De Haguns Family/Furiae/Letters on the Rebellion of Itaufield
Context: Following the rebellion in Itaufield, orders were initially issued to proceed with a hostile take over against the peasants, followed by orders to proceed with a neutral take over.
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Letter from Haide Osoro
M'lady,
I know you are not my marshal (thankfully..........) but I want to confide in you as a friend because I know that you are more experienced in matters of diplomacy and state than I.
Currently, I am in Itaufield attempting to help restore the peace. At first I was ordered to assist in a hostile takeover, which I will not do. My Osos will not murder peasants no matter the cause, for any cause that demands the murder of innocents is wrong.
Our orders were changed to a neutral takeover, and I have followed those orders to see justice delivered here. However, my Osos have reported that more than a fifth of the Itaufield populace have already been terrorized by the Golden Host. Because of this, I find myself questioning the righteousness of our cause. How can I claim to install "justice" when our own behave so unjustly?
I do not know yet what I will do, but if I must conscientiously object, I will accept the consequences.
-H
Haide Osoro
Dame of Golden Farrow
Letter from Furiae de Haguns
(this letter is penned in Furiae's own elaborate handwriting)
Dame Haide Osoro,
No one tell you the hardest part of battle and the hardest choices in war or statecraft are figuring out when sacrifices are necessary, and how to mitigate everlasting damages, death and mistakes.
I found that by myself, the hardest way.
As a Marshal and as a friend, I will give you advice.
Do as your Marshal tells you concerning military matters, for you are in no position to refuse, nor should you refuse. Tol Goldora has one, if not, the most professional military in Dwilight, and it thrives due to the fact that orders are issued and obeyed. The day we lose our respect for hierarchy and decide to disobey orders is the day we will lose our edge over other countries. Tol Goldora is striving to become the military mighty of this continent, and we shall succeed, so we can defend our homeland against aggressions.
To achieve this, we need unity. Sedition, rebels, and those that act against the unity of Tol Goldora are traitors, and deserve to be treated as such.
Peasants have been living in peace, with justice delivered by the nobility and by the Autarch's grace and will. Under my rule, Faithill thrives, because I am a fair and just ruler. And so are the other lords in the realm. Unfortunately, the rabble cannot see beyond their immediate interests and entertain thoughts of independence. Still, my friend, I must ask you: what happens if they decide to take these matters back into their own hands?
Not long ago, Itau was a haven for pirates. In the south, in Laraibina and Madina Island, slavers traded souls until not long ago, where now the undead roam. And the rest of the roguelands? Oppresed by local warlords or under constant attack by monsters and undead, for they are easy prey without nobles to protect them and stabilize the social order.
To be within Tol Goldora's domain means to be civilized, and shielded from the perils of the world. How many nobles have bled and sacrificed their lives to protect the peasants that now dare to take up in arms against their protectors? How many soldiers have died to protect those that now turn their back to Tol Goldora? So that the peasants can live their lives, have their children, eat and sleep safely.
The peasants in Itaufield revolted because they do not know right from wrong, and believe they do not need our protection. Can you imagine what would happen if we let this go unpunished? What message we would send to the other provinces, and even to D'Hara or Astrum, should they discover it? It would be a message of weakness.
This is the righteous of our cause. In a land plagued by undead hordes and monsters, Tol Goldora is a beacon of hope and a shield for civilization. And nothing will shake my belief in the justness of our cause.
Initially, the orders were to brutalize the peasants, but they were eventually changed to more neutral manners of dealing justice and disciplining them . The revolting peasants are not as innocent as you believe, given what I have explained to you.
As much as I am a Marshal, I am a soldier. I obey orders, even if I may disagree with them on a personal level. If not, how could I expect the nobles under my command to follow me and trust me? How can your men trust and follow you, if you do not obey your commanding officer, the Marshal of the Golden Host?
Once the Stratarch told me that "loyalty is only a ladder if it goes two ways. For you and for the nobles you lead".
I hope this may help ease your doubts.
