Office of the Commander, 31st of Jygust, early MT

[Michel Carbonneau]

Michel had arrived from Pax late eveningtide. He had gone straight to his house, wanting to think about the events and the timing of certain decisions he needed to make. Things had already set into motion and there was no way of going back now. He sat down in his chair in the living room, looking out into the garden. Even if it was night and he couldn't really see anything, it was nice to view the garden in the moonlight. It was soothing. After a mark of planning however, he was yearning for something more soothing and thus, as he assured himself that no one else was awake in the house, he grabbed some of his opium. Ahhh yes...that was the soothingness that he was looking for. He needed to get a good couple of marks of rest before the next day would begin and the opium would give him that rest.

The next morning he went to his office in the palace quite early. As he walked over there, he checked the status of the men he passed, wanting to see how well guarded the palace currently was. If everything had gone to plan, more soldiers would be coming into the city within the next tide.

Once he had settled himself into his office, the commander called for four messengers. Once they were in his office he had several orders for them to write down. First of all he wanted a status update from any legion that the messengers would be visiting. The second order was short and official.


"I, Michel Carbonneau, Commander of the Western Kingdom Armies, hereby declare Martial Law to be in effect all throughout the Western Kingdom until further notice. This means that the military is now in control of the normal administration of justice. Do not enforce any stricter control on the people of the Western Kingdom, unless ordered otherwise."

The third order was to be given together with the second order, but this one was to be given to the people all throughout the Western Kingdom as well.


"Dear people of the Western Kingdom,

Our country has been through a lot in the past yahren. We have lost our great King Balthasar in the last war when the traitors of Worlds Mouth turned against us.

Ever since then, a lot of power hungry people have sought to win the Crown, but we have been able to stop them. The time to watch the old elite argue about who has more claim on the throne is over. I have fought side by side with the Great King Balthasar in many battles and I know that this is not what he would have wanted for his people.

It is therefore that I, Michel Carbonneau, Commander of the Western Kingdom Armies, declare Martial Law to be in effect all throughout the Western Kingdom until further notice. This means that the military is now in control of the normal administration of justice.

The discussions have taken too long and our country needs leadership. Starting today, the military will help with distributing food to the poor, rebuild the walls around our city and help to fight the crime.

There will also be a council tonight. That council will not end until a new King has been chosen. It is what you, the people of the Western Kingdom, deserve. It is what Dominicus wants and we shall honor Him by proving to him that we can make His Kingdom in Tazlure glorious once more.

I call upon all of you to meet me in Court Common at late Trade Tide. Together we will walk to the Palace. Together we will let the members of the council know that we demand a true leader, a true King! In the name of Dominicus!


Michel had tried to keep the language in the message simple, anyone should be able to understand it. He sent out two messengers to deliver the orders to the military through the regular channels. One messenger was sent to spread the word amongst the people. The last one was sent to deliver the messages to the Council members, starting with Lazos and DeRhom. It would be interesting to see how each group would react. He was curious to see how DeRhom and Lazos would respond, if they would respond at all. When he was alone in his office once more, he let out a deep sigh. No way back

[Ashari]

Rest had come quickly with the assistance of his drugs. It wasn't the most restful sleep, but it was better than nothing. With the way his mind was turning it would've been unlikely for him to get sleep any other way.

The palace seemed well guarded with a mixture of Kingstone Guards and Western Kingdom Army members. Servants moved to and fro, a mixture of bulky men carrying crates of laundry needing to be done and young ladies carrying dishrags and buckets.

The messengers, being lead by Aiden Johansson, arrived promptly. He, having left as soon as he'd gotten his message from the Commander, had travelled passionately and delivered the message. "I also have a return for you, sir," he said while recieving the declarations that Michel wanted put out. "It is a verbal one, I hope that is not a problem."

Clearing his throat, he recited that he'd met with troop leaders outside the city itself and that they expected their arrival third mark morningtide - another three marks off from now, but it was plenty early enough for the things that he had planned. It would also give him time to arrange the places where the men would be stationed.

"Perhaps it would be wise to call in several Town Criers for this as well, sir? For those members of the citizenry who are not so apt as to be able to read," Aiden suggested while swiping at a lock of fair blonde hair. "I can deliver this to them, and then.. your message of Martial Law - where, exactly would you like that delivered? The capital cities? -or to your military personel to do with what they will?"

[Michel Carbonneau]

Michel smiled. Aiden was a good man. Always thinking his orders through, so that Michel either didn't have to or coul make sure that it was done just the way that he wanted. "Yeah, call in the Town Criers to give the statement to the people. Give the orders together with the statement to the officers. Send the statement to the capital cities to have town criers give the message to the people there as well."

The commander looked at Aiden. "It usually isn't a good idea to let the officers do what they will with a statement. " He grinned. "Oh. And I have the orders for the new troops that will be arriving into the city. Have them be distributed among the palace and the other watchpoints that I set up yesterday, so that the best men will be at those stations. For the men that will be swapped, I have other business to do. Let 400 men get to the food reserves in the palace. Tell the officer in charge of that group to give orders to the Chatelaine, Inge Witherfield, to give the men a quarter of the reserves. The men will distribute the reserves in the Poor Quarter and in the Downs. Make sure they tell the people that this is just the start. More will come."

He made sure Aiden wrote everything down that he needed to for those orders before continuing with the next. "I also want a group of 600 men to go to the guild of carpenters and the guild of constructors. Make two orders that the Western Kingdom Army will be hiring them to rebuild the city walls. The 600 men will be helping them to rebuild the walls. Let them start at the construction site in the Downs."

There would be around 2000 men coming into the city. The best of those wold be joining the men already at the watch points Michel had set up earlier, so they would be reinforced with a 1000 men. The other 1000 would be rebuilding walls and distributing food in the poor quarter and the downs. That would send out a good signal to the people and make sure he had men in those areas without it looking like they came there to take over the place.

"Do you need any more information for these orders?" He could have asked if he had forgotten anything, but that would mean he would be showing a weakness. This was a better way to ask the same thing.

[Ashari]

"Yes sir, I will call in the Criers, sir," he said. Aiden stayed at attention and listened to what his commanding officer had to say without smile. Though Michel meant what he said next as a joke it didn't seem the messenger got it. Rather, he was a fairly unfunny young man. Good at his job, but humorless.

Aiden noted the commands from Michel, already establishing the order in which he would give them out to his own men as well as which he would handle himself personally. While many military groups didn't see the strength of having a good messenger it seemed that the commander did.

"I believe I have all the information I need," the messenger said as he placed his transcripts in his satchel and saluted before departing for the Gates. That would be his first order of business, as well as briefing his men en route and deciding who would go where and which of the orders were most pressing so as to get those headed out first. Aiden knew for sure he didn't want to deal with the Chatelaine. Someone else could be handed that message.

It left Michel in the relative privacy of his office once again.