Honorable Skrifa and Citizens,
Earlier this week I spent a few hours drafting a response to the
Statement of the Underhusen on Events in Lazarus, extolling the virtues of neutrality and long-standing principles and policies of the region, but when it came time to post it, I just couldn't do it. It didn't feel right. For the record, I strongly believe in neutrality in this and other game-created region conflicts where we don't have a treaty obliging us to recognize a government, but the realities of this situation make that more than a little complicated to actually do.
The actions of the group of people who now make up the leadership of the "Undead Dominion of Lazarus" are abhorrent and an affront to everything this region stands for. It represents the worst of a toxic gameplayer culture that puts power and winning above all else, beyond even the truth or right and wrong. I can't in good conscience support a person or government that would so casually and wrongly slander and demean people for its own power, and I wouldn't be human if I could do so when I and other Wintrean Citizens are targets of that slander.
As I said, I believe in neutrality even here, and I'm open in principle to basic relations with both sides for the duration of this conflict. However, the reality of the matter is that on the side of the "Undead Dominion of Lazarus", wrongs would have to be righted in order to even pursue those basic relations...prior to any such relations, they will withdraw the slanderous charges, claims, and related actions against Wintrean Citizens, publicly admit wrongdoing and apologize for having made them to begin with, and provide any reassurances the Monarchy feels are necessary to ensure these actions will never happen again.
And just to be clear, I don't actually expect them to do that, but that's the only way I would ever be alright with pursuing relations with this group of people after what they have done to gain power for themselves to begin with. In the meantime, I will soon issue several
persona non grata declarations and modify the appropriate decrees to enable this policy.
On the other hand, Wintreath will not provide military or material support to either side in this matter. I strongly believe that if a GCR wants to include our protection as part of their defenses, they may negotiate a treaty with us to that effect...as it is, there is no such treaty, and we haven't even been asked for support by anyone. No matter what any one side has done, it would be inappropriate to insert ourselves into a conflict that doesn't directly involve this region (even if it does involve some members personally) without the consent of a party through a treaty, and at the end of the day it simply isn't our place to do so.
I appreciate the Underhusen making its opinion known in this matter, and I hope that the Underhusen will find this a satisfactory response that balances the actions of the parties involved in this conflict, the members of this region who have been aggrieved by those actions, and our own long-standing principles as a region. I look forward to addressing the Underhusen in any other issues they wish to consider in the future.
-Wintermoot
