It always amazes me when people waste their time and money on ranting
posts when they have no clue about the politics of the situation they
are going on about. It puts me in the mood for a rant of my own and
fuels my desire to insult as many people as possible while educating the
masses. So I shall.

Now I am an outsider here, I don't believe in wars. They are torn gowns
and mussed hair waiting to happen and I'm just not willing to risk it.
But by no means do I sit in the dark with my perfect hair and immaculate
manicure. I listen to all the gossip while the House slaves tend my
daily toilet. Perhaps you should take the time to have a much-needed
manicure and open your ears rather than your mouth.

You've mentioned your fears that Bloodloch will return to a
dictatorship. My dear, it is a dictatorship. Kauller routinely kicks out
everyone who disagrees with her and she does her very best to fill the
council with family. She has, and would still if those pesky citizens of
hers hadn't pointed out that it was against the law.

Further, Bloodloch is Imperialistic. Should Ashtan sit and allow the
imperialistic nature of Kauller's regime to run unchecked? I am shocked,
really, that Shallam pulled out considering that they are in just as
much danger. Now she's tried to be sneaky about her imperialism, but,
really, she's not all that clever.

So you see, my dear, Ashtan is not helping Nebre'seir, they are using
his alliance to further their own initiative. It's just politics.

Bloodloch has a prominent citizen running about killing people and
taking their body parts to do Varian-knows-what. If that's not reason
for a raid, I don't know what is. The Dowager Montagonet was one of the
most respected citizens of Ashtan, I'm sorry if you don't understand
that, which isn't surprising as, sadly, many Ashtanites don't understand
who and what she was either.

As for Prince Nebre'seir's involvement, he's never made any secret of
his displeasure that Kauller, using trickery, (against even those who
supported the coup) displaced his father and, tearing recklessly through
the whole line of heirs, took his throne. But, you see, this isn't her
greatest crime. She also drove all the True Blood Houses from Bloodloch
and replaced them with riffraff. Now, I'm not saying that riffraff
hasn't a right to be there. Every city has riffraff. But to drive entire
families, families who were there long before she was, from their
ancestral home, simply because of the danger they presented to her
position. Now there is something.

Now before you go jumping up and down saying "but those houses left
willingly" please note that I used the phrase DROVE OUT as opposed to
KICKED OUT. The laws that she made, requiring families to chose between
the city and their House (which is ridiculous as Bloodloch is an
extended family while the Houses are immediate family.) drove even the
most stalwart Houses from Bloodloch. And all the time she makes new laws
to make it difficult for her citizens to be loyal to their own blood
unless they belong to one of those Houses whose existence and formation
I can't really fathom. They seem to just sprout out of the ground or
Kauller's backside.

Despite your propaganda, or perhaps just uninformed statements, his
Highness never had any more of a hold on Bloodloch than anyone else on
the council. He was just one voice in five and at the very end, that
voice fell on deaf ears. 'Twas a sad scene really. (See, I can be as
melodramatic as you!) I can't imagine why anyone would want the job of
putting Bloodloch back together after the mess that's been made of it.
Best, I think to fill it in and start over. But really, thinking about
it, crazy Prince Nebre'seir would be better than psycho Kauller any day.

As for you, Melody, I'm ashamed. A big Infernal like you. Did you
honestly believe that Bloodloch's crimes against its own citizens would
go unchecked? Would Bloodloch let it? Did you believe, truly, that they
could send a party into Ashtan to kill one of her oldest and most
respected citizens without repercussion? Not to mention helping to make
fools of a mob of them. Considering that Prince Nebre'seir's been
chomping at the bit for war since Kauller arrived on the scene, it was
really very stupid to waltz into Ashtan and give him an ally. But,
really, I don't expect anything more from Bloodloch these days.

As for my House, we are amused and quite content to watch. Bahir'an has
no involvement in this war. If you need a reason, it's simple. We have
family in Bloodloch, in Shallam and in Ashtan. We, as a House, do not
officially ally with any city, though we like some better than others.
And so we shall watch and be amused. Our hands shall remain clean and
our nails unbroken. Although, I do expect that Kauller will send her
hounds after me again, as she did the last time I insulted her. See, she
doesn't like to muss her hair either.

As for Bloodloch, I suggest you submit to a search, allow Ashtan's
people in, turn over your lich. And for death's sake quit making up
stuff to whine about!

Penned by my hand on the 2nd of Khepary, in the year 74 MA.