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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on Jan 30, 2016 7:03:08 GMT
[T2] On Insulting Lothians (and Bayardians)
Sir Estian considers the younger bards and scholars sitting before him.
"So when one is speaking cutting satire it is wise to consider the audience that you speak."
"For example consider the Lothians. When the peasants think of them, they conjure up wild images of half-clad uncivilised barbarians. So when you speak of them to the peasants, you should describe them thus, in animal terms. They are feral, rabid, bloodthirsty. Words of the like. Similar satire about them should be earthy and draw on these traits. So if one where to write a line about their habit of raiding you would say..."
After a pregnant pause while the young students wrack their brains a hand is hesitantly raised. Sir Estian points, "Daffyd?"
"The Lothians are so tired of shitting in their own house they decided to go shit in the Bayard's instead."
"A tolerable example Daffyd, but one that would have been more apt before the Bayards turned to apostasy and blood cults. Rumour now tells us that the Lothians are only raiding them every other day now."
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on Mar 10, 2016 23:55:31 GMT
[T3] Further Classes at the College of Aberffraw - On Bloodlines
Sir Estian considers the younger bards and scholars sitting before him.
"And so now we come to the nature of divine blood. Tell me class, what do we know about the divine gifts?"
A hand is urgently raised, and studiously ignored by Sir Estian for a while, "Anyone other than Daffyd? Anyone? No, very well then Daffyd, what do we know?"
"People with bloodlines are famous, the sort of people that you write epics and odes about. There are great stories about them."
"That's very close Daffyd, but consider the case of Unthred, now known to modern scholars as the pretender." Sir Estian pauses to drink some of his ale. "In his time Unthred was most famous man, with tales about his purported actions against beast and evil man all across Albion. He was the most well-known man of his time. Yet we have discovered that he had no bloodline, and that many of the tales attributed to him where fantasy, invented stories and tales."
"We have discovered, over time that a person obtains a bloodline for being famous for true actions, and that true actions by their descendants enhance the bloodline, whilst a lack of action will tend to weaken it. Note the stories, or lack thereof, about the second to fourth kings of Gawant some five centuries ago, and then compare to the more recent histories of Gawant."
"Yet it is not only fame, but also infamy that can breed strong bloodlines, a case in point, the Warlords of Lothia are known for strong blood."
"In either case it seems to be that divine bloodlines accumulate to those who act in ways that become well-known, so when you think to the histories and find kings and queens, knights and knaves, known as the Bold, the Brave, the Cruel, the Ruthless you are likely learning about people blessed with bloodlines."
"Remember also though that fame and infamy accrue not just to those of martial skill or noble lineage, there have been many possessed of fame and blood who sobriquet the Explorer, the Rich, the Smith and the Trader. Attend carefully to these in your studies as well my students."
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on May 3, 2016 7:14:29 GMT
[T4] Further Classes at the College of Aberffraw - On the Inheritance of Bloodlines
"Now we shall move onto the presentation on the inheritance of bloodlines that I asked you to prepare in my absence, do we have any volunteers who would wish to present first."
Sir Estian casts his glance across the sea of faces, all studiously avoiding his gaze except for one, before with a weary sigh he continues.
"It looks like Daffyd wants to go first", and then under his breath, "Again."
"Daffyd, please stand and present."
A young man, stands. Studious in appearance with the barest wisp of a beard showing on his chin. He takes a formal stance.
"From previous lessons we have discovered that the strength of a bloodline most closely relates to the strength of deed a person has accomplished, and the renown that has attached to said deed. Yet what deeds can a child have accomplished before it's naming day, one would say very deeds, and fewer still of strength or renown."
"How then do we explain the many instances of children borne with bloodlines whose strength is apparent straight from the womb. Consider the case of our noble Queen Jessica of Caerleon whose divine aura is so strong that the moment of her birth was felt through all of Aberffraw?" At this rhetorical question Daffyd pauses momentarily, drawing out the silence before a slight cough from Sir Estian has him start again.
"The answer is simple, it is expectation of the future greatness of the child. Is it not true that of a child is expected certain things based on who their parentage, we know for example that the child of a fisherman is likely to be innately skilled as a fisherman, and that similarly the child of a smith will a powerful familiarly with the forge. Would it not follow that the child of great people will have similar affinities for greatness, and that the divine creator, who gifts us all with the tools we require to meet our destiny would gift them with the tools, the divine blood, that they may meet their destiny?"
