The Sunday Scratch | Issue #2

[Ocularum]

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THE FATE OF HUMAIRA REINARD
18 Nov 308

Knights as a concept have a short history in Ailor society. Their rise and splintering into multiple orders is tracked easily by their origin stories; their general temperaments and ideology are learned, and their purpose simple. They are largely moral, even if their individual orders are disliked or without favor.

There is hardly anything moral about burning down a borough filled with downtrodden and discriminated peoples, but this is exactly what Dame Humaira Reinard did.

From the Dame's conflicting testimony at the Diet held in part to address her role in Crookback's burning and clarifications from the previous Lord Commander, there is one thing immediately evident. People will do what they believe is right or they will mask their action behind a false idea of justice. Dame Reinard is Noble, in the literal and figurative sense of the word, but as a Knight of the Lion Pelt Order there are few expectations for conduct beyond good looks and heavy pockets.

No amount of coin divested in the aftermath of The Night of Twin Flames can replace lost lives, or indeed the near 300,000 regals in property damage the Dame's inaction resulted in that remains unpaid. In her words, she ensured the group who set the Bay aflame didn't do too much when instead it would have been far more prudent to ensure they did nothing at all.

This sentiment was mirrored by the Patriarch of House Reinard who issued a statement shortly after the Diet that decided Dame Reinard's fate. It was, in summary, a condemnation of someone who showed neither remorse nor restraint and delivered little more than an apology to her peers. It was not enough to be sorry, and whether the Dame's statements of regret as the Diet went on were genuine and the result of some internal realization is unknown.

The Emperor's Verdict
Below is a faithful transcription of the Emperor's words delivered by Gloriana Classia Anahera. We thought it best this message be preserved but our paper's rendition pales in comparison to its deliverance in person and cannot carry the full weight of the Emperor's intent.

We have received the recommendation in full, including the various additional commentaries from the notary pertaining to the Reinard situation. We have reviewed the general course of the Diet, as well as whatever data has been handed to us by the Bureaucracy and the Regalian Guard, and we have as such come to a conclusion when it comes to our requested judgement.

The Burning of Crookback bay was a tragedy for personal loss, but not a tragedy in the Empire. Because there is one immense truth that one must observe, when it concerns Crookback as a location in the Empire. Within the boundaries of the Empire, the Tenth Penny Tax, Citizenship, participation in the hierarchy of the world, being a member of the Emperor's Mantle is a privilege, and a choice. And Crookback Bay, has categorically chosen, not to be.

The Emperor's Mantle extends to all of our subjects, protection, benediction, and glory for those on the Great Way, those to share our common vision and goals, and those who we work with towards a better future. Crookback. Chose not to.

Insofar the Emperor can provide this protection, guidance and benediction, citizens choose to be subject to the Emperor for protection and absolution. And people who choose not to be citizens, or be part of the Emperor's Authority, are as such, outside of the Emperor's protection.

Crookback. Is. Anathema.

Because Anathema is not within the guiding light of the Spirit and Imperial Grace, we cannot in good conscience declare Humaira Reinard guilty of a crime against the Empire, or its citizens. And a crime committed against a foreigner. Is not a crime, because the foreigner has no legal right in the Empire.

That being said.

The Spirit must weigh the impact of the moral transgression, and the loss of life as a consequence of contempt and inaction. Contempt for the legally appointed counsel of the Empire towards Crookback, and inaction, to the supposed defense of "It was not me"; We do not find Humaira Reinard guilty of setting a fire, but willfully standing by as this happened. To us, the crime is no better or worse, than another of the Peerage simply standing by while a Vampire garrotes throats for sanguine pleasure, and then claims innocence on account of not having been the one to pull the string— but having had ample opportunity to act and prevent a loss of life.

