| Words in Place of Swords |
| Summary: | Thomas and Dertan meet and discuss what plagues relations between their two Duchies, as well as religious concerns. |
| Date: | 12 Janvier, 1873 IE |
| Related: | None |
| NPCs: | {$npc} |
| Players: |
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| Capital of the Ulsen Barony |
| The capital of the Ulsen Barony, along the Leonor River, has been dusted with a fresh coast of white winter snow and decorated in preparation for the reception of two dignitaries and their retainers. |
| 12 Janvier, 1873 IE |
The lands of House Ulsen had a lovely winter in Janvier of 1873 IE. A good harvest, especially in the plentiful crops that made it famous - grapes, barley, hops and honey - meant that all houses had extra coin in pocket. Larders were full and both All Feast Day and the Winter Alignment had come and gone. People were in happy spirits.
Now that the winter festivals had come and gone, many were looking forward to a hopefully quiet and peaceful few months before sowing season began. Still, they were destined to be treated to another festival. Baron Ulsen had graciously agreed to host a parlay between members of the Tarris Duchy and those of of Sokar's Duchy of Riverwatch. Banners have been laid out along the main avenues of the Ulsen capital, both Tarris and Sokar, and while it is not to be an enormous event full of pageantry, it's rumoured that this house, famed for its hospitality, has laid out quite a spread.
Kaedon wants peace between the duchies. Officially and so far it would seem unofficially as well. As such there is a healthy contingent of house members here at the Ulsen grounds including Dertan. The viscount is slowly making his way through some of the crowds, heading towards the main hall and the promised spread when he notices Baron Chandus and shifts direction just enough to make sure their paths cross. He changes pace to ensure that he arrives when Thomas is either free or talking to someone irrelevant and offers "Thank you for hosting such a generous event Baron Chandus."
There are two sets of troops that march into the capital of House Ulsen on this bright winter day - infantry from House Chandus, and a mounted contingent from House Tarris. They're in their warm winter parade clothing, consisting of beautifully crafted ceremonial armour, shined and probably not particularly functional spears sloped on their shoulders and fur cloaks to keep them toasty. Both Tarris and Chandus standards are hefted by their colour party, the ensigns looking proud as they carry their lieges' colours. These are regimental standards, it should be noted, bearing the arms of the parent house but also festooned with battle honours along the flanks of the flags bearing names like, "The Foothills," and "The Valley of Scales", "The Ruins", "d'Kemp" and, notably, "Goldhollow" among many others. It must be noted that where once was written B.C.R.R. on the Chandus standard now is stitched, V.C.R.R.
At their head marches, on foot, the man himself, Thomas Chandus, Brigadier of the Royal Order of the Griffon and a stalwart of House Tarris. He calls the procession to a halt with sharp drill commands, turns them and presents arms towards Dertan and his own party, in respect. "Regiment! To Viscount Kaedon - general salute, PRESEEEEENT ARRMS!" Thomas lifts his own sword in front of his head, and then dips it with a grin. "Viscount Dertan, it is truly a pleasure to see you." He sheaths his sword and pulls off his steaming glove to grasp the man's forearm. Like the other soldiers, he's in ceremonial armour. His is made out of hardened, laquered grey leather, the central portion of the cuirass dyed cobalt blue. A large, inlaid silver sun in splendour, a maganimous smile on its face and its eyes golden looking out placidly to the world. "If I may be so bold, your Excellency, it is Viscount Chandus, now." This he says at a very quiet volume. He has no desire to embarass Dertan in public. "Shall we go inside?"
Dertan returns Thomas's salute as the men along with him snap to attention before reaching to clasp Thomas' forearm in turn. He smiles at the armshake and actually maintains it with nothing more than a slight dip when the titles are corrected. "The pleasure is mine." he returns, adding a "Viscount" He falls into step alongside Thomas as he starts towards the entrance. He's chosen to skip the armor today, wearing a silvery off-white doublet and trousers instead with blackened iron snake buttons one of those kaedon bows in a bow quiver at his hip and a cutlass blade. "My wife sends her apologies."
