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Here follows is the account of Master Peter Barrows of the Monastery of the Imperial Isle, in the 5th fall of the 11th Mercannum of the first Thoannum of the Cycle of the Phoenix.
Upon hearing the news that Master Mark Stefan of the Arnum Monastery, I called a meeting of the Masters, the first of its kind in the history of the Order of Sanct Creopbaina. Coincidently, the Thanes of the Östron communities had arrived at the Imperial City that very same day. My hope that the Master of the monasteries spread around the empire would soon follow, and so they did. This is the account of that Council, which again coincidently occured the afternoon after Master Mark Stefan had been given the title Eorl, and approval to command the new realm of Östlaed. This changed my plans somewhat.
I opened with the chants of the Order, in particular a chant concerning the unity of our religion and people. I had hoped this would set the tone for what I was about to propose. Master Mark Stefan, now Eorl Mark Stefan, spoke about the great work done in Arnum with the research into past historical works. He spoke of the rich history of our people, and despite a complete lack of political unity, how the Östron formed into the cultural-religious-linguistic-economic group that it is at this time. He spoke of how the Casadians had done much to shape the Knights of the Order into a far more efficient defense force against the beasts of the dark. At last, he asked the question I was waiting for: "Who will be master of the Arnum monastery now? What will my role be?" This is the point where I presented my thoughts.
First, I talked about the lack of a "head" or "Grand Master" of the Order. Considering the order was not that old, and there were only a handful of masters, the need for anything more was never considered. However, as you will not know, I have always desired for the Order to wield more political power. You may have expected this had you known that it was my father who established the merchant marine of the Order, and my great-great-great grandfather was the first Monastic Knight of the Order. Long has my line wished for a moment like this: I proposed, in the absence of any tradition or existing guidelines, that instead of Master Mark Stefan switching his position of Master of Arnum Monastery with the Master of the monastery in Östlaed, that he become our first Grand Master of the Order of Sanct Creopbaina.
His reception, as usual, was reserved and thankful. However, I didn't expect that the rest of the Council (which really is just myself, Master Mark Stefan, and the Master in Östlaed) would be incredibly enthusiastic about this. The Master of the Monastery in Östlaed certainly didn't want to give up his position, and better yet, his son was first in the running to become the next Master. Thus, his vote was secured.
Following the vote, we discussed the nature of the position of Grand Master. Now Grand Master Stefan discussed how he desired a hereditary title for Eorl - that his eventual son would become the next Eorl. We agreed that the children of House Stefan would be trained in the order, both as Knights and as Monks/Sisters of the Order. Thus, we also agreed that the title of Grand Master would be hereditary as well. I can only thank the spirits for Grand Master Mark Stefan's deep reverence and commitment to the faith.
As the evening waned on, we broke for the festivities being held by the Thanes. There, the Thanes welcomed the uniting of the Eorldom and the Order. The next day, the Council met with the Thanes to discuss military issues. We established that the Knights of the Order would function as military units, with the Thane's militia serving as the general body of the army. The Order's Merchant fleet will serve as the foundation for a navy - trade ships with white/green sails, and armed ships with black/silver sails. Thanes would continue in their roles as they currently exist, however, Thanes in Östlaed would become direct vassals of Eorl Mark Stefan. Any matters of inter-village trade, defense, etc. would come under the exclusive control of the Eorl.
Many more topics were discussed. In the end, we also agreed to build a newer, larger monastery and sanctum in Östlaed to serve as the seat of the Order. A great castle will also be constructed, to serve as the Palace of the Grand Master and Eorl of Östlaed and as the castle of the Knights of Sanct Creopbaina, to be renamed to the Knights of Östlaed.
Thus ended the first Council of the Order of Sanct Creopbaina.
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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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