Domitius rose "My Lord, I would urge you to support Lady Jamandi. Rostland was only held to Brevoy by House Rogavaria and with their passing it is time for Rostland to be free again.  Brevoy as it was is no more and Midmarch must either seek her own path or ally with those closest to us in Restov.

My professional opinion as a military man is that the Rogavarians can not hope to defeat Rostland on their own and without the help of the great houses of Issia however my own correspondence implies that the great houses of Issia do not support the Pretender King Noleski and are waiting to see what will happen.  If the Surtovan's can defeat the army of Rostland I expect they will all fall into line behind him.  If he fails well Issia will be looking for a new ruler.

Finally if Midmarch is to support the Pretender then I must respectfully asked to be relieved of my oath and I shall return to Restov that I might support my family.  I shall turn my holdings over to my cousin Kiera and she will run Solanus interests here in Midmarch."  He bow's respectfully then returns to his seat between Alisa and Kiera.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:35, Fri 03 July 2020.

Adoven stands. "My Lord, during my recent trip to Mivon, I saw much activity among the Aldori. I gathered what information I could and found out some things.
All sailors could agree that there were Aldori from House Yitis.
Most say there were Aldori from House Photus.
A few say there  were Aldori from  Restov.
One sailor insisted that they saw the White Dragon of House Khavortorov.
Another sailor insisted that he saw Jamandi Aldori, even though others laughed at him."
He pauses and then adds "I think I've seen ample evidence of this Grand Coalition of Aldori. My agents have also revealed that many of the Aldori wear a trinket shaped like a wasp, the symbol of Calistra I believe."

He clears his throat and continues. "As for the demands of the King in Restov, as well as his levy on all businesses and places of worship, I ask 'What has he done for us?' To expect Loyalty, Troops, and Taxes, has he expended troops or support to help us clear these lands? Has he aided us in establishing economic ties with the rest of Brevoy? Has he done anything to help you Stabilize your rule of Midmarch? I would answer No to those questions. I find myself unwilling to give something for nothing."

Andalon stands, although reluctantly.

"My Lord, Midmarch only exists because of the Midmarch Charter, which you hold and which gives you the right to settle and civilise these lands. I take it that Charter comes from the King?

"Regardless of that, we are all officers or knights of the Midmarch Chapter of the Order of the Brevic Knights. The knights of Brevoy. The king is the Grand Commander of the Brevic Order.

"Personally, I would rather see the Aldori take control of the east and the king hold the rest of Brevoy, even if Brevoy is split into two new nations as a result, rather than the bloody civil war that threatens to fall upon our heads. But that choice is not mine to make.

"My Lord, I have no wish to break my oath as an officer of the Brevic Order. If you choose to obey the king's directive I will be there beside you. But if you believe the future of Midmarch is better served by supporting the Aldori then I will trust your judgement and still be there beside you.

"I don't know which is the right answer. However, Adoven's news raises a frightening new question in my mind. If the Aldori are so active in the River Kingdoms, are they mainly there to recruit support for their cause? If so, what are they promising their allies in the River Kingdoms in return? Is Midmarch the price they are willing to pay for an alliance with the River Kingdoms? We already know there are some in the River Kingdoms who consider this land rightfully theirs. If we march north to support either side, will we lose everything we have built here in Midmarch either way? Or should we remain here to defend Midmarch, to defend the southern border of Brevoy itself?"

As if by reflex, Kiera elbows Dom back, but as some of the speeches go on, she gets the urge to speak.

"...well, as much as we don't want to deal or think about it, it's here.  War is coming, and we're getting pulled in both directions, like a stuffed bear between two squalling children.  I don't really have much tie to either side- spending your formative years out in the forest will keep you from understanding too much of the small stuff going on.

Some of us may have ties to the Aldori.  Some of us might have ties to the other side.  There's enough pride, guilt, rage, emotion flying around to fill a load of graveyards.  People are begging us to join causes- Lady Aldori wants our help, the Surtova want our help, and honestly, I already know which way we ought to turn..."

Taking a deep breath, she has to stop from reaching for her skin, and states it out:

"...I say Midmarch should remain neutral.

It's not our fight.  Both sides are begging for our help, but we need to be thinking of ourselves, and of the people here we represent- the thousands of people we'd be dragging along with us if we decide to take a side in all this.

