The #Broken_Dagger Forum

I, Giscard Guillaume, Lord of Lothbury Estate, Councilor of the Myrken Wood Judiciary In Regards To Commerce and Trade, Interim Governor Etc., to Coriolanus Helstone, Esq., Barrister; to His Honour Suede Roschen, the Councilor of Agriculture; to His Honour Kerrak al'Nerun, the Councilor of Defence and Civil Security: Greetings.

It is my pleasure to announce the election of Barrister Coriolanus Helstone to the Myrken Wood Judiciary Council, in the seat of Councilor of Administrative Sanctions. A Meetinghouse office has been prepared for the Councilor's use; he will kindly find there the accoutrements and utensils of Council to which his seat entitles him.

Done by my hand at the Estates of Lothbury, this 3rd day of May,
Giscard Guillaume.


It is Waverley Jacobs, Guillaume's personal courier, who will deliver this scrolled parchment to the very hand of Barrister Helstone. But then, by the time he unfurls the sturdy stuff to examine the letter's contents, they might already prove redundant; by the day's early afternoon, criers have already been sent into the streets to make this announcement public.

Myrken Wood town criers are notoriously loud, especially to ears that are nearly infinitely tiny compared to theirs. As news of Helstone's new appointment reaches the ears of a certain pink fairy monarch sitting on a rock by the shore of Silver Lake, the owner of those ears cringes a moment in surprise at the volume before actually listening. In the long run, however, there's a brief sadness: there seems to be no mention of an Aloisius Treadwell being succeeded at all.

"Forgotten so soon, Richard? Hmph. Well! At least you've a man in the right spot!"

And so it is that Richard Aengus of New Hibera returns home to send Helstone a note of his own, which will arrive to his law office magically sized to nearly appropriate bigling proportions.

= = = = =
To Coriolanus Helstone, Councilor of Administrative Sanctions, Myrken Wood

Greetings and congratulations!

I, like I suppose most in Myrken Wood by now, have quite recently heard of your advancement to my most recently held political position. Congratulations are certainly in order, sir, and I wish you a successful future ahead of you on the Council. You're certainly the sort of fellow that Myrken Wood needs guiding its future--monetarily and politically.

While I know my former office might not end up your current one, if it does, and if you need assistance in deciphering any of my perfectly horrid script or numbers, do let me know and make an official (though, I'm sure, admittedly brief due to safety concerns) invitation, and I will be quite glad to help you with all of that in any way, shape, or form--assuming that my former records are still in there and intact, of course. If the Council wishes, in order to avoid any possible trickery or mishaps or misunderstandings, such a meeting may be witnessed by the other Council members. I assure you that no guards from whatever law-enforcing body currently exists would be necessary.

Also, I do ask that you further seek a settlement concerning my former properties--from the cottage by Silver Lake to the now quite sadly empty toy store in town. All of that can certainly be paid for quite easily--and possibly quite excessively--with a note to the right man.

Last, but certainly not least at all, I wish to establish a sincerely pleasant connection between the governments of Myrken Wood and New Hibera. It has been over sixty-one years since I've had the honor and pleasure of working for such aims with former long-passed Myrken officials from my role as king. I should hope that I am trusted and accepted by all, especially given my time, however brief, in doing what I could for the Council and for the province.

Give my condolences to the Myrken Wood Council concerning the rumored--or is it official, now?--loss of Governor Bromn. He, despite the rather unusual circumstances he met up with far too often in his time, was an excellent man with a good head on his shoulders and his heart in the right place. He will be dearly missed.

In closing, congratulations are once more in order, Councilor. Do reply as quickly as you might, having whatever courier you send present your message to the usual guards at the entrance to what we New Hiberans know as The Tunnel. It's a six-inch-around passage through the rock wall in the back of the cave we were allotted years past by your predecessors.

By my hand, from my palace library, this 4 May 737 Aengus Reckoning,
Richard Aengus, New Hibera
= = = = =

Helstone's courier boy arrives at six in the morning, to be greeted yet again by a tidy, businesslike barrister who has already risen, dressed, eaten a muffin, and has been scratching away at expensive-looking parchment for a good while, writing letters and making copies of said letters.

"I jus' don't know how he does it," whispers the maid to the boy, when Helstone is across the room. "I'm not sure he even sleeps sometimes!"

----

To the esteemed Councilors of the Myrken Wood Judiciary:

Gentlemen,

Count me honored and delighted by yesterday's announcement, sirs, although I do find the mechanisms and circumstances of my elevation interesting, to say the least -- especially considering that I do not recall a vote being tallied amongst the eligible. Perhaps I have overlooked something?

Nevertheless, I look forward to working with you, and you know that I will endeavour to serve Myrken Wood to the best of my ability -- as I always have.

With gratitude,
Coriolanus Helstone

----

To His Majesty Richard Aengus, King of New Hibera

Your Majesty,

What a pleasure to hear from you again! And I thank you for your congratulations!

Before the announcement, I had been making some small headway on your case, of course, and I beg you to cultivate patience for just a little longer until things settle down.

Is there in any way you can prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that you and the missing Aloisius Treadwell are one and the same? As we move forward, your answer to that question will most likely be crucial. I shall also need to see the original paperwork.

Once a new Governor is elected, I am sure the Council will entertain the matter of a more official or permanent connection between our realm and New Hibera, but I am not invested with the ability to speak more on this subject; likewise, I appreciate your offer to assist with examining the records, but, again, that is something we will need to address a little down the line.

I remember our few talks over afternoon tea while you were Treadwell, and always found then pleasant; I am sure there will be more tea in the future, and amity between our peoples.

Sincerely,
Coriolanus Helstone