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Thanesmoot of 541
“Masters, Brothers, Knights, and Thanes - please have a seat” Mark II said, graciously, as he began his first Thanesmoot as Ealdorman of the Östron realm of Östlaed.
“I understand that those who follow the Order and who pledge allegiance strongly to the Order have long felt that their concerns and wishes for the realm have been ignored. I can assure you, that concern shall disappear. This realm was founded by the Order, in their time-honored traditions and indeed their very goals of uniting the Östron people. Östrons heard that call, and I have invited Guthrum of Frithengest to sing us a triumphant song of those Östrons who heeded the call of my father to settle in this blessed realm:”
“When the ships arrived from Acholm,
All breathless with good news,
They were raising their swords through time,
The commission, from the Order to our ears,
Carried by the brothers for 100 years,
Connects us all to the same timeline.
We can hear the sanctum bell ringing loud and clear,
It’s the unity Östrons heeded, and it’s here,
Echoing across the Empire from the shores of the Östsee,
I can hear the sanctum bell for you and me…”
Mark II continued, saying “The first step to happen will occur with a follow up to the Halig Sccipun.”
A long pause was followed with “ The Knights of the Order of Sanct Creopbaina are rife with traitors to the faith. As such, the Knights of the Order shall be replaced with the newly created Halig Frecan, and only those Knights from the Order that are loyally to the Order shall be integrated into the Halig Frecan. Additionally, the Östronweard shall be reduced in size, with the most loyal and faithful of soldiers integrated within the Halig Frecan. The faithless shall give up their posts, and may join their local militias. Betraying these orders will come at a severe cost.”
The secular Thanes didn’t even know what to say. In one way, this was a massive change that would harm their control over local troops - however, that also meant that in non-fundamentalist areas, most of the troops would be in their direct charge. Was this a return to the pre-realm system, at least in some areas?
“This change, despite phasing out the faithless, will also be accompanied by an overall increase of forces by over 200%. The Halig Frecan shall be the Empire’s most formidable fighting force. All shires are expected to also construct castles under the leadership of local Haligcniht.”
There is the answer. The reader must understand that although this Halig Frecan appears to just be a unified command of Knights and regulars, it is actually a unified command under the direct control of the Ealdorman, not the local Thanes. Their local administration of the military will be supplanted by the Haligcnihten.
As the reader might expect, there was much cursing, growling, and yelling following this announcement, until a small group of Haligcnihten entered the room, armed with full body shields and short but sharp swords. The religious Thanes and Masters of the Order cheered their entrance.
Mark boasted loudly “I rule this realm, and will only continue these Thanesmoots as a courtesy, a courtesy I shall revoke should I feel you no longer respect the holy ruler of Östlaed.”
The takeover of the realm by the Order seemed complete. It’s not as bad as it seems, right? What would they possibly do with supreme power - which of course House Accynnafon always enjoyed anyway - and the ability to enforce that power?
The secular Thanes stormed from the Östurhealle. Many were seen traveling to Grestanhlith, a known secular stronghold within the Acholmshire region...
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Ealdorman Cerdic Beoden Accynnafon of Östlond
Runner Up of the Glas Claddach Boat Building Competition
Minister of Justice
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