Lots of us have ties to one place or the other.  It's hard, watching the steady march of troops off to war.  But we've got to think of ourselves- the people we represent, the lives and everything we hold in our hands.

Maybe it's just because I don't really think either side sees us as much more than a source for troops, money, and other things- I mean, the letter from the Surtova has all the markings of a preening bird, trying to inflate his plumage to scare a lesser male out of his territory.  His nephew wasn't here to pay respects or whatever, he was here nosing around and seeing what kind of forces we could possibly have, what we could give them.   I don't know about the rest of you, but 'hey, you people I've never met but are supposedly my subjects, come to my war and die for me and a cause you might not believe in for no more reason than I demand it' is a really, really stupid reason to get involved in a war.

Then there's the Aldori.  The lady in charge seems nice, but... again, what's in it for Midmarch?  We go up there, we march, we die for a fight that we don't have a dog in.  I know a lot of us have ties to family in the area, and I humbly apologize if I offend anybody, but again- what about Midmarch?  What of her people?  The ones who will be left here, rudderless, leaderless, and vulnerable if we decide to march off to war for one side or the other?

We side with the Aldori, the Surtova will be picking chunks out of our northern border before we know it.  We side with the Surtova, and we splinter apart because of family responsibilities and all that.  So I say, we just tell both sides we're not getting involved in their war because we have our own problems we're going to have to deal with soon enough."

Finding a nearby map of the area, her finger would tap a few places: the River Kingdoms to the south, Pitax to the southwest, and Numeria, to the northwest.

"I'm looking south, and I'm looking west- the River Kingdoms, Pitax, and possibly Numeria.  Getting Midmarch involved in a war, and sending all our forces away to battle will be like ringing a dinner bell in their general direction- you can guarantee they'll be making to test our borders to see what they can get away with.  I mean, lots of the Kingdoms would love to take our land and everything, and Irovetti, well... I wouldn't put anything past him.  They see weakness, they take advantage.  If we survive, we could come home to find Pitax camped out in the lower Narlmarches and daring us to evict them, or the River Kingdoms biting off chunks of the south, without the strength to do so.

We've also got other things to think about- the brigands in Drowned Trees or whatever the hells it's getting called these days.  You think the lady in charge is going to sit idly by while we all go play soldier?  I know there are others, too.

Just send word to both sides that we wish them both well with their little war, but to leave us out of it.  We're already going to feel the squeeze without being able to go east until this is all over.

It's not the answer people want to hear, I know.  But we need to think of our own when the people in charge don't want to, and both sides seem to see us as little more than a bunch of forces they can command."

She reaches down and takes a swallow from her skin, to steady her nerves.

"And no, it's not because of my faith, either.  I'm no Aldori agent.  Hell, until a few years ago, I thought an Aldori was some kind of tree or mold or something you'd find in a crypt if you opened the lid."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:20, Sat 04 July 2020.

After listening to some of the concerns, Henry comment.  "I think it might be wise for me, as governor, to strengthen the garrison at Outpost and perhaps, upgrade it to a keep.  At the same time, I will send a small force, under El, to the Villa that Lord Kendick and his team discovered recently to fortify that as a part of Midmarch.  When this is past, I will pass ownership to one of you Chapter members, should you so wish.

Zelona's people will be in the Keep to the south of Midmarch, and I could, perhaps build more defences along that border ...."
This message was last updated by the player at 12:34, Sat 04 July 2020.

"I'll put a watchtower out by the Burial mound." Cyrus offers.  "That should give us patrols all along the southern border."

Safiya looks worried as she speaks up. "I too have family ties to the Aldori. However, despite this I cannot recommend Midmarch gets directly involved in this conflict. Partly it is because I too feel Midmarch cannot afford to send its best and strongest away to fight a war at this point. There are crops to be planted and harvested, roads and towns to be build. Our neighbors may be looking at us right now, judging our strength. And there are still bandits, pirates and who knows what not lurking just out of sight of our settlements. These lands are by no means tamed yet."

"But the more important reason is that I do not wish to be seen helping either side start an open civil war. Not even Aldori. We may yet be forced to get involved, but I strongly believe that right now we should not be picking sides in a conflict that threatens to tear the whole country apart. Instead, we should be trying to get the two sides to a negotiating table again, even if that seems unlikely at this point."

"On the matter of taxes mentioned in the message from the king-reagent, does the Charter give rights to the throne to levy such from Midmarch?" She asks the present company.

Percy stands, using his stick to aid him.

