Adoven takes a sip of wine and muses a bit. The options were none-too-palatable, but one held a slim hope. "I believe we should send the taxes requested and 1/3 our troop Strength to bolster the Regent's forces. The Aldori, to reach Rostland, must push through our lands to get there. We show support to the Regent by keeping the bulk of our forces protecting his Southern border, namely ourselves. It gives us cover, diplomatically, with both sides. None can blame us for protecting our own lands."

"My lord," Alisa addressed Henry, "I haven't the experience or knowledge to put forward my preference in anything so far reaching and heavily consequential.   And so will refrain.   However, I would offer one final consideration:  the king is a man who rose to power when his predecessor -- along with the entire family that ruled with him -- vanished.  The most dangerous of fiends are not the drooling monsters, but rather the ones that are subtle and sophisticated.   I could be dead wrong.  Maybe he's not that bad; but, I urge you to beware a man - and his sister, for that matter - whose path to power was opened by the convenient disappearance of a family.  I fear any rewards bestowed by him will have ample strings attached, and one day a high price.   But that is only surmise, and ultimately I beg you -  please do what you must to preserve life."   

“Likewise,” Cass dovetailed on Alisa’s words. “I warn you to be wary of them all. Especially those of you who might hold to such romantic ideas as justice, freedom, and a return to an idyllic golden age from history. Hundreds of years ago, a man so selfish that he would enlist the aid of dragons to burn, devour, and destroy an entire kingdom of people to subjugate them to his own rule did exactly that.”

Cass took another drink of wine. “Now, in his stead, rules a tyrant with no more regard of the descendants of these people than the original monster that he claims as his family. What benevolent works has he done during his rule? Much beloved by the people is he? No, there has been talk of rebellion against him during his entire reign.”

“But make no mistake, these Aldori are little to no better at all. For 200 years they have had the opportunity to remold the River Kingdoms into an even better land than the one they left behind. Instead, while they held to their own selfish ideals of power and revenge, the River Kingdoms has been nothing but a haven for bandits and the dregs of humanity. Little more than a cesspit in my estimation.”

“My recommendation? Let them kill each other off. Declare Midmarch as an independent and sovereign land. Shore up her defenses and weather out the storm. If one drop of Midmarch blood is to be spilled in this conflict, then let it be for something worth truly fighting for, Midmarch.”
This message was last edited by the player at 01:36, Thu 09 July 2020.

Kendrick gave Cass his approval. "Here, here. Truth to Cass' words. We should strive towards the independence of the Midmarch."

Safiya looks very grave as she speaks her opinion. "My Lord, while I'd like very much for us to stay out of this mess completely, it has been pointed out that doing so might be construed as us proclaiming independence. And doing that while we have but a fraction of military forces needed to defend our independence is likely to end very, very badly."

"So, with that off the table, my preferred option would be for us to only get involved to the bare minimum you think Midmarch in general and you personally can get away with. Whatever you think that is, and whatever side you choose to support. Sending gold is of little concern to me in that regard. Sending men... admittedly less so."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:06, Thu 09 July 2020.

"Independence.  Let the Aldori and the Surtova have their squabble, it's no business of ours.  We have our own borders, own problems, and everything else to worry about."

"I trust the assessment Cass has given us," the large man rumbles.  "If neither side are worthy then we should support neither."

"And if that means we must declare for the independence of Midmarch under Henry's rule, then so be it."

Domitius stands "I would join the Aldori and despite the insults which have been thrown our way, for which you will hear from me later Lord Mayor."  he said with a glare.  "If you choose independence my lord then I shall rethink my position here in Midmarch, for I am unsure where my loyalties should lie.  Should you side with the Regent I would ask for a release of my oath and we shall meet upon the battlefield."

"Peace, Domitius," Percy cautions, "the Lord Warden asked us to speak candidly and such is our duty."

"For my part ... I do not think that the Regent will have the backing of all the Houses.  I believe my own House Orlovsky, distant though the connection be, will not support him.  Indeed any conflict that may start with Aldori and Surtova is likely to see the rise of other camps, seeking advantage and opportunity."

"I spoke before for the Aldori as an alternative to the Regent ... from what I have heard I am now hard pressed to pick either.  I propose standing by and making what alliances we can with those who do likewise."

Marik had sat quietly, not truly having a stake in the fight beyond his own life and those who worked for him. Instead he listened, trying to separate emotional arguments from those based on logic and reason. It was obvious that for some it was difficult to make that distinction.

