Rufus resigns

[Rufus]

Letter to Lord Venkal Soaneson of the Kheldon tribe

To the noble Lord Soaneson,

It has been my honour and privilege to act as your aide for the past several months. I appreciate the help you have given me and regret that my serving at the front has precluded me being more diligent in you service.

However, you will be pleased to hear that the great Jarl Gis Vinothson of our Kheldon Tribe has seen fit to appoint me as his aide. This unfortunately means that I can no longer act as your aide and I must therefore tender my resignation with immediate effect. I am sure that there will be many who would be delighted to be your aide and one name I can commend is Harald Rastison, also of our tribe, should both your interests coincide.

One matter that I would seek your guidance on relates to cottars and carls achieving fame and precedence in our fair city. I know you feel strongly that the nobility must be respected or else good order in our Kingdom could collapse. You have told me with horror in your voice that if social norms are not adhered to, then you could have any person declaring they are noble, royal or even divine!

I believe you would want me to challenge any such "upstarts" and put them in their place. It is therefore unfortunate when you come across a "commoner" who is in every way a decent chap but has displayed airs and graces that should belong to the nobility. If by dint of good service to the Crown and the Kingdom, he should receive a title and be ennobled by his Majesty, then you and all other nobles would have no objection to his public status.

I do believe that the person I have in mind will undertake such meritorious service and hence will be so honoured. However, it is my understanding that should he achieve further prominence without being recognised as noble and our paths should cross, then I would be honour bound to challenge him. This is despite him being in every other way a jolly good fellow.

I would be grateful for any further insights that you may have, for despite some significant success in promoting my position in society, I fear my relatively recent arrival in our great city may mean I could have, through inexperience, missed out on some of the social nuances of living in Boldhome.

I hope to see you at Court in the 4th week of Early Sea when his Majesty has indicated that it is his pleasure to invest me with the title of Baron. This, I believe, will be a proud day for our tribe. I have written to my parents to invite them but I fear that my father's continued affection for strong drink will preclude them from making the journey.

Your obedient servant,

Rufus Bronzer of the Kheldon Tribe and Mularik's Company.