Aethelred tapped his fingers gently on the table, ignoring his wine. He managed a wan smile at the head of the daylight's clergy.
"We keep coming back to the oath of fealty, don't we? It is traditional, after all, to re-swear it to a new Prince; an oath dies with its holder. No doubt you have noticed that part of the coronation ceremony was skipped; that was not an oversight. When we are done here, I will ask you to swear your oaths to me, and I will ask it on the understanding of what is discussed today. For the sake of argument, let us recite that oath. Do correct me, Magos, if I get the wording wrong. Specifics are important with oaths; the devils forge their chains from the details, after all.
"By the earth and sky, the heart and hand, I will to my lord be faithful and true, and love all that he loves and shun all that he shuns, according to the laws of the gods and the order of the world. Nor will I ever with will or action, through word or deed, do anything which is unpleasing to him, on condition that he will hold to me as I deserve it, and that he will perform everything as it was in our agreement when I submitted myself to him and chose his will.
"That last part is important, think you not? I will to my lord et cetera et cetera and he will hold to me as I deserve it. As you have so eloquently put it, a lord is obliged to protect his people, as they are sworn to serve him. An oath is a contract, and a contract can be broken. Whatever I might require of His servants, I am not so blind or foolhardy to stand against the Chained God. There is no higher crime than oathbreaking, but if an oath has been broken by one party neither I nor He would hold the other to their pact.
"Not that I suggest deliberate oathbreaking on any part; we are all honourable men and women, I am sure. Nevertheless, if I find that a lord has failed to uphold his protection by negligence or intent I will be forced to review the eligibility of that contract. With that in mind, allow me to address your issues in turn.
"Baronet Landemourne, your argument holds in part. I consider Duke Valleyfall to have been neglectful of his duties to the people of Whitehall. While I understand the need to raise taxes and am not opposed to it, he failed to contain the violence resulting from his overburdening of the people. With his forces elsewhere, fighting for his chosen liege instead of protecting his citizens even against themselves, he suffered the shame of the city falling and being looted by the rebels. I have reason to believe that the Duke's current estate is larger than he can govern and shall therefore reduce it to a more manageable size.
"However, I disagree with your statement that your action of reclaiming that city makes you its lord, despite your de facto armed presence there. Might alone does not make right; even the Iron Prince won this land by the right of the gods and the law he himself was answerable to. If this was the case, I should have to promote every mercenary and warlord to an earldom if he had the might to seize a city. You have shown bravery and skill and are to be rewarded, but I do not lightly grant titles. Perhaps, when you have proved yourself to me, I shall reconsider. After all, I have no desire to raise a son above his father, at least while his father yet lives.
"With this in mind it is my judgement that the town and surrounds of Whitehall be retracted from vassalage to Duke Valleyfall and placed in the Royal Demesne. Baronet Landemourne, if you will swear your oath to myself directly I will appoint you autonomous Governor of the city and estates, but at this stage I will not invest you with an earldom.
"Severan, Westwater has suffered under your rule, but under its Earl's governance. The oath is not broken, but I will insist that you keep your vassal in check. The issue in which we are going to disagree however is one of peacetime levies. While you would certainly prefer to retain full levies during peacetime, the current situation demands contributions from all parties, especially regarding the brigandry problem. I have yet to decide whether a reserve of the levy will be required or if I may simply enforce upon you the burden of guarding your own demesne's roads. At present, I am leaning towards the latter.
"Daggeroak, I caution you on your tone. These jumped up bandit lords come from a very long line of jumped up bandit lords who, by and large, have been loyal servants of this kingdom and my dynasty. Since they chose to re-establish that loyalty rather than opt to die painfully in a ditch at each other's throats, they deserve some respect. The issue is one of Woodsedge town, not the White Forest proper. The rights of the Forest and its Folk are well established, and I will not cross those rights, but the river town has traditionally come under human government. From my understanding of the issue at hand, Woodsedge has traditionally been governed by the Order but vassal to the Duchy of Valleyfall. The prior Dukes have ruled with a very light hand and been decidedly generous with taxation, but the question of vassalage has never been seriously pressed.
"Duke Valleyfall's position, I am sure, is that he would forget about the Forest in exchange for the town. Given its current state of disrepair, it would not be a terrible bargain for you. The Order's allegiance would be most useful to me in this current time, but having already bereft the Duke of one vassal I am leary of depriving him of the other. I will hear his word on this before acting.
"Magos Blewyn, the ancestral rights of the temples are to serve as mediators between man and god. Your temple's ancestral rights of tax avoidance stretch back only two ancestors; I think the gods will manage so long as we keep up the sacrifices. However I understand the need of the church to provide for the poor, as charity and fraternity are keystones of the faith. Therefore upon consideration I may not exact a tax upon the clergy after all. I will simply insist upon your contribution to the rebuilding of this nation's savaged cities. Two pounds will suffice, annually, and I might recommend Ciall as your benefactor; Severan can deal with Westwater's reconstruction, as may Lady Cairn with Greybend. Consider this a polite but undeniable request." The Prince smiled again at the Magos.
"If such charity leaves a sour taste in your mouth, though I could not possibly imagine why, I am prepared to grant the barony of Ewerburgh to the Church, along with its rents and a responsibility to keep that garrison readied for the support of its neighbours. Since its trade depends directly upon the prosperity of Ciall, consider that an incentive towards your benefaction.
"Magos Mihaylow, I thank you for your counsel and would not dream of dishonouring the night by allowing the day such an advantage. To the thousand cults I am prepared to grant the barony of Highpeak, with its rents and responsibilities, in tribute to the Destroyer. Appropriate, as it is in your capacity as His representative that I have need of you. The brigands and deserters that plague these lands simply need to go. I must formally request the church's military assistance in wiping them out.
"There are others with plaints to make, I am sure, and some of those addressed will have more to say, I am sure. Continue."
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Topic: You are King: New Realms: IC Thread (Read 12720 times)