| I'm sure the entire island chain of Dwilight has been wondering what exactly has been happening in the once dual-island realm known as Shadovar. I will do my best now to explain to everyone who has ever been wondering. I cannot guarantee it will be the most accurate nor the least biased, but I will do my best to be as objective as possible. I leave you, our readers, to draw the conclusions.
It is hard to pick a particular event as the key event that lead up to this. Perhaps it was the very fact Shadovar was a tyranny, or maybe it was the Colonists being permitted to stay and help in the first place. I honestly believe it started with the initial banishment of one Lady Katayanna Ogren, the leader of the Colonist group that had been assisting Shadovar with their monster troubles. She was banned on September 5th by "Dictator and Decapitator" Edelstein Greneburie for having reportedly been a member of the realm's underground movement and plotting the overthrow of the government. I would like to remind our readers at this point that the spies of the crown are not always the most reliable source, and do tend to be wrong--Regardless of this she later admitted that she was a part of the underground, but only to observe their activities.
One day later, after some debate between the party's involved in Lady Katayanna's banishment, Sir Mathias Ridder called for a rebellion against the government of Shadovar stating:
- Lords, Ladies, fine Nobles of Shadovar,
- Your Dictator Edelstien has made a grave mistake this day. He over the past two months has used our colonial forces to protect and save Shadovar from sure destruction. We came to your aid in full force and drove the monsters from your lands wave after wave. We only asked that you support us in our colonial efforts once we have cleared your lands. We have lived up to our side of the bargain, and even gave extra. Yes, we were told that we could now leave, but instead we decided to finish up and completely remove the monster treat from your lands instead of leaving the job half done. Not a week latter, after all but one monster group remained in Nebel your Dictator betrays us!
- Dictator Edelstien has sentenced Lady Katayanna without even a trial or request for an explanation of her deeds. She has openly admitted to have joined the underground to look around and would have left the following day. Her good works in Shadovar speak for themselves. Lady Katayanna has been as loyal a noble as any other. This is easy to see. She has seen to the safety of Shadovar more than many other Noble’s here. None of our colonists have taken large oath’s , and some none at all. All this in order to help the nobles of Shadovar. We funded this “monster war” with gold from our own pockets and colonial treasury.
- Your Dictator has looked a gift horse in the mouth and now must pay dearly for it. I now ask all Nobles of Shadovar to stand up against this Tyrant and fight for your lands prosperity! The Government of Shadovar is corrupt and unjust, it’s leader is both judge and jury and cares little for any of his subjects. His time is at an end. It is time for a new government; A just and fair one, One that will be strong and endure. One that will serve its people as much as its people serve it. One that will ensure that our people will no longer starve. One that will act as a government should. Rise up and stand with us. Shove off the shackles of this corrupt government and be reborn to greatness.
Ruler of Shadovar, Edelstein Greneburie replied within the hour:
- The monster problem? We have had one adventurer rise from our lands - and he is off in Paisly.
- As for Katayanna, I lifted the ban, only to find out now that I was right in my thinking.
- Fellow Shadovarans, are you going to allow these colonists to tear us apart? They tried in Pian en Luries and failed. They have one thought on their minds and that is to rule their own place. If they think I've been unjust, I want them to explain how. I've offered them shelter in Shadovar to start a new colony and told them they could leave. They said there have been no troops, but I requested drafting from Yoruk.
- If you want to survive, you don't work against each other. This rebellion, if successful, will end Shadovar once and for all.
What seemed to be minutes later, Lady Katayanna sent the following message:
- Lords, Ladies, Nobles one and all,
- This rebellion was not a planned thing. In fact I believe that it was brought on by the Dictators own actions and inability to rule effectively. He has sat in his estate and simply handed out fines left and right with no justification and no explanation since before I arrived.
- We had a deal and when it came time for Shadovar to uphold its part of the bargain, all that came was discouragement and silence. I have called for the RC’s to be filled multiple times and multiple times there were a few excuses, but mostly silence.
- I spent a small fortune paying for the units that have safeguarded Shadovar and now that our units are gone or all but gone and our gold runs low, Shadovar has closed the RC’s and still wants us to fight the monsters that are invading though with less frequency now.
- Even when I arrived as a rogue and stated my cause and what I was willing to do, Edelstien still tortured me and then gave me 25 gold and said he had no choice. I still kept my part of the bargain and brought Shadovar back from the brink of destruction.
