Greetings Kinsarmar,
It seems I stand before you humbled. You have surely prevailed in the
end, for the conflict is over at a word and you have given up nothing.
Your wares are your own to sell to whom you wish, and your laws are free
to alienate any from Stavenn, through their presence or any of their
abilities wether they oppose your ideals or not. Kinsarmar was occupied
for nine days, completely in the control in the Empire. However even
with that we could not claim victory for the simple fact your pride
would never admit to such. We had no choice but to withdraw and concede.
We realized that no matter how hard we fought, no matter how far we
advanced, and no matter how much we took from you that you would still
cling onto the last shreds of what was yours. No matter the
circumstance. It was your freedom you spoke of in your every response.
Freedom to hate, deny and oppress any Stavennite who enters your city.
That is how I see it, and it is your right that you have won. You claim
of Stavenn's oppression on a daily basis, however I do not see any of
our laws denying you anything. The very same oppression that your
citizens deal with in Antioch does not phase you, as you can even
publicly thank them for coming to your cause.
I spoke for the Empire when I asked for your surrender, and the terms I
offered were fair only if you would have admitted defeat. But you did
not, so the terms will be forever recorded in history as unreasonable.
Never once did you offer terms of a lesser degree, and never once did we
find out if it would have been enough to end things. Perhaps your pride
could never have accepted having to follow under an Imperator, but the
picture I painted was not such a horrible one. The only reason such a
picture was painted under such terms is that it is beyond pointless to
even question if you would have accepted such an alliance by your own
decision.
As a Noctusari I follow four aspects. The pursuit of knowledge, power,
unity, and the right to practice my magick. These are the prime
directives of the Noctusari, and at the base and most direct meaning I
can't believe that you would disagree with their intent. Yet, a good
portion of your canon denies me that. You would never accept such an
alliance through your own will because of a hatred that is carried to
the present by your ancestors. You will never change those views because
your every action causes a reaction that will only solidify and
strengthen that hatred amongst your citizens. There will never be an
alliance, or even an occupation because your blindsighted views will
never be defeated. You would never admit to such. You can never be
defeated Kinsarmar, the only thing that we could do to you is destroy
you...and that is something that will take more resources than we are
willing to commit. For no matter if we burned your city to the ground,
there would always be a Kinsarmarian somewhere who would continue the
fight and rebuild. For this reason, and this reason alone...the war is
over.
There is only one thing that I have ever wanted, and that is glory for
my empire. No matter what you say and no matter what retort you have, I
have seen that glory in the streets of your city. I have seen...and no
matter what history records, I will remember. I will never join the
tendency many follow in an absolute need to have the last word. Whatever
your response, enjoy it as these are the only words I will give on a
subject now dead to me.
Glory to the Empire,
Martyn Faris, Ephor of Stavenn...
Penned by my hand on the 25th of Ultio, in the year 464 AD.
