News From Hauxwell

My dear towns members,

During this past feast, I have received news of the fate of my family. While I generally consider my personal life a private matter, I realize that I have involved a great many of you within my selfish plan to see my family safe. As such, I've decided to share with all of you a letter--delivered to me through the combined forces of Reyna and Khala--written by the hand of my lady mother. Within it is a piece of information that I'm having some difficulty wrapping my head around. I'm not the most well-read person of this town, so I'm hoping that one of our many historians could conduct some research and shed some light on the matter. Below is a word for word transcript of the letter. I hope that it may help us:

My Dearest Odette,

First, I want you to know that your father and I are alive and we love you very much! Several months ago a large army came to Hauxwell claiming that the kingdom was no more, and that the new Imperial Kormyre would take its place. All were commanded to bend the knee and pledge loyalty to Duke Balliol. House Lucatiel has always been loyal bannermen of the Nostrove royal family and so we could not take the news so easily and without proof. Even more so, you're father said that he had seen Duke Balliol in Loez a decade ago and this Duke was a different and younger man than from what he remembered. We both refused to bend the knee without proof and so we were publicly proclaimed striped of our titles and holdings and then thrown in our own dungeons beneath Kestrel's Perch. We have been here ever since. We have not been starved or tortured, but life in a cell is growing more difficult with each passing day. Your father and I are in separate cells, but we can hear each other if it is quiet.

Last night, a woman found me and I found out that she was from Travance, which is where I knew you were last seen. She came back and brought me paper and is waiting here now as I write this. I need to let her go so she is not caught by the guard, so I must end this now. Know that no matter what happens we love you very much, we think of you every day, and your father and I are so very proud of you!

Soar through the sky,
LLL

I pray that this information will be useful to our scholars. Thank you so far to everyone who has continued to help me see that my family and my people are freed. I swear that I will liberate them and along with every town, city, and holding in Korymyre I come across until my heart lies still in my chest. If the people of Kormyre cry out, I shall not turn away from their call.

-Sir Odette D. Lucatiel of Kormyre

Odette,

Thank you for your willingness to share this information despite how personal it is. I look forward to the day when we can reunite you with your family. I will begin to do some research into this information, perhaps if something is discovered, it could help turn the tide in the war.

Ser Odette,

While my parents are safe in Talenthal, Ravenhurst was my home for many many years. I would be honored if I could join you in liberating its people, and the people of Kormyre.

I am curious in regards to the fact that your father indicated that this Duke Balliol appears different than in the past. Could this be another of the family line? or perhaps an impostor?

In Service of the Kingdom of Kormyre,

My line of thought is the same. Is the current Duke an imposter? Is the original Duke out there? Could they secretly be the same person? Is the current Duke a descendant? I have so many questions...

It is my hope that our collective effort will solve this and bring us one step closer to bringing this man to Justice.

-Sir Odette D. Lucatiel

So long as they are behind wrought iron, my heart lies there in the cell. I am with you.

~Nalick DeMarche

Hayley Virgil (HayleyAnnV) wrote: My line of thought is the same. Is the current Duke an imposter? Is the original Duke out there? Could they secretly be the same person? Is the current Duke a descendant? I have so many questions...

Sir Lucatiel,

I am glad to hear that your parents remain alive.

As to the Duke, I recall Lady Kleidin once saying that Duke Balliol had a cousin of the same name (I may be mistaken. I'm sure someone will clarify if I am wrong.). If the original died, this cousin may very well have been the next in line. It is not too great a leap of logic to think that the Chancellor might have already had this younger man under his sway, and either set up or took advantage of the passing of the title in some way - this kingdom has seen many great wars and other dangers these past few years. To have gained enough of an army to even begin this campaign, or to have so many nobles sign under his name at the outset, he must have begun with at least some veneer of legitimacy - i.e., this man is a legitimate heir to the duchy - or else the Chancellor's influence is spread more widely than we suspected. The former seems more likely, though the latter is not impossible.

The latter is what scares me more. The farther this Chancellor’s influence seems to reach, the harder it will be to reach a conclusion in this war.

I wish we had a way of knowing how much this man bears resemblance to the “original,” for lack of a better word, Duke.

