A letter nailed to a door on a Church...

[Thralik]

Uzzik Stormbeard walks confidently through Thralls Gates, holding a huge hammer and whistling a tune. He walks past the exemplars to Lochwar's temple. He pauses in front of the door and seems to be contemplating something. Suddenly, he removes a large rectangular piece of parchement and, using his hammer, nails it to the door of the temple.

A few minutes later and he is done. Swinging his hammer and merrily humming a tune, he pushes through the large crowd that has assembled to watch this strange spectacle. He stops in front of an astounded exemplar and deftly tosses him a single gold coin.

"You there, red tin man - take this in payment for any scratched paint on the door"

He swaggers out of Thralls Gate and continues to Cear, where he repeats the same ritual on the door of the Misty Tavern and the Halls of Justice.

Men, women and children of all races and religions gather around to read the statement:

To the exalted and respected, etc, etc, etc Cleric of Lochwar Father Marrent Arghivius

Greetings,

It has come to the attention of the Elders of the Stormbeard Clan that the Church of Lochwar has certain allegations and charges due to certain events in Thrall's Gate. As a result, the Church of Lochwar has demanded that the Elders of the Stormbeard Clan aknowledge that Lochwar is the supreme deity, etc, etc, etc. The Elders of our Clan have discussed this proposal and have the following answer:

We officialy demand that all charges, allegations, etc, etc, etc against the good name of our Clan be droped forthwith. In the event that this does not happen, we demand, as per ancient custom, that this matter be resolved by trial by publik combat in the arena. If the champion of Lochwar should win we will accede to the demands of the Lochwarians. However, should our champion win, the Lochwarians will have to aknowledge, due to irrefutable evidence, that either:

a) Lochwar is indeed not supreme, or
b) he simply can't be bothered to support his Church and supporters, in which case we obviously have no charge to answer to.

In the event of your defeat in this trial by combat, we will allow the individual spectators to arrive at their own conclusion as to which of these 2 possibilities are the most likely.

Of course you have the option to decline a trial by combat and simply drop all charges, allegations, etc, etc, etc against our Clan - the choice is yours.

As with all legal documents, the Church of Lochwar has 7 working days to respond. If we hear no response in 7 working days, it will be presumed that all allegations, charges, etc, etc, etc against the Clan have been dropped, never to be revisited.

Signed

Aalric Stormbeard
Runemaster

Ash Stormbeard
Counselor

Kattnar
Consort of the Thane

[ChikenKannon]

Mr. Hall pushes open the door to the mistyvale, stepping outside into the fresh air and taking a moment to enjoy sunlight. Mid-yawn he notices the parchment nailed to the door behind him.

"...Trial by public combat...?"

The man rereads the missive again and again, rubbing the paper between his fingers to make sure he is actually awake. After a fourth reading of the apparent insanity he opens the door to the misty and steps back inside for an early morning drink.

[Balamor Lansmor]

ooc that was nailed to the door to the church of lochwar.

[Alterity]

OOC- ((

He swaggers out of Thralls Gate and continues to Cear, where he repeats the same ritual on the door of the Misty Tavern and the Halls of Justice.

Its on the Misty as well.))

[Nicholas Woodruff]

Lieutenant Nicholas Woodruff strolls past the Mistyvale Inn on a normal patrol, but a few steps after passing the establishment, he turns and looks at the door. Mildly annoyed, he rips the notice off the door, and slowly walks toward the trash bin. However, just before he opens the lid to dispose of the notice, the Lieutenant decides to take a look at it, and he is not sure if he is grateful or regretful that he does so.

Now more than mildly annoyed, Woodruff carries the notice to the Fleethouse, and attaches it to an incident report.

There is no longer a notice on the door of the Mistyvale.

[Balamor Lansmor]

Neophite Beldor Volic is seen walking into the fleethouse in north cear with a small case of papers.

walking into the fleethouse he looks to the first uniformed fleetsman he sees,"constable i have some paper work for the comadore"

[Redleafe]

Kyfier stood silent for a moment, his hands clinching the shaft of his greataxe at his side.

