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The Thanesmoot of 542
“As the Divine authority of the Östron realm of Östlaed, I, Ealdorman Mark Accynnafon, Second of His Name, call this Thanesmoot of 542 to order.”
The Ealdorman remained standing, carefully looking over the body of Thanes, Eorls, Knights of the Halig Freccan, and Masters of the Order. He pulled his hood off from his head, now adorned with the crown his father wore.
He spoke again: “I would like to remind the Thanesmoot of their place within the realm. This Thanesmoot is held as a courtesy; a way to announce the plans of what the leading nobles of the realm intend to do. I will consider the votes held here, just as my father did. However, I fully intend to restore the power of the Order of Sanct Creopbaina. I will not ask for your consent. The consent I need comes from the divine will of the very spirits we hold in such high esteem. It is through the power of the spirit of the Creopbaina that the Order founded the realm, the Order united our people, and the Order furthers the strength of our people.”
The Ealdorman paused. Never had the Thanesmoot been so quiet - perhaps it was the snow outside, or perhaps it was fear. Fear of what? Why were all the Thanes so afraid of their Ealdorman? Is it fear, or is it respect? Is it both? Rumors had circulated that Brothers of the Order had instigated trouble in order to force the Eorl of Northubeorc to fall in line. Similar rumors came from Gourdham, where carracks and cogs owned by House Accynnafon were boarding boats leaving Gourdham and “roughing up” the crew of those ships. These were actually the least of the worries of the secular Thanes - the massive increase in the ranks of the Halig Frecan lead to an increased presence of fanatically religious Knights even in Gourdshire, Entshire, and Gelderlond. Many “accidents” had occurred to the families of secular Thanes and Knights in more rural places of the realm.
“I will first announce that the Dömboc is to be drastically rewritten. Copies on vellum are to be handed out at this time. Minor changes include taxation, regulation of commerce, inclusion of the Halig Frecan, and updates to ranks and titles. The major changes relate to Döm X, which shall be rewritten to the following:
‘ Worship of any spirits important to Östron mythology is to be permissible and protected in private. Public shrines and/or temples to other spirits are not permitted. The Halig Frecan is authorized to enforce this Döm’ “
Dead silence continued. The Thanes of the secular shires couldn’t believe it. Were priceless shrines and temples to be destroyed? Is that what this meant? Could they even dare speak out? Many feared death, despite no concrete evidence that the Ealdorman was this harsh.
“There will be no grace period for the existence of public shrines and temples to other spirits. While we all here agree they exist, they pale in comparison to the Creopbaina, and to even entertain the notion that they deserve the respect, worship, and devotion of the Östron people is sacrilege. Their existence is a desecration to the sanctity of the heritage and spirit of both the Creopbaina and the Östrons. It only divides our people.”
This was too far. The secular Thanes wouldn’t remain silent.
Gröteorl Cerdic Accynnafon knew he had to speak, or the heads of several Thanes would be rolling on the floor:
“Enough is enough Mark! This cannot stand! You are dividing this nation! LOOK AT THESE MEN! They are afraid of you, of the Order, and will not speak out against you. This is not freedom, this is not what our ancestors braved the cold, fought the Orcs, and sailed the sea for.”
Mark chuckled, and walked over to his brother. He came up to his face. Nothing was said for a few moments. Many men placed their hands on their hilts. A few thanes rose, and the Haligchinten unsheated their swords, as to warn them at the very least.
“Those people who did those things were tribes that could not agree on much of anything, spoke vastly different dialects, and worshipped pigs and trees. The Order united them. I do not care if they are afraid - isn’t their fear proof that the spirits of Creopbaina are forever powerful?”
Cerdic yelled at Mark “WE ARE STILL THOSE TRIBES! You don’t even have to leave Acholm to see them. We still speak different dialects. Perhaps the Order was instrumental in uniting the tribes, but now they divide them. They seek to form them like some farmer’s cheese: uniform, soft, and easy to spread. We are a varied people! For fuck’s sake Mark, we can’t even say the name of our realm as one people! From the Östlaed of your dirty Perthian monospiritist wealthy noble Order, to the Östlond of the brave mountain and seafaring tribes of the south, to the Estland of the people of the Fleotieg, this is a nation divided and the Order is making a huge mistake… no, you are making a huge mistake. YOU ARE THE MISTAKE!”
Mark grabbed Cerdic by the throat; Cerdic simply laughed. At a full 6 inches taller than Mark, Cerdic was a beast of a man, fit and trained in the ways of the fiercest warriors of Östron heritage. He easily brushed Mark’s arm to the side.
“You are but a child, Mark” said Cerdic.
“SILENCE!” Mark finally responded. “I am the Ealdorman of the realm. If you weren’t my brother, I’d have you hung from the Östur this very night. The Order, with me as its Grand Master, will rule this realm. It will be united, through the faith, through the strength of the Halig Frecan, and through the wealth of House Accynnafon. The peasant masses will see the righteous, noble ways of House Accynnafon.”
The rest of the Thanesmoot watched in horror. This interaction between the two eldest sons of the late Ealdorman were sure to ignite the fires of dissent.
“Does any other faithless imbecile care to add to my ill brother’s foolishness?” said Mark, his arms open to the secular Thanes that often sat together with Cerdic. “I thought not.”
“ I would remind every Thane here that the Halig Frecan will enforce my will. The Haligchniten were personally chosen by myself and the Masters of the Order. This is a fighting force the likes of which the Mercurian Empire has never seen. Unite, or die.
I have nothing more to say. This Thanesmoot ends.”
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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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