Reverential Address - An Admonishment And A Call

[_GoldWolf_]

REVERENTIAL ADDRESS
An Admonishment and A Call
Addressed to the People of Regalia Post Burning
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Sɛction I - Greetings And Benediction
Sɛction II - On the Burning of Petal Court
Sɛction III - On the burning of Crookback Bay
Sɛction IV - Hope in Unity
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From the Desk of His Worship, Aelfric Harhold
High Reverend Emeritus of the Holy Synod

Blessings be upon you!

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I​

Oh Lord, Spirit on high, we are but humble servants of Union before you, made worthy of the steps to Your Divine Throne of light only by our acceptance of the holy scripture, Your Creeds. We are to be molded by Your word and to take into mind interpretations made by the holy few who don the cloth. We serve as the pillars of the Great Way, furthering the Great Path till our dying breath as to be offered salvation in the Everwatch and the destined future ahead. We take this solemn vow upon our birth, when our flesh and blood is new and we have been readied by the womb to depart on a great journey towards eternal light. We shall serve You, Spirit Eternal, and His Imperial Holiness. Oratario Paean.

Imperial Benediction, brothers and sisters. May the words scribed upon this blessed parchment be offered to you, the servants of the one true Lord and the one true faith, as to enlighten. May the light of the Spirit sanctify your souls and protrude the darkness of sin which plagues each and every one of us. The utmost of blessings upon you, faithful flock.

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Sincerely,
Aelfric Harhold,
Holy Father of the Blessed Unionist Divine,
High Reverend-Emeritus of the Holy Synod,
Official Member of the Holy Conclave
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Blessings be upon you all.​

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II​

It was this morning that I was woken up abruptly by my Secretary, Mister Gottfried, with the news that the city was burning. At that moment, we did not know if it was a kitchen fire or terrorists however, all we knew was the unfortunate occurrence that was scarring our beloved Holy City. It was not until the morning had passed and the afternoon was ushered in that the true cause had been revealed to me in the seclusion of the Harhold estate. So, with that, my arthritis ridden hands took up quill and ink and the following Address is delivered to you today.

I wish to begin with the matter most close to me. The fire which has burned in a district of the city I have resided within for many decades as a Reverend, Father, and friend. It is so very saddening to me that these past months have caused the water in the pot to boil over and tension has grown so thick that criminals, terrorists more duly termed, have decided to crawl out of their secluded forts and attack our holy bastion. It is utterly unacceptable that these gaggles of those unwilling to be true members of society have brought down and destroyed the homes of many good Regalians, leaving them desperate for warmth and shelter in this harsh winter. And by the hands of my Secretary, I hear they plan to continue in their efforts to create disorder and chaos in our beloved city.

I tell you, it will not stand. If any of you criminals care to read a book, we as Regalians have faced much worse. A traitorous Arch-Chancellor. An undead, self proclaimed queen. A Dragon with Arken servants to do as she bids them to do. We have faced all of these challenges and yet we have overcome time and time again. This will be no different.

You and your fellow arsonists say that you do not care for our "empty platitudes" but I assure you. The Arch-Chancellor, the undead queen, and the Dragon all likely said the same thing. Were they right? Go on and read the few books documenting our great history and you can answer that yourselves.​

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III​

Next, I heard of the burning of Crookback to which I shared an equally mournful reaction. I did not think that the lands of criminals were being burned and we had finally destroyed the less than savoury inhabitants of our Crown Isle once and for all. No. Unlike the Noble Houses and the families and organizations who burned down the Bay, I thought of the poor who resided in Crookback. I may have shared much of the same opinion long ago. That it is simply made up purely of criminals and gangs who care only to cause disorder and chaos. However, soon I learned of the true people of the Bay. The poor and unfortunate under the boots of the gangs who so commonly scar the landscape and reside in the forefront of our image of Crookback. The unfortunate who reside in those houses and run those shops and have nothing to do with the criminal aspects of the Bay besides the oppression they face under the Covens and such.

I thought of them and yet, the arsonists responsible did not think of them. No, they did much as I did months ago. Looked at the gangs and yet did not look at those under their heel. Such is a saddening reality. And now, those poor and unfortunate souls, already downtrodden and without funds live without homes in this harsh winter. While the arsonists could have targeted the individual holdings of the gangs, of which are common knowledge. By the Spirit, I was held in a Vampire Coven's castle. Nay, they instead attacked the place where the gangs likely do not even reside.

In this, I admonish those responsible and hope that no others shall make the same mistake as them and even the same mistake as I long ago in thinking that Crookback Bay is made up solely of criminals. Do not target Crookback Bay. It may be muddled by the gangs and crime present but it is also made up of those simply trying to get by. And yet, in this action, you have squashed their hopes of simply getting by which is so very disappointing. So very maddening even, Spirit forgive me for my wrath. ​

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IV​

As I have said previously in this Address, while this may be a challenge, it is through challenges that we as Regalians persevere. It is in challenges that the true might of Regalia is shown to the entire globe. The Pessimism, countless wars, crises in past years. It matters not for while we may struggle in the moment, we eventually topple the ruinous powers which surround us and bring about new ages of great peace and prosperity. This is why I wish to conclude this Reverential Address not with condemnations or warnings but with hope and a glimpse at the future.

It is in the countless teachings of the Imperial Spirit and our Mother Church that we are told to bring about Paradise in unity and too, this can be applied to all our righteous goals. This is why we have always succeeded from the very founding of our nation with the united front of Noble Families against the corrupt King to now. Why we have always prospered in peace and conquered in turmoil. Why we were able to unite the Archipelago under one Emperor, one rule. Why the Slizzar during the Chrysant War were defeated and the Songaskian Masaya lost against our great might.

We have a history of succeeding. A history of victory. A history of expansion. And why is that, do you think? Because we are, throughout every struggle, united! He tells us that Paradise shall not be brought through the hands of the few but through the hands of the many and our victories, our history is a testament to the verses which call for our unity. My, even the Tenth Creed, a Creed which calls for unity in the Church teaches us to be united not only as clergy and laymen but as faithful and Regalians.

So, I tell you now. While Petal Court, while Crookback Bay has been burned and with threats, possibly more burnings shall occur, we must use this as fuel. We must let this fire burn in our stomachs and cause us to move forward, lest we allow it to consume us whole. How do we do this? United and with the support of our brothers and sisters. Does a fireplace care for its own fire? No, it does not. Others care for and rekindle that fire. Rely on your brothers and sisters and do the same for them in that way and we, as good Regalians will face this threat with strength in numbers and strength in righteous cause.

With that, I wish to support you in every way I can. While my body may be weak and decrepit. While it hurts at times to pick up this very quill, I wish to help you with what remains. Therefore, as stated in the Decree of our Lord Chancellor, I have opened up the Salvation Church as refuge for those of Petal Court and even the poor (non-criminals) of Crookback Bay. I also hope to hold a prayer service, however whether that shall be held tonight or tomorrow is up to question. Nevertheless, my door is open to letters from all around the city, mainland or Crookback Bay. Request prayers for yourself, your family, your friends, your homes, your dog, I don't care. Request prayers for anyone and I shall pray all of them throughout these days and nights of the coming weeks. I wish to be here for you anyway I can and while, in my frailty I may be unworthy, I, as I call you to do, strive to rise to the occasion and support all in unity. I pray you shall do the same and thank you for your time.​

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"May Unity Prevail"

Signed with the Love of a Father,
Your Servant,

His Worship, Aelfric Harhold
High Reverend Emeritus of the Holy Synod

Dated November 15th, 308AC​