Lady Lois' explanation is definitely reasonable; I truly hope that the reality of the situation will be just as straight forward and logical. I truly shudder to think of the other nefarious possibilities at play. I'd definitely like to learn more about the original Duke Balliol all the same. I'm sure once my parents are freed and our researchers work their magic, more light will be shed upon this.

-Sir Odette D. Lucatiel

My lady,
Do lords and ladies not get official portraits commissioned when they come of age? Is there said portrait of the "original duke" floating around some dusty library or tucked away in some forgotten tome?

This could be a source for comparisons.

On my honor, and forever in your service,

It's entirely possiblenge traded something for his youth.

There is also president for an OLD ritual to age some one or reverse the effects.

Could a true warlock give somebody their youth?

Why not? There were, and I assume still are given Kestrel’s frequent appearance, rituals to change one’s appearance in existence. Why should that not extend to age as well?

All,
You do know there is a living testament to the dukes identity sitting in a cell right now. All be it safe, and fed, but who knows for how long. My lady, has already told me to heed my call to arms, and use discretion. For what harm my fall from an incursion into enemy territory is completely unknown.
For now I patiently wait for the order to strike. I'll hone my skills and my blades.

May I ask. Who will join me on this rescue mission.

On my honor,

Jericho,

I already know how to get in there and get into the prisons. The only reason I didn't get them out then and there was because it was too high a risk to my cover. They know and understood that I could not take that risk just yet. If I can have a chance to make right and get them out, I will help.

Khala Stormbringer

If it please my knight, Ser Yvain, I would like to put my name into the hat for the extraction mission, when that time comes.

-Adalynn Wells

Thank you all for your thoughts thus far. I am thankful I'm not alone in finding this information... vexing. I would love to hear more theories/research on the matter of this original duke. As for the rescuing of my family, that will come in time--specifically in the very near future. We've been doing well to approach this problem with patience and perseverance, and I have no intention of throwing that away within the final hour when we are so close to liberating them. I also can't, in good conscious, rush in to save them, and skip over the people of Hauxwell or leave land within the duke's grasp. I cannot stop at freeing the people close to me--I seek to free everyone.

I truly appreciate everyone's enthusiasm and loyalty; I would be honored to band together and reclaim my homeland together when the time comes. Right now, I estimate that we will attempt to reclaim Hauxwell in either June or July--that is to say, after I can ensure that the people of Robryn will be safe from further insurrection.

-Sir Odette D. Lucatiel

Sir Odette,

I am so glad to hear your parents live, though I'm sorry for the circumstances they find themselves in. You have my support in retaking your homeland, though I suspect you will find yourself in no lack of support when the time comes.

I want to posit a question as we all tack theories to this board: Odette's mother said this Duke appeared not only younger, but a different man. I think we can all easily imagine why someone would wish to become or appear younger---but if you had a very good claim to the throne, why would you try to appear as a different man and claim to still be yourself? What advantage does that hold?

I suspect this is a different individual, and the simplest explanation is that he is a younger Balliol, as many others have suggested. However, I think all the possibilities merit looking into.

I would be curious to get close to this Balliol, or to have someone we trust do so. It could be possible that he is an amateur disguise artist and is relying on the Chancellor to cover for him in his territory.

You have no idea how much it frustrates me that I didn't get that close, Reyna. I was being brought to him. To work for him. I was almost in. But getting the Knights of Kormyre those coordinates and helping them get out became a higher priority. I missed him by mere minutes when I arrived in Grimwyr too, so I never got to actually see him.

Perhaps, though, some of the Grimwyr refugees might be worth talking to about it? Who knows, one of them might have a little more information about him.

Khala Stormbringer

I have been talking to them about it, and will continue to do so. Nothing anyone has had to say so far has been conclusive.

You did what you could in your situation, just as I did what I could when I was in Hauxwell. Neither were ideal, and I doubt we will have an ideal situation in this war. That being said, we will continue to get closer with each passing month. Not close enough soon enough, but closer. And with the knowledge that you helped bring to Travance about from Odette's parents and your assistance in Grimwyr, we have so much more than we would have gotten had the Knights of Kormyre been lost to us.

We will continue our research as to the duke's identity, and we will continue our efforts in fighting him and his Chancellor. The closer we can get to the duke, both through the movements of our troops and the movements of our spies, the closer we can get to unraveling this mystery.