QUOTE:
To his Imperial Highness Smelgar, Protosebastos of the Roman Empire,

Your Highness, a long time ago myself, along with the great Grand Master Conrad the Humble and with our common friend and ally, Julian the Protosekrates of the Roman Empire had forged an alliance. However, this alliance was made more or less in secret and was never recognized officially due to the lack of a treaty. Even so it was a well known fact that the Grand Duchy of Moscow is allied with the Roman Alliance. But now the paths chosen by our two factions seem to no longer go in parallel, moreover both Julian and Conrad the Humble are no longer among the living, which means that my personal alliances with them are dead as well and since no official treaty was made, than this puts our two factions on a neutral stance.

Unfortunately the direction which the Eastern Roman Empire choose to follow is also no longer similar with that of Duchy’s. On the contrary even. The Roman Empire has an increasingly aggressive attitude towards the kingdoms in the Russian steppes, more precisely towards the Kingdom of the Mordvins and the Kingdom of the Pechenegs. This aggressiveness was proven by the behavior towards them when they chose to attack the Sacrum Romanum Imperium.

Furthermore, the Roman Empire has an increasingly damaging influence on other neighboring kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of Akritia to which you have not given a single space of breathing and chose to suffocate it and completely surround it. No doubt the source of the plague which greatly affected the Akritian lands was not to be found in Akritia, but elsewhere. The same course of action you have taken towards the Kingdom of Bulgaria as well, which is now confronted with a similar situation with that of Akritia’s.

Because of these reasons than I, Baron of Demeter, Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Ruler of the Western steppes, Protector of Wespen, wish to inform your Highness that the Grand Duchy of Moscow declares war to the Roman Empire. Moreover, the Grand Duchy of Moscow will be accompanied by the troops from the Kingdom of the Pechenegs and the Khanate of Kasan who will fight along with us as mercenaries. I therefore ask thee to recognize their status as such.

I also wish to inform thee that we will show mercy and compassion to the population present in the lands the battles will take place, be them Christians or otherwise. We will however not show mercy to any soldier, unless he will lay down his arms willingly before the battle begins. Furthermore, prisoners of war (if any will be taken) will be treated according to their position and class and according to our possibilities at that moment.

Your Highness does not have much time to prepare for war, so I advise thee to use thy time carefully. I will see you and your army on the battlefield!

Respectfully,

Grand Duke Alar I of the Grand Duchy of Moscow

QUOTE:
Scribe, send a copy of this letter to the rest of the leaders in the Roman Alliance, to the Saracens, to the leaders of the Sacrum Romanum Imperium, to the King of England, to the King of Spain, to the King of France, to the leaders of the Northern Alliance, to the King of Poland, to the Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Banrion of Ireland, to his Eminence the Pope and of course to our Pecheneg and Mordvin friends and to our trusted Kasanian allies.