Treachery and blood, the wages of sin!

[Jarval (Storyteller)]

Brothers and Sisters!

This has been a month seeped in sin and treachery. Betraying the city’s trust, the Keeper of the Low Court, Annika Lyle, stole property from our noble Prince, trespassed on her territory, and used her sinister influences to attack those from the lowest to the loftiest in our society. Although we are all Damned, Hell reserves a special place for such betrayal. She was as the serpent in the first garden, although the Damned are far easier to tempt than Man.

And a yet more heinous crime has been committed. While in the Sheriff’s custody, Ms Lyle met the Final Death. To take the life of the Damned is God’s right alone, and those Kindred who would murder their own brand themselves with an echo of Cain’s mark. Look at those around you, brother and sisters, as the murderer may walk in our midst!

But who would do such a foul deed? We know little of the circumstances of her demise, but truly, there is no shortage of suspects. The Kindred is a creature of vice and obfuscation, and as Ms Lyle proves even those who seem the truest and most faithful may have malignant secrets. Those who hold God in their hearts should seek confession in the chapels of the Lancea et Sanctum so your burden may be lessened.

Know that low or high, faithful or heretic, Kindred or kine, God’s judgement will seek you out. If your hands are stained with this sin, confess and seek the light of judgement, so the Prince and God may have mercy on your soul.

The Low Court has not been without virtue however. My brothers and sisters work to build a place for the faithful to congregate. Brothers Jacob and Vincent and Sister Jade are to be commended for their efforts.

And it is not just the Sanctified who are worthy of praise. Assistant Hound Slater had a nose for the truth, standing true beside the Prince’s Hounds. Mr Jackson of the First Estate hosted a fine gathering, and from what I have heard was resolute in the face of the unfortunate events unfolding. May we all deal with misfortune with such composure.

The new year has come and gone, with the celebrations of the High Court rather more muted than usual. Let us hope that recent events have prompted reflection rather than excess, and that 2016 will see resolutions of betterment upheld rather than discarded with the other good intentions that pave the road to hell.

And the new year sees the return of a scion of the city, although he has been long away from the safety of our metropolis. We welcome Sylvester Romanov back from his European tour.

In faith,
Brother Avro Clarke