Thomas appears to greatly appreciate the earnestness in Dertan's own greeting. He'd been worried about a cold reception by the husband of one of his old rivals and is evidently relieved that this is not to be the case, judging by the relaxed expression that finds its way to his face. "Please, send her Excellency my regards. I understand that she must be busy both with administration and with your two daughters. Please, also send my congratulations on this. May the next generation live in easier times than us." He begins to walk towards the inside, motioning with one hand. "Come, let us eat, let us drink and let us talk, my lord."
Inside, a magnificent spread has been laid out of various spiced meats, honeyed and smoked hams, a plethora of root vegetables and of course the ubiquitous winter pickles. To accompany this are naturally a variety of Ulsen's famed alcoholic beverages. The tables in the grand hall have been set to accomodate the knights and officers or the force, as well as the nobility. Baron Ulsen has insisted on the utmost of hospitality. Evidently, he feels himself a bridge between the Kaedon, with whom he personally shares faith, and the rest of his Duchy, whom he shares allegiance.
"There has been a lot of growth very quickly." Dertan says agreeably. "It must be a blessing for those that came seeking sanctuary that she could offer such a good home. Truly it has been humbling watching her work." Having talked about his wife with what sounds like genuine respect he smiles again, quite warmly "I appreciate the kind thoughts. I have no doubt that we will both leave a better place for our children." He gives his officers a nod of permission and then they all move to their requested spots. He eats heartily, maintaining polite conversation with those around him, but goes easy on the alcohol.
The feast goes on for several hours. Besides food, the Baron has brought his best entertainers to the fore in between courses - jugglers, wise men telling riddles and, of course, bards telling stories of times past. One bard, a grizzled looking man with one arm, tells of the siege at Goldhollow. It's clear from his accent that he's an Easterner from the Ergonian marches, and it's likely that Thomas brought him expressly for this purpose.
Thomas is also keen to only drink lightly. There's business to be done, and while it's certainly nice to have a bit of fire in one's belly on such a cold day, a clear head is necessary for what is to come later. Eventually, once the food has been cleared away, Chandus thanks Baron Ulsen profusely and asks for permision to retire to his study, which of course is granted. He leads Dertan up there taking only his Serjeant at Arms, Lawrence Verus, and encouraging his counterpart to take an aide as well. Once they arrive in the study, everything is already laid out. It's clear that this had been planned. The fire roars in the corner of the room astride two comfortable looking leather chairs. There is a decanter with what looks like brandy in it and a bowl with tobacco, alongside two pipes. He motions at one of the seats. He's long since rid himself of anything but his ceremonial cuirass and the dirk on his belt.
Dertan is accompanied by the captain of his siegebreakers, a lean man of about Dertan's who might be recognised from Goldhollow. Dertan seats himself when its suggested, settling towards the front of the chair and comfortably resting folded hands between his knees. He watches Thomas with evident thoughtfulness before suddenly breaking the mood with a brief smile. "The bard was a clever touch. Goldhollow was a great example of everyone pulling together."
Thomas inclines his head in thanks for the compliment. "And it was the last time, I think, that we fought together with but a few troubles." Seating himself, the Marcher Lord pours a moderate amount of brandy for the both of them and then begins to pack his pipe. "I'm not expert with this, my lord, but I do quite enjoy it from time to time. They say that Ulsen smoke is second only to Partharia's." He doesn't light it quite yet. "So. You are probably wondering why I've called you here. I will be honest - the reasons are manifold. Firstly and most importantly, we must at least /calm/ the antagonism between our two Duchies. We shan't quell it entirely, not while our lieges yet breath, but we can ensure that it no longer degrades the effectiveness of our nation. I make no exaggeration when I say that the discord between Duchies has made our war effort in the west more difficult… and now that other fronts are open, this cannot continue."