And furthermore. We must also acknowledge, that in many ways, the people of Crookback are merely there out of necessity, and that while choice for non-citizenship is preferable and excuses them from legal protections, that choice often comes at the expense of an imperfect Empire that does not deal well with its poorest of poor. As such. We have summarized the following conclusion.

The Emperor shall condemn any one person accusing the lawfully appointed Crookback Council representation of being criminal, incompetent, or gang-ly. From the Imperial Treasury, the Crown will award Countess Valarosta 50,000 Regals to spend on recovery.

Furthermore, the Crown will, despite the recalcitrant opposition of the Crookback denizens, their willingness to flaunt with evil, and their refusal to share in the Crown's Mantle and protection, award them 100,000 Regals from the Imperial Crown Bank, for our grace touches even those who are without redemption. The Spirit always brings a new chance.

The Crown denies any further prosecution of Humaira Reinard pertaining to the burning itself, because by legal doctrine, her guilt cannot be ascertained. However, for her crime to the Spirit and life itself, the Spirit has in conclave decreed that Humaira's Soul is tainted with black tar of evil, and that her soul will be denied entry to the Afterlife. Humaira's soul is condemned by the Writ of Sin, until she is able to recover her virtue. And for all of the peerage to acknowledge that she is declared soul-less.

We shall levy no further taxation on House Reinard, but encourage House Reinard to acknowledge financially that it failed to raise Humaira Reinard correctly, and if they were not responsible for her raising, that they failed with inaction and indulgence to restrain her worst vices.

Finally, We delegate the matter of civil prosecution to the Regalian Guard. The only thing Humaira Reinard can legally be prosecuted for, is holding a hostage at knifepoint, and attempting escape.

Summary

✤ Humaira received 15 lashes.
✤ Humaira's soul is condemned by the Writ of Sin until she is able to recover her virtue.
✤ The only thing Humaira Reinard can legally be prosecuted for is holding a hostage at knifepoint and attempting escape.
✤ Majority vote at the Diet argued for banishment of Humaira, expulsion of Noble and Knight rights, and for House Reinard to pay anywhere between 50% to 100% of the 250,000 estimated cost of damages.​

CRYSTALLINE DISCOVERIES: LOGS FROM AN ANCIENT EMPIRE
18 Dec 308

On November 30th a humming crystal erupted into the Regalian sewers where it was approached by the Undercity's inhabitants. It came with a message, and it wasn't the only one.

Back to back they sprouted, bringing with them a decipherable song and the tale of a Meraic expedition taking place beneath our feet. It's no mystery that Regalia is stacked upon the bones of old civilizations, each layer of the sewers holding untold information about what came before. This is simply the first time what came before spoke back.

The Maraya are an old race, a people dependent, or perhaps simply experts in technology that defies our current understanding, so it comes as a surprise there was something so technology significant hidden beneath us that they sought it actively.

In the interest of preserving this tale, four logs out of six known messages from the crystals appearing around Regalia have been rendered in plain text. The fifth and final logs, or what's left of them, have been recorded and kept for study by some of the Crown City's brightest minds.

Crystal 1
Entry Log Clearance has been granted for us to pursue recent leads on the primogenitor Alorian species.

Further information will be gathered once our Quartermaster Jurragg and his team tunnel through the deadzone.

I'm happy to report whatever findings we discover along the way in due time to the elder council. Their technology may be the key to our future and that of the realm itself.

Crystal 2
It has been ten cycles since tunneling has begun and our amber deposits are running low.

We'll need to request more fuel after today's latest incident. Some foolish interim officer without proper training got his hand on a boring drill and dug right through a weak section of the ruins. Caved it in with four thralls buried alive with supplies.

Quartermaster Juragg insists this will not be a problem.

Crystal 3
Entry log three.

We've begun installing operations, a research division has finally arrived, among them some of my own students from the home cradle.

Caiff is a Journeyman now, apparently, and shows great promise. She's already translated a fair bit of the primogenitor species' language.

