Spear Marshal Censured

by Epoch, Staff Writer
Last Updated: Palast, Brookgreen 24, 2008

Palanthas - A high-ranging member of the City Guard was officially disciplined for questioning imperial policy.

Donovan L'inshere was reprimanded by Emperor Markham in the well of the Senate Chambers before the members of the Senate. Emperor Markham himself read the letter of censure. The Herald was provided a copy of the letter.

"Donovan L'inshere, your service to the city and domain of Palanthas, and to the Solamnic Empire in the past 22 years has been exemplary and distinguished. However, your conduct of late cannot be ignored. Your duty is not to make policy. The Seante officials before you do that, your duty is to support and defend that policy. You are free, of course, to dispute these policies as a citizen of the Empire. However you must remember your place as a military officer. We must emphasize We are not censuring you for speaking your mind. We are censuring you for using your station to unduly influence your subordinates, specifically for your words at the commissioning ceremony on 27 Newkolt. Your words carry great weight with officers and enlisted men, and you must take great care to emphasize when you speak as an individual, and as an officer of the Solamnic Empire. We find you negligent in this regard, and we hereby place this letter of censure into your service record. We also reduce you in rank to Colonel, effective immediately."

The letter of censure was signed by Emperor Markham , the Lord Constable of the City Guard, and the Chairma on the Senate Defense Committee.

After the Senate adjourned, Colonel L'inshere had a brief statement for reporters. "I stand by my words. I intend to continue to serve the city and my fellow Spears so long as I can take my spear in hand. Thank you. That is all I wish to say."

Members of the city's elite fighting force did not take the censuring well. One spearman, who did not wish to be named, was incensed. "What did the Marshal do to deserve censure?" He asked, "Every citizen in Palanthas feels like the Marshal does about the rebuilding of the High Clerist's Tower, and because the Marshal had the guts to say what he felt, he gets reprimanded and demoted? That just isn't right. And look who signed the letter, Di Qisath and Uth Dolstan are the Emperor's men, they'd never question anything he did."

Another spearman agreed, adding "It's no secret the Emperor doesn't care for common folk, and that's what the Marshal is. The Old Man and I, we're both commoners, and I love the Old Man because he knows where I come from. A lot of the Spears are commoners, and the Emperor can't stomach our like, so when he gets the chance he takes us down. One of the Emperor's Marshals is a peasant? He can't have that, so the moment the Old Man stepped out of line, he paid for it. I guarantee Marshal L'inshere wouldn't have been demoted if he was a nobleman. The Emperor can't stand commoners, and he can't stand the Spears because we're commoners."

Spear Marshal Censured

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