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Post by Lord Newbury on Dec 4, 2017 20:08:30 GMT
The Passing of His most Sacred Majesty
His Majesty, King Ferdinand du Valdez IV It is thus proclaimed that in the earlier hours of this morning, his Majesty was found in a state of rest and declared to have passed in peace and respite at the age of sixty and three months. His Son and Heir, to the Throne of Valdez and the Imperial Crown of Artis, Emperor Ferdinand du Valdez V, one true son of Artis, King of the Valdez and Rightful Emperor of Travast, shall be crowned upon the occasion of his sixteenth birthday, and in the nine years until this time, his Regent, Prince Juan Carlos du Valdez shall act in his stead. Upon notice of his passing, Prince-Regent Juan Carlos du Valdez has returned to the Eternal City, and a month of mourning has been declared, upon the conclusion of which the body of his late and much beloved Majesty shall be placed into the Eternal Flame. All Dukes, Nobles, Princes, Commoners and Priests to whom owe fealty to the King, Ferdinand du Valdez V shall, when the sun sets over the Eternal City on the day of his crowning, pledge fealty and loyalty unto him, until he rises to the flame and takes his place at the feet of the Divine. God save the King, and God save the Prince Regent. Signed Juan Carlos du Valdez, Prince-Regent, on behalf of and in the absence of the Supreme Patriarch of the Great and most-blessed Church, and in the absence of the Grand Dukes of the Kingdom of Valdez. OOC - This thread is closed to anything other than single post responses/reactions from your characters. Threads will be going up in the next 24 hours around the aftereffects of this event. |
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Post by Lord Newbury on Dec 4, 2017 20:19:16 GMT
Hedraeth Carraigh
Grand Duke of Castille, Lord of Ard Caedywn and Warden of the North
"He is an apostate!" bellowed Hedreath to the gathered Dukes "We all know he has cavorted with mistresses," a few of the nobles look somewhat abashed and tried not to catch the Dukes gaze as he walked to the centre of the room "...and his views on the church are tantamount to heresy!" he added, attracting a collection of gasps. The other Dukes nodded, even as some of the Civil Nobles took their leave. Hedreath was aware of the reputation of the new Regent, and levelled his gaze on one of the lesser Barons who now spoke.
"His Majesty, Ferdinand, is barely yet passed away, and you speak of sedition!" the young blueblood barked. Hedreath laughed, the other Dukes joining him "Idiot." he replied to the boy "Have you even read his words, declaring the boy-King as Emperor, no matter the damage it may do to our alliances overseas. The new Regent must go!" he started, as the Baron returned back into the crowd. Finally, he spread his arms wide.
"Muster your men, and send envoys to those allies we can find. We must replace this regent, or quell his authority in some way - or else Valdez will fall once more, due to the folley of one who claims to be the Blood of Artis." he shouted, to cheering in the room "A King cannot be sheltered, he must be forged in fire, blessed in the flame!" he added, his voice rising "We must act, and remove this rot from near our Monarch, once and for all!"
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Post by Zoilus on Dec 4, 2017 20:55:34 GMT
Duke Iudicael IV Cadeyrn
A king was dead, and now the world had to respond. When the Grand Duke's emissaries first rushed to his chambers, Iudicael was only half dressed in his ceremonial armor, still concerned about the vagueries of knightly combat, but now... Now was the time for action.
Iudicael, as the highest ranking Alendronian officer within leagues of Carenna, was tasked with organizing the Alendronian guests and delegation and getting them back to the Avindril as quickly and safely as possible. The process was slow-going from the start, though: he wasn't dealing with his soldiers from back in the days of the war, but a preening mass of nobles, knights, and ladies who weren't eager to see the tournament, or the opportunities it presented, cut short. Still, the hussars were reliable and they managed to have everyone important outside the city in an ad-hoc caravan within a few hours. Other nobles and guests were streaming out of the city in the background, but with the hussars keeping order, there was room and time for a quick speech:
"I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you, and for any rumors that have managed to spread among you, but these are the facts: King Ferdinand of Valdez is dead, his heir is and child, and the would-be regent has flown home. This tournament cannot continue under the circumstances, and we must return to Alendron to aid our queen is preparing our response to this."