Her work has proven highly beneficial towards the excavation as we go deeper. I'll be sure to request copies of her work sent to my office for recording.

Crystal 4
Entry log four.

This is how you say it each time?

Mmm… yes. It can seem pedantic but it's important for our records within the vault.

Continue, Caiff.

(A high pitched tone.)

Excavation procedures have since the early days to our operations improved.

We've broken a record by how far this tunnel stretches. It may even rival that of the Tohn Installation.

Crystal supplies are starting to prove difficult to request as our funding draws ever-near short. But I have hope that we will decipher something truly worthwhile to allow us to continue our work here.

(Then swaps back to a lower pitched tone.)

You shall. Elder Archivist Zedash (returns to a higher pitched tone) and Journeyman Caiff of Johtn Vault. Signing off.

IN CLOSING

✤ The crystals are Meraic in nature, but their exact origins are unknown. Further details are expected to be uncovered during an expedition on DECEMBER 26TH.
​

ASSEMBLY RECAP: 5 DEC 308
23 Dec 308

House Mac Conall attempts to define piracy, the crystals are addressed, and a change to the taxation of Noble families is put forth and dashed immediately.

CRYSTAL PROTECTION
MOTION: Allow outside resources to be brought in to assist in protecting these [crystal] sites. Knights, mercenaries, even ordinary citizens that can be armed and mobilized.

RESULT: Dismissed and slated to be addressed in a posting by the Lord Chancellor.

PIRACY
MOTION: To steal or sink a merchant vessel is piracy and should be treated as a treasonous offence.

RESULT: Vetoed due to both a lack of specific legal language being used by proposer, and Piracy already being illegal on a local level.

TAXATION
MOTION: Houses with 20,000 Regals income are to have taxes set at 20%, 30,000 at 25%, 40,000 at 30%, 50,000 at the current 35%, 60,000 at 40%, and 70,000 and above at 45% state tax.

RESULT: Vetoed.

ILLEGALIZATION OF FORCEFUL URLIFICATION
MOTION: Urlification shall be illegal outside of Legio Gemina, and require State Permits for Urlification outside said lands.

RESULT: 14 in favor. 0 Invalid. 8 Against.

ASSEMBLY RECAP: 12 DEC 308
23 Dec 308

The assembly revisits its earlier proposed legislation and a slew common sense proposals are accepted without objections.

FORCEFUL URLIFICATION REVISITED
ORIGINAL MOTION: Remove the law requiring a permit for Symbiosis.

ARGUMENT: Continuation would damage foreign relations to Jorrhildr, impacting the Imperial Army which holds back the tide of Baal-Url in the region.

DELIBERATION: Motion reworded to affect only the Baron of Goretaan following an account from Amelina Peirgarten; The Baron Goretaan shall not be allowed to use his Oorl Worms. Should he circumvent through another of his Throng, he shall be found to have broken Regalian Law himself and tried accordingly.

Further discussion concluded in the motion and results listed below.

FINAL MOTION: The Lord Commander may issue a ban on Symbiosis for any particular Url, on the Regalian Isle. If this Url is found to perform, or have a third party perform in their name or command, they are found guilty.

RESULT: 19 votes in Favor. 3 Invalid. 1 Against. The Baron of Goretaan is barred from performing symbiosis in the Crown City.

HIGH LAW ADDITION
MOTION: To make use of third parties in order to seize or rob goods from another on the high seas, without a valid Letter of Mark is illegal.

RESULTS: Dismissed.

CONTRABAND AND ILLEGAL ITEMS ADDITION
MOTION: Any magical artifact not registered with the Arcane Ministry within ten days after acquisition [is contraband].

RESULT: Vetoed.

WATER PROTECTION
MOTION: Have the Old Gods Temple Water Temple bricked in, so that no-one can reach the actual water spring that feeds water to a third of Old Town, and the entire Yanar District.

RESULT: Motion passed without voting.

