The #Broken_Dagger Forum

Greetings and Salutations,

I am writing your Lordship to keep you and His Majesty informed as to the state of the Order of the Shepherd Knights of the Silver Staff.

Plans are proceeding well. I have found a servicable location located in the central regions of Myrken Wood so as to better service and protect its citizenry. Should you desire to inspect the construction at your leisure, you need merely follow the road north from Myrken Town north perhaps a good half day's ride or so, perhaps a little longer, and look for the old Aikman farmstead with two great barns. It is a humble place, to be sure, but being humble should put us in good stead.

I am in the process of securing a small force of labor to live at the farm and work its fields. It is my intention that any would-be knight labor beside them, as well as in the forge.

I also have a question if I may pose of your Lordship. I am curious if His majesty requires us to pay taxes to the local government and, on a broader but related note, if we fall beneath local law jurisdiction? Will we be responsible to the constabulary or only directly to the King, or some other office of His Majesty's design?

Wishing you good health and prosperity,

Malaroth of Zachea

Aldwin Gilby, Lord Hawkesbury, sat at a large oak desk inlaid with images of flowers and serpents. The desk was strewn with papers, quills, an inkpot, blotter, wax, and other implements of correspondence. Large candelabras of lit candles fended off the night’s darkness that was set upon the drawing room that the Minister used as his study within the impressive Amesbury Estate.

Hawkesbury’s high collar was unfastened and hung open, revealing his throat. His Adam’s apple rose and fell as he swallowed a mouthful of Madeira. He plucked a standing bottle and emptied the remaining contents into his glass. A few, small drops of the fortified wine sprinkled from the glass, leaving purple speckles upon the letters that sat atop three piles. Hawkesbury didn't seem to mind, but he did turn his attention to the collection of papers.

The first pile consisted of letters that allowed for an instantaneous reply. The second was of letters that required no such labor and would likely be used as a firestarter. The third were letters that required some sort of action before they could be settled. Some of them needed investigation, some an in-person visitation, and again others required the council of another person before response.

It was not uncommon for Hawkesbury to break the wax seals of his letters, read them, set them upon their appropriate pile, and then carry on with his day-to-day activities, housing little care for promptness of reply. Few men held the luxury of Hawkesbury’s immediacy. It was an eventuality that Hawkesbury would take the time--most often after a large dinner and a generous amount of drink--to sit at his desk and deal with the ever-growing stack of messages.

This was one such evening.

So it was that Hawkesbury plucked the first letter from the top of the third pile. He read it again, reacquainting himself with its contents. Blue eyes scanned the handwriting and focused upon the name -- Malaroth of Zachea. He did not know this man, nor had he heard the name before. However, the letter read with familiarity; it was written as if Hawkesbury would most certainly already know of the Order’s presence in the Wood and that they were there in service of the King. Hawkesbury had received no notification of such. But, of course, the King was under no obligation to send Hawkesbury a note upon every action His Majesty saw fit to perform. Or, perhaps, His Highness did send a message, but it had not find its way to him yet. Either way, it only made sense to respond pleasantly to the knight and then send a letter to His Majesty inquiring after the Order and its business in the Wood.

As for the knight’s questions, well the answers seemed obvious enough. The Order had obviously not been granted the land by the King; rather they had acquired it themselves. As such, they were responsible for local taxes. Of course, the King would get his share eventually one way or the other. As for their jurisdiction under the law, since this Malaroth was asking the question, it was clear that the King had not specifically granted them the freedom to operate without molestation of the local constabulary. That meant that they clearly were responsible to the local law enforcement as well.

Hawkesbury took another deep tuck from his glass and then set to scribing the letter to the knight…

[indent]To the honorable Malaroth of Zachea, Order of the Shepherd Knights of the Silver Staff; Aldwin Meriwether Gilby, 3rd Baron Hawkesbury, 1st Baron Amesbury, Minister of Myrken Wood – Greetings.

It pleases to hear that you have both located and acquired the lands that you require for your service to His Majesty. I would very much like to see your developing operation and shall announce when such a visit is to occur.

As for your queries, having heard naught to the contrary, your Order and its members are responsible both for local taxation and to the Myrken Judiciary and Constabulary in regard to all legal matters criminal and civil.

May the One God grant your Order continued success in its endeavors.

Done by my hand this Tenth of June, Anno Regalis Two Hundred and Seven.[/indent]
The Minister sealed the letter with wax, wrote upon its outside the name of its intended, and placed it in a wooden box that held other letters fit for delivery.

Hawkesbury then picked up the next letter and continued the evening’s work. Time would tell how many he would complete before he decided to call it a night.