On The Declaration of Rule

Well, laddies, I've read it. allow me to give you some insight into what I'm seeing. Quotes are taken from the declaration itself.

"...Duke Balliol has grand plans for the expansion of Kormyre..."
Well, I for one want to know which way these nobles plan to expand the kingdom. Afterall, my home is north of Kormyre, in The Highlands, and as my father passed to me as a wee one, some nobles do view everyone not like them as beasts. Thus, this is alarming to me. This concern is supported by "...If we do not receive a clear signal that these wishes will be met in the near future then we will have no choice but to enact the inevitable and just use of extreme force to take back Loez under the banner of a new Imperial Kormyre..."

Balliol....why does that name come up in me mind as something I should know?

How does one get a gate? I need a gate to the Talla Iarainn in Glen Athyll.

-Father Donald MacFhionnlaigh, Amethyst Dragoon

There was a woman named Isabella who fled and sought refuge from contracts of his. It may not be the historical record bearing familiarity to you, Donny, but that should prove enough for at least an air of distrust.

a man named Benjamin,
[strike]Klarington Everest's son[/strike] may he rest in peace, was set to marry Isabella before an untimely passing.

~Nalick

Klarington Everest's son is the Count of Winterdark, Sebastian Everest.

Any instance where you may hear otherwise is a ruse. Klarington would, for generations, cast ritual of the wheel upon himself and return under the guise of his son. Weep not for the yet still living, Nalick.

But it is unclear what expansion means. We have no clarity, no information, and no factual evidence to support any claims of disastrous action yet. So let us not worry to speculate armageddon without first consulting the truth, of which we have yet to uncover fully.

I might add, I am sure several of us have the written signature of Lord Birnum Pyre under the title of Lord of Kaladonia somewhere in possession.
For Baron Joseph Balkryst, however, I would wonder if Solomon Darkheart has already begun to have words with his father.

Selby - thank you for the transcription, including its well-preserved errors. (I quite agree with your sentiment that accompanies it.)

I feel we should be cautious in speaking about the signatories of this declaration as though they are, for certain, enemies. They threaten as much, yes, absolutely, but I fear that beginning to think of them as enemies hastens hostility and violence. Aside from seeking to prove possible forgery (or the possibility of some of them having signed under duress), what else can we do to pursue a peaceful resolution? It seems like some of you know some of the signatories personally or have known them in the past—would it be possible to reach out personally and discuss?

Also, we ought to ask which Kormyrian notables on the other side of the Rift have not signed.

Starling,

While I agree it would be a wise move to seek out those in positions of power who would oppose this declaration, I am concerned of contacting those who have signed. Perhaps it is mere paranoia, but there are a number of possibilities as to why they have signed, from being coerced with a blade at their necks, to simple forgery, to psionic domination, or perhaps all the way to them simply having an honest to goodness change of heart. HOW we contact these people should be considered. If one were to walk right up to their doorsteps, it may lead them into a trap. Should one engage in a correspondence of letters, it could prove useful, or simply lead to a further spread of misinformation. I am hesitant to reach out to those who may be suspected traitors, and this does not even include those in similar positions of power who side with these conspirators but didn't sign either to protect their identities or out of hesitation or plain cowardice. If you have any thoughts on this I'd be more than happy to listen.

Aleister,

I was unaware Baron Balkryst had family, and the name does not strike me as familiar. Could you elaborate on this Darkheart fellow and his relation to the Baron?

So far it seems we have the most information on this former Lord of Kaladonia, this Lord Pyre. Finding out about his connections to these others would be a solid start.

On the topic of Baron Balkryst, it seems like we could gain insight from this Darkheart man, unless anyone else has any leads on him. Vespertine, would you have any ideas on obtaining information on him, hailing from the region as you do?

The Lady Meldicia seems to still hold some sort of grudge against us for what happened in the past. Finding out what happened between her last sighting in Travance and her signing this document would prove useful to our investigations. If her brother is indeed incarcerated, as Father Ephrem states, interrogating him may hold some merit, if not using him for leverage. Furthermore, Father, if you did indeed aid her in the past she may hold some respect for you, if not outright feel obligated to you. This is an incredibly optimistic assumption, but having you involved in the dealings regarding her may prove useful.

Finally, the Duke himself, Balliol, who we can only assume for now is the ringleader. It seems many of us dealt with him in the past and it left a sour taste in our mouths. I would say we contact any Travancians who dealt with him directly and see if they may have some helpful information. Considering how much of an impact he apparently left on people, this may prove to be relatively easy.

Let us also keep our ears to the ground to ascertain the identities of those not mentioned in my notes so far, namely Baroness Alurra Ravenhuerst, Lord Augustus Selindor of Gramoore Pass, Lady Marklove of Wolfhaven, High Scholar Eldenmund of the Library of Anoch, and Lord Lindsor of Robyrn

Furthermore, does anyone know anything of these knights? Sir Merick, Sir Garth, Sir Tamerund, Sir Dorswin, Sir Loricie, Dame Archfrost, Dame Gildmier, Dame Sellindryst, or Dame Froswyrth? it would seem the further down the list you go the less information we have. to ignore even one of these names would leave us potentially unprepared. There is the possibility that any of these names could be an alias, or that the names are fake and only there to bolster the number of names on the list for the sake of legitimacy, but I won't take the risk of ignoring any of those mentioned here.

Information is our Sword,

DJANGO

Django,

All the Baronies of Kormyre are similar to Travance in their nobility hierarchy.

Or more specifically: the Knights who signed this Declaration are beholden to the Lords who signed, those Lords in turn are beholden to the Barons who are beholden to the Duke. Those whose names are signed did so out of either respect or fear of their betters, much the same way it works in all of Kormyre.

Should anyone need more of an explanation of how things work in Kormyre on the other side of the Rift, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I can assure you that it is quite different than Travance.

- Dennis