A Heavy Quill

[!] An unkindness of ravens would flock the nations of Eden to deliver this missive to their boards. [!]
Saintsday 16, Godsnight, 1554

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It is with an urgent hand that I write these words. From the beginning of its formation The Ardyn was meant to be a faction of neutrality where its members would offer aid to all those in need against the horrors of the Void and the monsters of our plane. It is written within our very code that this neutrality is to be upheld by our members and the breaking of that code is why I send this missive out to the people of Eden. As it is, Konrad von Drachenfels has broken one of The Ardyn’s most important and upheld laws. The Law of Neutrality ensures The Ardyn will show no bias in where its support is lent and who is saved from the depths of evil this world has for the innocents. Without it, we would not be able to offer the nations of Eden an assured mind that we help with no crossed fingers behind the back. The Law of Neutrality is as written:


“Law of Neutrality | Hunters of the Ardyn are to understand that the faction maintains a neutral relation to all other nations and any action that breaks this neutrality will result in the Hunter being stripped of their license and any title they may have had within the faction. The individual will be exiled until amends have been made with the nation they have fractured neutrality with. Upon the individual restoring neutrality, they may try for an appeal before the Council of Three and the Overseer, in which the Overseer will have the final say as to if the exiled individual will be allowed to return to their duties as a hunter and citizen of The Ardyn.”


Konrad von Drachenfels has broken this law when he posted his missive about his ill intent towards the Hadrian Empire. The misguided man and the Empire have a long standing relationship of disagreement and it has come around to harm the leadership of The Ardyn. Such is the reason I must officially state, as a member of the Council of Three, that from here on out Konrad von Drachenfels will be summarily banished and exiled from The Ardyn. He will be unable to claim the title as a licensed Hunter within The Ardyn and is encouraged to settle his disputes with the Empire. Hopefully with this official statement, The Ardyn can start making steps to heal after the blows it has been dealt in its early stages.
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Signed,

Council Member and Ardyn Ambassador
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[Azeruz1]

Konrad stood at the edge of the forest clearing, his breath caught in the cool night air. The distant hum of cicadas filled the silence, yet it felt deafening to him. His hands rested on the pommel of his blade, gripping it with a quiet intensity as his gaze lingered on the horizon- a line he could no longer cross, even in thought.


Exiled.


The word settled like a stone in his chest, heavier than the armor he'd left behind. He had expected betrayal from the Empire; that was a given. But from the Ardyn? From the very people he'd bled for, fought beside, dreamed with? His fingers trembled briefly before he tightened them into a fist, grounding himself against the flood of anger and grief. It was not Virgil's fault, he told himself. It was not Odette's. They had no choice. But the pain still cut deep- deeper than any blade ever had. His own creation had cast him aside to save what was left of its soul. And now, all he could do was watch from the shadows as the world he'd fought to protect continued without him.


His eyes stung, though no tears fell. Instead, his jaw clenched as he whispered to the wind, "I understand. But damn you... it still hurts. I hope you take care of mein family. The path I will thread is no place for familial bonds."

Turning away from the clearing, he moved toward the darkened path ahead. His steps were slow, heavy with the weight of loss, but his resolve carried him forward. If exile were his burden, he would bear it proudly.​