A Matter of Utmost Importance

[Aethelric Brandt]

Four minute timer, dammit.

As for the matter at hand: this whole issue originally derived from some OOC comments I made regarding the viability of RP in a system like Darkfall's (namely, that the shitty chat and emote sytem makes it masturbatory at best). Sivvy took this into an IC polemic for reasons unbeknownst to me. I cannot tell whether he is actually bored, truly, or whether he cannot separate his real life religion and beliefs from these RP matters.

If we are talking about "rule of Law", here, where is my Charter? I never saw it, and apparently KillerSOS deleted from the private forum where it was posted. This seems like a much greater issue than the Hundred's public chat spam or the lack thereof.

[Siverous de'Medici]

Four minute timer, dammit.

As for the matter at hand: this whole issue originally derived from some OOC comments I made regarding the viability of RP in a system like Darkfall's (namely, that the shitty chat and emote sytem makes it masturbatory at best). Sivvy took this into an IC polemic for reasons unbeknownst to me. I cannot tell whether he is actually bored, truly, or whether he cannot separate his real life religion and beliefs from these RP matters.

If we are talking about "rule of Law", here, where is my Charter? I never saw it, and apparently KillerSOS deleted from the private forum where it was posted. This seems like a much greater issue than the Hundred's public chat spam or the lack thereof.

You said you have no intention of obeying your Rule, and you even made it seem that you never had any intention of obeying it. As I've shown, in practical RP terms, that means you're a heretic. Just as Nocturne is a "wolf's head."

I'm sorry for the RP tirade I went on, in hindsight, I should've just written this up in the first place.

I had to write my own charter...did you write up yours and submit it for approval?

[Baenor]

If the question is still of whether Aethelric is a heretic, I believe i have to side with Sivvy on the matter. That is, if Aethelric is not upholding, or enforcing his order's rule.

From princeton's online dictionary the definition(s) of heretic are as follows:
# heretic - a person who holds religious beliefs in conflict with the dogma of the Roman Catholic Church
# heretic - a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion)

Where roman catholic church could obviously be replaced with the Church of Auros. I think, however, Aethelric's heresy is of the second definition.

To reinforce that the order is not upholding its rule, i should add that one of "The Hundred"'s members today attacked and killed a member of my clan's who was AFK in our city.
Several precepts within their rule were broken in this act.

Then again, I don't see why Aethelric can't just repent and be done with this babble.

[Cynewulf]

Lord Baenor approached me as Siverous' proxy, with quotes containing much the same argument as Siverous' above. Baenor expressed that he was loathe to admit it, but he saw some reason within the ranting.

To which:

That would be a persuasive argument, Lord Baenor, but the Rule of an Order is not a tenet of the Church proper. It is merely a prescription of how the monks within that order ideally should live and operate as an organization. The church approved the Rule as submitted to it, with modifications, finding its content to be a generally salutatory ideal to try to uphold, Church did not issue it as its own dogma.

When Siverous finds me where Aethelric has said the Auros does not exist, or that Auros was a usurper god, and that will be an example of heresy against a central belief of Auranism. There is no central Church dogma that hymns must be sung. Aethelric may be derelict in duty to his own Order, perhaps, but not heretical.

All of Siverous' rantings display a woeful ignorance of true church policy and the real definition of heresy, which does not extend to everyday rules running the administrative aspects of the Church. An Order is an organization that needs operational guidelines, and its rule is not a holy document of infallible scripture. It is insanity to engage in tirades to the contrary.

This is but mere frothy-mouthed rambling from the poor fallen priest. There needs be no contest of arms, when maddened irrational raving such as this fills up a holy Church.

Siverous, Grandmaster of the Order d'Argento, you yourself will stand trial

• for engaging in heresy,
• for consorting with the heretic named Father Merrin,
• for speaking ill against the head of our Church, King Manus,
• and for being an agent of Malaut sent to corrupt and undermine the Church.

Prepare your defense. There is good evidence that at least two of the above charges are true. I will undertake this Church inquest into your recent erratic behaviour personally, in view of your many contributions in the past and the high esteem that you once had earned.

[Honorius Dioctus]

Are you really suggesting we try the man who has done more for the Church than any of us "for being an agent of Malaut sent to corrupt and undermine the Church."? Siverous brought most of us into the Church he reached out to VVV and Kirdain and Wessex to get the Church started. How could you possibly accuse him of this?

As for consorting with Father Merrin, you may as well throw me into the fire for this one as well. Hell even King Manus has consorted with Father Merrin.

