Heartache....

[SWMyers@aol.com]

Poster: SWMyers@aol.com

Sent this to both Galmr and Katherina (separately).  What do you think?


In a message dated 96-07-08 22:07:23 EDT, a friend Knight from Trimaris
writes:

<<  Dear Bran,
  
    It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.........
 
     The war was great in some respects the war was wonderful, in 
 others it was the worst.  It will be tough to get the Trimarian 
 Knights to come back to a war with Atlantia.  The problem was not the 
 majority of the Atlantian army but oonly about 12-15 guys who were 
 playing a different game.  
    We outnumbered the combined Atlantian-Meridian host by over 
 thirty fighters, but we lost virtually every battle except for the 
 bridge battle with archery.  Every batttle came down to the same 
 thing, 5-10 of the same Atlantians and 10-20 Trimarians.  The smaller 
 number of Atlantians would wade through the Trimarians and win the 
 battle without losing a man.  After fighting these same guys, the 
 story is the same.  They are playing a different game.  
    The culprits are the guys in Moose Lodge and their kin.  The worst 
 of them are not the Knights but the wanna be's.  Is that how one is 
 knighted in Atlantia?  One of the most excessive was one lad who I 
 watched beaten to his knees and left for dead, he then rose like 
 Lazarus and jumped back into the melee.  Kane was standing next to me 
 as I watched in horror, and proudly proclaimed that he was on the 
 short list for Knighthood after you new Prince. AHHHHHHHH!
      In frustration I fought all these guys I could after the 
 battles.  Anton called every blow I hit him with, Kane was pristine 
 and even gave much harder than he took.  The worst of the lot in the 
 battles were those in this little incestuous little group who fight 
 in the same practices and play their own game.
    After talking to many of the rest of the fighters in your 
 Kingdom that evening they supported my contention that these guys 
 don't play the same game as the rest of us, and commiserated that 
 these are the guys who win the lists and get all the recognition.
    I took my concerns to one of the offenders and I was taken aback 
 by one of the main excuses for their blow calling being much higher.  
 He informed me that they were fighting in plate and thus should be 
 harder to kill!  Yikes!  When I inquired further I found that this 
 little heresy is one of the main mantras of the immortal known as 
 Bedford.  So that is how it works.
      I have a new respect for the adversity that you face in that 
 Kingdom.  What is even worse is that these guys seem to run the show. 
 They only make up a small number of the fighters but they spread it 
 like disease, they show that it works and others join the sleeze.
     Bytor was nearly in tears after the battles, he thought that 
 these guys were his friends and respected him, they may like him but 
 they don't respect him.  He has learned a very hard lesson.  In the 
 future he will be polite but he won't play the fool forr these guys 
 again.
    What concerns Trimaris more is the growing influence over Gulf War. 
 The Atlantian in group is in very tight with Inman, he even camps 
 with them.  Their behavior at the "Friendship Battle" and the 
 political manuvering with the allies with be the death of this 
 wonderful war.  Is winning that inportant? 
     There is a growing movement in Trimaris not to play with 
 Atlantia. Further, it is all due to about a dozen guys!  I don't know 
 what to do.  I like Atlantia, Iike most of the people, some such as 
 yourself are asset to the Society as a whole.  I wan to continue to 
 interact with yor Kingdom but it is getting difficult.
    Our Knights are undecided as well.  Some of the many ideas put 
 forward are a special unit made to just knock these guys on their 
 ass, forget about trying to kill them.  The problems with this idea 
 are that it would raise tensions and may lead to alot more animosity. 
 Another idea is to draft a public petition to send to the Knights of 
 the known world.  We have dealt with dishonor before by shunning we 
 don't know if it would work with the known world.  The third solution 
 is not to fight Atlantia or at least the element that is causing the 
 problem, unfortunatly that means not fighting Atlantia at all.  I 
 doubt that the rest of the atlantian army would be willing to cutt 
 them loose.
     In other news, your Crown Prince made a very poor impression 
 after the event as he abused the waitress serving the meal to his 
 group that was next  to us.  He srikes me as more than a bit off a 
 red neck.  Is fighting all you guys Knight for?
   Hey, I still want to get a list of all the good Atlantian events 
 South  of Virgina.  I would also still like to come up and see you 
 and your group.  Perhaps we can find a novel way to deal with the 
 above problems before they blow. >>

This letter makes me want to cry.  In part, because I know this man speaks
for the majority of his Kingdom, but mostly, because I fear that his
assessments are entirely too correct.  I serve Your Majesties with all of my
heart, but this is killing me.

BRAN
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