In the storm-lashed Kingdom of Mann, where the Council of Ministers sat in vaulted halls of oak and stone, whispers of intrigue carried louder than the crash of waves.
The High Lord, Alfred of Ayre & Michael, chosen by the folk yet ever at the mercy of courtly currents, sought to rule with steady hand.
But his Council, meant to be his shield, proved instead a shifting battleground as brave knights fled to backbenches or were banished from the Kingdom of the top floor of Government Offices.
Lord Ashford
The first to fall was Lord Ashford of the North (Douglas), master of the realm’s coffers.
His resignation came like the tolling of a bell in the spring of 2022, when shadows of scandal rose about the physicians of the realm. With bowed head, he placed aside the chain of gold that marked his charge, leaving the vaults to Sir Dr of Allinson, who had to take time from his work on helping the realms sick and needy slay themselves.
However, Lord Ashford would return to the Council, while others would not be so lucky.
Not long after came Sir Callister of Health, raised swiftly to heal the kingdom’s ills. But his tenure was brief and troubled, his authority fraying beneath whispers in the chamber.
By decree of the High Lord himself, Sir Callister was dismissed, his chair left vacant as healers and scribes pondered who might next bear such a burden, only for Sir Lawrie of Hooper to return on his noble steed.
The Barren Lands
The summer of 2023 brought the downfall of Sir Thomas of Roads, warden of bridges and harbours.
A man of fierce convictions, he pressed too boldly against the grain of council custom. Summoned before the High Lord, he was asked to yield his office and so he did, departing to the barren lands of the Backbenches.
In the winter that followed, Lady Edge of Learning was struck down by decree. Keeper of the schools, libraries, and sports of the kingdom, she was dismissed for the crime of questioning the power of the High Lord.
Courtiers murmured at her sudden dismissal, yet the decision was final, the seal of Lord Alfred pressed hard upon it.
The burden of Health, already heavy, claimed another in the autumn of 2024. Sir Hooper, who had steadied the ministry after Callister’s fall, grew weary of endless struggle.
He fled amidst claims the healers were to undergo a transformation known only as ‘privatisation’, denied by the High Lord, who absolutely did not breach parliamentary standards in denouncing this gaslighting falsehood.
Keep
Soon after, Lady Lord-Brennan of the Cabinet, steward of scrolls and keeper of governance, stepped down of her own will.
Unlike others, she did not leave in anger nor disgrace, but to return to her people and tend her lands beyond the keep.
This week we saw the fall of a long time hero, a veteran of many campaigns and former member of the secret Council of Legislative.
A Brave Knight
Lord Crookall, who held the curious mantle of Minister without Portfolio, which definitely didn’t only exist to secure an extra vote in the chamber, announced he had to defend his lands from the barbarians behind the Area Plan.
Having served in many halls across his long career, he laid down his signet and withdrew from the chamber. His departure echoed through the corridors like the closing of a great door, final and resonant.
Thus, in but four years, seven ministers departed the Council of Mann. Some fell by the High Lord’s hand, some by their own weary choosing.
Each left the kingdom altered, the Council diminished, and the High Lord forced to bind the fraying threads of rule with what allies remained as they prepared to face the revolting peasants in the Year of Our Lord 2026.
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