"The Stormbeards are a proud clan, an example of low-folk working towards independence and unity among one another, 'tis time the land of human know that dwarves stand and are to be counted. I shall meet with them and assure them that they have the backing of myself and the Redleafe clan. A glorious day to be a dwarf, Praise Asher, long live the dwarves."

Kyfier adjusted his gaze to a local guard nearing him as he spoke aloud, smiling with content he kissed his fist and raised his arm with pride as he walked calmly for the outskirts of Cear.

[Thralik]

Uzzik swaggers back into Thralls Gate. 2 Exemplars see him and start moving to stop him. Uzzik pulls out his dice and starts to smile

Red Tin men - are you sure you want to do this? I personally don't mind resculpting the landscape red but your superiours might feel differently...

The Exemplars look at each other and decide to let the dwarf pass. Uzzik walks up to the door of the Temple of Lochwar & looks at the notice pinned there. He seems to meditate a moment and then he deftly pulls out a quill and starts writing on the bottom margin of the Notice. When he finishes, he stands back a moment to admire his handiwork.

As he walks back to Cear, he comments to one of the Exemplars,

Today is your lucky day it seems...

He proceeds to the Misty Tavern where he sees that the notice has been removed. After a few Tsk, Tsk's, he goes to T&C where he proceeds to the Hall of Justice and the notice that is still nailed to it's door. After he pushes through the throngs of nobles, mages & clerks, he amends the notice in a similar fashion to the one in Thralls Gate.

By order of the Elders of Clan Stormbeard

In the interest of ongoing negotiations and as an act of Goodwill, the 7 day countdown is temporarily halted at the close of day 3.

Uzzik then hand delivered the following letter to Commodore Torquil Lamond:

To Torquil Lamond of the Cereleun Fleet

Greetings,

We Dwarves have always been lawful, peace abiding citizens of the Empire. Above all, we believe in honour. We have no interest what so ever with conflict with any legally constituted group or faction within the Empire, including the Lochwarites.

However, what we cannot abide by is Dwarves being threatened, kidnapped & almost hung by the above said group. We have all heard the rumours of entire towns being put to the sword in the name of Lochwar. What humans do to each other is their business but as Dwarves we will meet such threats if need be with cold steel.

Allow me to explain our position. In the process of rescuing a dwarf from being lynched, a member of the Lochwarians was killed. As it so happens, this person wasn't even killed by us. I believe that the Lochwarians have accepted that this is true. None the less, they have made theological demands of us for the audacity of saving one of our own.

Now this put us in an impossible position. We have done nothing wrong. We are accused of a crime we have not committed. We are ordered to make restitution in a theological way. And all of the above without any recourse to a fair trial.

We are very sorry but this type of victimisation of Clan Stormbeard by the Lochwarians is improper. We have every right to a fair trial and since we have great doubts about the impartiality of any jury due to threats from the inquisition, etc; the only way to have a fair trial is by the ancient right of trial by combat which is an aknowledged right in all civilized lands of all races in all countries. I sincerely doubt that the Empire would like to take away this most basic right of the accused.

A further advantage of trial by combat is that our conflict with the Lochwarians seems to hinge on theological matters. Traditionally, a victory in a trial by combat is seen as a sign that the matter has been abjudicated by the Higher Authorities.

Now truth be told, we would love to live in peace and harmony with the Temple of Lochwar. We would love to forget about this whole matter, trial by combat, public declarations of fealty to Lochwar, etc. But we cannot have the temple of Lochwar making theological demands of the Dwarven clans. The resulting conflict will only bring chaos and disaster instead of the unity that we all need to show if we are going to have any chance of defeating Canas.

It's not that the Clan desires a duel with the Temple of Lochwar - it is that we feel backed into a corner and it seemed the only way to make the temple back down from their impossible demands upon us. If the temple of Lochwar drops their demands against the Clan, we will be most happy to drop any claims and demands for a trial by combat, and we can all live together in peace and brotherhood.

We are most happy to meet with the fleet to discuss these issues in a peaceful, non-hostile enviourment. Please suggest several times (Thursday nights GMT are often convenient for us)

As a sign of our goodwill I have instructed my apprentice Uzzik to halt the countdown while negotiations proceed.

With the greatest of respect,

Aalric Stormbeard
Runemaster

Ash Stormbeard
Counsellor

Kattnar
Royal Consort of the Thane

[Alterity]

One would notice that the posting in Thralls Gate has mysteriously disappeared without a trace, amendment and all.

