Age of Heroes

LIGHTMONTH 1022

It was a calm month in Arrandy and Vangua but these will not stay long. Everyone could feel that the clouds are gathering and it is about rain down

Plots and machination of war has started the moment Arial declare to his vassal's lord that war is coming. 

Harald also has been preparing himself and his army waiting for Arial strikes as his spies has informed him of the lord intentions.

On the other hand Silas is returning from the Holy Land with great news concerning the petition that Arial had made on behalf of his claim to the land of Vangua.

The report has been sent to Arial and Arial is satisfied with Silas work with the Church in convincing them of their stance and rights.

Silas made a general case on the Church based on notions of hereditary right and the Arrandian system of bequest and then introduced the irrelevant matter of Harald's perjury in 1021.

The Church in the Holy Cities quickly takes this opportunity assert their power.

The matter of the perjury on the other hand is irrelevant because, even if Harald did actually swear the mightiest oath of vassalage, this neither bound King Edward in his bequest nor the Council of Lords in its ratification; whatever Lord Harald said or did not say, it had no binding power in the matter of the succession. 

Arial and Silas of course both knew of this matter. But they also have a counter argument prepared for the church to convince them to take Arrandy sides in the conflict to come.

Silas produced a turgid olio of arguments, in which the oath that Harald had allegedly swears on the day of Edward coronation, the behavior of the Orleans family in the past, the suspicious murder of King Edward father and the rumor surrounding the Orleans family in that particular matter and the role of Harald in the scheme of things and his father crime to the people of Aetherland are all featured in the worse perspective and rumor mongering on the city wall of the office of the church. 

And Silas being Silas, his argument become the major opinion in the church. 

He may not be a Bishop or a Prince Articon but his way with words made his word carries weight in the Holy Church of Light.

However that is not all Silas did for his lord. It was the last proposition that interested the Supreme Papnoticon Justinian.

Arial pitched his proposal and appeal to the Papnoticon largely on his putative role as the leader of the religious and ecclesiastical reform movement in Arrandy and as a man who would clean the stables of church corruption in Vangua.

It is known to the other rest of the continent that the church in Vangua is plagued with corruption, office passed down instead of being elected from the central authority of the Church; and this weighed heavily with Supreme Papnoticon Justinian, who, thought the churches of the Human Continent is far too remote from papal control. 

It was the abiding dream of the new 'reformist' papnoticon to be universally accepted as the arbiter of thrones and their succession; and Arial knew this ambition of the Supreme Papnoticon and exploited it for Arrandy gains.

Arial's homage therefore constituted as a valuable precedent. 

And looking at the favorable reply of the Supreme Papnoticon, it is not surprising that the highest authority of the church gives him his blessing to the proposed invasion of Vangua.

Arial was smiling widely when he got the news. Harald had made a mistake. 

Why did Harald did not send any emissaries to the holy cities when Arial clearly did it in daylight for everyone to know? It was not like Arial hides his expedition to the Church.

Arial knew why.

Almost certainly, the answer is that Harald thought it a waste of time on two grounds: the method of electing a king in Vangua had nothing to do with the Church authority and it is not a proper area for the Church intervention; and, in any case, the Supreme Papnoticon is now the creature of the Arrandians and would ultimately do what they ordered him to do. 

With all this doubt, one that is even voiced out in Harald court, Harald didn't even bother sending any envoys to the Church.

And Arial admitted Harald is right. This blessing that came from the Church is what Arial need for his invasion to have some weight on the people of the continent.

But although the papnoticon sanction for Arial's 'enterprise of Vangua' is morally worthless, it is both a great propaganda and diplomatic triumph for the Arrandians. 

And this is the reason why Arial took the time, with great patience and forbearance instead of raising his banner and marches straight to the northern border of Vangua.

It is a propaganda victory because it allowed Arial to pose as the leader of crusaders in a holy war, obfuscating and mystifying the base, materialistic motives of his followers and mercenaries. 

It also gave the Arrandians a great mental and morale boost, for they could perceive themselves as God's elect, and it is significant that none of Arial's inner circle Lord Paris, Lord Lisbon entertained doubts about the ultimate success of the Vanguan venture. 

Arrandy now seemed like the spearhead of a confident Lucellian, on the offensive for the first time in centuries, whereas earlier Luceliandom had been beleaguered by Eastian to the north, the Sun Emperor from the east and The Parents of Life and Death to the west. 

Though Arial no doubt admired the Supreme Papnoticon too for his own cunningness. After all Arial also recognize the Papnoticon leader own agenda is mixed with his.

Supreme Papnoticon Justinian's fiat was a diplomatic triumph, too, as papnoticon endorsement for the Arrandian made it difficult for other powers to intervene on Harald's side. 

Arial also pre-empted one of the potential sources of support for the Anglais-Raxons by sending an embassy to the Great Renasia, the Empress Rhyssa Renasi who ruled almost all of the eastern side of the Human Continent; and this, too, was notably successful, which sometimes make Arial suspicious after all the empress is known to be a very aggressive expansionist yet she accept Arial proposition rather well removing a possible barrier to a continent-wide call for volunteers in the 'crusade'. 

The reason why the Ethruskan princess is regarded as an Anglais-Raxons allies is because of her recent annexing of Dostov under Great Renasia effectively putting Dostov under the rule of the Ethruskan.

And as such Arial try to avoid fighting two enemies at once. Thus the envoy and gift sent to the Empress.

Arial believe that maybe Great Renasia is trying to consolidate their new territories before trying to expand again which make the empress decisions to back Arial truly a weird decision one that even Silas with all his sources could not understands why the Empress accept it so easily. 

But by gaining the Empress expressed agreement, Arial could move more freely and unrestricted not worrying about any other threats.

It seemed unlikely that Arial would encounter any obstacles in the Aetherland, for Aetherland is still a paper tiger, compared to the Vermont's run by Adrian. 

The other lords in Aetherland especially two noble lords Barbe and Rechin is still locked in bitter combat this year and this is an opportunity for Arial.

There is something almost supernaturally fortunate in the way Arial became fortuitously free of continental enemies at the very moment Vangua was riven with problem. 

Now the only thing left is the meeting with the nobles in Acro as Arial had been waiting their arrival and both their reply on whether they will share Arial enthusiasm.

Arial is also expecting a gambit plan that he plans the moment he decided to battle for the throne of Vangua. 

Hopefully his letter to that man is view in a favorable way. 

If so, then Arial could exploit the hole in that armor of Harald defense and preparation. Thinking all of this plan in place, Arial is certain of his victories.

Looking outside his study room, he smile as his eyes look over the horizon, seeing something others could not….a vision of victory.

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