(RP) A Commentary from the Beacon (R.A.S.)

[The Trinsic Beacon]

*for some reason one of the lead articles of the Trinsic Beacon newspaper has made it into the delivery for the Royal Archive – most likely by courtesy of a ducal clerk*

Bread and circuses…​

​

A commentary by Pierre LeCanard, Editor of the Trinsic Beacon

Once there was a man that wished to rule. He ascended to the throne with the help of people that did not exist. And when his dream came true and all the power of the realm was his, he stood and spoke… and commanded a royal hunt.

Even to this day, the hunt of ‘king’ Casca the first and fortunately last of his name has made scarce the game in the woods around Britain. Equally scarce are the last remaining supporters of his reign. Casca was gluttonous and complacent, cruel and a warmonger. After him followed a new dawn, both in the realm and in person.

But where are we now? With King Blackthorn a controversial figure ascended to the throne. On the one hand friend of the beloved legend and founder of the realm, Lord British. Spokesman of chaos and anarchy on the other hand. Turned into a monster of steel and steam before the eyes of men, yet returned from the grasp of evil forces unscathed. Allegedly captured and exchanged for a doppelganger by Exodus. Crowned by the hands of few, with little to no regard for the public opinion.

Overall, the situation appears frightening Cascaesk. The King lives secluded in his splendid castle, immensely more grand than the one used by his predecessors. Even the approach to said castle displays the absurdity of the situation. While the cities of the realm are decorated with shrines and banners for the virtues, darkness and chaos greet the visitors aiming to meet his Grace. The city guard cedes its jurisdiction to a grim looking personal household guard, decked out with mail and chaos shields. Where the old palace was populated by crafters and servants, with courtiers and visitors, the new one always lies quiet and serene. Not to mention the dungeons, large enough to swallow the entire town and filled to the rim with riches, monsters, prisoners and remnants of torture and mutilation.

What news then, can we bring from this new King of ours? On what map do we see the broad strokes of his ruling hand? So far on none of them. On the few occasions that the King allowed a public audience or held a meeting of his council, the overall appearance was one of disappointing mediocrity. Neither plans nor ambitions have been laid out to inspire the citizenry of Britannia. The realm continues to function, but mostly through the efforts of the individual city states, long since used to being neglected by crown and throne. Beyond the immense back-rest of Blackthorn’s throne lurks Skaros the Spymaster, long since considered more powerful and cunning than whoever he claims to serve at the time. It is him that keeps the realm together, him that commands the loyalty of the Royal Britannian Guards and Investigators and thus it is him that can coax the great minds of the realm onto the tracks of evil and conspiracy. But would he do so, when his masters are the ones that stand behind the veils?

Where then, does this leave the King? Of late, it occasionally leaves him in the council chamber, with the ambassadors of the city states. There now, surely, will the magic happen, will it not? Politics and planning; the shape of a greater, better, future realm taking shape in the minds of great statesmen?

After two council meetings, the truth is far from that. The meetings resemble a Royal Britannian Party Committee. Bagball and sports, celebrations and monster hunts feature prominently, while the future of the realm, the current troubles with Nujel’m and the suspicious nature of ticking, mind-controlling contraptions form but a footnote in the clamour for favours from the Royal Architect.

The blame for all of this should not be laid at the feet of the governors, however. Several meetings indicate that they at least try to represent their individual cities and to work for the benefit of their citizens. But at the same time they also demonstrate the utter helplessness of the King. Like a clown on parade Blackthorn is pelted with requests and demands, none of which he really seems to grant or reject. Some of the governors openly mock his court by appearing in various states of undress. And in the end, the big topics are left to Skaros, to sort out behind the scenes.

What then, do we learn from all of this? We learn what most of us already knew, and have known for a long time. The true power, the ability to change the world lies not in a palace in distant Britain. It lies in every city, every city-state that fends for itself in both good and bad times. Look not towards a King that does not even seem to have a plan at which the realm might measure its strength. Look instead towards the people in your city, those that struggle to keep it running smoothly. Look to your neighbouring cities, to your allies and friends that will support you in your time of need.