Finally, after Henry asked for everyone's opinion, he decided to weigh in. "As some of you know, my mother was a whore, and my father, well let's say it's not quite certain who he is. So I can honestly say I have no personal connections to either side of this conflict," he said with a glance in Domitius' direction. "So what I say is purely based on my interest in keeping Midmarch, and myself, safe and prosperous.

While I agree with the noble goal of independence and self-governance, for the reasons Andalon pointed out, I can't support that action at this time. In that scenario, whomever wins this civil war will take umbrage at our neutrality, and at best replace Lord Henry with someone less inclined to support us individually, at worst, invade Midmarch and remove or kill each and every one of us for our sedition.

So that really only leaves two options. As has been stated, Lord Henry's charter comes from the King-Regent and we have all been sworn as Brevic Knights. To side against the King-Regent, then, would be an act of treason for each of us, and perhaps more importantly besmirch our honor."

He turns to Domitius, "If you weren't willing to fight for the crown, you should have never sworn the oath to do so." He shakes his head, "Now look, I have no love of the King-Regent, or honestly Brevoy in general; it never did anything for me. But I do love Midmarch, and everything we've built here. Thus, I truly see no other choice.

As others have stated, I propose we offer a token force in support of the King-Regent, keeping the majority of our forces here in Midmarch, under the auspices of protecting the southern border. If the King-Regent wins, we will be seen as subjects who supported the rightful King. If the Aldori win, we can make an argument, a true argument, that we supported the King-Regent because we had no choice based on the oaths we'd taken. We would then offer to swear a new oath to Lady Jamandi, with our actions during the war proving how strong our oaths are and that we never waver from them."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:11, Thu 09 July 2020.

Looking over at Percy "Indeed we were asked to speak candidly but I would have thought throwing an insult at me wasn't called for by his lordship, and now two members of this council have done so.  Actions have consequences and these two gentlemen seem to have forgotten that.

Once I would have fought for Brevoy had I been called, but ties of blood run stronger than ties of bondage.  Now my kin call an end to that bondage and are prepared to fight for it.  How could I call myself a man and not do the same.  Midmarch is but a blink in history's eye compared to the suffering that certain individuals within this council dismiss as nothing.

I accept others have differing views indeed within my own family we do not agree on this subject, but the Lord Mayor of Tusk forgets himself he believes that I and my kin are no better then Noleski.  No he and Master Marik should be prepared to meet with my second or apologise for their behavior less the first blood shed in this war shall be there own."

Marik turned and looked quizzically at Domitius, "Excuse me sir, and in what way exactly did I insult you? I have spoken no ill words towards the Aldori, not least of which because I know little about them and honestly don't care.

The only thing I did was to point out that you swore an oath which you now intend to violate. That's not an insult, simply the truth. And if your loyalty to your blood is in fact as strong as you say, you probably shouldn't have made that oath in the first place. Again, no insult, simply a point of fact.

That you now threaten me for speaking the truth is completely uncalled for."

"HOLD" Henry thunders.  "I will not have a smaller version of this civil war played out in Midmarch!  Having it happen  so close to our borders is bad enough -  but I will not have Midmarch ripped apart in the same way."

"This is not the place for raised voices or for threats, no matter how strongly any of you feel.  Nor is this ant place for talks of treason.  I have already said that I will release any from their oath to the Midmarch chapter, if that oath conflicts with others that they have made, or for any other reeason."

The Governor then glares around the room, looking at everyone equally.

Domitius meets Henry's glare and does not back down "Forgive me my Lord but my honour and the honour of my family has been called into question and I could not let it stand."

"You have my permission to leave the meeting, if you cannot control  yourself for the rest of it.  However, I must insist that, at this moment, we all put the future of Midmarch before our personal issues, in the same way as I have done.  What ever happens you will not be required to stand against members of your family.  I, on the other hand, might well be required to do so."

Adoven asks, "Domitius, if Honor is that much an issue with you, why did you swear the oath of the Brevic Knights?"

"I did not give any of you a choice in the matter." Henry answers Adoven quickly.

"Now, back to the matter in hand.  I would like to hear from anyone who has not yet spoken."

“Never take lessons of misfortune from someone who has never had to sleep beneath an onion cart,” Cass said whimsically. “If you would have ‘words’ with me, Lord Solanus, then a ‘second’ would never do.”

“You are correct, Henry. All other business can wait until later.”

Trying to move on quickly, Henry speaks rapidly - no longer the calm leader that he was at the start of the meeting.