Sir Estian takes a draw on his ale, "A solid answer Daffyd, however you neglected to cover differing expectation based on the order of children. We all know that most is expected of the first child, the heir. Consequently we have found countless examples in history and our current world of first children having strong bloodlines. Following on, as the second child, the spare, has less expectation they have tended to bloodlines and history of lesser repute. Then we arrive at the third child, should the elder two have survived, the priest, and likely the reason for the accumulation of so many minor heroes amongst the clergy and the Temple Militant. And then come fourth children, of which little is expected, and consequently little occurs.
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on May 27, 2016 0:56:20 GMT
[T5] Further Classes at the College of Aberffraw - On the Importance of Gifts at Official Events
Sir Estian looks over the gathered throng, taking a hefty sip of his mug of ale before continuing the spring lesson.
"Now as we've already covered the details of the ceremony that Archpriest will be performing later this spring we move onto the reception. In concept the reception of guests and the giving of gifts is simple, the bride and groom sit at one end of an area. They are in turn approached by each of the guests who will present a gift to the wedded couple."
"If the wedding was between farming families the gifts would be those practical necessities that are needed for a new family to establish their own farm, the fisherfolk gifts to supply a new boat, for the crafting class those tools needed for the new journeyman to practice his trade. However amongst the nobility the gifts are statements that when carefully examined will tell you much about the relationship between realms."
"Consider for a moment the archway that you all passed through on entering the college," an arm lazily waving in the direction of a simple stone arch with a keystone engraved with the badge of the college, "There are two key components to the arch, the stringer upon which the weight of the archway rests, and the keystone which binds it together. Similiarly a gift at such a major ceremony from a member of the nobility has two parts, the stringer, a gift of some valuable obejct like spices, silk or precious metals, and the keystone, a gift with symbolic meaning."
Taking another draw from his ale to wet his throat Sir Estian continues, "Let us examine first the 'stringer', this is normally a gift of some valuable object or trade good. Silks, spices or precious metals are common in this area. Yet knowing what is commonly gifted is not enough, we must also know how to interpret the gift."
"The first area of interpretation is what is gifted. In this we generally consider how hard the good was to obtain for the gift giver. As an example Gawant has access to a gold mine within their domain, so a gift of gold is easy to obtain, such a gift would indicate that they do not value the relationship with the realms they give the gift to. If they gave a gift of silver, whilst of similar rarity, it is not something Gawant is known for and as such indicates a degree of care about the relationship. Whilst a gift of silk or rare spices, as they are hard to obtain would indicate that Gawant gives great value to the relationship."
"The second area of interpretation is the size of the gift. This is a commonly considered to be a display of strength and power on the part of the gift givers domain. The larger the value of the gift the more powerful the giver is perceived to be. But of particular importance is the size of the gift relative to the public perception of the power of the giver. Consider this as an exercise in thought, imagine that Mercia, a reaonably large and powerful realm, gave a relatively small gift at a wedding, what do you think it would indicate?"
Sir Estian pauses, waiting for the students to gather their thoughts, ignoring the eagerly raised hand, "So before I ask Daffyd to answer the question does anyone have any insight? No, very well then, Daffyd, please outline your thoughts."
"If Mercia gave a small gift then it would convey the impression that Mercia is poor and lacking strength. This could encourage some of the stronger nobles in Mercia to agitate for more power, damaging the Queens position. It might also encourage neighbouring realms to consider expansion into Mercia, seeing an opportunity to gain strength at Mercia's loss, most likely Bayard due to the doctrinal beliefs of their state faith the Temple of ..."
Smoothly interrupting before Daffyd can proceed any further, "Thankyou Daffyd, that was a little more than I needed."
Pausing again to sip his ale Sir Estian then continues, "So we see that the size and rarity of the gift makes multiple statements about the giver, yet this is commonly only half the gift, normally there will be a second more symbolic gift, but I can smell that the kitchens have finished preparing lunch so we shall continue after the meal."
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on Jun 6, 2016 3:47:42 GMT
[T5] Further Classes at the College of Aberffraw - On the Importance of Gifts at Official Events - Continued
After the midday meal the class is a quieter more subdued affair, the students evidently sated and resting after a hearty repast.