Yours, and carried by the winds,
Furiae de Haguns
Baroness of Faithill
Marshal of the Gylden Expeditionary Legion
Letter from Haide Osoro
Lady Furiae de Haguns,
Not long ago, I was that "rabble." Living under a pirate lord who reigned through terror and "disciplined," as you say, any who would not follow his every whim. And then "disciplined" some more just for fun.
Terrible actions come from a place of fear. To crush fear with more fear is putting out fire with fire. A power who terrorizes indiscriminately only serves to ostracize those who remained strong and loyal, and will drive them into the arms of the nearest leader who promises relief.
But perhaps you are right and I should have been disciplined as well upon arriving on the shores of Golden Farrow.
Haide Osoro
Dame of Golden Farrow
Letter from Furiae de Haguns
Haide,
You were never rabble, you are of noble birth. Never let anyone else say the opposite, nor should you ever try to equal yourself to commoners. It is unbecoming of your noble heritage.
There is a clear difference to living under a pirate lord that terrorizes the people and enforcing discipline.
Sometimes discipline requires victims, and most times violence is the only way to keep order in a world of chaos.
Do I like it? No, I do not. Still I am not one to take on fights that cannot be won, and I will not fight against the very human nature or the order of the world as it exists. I choose my battles carefully, when I know I can win. This is how I reached the place I am now.
Uprisings must be put down, one way or another. I prefer to avoid bloody means, but I follow orders as they are issued.
What you need to understand is that for peace to prevail, everyone must accept our authority and obey it. Or be broken by it.
The peasants of Itaufield rebelled, and they must pay the price. Their offense is reprehensible, and our hold in the West of Tol Goldora dwindles, peasants starting to entertain thoughts of rebelling. Not long ago, I repeat, the city of Itau was a haven of pirates, and now the Duke, His Grace Aidan MacArbin makes sure that the population is supplied with food. I have even offered to help him in this matter with Faithill's own granaries. There is no reason for rebellion other than to disrupt the peace we are trying to build.
My friend, can you imagine if what happened in Itaufield started to happen throughout Tol Goldora? Peasants banding up together, plunging our nation into confusion. The Times of Trouble would seem as nothing if compared to this. Lawlessness and savagery would reign! It is by striking fear into enemies, both internal and foreign, that we can stay safe.
Yet we are merciful, so we will only discipline them and avoid unnecessary bloodshed. We could bring down judgement and vengeance, but we do not.
I know you may not understand what I write yet, but one day you will. I know you may see me as cruel, even if I am not, for I try to mitigate sacrifices, even when they are necessary.
We are arriving at the dawn of a new era for Tol Goldora, so we may face the future together.
I just hope that when you finally realize I was right all along, you do not regret your choices.
Yours, and carried by the winds,
Furiae de Haguns
Baroness of Faithill
Marshal of the Gylden Expeditionary Legion
Letter from Haide Osoro
(this letter is written shakily)
Lady Furiae de Haguns,
My noble heritage is the pirate lord and I would frankly rather be a commoner.
And worry not. As my father taught me, I never regret.
Haide Osoro
Dame of Golden Farrow
Letter from Furiae de Haguns
(this letter is written in Furiae's handwriting)
Haide,
You can call me just by Furiae, when we write letters in private, or when we are alone.
It does matter who you were born, but more than that, the choices you make and who you want to become. I have learned this well. You will always be a noble by birth, and you must understand the responsibilities this bring, both to the realm and to the peasants that depend on our protection.
I would never have reached the place I am now if I had not be bold to defy expectations that were placed for me. To defy my family's plans for how my life should be and decide to carve my own path, through iron and fire.
You seem to be too attached to your past. I let mine go, so I could become someone my family never thought possible. And I have thrived.
The future belongs to the bold, my dear friend.
Act in such a way you do not regret the person you become in the future.
Yours, and carried by the winds,
Furiae de Haguns
Baroness of Faithill
Marshal of the Gylden Expeditionary Legion
Letter from Haide Osoro
Lady Furiae de Haguns,
Were I attached to my past, I'd have no issue slaughtering peasants. I, too, have strived every day to defy the path laid out for me and have the scars to prove it.
It seems we have reached an impasse, my lady, for the only thing I could ever regret is going against my conscience.
Haide Osoro
Dame of Golden Farrow