He lifts the snifter up and motions as to offer a cheers or salute to his counterpart, before taking a sip. "Hmm. Marvelous. Second and thirdly, I would like to talk faith with you. Because I believe we share such concerns despite our differing situations, and because there is work to be done there, too."
Dertan takes the other pipe and starts the ritual of preparing it as well. "I was wondering why you wanted to speak to me." he admits. "The things I hear you are involved in tend to be rather far reaching and I admit I was a little concerned you were going to ask for my help in something that was well beyond my means." he gives Thomas a wry smile. "Like peace between the Sokar and Tarris. I am not sure what more you feel can and should be done on that front. We did not attack and have not done so yet but the initial attack was taken as an attack on those of the faith by many within our lands and I feel that the Tarris have been given an unfair preference in dealings of late." He turns his attention back to the pipe, taking a taper to light it with and then sitting back to puff on it for a moment.
He gives a small contented sigh at the smoke and then gets to the rest of the issue. "There are a lot of issues of faith. I'm not sure which ones you are seeking my opinion on."
"As I said… peace between our two Duchies is something for beyond our lives, I'm afraid. But we can have a cease fire, perhaps, and focus on more important things. Our enemies grow nearer every day." Thomas brushes off any mention of preference, opening his hands with a 'what can I do about it' type sentiment. "Perhaps we have. I must tell you in truth, my lord, that your wife's testimony in front of the Senate of the West five years ago did grave damage to this Kingdom's interests. She admitted to performing human sacrifice - which many in that august chamber saw as tantamount to Galenthia endorsing bloodthirty pagan rituals on our sovereign territory. The Queen was furious, and it took many days for her to settle down on our journey back to Firen. "
Thomas purses his lips. "I doubt she has forgiven your wife for this, as it was in the nascent stages of the war before alliances hardened. Your wife's actions during the siege of Goldhollow and after, particularly with the input of Many worshippers, the militarisation and formation of pagan knightly orders and the fortification of your lands have only served to deepen the divide. My lord, Galenthia is a One-fearing Kingdom, though we tolerate the followrs of the Many. You can certainly see why toleration might be strained when those you shelter seek to bear swords. It is only natural that she favours those who at least appear to follow the One God."
Thomas grimaces. "I say this not to shame you, but as man to man. This is simply how it is seen from Firen. Of course, as Viscount Varian's former vassal I can tell you that I was absolutely aghast at the invasion, but he has always marched to his own tune. Your Lady Helena certainly did him a turn, in any case, but what's done is done. Rosendal is Tarris, now, through Reine." He shrugs, again as if there is nothing they can do about it. "As for what happened before… the Duke Gauvain was sent by her Majesty on a royal mission, with royal troops. It was not in Tarris interests, but in Her Majesty's. That Sir Jarret was involved… regretable. But I must say that the Archduchess has been most vindictive and unreasonable. Anything that has not advanced her desire for a fort that has been Tarris for over half a millenium does not interest her. You see where we fall."
"Nor should she forgive her." Dertan concedes. "But I can't do anything about the past. Just be reassured that she has agreed to end the practice going forward." He nods at the rest. "The Battleborn initially upset me as well - Up until the day that they were the only force to rally to the aid of House Rosendal in time, proving their necessity." He leans forward in his chair, setting his elbows on his knees. "Please do not think I am upset at the Queen for being disturbed by the gains we have made lately. If I had had any idea that House Shephard would be as wildly successful as it was we would have made different choices." He gives a brief shake of his head when Thomas says the preference is about the faiths "Lets move away from this." he suggests. "When it comes down to it I think we would just talk about this and come to the conclusion that we had not changed our minds at all. You wished to speak about faith? I have no intention of converting. Truthfully I believe my faith will do nothing but help the House."
