~**~ SAVONIA TIMES ~**~
Friday the 20th of 1953
From the Editor-in-chief
Friday the 20th of 1953
From the Editor-in-chief
Aftershocks in the Fatherland?
It has been a year since the hostilities officially ended and the Uprising was quelled. We have, as a nation, as a people, come through great hardships, and we continue to move proudly forward into the great unknown. The uprising brought change, and change never comes without birthing pains. I've been asked by many to share my thoughts on some of the great political aftershocks the State has, or is still enduring. While my views do not reflect the official views of Savonia Times, I feel it is my obligation, as the editor-in-chief in the most widely circulated, most read newspaper in our Fatherland, to share my perspective. I encourage respectful discourse.
The Bull
Two days ago Lord Matias Tanner of House Tanner forcefully gained the position of Lord Superior, head of his House. This occurred only two weeks after the passing of the former head of the House, Lord Superior Paavo Tanner, his uncle, who had led the House for over 40 years. This era I consider to be have been characterized by slow downfall of House Tanner's prestige and political power. Paavo Tanner was openly criticized by his nephew to be weak and slow to act, and to outsiders, the lost business opportunities, Cabinet of Lords seats and even city council seats across all Tavastia tell a grim if obvious tale of being outsmarted by political competitors. And as the almost final nail to the coffin of House Tanner, the uprising seems to have negatively affected this Supreme Council House the most. The new Lord Superior inherits a great House in even greater turmoil. Time will tell whether Lord Superior Matias Tanner can restore his House to its previous glory.
The Fox
House Tanner is not the only political entity that has recently gone through change in leadership. The Exalted promoted Lord-General Hannes Vaara, commanding officer of the esteemed 3rd Legion, into the First Guard, a collegium of six Lord-Generals of highest military and personal achievements who lead the military caste. While Lord-General Vaara's personal record as a soldier and a leader is outstanding, he has positioned himself as a radical progressive - something that historically has not been a recipe for success in the highest echelons of the ever so conservative Exalted. While I admit he is riveting in his ambitiousness and idealism, and I see some of the venerated Lord-General Ahti, the great Unifyer in him, but given the current state of the Fatherland, is this something the Exalted really need? We've struck down the names of the fallen Exalted who joined the uprising and took arms against their brothers. The nightmares of brother fighting brother still haunt us and the Exalted - is it too much to start drawing new lines in the sand already?
The War Hero
If I'm to write about the aftershocks among the Supreme Council Houses and the Exalted, I must reflect on the still-open wound that is Lord-Colonel Aleksi Vuori. Vuori's imprisonment and his military trial still continue. His fate is possibly the most talked issue among Tavastians today. Should the War Hero be spared for his past deeds and for letting thousands of unarmed insurgents, women and children, flee during the last days of the civil war? Or should he be executed for his insubordination during war time? The military tribunal may decide his fate, but the people will decide how he will be remembered. And I must stand with the Lord-Colonel as I have read my August Path well, and and I cannot with good conscience judge a man who did not strike down a fellow unarmed, fleeing Fennian - no matter what his superior ordered. But for us to move on from the tragedies of the past years, Lord-Colonel Vuori's fate must be decided.