The Crownless Seal

The Crownless Seal is cracked across the face where a crown should have been whole. It certifies emergency rulings while succession remains unresolved, pressing authority into wax with a mark that admits its own wound. Road musters, court summons, ward repairs, and winter levies may pass under it, but every use carries dread: a realm can become accustomed to surviving without the very centre it claims to mourn. The Seal is kept with cloth, iron, and witnesses. No one can replace it without answering the question everyone fears: who truly rules the Marches? The first surviving impressions are older than several restoration houses, pressed into wax beside names that no longer command even a grave marker. Its age gives it majesty; its crack gives it dread.