"So as I was saying the second part of the gift is normally symbolic. Potentially of little value but making public, or sometimes private statement. This gift is normally a single item. Often these gifts are a way of making a statement about the intended direction of the relationship between realms. Consider the example of the gift given by King Daywd Caerleon at the wedding of King Arthur Pendragon and Gwenevere. King Daywd dispatched Sir Baldric, the General of Caerleon's armies at the time to the wedding with Caerleon's gift. The symbolic portion of the gift was a rosewood box within which was knights sword that had been broken into two parts."
A pause is allowed here to let the students consider carefully what the symbology of such a gift could be.
"Oft times to understand the symbology of the gift you must understand something of the personal history that may exist. Prior to the time the gift was given there had been a number of instances of agressive disagreement about the location of the precise border and Sir Baldric and King Arthur had in the past crossed blades, a tentative peace had just been agreed to and it was still very tense. When Sir Baldric gifted his broken blade it was a statement that he, and by extension Caerleon would not raise blade against Camelot in his lifetime."
"Of course not all gifts are as deeply symbolic, a gift of a book might represent a desire for shared knowledge or understanding, a musical instrument, painting or the like, indicates peace, paired songbirds a closer relationship, naked blades tend to indicate hostility, whilst sheathed blades indicate shared struggles or protections and scales or other measuring instruments a desire for fair measure or deaings. In all cases though these more shallow symbolic items will be of the finest quality."
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on Oct 7, 2016 5:31:30 GMT
[T6] On the Importance of Making Alliances (and Maintaining Them)
"Today our topic is one that examines and considers the importance of alliances to the health and wellbeing of a Kingdom."
"For the purposes of this lesson let us imagine, if you will, that all the kingdoms of Albion are members of the same extended family. And that like most families they have their squabbles and petty disagreements."
"Now imagining your own family, imagine if you will the member of your family who is most likely to assist you when you need help, say repairing your roof after a storm. Are you not also likely to respond to his requests for help?"
Casting his eyes over the class he notes the nodding heads.
"This cousin who helps you, and whom you help is like your ally. You do things for him, and he in turn does things for you. So imagine then your close cousin asks you to help out a distant cousin with whom you little contact, what do you do?"
To this there is a general chorus of assent that take a while to quieten down, and once it does Sir Estian continues, "Of course you help out your distant cousin, not because he is family, but because your close cousin asked you to. But the question to consider, would you assist your close cousin even when they haven't as..." and then noting a raised hand Sir Estian pauses, "Yes Daffyd?"
"If I understand correctly Sir, you are referring to the war in Alined against the Hibernian Slavers. In your example Alined is the distant cousin and Camelot the close cousin. So when Camelot went to the defence of Alined, even though Camelot had not asked we marched alongside them."
"That's correct Daffyd, that was what I was alluding to. The reason you do this for your ally is so that when you need help they will remember the shared struggles and assist you, otherwise what is the likely outcome? A moment Daffyd, anyone else, no? Go ahead then Daffyd."
"To use your example sir, if you don't help out close cousin when he needs your help then you risk becoming the cousin that only gets helped when his house is on fire, and then only enough to stop the fire from spreading."
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on Nov 18, 2016 5:14:12 GMT
[T7] On the Difference between Serfdom and Slavery
"In both the institution of slavery and the institution of serfdom a man is bound to service on the land, in both cases they have limited rights. Yet our laws allow for serfdom and not slavery. Why is this?" Sir Estian looks over the gathered students, "Before I ask Daffyd to explain why, understand that the answer will give you insight into other aspects of our laws. Daffyd, put your hand down and answer please."
As Daffyd stands and moves to the front of the class, Sir Estian takes a seat, and then a long draw from his mug of ale.
"In those lands that practice slavery a slave is a man with no rights under law. Conversely a serf has legal rights given to him that cannot be infringed."
"In times past when Caerleon was a less enlightened land and the faith of the One God was not known here evidence suggests that slavery was practiced by our by ancient forefathers, however when Bran Caerleon arrived from far off Gaul, he carried with him the teachings of the One God. And as all know one of the key teachings of the One God was that by acceptance of the One God as the true divine and guiding being that a soul may ascend to the One God's divine realm after death."
"This obviously conflicted with the practice of slavery, as a slave being a man with no rights, could not practice the faith of the One God, and as such placed their immortal soul in peril. So it was that the Caerleon's acted swiftly to strike out the scourge of slavery. However the majority of slaves at this time where employed in agricultural pursuits, and the abolition of slavery would have had devastating consequences for stability in the fledgling kingdom."
"So it was that Bran created the institution of serfdom in Albion, a situation whereby a man bound to provide service to the land, but with such protections that they could, outside of their service pursue their own interests. Thus allowing them time to listen to, and be taught by, the priests of the One God."
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on Feb 6, 2017 22:50:08 GMT
[T8] On the Importance of Justice
"Many of you might have heard of the judgment rendered by the Lord Baron Douglas of Douglas, the Earl of the Isle of Man and the Queens first vassal on the aforementioned Isle, but as we have not yet completed the sections of study on jurisprudence many of you will not understand the importance of this judgement."
"On the surface the judgement is simple, Lord Baron Douglas is responsible for the enforcement of law in his lands. The Lord Baron also has a responsibility to ensure that his vassals enforce the law. The Lord Baron determined that his vassals had in fact not only failed to enforce the law, but had instead gone farther and acted in a manner in the direct contravention of the law, and so we arrive at a situation whereby the Lord Baron has arrested the accused, tried them and found them guilty and leveraged fair penalty on them."
"But we must ask the question why does justice need to be published, why must all be made aware that those guilty of crimes. The answer comes in the importance of justice to society."
Here Sir Estian pauses for some minutes, packing his pipe before continuing.
"Law is the codification of the actions that are wrong and evil in the eyes of Man and God, and thus establishes the actions that are right and good. Justice maintains the social order by enforcing these laws, thus the enforcment and upholding justice maintain order and promote good within our society. Without justice we would be like the Lothians and their Temple of Blood where force is all that matters, or like the druids of the south where the belief of a single person can be forced upon all in contravention of the agreed laws."
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on Mar 28, 2017 5:09:37 GMT
[T9] On Matters of Inheritance - Part I
"Many of you will have heard the oft repeated statement, that there are as many ways of selecting a ruler as there are kingdoms in Albion."
With careful enunciation Sir Estian makes his next statement with an air of finality. "This is wrong, and should any of you ever attempt to defend that preposterous statement in this College I will have you whipped from halls myself. You see whilst this is true on the surface, even a casual examination reveals that there are definite similarities between many of the methods used. Similarity enough that the differences are mere frippery." "Indeed our own rigorous academic process of investigation, research, review, disputation and examination the College has determined there are three broad forms of inheritance as used by the Regents of Albion."
"The first we will review is detail is selection by council. The most notable, and indeed locally relevant proponents of this methodology are the Temple of the One God and the South-western Traders. In this form of inheritance a council of electors, determined by different means select the ruler of the domain."
"Indeed the selection of the Archpriest of the Temple of the One God is the most prominent and long running example of this methodology. In this case the council of electors is formed by all members of the Ecclesia, the Temple Council who meet as required. In meeting they have the ability to select an Archpriest, should the position be vacated, or should it be occupied to select an Archpriest-elect, a formal heir to the temple. The latter option normally exercised in times when the current Archpriest is unwell, or in a dangerous situation like a military campaign."
"The newest proponent of this method of regent selection are our local guildsmen, the South-western Traders. And as a new example they are an interesting situation to examine. First we must review who the electors in the council are."
"The council is named the Council of Captains. Which would lead you to believe that the electors are Captains, either in the military or of ships. Yet the South-western Traders have no great military formations and a number of participants at their council captained no ship. The first criteria for membership in the council is obviously that a person is a guild member in good standing. The accepted theory for the second criteria is that the name of council refers to the amount of wealth that an elector must either possess in person, or from the combined support of other guild members. Simply put you must either be able to buy a ship, or those supporting you must be able to buy a ship if they combined their coin."
"It appears that the prior to the council meeting there where a number of discussions held, theorised to be negotiations for support and assistance at the formal council. On the matter of the council itself, it was a short affair. Admiral Whiterose was nominated, and then elected unopposed."
"Over the coming months we will of course review this in significantly more detail, but are there any questions before you proceed to your next class?"
A hand rose from a younger man seated at the front of the hall, one of the students sponsored by the South-western Traders, "What about the Crown of Nemeth sir, isn't it a council of nobles?"
Sir Estian smiled, "Good question John Younger, the selection of the next Crown of Nemeth, whilst on the surface appears to be a case of selection by council, a rigorous examination proves it to a case of direct selection, otherwise known as selection by regent, which we cover next term."
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on Mar 30, 2017 0:49:50 GMT
[T10] On Matters of Inheritance - Part 2
"Now last season we reviewed, in some detail, the concept of selection by council. I must commend a number of you on your analysis of publically available information about the accession of Admiral Whiterose to leadership of the South-western Traders."
"Now we will move onto the most common form inheritance in Albion, and one that is most locally relevant, in light of the marriage between our own Queen Caerleon and Camelot's King Pendragon, and the marriage alliance entered into. This form is commonly called selection by regent."
"The key underlying concept in this form of inheritance is that the sitting regent has effective control over the mechanism by which the heir is selected. A salient example is the rule of succession used within Caerleon."
"Caerleon's succession law states that that a heir must be of their majority, be a devout member of the Faith of the One God, be of the bloodline of Bran Caerleon and be approved by the Ecclesia of the Temple of the One God." Taking a moment Estian sipped at his ale.
"Now that last point makes it sound like selection by council doesn't it? However there is one final codicil in the Caerleon's success law that ensures effective control by the seated regent, it states, that this section of law can be changed at any time by the sole will and word of the seated Ruler of Caerleon."
"In effect the ruler of Caerleon, sets restrictions on their on own choice. As your first assignment this season, I will expect that each of you, before the Autumn will discuss and then defend in disputation your reasoning for one of the aforementioned restrictions and why the Crown of Caerleon voluntarily limits itself in this manner."
"Now to our immediate eastern neighbour, Camelot. Camelot's succession laws, similar to Caerleon have self imposed limitations. In this case the sole limitation is that succession falls to the eldest child of the current seated ruler, effectively maintaining the bloodline of the Pendragon as the Crown of Camelot."
"This method of inheritance isn't only limited to Kingdoms, the Northern Traders in Camelot use a similar method whereby the Guild master selects and grooms an apprentice as a replacement."
Looking at the raised hand from one of the seated students, "You can put that hand down John Younger, as I will discuss now the situation of Nemeth and it's laws. Let us begin with a brief summary then of the law."
"The Council of Barons appoints a King or Queen of Nemeth."
"Each Baron casts a number of votes equal to the number of acres that they control, whereas a Nemethian acre is defined as the amount of land as a single man could plough in one day."
"The direct line of Mithian of Nemeth and Uther of Helna directly control around four parts in ten of the land in Nemeth."
"So nominally the Crown of Nemeth is appointed by a Council, and that at this council the Crown have the largest vote, but not the majority. Sounds like council selection doesn't it?"
"Remember though that the definition of selection by regent requires effective control of the method of selection, not total control. So while the Crown of Nemeth directly control fours tenths of the land, they indirectly control another three tenths through agreement, marriage alliance or other method. Giving them effective, but not total control of the method of selection."
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on Apr 7, 2017 4:30:53 GMT
[T11] On Matters of Inheritance - Part 3
"And now we move onto our final section in the review of inheritance methods used within Albion, the reason that we have left this section for the last component is that this method draws from influence from both selection by regent and selection by council. In most literature it is called combinatory selection."
"The first example we will consider is Mercia. In current Mercian law, passed by previous King and confirmed by the current Queen, the ruling is that the Crown of Mercia, at the death of the regent passes first to their spouse, so long as that person is crowned in their own right, then to a designated heir. At this stage Mercian inheritance law is classic example of selection by regent. However a power given to the Parliament of Mercia, that the Crown of Mercia may not revoke, is that any member may lodge an objection to the regents choice, forcing a vote of the parliament. As the parliament of Mercia is made up of all Mercian nobles it should be noted that every previous Mercian succession has had at least one objection."
"Once the objection is made a vote is held either to sustain or dismiss the objection. The first potential outcome is that the objection is dismissed in which case the regents choice is accepted. The second potential outcome is that the objection is sustained by a simple majority, in this case the regent is asked to reconsider, but is allowed to represent the same candidate. The final potential outcome is that the objection is sustained by the greater majority, at least three in every four nobles. Should this happen the regents candidate is rejected permanently and may not be reconsidered."
"So whilst the regent has the choice of who is nominated, it is the Parliament that has the power to accept or decline the nominee."
"The second salient example is that of Alined. In Alined eligibility to inherit is given to the male members of the Valiant family who have the ability to command in the field. In pratice ability to command in the field is defined by the ability to fight from a horse. This provides us with a pool of candidates from whom a new regent may be selected. If the current regent is alive at the time of the transfer of regency then it is the regents choice who inherits. If however the regent has passed on, even if they have a designated heir, a council is called of eligible persons. Any eligible person may nominate themselves, voting is held by round, with the nominee with the lowest vote withdrawing after each round, until their is only one remaining nominee."
"One interesting facet of the Alined process is that any time a nominee withdraws they may challenge the right of all present to vote. At this challenge a mounted melee is held of all voters and only those person who dismount at least one other person are able to vote in the next round. As such the voting of the Council of Warriors is a rather robust affair."
"The final example is one seen extremely infrequently in Albion, and one that we have only become aware of thanks to our newest scholar is details of the inheritance of the Aelven crowns. But considering he is present it would be inappropriate for me to present his work. Students, give your full and earnest attention to Mirthal of Nagnati," the introduction completed Sir Estian graciously surrenders the stage to a new scholar.
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Post by ET (Kerberos) on Apr 7, 2017 15:47:03 GMT
Aelven succession.
“Thank you sir Estian”.
The elf who enters the stage is tall and slender as elves tend to be. His hair is mainly dark, but random streaks of white intermix. The contrast between the dark and white spots appears as if cut with a knife.
“Umbrian and Nagnati succession is quite similar and falls within the third of Sir Estians categories. A mixture of nomination and election by council, This is similar to the Merician model though our council are made up of clan representatives not a parliament. Like in Aliened there also exists a requirement, not be master mounted combat but rather the ability to channel true magic. There has never in all of Nagnati or Umbrian history been a Crowned (Mirthal slightly stressed the word) king or queen who did not master true magic.”
"So under normal circumstances the process is simple. The previous regent nominates a successor capable of true magic the council of clans approves and on the death or retirement of the previous regent the Council votes once more to approve the choice. This is what happen by far the most often. Nominations are rarely rejected, but this is more due to the fact that I wise regent will secure support for their pick before a vote than due to the approval being a formality. The council can also produce a candidate not nominated by the regent. Either if the candidate put forth by the regent is considered unsatisfactory or if the previous regent dies without having nominates a successor as happened before King Caerns elevation following the death of both his successor and their children in an ambush. "
"What separates Aelven succession is that none of this is law, it is merely tradition and somewhat vague tradition. Most surprisingly perhaps there is no set standard for what level of support is required to constitute approval by the council. It is widely understood that the support of the larger and more powerful clans counts for more than a smaller and less influential one, but there is no rule for that. It is also understood that approval must generally be by a large margin, but how large is not clear. "
"This is rarely an issue, but it does happen. In all of Aleven recorded history covers there have been 9 instances where the council of clans could not agree on a candidate, 5 in Umbria and 4 in Nagnati. In one of these supporters of one candidate slew the other one leading to the exile of the surviving candidate and the selection of a third. "
"In the remaining 8 cases the debate dragged on until the land chose. The councill the crowned the lands choice in 7 of those cases. In the 8th case however 3500 years ago the selection for the throne of Umbria was between the two sons of the previous king who while both powerful wizards capable of casting true magic were widely considered to be temperamentally unsuited for rule. When the land chose it chose neither of them but rather selected their cousin who was a bard. This is rare but not unheard of, but what was unheard was that Aelynthia could not cast true magic, she was skilled enough in the arcane arts, but the ability to link to sources and power spells through them eluded her. "
"When the Council gathered a large potion, probably a majority supported her rule to break the deadlock, but the remainder would not do so due to her inability. As a compromise it was decided that the council would met once each season to see if a more suitable candidate could be found, but that none would oppose her regency until such a time. Aelynthia was not however considered queen simply the placeholder until the true monarch could be found. The clans did met once per season for Her 52 year reign, short by Aelven stadards, is known as the reign of the uncrowned queen or simply as the reign of the uncrowned and ended when her son mastered true magic and was crowned by the council."
"sir Estian has asked if I might hold some lectures on Aleven history and myth and I'm honoured to accept. Tommorow I will relate to you the story of the creation of the sentinent races as it is according to Alven myths and why it is that elves have not traditionally worshipped the gods."
Mirthal looks out to the class. "Any questions? On the subject of Alven succession that is, question of Aelven myth are best done after i have given an overview."