At the beginning of independence always stands the independence of the mind. Free yourself from the traditions of thrones and crowns and question the motives of those that seek to wield their power. More so, question the man upon the throne, especially when they offer as many reasons for suspicion as our current King does. Stay vigilant, lest the enemies of the realm fool you with illusions and glamour, lest they strike from the shadow to destroy all that was achieved since Lord British first set foot into our world.
PLC
(OOC note: This is an IC article printed by Trinsic's newspaper. It is part of RP and not a slight against any player or our EM. Also, it does not necessarily represent the official opinion of the Duchy or all citizens.)

 

[callum_fitzhugh]

[Great post - awesome writing]

 

[EM Gotan]

Indeed it was awesome; I STILL can't get the Community Contributions code to work as intended, but I'm adding the text manually today. Your image isn't visible to me though I'm afraid... re-upload it here and I'll pinch it soon

 

[The Trinsic Beacon]

*this edition of the Trinsic Beacon newspaper has the commentary on the front page, along with a massive headline…*

Tough.​

A commentary by Pierre LeCanard, Editor of the Trinsic Beacon

It appears as if our commentary in one of the last editions has reached the attention of the court and, subsequently, upset his Royal Highness and the Lord Spymaster. In addition, many of you, our esteemed readers, have approached us with both support as well as concerns. Some of you thought we were being harsh. Others pointed out that this would not be a proper way to talk to a king. Rest assured that we greatly appreciate the feedback that we received from you – be it positive or negative.

For the good members of the court however, who called us treacherous, our beloved paper a rag and our articles slanderous… to you we would like to dedicate a story:

It is the story of a man who also expressed his opinions. It is a story of a man who had ideas and dreams, reasons and arguments. Instead of keeping them in his heart he went out to speak of them in front of the people of the realm. He wrote them down in books and papers, in notes and minutes. In time, his ideas fell onto fertile ground and took root, grew, blossomed. They were ideas akin to a new religion, a rebellion against the traditional values. Eventually, these ideas received a name and they were called ‘Chaos’. The man spoke of individuality, of freedom, of choice. He later spoke about the realm itself, of shards and the possibility of their merging. He spoke and preached and wandered and eventually, the words turned into images, a blood red cross with frayed ends on a field of darkness. And as more and more of his followers took up this banner, so did chaos spread.

What followed after was neither utopia, nor a lofty dream about freedom of choice and individuality. What truly followed was a war, unprecedented in its length and violence. Murderers and bandits flocked to this banner and found salvation from death and injury at the shrines of blood and darkness. Strengthened and supported they went out to terrorize the cities of the realm, destroying gems of our history such as Spiritwood and Dreamstone. Followers of Chaos clashed with the followers of Order and the ensuing battles lasted for decades, raging throughout the lands and cities. Moongates became unsafe to use. The oceans were haunted by pirates. In the end, the atrocities became so immense that there was no unity left in the realm. And in their wake followed ever stronger paragons of evil until the greatest mages of the realm were forced to rip apart our world in a desperate attempt to create a more peaceful, more ordered place for the realm to survive in.

What, then, did the father of these dangerous thoughts do in the face of such development? Did he attempt to set things right? Did he condone the monstrous acts committed in his name? Did he even distance himself from the violence? He did none of that. In fact, he turned into one of the greatest blights that our realm has ever suffered. Till this day, the attacks of Blackthorn’s forces or Trinsic are not forgotten.

What followed after is beyond my ability to understand – or summarize. A creature calling himself Blackthorn is slain, another appears, claiming to be the original. He commits a few virtuous deeds, speaks in a civilised manner and features no (apparent) mechanical abominations. He is made king. And yet, and yet we still wait for him to distance himself from the atrocities committed in his name and performed beneath his banner and within the ideology of chaos that he created. In fact, on this very day, the Chaos banner flies over the City of Britain. Only days ago the blood from the veins of our beloved Father Grant was drawn into the very symbol of Chaos. This man we speak of claims to grieve, yet he takes no firm stand. He preaches chaos and yet expects trust and loyalty from those that follow the virtues. He wishes to be king, yet ignores what the realm needs most.

But we, the simple reporters of the Trinsic Beacon, apparently hurt this man’s feelings. See the headline.