'Steward, I seek your assistance. The King has requested me to approach the spirits of the land. I will need sufficient sacrifices to appease them - your largest boars, wisest birds, fastest hounds. His Highness would be most pleased.'
[5+1] The recent royal hunt was extremely successful and brought in a great deal of game. Unfortunately, sacrifice means a live beast to kill. The stables possess a fine stallion, ideally meant for breeding but surely the best of his kind. The kennels have a prize bitch who might yet litter fine hounds. The rookery boasts several falcolns of excellent skill. All would have a cost to replace. Failing that, you could always organise a hunt to catch something living as a suitable sacrifice instead.
Atsam approaches the King mid-conversation, bowing "Forgive me the interruption, Your Majesty, but I felt it would save you precious time. Steward Gamel, the dioceses you speak of do not exist, the bishopries collect tithes from the feudal demesnes they are part of and their holdings. That should be a given, unless you'd like to imply a diocese wealthier and larger than the royal demesne could exist within the very same demesne; a less than feasible scenario, to say the least".
The Chancellor's assessment, a more thorough review of the finances reveals, is accurate. The bishopric of Viridon tithes the Royal Demesne while the bishopric of Asterbury tithes Breen, Brighthall and most of Gol. Prior to the recent tax changes, most peasants were therefore losing 20% of their income to the church and crown; this proportion has now gone up to a quarter.
The exception is Gol which does not have a centralised bishopric; the majority of tithes are instead paid directly to local clergy who are exempt from tax instead of going to the local bishop. A small proportion of tithes do go to Asterbury instead, making up its £40/year income.
Since the bishoprics tithe both land and town, their incomes are approximately equal to 10% of each.
Highreach is a notable exception in that it is not entitled to
any tithe because the area it covers is very sparsely inhabited and untamed. Its income is entirely from sacrifices and tributes, largely from neighbouring Hillfolk pilgrims.
(Note to self: When making my report, leave out the spells...Grewie was probably just nervous. Yeah, that's it.)
"I, personally, desire peace. The king seems to be preparing for war, although whether this is because he wants war or he thinks it is coming I do not know. I was hoping to determine why it had increased so we could solve the issue. Do you know who could be responsible for the demands?"
"The only clan that sends the emissary is Alving. Unless they simply got greedy, someone might have been pressuring them." [5] Jabbra frowns slightly, causing his jowls to wobble. "The chief had been giving over more and more responsibilities to his son in recent years. An ambitious young man. A religious man. I believe he made his pilgrimage only a year hence. Do you know of the pilgrimages? No? I will educate you.
"A dozen generations ago, when the ogres came, we did not bow to them. We held to the old ways and the old gods. Your ancestors did not. There is an old song, 'Westernhill', that tells the tale. How Meridian took his Sentinels, and with the ogres' aid he stood at Westernhill." A sort of dark fire enters Jabbra's eyes. "He stood at Westernhill, but he could not pass.
Though Highreach fell when thunderstruck,
With ogre's spell and sabre's crack,
At Westernhill, At Westernhill,
Meridian called his Sentinels.
A thousandfold they surged with fear,
And all their eyes alight with fire,
At dread Meridian, strong and tall,
Who at the border met his fall.
He gazed up high at Herald's Home,
Where Ancient Heroes still do roam,
And vowed with maddened battle-lust
that 'Westernhill would join with us!'
But there his breath broke at his fall,
We did not break there at his call
'gainst traitor blade and ogre spell
Though yet ten thousand men there fell.
The oath was called,
The blood was spilled,
The ogres breached not Westernhill,
At Westernhill,
At Westernhill,
Meridian broke at Westernhill."Jabbra stares into the middle distance for a moment, then seems to remember where he is.
"I understand they sing that differently on your side of the hills. In any case, it speaks of the three holy grounds, the Godsfires. Highreach, Westernhill and Herald's Home. A young man must journey to one and witness the Godsfire for himself, if a man he wishes to be. A chief or man who truly seeks to know himself may visit two. A man who seeks true glory will risk the peril of three.
"I searched for Westernhill as a young, proud and clever man, too boastful to suffer the humiliation of Highreach, not so mad as to climb the Herald's Home. I did not find it. An older, wiser man went to Highreach in the guise of a pauper, for he had learned that all were humble before the gods. That older, wiser man would eventually find Westernhill and witness the Godsfire there. I have never dared risk the climb to Herald's Home, for greater dangers than storm and rock lie upon that path.
"Sifgrid, the Alving chief's son - the chief, now, as your escort have informed me - went first to the Herald's Home. He was feasted as one about to die. Nobody thought he would return. When he did, he stayed with his family only for three months before he sought out the Westernhill Godsfire, and that is not an easy place to find. Find it he did, though, and proved himself more than worthy to take his father's place.
"If I know such a man, and I have known a few, he will settle for nothing less than glory. He will want to make the third pilgrimage, but he is not a one to accept humility. He will go to Highreach, but he will go on his own terms. And that is not something that Meridia will easily permit.
"Sigfrid Alving will forge a legend, or he will die in its forging. I do not lightly wish to stand in such a man's way."
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Topic: You are a Lord II (Read 34082 times)