A city was too lofty a target, Vanmoriel, so you simply lowered your gaze.

A guild was shooting a little too high as well. You just lowered your gaze further.

It seems that the most suitable target for you, Vanmoriel, is somebody's coinpurse. After all, it doesn't have a guild rank you have to worry about diminishing, and you don't have to worry about it contesting you for a position you abused afterwards. You don't even have to exile it from your guild when it tells you what a poor decision you are making. Instead of simply slaying a Mukhtar, you broke in to the city and robbed her alongside Kryss Miyunae, helping yourself to over one and half million gold sovereigns from Celestine's pouch.

When you tried to barter for peace between yourself and Antioch, Vanmoriel, you spoke of compromise. My response was simple:

"A man does not compromise with his own shadow. He merely tells the shadow where to follow him, and the shadow is forced to."

The guilds of Antioch are the property of the city, extensions of her will, and are thus her loyal subjects. They do not seek 'compromise' with the higher power of the city government. They submit to the law of the city and the command of the Shah or Farah, and the Mukhtars that comprise the entirety of the city council. Instead of doing that, you sought to convince me to let you get away with your crimes. You sought to convince me that the definition of compromise was, 'Vanmoriel gets to do what she wants, and the city of Antioch does not punish her for it'. Your offered deal was, 'I will retain my enemy status, but I will be allowed to retain the position of Invoker. In exchange for this, the Crusaders will be given back their shop and access to their Cathedral'. At what point is this a compromise, besides in the little world you live in, where you have convinced yourself that you have more support than a fellow two-bit thief? At what point is allowing you to escape with no punishment a victory for the city that you have wronged, that you have brought strife and a half-hearted attempt at war to?

Regarding my 'theft' from the Crusaders, Aetherius, allow me to take you aside on a lesson of Antiochian Law:

" iii. Property owners must be citizens in good standing. The property of any person who leaves
Antioch is subject to immediate seizure at the discretion of the ruling council and the Chancellor.

Please note the movable contents of any property seized for the above reasons are also subject to
seizure."

The Forge of the Lion, the shop of the Crusaders, was repossessed because Vanmoriel, as Invoker, declared the guild to be rebelling against the city. As the Cruaders are considered the entity that owns the shop, the Crusaders broke this section of property ownership laws by falling out of good standing with the city. When the shop was repossessed, we exercised the Shops and Homes section of our laws to also take any property within. Everything done to the Crusaders was entirely legal. If anybody cared about the 'murders' in my city between two citizens, the law quite firmly dictates that they have recourse to pursue their objections. The people that are murdered are mature enough to view death as it is: a momentary experience. Nobody cares that you have been wronged. Nobody cares that you were caught redhanded trying to bring about a 'glorious revolution' or a 'purification'. You are two people. You have one remaining traitor inside my city. I know his name, Vanmoriel Sa'Gael.

You are alone, Vanmoriel. You will be hunted until you give up your mad quest for undeserved retribution. You will be slain until you return the goods you stole. There is no place that is safe besides the small space behind Charon, so you had best budge over so Kryss can fit, too.


-- Sarrius Ignatius Chytovil

Penned by my hand on the 25th of Ultio, in the year 42 AM.