Main IC-Scene: The Officers' Assembly Room

Of course, take your time to prepare yourself properly for the journey. Noticing the unhappy look he added: Don't worry. Your services do not go unnoticed and when you return successfully a promotion to knight-sergeant will await you both. You are dismissed.

Come in, he called to the door, wondering who would want to talk to him at this late hour.

A scribe entered the room with his head low. He was dressed in white linen and he had a piece of parchment in his hand.

"Good evening Constable, I have compiled resume about the status of our actions in the steppes."

He cleared his throat and stood up straight.

"The Salinae installed at the shores of the big Lake have started producing constantly. The beginning was hard and many things didn't work out as planned. The Overseer estimates that the production is at 40 percent right now. So there is room for improvement."

He stoppes and looks at the Constable waiting for a sign to continue or explain things more. He clearly had more written on his parchment.

Do go on, Iskar urged the scribe. You can leave me the detailed report on the table so I can read it later.

The Scribe nodded.

"Very well. The fishing huts and villages build at the shore of the lake are supplying enough fish to feed themselves. They cooperate nicely with the Salinae to Salt the excess fish and transport it further inland."

He made a short pause and slid his finger down to the next point.

"The Wagonloads of Timber are put to very good use. Many of the houses are in very good shape and look fit for the winter. The Firewood is being stored and there have been orders by the Bailiffs to minimize the usage of Firewood as much as possible. They don't want to take any risks. The Granaries are filling up nicely. A small part of the Populace wonders why such measures are needed. They don't believe that the winter will be that hard."

"Furthermore, the population welcomes the increase in Garrison size but right now there are no measurable effects regarding the security to that. We have to wait a few more months to notice anything different. As my last point I have received a letter from Milos de Ravon of Poinsbruk and as well a visit by Roffney Igelby. They both spent some nights at the new Inn near Wayrest Castle and are very happy about the Location and as well about the hospitality with which they are greeted."

The Scribe pulled out some letters and folded the parchment. He put everything on the Constables desk and returned to his former position.



[OOC: If you want detailed reports about everything then I hope I can find some time to compile something]

Thank You, that should be everything. He gave the scribe a friendly nod and turned to the reports.

[OOC: I don't want to drown you in work, so give me the reports only if there are some more interesting details. I would be particularly interested in the difficulties that keep the salinae from working at full effectiveness.]

Three days later the lords arrived all, one by one, except duke Stephen himself. Instead Iskar received a letter saying the duke was indisposed. Worried about what might have cause his direct liege to decline the invitation from his own city Iskar made his way to the castle before the feast started and sought an audience with the duke.

Some polite and soothing words later the aristocrat agreed to come to the feast but reminded Iskar that he should not make a habit of not accepting refusal.

[OOC: Played out according to results given by the voices.]

At the Clarion Hall the great refectory had been prepared for the feast with a table for the high lords on the dais at the rear end of the hall and long tables below were prepared for their knights, baronets and bannermen. Large fires crackled in the fireplaces all along the walls and Nigel Redwell, Laria's most famous merchant for exquisite food and drink had been contracted for the feast and additionally been supplied with spice from the Silvermist's own stores. Servants were hurrying and scurrying everywhere, carrying food and drink to the tables. When Iskar and the duke arrived the lords he had welcomed earlier and their bannermen had already installed themselves along the tables alongside the noble members of the Silvermist and Clarion Call. The seat at the centre of the dais and the one beside it remained free, though. Accompanied by several halberdiers the constable and the duke entered the room. The halberdiers formed two lines to the sides and the herald announced:

His Grace, Stephen, the duke of Laria! upon which the gathered nobles rose to pay homage to the city's lord and ruler of the duchy.

The duke was led to the central seat on the dais while the herald announced Iskar.

Iskar Levellin, Lord Constable of the Silvermist, Lord Governant of Eastcrown, Silverwood, Isenfeld and Mistrock.

He strode to his seat beside the duke, but remained standing, taking up his cup.

Your Grace, milords, he addressed the gathered nobles, you honour our humble hall beyond measure with your presence. These are troubled times and we must all stand together to avert damage to the realm, so let us rejoice upon an occasion such as this where we can share meat and mead and strengthen our bonds for the hardships lying ahead.

