The Repatriation of the Hinterlands

[HerrVonAdmiral]

[!] The Declaration was nailed on the notice boards of the Human nations of Eden and Avalheim, with copies sent to the Zaithrall family [!]

Saintsday 24, Starfall, 1539

For the first time since the fall of Wakkerdam in 1523 the Hinterlands are ruled by a Hinterlander again.
The Keizer of Hadriana and his Imperial Diet have seen fit to allow me, Hertog Silas Moetiour- van Leuveren, Prince of Catamora and Protector of the Hinterlands to take up lordship in the castle of Leeuwenmark (OOC: Löwemarke).

Remembering the Past
It is with great humility that I hereby take responsibility and restore the honor of my House in the Empire of Man.
Whereby usurping reavers have overtaken my seat in the north in a waining 'revolution', they have additionally betrayed our culture and the spirit of what it means to be a Hinterlander. On my honor as a Van Leuveren, and as a man who has stood up to protect my people many times I shall now continue to preserve our culture within our ancestral lands.

For hundreds of years the Hinterlanders have lived in the regions surrounding the halflings of Mapledale, our collection of tribes once spread from the castle of Helstein all the way to Ceril's Keep. And there our people have thrived in the past. After the Ninety Years War against the Attians our peoples united to form the first Kingdom of Hadriana. This union did not break or meddle with the independent free spirit that every Hinterlander posseses it strengthened it. Together Attians and Hinterlanders have overcome great dangers to our way of life. They have stood together to defeat the first demonic spirits to ever come out of Magna Attia and only together can we survive to ensure the continuity of the Human Race.

[Decorative image of the Ninety Years War]

Overcoming the Past
The Republic of Raevendrecht has failed, its walls town down by illgotten revolutionary mad men and it is replaced by a waining, dying nation in the preying eyes of the Bone Lord himself. I tell you this, the revolutionary apparatus which has replaced my honest leadership of our people cares not for the Hinterlander, it cares not for the preservance of your culture, it cares not for your independent spirit. I promise uppon thee, all innocent Hinterlanders who are trapped in the grasb of this revolution a wellcoming reception in my hall. However to reunite once more means to reconcile with Hadriana as well. The new Empire is a mirrage of the fair old Kingdom where Hinterlanders and Attians once stood. In the Hinterlands we have representation in the Imperial Diet and Courts. We finally have religious guidance in this new Empire, and a generous economy. I would extend you, the innocent Hinterlanders this hand. Return home and repatriate to the lands where our ancestors have lived for a thousand years.

[Drawing of Slot Leeuwenmark (coordinates: 364, -831)]

Onwards a Brighter Future
My people I grant you this chance for a brighter future, a future in the lushy vineyards of the Hinterlands. I am in need of artists to preserve our songs, of poets to recite our stories and artisans to make our art. I require able men to fell giant trees in het Leeuwenbos and I need ladies to prepare the finests of Hinterlander wines in our vineyards. I call uppon thee to preserve our culture, and let out our neverending creed as we look on to the future and say:

'Merck toch Hoe Sterck'.



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Signed:
Hertog Silas Moetiour- van Leuveren
OOC: OUR DISCORD: https://discord.gg/E6RPC6RC6r​

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[Appenzell]

Amid the quiet and hushed corridors of Raevendrecht Stad, Zell's keen eyes fell upon a letter pinned to the board. Silas's distinctive handwriting stood out against the parchment, in stark contrast to the notices and missives that surrounded it.

With a sense of gravity, Zell plucked the letter from the board and retreated into the dimly lit chambers of the keep of Raevendrecht. A single candle on the ornate desk flickered, casting a warm glow on the aged wooden surface. Zell settled into a high-backed chair, unfolded the parchment, and began to read the words that Silas had written.

As he neared the end of Silas's letter Zell's would start to think, and with a determined resolve, he reached for a quill and parchment. In the flickering candlelight, he composed his own response, the ink flowing from his pen as he carefully considered each word before sending the letter on it's way to Slot Leeuwenmark.

Dear Silas van Leuveren,

Congratulations on your ascension to the Hertogschap. The regrettable falling out between us still weighs heavy on my heart.

Your letter about your repatriation of the Hinterlands has reached me, and I must admit, I am both intrigued and concerned by this bold endeavor. It's heartening to see you taking action in the reclamation of the Hinterlands, but I couldn't help but notice that the lands you now rule are but a fraction of the true Hinterlands. The absence of Slot Hellstein, Bergwald, and the old town of Wakkerdam looms large, leaving a void that cannot be ignored.

I understand the desire to return to the Hinterlands, but I harbor doubts about the true extent of your freedom under Hadriana's overlordship. The history between the Hinterlanders and Hadrian's rule is stained with blood and treachery. These same people once oppressed the Hinterlanders, brutally murdered Arnoud van Leuveren, your own uncle, put the gallow of his hanging on our own border as a mockery and spearheaded the invasion of the Vrystaat. The scars of these events run deep, and I wonder if the wounds can ever fully heal.

Silas, I'm torn between praising your ability to forgive your enemies or to call out the idiocy to rejoin those who have put you and the Hinterland people through much suffering.

Nonetheless, I wish you good luck and the strength and wisdom to avoid what your great uncle could not.

Zell van Zessen