- I would have continued to do as I had been doing and then left in peace. However, Edelstien actions with out thought to the consequences have decided my course of action. Waiting until just 1 hour until the ban to go into effect was yet another method of saying that he was the one in control and that I was beneath him.
- Dictator Edelstien think that you are here to provide for him, I say that his position is to ensure that you are provided for.
- My family motto is Honor in service. This by no means is to say that I am a servant beneath others, but instead to say that the authority I hold and the loyalty I command and the responsibility that I have is to act in service of those I would rule. And as a servant in this manner I now act on behalf of the nobility of Shadovar.
- I will support this rebellion and see that it succeeds. And if We win and I am fairly sure that we will. I will rebuild and repair the damage that is caused. I have a extremely large sum of Gold headed here. It is the rest of our colonial treasury. It is enough to build fortifications against the hordes of monsters, and to make the new realm Great.
- For those that join us there will be luxuries that have never been in Shadovar for all to enjoy. I plan to build an academy, a tournament grounds and much more.
- Join with us and we will finally live well. And I will ensure that your voices are heard in our government. We will become one of the most powerful realms on Dwilight, This I can promise you.
- And I have never broken my promises if they are humanly possible to keep. And I make it a point not to promise what is not.
- For honor and victory!
Maybe an hour later, Lady Kristabelle of Emerald Flare replied with:
- You are breaking your promises with this rebellion.
- Just how do you plan to usher in an era of greatness to these islands with fewer troop leaders, and without food? The monsters are not going to stop attacking just because the government has changed. The recruitment centers will not be filled just because you come into power. Mountains of gold can only do so much. Speaking of which, how much were your nobles helping fight off the monsters while they were off looting the mainland? If you had the power to sustain Shadovar, why not just move on and found a colony as you claimed you would?
- Shadovar has done everything in its power to keep its end of the deal. Constant monster attacks that have not been repelled efficiently--no, your help has not been what you promised it to be--left us without the ability to compensate your colonists, though you chose to seek out your compensation on your own anyway. You have not been hindered. You have taken advantage of our kindness (especially mine; I've never instated a property or wealth tax, and you should properly thank me) to perform a coup.
In response, Sir Celyn Haerthorne stated:
- Lady Kristabelle,
- I have often thought that all this gold would look mighty fine in the family treasury, yet I have decided to use it for the good of the colony, and was even going to give a fair portion of it to Shadovar, to help her survive when we had left. But otherwise, I can only laugh.
- If you could not oust the monsters from the islands in the space of a few months, how can you possibly even consider taking territories hundreds of miles away, deep in lands surrounded by daimons as well as monsters. Is hubris a condition you suffer, as well as stupidity? Or do you simply feel sympathy for the people that once inhabited these forgotten lands.
- Regardless, I am still offended you would think I live for personal gain.
Shortly thereafter Lady Katayanna Ogren sent the following message:
- When I sent the message to you requesting to be allowed to leave the monsterser were at that point cleared, but No we did not have the units that would be required as by that time you had stopped the RC's from being filled.
- And not only did Celyn have permission to do what he was sent to do, He did so upon my orders! We took 1% or 2% oaths to allow Shadovar to recover more quickly. and it did. When it came time that we might leave, there were suddenly no more soldiers to recruit and many comments to me and to my nobles of how dangerous it was out there and that we should just remain here as Shadovarians.
- Do you not think that we communicate with each other? We have grown strong together through adversity, Comrades in arms, More family than most in the world truly enjoy.
- Do to the actions of your own dictator, We will now offer shadovar a chance at belonging to such a family. And Edelstien, lifting the ban but an hour before it goes into effect is an insult to me personally, just like when you tortured me in your dungeons. I do not forget, I forgave you that act as Shadovar was willing to allow my nobles to colonize from here in exchange for our service. You took our service and would leave us paupers and vegabonds.
- We have the greater military force and will succeed. We offer those that join with us a new beginning, those that do not I offer only exile to the wilderness or worse. Edelstien, I hope to return the treatment you first offered me. I will give you the same 25 gold after.
Ruler Edelstein Greneburie replied momentarily:
- At least I lifted the ban and now I deeply regret it. Such a traitor as you deserves no pity. Believe me, the lands of Shadovar will revolt after this rebellion and I will only laugh at your stupidity. For, although you may have those few colonists who will follow you, Pian en Luries still hates you. They have forgiven me and will surely allow the rest of Shadovar to regroup there and retaliate.
Continued on Page 2
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