"My Lord ... while the affairs of our northern neighbours may now seem distant to our current concerns in these new lands, I fear that if we try to ignore them, to stand aside and do naught, then whoever is the victor in that conflict will not look kindly upon us, and we likely will find ourselves facing a freshly-blooded army that seeks to punish us for our inaction."

"I have sworn oaths, aye, as the good Bishop says, but my allegiance is with you."

"One side in this conflict asks our aid, the other demands it.  All else aside, I favour the Aldori, though will be guided by you."

Andalon looks concerned as well.

"That is a good question about the Charter and taxes, Safiya. I suspect that Brevoy, and therefore the King, can legally impose taxes on all of its subjects as required. I support the notion of Midmarch remaining neutral, if that is an option open to us. I don't know what the repercussions would be, though. Could the King revoke Lord Henry's Charter, and what would that mean to him and to us?

"If knights and officers of the Midmarch Chapter of the Order of the Brevic Knights refuse to obey the King's instruction to meet him in Rostland with our forces, would we be effectively disobeying the lawful command of our commanding officer? Would we need to tender our resignations from the Order as well?"

Cass listened to the many valid points brought up by the others.

“Do we know how much support Noleski has from the other nobles? Where Lebeda and Lodovka stand, for instance? Maybe we can formulate a form of delay that explains to both sides why we have not joined them yet.”

Adoven adds "so many of the Aldori wear the symbol of Calistria, goddess of Vengeance and Lust. Could this be a Holy War in the making? Such would cut across territorial lines, would it not?"

"Yes, let's jump into a situation that we know next-to-nothing about, fight for causes we know the bare minimum about, all for people who haven't really been there for us but suddenly need us and every able-bodied soldier we have to drop everything and come die for them.

Yes, a perfectly amazing idea, much like standing behind a spooked horse and giving it a good smack."

Kiera lets out a sigh.

"But as far as the Calistria angle, I think it's more the Aldori looking for vengeance than anything else.  I know there's bad blood on both sides of this thing, but the Unquenchable Fire isn't Sarenrae or Iomedae.  It might just be a way for them to be asking for her help in exacting vengeance against the king.  I don't think she's ever really been the 'rouse an army and go on a holy war' type, anyways.

Like others have said, it's not our fight.  I mean, how we respond to this is going to affect how we're perceived- are we our own little slice of Golarion, here, or are we little more than a vassal state to the Aldori or the king that comes running when they snap their fingers?  Better to have two sides slightly miffed at us and keeping the peace here than dropping everything here in Midmarch to go off and die for something.

We have our own problems."

Henry considers some of the questions that have been asked, and gives his own views.

"The Charter.  Yes, the charter is signed by the king and grants his authority to settle in Midmarch.  There is, of course, a question as to the legitimacy to claim this land though.  It has never been settled by Brevoy, and the last people to really settle it were Taldans – and that was a long time ago.  Since then, it has been wild-lands inhabited by bandits, tribes and monsters of one sort or another.

That said, Surtova will see us as a Brevic Colony.  And in that case, as King of Brevoy he has the right to demand that we pay taxes and expect us to send military support when he demands it.  There is still some question as to his position, as well.  He has never really had enough support from the Noble Houses for ascension to the throne, and many refer to him still as King-Regent – holding the crown against the return of the Rogavaria.  Word has it, that he has sent similar demands for military support to all of the houses.  I do not know if that is correct or how they have responded

Adoven asks what support we have been given by the king in settling Midmarch and, beyond the charter, the answer is very little.  Although Surtova has supported the settlement at Fort Drelev. Most of our practical support has come from Restov.  Sir Ferdinand Ledkno has visited us a number of times, and, I believe, gifted well-trained war horses to some of our members.  He even help organise the Midmarch Chapter, in the early days, when we weren’t sure quite what we were doing.  I believe the bank of Restov has made loans to some of our members, before Andalon was able to set up the bank in Tusk – and Tusk Cathedral was founded with the help of a grant from Abadar’s church in Restov.

I think there is some truth in Percy’s words – and that neutrality might not be a good choice.  If we do not send troops to Surtova, it will be seen as a sign of rebellion anyway.  If we then try to hold back the taxes he has demanded, that will confirm our ‘rebellion’ against the crown.  If we stay neutral, and Brevoy wins the civil war, I would expect to see Brevic troops along our borders fairly quickly.  In King Noleski’s eyes, I fear that neutrality might not seem very much different to us sending troops to fight against him.

