Sorrel and Prayer
Posted by Apostate on 12/16/20
Gossip spreads throughout the city of Arx from the types of people that really enjoy gossip far too much about an altercation at the Seraceni Manor during a Naval Warfare Symposium, hosted by Marquis Dio Seraceni for different military leaders to plan for battle against the Eurusi Skal'dajan forces. Apparently, as breathlessly described by gossips, Princess Sorrel Thrax decided to bizarrely pick a fight with the Marquis over not opening the meeting with a prayer, when the host of the Naval War Symposium decided to actually talk about naval warfare before praying. The princess was greatly ofended, and in what has already been written in thousands of white journals, dared to address the host with, "Marquis Dio, I realize that you're a known criminal with a reputation for being tasteless, but honestly, we are gathered here as a Compact, and as Arvani with Faith in the Pantheon, we start every gathering with a prayer." And then had the temerity to imply that due to Dio's lack of Faith, she could convince the Grandmasters of the Templars to not assist with the war effort.
There's a whole lot wrong with this, in the eyes of almost every Peer of the Realm.
Firstly, starting every meeting with a prayer is news to the Faith. Certainly, full state functions for the Compact, such as the Assembly of Peers, is started with a prayer. The Oathlands Orthodox and hardline traditionalist Thraxian houses that are sticklers for protocol and formality start with prayers. It's not particularly common elsewhere, and it is certainly not standard in the Lyceum.
Secondly, while Lycene iconoclasts appreciate the temerity of someone insulting a host in their own home, they don't appreciate it enough to cover for someone creating that kind of scandal. If one is invited by a criminal to a meeting, the proper place to mock them is in denying the invitation, as surely someone didn't have an issue enough with it to attend. The groups such as Islander traditionalists that most like the formality of starting with prayer are the ones that least like breaches of protocol such as insulting a host. Frankly, peers in the Mourning Islanders have been stripped of their nobility for less, because any action that brings embarrassment to their house is the exact reason that protocol is followed so rigidly. Victus and his house are much more progressive, but sympathizers to Ivan Helianthus are already speaking more in sorrow than anger about yet another sad example of how far Thrax has fallen, and publicly wondering if it is grounds for Prince Galen to divorce. Most just see it as crass, and some iconoclasts like it, but the trick with doing outrageous things really is surviving the blowback.
Thirdly, the implication that she has sufficient influence with the Grandmaster of the Templars to derail the war effort over a slight is... not great. A Grandmaster of the Templars that would agree to such would likely not be grandmaster much longer, but why is someone who is not even godsworn speaking for the Faith? It creates questions over Preston's associations, and this is coming at a time of religious schism, right after Preston led a battle at Sungreet. Dominus Waldo, the Anti-Dominus, is almost certainly going to use it for intense propaganda purposes about the questionable decisions at the head of the Faith of the Pantheon, and whether the 'godsworn' are too closely entangled with the royals of different houses. Now, in truth, most peers know that's always been a polite fiction and the great houses have always wielded enormous influence on the Faith, but there's a matter of appearances to uphold.
The bottom line? You really don't come into someone's house and pick fights with them. It's unacceptable behavior for a princess of a great house.
There's a whole lot wrong with this, in the eyes of almost every Peer of the Realm.
Firstly, starting every meeting with a prayer is news to the Faith. Certainly, full state functions for the Compact, such as the Assembly of Peers, is started with a prayer. The Oathlands Orthodox and hardline traditionalist Thraxian houses that are sticklers for protocol and formality start with prayers. It's not particularly common elsewhere, and it is certainly not standard in the Lyceum.
Secondly, while Lycene iconoclasts appreciate the temerity of someone insulting a host in their own home, they don't appreciate it enough to cover for someone creating that kind of scandal. If one is invited by a criminal to a meeting, the proper place to mock them is in denying the invitation, as surely someone didn't have an issue enough with it to attend. The groups such as Islander traditionalists that most like the formality of starting with prayer are the ones that least like breaches of protocol such as insulting a host. Frankly, peers in the Mourning Islanders have been stripped of their nobility for less, because any action that brings embarrassment to their house is the exact reason that protocol is followed so rigidly. Victus and his house are much more progressive, but sympathizers to Ivan Helianthus are already speaking more in sorrow than anger about yet another sad example of how far Thrax has fallen, and publicly wondering if it is grounds for Prince Galen to divorce. Most just see it as crass, and some iconoclasts like it, but the trick with doing outrageous things really is surviving the blowback.
Thirdly, the implication that she has sufficient influence with the Grandmaster of the Templars to derail the war effort over a slight is... not great. A Grandmaster of the Templars that would agree to such would likely not be grandmaster much longer, but why is someone who is not even godsworn speaking for the Faith? It creates questions over Preston's associations, and this is coming at a time of religious schism, right after Preston led a battle at Sungreet. Dominus Waldo, the Anti-Dominus, is almost certainly going to use it for intense propaganda purposes about the questionable decisions at the head of the Faith of the Pantheon, and whether the 'godsworn' are too closely entangled with the royals of different houses. Now, in truth, most peers know that's always been a polite fiction and the great houses have always wielded enormous influence on the Faith, but there's a matter of appearances to uphold.
The bottom line? You really don't come into someone's house and pick fights with them. It's unacceptable behavior for a princess of a great house.