A Formal Declaration of War by the New Society Against the Congregation

Purpose

To declare a state of war against the Congregation that governs the Salynas Archipelago.

Historical Details

Background

In the past decade before the document was written, The New Society formed as a coalition of islands in the south part of the Outer Lands who had grown frustrated with the lack of effective governance over their territories by The Congregation. Their new king was declared as one Acher Frenn.
In the months leading up to this letter, a political dinner between representatives of the Congregation and of the New Society in order to discuss borders met on an island known as Jeti. During this dinner, an assassin named Hart Rixton almost succeeded in assassinating Lord Salazar of Yontara, which was a New Society island. Though Salazar survived the assassination attempt due to the efforts of a healer named Ophelia, tensions became stretched to a breaking point between the two factions.
When Rixton escaped several weeks later from the custody of Arbiter Kazilon, who had hosted the dinner, he made his way to Qina in order to attempt to kill Acher Frenn. He was unsuccessful, but Frenn suspected that Arbiter Kazilon had contracted Rixton, shattering any hope of peace. 
Meanwhile, the Second Circle island of Banoa was taken over by a pirate coalition called the Bloody Scourge. The occupation lasted for a little less than a week before being ended by an adventuring group called The Songbirds. This became news across the archipelago, and many began to feel that if the Congregation could not protect the home of its Grand Arbiter then what was it good for? Acher Frenn used this time of confusion to give his declaration of war.

Read the Document

A Formal Declaration of War by the New Society Against the Congregation

To the Members of the Congregation of the Salynas Archipelago Who Sit in Office on This Day.

My name is Acher Frenn, known to the people of the New Society as King Acher Frenn. I choose not to introduce myself in this manner for I know that you do not recognise the title that my people have chosen to call me. I will say that I am greatly saddened by this, for the Congregation claims to represent the interests of the people who it governs. And yet, when they decide that they should prefer a King to a collection of Arbiters, you choose to ignore them.

For so long, the people of the Outer Lands have been rejected by the ruling elite of the Congregation. Our grain and stone and wood are taken from us to build homes for those in the Great Centre, and we are told that we shall enjoy the same prosperity that comes to them. But many of our people struggle to find the food that they need to survive. Pirates ravage our shores, and the navy that you say protects us is either too ill-equipped, ill-trained, or ill-caring to protect us. Once it was only the Outer Lands who suffered so, but now we have all seen how they did nothing to help Banoa when those pirates took it over for their own ends. Days of suffering and a high death toll, and what did the Congregation do? I am glad of the valiant efforts of the adventurers that liberated the people of Banoa, and believe that they should be greatly rewarded for their efforts, but we should not have to rely on chance and the goodwill of adventurers to protect us.

I did not wish for war, and know that I therefore send this declaration with a heavy heart. But the assassination attempt at the talk on Jeti has shown me that a peaceful outcome is no longer feasible. Then I find that the same assassin has escaped from his supposed secure holdings by a member of your Congregation, and he appears in my home attempting to kill me. No, it is clear to me that the only language that your Congregation will deal in is violence, and so I must deal out the same.

I hereby give this declaration. The New Society, which includes any islands who stand with our ideals of liberty and fairness, is now at war with the Congregation. Any ship bearing the Congregation colours that enters our waters will be attacked and destroyed. Those who were in the employ of the Congregation who lived and worked upon these islands have been given the choice to leave or be taken as a prisoner of war. Any act of aggression against us will be met with equal or greater force. The New Society will no longer do the work of the Congregation, and so all shipments of goods that had been extorted from us will now cease. We will use these materials to built homes and communities, as well as warships and defences.

If the Congregation wishes to accept the terms of our annexation that have previously been sent, they may do so and end the war. Until such a time, we will kill anyone of the Congregation who crosses us.

Signed, in the presence of all of the Lords and Ladies of the New Society,

King Acher Frenn.

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Medium

Paper

Authoring Date

03-05-1783

Ratification Date

13-05-1783

Authors

• Acher Frenn

Signatories (Characters)

• Acher Frenn

Signatories (Organizations)

• The New Society