ARCHITECTURAL IMPROVEMENTS
MOTION: Appropriate 70,000 Regals from the State Coffers to work with the Architect Solmaan Vel-athaïal Bel-Yël'ei Sol-Athentol to rebuild the Old Gods temple.

RESULT: Motion passed without voting.

MARITAL RIGHTS FOR FIANCEE STATUS
MOTION: Marriage status gives parties in marriage reprieve from certain laws. Extend those reprieves to fiancée status, with any violation retroactively punished if betrothal is broken up.

RESULT: 11 votes in favor. 3 against.

THE URL'S HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND THOUGHTS FROM A REPRESENTATIVE
22 Dec 308

This article comes in the wake of multiple allegations against Baron Quin—one lodged by House Mac Conall and several others by nobility—but only one of these being actionable in any capacity. For two weeks the Baron has stood in the Assembly and dealt with the Peerage insulting all that he is and stands for, the significance of Url, and their place in Regalian society.

It only made sense to provide necessary context by both interviewing the Baron to get his perspective, and explaining recent history that has seemingly been forgotten. It was only three years ago that the Legio Gemina formed—an order of Holy warriors and those most faithful to the Empire and the Spirit. It is, to be expected by the nature of this article, an order of Url.

The Url's prominence is new, as was the incident that initially soured relations between the Horned Throng and Jorrhildr. House Howlester's Silverwolf mercenaries were deployed in Jorrhildr in defense of Regalian land claims, were promptly slaughtered by Baal-Url (the loose "governance" of Url that make up the Horned Throng), and the Empire has been faced with diminishing relations since.

It comes as a surprise that the previous Foreign Minister, High Countess Amelina Peirgarten, would push or even suggest support for legislation that would have devastating consequences for a Regalian hold. The Empire's reach is long, but without continued support from the Legio Gemina Jorrhildr may very well be lost.

Less surprising were the reasons for legislation passed earlier this month (later altered to singularly affect Baron Quin, though the possibility remains for the Lord Chancellor to bar further Url from Symbiosis). The Assembly recounted tales of forced Urlification in succession, first the Electress of Haute-Sûr:

A day prior to the last assembly, Baron Quin had me and my husband over for dinner. During this dinner, we discussed the topic of my husband's lack of hand, and the Baron made several implications to how Urlification could fix it. My husband has, on several occasions, denied Urlification for amending to his handicap, and this did not change during the dinner as well.

However, after our dinner was finished, the Baron led us to his lounge, where he proceeded to strike my husband in the chest with the worm that you all refer to as 'Oorl'. Right after saying words along the lines of 'Betrayed for the better'. They had a brief debacle of physical combat, before I watched my husband turn into an Url before my eyes.
​

Then, the High Reverend Aelfric Harhold who could not be reached for comment. Finally, Eigoth Latimer, the son of Baron Abelhard Latimer who reportedly had his symbiosis reversed in front of a crowd. All these stories share that same common thread—symbiotic reversal or a forced turning. The first is an impossibility as the Scholar Society holds that Symbiosis is irreversible. The second is very possibly a slight against the singular Url representative we have among the peerage, and that perceived slight reveals the reason for this article.

To compare a member of the Peerage to the radical Baal-Url, who have engaged in forceful symbiosis, and who have killed Regalian citizens in defense of what they consider theirs is perhaps asking for too much patience.

​

Q: I know you brought up such diplomatic issues twice, but the Assembly votes as it wants. Do you predict any future legislative changes either directed at yourself or your fellow Url?

A: I am the only Url barred from symbiosis because of paranoia. It was also the only way to successfully repeal the callous law that was simply made for witch-hunting and wasting the court's time. The original introduction of the law ignored the fact that symbiosis is one of the main ways we Url are created; And how we keep decent relations with the Baal of Jorrhildr. 'Vampiric,' 'Out of control,' 'Beasts,' all of which said in assemblies in how they wished to address me. Fear drives a man. Whether it drives them to make mad decisions, only time could tell.