He raised his glass high. To the king and the steppe nobles, his most valiant vassals!

The guests took up the toast in unison and the feast began. The servants carried the food to the tables and soon the clattering of cutlery and clinking of glasses almost drowned out the musicians on the gallery.
Halfway through, between the fish pie and the roasted pork, Iskar clapped his hands and slowly silence fell as the Constable was about to hold his speech.

For centuries, he began, the Clarion Call has been the order of the steppes and marches and after we solved the Laria crisis the Silvermist was officially made heir to that tradition in service of the marcher nobility.
The lands formerly plagued by the Jatu are now colonised and pacified and the king has thus revoked the official marcher status of your and our lands. Does that mean you are no longer the "marcher lords"? Does that mean we are no longer the "marcher order"?

He paused for a moment to look around the hall, then resumed:

I ask you, what is it that makes a marcher noble? The amount of his troops, the strength of his levies, the derelictness of half his lands? No! It is the valour that makes a marcher lord! His strength and honour, the fact that his enemies fear him and his friends trust in his help, the fact that the crown can rely on him in what situation ever and that his subjects know they are safe from harm under his wise rule! That makes a marcher lord and nobody can take that from you.

[Voices please insert reaction by the nobles here (cheers, silence, etc.)]

With the marches colonised this only means that you now have prosperous lands to back you up and you can use your valour to the benefit of your holdings instead of wasting resources fighting the ever returning Jatu. And the Silvermist, as the order of the marches would be honoured to duly provide you with troops where your levies lack the manpower. It is our task and honour to serve the steppes and their nobility and people and we would like to provide you with an actual pledge of that promise.

He clapped his hands again and five servants carrying samite cushions entered, followed by two servants carrying a heavy chest between them. The five men with the cushions made their way to the dais where they presented one to each of the high lords. On the ones presented to Wulfric, Hengist, Bardan and Fouchier there was an exquisite Noldor ring while the one presented to Stephen bore a Noldor dagger, befitting his higher noble rank.
Meanwhile the two servants opened the chest from which a golden gleam came forth. More servants entered and started handing the contents of the chest - golden rings with a fleur-de-lys on them - to the baronets and knights.

When the tokens were distributed among the nobles Iskar turned to Stephen and knelt.

Your Grace, he said, alongside this pledge of service from my order, I offer my fealty to you as Lord of Silverwood and Eastcrown.

I accept, the duke said. You may rise.

[Voices, please add emotions or additional reactions as you see fit. Since he said so in a letter I take it he would accept the oath of fealty. Hope that was correct.]

Having risen Iskar turned back to the assembly.

There is much and more to discuss but I have kept you long enough from food and drink, so let us continue the feast before we talk about the rest.

The clattering of cutlery, clinking of glasses and general munching, slurping and burping resumed. When the remains of the last course were being carried off and a strong southern wine was served to help digestion Iskar rose to speak again.

As you all know our order has colonised large areas that were formerly only known as Jatu and bandit ridden wastelands and turned them into prosperous counties.
However, prosperity is nothing if the lands are not properly ruled. Our administration is efficient and well able to handle construction, taxes and the like, but the people need lords, not officials, to look up to and in the long term no land can prosper without nobles tied to and ruling it. It is the ancient right and honourable task of you and your kin, milords, to bring stability and safety to the lands of Pendor and our order's own holdings are now sufficiently developed so that we would not insult nobles by handing out poorly developed fiefs and half-finished holdfasts.

You all have brothers, second and third sons, uncles and cousins that primogeniture condemned to a life as household knights despite their noble lineage. We believe that these men deserve better and hope that they will help us to make the east even more prosperous and powerful. In our holdings of Isenfeld, Silverwood and Eastcrown there is a total of 60 vacant knighthoods, tied to an estate each, 22 vacant baronetcies, tied to holdfasts, and 2 baronetcies paramount that rule Silverwood Redoubt and Farhill Fortress respectively. Furthermore, in the west lies Mistrock Island on which there are further 15 vacant knightly estates, 5 baronetcies and the baronetcy paramount of Mistrock Port.

