[Royal Guard] An announcement from the Captain of the Guard

[Dan]

To all members of the Royal Guard:

Last night in the King's Inn, Magistrate Lytia Seward charged all 
members of the Regency Council with using the Royal Guard to extort 
money from merchants, and placed Councilor Reizeau under arrest. These 
charges are preposterous, a disgusting perversion of the law that the 
Magistrates are supposed to uphold. While I oppose granting citizenship 
to an admitted mass murderess, I cannot support such a blatant, 
politically motivated travesty of justice to occur with the Guard's full 
complicity.

The Guard has long been the Drache's bulwark against the storms of chaos 
that has assaulted it, maintaining order and bringing criminals to 
justice through plague, famine, fire, and undead attacks. Indeed, before 
the Council existed, and before Magistrates had any authority beyond 
their courtrooms, the Guard kept Drache from descending into utter 
anarchy while the city remained without a ruler. I had hoped for the 
Guard's neutrality in this conflict, not wanting to see us becoming 
pawns for political ambition, and providing foot soldiers to die in some 
political coup.

I can only hope that the rest of the Magistrates of the Chancellery are 
not a party to such a heinous scheme, and that Magistrate Seward was 
acting on her own authority. I had hoped to see this conflict between 
Council and Chancellery resolved peacefully, but Magistrate Seward has 
needlessly escalated the situation with this brazen ploy. Nevertheless, 
these ridiculous charges will be thoroughly investigated, to demonstrate 
the depth of perfidy committed this night.

Commander Harscorn has chosen to become the tool of Magistrate Seward in 
all of this, refusing a lawful order from a superior officer, and chose 
instead to obey the orders of Magistrate Seward, who possesses no 
authority whatsoever to command him. He also needlessly assaulted 
Councilor Reizeau, striking a man who was not resisting arrest. 
Therefore, let it be known that Commander Tarn Harscorn has been 
relieved of his command of the Wharf Garrison and placed on indefinite 
suspension without pay effective immediately. Furthermore, a warrant has 
been issued for his arrest on charges of assault upon an officer of the 
Crown.

I urge the Guardsmen of the Wharf Patrol not to follow Commander 
Harscorn's lawless example, regardless of one's personal sentiments 
regarding the present political situation. The Guard must above all 
remained united against threats to the safety of Drache, and should we 
turn upon one another over this political squabble, it is the people of 
Drache who will suffer most. Should Guards come to blows in this 
conflict, we are inviting Drache's criminals and supernatural villains 
to claim the city for their own, and leave the population of Drache at 
their mercy to be abused and slaughtered. I remind all Wharfers that I 
myself was the first Commander of the Wharf Garrison, that I patrolled 
those very streets with you, and risked my life daily in your midst. I 
stood at the Iron Gate during the Mist Wars and fought along side of 
you. Help me to restore order by apprehending Commander Harscorn, and 
strive to remain above the present political conflict.

May Menxvan and Pallodain preserve Drache and Arangoth.

Me enxenim,

Lucius von Stahl
Captain of the Royal Guard

12. XI. 473.

[Seal of the Royal Guard affixed]