Faithful, Always

[Tyrion]

The time had come. Tyrion realized that if his plans for the future of Imperial were to come to fruition, it required a catalyst. With the official public announcement of the Imperial Kingdom looming, he decided to set the stage now and make his own official plea to establish a house within the resurgent Imperial nation. The political framework of this nation was still being debated but much seemed to lean towards a theocratic council based ruling system with elements of a republic based format intertwined. The idea itself was novel, but ultimately untested. The rule of common sense and logic would ultimately guide the Kingdom. Tyrion turned his attention to other matters likewise though. The legalities may have to be mulled over later, he concluded. With no current laws in place to determine the establishment of his house, the matter seemed as simple as making a public notification. That would come in time. At the moment, he needed to split his attention towards multiple goals and had no time to focus wholly on one versus the other. "I may need to enlist the help of others to assist." Tyrion began to toss names out as he headed into another meeting regarding the Imperial Kingdom. "Luckily, time is on my side," he said and he made his way into the council chamber to begin the meeting.

[Tyrion]

The sands of time were favorable. The movement was sluggish but at least there was movement, nonetheless. The recent events that had unfolded were fascinating. He wished he could have been in a more observatory position. It seemed as if everything was falling into place. "A Kingdom is born," Tyrion stated to nobody in particular as he surveyed the location that would act as one of the very first of the noble houses of the Kingdom of Imperial. It seemed as if there was nothing that could stop the direction they were heading in. It was befitting, that before an official proclamation could be made, the elements from within the Order were taking the steps they needed to develop the Kingdom further. Proud, was not the word he was searching for, but it would do. "We will be the first real example of a Kingdom that his world has ever seen." There did remain an issue of the surname but the options were being eliminated slowly. That was more of an annoyance than a major problem though and he realized it would probably work itself out in time. He closed the door as he exited the estate. The location was quaint, the price-tag was hefty. He would close on the estate soon. Of that he had no doubts.

[Tyrion]

Tyrion watched as the official stacked the coins. "Patience, he is nearly done," he told himself quietly. Events had been steadily bubbling within the Order that had required his refocused attention. Returning to his personal goals had given him some satisfaction. His training was fast approaching it's end, on one front at least. Ultimately, the completed training would benefit Imperial in every aspect. With his training behind him, he would have more time to spend on furthering the goals of Imperial and growing his own house for the Kingdom, which some were not as inclined to accept. His faith was strong though as was his conviction that the course he had lead them on was the right one. The official continued to stack the coins, one by one and Tyrion could do nothing more than watch the man work. His thoughts turned to the future once more and he once again realized that the importance of his recent decision would have implications far reaching for his house and for the Imperial Kingdom as a whole. There was the matter to consider regarding the expedition as well. "A location still needed to be identified for the royal. ." He would look into that at a later date though as the man sitting in the chair stirred. The official stood before him and exclaimed glumly: "One million down. ." The official made a mark in his ledger, returned to his seat and continued the process once more. "One, two, three. . ." Tyrion did not rise to meet the exclamation, he preferred to return to his reverie and meditate on matters more intently.

[Tyrion]

"Two million. ." The official continued unabashed by the tedium of his lot. A curious creature, Tyrion concluded. The meditation came to a halt as a pigeon swooped onto the window sill. The bird curiously hopped down and made its way toward him. It's true intentions revealed by the casing found dangling around it's neck. Tyrion cupped the tiny skylark and carefully produced the rolled parchment and read. "Another investment has been procured for . . ." his voice trailed off as he eyed the official suspiciously. "our house, should be completely owned soon enough. I will continue to meditate in the mean time and see this purchase through. The other should be capable of handling it." Tyrion produced a piece of parchment and began scribbling a message. He returned the parchment to the casing and set the bird on it way. Tyrion smiled to himself as he began to ponder the future. He was not certain of how other Houses were fairing with the allotment of peace time they had been afforded but Tyrion was resolute to take advantage of it for his own House and the betterment of the Imperial Kingdom. This recent acquisition of land poised the single most greatest possibility for shared wealth across the Kingdom and he was reassured by news that help had been recruited to assist. "One million to go. . . ." Tyrion smiled once more and regarded the official with a tiny but growing amount of disdain.