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on May 16, 2017 1:42:02 GMT
[T12] Initial Investigations Into The Matter of Nemeth - Part 1 - The Seeds of Conflict are Sown
Sir Estian settles on his stool, takes a long draw from his pipe and then casts his eyes out over the crowd of students that fill the long hall and swell out through the doors, he grumbles to himself briefly before placing the pipe down on a small table and picking up his lute. He plays a short tune before placing the lute down on the table next to his pipe and when he speaks his voice carries clearly through the length of the hall and out into courtyard beyond.
"Whilst the College normally examines matters of historical significance, sometimes we are blessed, or perhaps cursed, to live through events of significance. One such event that impacts all of Albion is the current Matter of Nemeth."
"This issue currently embroils and impacts our own realm of Caerleon, neighbouring Camelot and Gawant, as well as extending to involve the realms of Alined, Bayard, Dumonia, Mercia and Tir Moreth, the druids of Natures Soft Embrace, the Eastern Traders and last but by no means least, the realm that is the nexus of this issue, Nemeth. Even more so than the successive Lothian campaigns the events of Nemeth have managed to impact Albion to significant degree."
"With such a significant issue occurring in our lives it behoves us, as scholars and researchers, to records as much factual information as possible so the those who follow us are more able to understand what happened and why."
"The genesis of this issue is widely considered to have started with the failure of the Nemethian autumn harvest and the arrest of King-Consort Dunbar of Nemeth by King Oden of Dumonia. In the early months of the Winter of [T4] the Southwestern Traders hosted a great Winter Ball, drawing together a significant number of the Kings and Queens of Albion. Ostensibly a purely social affair, a number of regents took opportunity of the personal contact and provided facilities to negotiate a number of agreements. Most notable was the marriage contract between our Queen and King Pendragon of Camelot."
"At this event though King Oden of Dumonia charged King-Consort Dunbar with a breach of guest right, levying charge that he had committed espionage. A panel of Kings and Queens sat in judgement on Dunbar, and owing primarily to the weak defence presented found him guilty of the charges. At this stage King Oden and King Valiant used the verdict and the pending judgement to their own advantage, pressing Nemeth for concessions in another disagreement. Queen Ursula, her husband in captivity was forced to submit and levied her realm for the ransom."
"It is at this stage that failure of the Nemethian autumn harvest becomes important, as a result of the levied ransom the nobles of Nemeth where forced to sell grain stocks to merchants, rather than reserving it for local consumption. As supplies tightened as winter deepened the threat of starvation for much of Nemeth became a real possibility."
"By some sort of arrangement, the details of which are not known, the Hibernian Slaver fleet arrived in the Nemeth with a significant cargo, both of grain and something more ominous, men-at-arms. Over the course of winter the Slaver fleet disgorged a certain amount of grain, but a much more significant cargo of goblins, hobgoblins and ogres."
"In the following Spring [T5], south-western Albion, significantly concerned by the size of the reported army in Nemeth began to mobilise, Dumonia reinforced Alined whilst for Caerleon, Camelot and other realms troops where hurried back from the Umbrian campaign. The ogre Onyx, commander of the Slaver army did not wait for Albion to mobilise to against him, striking quickly into Alined and driving the combined Alined, Dumonia army from the field in a series of short, sharp engagements."
"As the Slaver army moves out of Nemeth, leaving behind their fleet and some auxiliaries to guard the port, their is significant unrest in both Nemeth and Helna. Details are scarce and inconsistent but we know that a number of Slaver ships in port where burnt, the Slaver fleet tried to break a blockade instituted by the Southwestern Traders and that an attempt was made to spirit Queen Ursula out of Nemeth, willing or unwilling is unknown."
"At around the same time the Alined and Dumonian army retreated north into Camelot, troops began reaching Camelot from the Umbrian theatre and the levy assembled. In Alined, parties of slavers began systemically pillaging the countryside. The slavers where not alone. Troops under the banner of Nemeth also entered Alined, and without opposition raided the mostly abandoned local headquarters of the Southwestern Traders."
"At this stage the tide would begin to turn against the Slavers, reinforced by elite troop from the Umbrian campaign I led the allied forces in a series of bloody battles that harried and harassed the Slaver army until it was destroyed on the northern beaches of Wessex."