PETALCOURT PERPETRATORS
21 Nov 308

A brief detail of the groups responsible for burning Petalcourt with the exclusion of Kaahl Sarnai.

The Withered Rose Coven
Bucking against the hand that feeds and taking the reigns of their life by succumbing to an everlasting curse, The Withered Rose Coven has become a haven—or at least that's what they intend to be. [LINK]

The Athanasia Scion
A hateful home for the downtrodden and stamped out, this coven embraces all without a place in the world and provides family, however strange it may be. Every unlucky spit upon soul has the chance to make the Sanguine population just that much larger. [LINK]

Soth'hrii Cluster
One of the Undercity's many, many covens. A group of Sanguine and void-infected individuals looking to sink their teeth into the nearest target—the closest neck and the heart of Regalia's Yanar district. [LINK]

DECEMBER HOROSCOPES
by Myriddin the Diviner

DEVELOPING STORIES​

Noble kidnappings, poisoned water supplies, and more nefarious acts from Regalia's resident criminal organizations! A slew of governmental changes, a flurry of activity as nobles spread their wealth, and a trial—all this and more during wartime.

UPCOMING EVENTS​

Rising Stars of Regalia!
Houses Cadieux, Black, and de Piedmont welcome the City to a grand festivity - a showcase of just how talented our City is! In the Spirit of reflection that guides our Wintertide season, we see it fit to acknowledge, applaud, and reward those with the best talents in a competition!

The Mac Conall New Year Party
New Years is a time of celebration and reflection to be spent around the fire with one's family and close associates. With such a turbulent year House Mac Conall thinks everyone could do with a little cheer.

WRITE-INS​

Have something you wish to say and no one to pen it to? Write in to have your writing posted alongside our articles. Write-ins should be no longer than 350 words, but exceptions can be made for compelling stories!

We accept academic papers, opinion pieces, and whatever else may strike your fancy.*
*All submissions will be edited for consistency.

CORRECTIONS​

In our first issue we listed House Delmotte as Keeping during tabulation conducted during the assembly on November 11th. It was brought to our attention that this was incorrect due to the House's absence that evening, however they were noted Absent and Keeping by the clerk present. For the sake of not wasting regals printing extra words we failed to include such vital information.

We apologize for the inconvenience and strive to do better in the future.

ADVERTISEMENTS

SUBSCRIPTIONS @canaaa @FeralGayWalnut @TonyBones @NebulaePrimo @bwmwags3 @BiBiBirdie @JResurrected @AtticCat @Farly108 @BluKnight10 @Lutowski @Iyyiushi @MrNoot1 @MippyMoo @SaltyLikeTheSea @Nirnro0t @HereticTakao @Greys_n @yamiya @Ampers07​

MENTIONS @Arhbi to see corrections. @seoulmate & @Yigit, @_GoldWolf_, and @TheBearistotle in the Url article. @Arcanus01134 and @Lizmun in advertisements.

OOC​

Releases for the paper are planned monthly but they may appear regularly now that there's a group of us working together. Advertisements and smaller posts should show up more often.

The original intent for the unpublished Crookback Culprits and Petalcourt Perpetrator articles was to describe group philosophy and do criminal profiling, but they were changed to be "free advertisement" for the mentioned groups and/or people. Without criminal activity I would have fewer things to write about, so thank you for what you do.

Similar exposure is planned for guards and the justice system in the next few issues. Stay tuned!

Edit: Fixed the weird P in Petalcourt Perp's title.
Edit 2: 1/30, added the title because I forgot that somehow.

 

[SevenBirds]

(Are those horoscopes from Night Vale? I hear them in Cecil's voice...

At any rate, good work! I get notifications from this area anyway, but if I didn't, I'd be sure to follow this one specifically to make sure I saw it.

I may also be writing something in soon, we'll see...)