my lineage. They claim the divine right of Rurics while having no Ruric blood. Their utter incompetence is only further evidence of the practicality of Ruric rule. The sons of Thoromir were charged with their divine duty for a reason. Their absence leads only to disaster. Despite the many failures and vices of the usurper who infests the Red Throne, I have extended my hand again and again. Yet each time I have been rudely rebuked. Let us then discuss the Sins of Sven. It cannot be argued that Sven Caedricsson is the worst leader to ever have led the Norlandic people. His bungling far outweighs the actions of the Apostate Kings Javier and Jevan. The Apostate Kings were at least capable of properly assembling and prosecuting a coalition war. His unmatched apery far outpacing even the foolish coup of Nordengrad. First is the question of administration. Varhelm lies empty. Unadministered, unguarded, its innumerable rows of houses collect cobwebs while its uncaring administration does nothing to reform or refurbish the city. So many stones are thrown at the Duke of Elysium yet if not from Elysium would Norland have any spears and swords to its banner? While the King’s Council is clearly lax, it is the duty of the King to command the council. Not to be commanded by the council. Yet with the passing of Halvar, we see the city fall into neglect. What of the faith then? That highest duty bestowed upon all Rurikid? The faith has been allowed to fall to neglect. Of the ranks of the Hearth that seem to sign ever denunciation of my theology, I have only seen Draymyr and the Lord Commander of the Purifiers engaged in the labours of Faith. Where has the High Keeper fled to? And in her absence why has a new Hearth Council not been called to install a new head of the Holy Hearth. In each vassal holding, there is no Hearth. In Elysium, there is no temple proper. The Hearth is not merely the ministry of marriages and funerals as is the case amongst the southfolk. The Holy Hearth is the spiritual doctor of our people, charged with the spiritual health of our people and by extension the spiritual health of the realm. To all Rurics falls the duty to protect and expand the hearth. Yet under the tenure of the usurper a man who claims Ruric blood these duties have been utterly neglected. How then can he claim to be a pious son of Thoromir if he is so inept at his most basic duties? What of the War? Why have the lives of the Nordish people been spent like so many coins? For what noble pursuit are our people thrust once more unto the grist-mill of war? Sven instigated this war over trifles, throwing his nation and his people into another tired yet seemingly inescapable conflict with the Empire that is inevitably destined to occur once every few decades. Let us first review various the raison d’etre for this war. Enumerated below are the most recent wrongs perpetrated by the Orenian State against the Kingdom and people of Norland: I. The unjust assault of a blind man of Norland at the hands of the Orenian Ministry of Justice, the sullying of his honor, and subsequent spreading of untruths about his actions and affiliations. II. The violation of Norlandic Sovereignty, and therefore the Treaty of Owynsburg, by way of planning and attempting to conduct multiple arrests and investigations on Norlandic soil without first negotiating an agreement of extradition. III. The violation of Norlandic Sovereignty, and therefore the Treaty of Owynsburg, by way of the conducting of espionage within Norlandic borders and attempting to bribe both Norlandic citizens and officials of the Norlandic military in exchange for information on the activities of the Norlandic Crown. IV. The failure and refusal to negotiate or even engage with the Kingdom of Norland in its attempts to mend tensions. So if we are to read these offences correctly the pretender declared war with the largest power in the world, throwing his people into an extremely harsh war because: Oreners beat up an old man, Orenians were planning to arrest some people, Oren was using spies. There were no raids. There were no invasions of the homeland or of allies. War was declared over minor intrigues that constantly occur between various independent realms during times of peace. While these acts are intolerable within the realms of the Nordish people, they are the very purpose of an effective guard force, of manned gatehouses. Rather than merely arrest spies and expel those attempting to make arrests, Sven committed the Nordish people to an extremely harsh war over minor offences. What then of the usurper’s diplomatic capacities? The incompetence of Sven is only exacerbated by the fact that he declared war without consulting with or alerting his allies. Almost all of whom promptly exited the conflict. The sons of Haense declaring their neutrality and the High elves of Haelun’or signing a defensive pact with the Empire despite ostensibly being members of the Iron Accord. Can anyone blame them? This being said one must express a certain level of the rugged loyalty of the Dwed in this matter, in times of turmoil it is easy to abandon oath under pretence. It is far more difficult to maintain one’s word and obligation in times of flux. The usurper committed the Nordish people to bleed and die in the fields of the south; Charging into a field battle outnumbered two to one. Are the High Lords of Haense and Haelun’or expected to enthusiastically commit their people to death over quibbles and trinkets? No. The preservation of one’s people, one’s nation, and the promotion of virtue is the charge of every mortal leader. Yet this duty seems beyond the thoughts of Sven and his advisors Let us then look to the prosecution of the war proper. At the outset of the war, the southern marches of the Kingdom were completely unfortified lacking the typical keeps and bastions that are at this point emblematic of Norlandic territories. Furthermore Elysium, one of the most populous settlements of the realm completely lacking defences prior to and following the declaration of war, leaving it vulnerable to a number of raids. Finally, the question of battles. The field battle against the southern coalition was a situation wherein the Norlandic forces were outnumbered two to one. Not terrible odds, albeit by those experienced in the art of warfare. Yet these troops were marched straight into the maw of the numerically superior force, their attempt at a flanking action rendering themselves vulnerable to a flank. For what purpose did these men die if not to flatter the ego of a man beyond his depth. The Norlandic people should not be forced to suffer and die in an unwinnable war merely for your fragile ego, reinforced by a complete lack of confidence. Abdicate. To quoth a Certain Pathetic Dog Hiding in Varhelm Father Guide Us, Theoderic