"So far I have heard voices for sending a small force to support Surtova.  If we are to take that course, I will take the Midmarch Guard and lead them myself.  There has been slightly more voices for Independence, and a couple that I have taken to mean take the path of least bloodshed.  And, of course, one very strong voice that says we should support the Aldoi of East Rostland and Restov in their campaign to reclaim control of their ancestral lands.

No matter what is decided, I will not ask any of you to go against your conscience, or your family.

Now, is there anything else I should hear concerning this matter?"

"Tucked in for siege conditions and with enough arrows and crossbow bolts we could probably hold off Both armies from the ramparts."

Alisa let go a breath, feeling more aware than ever that she was a priestess, and neither a politician or a tactician.   Which bothered her not in the least.

She put her hand on Domitius' hand, leaned over and briefly whispered to him-

Domitius took a deep breath and loosened up his shoulders then whispered to Alisa.


He turned to look across at Lord Henry "My lord I wouldn't rely on our walls the Rostland Aldori have the best siege engineers available outside of Taldor or Cheliax.  Additionally we have done no preparations for a siege so before we make any announcement I would suggest we begin to lay supplies in.  Furthermore do we have enough room to place all the citizens of Midmarch should that come to pass?"

Henry sits quietly for a moment or two and then stands to speak.   He is clearly tense and his words are tense.

“I have listened to your words, and your passion, but I will not go as far as full independence at the moment.  However, we will not send troops to fight on either side of this war.

I will take the position that Midmarch has been commissioned to guard the Southern Border of  Brevoy – regardless of whether East Rostland is managed from New Stetven or by the Aldori – and that we will continue to do so.  I shall point out the string of defences, which we have built recently, to defend Brevoy’s southern Border, and highlight the role that both Tusk and Ringbridge play as a line of outer defences.  As further evidence of our dedication to duty, I will mention the scouting outposts in the Narlemarch and Kamelands that will give advance warning of any incursions.

I will decline to pay extra taxes, stating that we cannot afford to slacken in our determination to bolster Brevoy’s southern border.  I will mention advanced scouting posts in both the Narlemarch and Kamelands that will help improve our knowledge of the area.  Furthermore, I will speak of the area to our west, which borders the slough, pointing out that the land there is still wild and untamed and that it could still be used to march an army into Brevoy.

I will also speak of Tusk’s role in providing a trade route to the south, offering new routes to market for both Restov and New Stetven.

I hope that this will be seen as evidence that we have done as we have been asked, as well as offer both a minor deterrent, in the form of our new defences, and a minor encouragement to support us, for the new trade opportunities we can offer.

However, this puts a responsibility on all of us to develop both our trade links, and our defensive capability – when we are able. While that will show our commitment to our mission, as I have described it, but it will also strengthen our position if we do have to defend our borders from Brevoy or the Aldori.

That message will be sent to the King-Regent and Lady Aldori, although I will also send copies to the Lords of the major houses and the Mayor of Restov.

Furthermore, even as we remain neutral, we will not close our borders.  We will be open to settlers, as we have always been, while merchants, traders and travellers will be free to pass through our lands – so long as they adhere to our laws, while they are here, and pose no threat to Midmarch.  I have no wish to stop either side from accessing the Gnomes’ new store in Tusk, recruiting mercenary troops or conducting their business in any other way.

Notices concerning our neutrality, and the terms of it, will be posted in every town and settlement in Midmarch, and I will require every priest to read it out in their services.  No person in Midmarch should be ignorant of our intentions.

So far as the Midmarch Chapter is required, I will release any of you from membership and the vows that you have made.  That will mean that you, and any troops that you control, may actively support whichever side you choose.  Once there is a resolution, you will be welcomed back into the fold – assuming that we are still neutral and that I am still in charge of Midmarch.

Should Midmarch come under attack, we will reconvene to discuss the options that are available to us.”

With that, Henry sits back and  waits for comments.

She listens, grabbing- and draining about half of- another glass of wine.

"...well, in the end, it's not going to be us that has to buy this particular horse- it's the King.  But at the least, it'll be a sign you can use to assess why he's doing this.  If he's thinking clearly, he'll accept the idea that a neutral border on his south is nothing to worry about- especially if it means he's not going to have to worry about raiders from the south or southwest.  But if this is a show of dominance, meant to cow us into submission... and we just waggled our tails at him?

He'll be rather peeved at us and might take some further measures... so maybe we get all our coins in a row and start preparing for the worst and hoping for the best?  Those of us with businesses keep our ears open and pass along anything interesting we might hear- like troop movements, news from Brevoy, that kind of thing?

I mean, you'd be amazed what you can find out over drinks..."