"It has been requested that my men and I lead us all safely back through Gjillund: no Alendronian who was in Carenna will be lost or left behind. I've studied this terrain, and with me, no danger will come to any of you. Given the route we've decided on, at the most reasonable pace we can sustain, we will be in Avindril within three days. Once we have arrived, you may submit any complaints you might have to a local clerk or intendant."
"Now, we will be off."
Ignoring the murmurs, Iudicael mounted his horse, rode ahead, and then turned around, and looked at the assembly. From his saddlebag, he pulled out an Alendronian war horn, and let it blow. When the sound died down, the caravan was absolutely silent until he said, "Hussars! Form up!" They flowed like water around the caravan, forming two protective lines. Iudicael gave the gathered Alendronians an expectant stare.
Seeing little other option, the Alendronians boarded their coaches and horses and followed.
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Post by Asinity on Dec 5, 2017 1:44:34 GMT
How it was that a messenger was able to locate the Vyre family within Whitefall Palace, none of them could say, but after a rapid knocking on the door followed by a stream of apologies, a Valdez-stamped letter was produced and handed to Lady Sofija Vyre. A tense darkness settled about the room as she opened the letter, and the other family members gathered around.
King Koschei braced a hand on his mother's shoulder as his eyes narrowed and read through the letter. Upon feeling the touch, Sofija exhaled a deep breath.
"Ferdinand..." she trailed off.
"...he is dead?" asked Luzana, disbelief contorting her eyebrows.
The two women made eye contact, and as Sofija held the paper open for them to read it, Koschei grasped her bicep comfortingly.
"We must see Elija, your aunt," the mother declared, as she looked toward her first son.
The black-haired king nodded, and glanced at his brother. Florijan pursed his lips in visible acceptance.
"That's the right thing to do," he admitted. "Should I step out of the tourney?"
Sofija eyed her son and shrugged after a moment, her countenance betraying a moment of helplessness.
"You could if you wanted, but I believe Ferrus will want to have a word with the guests first," she surmised. "He might cancel the tourney, but he might not. It will have been a lot of gold spent to see wasted. I imagine he'll be summoning us all within the hour."
"Mm," murmured Koschei. "Either way, we should make ready to leave sooner than we expected. Luska will want to see us."
His silver-haired mother nodded, and closed the envelope.
"There's no telling how The Eternal City will react to this, let alone the other nations," she added. "It would be best if we could speak to your uncle Radacek and have him prepare his diplomats."
Koschei nodded in affirmation, then the family began to clean themselves up in preparation for the days to come.
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Post by Fyremage on Dec 5, 2017 18:22:12 GMT
Ferrus' hands crushed the parchment after reading its contents, his face absent any expression or hidden intent. And this was truly when he was the most dangerous. Many had the false impression that his smile was a key indication of his anger or discontent. In truth, it was when no emotion was shown at all that those who knew could tell he was in a foul mood. But this was of course not common knowledge. He turned to his attendant that handed him the letter, who himself had a grave expression on his face. The letter was not sealed - anyone could have read it, and Ferrus hardly cared if he did or not (even though it was obvious he did). "I'm assuming the Alendronian delegation is leaving to prepare for what lies ahead?"
"Indeed your majesty, their entourage has just departed in fact."
"Mmmn..." Ferrus grumbled silently. This tournament had proven to be a disaster before it had ever truly begun. First the girl-queen Aelin decided to make it a time of posturing and power play, then now the monarch of the powerful kingdom of Valdez had died under his protection. Granted, it was of natural causes based on the report, but even still - this likely did not endear the Rjillish people in the minds of Valdez. If only he had waited a week later, for the aged man to die in his own bed.
"Send word to our outposts and patrols to ensure the Alendronian delegation is granted safe passage and escorted through areas of concern." He tossed the parchment into the fire and walked across the room rather steadily and unencumbered to grasp his cane which rested against the far wall.
He then came about and rested his weight upon the means of support. "Put the western garrison on alert, along with Marreichs along the Valdez' border. Muster twenty-thousand men from our reserve garrisons to reinforce the border and deploy them at once, with orders to close down any and all passage across the border between the Kingdom of Valdez and us, save for the Valdez' entourage in returning home. Do not stop them at any costs. Oh."
As he walks over to the door and grips the handle, he turns back. "And summon Durgraf Vastime at once, along with my advisers. I shall now send off what guests remain, and ensure they know we stand with them during this trying time."
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