Rickon Grenthyx's Letter of Succession

Rickon II Grenthyx's Letter of Succession was a controversial piece of literature written on an unknown date by King Rickon Grenthyx, addressed to his younger half-brother, Prince Jorjaeryn III Grenthyx. The letter was written by the king personally and uncovered in his private study by staff of the Grenthyx Royal Palace, following the demise of the late king in 196 AG.
The letter contained a private, heartfelt and personal message for Prince Jorjaeryn, apparently some years prior to Rickon's death, which also seemingly appointed the prince as the king's preferred heir to the throne.
It came under heavy scrutiny by the new royal advisory council that was hastily formed with help from Ephellindronian Duke Harolde Silversmith after Rickon's passing, who kept the letter secret for a period before later informing the oblivious Prince Jorjaeryn about it. The council ruled the letter legally non-binding as an appointment of an heir for the reasons that it had seemingly been written before the relationship between the two brothers had soured, could have possibly been written before the birth of the king's natural successor, Prince Hellius Grenthyx, Jorjaeryn wasn't aware of it, and that there was never any formal announcement of such a proposal. There was also speculation from outside parties that, given the chance, the late king might have appointed his sole advisor and close confidante, Thadylia Laydern, as heir. The latter suggestion was disregarded however as Laydern had been recently discredited due to the role she played in Rickon's careless and unconstitutional ruling of the Continent and had been missing for some months at the time, besides the fact that Hellius was the logical heir as the late king's son and would make a preferable puppet for the new royal council to control.
While Jorjaeryn had no doubts about his older brother's animosity towards himself in the years leading to his death, Jorjaeryn fought (with support from Lady Lydia Fletcher, as well as influential lords such as Patriarch of Helmont Forkoux Fyth and Opian Duke Caldon Witcher) to try to take it before the Royal Court, but without success, ironically due to the new legislative precedent set in the hearing of the Scholars' Collective, which the prince had played a crucial role in the outcome of, earlier that year - stipulating that matters pertaining to the royal family could no longer be addressed in the court.
The letter was thus offered to Jorjaeryn as a hollow token of respect and Hellius proceeded to be crowned king as originally planned, marking the beginning of a turbulent few years for the Continent.
== Contents ==
The contents of the letter were as read:My dear younger brother,you stink