Yet, before we come to actually handing out particular fiefs, I need to address another issue. The Griffons and their contorted reports caused major tensions between the nobility and the orders, but their treacherous schemes were only the trigger, not the real cause of the tensions.
The real cause is, as we believe, that there is no written law regulating the relations and interactions between orders and nobility. When Pendor was still fractured most orders served one or the other kingdom or went about their business in the lordless lands between the warring nations while the nobility was being exhausted by the constant wars. Now we live in a unified Pendor and the Manifest Destiny decree allows the orders to officially settle in the cities and castles of Pendor. This has so far greatly benefited the realm as show the victories of Stormcliff Cove and Cez, the lasting peace with the Noldor and the colonisation of the steppes and his majesty has recently resolved to enforce the Manifest Destiny against attempts to deny the orders access to certain lands.
However, we believe that this is not enough. The success of the orders has been made possible not to the least extent by the benevolence of the nobles in whose holdings the orders built their chapterhouses and you have a right to call upon service and account from the orders. Furthermore there must be reliable laws to protect the hereditary rights of the nobles as well as the crown-immediacy of the orders. We therefore propose the following charta:

Charta

By the grace of the gods and his personal valour Mordred I Adalhard has risen to become the prophesied king of Pendor. All signing parties declare their everlasting devotion and service to his royal line and put themselves under his protection. To his glory and the benefit of the realm and people of Pendor we agree to the following articles:

I. The defense of the realm and people of Pendor rests on three pillars: Crown, nobility and orders.
II. The crown commands the nobility and orders and the two latter as a whole owe allegiance to the crown only.
III. Orders must not infringe on the feudal and hereditary rights of nobles. Where they are present in a noble's holdings they are subject to his jurisdiction.
IV. Nobles must not infringe on the crown-immediacy of orders as entire entities. Where orders are present in their counties they may only demand such services as can be expected from loyal subjects.
V. Regardless of that nobles have the right to call upon orders in their holdings for assistance in the protection of the realm and people of Pendor.
VI. Unless regularised otherwise orders pay their due services to a lord by providing at least two regiments of knights for patrols of his county at least once a season.
VII. As stated by the Manifest Destiny decree orders are allowed to establish chapterhouses in all parts of the realm to the assistance of the nobility, the protection of the peasants and the benefit of the kingdom.
VIII. Orders must not use the money, troops or resources raised by them to the detriment of the realm and can be asked to disclose the usage of a county's revenues to its lord or the usage of their entire means to the crown.
IX. Unless regularised otherwise there may only be one major order present in a county as its official order.
X. The property of orders as crown-immediate entities is, where it is not a subordinate fief handed out to them, protected from being seized, but not protected from being taken over by other orders should the lord and populace loose faith in the order.
XI. Orders holding titles of nobility and nobles holding offices in an order are subject to feudal law and order hierarchy respectively where they act as nobles and order members respectively.
XII. Whoever breaks the laws of Pendor or the commandments of this charta is no longer protected by either of them.

Servants had come in and handed copies of the charta to the lords. When he was finished, Iskar looked to them to await their reaction.

[Wulfric didn’t come. He said he would just to make Silvermists waste gold foreseeing his and his committee’s attendance]

Lord Fouchier: I have only one question: are you intending to buy our loyalty with titles? Because duke Aelfwine has offered us that same thing. And, as he explained, Pendorian traditions are clear and legal: royal orders are hierarchically below higher ranking nobles. Since you are knights at most, a single baronet is more worth than your entire order – for knights are one step below them.

Lord Hengist: Please calm down, lord Fouchier.

My vassals and I will sign the charta if the following clause is added:

Royal orders will not, without a specific warrant from the king or permission from their respective lieges, carry arms within city or castle walls.

I am aware that knighthood orders are the main reason of the development of this region, but I also believe my brother has some reason to fear the growing power of the orders. If the orders are so interested in promoting trade and help the folk, they will be able to do so without their arms. Too many words are being said throughout the kingdom. Now let them be proven with deeds. Besides, we must show too the kingdom that our soldiers are perfectly capable of taking care of our subjects.

I, for my, part, will order the construction of a fortified armory at the entrance of my castle, where your weapons will be kept safe and at your disposal. I assume you will prefer to provide the guards yourself. If not, I have no qualms in detaching some.

Lord Fouchier: “The clause is sound, I concur. But I am still not pleased with the tone of the Constable”.

Iskar addressed the clause first.