"As do I. You will provide a bedrock of morality. I am unsure if this is your first time in the lands of House Ulsen, but you might have noticed something." Thomas leans forward as well, mirroring Dertan's posture. "There are far more Churches of the One here than there were even five years ago. The Ulsens, though a Many house, have always been open and friendly to the missionaries. Their people are opening their hearts in conversion. The same is true in the lands of Thrace, through missionaries traveling from Selenay, and in Charwin, and Thalesia. That we are tolerant of our Many neighbours is mainly true, but I certainly would see our Faith strengthened and spread. Two things, then. The first is that I would like to ask your thoughts on missionairies in your own lands. Would they be under threat?"
Dertan lightly taps the bowl of the pipe as he considers the answer. "Potentially." he offers cautiously. "In those areas where we have a strong hold then they will be safe as long as they are not overly obnoxious with it but outside, in the areas where justice is slow to reach, it can be dangerous to be of the one faith. The faith is by no means forbidden however. There is, in fact, already a church in Pinevale." He glances briefly at the man who came up here with him before looking back to Thomas with a spark of determination in his eyes. "We are quite determined to maintain tolerance between the faiths within our borders. I would be happy to assist a small number of missionaries with the condition that I can remove them without insult if they are unsuited the the area. Truthfully I would like to establish another church."
"That would be both appreciated and just, my lord. Thank you. My cousin Robert, the Archdeacon of Scales is to become the County's bishop whenever he is able to be confirmed by a higher authority… which brings me to my second point." Thomas takes a long draw from his own pipe and considers this, making himself once more comfortable in the seat. "You are an eminently reasonable man. I believe you can see that the current system of centralised control is not benefitting the Church. While I think we can both agree that the High Priest must remain the visible head of the Church writ large, he is currently poisoned by his advisors. I tried meeting with him last year, but though both my brother the Templar Sir Charles and the Lord Captain Commander Rollo Tusca both vouched for me, something or another blocked this encounter. As long as the Church itself must hold and administer strong lands, it is vulnerable to such manipulation. But there is a better way, I think."
"I have no doubt that I am just as capable of being unreasonable as the best of us." Dertan says with a brief smile before sitting back with a frown. "It has been made very clear to me that the church is suffering from a great deal of corruption at the moment. I wish I could say that I was surprised that the higher authorities were unwilling to speak with us. Truly the entire situation with Rikton both holding religious authority and being hostile is something I struggle with on a near daily basis." He takes a long draw from his pipe and gestures for Thomas to continue. "So I will listen and hold my response until you are done."
"I had considered presenting these ideas to the Queen's court last year but… was advised that it was better to keep them to myself." Thomas clears his through and looks mildly embarassed, covering this by taking a sip of his brandy. It was well known that he had attempted to introduce two assemblies at court last year, a rather radical reform which had only been voted for by his own Duke. Beyond this, he had pressured, suggested or forced through a variety of reforms at the Kingdom level that, while of good intent and varying effectiveness, had ruffled many feathers. The Queen herself was said to be on the conservative side in these affairs, likely swayed by her chief minister, the Keeper of the Seals Viscount Alfred Gwynain.
Still, Thomas had obviously not angered the royal entourage too much. He'd been very recently confirmed as a Viscount after all - this for a man who was the born the fifth child in an lordship of ancient lineage. "This, then, I wished to talk to a fellow noble about, but it would have to come from within our Church heirarchy. The Churches ought to be autonomous in each Kingdom. Associated and acclaiming the High Priest as their head, but I do not see how the status quo can continue. I am personally against any change in doctrine except for one thing." He doesn't reveal what that is, yet.
Lifting the pipe from his mouth Dertan quietly says "Which is?" He's sat through this whole speech so far with a vaguely academic detachment. Clearly listening but still waiting to decide how he actually feels.
"Sorcery. The last few years have proven there it is here to stay. I have seen things since becoming Lord Chandus that, had I written of them a hundred years ago, would be laughed at as fairy tales." Thomas grimaces. "Sorcery is in the world, and despite St Darius's suppression of it two thousand years ago, none of us are he. Therefore, I see the way forward as study and control. Those given to such abilities must be forced to attend a college, perhaps that in Four Corners, so that they can control their abilities without them running amok. And then they ought to register and be members of a group that ensures their powers are not used for evil. A guild, of sorts, and one controlled by the Church. But in order for this to happen, the Churches must be empowered to act as such."
