King Andrew Presides Over First Feast Of Helus
King Andrew III of Seaforth preformed the rituals commemorating the Feast Of Helus for the first time. At the Temple of Helus in Eventide he was joined once again by Dr. Camryn Hopkins of East Moreland, granddaughter of Sir Charles Townsend and Priestess Jennifer Skye of the Temple of Helus. The feast, closing resembling the East Moreland celebrations for obvious reasons, included offering by the three branches of the Seaforth Armed Forces, the children and people of Seaforth.
Following the ceremony, King Andrew had a few words for the Seaforth people.
"My brothers and sisters. Today I was blessed to preform the rituals newly come to our shores, as my cousin Joshua did before me. We Seaforthian's are a people of faith. We believe hard. What we belive has changed over time. There was a time in our history when we gathered round to hear the Druids speak. We gathered round the Standing Stones of Arc-Royal. Many centuries after that and many centuries ago, Jocelyn Of Rhodes brought Catholicism to our lands from Vanora. That belief served us well for many years as a source of strength and humility. We all know how that ended. Now what is a faithful people to do when thier faith fails them? A worthy people needs something worthy to believe in. Now, maybe we were never meant for the christian faith. Maybe the Pantheon of Helus rings more true in our gaelic blood than the Holy Trinity ever did. When he converted, I asked Joshua why. His answer was that the Gods talked to him. I never knew whether he meant that figuratively or literally, but I do know he has been blessed by the Gods...and so have we all. When the Seaforth Catholic Church betrayed us, Jekar and Frossaj went to war with us. When Joshua went missing, Rolaf threw him back from the bowels of the earth. When Seaforth went dark, Melanar watched over us...
Andrew glances sideways at Camryn
...even Marissa has been known to show up from time to time. In all these things the Gods have given to us and it is time for the People of Seaforth to give back, to provide a place that the faithful may offer thanks and prayers to the Gods. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that the Kingdom of Seaforth, under the direction of Preistess Skye, will be contructing seven temples for the remaining principal Gods to join with the Temple of Helus."
The crowd erupts in applause. Andrew lets it carry on for a few seconds before raising his hands to quiet the crowd once again.
"As we look within, we must also look without. My thoughts are drawn daily to the Midaranye...more so since Duke Joshua published his analysis in the Free Mundus Network. The Kingdom of Seaforth has already established severe sanctions against the Tamoran Empire including freezing of assets. We will now be extending these sanctions to MCUR signatory nations that continue to do business with Tamora without the benefit of a Freestone Mark. Should the Tamoran empire cease to use slaves, The Kingdom of Seaforth is prepared to immediately lift these sanctions and invest in the Tamoran Empire. Similar sanctions now apply to Slava Lavosk until such time it is proven they do not possess or are attempting to develop nuclear weapons. I fully support President Kravec's desire to bring this matter before the General Assembly of the CTO."
"Today Seaforth is strong, in no small part due to the quality of it's friendships and the assistance we have received in our time of need. Today we find ourselves standing not a part of any alliance but on our own. We make treaties and build friendships with nations worthy of our efforts. We join organisations such as the Illumic Council, MICA and the CTO so that our voice may be heard and we can foster relations with those of a similar voice and bridge the gaps with nations who's voice is different. Today I hope to join one more organization. Though we have worked with them before, we have never been a member of the Joint Emergency Team. It is time to change that. I wish Seaforth to give more back to those truly in need. To that end, The Kingdoms of Seaforth will be officially applying for membership in JET. Should that application find acceptance, I will decommission the RSS Aid Ollain in the Seaforth Royal Navy and provide it, it's maintenance and payroll as part of Seaforth's permanent contribution to that organization. Lastly, but certainly not least, it is my pleasure to announce the 'Fill The Boat' campaign. In conjunction with Illumic Shipping and the United Farmers of Seaforth on this Feast Day we will be launching a campaign to fill a bulk carrier with food and supplies destined for Royal Seleucid, Socram and the Celtic Protectorate. The Fill The Boat Campaign website has a list of items desired for donation. Donations of cash will also be accepted and used to purchase undonated items, grain and seed grain."
"My final thoughts for the day are to spend them with your families. Thanks the Gods for the blessing in your lives and offer prayers for those going through difficulties. This feast day I will be praying for my friend King David and my Sword Daughter Princess Rhiannon as they once again face hardship and for the health and well being of all my brothers and sisters in Seaforth."
"The Gods Bless you and keep you safe."
Feast Of Helus in Wellow
At the same time that King Andrew was giving his Feast of Helus Address, as part of his first duties as Governor Of Wellow, Joshua Rhodes participated in the Feast of Helus on the Island Duchy of Wellow. Joined by his son, Josiah Raiden Rhodes, the two preformed several of the rituals. Later, Joshua spoke on his great pleasure to be Governor of Wellow and good he hopes to accomplish here. Joshua's wife Evanthe was in attendance but did not participate as she remains a follower of Rosari.