[Thralik]

///OOC
nope - it's still there. The one in front of the misty was taken down.

[Alterity]

OOC-- In other words I took down the notice.

[Torquil Lamond]

A well-crafted letter—inked on fine vellum with an even and well-practiced hand—is delivered to the elders of the Stormbeard Clan by a Constable of the Fleet. It is sealed with a dark cyan, azure coloured wax and bears the seal and crest of the Commodore of the Cerulean Fleet.

Opening it would reveal an illuminated depiction of the Fleet's crest, along with its Imperial Designation. The letter body is enclosed below.



Elder Ash Stormbeard,
Elder Aalric Stormbeard,
Elder Kattnar,

I trust this missive reaches the Honourable Elders of the Stormbeard Clan intact, and visits upon the Elders good health and spirits.

Recent events (regarding your relationship with the Church of Lochwar in Thrall's Gate) has understandably attracted the undue attention of His Imperial Majesty's Cerulean Fleet, of which I have the honour of commanding as Commodore.

It is of course my principle interest that the Rule of Law, and most importantly, order and discipline (a prized characteristic of dwarfs) is maintained within and without my jurisdiction here in Cear.

As the esteemed Elders and their representatives did post a notice, similar to the one posted in Thrall's Gate three days past, in the city of Cear (and so within my jurisdiction), the attention of the Fleet has been duly garnered into this conflict.

I hereby solicit, along with my officers, a meeting with the Elders of the Stormbeards at their earliest convenience. In the interim, I suggest the Elders temporarily suspend their self-imposed seven day expiration notice on their dispute with the Church of Lochwar, until such time a discussion may be opened into this matter.

I will speak with Father Marrent Arghivius shortly and request information on your dispute with him; it is my intention as a man of lawful spirit to serve as an arbiter between both parties.

Above all else, Elders, with the war with Canas to the west (too close for anyone's comfort), I implore that peace and amicable relations remain between you and your kin and the Church of Lochwar.

I have forwarded a copy of this missive to my senior officers and to remaining interested parties.

Regards,

Commodore Torquil Lamond
The E.M.S. Resolute
His Imperial Majesty's Cerulean Fleet

The Commodore nodded passively as he learned of the amendment to the posting at the Judiciary Chambers. His left hand scratched away with quill and ink, his large form seated at his desk. Paperwork was never pleasant.

He purposely took his time, waiting for a period of one hour—just long enough so that rumour would spread that, indeed, the Stormbeards had halted their "expiration", and at his request.

At the end of the hour, and as the watchman struck the bell signifying a new watch, the Commodore rose, grasping his cloak. Ten minutes later saw him at the entrance to the Judiciary Chambers, the "Hall of Justice". With a gauntleted hand he grasped the parchment of the notice, and gingerly removed it from the door.

Public notices in this flavour were, according to the precepts of Varanite Rule of Law, unacceptable. The Law, in its respectable entirety, must be upheld.

With an unreadable countenance Torquil turned sharply on his left heel, and marched out of the barracks for North Cear.

[TitusMcGinty]

A feathered cap bounces up and down along the road and stops in front of the Mistyvale Inn. A gnome bends halfway, leaps up in the air, and plants another notice on the door then walks away.

From the desk of Titus McGinty:


Dear Hobo Elves,

Last time I moseyed into your gypsy camp, you fatties done gone and besmirched my honor.
By order of Section 11a. Subparagraph ix of the Hobo Code, I demand full restitution be made
by way of Butt-Nekkid Hobo Wrestling with your fattest, smelliest hobo champion.
Look forward to getting your comeuppance, hobos.

Sincerely,

Titus "Fancypants" McGinty

[Wired]

Quick PSA:

A reminder for those involved in this thread to please review some advice I'd given previously and to refrain from roleplaying anyone other than your own character; that to include NPCs or other's characters.

Especially if this is leading to conflict, let's also be mindful that edits not give the appearance of having changed any material facts that would lead to an unfair dis/advantage to one side or the other.

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread....

[Torquil Lamond]

The Commodore exhaled heavily, setting the quill he held into its place beside his desk. He leaned back, flexing his hands after having written for well over an hour.