[Tyrion]

Tyrion began applying quill to parchment, stopping at times to dot his i's and cross his t's. The emotions he felt flowing from him were channeled effortlessly.

~~~~~

Brothers and Sisters,

I pray that the timing of this letter does not come as a surprise but instead, perhaps, as a symbolic omen of things to come. I have found myself contemplating the position I have born for so long since my return to the Order. There had been ups and there had been downs but through it all I allowed my faith to guide me during tribulations despite negative forces that existed and remain. I believe that the Order faces trials unseen in the coming months, in this case, both within and out. An apocryphal witch-hunt had been conducted and I refuse to serve with any man that questions my integrity nor would I serve with one, who has none. While I relinquish the title and the responsibilities of the office in hopes that they be bestowed upon another deserving of the position I am unwilling, at present, to bring myself to offer words of encouragement. The putrid stench of betrayal lingers still from the afflicted wound.

Signed,

~~~~~

Particularly satisfied with the final note, feeling that correct amount of grandiloquence had been applied, Tyrion folded the parchment, held the stick of wax over the candle light until it began to melt and allowed a generous puddle of wax to accumulate on the folded parchment and pressed his seal against it. "Back to the copper-counter," he mumbled.

[Tyrion]

He looked at the missive and sighed. Previous letters had been even more saddening, there was most likely no course change expected. Tyrion unfurled the parchment and began to shake. He couldn't believe what had been inked.

~~~~~

Tyrion,

Your words are those of a cultists, they always will be and never will decease. You are a plague to our members and a cancer to our progression.

Your excommunication is now official, you have chosen the path of betrayal to Esuna and Her loyal members. Any words you speak here forth hold nothing to Imperial. If your faith was still strong within, you wouldn't of attempted to deface myself and all of Imperial. All that you think you've achieved here has been for not. Your fall from grace, while is certainly a large one, was to be expected. Your constant disruption of Imperial and steering previous dedicated members away will now be over.


May Esuna have mercy on your soul.

Maven Vaux

~~~~~

"How could he? After all that I have done. After so many countless years of service, toil and commitment. He would dare to disrespect Esuna's reborn Champion, the General of the Island Campaigns, the Diplomat of the currently standing Peace Accords with the Whitecoats, which has seen the longest period of tranquility and relative safety within the realms of the Imperium in a time since. . . since, when. ." Tyrion struggled to fathom the gravity of that question. "Since never. . .?" Too hurt to continue standing, Tyrion took a seat and contemplated his lot, resigned to his fate.

[Tyrion]

A message arrived outside of Tyrion's door. He could tell when a paper hit his door, they were coming every so quickly and often these days. Sighing with a heavy heart and throbbing head, Tyrion made his way to the door, quickly cracked it open, grabbed the letter and tossed it on the table. The seal caught Tyrion's eye.

~~~~~

I cannot serve Her under this kind of leadership. The knighthood will not fight under the rule of those who make threats against fellow brothers. I am prepared to use desperate measures to end this nonsense. All knights are to report to me directly for further orders.

Kerbal Longbeard, Knight Commander

~~~~~

"Could it be?!" Brother Kerbal was throwing all of his support behind him. His sudden sadness was removed with a mote of hope. Having resigned himself to his fate, he found it absolutely uplifting to see such brazen support from a loyal Brother of years upon counting. "Ahh, good Kerbal Longbeard, one of my oldest and most faithful friends, you bring a smile to mine face with your words of loyalty. I'm afraid it may be too little, too late however. The frail monk has moved too quickly for me to counter his attempts at a tyrannical regime." Tyrion looked down solemnly. "I will write to Kerbal and thank him for his support but ultimately my destiny is in the hands of others now." Tyrion smiled, dropped the delivery on the table and began to move away when the sound of paper smacking wood caught his attention.

"So soon? Normally these messages are spread apart by multiple hours or days even." Cautiously, Tyrion moved toward the door and repeated the process of opening the door, ever so slightly as to not let the thieves in, and quickly snatched the delivery. Another seal that he knew well.

~~~~~

Then my words are those of a cultist as well and I am plague to our members and cancer to our progression.

I am saddened to write this, for you are blinded by power Maven Vaux. You do not see what is best. You corrupt your mind with whispers of others, you've done it before and I trusted for you to block your ears of such. I chose wrong one to continue our path to glory. I am with my oldest friend on this matter. You excommunicate him, you excommunicate me.

Esuna's light will never fade from me.

For her glory, brothers...


Ondoher

~~~~~

Shocked and uplifted, Tyrion quietly began to sob. A few tears of joy had removed the cloud of despair that hung ever so closely above him. Another sound at the door caught his attention once more. Continuing his vigilance of security, he followed procedure and unfurled the next letter, again, a familiar seal.

~~~~~

Maven.. the words from your mouth are looking more and more like those of a tyrant. You have been poisoned by a lust for power, I am with my brothers on this matter. If you are excommunicating them, you are also excommunicating me.

I will always be guided by Her light~

Alaric Xeras

~~~~~

The sound again.