[Cynewulf]

(OOC: As King Manus has said, when roleplay becomes silly and threatens the actual readiness and efficiency of our kingdom's forces in-game, it gets shutdown. Based on the current trend recently established, I would favor the whole Church being deactivated, if the original post is now considered a standard of RP.)

Are you really suggesting we try the man who has done more for the Church than any of us "for being an agent of Malaut sent to corrupt and undermine the Church."? Siverous brought most of us into the Church he reached out to VVV and Kirdain and Wessex to get the Church started. How could you possibly accuse him of this?

I am proposing exactly that. Nor would I even need to prevail upon the Council, since I am the Archbishop of Sol Invictus and fully capable of administering law and ruling within my jurisdiction. Theodoric didn't need the council to try Mauduin in his diocese, so why you presume that you are even a part of this decision, Lord Honorius?

Suspicions of heretical associations are clearly laid out, and he is a member of my jurisdiction, the Terra Regis, by his own choosing. Don't the duties of your own diocese call you away yet?

As for his contributions, I hardly would suffer a man to fly into the embrace of Malaut with his esteem intact, simply because he once had glimpsed the divine face of Auros. Father Merrin, too, set up the early Church only to have it scoured clean in his wake, when he had passed over into the Shadow.

If a learned father of the Church has begun insanely accusing others and even himself of heresy when any scholar or mere child would understand the absurdity, then we must examine exactly when the his corruption began. That Father Siverous has contributed greatly causes you to admire an open associate of Merrin and a poison-tongued whisperer against the Head of the Church; but for me, it causes alarm at what corruption he might have subtly implanted in the Church structure before being exposed.

[Siverous de'Medici]

The original post wasn't RP, and neither has any post since then been.

The Church never focused on heresy before, our definitions are not clearly defined. We have what we can find from the internet, and those definitions seemed to fit.

It is common knowledge that a Knight of the Church swears fealty to a Bishop, or temporal Lord, our standards say that they don't swear fealty to a secular Lord. I'm not sure what else to call it other then heresy.

Archbishop of Sol Invictus and fully capable of administering law and ruling within my jurisdiction.

But not fully capable of administering, or ruling the Ecumenical Council.

Is it any wonder the Bishops are all against you? You haven't done anything. You don't earn their respect by playing Darkfall with your old Order, and ignoring the administrative tasks which are brought before you. You aren't given their respect when the King declares you the Archbishop...how's that saying go - something about titles?

I've done everything I can to support you. I've given you documents to bring before them so that you can show them your leadership in the council and earn their respect. When they asked me what I thought of you, I told them you were probably the best choice out there. I got the Orders and diocese to think up a gift to give you. I offered to goffer around and gather votes for you on proposed legislation. I gave you the chance to enforce the decisions of the Council against your Order to show them you were their leader, and not a member of the Hundred...I waited a year, year and a half for an absentee Archbishop? Insulting you finally got you involved...amazing how that works.

I think I know how underappreciated my mother feels...I should give her a call.

Face it Cynewulf, you haven't been doing your job...and I don't think forcing the Church to respect you now is going to work out all that well. But I think we're all ready to let bygones be bygones if you're willing to put in the work. We can set new standards, give a realistic definition to heresy, maybe even give you the respect His Majesty thinks you deserve...if you're willing to earn it.

[Siverous de'Medici]

I suppose there's no harm in answering those charges anymore, I think Merrin is wise to me now.

As an agent of the King, I did repeatedly attempt to get close to Merrin, and his Order to befriend its membership and undermine the authority of its leader. I've certainly said far worse about His Majesty then what's in that thread.

In one instance, we even managed to convince Merrin that he had an underground network of spies that were working against him to promote Hyperion ideals. He kicked a member out of his clan for saying something along the lines of, "I don't think Hyperion is all that bad." In response, Merrin had him removed under the pretense that he was afraid his Order would be compromised because of the man's brother.

It wasn't until later that I managed to rile the old codger into revealing the real reason he kicked the member. I seem to have a knack for getting under his skin.

You may check the details with His Majesty. I have had my disagreements with the King, but we do agree when it comes to standards for the Church, and Kingdom. The plain and simple truth is that the Hundred aren't meeting those standards. Call it heresy, dereliction of duty, whatever. Something needs to change there.

Now, I have admited, and will continue to admit that I went about it the wrong way to begin with. If there is some punishment I have to face for that, so be it. Now that the Council is involved, it is up to them to resolve this matter.

You are a wise and intelligent man Cynewulf, and an excellent Priest. The Trial by Combat was pure genious. However, allowing things to continue down this path is more damaging to the Church in the long run then simply asking Aethlric to alter his Rule to one the Hundred will agree to obey.