He looked down at his desk, and the multiple copies of the same missive that littered it. After a few moments reviewing them, he set about folding and sealing them. It was a methodical, tiring task, but ten minutes saw the last letter sealed and ready to be conveyed.

He rose, handing them to a waiting courier.

"See that these are delivered to Father Marrent of the Church, and each respective copy to the addressed Stormbeard."

The courier saluted, and departed. He hoped this would conclude this awful matter.

A well-crafted letter—inked on fine vellum with an even and well-practiced hand—is delivered to the Church of Lochwar by a Constable of the Fleet. It is sealed with a dark cyan, azure coloured wax and bears the seal and crest of the Commodore of the Cerulean Fleet.

Opening it would reveal an illuminated depiction of the Fleet's crest, along with its Imperial Designation. The letter body is enclosed below.



Father,

I trust this notice greets you in good health, Father.

Members of His Imperial Majesty's Cerulean Fleet had an opportunity to speak to the Stormbeards this afternoon. In attendance were Corporal Georg Bauer, Ensign John Mackev and myself.

Representing the Stormbeards were Elder Lorval, Elder Kattnar and Thorstrom.

The Fleet did not plan for this meeting, and encountered the Stormbeards within their camp. We did come prepared, however, with copies of our interactions, including the account you provided the Fleet with.

Throughout the exchange the Stormbeards were polite, respectful and accorded themselves with honour and dignity.

I began by addressing the issue they had with the incident that has spawned most of this dispute: the dwarf that had allegedly been captured and punished by the Church of Lochwar in Thrall’s Gate.

I informed the Stormbeards that, according to a statement by you delivered to the Fleet, that you did not command nor oversee the capture and punishment of this dwarf. I suggested to the dwarves that perhaps another imperial agency had ordered it, and the Church of Lochwar was assisting, as they are wont to do.

I also emphasized to the Stormbeards that it was only until last week that the Church assumed command of Thrall’s Gate, and during the time of this incident, the Talon had control over the settlement.

We then spoke of the communication that you, the Church, has had with the Stormbeards regarding the venerable Lochwar, King of the Gods. It appears that in this venue, Father, a miscommunication has occurred that the Stormbeards and the Fleet may have helped to clear up.

The Stormbeards have been under the impression that the Church at Thrall’s Gate has demanded they worship Lochwar in the place of their own patron deities, with Brintha cited as one. They informed me that no Stormbeard worships a prohibited deity, and all gods and goddesses as worshipped by the Clan are recognized entities.

I informed the Stormbeards that, while Lochwar is not my patron deity, I still recognize Him as a god, and importantly, as king of the gods. The Stormbeards have no issue with this position, and declared to me, in the presence of two other Fleet-members, that the Clan acknowledges the existence of Lochwar, and his position within the Varanite pantheon.

These are their formal declarations,

The Stormbeards worship a conglomerate of gods and goddesses, as recognized by the Imperial Government. Such venerable ones as Brintha.

The Stormbeards do not deny the existence of Lochwar, nor question his esteemed position within the Pantheon.

The Stormbeards do not wish any violence, conflict, or disagreement with the Church of Lochwar.

The Stormbeards have indicated to me that, upon sending you this missive on their behalf, and upon receiving a positive reply from you and yours, that they will recall their “challenge” and will immediately cease hostilities with the Church of Lochwar in Thrall’s Gate.

As there is not enough evidence to suggest that the Stormbeards were responsible for the attack on Thrall’s Gate so many months ago, I cannot pursue nor recommend any course of action. It seems that elves were involved as well, so I shall keep this file open until more information is available.

Also, as it relates to the hostile and blasphemous tone of the Stormbeards original missive, I would suggest that, given the impression they were under that they had to recant their own deities and worship Lochwar alone, that the unacceptable approach they took is understandably mitigated.

I will take it upon myself to ensure the Stormbeards are aware that, in the future, such issues should be brought to another agency to arbitrate or moderate, to safeguard the public peace and goodwill of those who live in this community.

I hope that this meets with your satisfaction.

Kind regards,

Commodore Torquil Lamond
The E.M.S. Resolute
His Imperial Majesty's Cerulean Fleet