This last message troubled Tyrion. "More threats and words from the frail monk. So he will see me gone and then punish the others with further loss of Esuna's guiding light. Typical schadenfreude behavior." He did not want the others to suffer on his behalf, especially regarding positions he took regarding policy. Above all, it was his burden to bear. Yet, it seemed as though they were moving beyond that point now. "Perhaps a chance. remains. Time will tell."

[Tyrion]

Tyrion took the time to pen a formal letter to the Monk. He found it hard these days to regard his clergyman with a measure of title and respect given how quickly tempers had flared. Coupled with the fact that elements within the Order had fanned the flames with rhetoric, it had only compounded issues. In his inner being he had to believe Maven was a good and earnest devotee of Esuna, yet the current course was troublesome. History was an honest judge of character and there could be parallels drawn from previous High Priests, corrupted with power and blinded by rage at what could be considered as, after the fact, insignificant challenges of authority. "We are one or we are lost," Tyrion muttered. He had heard those words before. Although it had not always been the case, he did believe that a time for reconciliation was at hand. He would swallow his pride and do what was needed, what was right and what was expected of him as a leader. Tyrion grabbed the quill, dabbed the tip into the ink well and began to scribe. When he was finished he sealed the letter and sent it off. The fire had been stoked and was crackling lively now in his home. He warmed his hands by the fire. "Where to go from here. . Only Esuna knows." Tyrion stood up and grabbed a log from the stack that were neatly piled nearby and placed it in the fire. He stood up and watched as the log began to blacken and the healthy oak gave way to the creeping fiery. The entire scene was metaphoric. Tyrion regarded the door, the all to familiar sound of a message being delivered had been announced, once again. He retrieved the scroll and unfurled it. Tyrion nodded his approval and stated, "Progress." The long road ahead towards healing these wounds would be difficult but he felt they had exited the dark forest of uncertainty.

[Tyrion]

It was nice to consider the future of his own interests once more. The spat which had quickly turned into an affair overnight had almost hurled the Imperium into a status of Civil War. The meeting Maven and he had did much to simmer frayed minds and finally, there appeared to have been a calm which had returned. He turned his focus inwards as a direct result. It was time to get back on track. His first order of business was to address the councilman's queries. The house he had taken control of, was in need of another commitment. He kneeled before the councilman.

"Repeat after me: I, Tyrion," began the councilman. "do affirm my status as the head of Household of d'Fidelis." Tyrion repeated the line. "I do so, willingly, of a clear mind and of a righteousness born out of a noble demeanor based on necessity." Tyrion repeated this line. "For the betterment of the Imperium Realm and the furtherment of the goals and aspirations hereto." Tyrion repeated this line as well." Nodding with satisfaction, the councilman motioned for Tyrion to rise. He smiled at the councilman and thanked him.

After Tyrion had left he mentally placed a check by that item on his list. "Next up, identifying the current cache of materiel. We must make certain we are prepared for the coming storm in all capacities, replenishing our supplies and stockpiling will all be crucial elements for the preparation of. . . ." The word caught in his mouth. He rubbed his chin in a moment of thought. Conflict: how foreign the idea of martial combat seemed to him these days. Of course he had not forgotten the pleasures from which flowed the awesome power of Esuna. He relished the thought of exacting a measure of destruction upon the apostates which existed in the world and being the implement of his Queen to exact such annihilation, but, it came at a cost, "it always comes at a cost," he finished verbally. The Peace Accords were a step taken to avoid future conflicts on the scale that had occurred years before and ravaged all lands. Perhaps it was a mistake to have sheltered the Imperium as he did. A mentality of a false nature had evolved out of peace, security and sanctuary, veiled concepts that had been reinforced by-way of isolation and lack of -conflict-. "How absolutely shamefully necessary such a precept is for the health and wealth of ones own people. Without the taste of combat or the anger fueled by loss to guide one's development, into despair one could fall." He decided to double-down on his efforts to prepare and would remain vigilant until most opportune of times presented itself to enter into the spotlight once again.