I do not know the stance of the Great Houses on this, nor would I expect them to tell me.  In many respects they face many of the same issue as we do.  I know that Surtova is not a popular king, BUT to stand against his instructions  could be considered an act of rebellion.

As for the ‘Grand Coalition’ of the Aldori.  As you may know, most of DELEM’s business interests are based around East Rostland.  We have a Serai in the Khavortorov town of Sway, another in Restov and a base in Brundeston, the Dwarven settlement.  My contacts tell me that ‘the word on the street’ in all three of those places is that they will side with the Aldori.  That is not a formal declaration from the leaders of those areas, just the word that is circulating among the common people.  The Aldoi we have seen travelling through Midmarch to Restov have been small groups, perhaps some of the mercenary units that Mivon is famous for or perhaps, as Kiera says, small groups driven by a desire to gain revenge for their defeat at the Valley of Fire.
Another thing, that you may not have considered is trade.  Thanks to V&V Shipping and House Yitis, we have established trade links with Mivon and, I believe, V&A is negotiating to establish a trading base there - and  Adoven has already negotiated a trade agreement with Jovvox, who are aligned with Mivon.  My own DELEM trades with East Rostland via Restov – with a small link on to New Stetven.  That means that most of our imports and exports travel through Aldori lands.  I had been hoping to push through to the East Sellen and establish direct trade links with New Stetven and Fort Drelev, but we aren’t at that point yet.


It appears to me that we have a number of options.

We can stay neutral, but that would probably be seen as an act of rebellion against the Crown of Brevoy and may well affect our main trade routes – and would almost certainly be seen as us breaking away from Brevoy

We can side with King Noleski, although that would make an enemy of, what appears to be, a united Aldori.

We can side with the Aldori, which might protect our trade, but makes an enemy of King Noleski, and possibly the rest of Brevoy.

However, as Knight-Captain of the Midmarch Chapter, I am prepared to absolve your oath, and relieve you of membership of the Chapter.  That will mean that you are no longer bound by Oath to either me or King Noleski.  Gwair has already taken that option, and returned home to serve under Sir Ferdinand, and I have taken the liberty of removing Stas from the membership list as well."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:17, Mon 06 July 2020.

Andalon frowns as he tries to puzzle out a way out of this tricky situation.

"Could we send the King a message advising that we have seen enough evidence of Aldori activity in the River Kingdoms to convince us there is a very real threat from that direction. We must stay here in Midmarch to protect this southernmost province of Brevoy from invasion by the River Kingdoms.

"With the greatest respect, we would sincerely advise against initiating a civil war that would threaten the strength, stability and prosperity of all Brevoy, leaving the victors in command of little more than a bloodied and bankrupt nation, assuming our enemies to the south and west leave us even that much to call our own."

"As far as trade with the Aldori lands goes, if there is civil war then our trade routes will be disrupted anyway. But if we could somehow persuade both sides to reach a peaceful agreement, perhaps because of that threat from the south, we might even strengthen our trading position with both sides."

Andalon rubs his forehead as though his head aches.

"We would probably still need to pay the taxes, though, as a sign of good faith," he concedes.

Adoven says "unless we resign as Brevoy Knights, we are duty bound to pay those taxes, or we will beas outlaw as any of those pirates that created the River Kingdoms. But to protect Brevoy's southern border from those self-same pirates, we cannot afford to send troops. We need them for our own defenses."

Safiya nods at Andalon's words. "I general, I agree with the bishop's position. Of the three options presented, openly siding with the king-regent may very well be the most unsustainable - politically, economically and militarily, stuck between Rostland and Mivon as we are. However, neither do I think we should be jumping at the first call from people far too eager for a return to good old times of killing Issians and getting killed by Issians in perpetuity.

She shakes her head dismissively about news of Mivoni wearing wasp symbols. "Vengeance. For what? A defeat that happened 200 years ago from a king whose entire line is now gone? Isn't it a bit late for that now? Where were they all back when Rogarvia was in power? No, neutrality may not be the easiest course of action, but I feel it would be only right to avoid this mess for as long as that is possible. And I cannot help but notice that despite the word on the street of support for the Aldori cause, no town or city has yet stuck their neck out by openly declaring for them. Do we really wish to be the first, and so mark the beginning of an open civil war?"