Dertan furrows his brow thoughtfully. "I agree." He says after a moment before adding a firm. "Partially." He removes the pipe and extinguishes it before setting it gently on the table and picking up the brandy instead. "It is intolerable for the church to be managed by a potentially hostile entity. If it was local to the kingdom, as you suggest, then this would at least be impossible. Unfortunately I know far too little about the inner workings of the church to actually know how feasible such a thing is. Which makes it difficult for me to actually declare support or not." He offers a wry smile. "Assuming my support would even be useful. I am, afterall, married to the many."
He sips at his drink, blinking slowly as he thinks over the rest. "Sorcery is not something that an individual chooses." is what he settles on for his answer. "It seems ridiculous that an individual can be committing a mortal sin simply by existing. So I agree. Sorcery shouldn't be punished for merely existing. The rest though.." he grimaces. "The colleges. Perhaps. It seems a difficult thing to enforce but I agree that it is to dangerous to leave them without education. The guild though?" he shakes his head. "I could not ever agree to such a thing."
"It is not overt support that I am seeking, my lord. It is influence through the Kingdom's Church heirarchy. My cousin and his cohorts can be brought on board for the East. You represent the south, in this way, and surely you could speak to a bishop from your cousin's lands? Sir Jarret is… well, he isn't interested, and he is single minded. You know this. I have the greatest respect and camraderie with the man, but he is not a man of religion." Thomas quiets as Dertan explains the rest of his thoughts. "I had though that this was likely, given your circumstances." He clearly means to say Sonya, but does not, out of politeness. "But it is truly a matter of importance, I would say. However, the first must be accomplished before anything else is undertaken. If we agree on the necessity of autonomy with association among like Churches, that is to say, between the Church in Galenthia, in Aequor and yes, in Kentaire all recognising the High Priest as their head but without the political power that he wields, we should work to this end. Sorcery will come, or it will not come later. The first is a common goal. Let us focus on common things."
"Ah I see." Dertan says softly. "I will speak to a few religious authorities." he promises. "Although I admit that this is the first time I have ever considered that I may even be in such a position."
"With your guild it is not only Sonya that makes me refuse it." Dertan says, confirming that he is indeed personally conflicted. "But rather the knowledge that forcing sorcerers to be labelled and controlled will frighten them. Perhaps if the country was not at war it would be something that could be considered but, right now, I think it is simply impossible." He shakes his head slowly. "And tying the faith into it means that any sorcerers that honor the many will immediately feel endangered. The only way you could possibly get a guild together would be by making it attractive and then …" He muses. "hoping that the sorcerers themselves will find and bring those who refuse into the fold." He swirls his liquor around in the glass for a moment, watching it move and then shakes his head again. "Sonya could possibly do something like that but I think that would be disastrous despite her loyalty. I truly do not think it can happen."
He nods again, lifting his gaze to Thomas'. "I need to hear what those of the faith have to say on the matter but I think, at this point, I can support the idea of these reforms. Something has to happen."
"Perhaps that might be the better option then, but who to control them? What if they decide, upon banding together, that they ought to take the whole of the Kingdom for themselves?" Thomas leaves these questions hanging. "Excellent. I am happy we can agree on this. Perhaps, my lord, then we shall have something to move forward with. As for peace between our houses, if you and I can do anything to, it ought to be to insinuate ideas of a treaty or cease fire between the Duchies while the war rages. We simply cannot be fighting at this time. And I should like to see you involved in said war, perhaps. Your Duchy has pointedly refused to work with the idea of Brigadier as of now, causing no end to difficulties… but perhaps we could all pull together for our own good." Viscount Chandus smiles and rises. "My thanks for meeting with me, your Excellency. I look forward to breaking fast with you tomorrow."