This clause is reasonable in general, but at one point I think it needs adjustment: Every free man is allowed to carry arms within a city and all the more should the orders be allowed to do so, lest you wanted to forbid us to carry arms in our own chapterhouses. I would therefore suggest to restrict the clause to "within castle walls" which of course includes citadels in the towns, such as Deloria Castle here in Laria. I would add it to the third point:

III. Orders must not infringe on the feudal and hereditary rights of nobles. Where they are present in a noble's holdings they are subject to his jurisdiction and are not allowed to carry arms within a noble's castle without explicit permission.

He turned to Fouchier.

Your lordship was implying that I wished to buy your loyalty with fiefs. I'd like to answer with a question: How should I ever expect your loyalty when I am not your superior? Friendship is the most I can hope for, but that is not bought, only earned through deeds. Could I try to get anything else from you with these fiefs?
Troops? - I can raise more than 4000 men if need be. Money? - Our gold mines and trade connections earn us more than enough. Rights? - The royally enforced Manifest Destiny decree ensures all the rights we could wish for and the charta is different from the status quo only in that regard that it ensures more rights for the nobility.
No, I am not buying anything. I am handing out these fiefs to those that deserve them and I'd even do so if we did not come to an agreement about the charta.

He paused for a moment, thinking about what else Fouchier had said, then smiled at the lord and said:

I take it that with your remark about the ranks your lordship wished to test my expertise in Pendorian laws before considering to agree to the charta? Very well, let me elaborate: While "baronet" is a higher rank than "knight" a baronet has authority only over the knights that are his vassals. Other knights have to pay him respect, but not allegiance, especially not such knights that are crown-immediate as is the case with order knights. Furthermore there are members of our order that hold higher ranks of nobility, your honoured brother Lord Quentin for example, who is a baronet paramount, as well as ranks within our order that rank as high as any count, the rank of Lord Constable for instance. If Duke Aelfwine said otherwise he does not seem to be well versed in feudal law. Did I pass your test, milord? he finished.

Hengist: Indeed, you have quite a large army and a seemingly endless source of gold and influence. This is precisely what makes my brother afraid of your order. With an army almost as large as the king's, you could well feel tempted to find a crown for yourself.

Nevertheless, we are on your side. I, Hengist of Evasolde, will sign your charta. I am still concerned about my suggested clause, though -

Having said that, Fouchier intervened:

Fouchier:
That may be every man's right, but I would like to believe that I still have some control over the laws of my own lands. You offer gifts, I ask for deeds. You offer power: all I want is respect. And you may show that respect and your will do to do no harm, by refraining from carrying any weapons within my walls. This is not much to ask, and, at any rate, I could not stop your ranger of buying weapons of lesser quality from local blacksmiths. If it makes you happier, I would agree with only high Silvermist officers being free to display their arms.

I understand the feudal laws that govern authority, constable, but this was not what I meant. I am talking about worth. Highborn are highborn because they are better than commoners, and, by assigning them nobility titles, the current law allows us to make their value evident to others. This is reflected on the relationship between lesser ranks. Most knights will never be as smart, as skilled or have the same foresight as a duke.


[In case you haven't noticed, Fouchier and Hengist are unintentionally letting you know of Aelfine's and Wulfric's thughts - an information that you could not otherwise get, since Aelfwine and Wulfric won't attend your meetings or even talk to you.]

Not being allowed to carry weapons within cities would make my men inferior to and easy prey for any thug or cutthroat, but I understand your concerns. Restricting display of weapons to officers within any kind of castle walls seems fine and for cities I would suggest restricting the amount of armed knights to 50, which is way below the combined numbers of castle guard and city watch but still allows the order to defend themselves against criminals. The training yards of our chapterhouses would need to be excepted from that of course.

As for the deeds you request, the gift we gave you is a pledge to do those when requested and you may take our past deeds as warrant that these are no empty words. Even while we are speaking our manpower and resources are working for the benefit of your counties. Furthermore you ask for respect: Is it not respectful to submit our vast power and assets to the service of the steppes and marches and their nobility? Is it not respectful to hand all our fiefs but some knightly estates out to the traditional nobility when I could simply have distributed them among the members of my order? I understand your concerns in the current political situation, but I can assure you that you will not lack in respect from us, your lordship.