"If we do choose to remain officially out of the infighting, we can still offer the requested taxes to the king-regent to mollify him. Tell him we cannot spare the few men we do have as Adoven suggested, that's not very far from truth. From the sound of it, he'd be lucky to get that much support from most of the other great houses. And he did sign the Charter after all, a document that legally binds us to Brevoy. There's little point in casting doubt on the validity of the Charter, as it is also the basis for our own authority. On the Aldori side, we could choose to look pass the movement of men and supplies that will undoubtedly be going from Mivon to Rostland, at least as long as the Aldori are not being obnoxiously obvious about it."

"And it goes without saying that we should also do whatever we can to try to convince both sides to come to their senses and work out a peace deal, even if that looks nay impossible right now. And if it's all for naught, at least we can say we tried to stop a civil war, rather than help start one. Even the damned Surtova could see that."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:53, Mon 06 July 2020.

"You realize, of course, that the King may well remove me as Governor of Midmarch should I not send troops?  That, of course, might well affect your elevation to the Nobility, Adoven."

Safiya frowns at that idea. "Should that happen, then that could be cause for us to reevaluate our position, and I am sure the king-regent would be aware of that as well. Whether he would still try to push this through depends whether our direct military usefulness outweighs this risks. Which brings me to my question - how many troops could Midmarch realistically even field for a war up north, if we fully committed to one side or the other? Compared to the two main factions?"

“You have what you can hold,” Cass shook his head in disgust. “There will be no diplomatic solution to this problem. The Aldori are united by one thing, revenge. And nothing will turn them aside until they have sought that revenge. Noleski’s demand shows that he is beyond reason, from arrogance or fear, or both.”

Cass motioned for someone to bring him something to drink. “If the king weathered in New Stetven, he would likely win against a siege. But on the battlefield, it is highly likely that the Aldori will take the day. Once that has happened, Restov will likely welcome the victors with open arms. Then, unless the nobles of New Stetven want to test the siege theory, they will agree to acknowledge the Aldori’s claim to Rostland.”

One of the waitstaff brought a serving tray with a glass of wine and a bottle of the same. Cass smiled to the server, reached for the bottle and took a large swig of its contents. “My suggestion is the renouncing of oaths, and sending word to the Aldori that we will join there cause under the single condition that Midmarch be declared a free land as well, with Henry LeMaistre as its only sovereign.”
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 18:22, Mon 06 July 2020.

Adoven nods his head. "Doesn't matter. Nobility was only something I sought to be approved of as a potential husband for Vik. Beyond the Influence of the title, I care naught for the trappings of nobility." He looks to Cass and sighs. "I fear that the mayor's idea has merit, though I am loathe to align with the River Kingdoms."

Henry consults with Bart, then considers Safiya's question for a moment or two.

"I believe that if we send our whole army, we have about the same military strength as Restov - counting their sword schools and guard detachments, the Khavortorov about the same.  However, we think the East Rostland Aldori can probably muster about twice as many troops as us.  Assuming Brundeston and some Aldori from Mivon turn out as well ...  So the Aldori Army  will probably be about five times our size.

The Surtova can probably call on nearly that number themselves, but I doubt Noleski will call up all of his troops from Port Ice.  However, he might be able to call up some New Steven units."

Henry shrugs, "It could be enough to make a difference."

Safiya returns Henry's shrug with one of her own. "If they are so equally matched that we could make a difference, that alone could make it too risky for him to push the matter any further, at least for now."

She sighs wearily. "I have given my counsel, my Lord, but I will, of course, follow your decision."

Henry nods.

"And if you do opt to go this route, you can always blame your inability to provide troops on your unruly vassals. Something I am sure the king-regent can sympathize with." Safiya smiles to show that she is not being serious.

“My favored and first response to most situations is one of diplomacy,” Cass offered. “I have even become somewhat one of the local experts on diplomacy. This is simply a case where diplomacy is futile. Noleski will consider any act other than obedience as an afront to himself personally. The Aldori would be polite about any excuses for delay in joining them, but they would secretly harbor it against us in the future. Any entreaty for the Aldori to engage in diplomacy with the Surtova would be as successful as entreating a fly not to buzz.”

Cass looked around the room at everyone. “That said, I would advise against deploying the entirety of our military forces outside of our borders. Some should be left in defense. Perhaps we could send 1/3 of our troops to battle.”
This message was last edited by the player at 20:04, Mon 06 July 2020.