Edict of Ben's Living Room

The infamous decree, signed by Ivar, which forever established Vampires as enemies of the Burning Lands, at the instigation of Asmund and Otto VonMuller. The Edict empowered the R.A.N. to deal with Vampires with complete autonomy (which they did with unbridled enthusiasm).

As Asumund relates it:

The signing of the Edict of Ben's Livingroom & the start of the Vampire Wars.

This was... oh God... 1994, thereabouts.

Vampires were all the rage back then (they died out for a while, pun definately intended, and I cannot say if they have resurged or not... worse than roaches, that lot). That God-awful white make-up and dripping blood off the lips was EVERYwhere at feasts back then (which I never really got... looking like a messy eater is supposed to be cool? scary? Looks like a slob at the Rib Hut, to me... whatever). So, it occured to a few of us that... in a role-play context... that if you saw that at a party you would not blow it off or let it go. That thing probably just chowed-down on a person.

Well, we were not going to stand for that. Up to this point, the Royal Amtgard Navy was regarded as funny by some, annoying by most and ultimately forgettable. Having nothing to lose and laughs to gain, we figured we were going to launch into a war with the powdered and pretentious ranks of the undead.

Here's the twist. We had not expected any support. None. We were expecting to simply be a bunch of teenage assholes pestering group of jerk-offs. However, on October the 24th, in the living room of Judah Ben-Gilos, something happened that we did not expect. It was my birthday. Gilos' was around the same time, I recall, and Ivar had recently become Monarch-elect. A number of us were gathered to drink and generally celebrate, which was a somewhat typical thing for us then.

The shit-talking about the impending purge of the bloodsuckers took its turn in the conversation, naturally. We began kidding Ivar about how soft he was likely to be on the Undead Menace ('Better dead than undead' was an early motto). Somewhat dismissively, he pledges to support our cause in exchange for tribute in beer. Ha ha ha. All very funny.

My good friend, and future Admiral, Otto VonMuller told me to put our desired support on paper and then ducks out. I drafted what would eventually be known as the Edict of Ben's Livingroom (The Vamp Ban, it was called then). It officially declared vampires predators on the populace and therefore enemies of the state, it gave the vampires an option to seek a cure and thus pardon, and it gave the R.A.N. complete autonomy in the enforcement of this law while still being able to pull aid from the royal guard. Those were the highlights, anyhow. I figured if I ask for more than I wanted I'd have room to negotiate. Eventually, Otto returns with a case of beer and we present the draft to Ivar. He glances over it, laughs... And then signs it. The whole thing. Everything I asked for. Even the outrageous stuff.

Fast-forward to his coronation.

As a wrap up to court I am asked to read the new royal declaration aloud. There was, initially, a slight misunderstanding about what I was actually saying (which would eventually lead to a mild amendment in the form of clearer verbiage). The vampires actually thought that they would no longer be allowed to even PRETEND to be vampires. That we were placing limits on their personas. A riot started.

Now, when I say "a riot started", I am not saying an uproar that could be compared to a riot for poetic reasons or for emphasis. I mean a literal, honest to God, riot. Vampires actually attempted to rush the throne, some threw punches. I was almost jumped in the parking lot, later.

Eventually, things were laid out more clearly and it settled into a lot of fun RP that spread beyond the Burning Lands and affected things for years. Good times.