1874-01-07: To a Praetor and a Comrade
To a Praetor and a Comrade
Summary: Thomas writes to Surelius
Date: 07 Janvier 1868 IE
Related: Senate of the West - Negotiations, Westwar
NPCs: {$npc}
Players:
Thomas  

Surelius  

Immediately following the opening negotiations to end the War of the West, Viscount Thomas Chandus writes his old foe of the d'Kemp campaign, Marcus Surelius. It is written in a practiced, formal Imperial.

Praetor Marcus Surelius of Kentaire -

To a Praetor and a Comrade, I greet you. Though years and conflict mar the gap between us, still I hold you in high regard. I have recently stepped out of a massive, sprawling meeting at the Senate of the West in Four Corners, disappointed not to see you among the Kentairish delegation. Instead stood the proud visage of Praetor Callis, your sovereign's natural son, in his full armour. How disappointed I was to see him in such attire, and yet, it greatly indicated what his negotiating position would be.

He was combative in the extreme and offered not much for my Queen to gain succor from; still less, the Aequorians, who I fear may be gravely disappointed.

Still, as peace and stability in the West are my most important priorities given that we've at least three enemies pressing in from all around, I wished to present to you what I presented to him; I fear that he may not do so.

You, Kentairish nobles, are ill-served by your country's design. Since the Late Marinor period until now, your sovereigns have abused and degraded your nobility by using you as pawns and cogs in the gigantic machine.

To be fair, it is a phenomenal machine, my friend. Your armies are, on aggregate, the best in the Civilised West. Your achievements at technology and especially flash powder have been the awe of all. But you, as Kentairish nobles, are abused and ignored. You own no lands of your own, truly, and can be extirpated by mere whim of the Prince. Worse still, despite that Prince Mikel is a brilliant man and strategist, he can be led astray by evil men and evil intents. This is certainly what happened in the course of this war, when Teleko the fiend led your Prince to invade Aequor and then Galenthia.

But let is be clear. It is likely not Prince Mikel, nor his predecessors who are to blame for this. They have simply inherited a system that was set for them, and while it seems like they are in iron clad control of the Principality, the bureaucrats and advisors have quietly usurped the rightful place of nobility and social order in your country, restricting access to the Prince and keeping him for their own. This does not have to be so! If you nobles were empowered as lords of your own lands with your own legions, you could aid the Prince when he was being led astray by poor advisors, such as in this War. You would gain by being able to secure your lineage and succession. Kentaire, too, would do well as you would be able to open up new trade with other lands, hitherto restricted by the overzealous bureaucracy in Matera who have obviously told the Prince that this is the only way he could keep control.

I tell you, honourable comrade, that you can improve your country and aid your Prince in this. As the Church teaches in its doctrine, nobility are the chosen of the One and it is through us that the West must be ruled. Your Prince is a brilliant man, but he requires you, nobles, to help him rule, and not the usurpers that have stolen your birthright in Matera and keep you under their heel. He will be better served and better equipped for what will follow with such a realm. You will gain the friendship of all in the West and the trade that will finally flow across the borders absent of the strict controls governing you now will enrich all of us. Then, we can march on our true enemies together.

As always, those who are from a realm know the realm best. These are a proposal - do with them as you will, modify them as you see fit. We simply wish to ensure that Prince Mikel is not led astray again by trickery or sorcery, and this has been the best way for other realms of the West. As I wrote at the start of this letter, I doubt very much that Praetor Callis will tell any of you this, for he is proud and unfortunately already convinced by those who wish to keep Prince Mikel and Kentaire in thrall.

Finally, my honourable comrade, if any thing written in this letter will cause you or your kin harm, do not move on it. I have no wish to see the line of Surelius come to trouble.

Signed,
Brigadier Thomas Chandus, Viscount of Repton March

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