Fouchier: Under those terms, I accept the charta. Said Fouchier, clearly unwilling.

While the constable and Fouchier were talking, Hengist had already signed the document.

Hengist: Here, I accept those terms.

Bardan the Bastard
Throughout the feast, Bardan's voice was among the loudest, as he toasted and joked and roared with laughter, obviously enjoying himself. He ate and drank plenty, and in rising to reply he still found the time to devour another small piece of fried chicken. Those among the guests that knew Bardan from the wars could not help but think that the former hedge knight had obviously let himself go a little since becoming a lord, and those with keen eyes could occasionally catch a pair of eyes briefly flickering with hatred into the bastard's direction. Unsurprisingly, most of the eyes belonged to the bannermen of either Bardan himself, or Count Hengist, both of whose vassals consisted mainly of nobles with proud Ravensternian ancesty.

"First of all," Bardan began, deliberately speaking with the barest hint of an Jatu accent (and involuntarily, probably, with a little slur), "allow me to thank our gracious hosts for food and drink, not to mention the generous distribution of gifts. I assure you that I, for one, very much appreciate it. Just keep them coming! And should you ever find yourself not knowing where to put all that gold you conjure out of your mines, I think I can speak for all gentlemen gathered here that we will take it off your hands only too gladly."

Bardan roared once more, and a few of the gathered nobles laughed as well or reacted with soft chuckles. Then the bastard paused, taking another sip from his wine cup.

"But this is not the matter at hand."

He held up the charter. So far it was not signed.

"Now to me, this seems like a very fine document, describing what pretty much is already considered proper conduct for men of our privileged standing anyway. The kingdom as a whole would probably benefit much from a charter such as this being enforced and held high in all its corners, and so I support this proposal with all my heart. But I cannot sign it. We are all men in service of His Majesty, King Mordred, and all our power, as our good fortunes we owe ultimately to him. And as loyal vassals, it is not our place to decide by what laws the relationship between nobles and the orders of knighthood should be governed. Such a edict can only come from the King himself, and without his blessing in the matter, I will not be a part of it."

That problem is easily solved, milord, Iskar replied with a smile.

A charta is not a priori law, it is a legally binding declaration of shared intentions. Of course it would serve the realm well were it legally enforced by the king, but it would have been presumptuous of me to present a suggestion for laws regulating the interaction of nobles and orders to the king without consulting with the nobility first.
For now the charta is a contract between the signing parties and breaking it is sanctioned by the general laws that apply to the break of pacts and contracts. The last article of course cannot be fully enforced by either of us, since the laws of Pendor are the king's domain, but I would have suggested to ask his majesty for legal sanctioning of the charta anyway in case it found sufficient support with you, milords.

Bardan the Bastard
Bardan ponders for a while, his gaze lost in the void, his hands playing with the Noldor ring he had been given.

He looks up.

"Very well, then. Then let it be known that I share these intentions, as long as neither His Majesty nor the Duke of Poinsbruk voice any displeasure about me doing so. May it allow all of us to prosper."

Bardan then signs the charter.

After Bardan, many more signatures appeared on the copies, given by various smaller nobles and bannermen accompanying their lords, and the lists grew, including some old friends, such as: Sir Walter Talbreath, Lord Jared Blyth, Baron William Earpwald, or Sir Coenred Helcott.

Other lords, however, still waited, among them also a certain Baron Selvon Evercoar. Almost all of their estates lied close to the city of Laria, and so it did not come as a surprise that they hesitated, nor that their eyes wandered with increasing frequency towards Laria's new lord:

*I just assumed that the minor lords would have the opportunity to sign as well. If that is a problem in any way, just ignore this part.*

Duke Stephen of Laria
Duke Stephen made the gathered nobles wait long. He had accepted Sir, or rather Baron, Iskar's vow as readily and celebratory as one could have imagined, radiating dignity and control while doing so, but when faced with the Silvermist's charter, he grew quiet and ponderous, reading the charter again and again. Eventually, and with a frown on this face, he rose.

