An Open Letter to the Citizens of The Verushan Empire

Written collectively by The Shroud of Freedom (assumed)
Collection Date and Location: Pradita Branch of the Eternal Library, 17 Inaten, i1195. 
4:609:ORE-1
LIBRARY CLASSIFICATION CODE: Restricted - Level 1 of 3.

THIS IS A DECLARATION OF WAR

TAKE NOTICE!

For too long, we have sat complacent. For too many generations, the people living under the thumb of the Verushan Empire suffer while they attack our cultures without remorse. All the while, those who pretend to be the preservers of knowledge enjoy the privileges of the elite families of this world.

That time is at an end.

We no longer accept our station as if it is our birthright. No longer allow  the wealthy families of the Empire benefit from the sweat off our backs and the blood in our veins. No longer will our children starve and we no longer accept that their children will be consigned to the same fate. We will no longer move  through our days as if we are satisfied.

Today, we openly state to the world: We will resist.

This action has been done with great thought. We are not ignorant of the inevitable repercussions, but the cost of complacency is too great and one we can no longer afford.

Therefore, it is under this great duress that the Shroud of Freedom returns to declare war on the Verushan Empire and all its accomplices, in particular the Dasholin Scholars of the Eternal Library. We call upon them to reject their imperialist ties and join the people in the cause for freedom.

For too long, the Dasholin Scholars maintained a policy of “neutrality” when we came for aid. They hide powerful artifacts away and refuse to allow anyone access to their arcane visions and wisdom. We know the truth. This is little more than a gauzy fabric that fails to hide its allegiances to those who uphold the systemic oppressions of people like those of us who live here in the suffering neighborhood of Valakarma. They claim they do this to protect us. They claim the power arcane cults wield is too great and must be contained. They cite the Battle of the Burning Rain, which they claim reduced Bat-Hom to ash. They cite the thousands dead in the Civil War in Erikenyea. But these events were centuries past, and today, the majority of the people who live under the thumb of the Empire suffer while the "royal" families control the wealth and means of production.

DO NOT BELIEVE THEIR LIES.

The Library is no friend of the Valakarma. 

Has an “Elder Scholar” ever dined at your table? No. They eat their meals with the Living Autumn Mother and dance in the court of the Roaring Throne. They benefit from every bead of your sweat that drops on the Praditan stone streets.   They do not care about the fishmonger, the ropeweaver, or the stonemason.

Our specific list of grievances is clear:

1. They continue to present themselves as ignorant of the plight of the Hanaqi people living enslaved in the kingdom of Eria. 

2. They refuse to support the liberation of the people tormented by imperial forces in the ancient forest of Lhoda in the kingdom of Samghara.

3. They do nothing to hold other arcane cults accountable for the many acts of violence perpetrated under the pretense of mystic advancement, which is little more than greed-laden quests for power.

4. They sit idle as the Goshaka Family commits numerous atrocities on the people of the Valakama.

5. Above all, they hold and refuse to share the invaluabele information and artifacts within their libraries that could free the people from the empire’s tyrannical rule.

As should be plainly understood, the Dasholin Scholars, by continuing to remain “neutral,” signal their support for violence committed by regimes throughout the world, not just the Verushan Empire. It is our duty, and the duty of all oppressed and enslaved people, to hold them accountable for their lack of action. There is no such thing as neutrality in a world of suffering.

At great human cost, The Shroud of Freedom liberated a collection of classified documents from the shelves of the Library’s secure archive on the island of Golau, and we will soon release them. We do not know why each document in the collection was obtained and held secret, nor do we care. It is not our purpose to explain them to the world. Our purpose is to make them available for analysis. You will have access to these documents over the coming months. Do not worry about how this is done. You will find them. 

By taking this course of action, we force the Eternal Library to reject its policies of nonintervention and imperial appeasement. We urge its ranks to reject fealty to false rule and join the struggle. We welcome you with open arms. And for those that don’t, those who choose to reject our call, whether you are a scholar, a soldier, a shopkeep, or someone who agrees with the powers that keep us political and physical chains, you have a choice: Stand with us or stand aside.

All people, regardless of station, religion, or forced citizenship, have the right to self-determination.

We hold all governments accountable for their actions.

We hold all arcane cults responsible for the violence that they inflict upon the world.

We hold the Eternal Library especially responsible for their lack of intervention.

Let all who support and profit off the suffering of others be on notice.

WE ARE YOUR NEIGHBORS

WE ARE YOUR SERVANTS AND CARETAKERS

WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS

WE ARE ALWAYS NEAR

WE ARE ALWAYS VIGILANT

YOU WILL KNOW US BY OUR SHROUDED FACES

ONLY WHEN WE ARE VICTORIOUS WILL OUR FACES BE SEEN

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED