Crown Names ir'Saldivar to Dark Lantern Post

News for Far, Zarantyr 6th, 998

By David Noonan

WROAT -- Former Sharn Watch commander Mathurin ir'Saldivar will be appointed by the crown to head the
King's Dark Lanterns, the Sharn Inquisitive has learned.

King Boranel has scheduled a ceremony in Brokenblade Castle's West Gallery next Wir. After naming
ir'Saldivar to lead the intelligence-gathering branch of the King's Citadel, the king will present ir'Saldivar with
the ceremonial lanthorn of fearsome truths.

Members of the ir'Saldivar family and ministers in the Breland Parliament, speaking on condition of anonymity,
confirmed that Mathurin will accept the appointment. Crown representatives declined to comment on King
Boranel's schedule or any upcoming appointments.

Brelish Parliament Lord Ruken ir'Clarn said he had "grave concerns" about ir'Saldivar leading the Dark
Lanterns. Since the end of the Last War, the Parliament has sought an oversight role in crown appointments --
a role King Boranel resists.

"There's a lot about ir'Saldivar we just don't know. Rumors of a connection between ir'Saldivar and the Boromar
syndicate in Sharn, for example," ir'Clarn said.

Some of ir'Saldivar's connections to the Boromar clan are more than rumors. As head of the Sharn Watch,
ir'Saldivar put a record number of Boromar clan members behind bars. However, critics accused his office of
relying too heavily on undercover agents that committed crimes to maintain their cover identities.

Ir'Clarn said that the issue of parliamentary oversight goes beyond this appointment.

"I don't think the crown sees the potential benefit that parliamentary approval would bring," he said. "Once
appointees for high office get approval from Parliament, they will know that all of Breland stands behind them.
It's more than the confidence of the king -- it's the confidence of the whole nation."

When named to the post, ir'Saldivar will replace Daal Chorek, who resigned the post in Aryth in the wake of the
Tattered Flag scandal. Members of Parliament accused Chorek of harboring war criminals from the Last War,
granting them new identities as manor lords in rural Breland. Chorek was acquitted in a subsequent crown trial.