"So as Spring ends and we turn to Summer, the Slaver army has been destroyed, the Slaver fleet captured by the Southwestern Traders, King Valiant had been captured by the Hibernian Slavers and was captive on a ship bound for Hibernia, Queen Ursula appeared to be in firm control of Nemeth after the unrest but faced with a degree of hostility for her inaction against, and seeming complicity with, the Hibernian Slavers."
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on May 21, 2017 23:46:34 GMT
[T12] Initial Investigations Into The Matter of Nemeth - Interlude 1 - Witness Accounts.
The following is a record of a statement made by a Gallad of Nem, a member of the Ancient and Honourable Association of Longshoremen of Nemeth. It should be noted that the Ancient and Honourable Association of Longshoremen of Helna has a long-standing and close association with Southwestern Traders.
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Post by Sir Estian the Wise (Caerleon) on May 21, 2017 23:47:05 GMT
[T12] Initial Investigations Into The Matter of Nemeth - Part 2 - Germination of A Conflict
"In our last session we examined briefly the period from the beginning of Winter in [T4] to the final battles of Spring in [T5], with your tutors you have already discussed the matter in more detail so I will not rehash the events again. Now be seated and I will continue." With this Sir Estian gestures for the crowd to be seated and with a certain degree of noise the assembled students, bards and scholars take their seats.
"So as Spring began the nobles of Alined bickered over who should direct the realm during the kings captivity. The three leading contenders being Prince Valiant of Alined, the nominated heir but now barred from inheritance as a result of battlefield injury; the neighbouring King Oden of Dumonia who held significant influence in Alined; and Baron Tate of both Alined and Nemeth, a lord and landowner of significant estates in both realms. Without covering the discussions of the ALined council in too much detail the strongest faction supported Prince Valiant and Baron Tate, with those unaligned swaying as argument for and against each claimant was presented. These discussions came to a dramatic conclusion when once of Prince Valiants strongest supporters began to speak against him, suspecting foul play the blessing of the Creator revealed that he had been replaced by dark fey, who after being revealed attempted to murder Prince Valiant and many of the nobles who supported him. With obvious sign that their common enemy desired Prince Valiant dead the nobles of Alined rallied behind the wounded Prince, temporarily settling the issue."
"As the matters in Alined came to a dramatic resolution, Queen Ursula of Nemeth formally summoned Baron Tate to attend her. It is at the this point, in mid-Summer, that events move to Nemeth."
"From what we have been able to determine Queen Ursula was attending the lands of West Garrison, the ancestral holdings of Baron Tate. Indications are that she was working to cement the loyalty of West Garrison, whose disposition during the unrest in Nemeth we are unaware of. At this stage we are not fully sure of what happened next but indications are events happened in the following order."
"Baron Tate was ambushed within short ride of West Garrison and slain."
"News of this attack reached West Garrison."
"Queen Ursula departed West Garrison with escort and travelled to the site of the ambush."
"The troops at West Garrison formed up and proceeded out from the Garrison in pursuit of Queen Ursula."
"Queen Urusla captured and executed a number of persons at the ambush site. We have conflicting information that says that either Queen Ursula slew those persons who had slain Baron Tate, slew the remainder of Baron Tate's retinue or that she slew her own men who had carried out the ambush."
"Faced with aggression from the army of West Garrison commanded by a Commander Dale, Queen Ursula retreats to the Nemethian army who had taken up a defensive position in hills near West Garrison."
"Commander Dale, commanding a force of significant size attacks Queen Ursula and the Army of Nemeth, driving them from the field and capturing Queen Ursula."
After the recitation of dry facts Sir Estian pauses to take a sip of his ale, before continuing on, "We know that these things happened but without additional detail we cannot know why they happened, and without knowing why, we cannot make understand what truly happened."
"What happens next though is reasonably clear, forces from Bayard contributed to the coalition against the Slavers, who are allied to Queen Ursula by marriage move from coalition positions in Alined to Nemeth and form up with remnants of the Royal Nemethian Army. At the very twilight of summer they assault West Garrison in a battle that concludes in a bloody stalemate."
"As Autumn dawns we now have three parties in the conflict, Bayard and those Nemethians loyal to the Crown of Queen Ursula on one side, and Commander Dale of West Garrison on the other. But with Commander Dales fateful decree of Autumn [T7] almost all hope of peaceful resolution is ended."
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