"I must commend you on this document, Lord Constable Iskar. It is quite impressive, and shows a willingness for cooperation that I have never seen in Ravenstern without some kind of threat looming over our heads. Allow me to be blunt though. There is one minor issue," Duke Stephen said, raising his hand. "As you all know, I was sent here by the king to take charge of these steppes and help in securing them further to the very best of my knowledge and abilities. I will succeed in this, that you can believe me. And while I am sure that I will leave my mark on this land, as the land and its people will leave a mark on me, this has not happened yet. So until I know my way around the Duchy of Laria, I will rely on what my homeland has taught me, and this includes using allies and friends which I have grown to trust, if necessary."

Duke Stephen paused for a moment, letting his gaze roam through the crowd, before looking at Iskar once more.

"Transitions are never easy," he continued. "And I am sure a few of you are not happy to see a northerner and stranger on the throne of Laria. I don't blame you. In return, I ask that you will not blame me for staying wary and suspicious on my own. Until I know who my friends and my enemies are, I will not agree to a charter that seeks to limit my options with which I can defend what the King has awarded me. I must reject article IX. of your charter, Lord Constable."

After this proclamation, Stephen turned to his vassals.

"Feel free to sign this charter as you see fit, gentlemen, but those who sign it, and those who already signed it, should keep in mind that I, at any given time, might demand of you something which will force you to violate the pledges you make today."

Then he was finished, awaiting Iskar's reaction.

I understand your implication, your Grace, Iskar responded, and while I should think that we fare pretty well in the steppes and marches without the Dragons I can dissolve your concerns about article IX. It says "unless regularised otherwise", which for example refers to a situation such as the one at Poinsbruk where Duke Aldamar decreed that Silvermists and Dragons would share the assets of the city and county. Should the need arise you could do the same. To make it clearer we could change the wording to "unless regularised otherwise by the king or the ruler of the county or duchy", which would not change the meaning, just make it more obvious.

In order to build up trust between your grace and the local nobility I would like to offer your grace the services of 20 knights of the Clarion Call as household guards, all of them offsprings of noble families from the steppes and marches.

Duke Stephen of Laria
"Then we will be happy to sign your document once the proper alterations have been made."

Very well, so we agree to the following points:

Charta

By the grace of the gods and his personal valour Mordred I Adalhard has risen to become the prophesied king of Pendor. All signing parties declare their everlasting devotion and service to his royal line and put themselves under his protection. To his glory and the benefit of the realm and people of Pendor we agree to the following articles:

I. The defense of the realm and people of Pendor rests on three pillars: Crown, nobility and orders.
II. The crown commands the nobility and orders and the two latter as a whole owe allegiance to the crown only.
III. Orders must not infringe on the feudal and hereditary rights of nobles. Where they are present in a noble's holdings they are subject to his jurisdiction. Only high officers are allowed to carry arms within castle walls and only 50 men in arms are allowed within city walls without explicit permission.
IV. Nobles must not infringe on the crown-immediacy of orders as entire entities. Where orders are present in their counties they may only demand such services as can be expected from loyal subjects.
V. Regardless of that nobles have the right to call upon orders in their holdings for assistance in the protection of the realm and people of Pendor.
VI. Unless regularised otherwise orders pay their due services to a lord by providing at least two regiments of knights for patrols of his county at least once a season.
VII. As stated by the Manifest Destiny decree orders are allowed to establish chapterhouses in all parts of the realm to the assistance of the nobility, the protection of the peasants and the benefit of the kingdom.
VIII. Orders must not use the money, troops or resources raised by them to the detriment of the realm and can be asked to disclose the usage of a county's revenues to its lord or the usage of their entire means to the crown.
IX. Unless regularised otherwise by the king or the lord of the duchy or county there may only be one major order present in a county as its official order.
X. The property of orders as crown-immediate entities is, where it is not a subordinate fief handed out to them, protected from being seized, but not protected from being taken over by other orders should the lord and populace loose faith in the order.
XI. Orders holding titles of nobility and nobles holding offices in an order are subject to feudal law and order hierarchy respectively where they act as nobles and order members respectively.
XII. Whoever breaks the laws of Pendor or the commandments of this charta is no longer protected by either of them.

Each lord received a signed copy of the charta and the feast went on merrily. Finally, when the nobles started to leave for their quarters at the castle Iskar sent two men through the general fuss to notify Fouchier, Quentin and Hengist that he would like to talk to them in the officer's assembly room upstairs.